Mr Smith Goes to Washington essays

Mr Smith Goes to Washington essays Frank Capras controversial 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington tells the story of a young, naive and inexperienced politician who is brought to Washington to replace the recently-deceased fictional Senator Samuel Foley. The film has a number of themes, but one that stands out beyond most is the idea that the press controls the publics opinion of a politician. They can make one out to be either a dedicated, hard-working public servant or a self-centered, power-hungry individual. Through the use of characters such as Governer Hopper, Jim Taylor, Senator Paine, and Chick McGann, we see how Capra views politics in Washington. When Mr. Smith (James Stewart) is appointed, he is unable to recognize why he was chosen. However, we soon find out that it is not because of Smiths desire to work in Washington that he was hired- or his values- but rather the fact that, as a young and naive kid, Hopper and Taylor feel that hell be an easy person to influence and vote for their corrupt Willet Creek Dam project. Smiths first encounter with the press turns out to be a disaster. He is asked what projects he would like to push and then takes the opportunity to reveal his plans for a summer boys camp. He also jokes around with the press by making birdcalls. The headlines in the next-mornings paper are taken out of context and are intended to make Smith look like a fool. When Smith is about to be sworn in, an opposing member of Congress appeals his confirmation because of the way he is portrayed in the papers. He feels that Smith brings shame to the office, but Paine quickly defends him. Smith later sees the paper and is outraged at how the press portrayed him. He rushes over to the Press Club and physically and verbally attacks the writers. One of them, after bringing Smith under control, says something particularly telling about the media. In response to Smith&...

Personality Traits and PTSD Resilience Research Paper

Personality Traits and PTSD Resilience - Research Paper Example The TR in DSM-IV-TR refers to† text revision†s. Numeroff et al. (2009), a reprint of the work of Numeroff et al. (2006), reviewed the state of science in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors pointed out five key points. First, PTSD is frequent among women than among men. Second, the presence of group C symptoms after exposure to trauma can predict the development of PTSD. Third, increases in corticotrophin-releasing factor or CRF concentration associated with PTSD â€Å"may be reversed† with paroxetine treatment. Fourth, â€Å"hippocampal volume appears to be selectively decreased and hippocampal function impaired among PTSD patients.† Fifth, prolonged exposure therapy is effective in modifying negative cognitions that are frequent among PTSD patients. Note that in Numeroff et al. (2009) or state of science on the PTSD, there was no mention on the role of personality traits and resilience. In the 2000 guidelines of 50 pages for treating PTSD wri tten by Foa et al., there was no mention on the role of personality traits in hastening or slowing down the treatment or management of PTSDs. The treatment guidelines were developed under the auspices of the PTSD Treatment Guidelines Task Force organized by the Board of Directors of the International Society for Trauma Stress Studies (ISTSS) in November 1997 (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). The treatment guidelines described PTSD as a serious psychological condition resulting from an exposure to a traumatic event (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). The 2000 guidelines mentioned that the symptoms associated with PTSDs are â€Å"reliving the traumatic events or frightening elements of it; avoidance of thoughts, memories, people, and places associated with the event; emotional numbing; and symptoms of elevated arousal† (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). The treatment guidelines pointed out that PTSDs are â€Å"often accompanied by other psychological disorders† (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). Fu rther, the treatment guidelines elaborated that the â€Å"PTSD is a complex condition that can be associated with significant morbidity, disability, and impairment of life functions† (Foa et al., 2000, p. 539). The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association (1994) guided the guidelines. The guidelines recognized that research that shaped the guidelines came largely from western industrialized nations and little is known about the treatment of the PTSD in non-industrialized countries (Foa et al, 2000, p. 540). The guidelines also noted that there are limitations in the scientific literature on the PTSDs because most studies have used inclusion and exclusion criteria and, thus, each study may not fully represent the complete â€Å"spectrum† of patients (Foa et al., 2000, p. 541). In particular, it is customary in the studies of PTSD treatment to â€Å"exclude patients with active substance dependence, acute suicidal ideation, neuropsychological deficits, retardation, or cardiovascular disease† such that generalization of the findings to all populations may not be appropriate (Foa et al., 2000 p. 541). However, like Numeroff et al. (2009), Foa et al. (2000) did not mention anything on the association

