After viewing What Dreams May Come, prepare a two-three page reflection that discusses the production values and connection to the ideas we discussed in the Evil & Temptation Catechism exercise. Your reflection should be based on your observation of the production values, narrative content and our discussion and readings.

Identify the core message of the film. Discuss the ways the film does/does not reflect the catechism.  Remember many films will do both – be sure to cite specific moments in the film, dialogue, camera angles, acting, production design, etc… and specifics from the catechism readings.

This assignment is designed to help you develop and integrate the ability to write in an articulate, complex, and clear manner.  It should also demonstrate your understanding of how the content and message of a film (including symbolism) address Catholic concerns, whether intentionally or not, your ability to articulate film criticism by considering production techniques, history of production, message and content and a fuller appreciation of a film’s production values by understanding how production techniques contribute to a film’s message through symbolic manipulation of visual elements.

Submission Instructions:

• The paper is to be clear and concise and students will lose points for improper grammar, punctuation, and misspelling.
• The paper is to be 2-3 pages in length, excluding the title and references pages.
• Chicago/Turabian style

These are the Evil & Temptation Catechism you much use:

 2847 The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man, and temptation, which leads to sin and death. We must also discern between being tempted and consenting to temptation. Finally, discernment unmasks the lie of temptation, whose object appears to be good, a “delight to the eyes” and desirable, when in reality its fruit is death. 

 2846 This petition goes to the root of the preceding one, for our sins result from our consenting to temptation; we therefore ask our Father not to “lead” us into temptation. It is difficult to translate the Greek verb used by a single English word: the Greek means both “do not allow us to enter into temptation” and “do not let us yield to temptation.” “God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one”; on the contrary, he wants to set us free from evil. We ask him not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We are engaged in the battle “between flesh and spirit”; this petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength. 

 100words

Money is anything that is generally accepted in exchange for goods and services. Money serves four basic functions: it is a medium of exchange, it is a unit of account, it’s a store of value, and finally, it is a standard of deferred payment. Over the past decade, many innovations in payments have emerged: Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, ICOs…… What do these even mean? The natural response to these foreign concepts is usually skepticism and rejection, but beneath the jargon lies a powerful new technology revamping our financial system.

In our following discussion, let’s use “Bitcoin” as an example. Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses cryptography to control its creation and management, rather than relying on central authorities.

Bitcoin first launched in 2009, and the development of blockchain technology has brought it into the mainstream. It is the blockchain that allows transactions to be verified, bringing more security and transparency to cryptocurrency markets. Over the course of bitcoin’s history, it has undergone rapid growth to become a significant currency both on and offline – from the mid 2010s, some businesses began accepting bitcoin in addition to traditional currencies.

Discussion Topic:

Are Bitcoins a Form of Money?

Share your thoughts.

Watch the Video:

ABC News: Bitcoin Value Soars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RsBVCx-ZuU&feature=emb_logo

Watch the Video:

Bitcoins: CNN News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spFTgd5ah2o&feature=emb_logo

8.1 Assignment

Case Study #1 

 Psychological Aspects of Violent Crime Week 8 Case Studies 

Jim, a 48-year-old engineer, works at a medium-size engineering firm. He has been employed with the firm for 16 years. He is described by co-workers as serious and thin-skinned, having no sense of humor, and distrusting of others. He lives alone, does not socialize with his neighbors, and often engages in angry accusations of something the neighbors or their children did that caused him distress or offended him in some way. He holds grudges forever, seemingly holding on to every real or perceived slight he has ever experienced. Jim is constantly writing letters to the utility company, city officials, and his congressional leaders about the injustices constantly inflicted upon him. 

ckley, C., Mack, S., Beyer, K., & Erdberg, P. (2010). Investigative and forensic interviewing: A personality-focused approach. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Chapter 7, “The Paranoid Personality” (pp. 125–142)

Chapter 8, “The Schizotypal Personality” (pp. 143–162)

In a 3- to 5-page paper:

• Identify and explain features in the primary offender that are consistent with Cluster A personalities.
• Explain how these features differ from features that characterize Cluster B personalities.
• Explain crimes that Cluster A personalities are more likely to commit.
• Explain three challenges of working with individuals with Cluster A personalities and recommend strategies for overcoming those challenges.
• Recommend at least three strategies to implement when interviewing offenders with Cluster A personalities.

Support your rationale with references to the Learning Resources and other academic sources.

