Standing the Test of Time: The Breadth of Majority Coalitions and the Fate of U.S. Supreme Court Precedents

Should a strategic Justice assemble a broader coalition for the majority opinion than is necessary, even if that means accommodating changes that move the opinion away from the author’s ideal holding? If the author’s objective is to durably move the law to his or her ideal holding, the conventional answer is no, because there is a cost and no corresponding benefit. We consider whether attracting a broad majority coalition can placate future courts. Controlling for the size of the coalition, we find that cases with ideologically narrow coalitions are more likely to be treated negatively by later courts. Specifically, adding either ideological breadth or a new member to the majority coalition results in an opinion that is less likely to be overruled, criticized, or questioned by a later court. Our findings contradict the conventional wisdom regarding the coalition-building strategy of a rational and strategic opinion author, establishing that the author has an incentive to go beyond the four most ideologically proximate Justices in building a majority coalition. And because of later interpreters’ negative reactions to narrow coalitions, the law ends up being less ideological than the Justices themselves

FILMS: CLIMBING INTO CULTURES BACKYARD

Learners of a second language must also learn about the culture of that language, not just as a way of supporting their linguistic competence, but as a way of understanding the role of the language in individuals and in society. Cultural Studies courses are a way of providing support for this need, and Moran (1992) suggests a useful framework for the learning/teaching of culture. Film is commonly used as a medium in teaching, and is an excellent resource for intercultural teaching because it is seen as being more than just a text. A case study at Soegijapranata Catholic University showed that films were preferred to other teaching methods, and were considered the best medium with which to teach culture, provided that discussion time was also provided. Student responses were overwhelmingly positive. The course was enjoyable, the film selections were regarded as useful sources of culture, and the course format and syllabus were considered effective. However, offence could be caused by sexual or violent content of films and suggestions are given to overcome this problem. Ways to support this teaching method include the introducing of cultural themes and backgrounds to students before films are presented, and the careful selection of films that are limited to one intercultural theme. Cultural Studies should be taught without any teacher-oriented preconceptions. Also, the medium of films should be included in a syllabus to improve the teaching/learning process and not for any other reason that could be seen as a misuse of this medium

Brief 7: Building an International Court for the Environment: A Conceptual Framework

This issue brief considers the role and nature of existing and potential international dispute resolution fora in relation to international environmental law. It addresses impediments at the international level, such as limited access to justice by non-state actors and the lack of technical and scientific capability. As a conceptual paper, it highlights two possible remedial options: an international environmental tribunal and an international environmental court

The role of cytochrome c in caspase activation in Drosophila melanogaster cells

The release of cytochrome c from mitochondria is necessary for the formation of the Apaf-1 apoptosome and subsequent activation of caspase-9 in mammalian cells. However, the role of cytochrome c in caspase activation in Drosophila cells is not well understood. We demonstrate here that cytochrome c remains associated with mitochondria during apoptosis of Drosophila cells and that the initiator caspase DRONC and effector caspase DRICE are activated after various death stimuli without any significant release of cytochrome c in the cytosol. Ectopic expression of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 protein, DEBCL, also fails to show any cytochrome c release from mitochondria. A significant proportion of cellular DRONC and DRICE appears to localize near mitochondria, suggesting that an apoptosome may form in the vicinity of mitochondria in the absence of cytochrome c release. In vitro, DRONC was recruited to a >700-kD complex, similar to the mammalian apoptosome in cell extracts supplemented with cytochrome c and dATP. These results suggest that caspase activation in insects follows a more primitive mechanism that may be the precursor to the caspase activation pathways in mammals

Participation and crowd-out in a Medicare drug benefit: simulation estimates

This article provides information on likely participation in the Medicare prescription drug plan and expected crowd-out. We use a microsimulation model based on data from the MCBS to estimate the costs and benefits of a Medicare drug plan, including the benefits from reductions in risk. The simulations are repeated using different combinations of benefits and subsidies. In addition, the simulations explore the effects of different behavioral parameters for moral hazard (the extent to which participants increase drug spending in response to reduced costs) and risk aversion (the extent to which participants would be willing to pay to avoid risk) to identify the impact of these factors on participation and crowd-out

Caught in between: prescription drug coverage of Medicare beneficiaries near poverty

As Congress continues to debate whether and how to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare, beneficiaries with incomes near the poverty level are in danger of being overlooked. These vulnerable low-income individuals, sometimes labeled the “near poor,” have too much income or too many assets to qualify for public assistance, yet are still quite needy. As a result, they find themselves caught between public programs that are available for the poor and private coverage that is affordable for higher-income beneficiaries

Predictability of prescription drug expenditures for Medicare beneficiaries

MCBS data are used to analyze the predictability of drug expenditures by Medicare beneficiaries. Predictors include demographic characteristics and measures of health status, the majority derived using CMS\u27 diagnosis cost group/hierarchical condition category (DCG/HCC) risk-adjustment methodology. In prospective models, demographic variables explained 5 percent of the variation in drug expenditures. Adding health status measures raised this figure between 10 and 24 percent of the variation depending on the model configuration. Adding lagged drug expenditures more than doubled predictive power to 55 percent. These results are discussed in the context of forecasting, and risk adjustment for the proposed new Medicare drug benefit

Downtown and regional shopping centre retailing in Winnipeg

Report : xi, 90 p.The primary objectives of this study on Winnipeg's retail sector are: 1) to identify and analyze any structural and spatial changes which have occurred in downtown and regional shopping centre retail activity. 2) to attempt to identify some of the impacts/effects on downtown retail trade that could be attributed to regional shopping centre development. 3) to assess the changing physical and economic characteristics of the retail trade in Winnipeg. 4) to identify and analyze the shifts occurring in the types of retail activity within the downtown on a micro-level. 5) to identify and compare public perceptions and attitudes towards shopping downtown and/or at regional shopping centres. 6) to offer recommendations concerning present and future downtown development

Loneliness in the United States: A 2018 National Panel Survey of Demographic, Structural, Cognitive, and Behavioral Characteristics

Purpose: To inform health behavior intervention design, we sought to quantify loneliness and its correlates, including social media use, among adults in the United States. Design: Cross-sectional research panel questionnaire. Setting: Responses were gathered from individuals in all 50 states surveyed via Internet from February 2018 to March 2018. Participants: A total of 20 096 US panel respondents aged 18þ. Measures: The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (theoretical score range ¼ 20-80) was administered along with demographic, structural, cognitive, and behavioral items. Analysis: After calibrating the sample to population norms, we conducted multivariable linear regression analysis. Results: The overall mean survey-weighted loneliness score was 44.03 (standard error ¼ 0.09). Social support (standardized b [sb] ¼ 0.19) and meaningful daily interactions (sb ¼ 0.14) had the strongest associations with lower loneliness, along with reporting good relationships, family life, physical and mental health, friendships, greater age, being in a couple, and balancing one’s daily time. Social anxiety was most strongly associated with greater loneliness (sb ¼ þ0.20), followed by self-reported social media overuse (sb ¼ þ0.05) and daily use of text-based social media (sb ¼ þ0.03). Conclusion: Our findings confirm that loneliness decreases with age, and that being in a relationship as well as everyday behavioral factors in people’s control are most strongly related to loneliness. Population health promotion efforts to reduce loneliness should focus on improving social support, decreasing social anxiety, and promoting healthy daily behaviors