My Extra Credit Film Assignments for BLAW 1

On By southwerkIn Teaching

foolMy Extra Credit Film Assignments for BLAW 1

Each of these assignments is worth 8 points. You are to first write a brief intro explaining the plot and including the best line from the film that you can find after the first ten minutes. You will use for the second paragraph the five sentence paragraph format found in the syllabus.

I want you to watch the entire film. I’m trying to teach you something of importance that will last your entire life.

Each link is to an online video of the film which is totally free. If you have a service like Netlfix or Hulu and you can get the film there that will be fine.

The question I want you to answer is listed beneath the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5XcNcXBSQo

My Man Godfrey

According to the film, what moral principles does Godfrey believe in? What does he say about what he wants to accomplish?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYKijBENJ78

Love Affair

Charles Boyar has two choices in the film. Which does he choose and why? You may add a paragraph explaining what you would have done under the same circumstances.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLwEUnW2BL0

His Girl Friday

The Editor (Cary Grant) often (continually) uses unethical actions to gain his ends. What is he trying to accomplish? Is he a good man?

http://viooz.co/movies/7322-persuasion-1995.html

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=persuasion&form=HDRSC3&first=1#view=detail&mid=5287835AA1093BF4C9265287835AA1093BF4C926

Persuasion

According to the film, does the heroine cravenly seek money and position? In a nation heavily influenced by neoliberalism, aren’t we supposed to use the free market to maximize our gains?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTXpC6NRHCg

Jane Eyre

What are the circumstances that make it possible for Jane to rise in social class? Do women have an advantage over men when it comes to social climbing? What does Jane want?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cf0-GsXDzI

Rebecca

Rebecca is given a place in high society. How does she adapt? Would you have made the same decisions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmdPj_XbF30

Pygmalion

Watch the film and answer this question, would it have been better if Higgins had left her in the gutter?

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bodyguards+and+assasins&view=detail&mid=BB73D9DDEB1B1904078FBB73D9DDEB1B1904078F&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR

Bodyguards and Assassins

This is the first of fifteen parts. It was difficult to find and I had no luck finding it in English in a full movie.

What is the difference in the motivations of the rickshaw driver as opposed to the rich merchant?

Watch the film – I’ve had partial analysis that demonstrated a lack of basic knowledge of what was in it. This is a major cinematic experience. Treat it with the reverence a great piece of film making deserves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY1U-a2lWH4

Cyborg She

Watch the film and answer the following question: How much does money as a goal count in our hero’s life? Is there anything more important to him?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNdh5A6MWK8

Japan Sinks

In the film, the Japanese react as a people (as a whole) to the upcoming disaster but are saved by an individual’s sacrifice. Is there a conflict between solidarity of the population and the importance of the individual? Also what if he had acted with the morals of a Wall Street Banker, shouldn’t he happily abandon his country and his friends while cashing in on the underwater salvage of Japanese treasures?

http://vimeo.com/39063669

Ninotchka

Who does best in the story, the Royalists, the Communists or the lovers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU9g8-a2xHo

After the Rain

Would you want to be this man or his wife? Why? What kind of person is he? Tell me, does his wife’s words explain what he is? Why or why not?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gqwXeHI85A

Father Brown, the Detective (1954)

Why isn’t Father Brown exclusively focused on stopping the theft? What are his motives in this movie? Please explain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdrN7wsJI8w

Last Holiday

How does the pursuit of money balance out against imminent death? Listen to the lead character. What does he say? Does his view point change over time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJKWguqabUU

Young Mr. Lincoln

What is Lincoln after? Where does his ambition take him? Watch the film and from what Henry Fonda playing Lincoln says about himself and what he wants to do, describe his ethical motivations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMcTKNDB2TM

The Mark of Zorro

Why doesn’t our hero remain in Spain? After all, there are many women there and he has plenty of money.

Watch the film and discover from what he says, what his motives are.