English law allows parties the utmost freedom to agree their own legal Essay

English law allows parties the utmost freedom to agree their own legal relations and liabilities without limitation and interrup - Essay Example This means that a salient factor that distinguishes contractual obligations from other forms of legal obligations is that contracts are premised upon agreements. Likewise, this is important since people can agree to exchange any goods and / or services, provided they are legit. Similarly, if the basic requirements of a contract have been met, then English law may not step in to curtail parties the utmost freedom to agree on their own legal relations and liabilities. Some of these essential requirements include the presence of offer and acceptance, consideration which supports the agreement, and an intention to create legal relations. The exception to this is when the modalities such as the Sales of Goods Act 1979, the Exclusion Clause and UCTA and implied terms therein as laid down to govern contracts have been violated. An exception that curtails the utmost freedom for parties to agree on their legal liabilities and relations without restrictions is the Exclusion Clause. This is bec ause the Exclusion Clause restricts or excludes the liability of one of the parties. Normally, it is the seller whose liability is restricted. However, it is important to note that the Exclusion Clause is not accorded blanket application so that wicked sellers can breach their initially agreed upon contractual obligations. On the contrary, the Exclusion Clause is applied in light of the contra proferentum rule. This can be seen in the case Wallis, Son & Wells v Pratt and Haynes. In this case, a seed sale contract clause argued that sellers did not give any implied or expressed warranties concerning the description of the seeds. The seeds were not found to match the description they had been previously given. In this effect, it was held that the clause was only applicable to the warranty and that the description being referred to was part of the conditions that made the contract. Particularly, the House of Lords ruled that there was no instance in which sellers are not to fulfill the ir warranty, whether this warranty is implied or direct. This is to the effect that any clause which does not explicitly detail conditions will normally not exclude liability for breach of conditions (House of Lords, 2012, p. 1). The crux of the matter above is that the circumstances which may compel the seller in the contract to apply to be absolved from the responsibilities or liabilities spelt out in the contract must have been caused by unforeseen circumstances (D. Ashcroft and J. Ashcroft, 2010, p. 66). Conversely, in this instance where unforeseen circumstances bedevil the business or the seller, the liability limitation may come into succour businesses which cannot afford to shoulder the burden on consequential and unforeseen losses that may threaten to subject a business to insolvency. Siems (2003, p. 35) explains further that the situation above was exemplified by the case British Fermentation Products Ltd v Compair Reavell Ltd [1999]. In this case, the British Fermentation Products Limited was the purchaser of a compressor of air supply under proper pressure to aerate and mix well, which was to help produce yeast. The supplier would be Compair Reavell Limited. The compressors failed to work well several times even after several replacements were delivered. Even though the amount of damages surpassed ? 1 million, Judge Bowsher Q.C.

Digital Video Broadcasting Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Digital Video Broadcasting - Term Paper Example Evolution of Television:- European and North American inventors pioneered the TV. Television is a hybrid word coming from the Greek letter ‘ Tele’ meaning far, and Latin word ‘visio’ meaning sight. 1) Monochrome TVs: - These early generation televisions were mostly based on electrochemical systems. The screen had a small motor with a spinning disc and a neon lamp which gave a reddish orange picture comparable in size to a business card (Udelson). The system continued to evolve with the inception of a line system to improve the results of the TV. In 1937 the 405 line monochrome system, known then as the ‘HD’, was selected as the UK standard of television. By 1950, most European countries had the 625 scanning lines, 25 frame per second, TV system as standard. Meanwhile, plenty of experimentation was taking place in the USA, however, the Federal communications commission was not satisfied with the quality of the systems and work on development of t he system continued. In 1942, the FCC endorsed the efforts of the National television systems committee and established a standard of 525 scanning lines with 60 frames per second. (Pritchard and Gibson) 2) The advent of Color TV: - During the 1940s, various color television systems were proposed and demonstrated in the United States. The first color television was developed in the early 1950s by the national television systems committee and submitted to the federal communication commission in 1953. Color TV was not successful in the United States until a decade of its introduction. Few color TVs were sold because they were expensive and there were not many programs televised in color. Time magazine even called color TV as ‘the most resounding industrial flop of 1956’. Slowly but surely, however, color TV started to thrive when color programs started to show up in abundance.

