The Prince and the Prophet of Florence: Investigating the Impact of Savonarola\u27s Anthropology on the Political Philosophy of Machiavelli

This study seeks to investigate a connection between the political thought of Machiavelli and the philosophy prevalent in the work of Girolamo Savonarola. In this consideration, it will be necessary to examine the works of Savonarola. After considering Savonarola, the study focuses on Machiavelli and apparent similarities between the two men’s writings. In addition to cross-referencing Machiavelli and Savonarola, it is necessary to cross-reference the work of Machiavelli with other humanist sources to determine whether or not Machiavelli’s alternative perspectives of human nature can be synthesized into the larger context of the scholarship of his day. For this purpose, the works of Coluccio Salutati and Desiderius Erasmus are examined as representatives of two different cross sections of Renaissance culture and literature. This examination seeks to focus emphasis on the similarity between Machiavelli’s writing and Savonarola’s preaching

Direct-to-Consumer advertising of prescription medicines: framing with imprecise frequency descriptors

The purpose of the study was to determine how often and to what degree “imprecise frequency descriptors” are used in prescription drug print ads. These descriptors along with the side effects they describe were compared to their corresponding prescription medicine websites and analyzed to determine whether or not the general public is being misinformed and/or misled in terms of side effect warnings by current drug advertising. Content analysis of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements found in five of the top seven magazines most likely to be consumed by readers over age 65 was the method of investigation for this study. The time frame of the magazines studied, was, August 2002 to July 2003. Using SPSS and descriptive statistics, results indicated that within DTC advertising, there is a great potential to mislead. For example, all of the side effects listed in the advertisements were also listed on their corresponding drug websites. Though, in some cases, the side effects with the highest incidence percentages on the websites were not listed at all in the advertised side effect warning. Some side effects with incidence levels of over 30% on the websites were listed in the advertisements but were provided with “imprecise frequency descriptors” such as “may include” or “most common.” The difference in website and magazine side effect descriptions present a question of credibility. It appears from the discrepancy between the website side effect descriptions and magazine side effect warnings that the magazines are at best incomplete and probably misleading. Possible suggestions for correcting the situation could include mandatory guidelines for side effect warnings including the number of side effects, inclusion of percentages, font size, and placement of the side effect warning

Sexual Exploitation and the Adultified Black Girl

(Excerpt) Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of entertainers Sean “Jay Z” Carter and Beyoncé Knowles Carter, celebrated her eighth birthday in January of 2020. To commemorate the occasion, Blue’s grandfather, Matthew Knowles, posted a picture of Blue on Instagram. Fans and journalists alike marveled that Blue looked so much like her famous mother, and many noted that she looked much older in the photograph. E! News tweeted Blue’s picture along with a question: “Can someone please explain to us when Blue Ivy became an adult?” The post went viral, and many people criticized E! News for referring to eight-year-old Blue as an adult, with some arguing that blurring the line between childhood and adulthood “ ‘perpetuates pedophilia.’ ” Others asserted that referring to a Black girl as an adult is especially dangerous because it reinforces the perception that Black girls are adult-like. E! News eventually deleted the tweet. A recent research study confirms that society tends to view Black girls as older and more adult-like than they actually are. Thus, E! News’ description of Blue Ivy may reflect a larger problem that can have devastating effects for Black girls. This piece asserts that a two-tiered justice system exists for victims of sexual exploitation depending on their race. As we commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted white women the right to vote but kept Black women disenfranchised, we must address the racial disparities that persist among girls and women today. Part I of this piece describes adultification bias, a societal phenomenon that can result in the unfair treatment of Black girls who experience sexual exploitation, including statutory rape. Part II discusses the traditional and contemporary policy reasons that underpin the nation’s statutory rape laws. Part II also defines reasonable mistake of age, an affirmative defense to a charge of statutory rape, and addresses the effectiveness of the defense where the alleged victim is an adultified Black girl. Part III of this piece examines the policy reasons that support the continued use of the mistake of age defense when the alleged victim is a teenager and the alleged offender a minor or a young adult. Part III concludes with my proposal for the enactment of a limited mistake of age defense that would be available to young defendants who may be more likely to overestimate the age of any sexual partner but unavailable to defendants who are significantly older than their alleged victims. This proposal increases protections for the adultified Black girl while recognizing the sexual autonomy of teen girls and avoiding the potential weaponization of statutory rape laws against young Black defendants

Letter From the Editor

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120319/1/Zaslow_LetterFromTheEditor.pd

21st Century Pillow-Talk: Applicability of the Marital Communications Privilege to Electronic Mail