 

Ukrainian President Ousted

On By southwerkIn Economic Justice

Ukrainian President Ousted

More than seventy people have been killed but the President of the Ukraine has been removed. That’s doesn’t seem very equitable and it is just another beginning in a series of political crises gripping a nation caught between the European Union and a Russia intent on re-establishing some elements of the vanquished Soviet Union.

James Pilant

Khmelnystskys Entry into Kiev
Khmelnystskys Entry into Kiev

Ukrainian parliament votes President Yanukovich out | Al Jazeera America

The Ukrainian parliament voted Saturday to dismiss embattled President Viktor Yanukovich and hold new elections on May 25.

The vote came hours after anti-government protesters seized Yanukovich’s office in the capital city of Kiev. He had insisted earlier in the day that he would not step down, even as his grip on power appeared to be rapidly crumbling. The latest developments followed two days of violence that turned central Kiev into a battle zone and left at least 77 people dead.

The military said it would not get involved in trying to stamp out the uprising, after protesters entered Yanukovich’s office compound in the capital.

The president’s residence outside the capital also appeared to have been abandoned. Local media said protesters had entered the sprawling grounds, but it was unclear whether they were inside the main building. Interfax, a Russian news agency, said some security guards were present.

Thousands of protesters on Kiev’s Independence Square celebrated just after the parliamentary vote was announced on Saturday. The protesters had been skeptical of a European Union-brokered accord under which the embattled leader agreed to give up powers, hold early elections by the end of the year and form a government of national unity.

via Ukrainian parliament votes President Yanukovich out | Al Jazeera America.

From around the web.

From the web site, Euromaidan PR.

http://euromaidanpr.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/dear-europeans/

Following the protests in the EU, I came to the conclusion that almost all of your protests were provoked by the same issue. Money. Europeans have always lack money. For money, they go to the streets; for money, they beat cars; and even a general expression of quiet dissatisfaction is also about money, and things connected with it. Apparently, it is now the main ‘European’ value.

And while people are dying in Ukraine, fighting against injustice itself, fighting for their simple dignity, in Europe dignity has been already forgotten. Not because Europeans don’t have it; they just don’t need it. They don’t use it. Dignity is gone.

So, dear European politicians, why do you think you have the right to teach us something? Thanks to the horror in Ukraine, we finally see what you’re worth.

Different people standing now on Maidan–the intelligentsia, small and medium businesses, the remnants of the Ukrainian middle class, students and villagers–who are impressing me the most. Young and old villagers–they die fighting for what? For justice and freedom. In the 21st century in the middle of Europe. For fucking justice and freedom. And it does not matter anymore who started all this, who is right and who is wrong and whether there is any sense in all what is going on. The Monster uses tanks against people, his troops are shooting girls with Kalashnikov rifles, and those villagers who were never interested in politics, they arrived in a strange city with their pitchforks and shovels to die here for some sort of ephemeral dignity and some theoretical freedom that Europe has long since forgotten. Tell me, are your European burghers able to do something like this?

We are expecting your sanctions for our monsters, but you do not want to do it. After all, your economy is in trouble, and the money of our oligarchs helps you not to die. And you, dear European politicians, you do not care that this money was stolen from Ukrainians, from me personally, as well.

 

Live ammunition in Kyiv

On By southwerkIn business ethics

The riot police in the Ukraine are using armor piercing rounds strong enough to go through the engine block of a car.

Ukraine Protest 2014: Deadly Clashes Escalate

On By southwerkIn business ethics

It takes guts to go up against the security forces with fire bombs and fireworks.

Video shows evidence of snipers firing at protesters in Kiev

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I think using snipers with high powered military rifles against protestors is pretty cowardly.

My Heart is with the Ukrainians in the Street

On By southwerkIn Economic Justice

Ukraine protests Dec 1 2013_by_Gnatoush_005My Heart is with the Ukrainians in the Street

For the first time in my “goody two shoes” life, I want off the safe path. I wish I were there on the streets of Kiev, and not here, safe.

James Pilant

Medic: 70 protesters killed, 500 wounded in Kiev – Yahoo News

“The price of freedom is too high but Ukrainians are paying it,” said Viktor Danilyuk, a 30-year-old protester. “We have no choice, the government isn’t hearing us.”

via Medic: 70 protesters killed, 500 wounded in Kiev – Yahoo News.