Main Discussion Posting Content 

Excellent – above expectations 

Points Range:

21.6 (54%) – 24 (60%)

Discussion posting demonstrates an excellent understanding of all of the concepts and key points presented in the text/s and Learning Resources. Posting provides significant detail including multiple relevant examples, evidence from the readings and other scholarly sources, and discerning ideas. 

Points Range:

19.2 (48%) – 21.57 (53.92%)

Discussion posting demonstrates a good understanding of most of the concepts and key points presented in the text/s and Learning Resources. Posting provides moderate detail (including at least one pertinent example), evidence from the readings and other scholarly sources, and discerning ideas. 

Points Range:

16.8 (42%) – 19.17 (47.93%)

Discussion posting demonstrates a fair understanding of the concepts and key points as presented in the text/s and Learning Resources. Posting may be lacking or incorrect in some area, or in detail and specificity, and/or may not include sufficient pertinent examples or provide sufficient evidence from the readings. 

Points Range:

0 (0%) – 16.77 (41.93%)

Discussion posting demonstrates poor or no understanding of the concepts and key points of the text/s and Learning Resources. Posting is incorrect and/or shallow and/or does not include any pertinent examples or provide sufficient evidence from the readings.

Reply Post & Peer Interaction 

Points Range:

7.2 (18%) – 8 (20%)

Student interacts frequently with peers. The feedback postings and responses to questions are excellent and fully contribute to the quality of interaction by offering constructive critique, suggestions, in-depth questions, use of scholarly, empirical resources, and stimulating thoughts and/or probes. 

Points Range:

6.4 (16%) – 7.16 (17.9%)

Student interacts moderately with peers. The feedback postings and responses to questions are good, but may not fully contribute to the quality of interaction by offering constructive critique, suggestions, in-depth questions, use of scholarly, empirical resources, and stimulating thoughts and/or probes. 

Points Range:

5.6 (14%) – 6.36 (15.9%)

Student interacts minimally with peers or the feedback postings, and responses to questions only partially contribute to the quality of interaction by offering insufficient constructive critique or suggestions, shallow questions, or providing poor quality additional resources. 

Points Range:

0 (0%) – 5.56 (13.9%)

Student does not interact with peers (0 points) or the feedback postings and responses to questions do not contribute to the quality of interaction by offering any constructive critique, suggestions, questions, or additional resources.

Writing 

Points Range:

7.2 (18%) – 8 (20%)

Postings are well organized, use scholarly tone, contain original writing , proper paraphrasing, follow APA style, contain very few or no writing and/or spelling errors, and are fully consistent with graduate level .

Instructions

On page 133 of your textbook, it notes that a Washington Post columnist once stated, “it is the police culture, more than race, that is at the crux of the problem . . . a mentality of brutality.”

Reflect on this statement as if you had just read it in the newspaper over your morning coffee. You are now considering writing an editorial response to the article. Write your thoughts and opinions regarding the journalist’s statement.

Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.

 Page 133 reading for the essay:

America’s Angst

By the end of 2015, the number of people killed by law enforcement in the United States had reached 1,000 after officers in Oakland, California, shot dead a man who allegedly pointed a replica gun at them; the media would inform Americans that African Americans were more than twice as likely to be unarmed as white Americans when killed by police.1

It would certainly be difficult for anyone to argue that all such shootings were unlawful or unjustified, such as the case of a 77-year-old man in a high-rise apartment in Birmingham, Alabama, who police shot when he answered his door with a gun. But then there are cases such as the 17-year-old girl gunned down by police while joyriding in a stolen car in Denver.2

These incidents that also involve minority group members will often heighten the tension and lead to charges of racism against the entire police agency. One Washington Post columnist offered that “it is the police culture, more than race, that is at the crux of the problem . . . a mentality of brutality.”3 In this same regard, Human Rights Watch stated the following:

The excessive use of force by police officers, including unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal chokings, and rough treatment, persists because overwhelming barriers to accountability make it possible for officers who commit human rights violations to escape due punishment and often to repeat their offenses.4

Wanted: A National Use-of-Force Database

As indicated in Chapter 4, there is great concern with transparency regarding police shootings. Inexplicably, no one knows the actual number of police shooting deaths, incidents causing serious bodily injury, or discharge of firearm—or how many of them were deemed unjustified.