Regulating Prostitution Essay -- Prostitutes Ethics Morals Sex Essays

Regulating Prostitution Historically, although prostitution has been viewed as a threat to the moral order and a danger to public health, the state has tended to legislate for the regulation of prostitution, rather than introducing measures focussed on its elimination. Even early Christian societies did not seek to eliminate prostitution, with the Church fathers justifying this stance by asserting that "Sewers are necessary to guarantee the wholesomeness of palaces." (quoted by de Beauvoir, 1974, 618). St Augustine was adamant that prostitution should be recognised as a necessary social evil, arguing, Suppress prostitution and capricious lusts will overthrow society. (cited in Roberts, 1992, 61). His stance was predicated on a belief in men’s sexual appetites necessitating access to sexual outlets outside of marriage. In order to prevent them committing adultery and threatening their marriages, society should facilitate men’s access to prostitutes. It follows from St Augustine’s argument that two separate classes of women were required - good, virtuous, sexually faithful wives to service men’s procreative needs within marriage, and prostitutes who would cater to their desires and pleasures outside of marriage. Such thinking views prostitution as a necessary social evil, and reinforces the madonna/whore dichotomy. Given the fact that men’s demand for prostitution services has not abated through the ages, the historic response has been to continue to seek its regulation and control rather than its eradication. For instance, in medieval England and Europe the preferred way of regulating prostitution was to restrict prostitutes to working in certain districts and/or requiring that they dress in particular, identifiable, styles. Thus in Paris, prostitutes were confined to working in brothels in particular areas of the town and were required to wear armbands, dye their hair, "or in other ways distinguish themselves from respectable society matrons" (Bullough and Bullough, 1987, 125). Women who violated such codes of behaviour could find themselves expelled from that district, literally being run out of town. Confining the sex industry to specifically designated areas was also seen as economically advantageous in that it enabled municipal councils to share in the profits (Roberts, 1992, 90). By the 17th century the practice of visiting prostitutes was so wid... ...ciety and an Analysis of the Causes and Effects of the Suppression of Prostitution. London, Souvenir Press. Beyer, G. (1999). Change for the Better. Auckland, Random House. Bishop, C. (1931). Women and Crime. London, Chatto and Windus. Boyle, F. M., M. P. Dunne, et al. (1997). "Psychological distress among female sex workers." Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 21(6): 643-646. Brock, D. R. (1998). Making Trouble, Making Work: Prostitution as a Social Problem. Toronto, University of Toronto Press. Brockett, L. and A. Murray (1994). Thai sex workers in Sydney. Sex Work and Sex Workers in Australia. R. Perkins, G. Prestage, R. Sharp and F. Lovejoy (editors). Sydney, University of New South Wales Press. Brookes, B. (1993). "A weakness for strong subjects: the women's movement and sexuality." New Zealand Journal of History 27(2): 140-156. Brothels Task Force (2001). Report of the Brothels Task Force. Sydney, New South Wales Government. Brown, A. and D. Barrett (2002). Knowledge of Evil: Child Prostitution and Child Sexual Abuse in Twentieth-Century England. Cullompton, Devon, Willan Publishing. Brown, K. (1994). "Lesbian sex workers." Broadsheet (202): 32-35.

Morality and Obligation Essay

1. Two preliminary steps taken, that may be necessary, before one can intuitively appreciate the rightness of an action are thinking fully about the consequences of an action. In other words, think before you act. Also give thought (consideration) to the persons involved in said action or your relation(ship) with the persons involved. 2. An action is considered morally good in addition to being right when it is the right thing to do, while also stemming from a good place. When the person or â€Å"agent† performs said act because it is right, from a feeling of obligation, a morally good act is also right. 3. According to Prichard, an action done from a sense of obligation, there is no purpose â€Å"consisting either in the action itself or in anything which it will produce†. A motive, being something that moves one to act, can be the sense of obligation, an action done from a sense of obligation can indeed have a motive. 4. Avirtuous act is done from a desire that is intrinsically good. A moral act may be done from obligation. There can’t be an obligation to act virtuously, because we can only â€Å"feel an obligation to act† or do something. We cannot, however, feel an obligation to act from a certain desire 5. It is a mistake to expect moral philosophy to prove through argumentation that we ought to fulfill our obligations, because moral rightness â€Å"cannot be demonstrated, only apprehended directly by an act of moral thinking†. The sense of obligation is a result of a moral thought or thoughts. Moral philosophy can provide reflection on the â€Å"immediacy of our knowledge of moral rightness† and the intuitive recognition of the goodness of the virtues.