From around the web.

From the web site, Cynthia Yildirim’s Web Blog.

http://wittymisfitsinc.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/kiev-ukraine-protest-2014-video-photos-links-news/

The protest is about the Ukraine governments recent deal with Russia, the people are against it. Also, recently a law was passed banning protest, so of course that must also be protested. The Ukrainian people are calling the new government under their president Viktor Yanukovich totalitarian. They are calling for the president to resign, and the deal to end with Russia, and for the EU deal to go through.  Viktor Yanukovich has not explained to the people why he entered the deal with Russia, yesterday he asked for a compromise of some type. The protest continue, and the police have surrounded the protesters on both sides, and the protesters have put up barricades of buses, and fires.  – CY

Fukushima Leaks Again

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Fukushima Leaks Again

I’ve written before about how this crisis is going to run for decades. Just because the media has lost interest doesn’t mean that radiation has stopped leaking. And we can depend on TEPCO continuing to mismanage the problem.

James Pilant

New Highly Radioactive Leak At Fukushima Plant

* Worst radioactive water leak at Fukushima since last August

* Utility says water unlikely to have reached ocean

* Tepco strongly criticised for reaction to 2011 meltdowns (Adds company quote, radiation measurement, more details)

TOKYO, Feb 20 (Reuters) – The operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant said on Thursday that 100 tonnes of highly contaminated water had leaked out of a tank, the worst incident since last August, when a series of radioactive water leaks sparked international alarm.

Tokyo Electric Power Co told reporters the latest leak was unlikely to have reached the ocean. But news of the leak at the site, devastated by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, further undercut public trust in a utility rocked by a string of mishaps and disclosure issues.

“We are taking various measures, but we apologise for worrying the public with such a leak,” said Masayuki Ono, a spokesman for the utility, also known as Tepco.

“Water is unlikely to have reached the ocean as there is no drainage in that tank area.”

Tepco said water overflowed from a large storage tank at the site late on Wednesday after a valve had remained open by mistake and sent too much contaminated water into a separate holding area.

via New Highly Radioactive Leak At Fukushima Plant.

Advantageous Comparison, a Form of Rationalization

On By southwerkIn ethics

ethics from Kendall ballAdvantageous Comparison, a Form of Rationalization

This is where you rationalize your behavior by comparing yours to someone doing something worse. “At least I’m not a serial killer.” It is a form of rationalization.  Look at this quote from a movie.

From The Big Chill

Michael: I don’t know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They’re more important than sex.

Sam Weber: Ah, come on. Nothing’s more important than sex.

Michael: Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085244/quotes

JP

_____

Advantageous comparison (Moral disengagement, part 4) | Engaging Peace

Advantageous comparison is another form of moral disengagement described byUp and down arrows psychologist Albert Bandura. This mechanism is a way of trying to make one behavior look good by comparing it with a more frightful alternative.

For example, during the Vietnam War, massive destruction of the Vietnamese countryside by means of Agent Orange was portrayed as being a lot better for the Vietnamese people than being enslaved by the Communists.

via Advantageous comparison (Moral disengagement, part 4) | Engaging Peace.

From around the web.

From the web site, Wise Geek.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-moral-disengagement.htm

Moral disengagement theory was developed by Albert Bandura, a developmental and social psychologist. This theory seeks to analyze the means through which individuals rationalize their unethical or unjust actions. Moral disengagement can be achieved through various mechanisms, such as moral justification, euphemistic labeling, advantageous comparison or attribution of blame.

One of the mechanisms for moral disengagement is moral justification. Under this mechanism, people who engage in immoral or injurious conduct seek to justify their actions through morality. To such people, any such act is considered a service to humanity or for the greater good of the community.

Military Families Often Depend on Food Stamps

On By southwerkIn Editorial

img5aMilitary Families Often Depend on Food Stamps

Our military is all-volunteer. We pay people to defend the nation. Apparently, we don’t pay very much.