This article is the first to explore whether the marital communications privilege, which protects from disclosure private communications between spouses, should attach to communication sent via Web-based email. Traditionally, the privilege does not attach where a third party learns, either intentionally or inadvertently, the content of an otherwise private communication. In the world of Web-based email, disclosure to a third party is necessary in order for successful communication to occur. Writers of Web-based email draft a message and store it on a third-party Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) server until the recipient reads the message. Even after the email has been delivered, a copy may remain on the ISP’s server indefinitely. This article investigates whether this process is inherently at odds with the marital communications privilege. This article will also explore whether marital communications should continue to be protected despite the privilege’s failure to meet some of its stated purposes

Twenty-First Century Pillow-Talk: Applicability of the Marital Communications Privilege to Electronic Mail

The marital privilege has two parts: the testimonial privilege and the communications privilege. Originally, the testimonial privilege prevented one spouse from testifying against another. According to the United States Supreme Court, spousal disqualification sprang from two canons of medieval jurisprudence: first, the rule that an accused was not permitted to testify in his own behalf because of his interest in the proceeding; second, the concept that husband and wife were one, and that since the woman had no recognized separate legal existence, the husband was that one. Thus, if a husband were not permitted to testify, then his wife, as a part of the husband, likewise should not be permitted to testify. In 1933, the United States Supreme Court abolished the rule disqualifying spouses from testifying in federal court on each other\u27s behalf; however, a privilege remained that prevented either spouse from providing adverse testimony against the other. The rationale for the testimonial privilege is its role in protecting marital harmony and the sanctity of the marital relationship. This Article takes a fresh and innovative look at whether the marital communication privilege should protect communications between husband and wife sent via electronic means. Traditionally, the marital communications privilege is destroyed when a third party, without the knowledge or involvement of the recipient-spouse, intentionally or inadvertently discovers the communication. In the context of electronic communication, where Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have access to otherwise confidential communications, the marital communications privilege may not apply at all. Indeed, it is possible to argue that the marital communications privilege is inherently at odds with this form of communication. This Article has two purposes. First, it explores whether the marital communications privilege currently protects e-mail communication and whether the privilege should protect such communication. Second, it addresses whether the marital communications privilege should continue to exist, considering the traditional purposes of the privilege. Part II of the Article discusses the history of the marital communications privilege. Part III explores the details of e-mail storage and addresses constitutional and statutory provisions outside the context of the marital communications privilege that provide some privacy protection for electronic communications. Part IV takes a critical look at whether the marital communications privilege applies to electronic communication based on more traditional applications of the privilege and highlights three legislative solutions that have been put in place to protect privileged communications made electronically. Part V discusses whether courts should reconsider the marital communications privilege as a whole considering the stated purposes of the privilege

Bias on Trial: Toward an Open Discussion of Racial Stereotypes in the Courtroom

Article published in the Michigan State Law Review

Obstetric outcomes of vaginal birth after caesarean section in Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria

Background: Objective of the study was to review the obstetric outcomes of vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC) in Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BhUTH). Methods: A retrospective review of women planned for VBAC at BhUTH from January, 2020 to December 2021. Variables measured included gestational age at time of delivery, inter-delivery interval, and vaginal delivery before or after primary caesarean section (CS), outcome of labor, indications for repeat CS, neonatal and maternal outcomes. Results: During the study period there were 1535 deliveries and 94 were planned VBAC. Of the 94, 55.3% had a repeat emergency CS while 44.7% had a successful VBAC. Successful VBAC rate was 52.4% in multipara compared to 47.6% in primipara. Repeat CS rate was 34.6% in multips and 65.4% in primaparas. The commonest indication for the repeat CS was failure to progress due to cephalopelvic disproportion, 26.9%, mal-positioning, 25.0%, fetal distress and poor uterine contractions accounted for 13.5% each. Prior vaginal delivery especially a prior VBAC was associated with a higher rate of successful VBAC, 40.5% compared to VBAC rate of 21.4% in those who had a vaginal delivery before the caesarean section. The successful VBAC rate was highest among those weighing 2.5<3.5 kg, 66.7% compared to fetal weight of <2.5 kg and ≥3.5 kg birth weight. Conclusions: The VBAC rate observed is higher than what is obtainable in other centers in our country but is far less than what is obtainable in the developed societies. The maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality are however comparable with the developed societies despite our limited facilities

Investigation of a Consumer’s Purchase Intentions and Behaviors towards Environmentally Friendly Grocery Packaging

Article asserts that plastic packaging dominates the US grocery industry, which raises the question of whether consumers are purchasing food that is not wrapped in conventional plastic but environmentally friendly packaging. Through their study, the authors hope that their findings provide marketers with fresh insights into the characteristics of consumers willing to purchase grocery items packaged in environmentally friendly materials