Until now no one has been required to submit this information; therefore, many police departments choose not to.5 Certainly from policymakers’, police trainers’, and researchers’ perspectives, having to rely on guesswork concerning the nature and extent of police use of force is less than ideal. For this reason, the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recommended in 2015 that “agencies should have comprehensive policies on the use of force that include training, investigations, prosecutions, data collection, and information sharing. These policies must be clear, concise, and openly available for public inspection.”6

The FBI announced in late 2016 that in early 2017 it would be launching a pilot program to collect data on police shootings and other incidents of nonlethal force. As a direct result of the persistent, racially charged incidents from 2014 to present, data will be collected in these areas first in federal law enforcement agencies and eventually from state and local agencies. This effort will go beyond the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2014, which only requires reporting of civilian deaths during police encounters or custody.7

The Importance of Use-of-Force Policymaking

At first blush, the development of policies concerning use of force might seem insignificant, at least in terms of how such policies are applied in the field, when officers must often make split decisions. However, a breakdown of use-of-force incidents can lead to informed and improved policymaking and even dramatically reduce deadly encounters.8

For example, several years ago a New York City Police Department prohibited officers from shooting at or from a moving vehicle, unless a person in the vehicle is using or threatening deadly force. That policy resulted in an immediate, sharp reduction in uses of lethal force in New York City.9 Following are other examples of use-of-force policies that have been enacted:

• The use of deadly force is prohibited against individuals who pose a danger only to themselves and not to other members of the public or to officers.
• All critical police incidents resulting in death or serious bodily injury will be reviewed by specially trained personnel. Other uses of force should be investigated by the officer’s supervisor and reviewed through the chain of command.
• Supervisors should respond to the scene of any use-of-force incident to initiate the investigation.
• All non-training-related firearms discharges will be investigated, regardless of whether the subject was struck.
• The agency will publish regular reports on their officers’ use of force, including officer-involved shootings, deployment of less-lethal options, and use of canines.
• The agency will periodically check to make sure that the academy training is consistent with such policies.
• The use of force should embrace the sanctity of human life, with de-escalation as agency policy and a duty to intervene with officers who may be using excessive force.
• Officers have a duty to intervene when observing colleagues using excessive force.10

Posting Information about Police Shootings

Some police agencies now demonstrate complete openness regarding officer-involved shootings. An example is provided in Exhibit 6.1; it shows facts and outcomes of such a shooting as provided by the Dallas, Texas, Police Department’s website.

Exhibit 6.1 Dallas Police Department’s Postings of Information Concerning Officer-Involved Shootings11

On Monday, December 9, 2013, at approximately 3:11 P.M., plainclothes deployment officers were conducting surveillance on a vehicle at 9524 Military Parkway that had been taken in a robbery offense. The vehicle became occupied by two individuals and a felony traffic stop supported by uniformed officers in marked vehicles was attempted outside the apartment complex. The vehicle did not stop and turned back into the complex. The driver fled on foot and the passenger remained in the vehicle. One officer approached the vehicle, pulled her weapon, and fired one time at the B/M/19 suspect striking him. The suspect was injured and transported to Baylor Hospital.

Suspect was unarmed. The officer was terminated for violation of departmental policy and later indicted by a Dallas County Grand Jury for aggravated assault. No officer was injured.

One officer fired 1 round. Involved Officer: W/F 12 years, 3 months service.

The Cry Heard Round the Country: “Wear Body Cameras!”

Two national ramifications of the recent rash of controversial police shootings across the United States have been an examination of police methods and an emphasis on greater police transparency—both of which include a cry for police body-worn cameras (BWC). With peoples’ cellphones often recording what appear to many people to be questionable cases of police use of force, many politicians and activists argue that all officers should be compelled to use BWC.

For your second SLP assignment, continue to do research on the company you chose to write about for your Module 1 SLP. This time you will be doing research about the valuation of the company to try to determine if its stock price is overvalued or undervalued. You can use Google Finance, Yahoo Finance, or similar Web pages to find the financial information about this company.

Write a 2- to 3-page paper with the following items:

1. What is the P/E ratio of this company? How does the P/E ratio compare to other companies in this industry? Based on the P/E ratio, do you think the company is overvalued or undervalued?
2. Find the company’s balance sheet. Calculate the book value of each share. This can be done by taking the total assets and subtracting total liabilities. Then divide the number you get by the total number of outstanding shares. Is the number you get higher or lower than the current price of the share? Based on what you’ve found, would you say the stock is overvalued or undervalued?
3. Finally, do a search on what different analysts have to say about your company. Do they generally recommend buying the stock or selling the stock? What reasons to they give for their assessment? Find at least three analyst reports about this company.

SLP Assignment Expectations

• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• For computational problems, make sure to show your work and explain your steps.