When did a McDonald’s style wage become the norm across the United States? From adjunct professors, to government contract workers , to our soldiers, no one in those groups makes much more than a fast food worker. There are airline pilots making 18,000 a year. Is that the goal?  – that everyone in America who works in a salaried job make around twenty thou a year?

James Pilant

Military Families’ Reliance On Food Stamps Hit A Record High Last Year

Military families were more reliant on food stamps in 2013 than in any previous year, according to a Department of Defense (DOD) review that found over $100 million in food stamps spending at military grocery stores last year.

The DOD-run stores, known as commissaries, sell food to active-duty and retired military personnel and their families at prices that are lower than what private grocers charge. Nearly $104 million of the $6.2 billion in total revenue the commissaries brought in during fiscal year 2013 came from food stamps.

Food stamp usage at the stores has more than quadrupled since 2007 as the recession compounded the already difficult financial situation faced by military families. New soldiers with a child and a spouse earn $20,000 per year in pay, according to CNN Money, and the frequent relocations and disruptions inherent to the lifestyle of a military family make it harder for military spouses to find jobs and bring in supplementary income. The unemployment rate for young military spouses was 30 percent in 2012. Retired military servicemen and women who joined up after 9/11 have a 10 percent unemployment rate, which also contributes to the elevated food stamp figures at DOD commissaries, and nearly a million working-age veterans lived in poverty in 2010.

via Military Families’ Reliance On Food Stamps Hit A Record High Last Year.

From around the web.

From the web site, Military.com.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/07/13/dod-5000-military-families-losing-food-stamps.html

The House action that stripped food stamp funding from a massive farm bill would threaten vital assistance for about 5,000 military families, mostly from the junior enlisted ranks, Pentagon officials said Friday.

A Department of Agriculture report last year showed that more than 5,000 of the 48 million Americans receiving Supplementary Nutritional Assistance Program (food stamps) listed their employment status as “active duty military,” the Pentagon officials said.

“Military members who receive SNAP tend to be made up of members in junior pay grades with larger than average household sizes,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a Defense Department spokesman.

Post Office Banking?

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Post Office Banking?

I think this is an idea whose time has come (again!). Instead of payday loans and check cashing places we let the post office do it. The idea that the Post Office should provide banking services was one of the platforms of the Grange back at the turn of the 20th century.

Post Office banking would save people without current banking services hundreds of dollars a year and run out of business a good number of unsavory businesses who prey on the poor.

James Pilant

Poll: Americans Like Elizabeth Warren’s Call To Replace Payday Lenders With Post Office Banking

Nearly a fifth of the country doesn’t know what to make of the idea of getting basic banking services from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), according to a new poll, but support for the idea outweighs opposition by a substantial margin among the rest of the populace.

The poll found 44 percent in favor of and 37 percent opposed to the idea put forth recently by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to have the USPS replace check-cashing and payday-lending businesses. The survey found 19 percent unsure of their position. That significant level of uncertainty in the YouGov/Huffington Post survey of nearly 1,000 people suggests that public opinion of the postal banking idea could still break in either direction. (While YouGov is an online polling system, it is not a haphazard one, and its methodology has been embraced as scientific by polling expert Nate Silver.)

The idea behind the proposal Warren made in early February is actually much older and comes from two seemingly disparate public policy problems. The first is payday lending itself. That predatory industry siphons more than $3 billion per year out of the country’s poorest communities by charging average annual interest rates of nearly 400 percent to people too desperate for cash to worry about the fine print. State-level crackdown efforts in the past have proven largely ineffective because the industry wields significant influence with lawmakers and because it simply changes tactics to evade the few regulations that do make it past their army of lobbyists. Federal oversight is finally coming to the industry after it had slipped through the regulatory cracks for years, and that scrutiny has caused major banks to drop their internal high-interest cash advance programs that duplicated some of the payday lending industry’s worst practices.

via Poll: Americans Like Elizabeth Warren’s Call To Replace Payday Lenders With Post Office Banking.