The Debate Over the Clearcutting Method

Clear-cutting is a method of harvesting and regenerating trees in which all trees are cleared from a site and a new, even-age stand of timber is grown. Clear-cutting is only one of several methods of timber management and harvest in both private and public forests. However, this method has always been controversial, even more so since the environmental awareness that began in the mid-1960s. Many conservation and citizen groups object to clear-cutting any forest, citing soil and water degradation, unsightly landscapes, and other damages. The wood products industry and mainstream forestry professionals defend clear-cutting as an efficient, successful silvicultural, or forestry, system but only under certain conditions where non-timber assets are not degraded. The choice of clear-cutting by forest owners is greatly dependent upon their objectives. If that objective is maximum timber production, clear-cutting can be financially efficient with lower costs for timber harvesting than other tree harvesting systems. Clear-cutting has also proved successful for regenerating stands of certain tree species without damaging the ecosystem. Current Status The Society of American Foresters, which represents mainstream forestry, promotes clear-cutting as a method of regenerating an even-aged stand in which a new age class develops in a fully exposed microclimate after removal, in a single cutting, of all trees in the previous stand. Theres a debate about the minimum area constituting a clear-cut, but typically, areas smaller than 5 acres would be considered patch cuts. Larger cleared forests more easily fall into the classic, forestry-defined clear-cut. Removing trees and forests to convert land to nonforest urban development or rural agriculture isnt considered clear-cutting. This is called land conversion, converting the use of land from forest to another type of enterprise. The Issues Clear-cutting is not a universally accepted practice. Opponents of the practice of cutting every tree within a specific area contend it degrades the environment. Forestry professionals and resource managers argue that the practice is sound if used properly. In a report written for a major private forest owner publication, three extension specialists—a forestry professor, an assistant dean of a major college of forestry, and a state forest health specialist—agree that clear-cutting is a necessary silvicultural practice. According to the article, a complete clear-cut usually creates the best conditions for regenerating stands under certain circumstances and should be used when those conditions occur. This is opposed to a commercial clear-cut where all trees of marketable species, size, and quality are cut. This process doesnt take into account any concerns addressed by forest ecosystem management. Aesthetics, water quality, and forest diversity  are the main sources of public objection to clear-cutting. Unfortunately,  an often disinterested public and casual viewers of forestry activities have overwhelmingly decided that clear-cutting is not an acceptable social practice simply by looking at the practice from their car windows. Negative terms such as deforestation, plantation forestry, environmental degradation, and excess and exploitation are closely associated with clear-cutting. Clear-cutting in national forests now can only be done if its used to further the improvement of ecological objectives to include wildlife habitat improvement or to preserve forest health, but not for economic gain. Pros Proponents of clear-cutting suggest that its a sound practice if the right conditions are met and correct harvest methods are used. Conditions for which clear-cutting can be used as a harvesting tool include: Regenerating tree species that need full sunlight to stimulate seed sprouting and seedling growth.Dealing with sparse, exposed, or shallow-rooted trees in danger of being damaged by  wind.Trying to produce an even-aged stand.Regenerating stands of tree species dependent on wind-blown seed, root suckers, or cones that need fire to drop seed.Salvaging over-mature stands and/or stands killed by insects, disease, or fire.Converting to another tree species by planting or seeding.Providing habitat for wildlife species that require an edge, new ground, and high-density, even-aged stands. Cons Opponents of clear-cutting suggest that its a destructive practice and should never be done. Here are their reasons, although not  every one of these can be supported by current scientific data: A clear-cut increases soil erosion, water degradation, and increased  silting  in creeks, rivers, and reservoirs.Old-growth forests, which have been systematically clear-cut, are healthy ecosystems that have evolved over centuries to be more resistant to insects and disease.Clear-cutting inhibits the sustainability of healthy, holistic forest ecosystems.Aesthetics and quality forest views are compromised by clear-cutting.Deforestation and the resulting removal of  trees  from clear-cutting  lead  to a plantation forestry mentality and results in environmental degradation.