Collaborative school planning and active schools: a case study of Lee County, Florida

To contribute to the understanding of the links between urban planning and school siting and, ultimately, the impact of both on physical activity, we conducted a case study of Lee County, Florida. Our study examined the extent of state-mandated collaboration between the Lee County School Board and Lee County government (e.g., the Lee County Department of Planning, the Office of Smart Growth, and the Department of Parks and Recreation). Specifically, we investigated planning processes under mandated coordination between the school board and the county and the impact of such coordination on the integration of land-use planning and school facility planning. By describing the process of mandated collaborative school planning in Florida, we illustrate the promise and pitfalls of such top-down legislation and offer insights to other state and local governments looking for ways to improve local planning and to increase physical activity among children.     

A five-year gender equality score card for the Philippine Supreme Court under its first woman Chief Justice: opportunities seized and missed

ABSTRACT

On 24 August 2012, the Honourable Maria Lourdes Sereno was appointed Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, the first woman to hold such position since its establishment in 1901. Several cases involving important women’s issues decided during her term were reviewed in this work, inspired by the possibility that a young, brilliant and hardworking woman of humble beginnings sitting at the helm could make a difference. Indeed, the Chief Justice manifested commendable grit in registering meaningful dissent in Imbong v. Ochoa, where she championed women’s bodily autonomy, and when she wrote a provocative concurrence in Vinuya v. Romulo, where she gave hope to women who suffered wartime atrocities. However, she missed an opportunity to put the rape shield law into good use in deciding People v. Batuhan and Lacturan. Her concurrence was also disappointing in Garcia v. Drilon, where she favoured rational basis review over intermediate level of scrutiny for gender-based classification, in People v. Jumawan where a conviction for marital rape was based on romantic paternalism, in People v. Palotes where additional compensatory damages were not considered for a rape victim who bore a child, in People v. Tionloc where acquittal was based on rape myths, and in People v. Caoili where the Court refused to call rape by its ugly name.     

Breaking Boundaries and Setting Records

The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 officially launched on February 4,with Beijing hosting this year’s edition.With a total of 109 medal events across 15 disciplines,athletes from around the world gathered to compete in a mix of sports including bobsleigh,curling,skating,skiing and more.Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,it proved an inspiring event,bringing hope to the many watching this year’s Games unfold as nations came together in solidarity.     

The goals of community-based corrections: An analysis of state legal codes

The increased reliance on community-based correctional programs has been influenced by rising offender populations and the need for states to lessen prison crowding. The ability of community-based corrections to provide rehabilitation, punishment, reintegration, and counseling services has been an issue among both researchers and administrators. Some researchers have asserted that community-based correctional programs have multiple or competing functions. This study examines 1992 legal codes for all fifty states to determine the legally prescribed goals as mandated by state legislatures. The findings suggest that rehabilitation is the primary legislatively mandated goal, and that most states have multiple purposes for handling offenders in the community. Suggestions for future research in the area of community-based corrections goals are made.     

Human rights and the distribution of U.S. foreign aid

In contrast to the findings of other studies, we conclude that human rights play a significant and substantive role in determining the distribution of U.S. foreign aid. We find that the foreign aid program relates aid to the need of recipient nations, rewards nations for furthering human rights, does not discriminate on the basis of race or religion, and responds to national security interests of the U.S. The finding that the program does what most people assert it should do provides a new explanation for the rigidity of distributions over time.