You Can\u27t Handle the Truth! Trial Juries and Credibility

Every now and again, we get a look, usually no more than a glimpse, at how the justice system really works. What we see—before the sanitizing curtain is drawn abruptly down—is a process full of human fallibility and error, sometimes noble, more often unfair, rarely evil but frequently unequal. The central question, vital to our adjudicative model, is: How well can we expect a jury to determine credibility through the ordinary adversary processes of live testimony and vigorous impeachment? The answer, from all I have been able to see is: not very well

You Can\u27t Handle the Truth! Trial Juries and Credibility

Every now and again, we get a look, usually no more than a glimpse, at how the justice system really works. What we see—before the sanitizing curtain is drawn abruptly down—is a process full of human fallibility and error, sometimes noble, more often unfair, rarely evil but frequently unequal. The central question, vital to our adjudicative model, is: How well can we expect a jury to determine credibility through the ordinary adversary processes of live testimony and vigorous impeachment? The answer, from all I have been able to see is: not very well

The Final Week!

I can’t believe that this upcoming week will be my last as a Fortenbaugh intern! While I am sad that this semester is coming to a close, I am also very aware of all I have left to complete. Abby and I have made great progress with our display. The creative process has been really rewarding for both of us, and I know that I personally have really enjoyed doing this as a partner project. We worked together to decide which fabric backdrop to use and we’re having a lot of fun moving the objects around to see where they fit and look best. It’s really interesting to think like a curator and try to think about how people will look at a display. What will they find most interesting? Where do we want to direct their attention first? These are all questions that we have to keep in mind as we work this upcoming week. [excerpt

What\u27s Law Got to Do With It?

The authors of this fascinating study modestly disclaim its significance, yet suggest that the results prove their model a success. As a legal expert, I have a rather different perspective on the results. I look at the numbers holistically, not statistically. And what I see tells a different story--if it tells any story at all

Deep in Guyland: College Age Guys with ADHD Speak on Facebook

Michael Kimmel’s book Guyland has been touted as a must read look into the secret lives of guys, the next step to understanding the troubled generation of college age guys. After reading the book I found I had insight into many things in my life that I had never really stopped to analyze. It also left me with unanswered questions, which were spawned mostly from one sentence in the book. “No wonder Guys… are six times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls.”(Kimmel pg.54). As a college age guy with ADHD, I can say with certainty that it has shaped the last several years of my life, and thinking of the amount of other guys I know with ADHD I wonder how a social phenomenon like this could be passed over with such a simple, dismissive statement. I decided that it was imperative to look further into this and enter into a sort of sociological discussion with Kimmel and see what I would find. It was important for me to think of ADHD phenomenally. A great debate rages over the biological legitimacy of ADHD and ADD. This is simply not what this paper purposes to seek out. The fact that so many people believe avidly that this is a real condition and that so many people who have no been diagnosed are affected by it, make ADHD a social fact. This is not to dispute either sides claims, it is merely to say this is a social phenomenon that needs to be looked at. The fact that Kimmel did not look at it is why this study has been undertaken

Hollywood Cries for Diversity but What Happens Behind the Scenes

It’s the year 2022, and we have now seen diverse identities get the representation they deserve on the screen! Hollywood is changing. Marginalized communities get to see characters that look like them be human and not subjected to a stereotype. When we look at the evolution of film, it took a while to get here but that does not mean the work is now done. Hollywood cries for diversity now, but sometimes still seems to miss the point. In this research, I intend to observe specific diverse screenwriters like Julie Dash and Alice Wu who have won many awards for their debuts but have voiced their difficulties in still finding a place in the film industry. I will explore the parallels between what we may see on screen and those in the writer’s room. Is Hollywood exhibiting performative activism? What are the challenges still being faced today? If we want to bridge the gap, it is time to address the issues at hand instead of pretending all is fixed when we see a popular film with representation breaking the status quo

Divine Leadership and The Ruler Cult in Roman and Contemporary Times

Seeing how the idea of the ‘ruler cult’ and the necessary ‘myth-making’ to establish it exists to this day, as seen with the regime of a 21st century dictator like Kim Jong-il, it would be most interesting to see what parallels exist between cases of divine leadership and what we might learn about our contemporary cult rulers when looking at the dynamics of the two-millennia-old cult of the deified Emperor Augustus. As such, I have formulated a central question that focuses on the reign of Divus Augustus, and in doing so provides opportunity to extrapolate from it new insights in similar but contemporary figures of leadership. A clear case of 'to understand motives in the present, one must look at actions in the past.

We need to use the words...

Sometimes it’s important to simply say the words … as it is in the beginning of wisdom that is the definition of terms. When historians look at the world of project management, what will they say that we have said about climate change? Certainly more general—but absolutely legitimate—terms such as ‘sustainability’ have been used, but in a basic term search in the 3 oldest project management journals, I was surprised to see only a few dozen uses of ‘climate change’ as a specific term. Theconversation started a long time ago using those words, and PMRP would like to encourage more with this commentary on one of the central topics of this journal … climate change

Some Notes on Replicating Prehistoric Pottery

My interest in pottery replication began about 30 years ago. As an archeologist, I was often required to analyze collections of prehistoric pottery. My analytical techniques were limited but standard for the day and usually involved classifying pottery according to previously defined pottery types and varieties. While this type of classification helps archeologists develop chronologies and determine cultural affiliation, it provides little understanding of how pottery was actually made. I felt that I might be able to enhance my analytical skills and possibly glean a little more from the archeological record if I could learn more about how pottery was made. So in 1978, I gathered some alluvial clay from the Arkansas River floodplain and began my long journey. My primary objective has been to try and reproduce, as closely as possible, what I see in the archeological record in hopes that it might give me and others a better understanding of all the processes involved in the manufacture of prehistoric pottery. I sometimes find that I can’t see what I am looking at in sufficient detail until I am faced with the task of having to draw or make it. Replication forces us to take a closer look at things and then allows us to see a little more clearly. Replication also connects you to the past and allows you to learn directly from the original artist. For me, it was simply not enough to just study pottery – I had to experience it. During my journey, I have drawn information from a variety of resources. These include a careful analysis of prehistoric pottery, an extensive review of archeological and ethnographic documentation regarding Indian pottery manufacture in the Southeast, studying modern cultures that still use traditional pottery making techniques, consulting with Indian potters, archeologists other replicators and through trial and error coupled with careful observation and comparison (basic Experimental Archeology)