The First Amendment Essays - Freedom Of Expression, Censorship

The First Amendment No other democratic society in the world permits personal freedoms to the degree of the United States of America. Within the last sixty years, American courts, especially the Supreme Court, have developed a set of legal doctrines that thoroughly protect all forms of the freedom of expression. When it comes to evaluating the degree to which we take advantage of the opportunity to express our opinions, some members of society may be guilty of violating the bounds of the First Amendment by publicly offending others through obscenity or racism. Americans have developed a distinct disposition toward the freedom of expression throughout history. The First Amendment clearly voices a great American respect toward the freedom of religion. It also prevents the government from "abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Since the early history of our country, the protection of basic freedoms has been of the utmost importance to Americans. In Langston Hughes' poem, "Freedom," he emphasizes the struggle to enjoy the freedoms that he knows are rightfully his. He reflects the American desire for freedom now when he says, "I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread." He recognizes the need for freedom in its entirety without compromise or fear. I think Langston Hughes captures the essence of the American immigrants' quest for freedom in his poem, "Freedom's Plow." He accurately describes American's as arriving with nothing but dreams and building America with the hopes of finding greater freedom or freedom for the first time. He depicts how people of all backgrounds worked together for one cause: freedom. I selected Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 as a fictitious example of the evils of censorship in a world that is becoming illiterate. In this book, the government convinces the public that book reading is evil because it spreads harmful opinions and agitates people against the government. The vast majority of people accept this censorship of expression without question and are content to see and hear only the government's propaganda. I found this disturbing yet realistic. Bradbury's hidden opposition to this form of censorship was apparent throughout the book and finally prevailed in the end when his main character rebelled against the practice of burning books. Among the many forms of protests are pickets, strikes, public speeches and rallies. Recently in New Jersey, more than a thousand community activists rallied to draft a "human" budget that puts the needs of the poor and handicapped as a top priority. Rallies are an effective means for people to use their freedoms effectively to bring about change from the government. Freedom of speech is constantly being challenged as is evidenced in a recent court case where a Gloucester County school district censored reviews of two R-rated movies from a school newspaper. Superior Court Judge, Robert E. Francis ruled that the student's rights were violated under the state Constitution. I feel this is a major break through for students' rights because it limits editorial control of school newspapers by educators and allows students to print what they feel is important. A newly proposed bill (A-557) would prevent school officials from controlling the content of student publications. Critics of the bill feel that "student journalists may be too young to understand the responsibilities that come with free speech." This is a valid point; however, it would provide an excellent opportunity for them to learn about their First Amendment rights that guarantees free speech and freedom of the press. In his commencement address to Monmouth College graduates, Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School defended the broad right to free speech. He stated, "My message to you graduates is to assert your rights, to use them responsibly and boldly, to oppose racism, to oppose sexism, to oppose homophobia and bigotry of all kinds and to do so within the spirit of the First Amendment, not by creating an exception to it." I agree that one should feel free to speak openly as long as it does not directly or indirectly lead to the harm of others. One of the more controversial issues was the recent 2 Live Crew incident involving obscenity in rap music. Their record, "As Nasty as They Wanna Be," was ruled obscene in federal court. They were acquitted of the charges and quickly became a free speech martyr. Although many stores pulled the album, over two million copies sold as a result of the incident. I feel

DECLARATION OF FITNESS TO SIT EXAMINATION Essays - Investment

DECLARATION OF FITNESS TO SIT EXAMINATION Essays - Investment PLEASE DETACH AND HAND IN THIS PAGE SEPARATELY DECLARATION OF FITNESS TO SIT EXAMINATION Students must complete the information below. Please refer to the front of your examination paper for further information. School (please tick one)Business SchoolLaw School ProgrammeBSc Business Management ExaminationPortfolio Management Date01/05/2015 NameQadeer Niazi I am not aware of any medical or other extenuating circumstances that would impair my performance in this examinationSignature Q.Niazi .. This sheet will be collected by an invigilator during the examination. Please do not leave your desk until it has been collected Table of Contents Q2.3 Q.34 3b. M&S October Long Call4 M&S October Long Put4 References5 THIS IS MONEY5 CRINAGE, S.5 FINANCIAL TIMES5 WEALTHADVISER.CO5 Q2. As the elections are getting close, in the preliminary voting period, it can be said that most of the ambiguity will cause an affect in the foreign exchange market and of course the Sterling, as the clock ticks the value is said to be the most subtle tool for quantifying investors sentiment. Speaking of the reactions of bond markets and equity, it could be said that its unresponsive. Guy Ellison, head of UK equity research at Investec Wealth & Investment, says: Clearly the outcome of the election is uncertain, and markets dont like uncertainty. The bond investors value certainty, but there are high chances for them being disappointed due to the results. There will be improbability about the configuration of the potential referendums and the government, which may tend to cause an increase in the term premium causing a result of rise in the gilt yields. The elections could also cause instability in the interest rates. If for instance the interest rate tends to rise, the prices of bond would subsequently fall causing a simultaneous effect on the GDP, which would lead to a fall in all equity prices. In addition to that, it is expected that there may be a result of fall in new investments due to the instability which could bring pauses in investment plans and cause companies to delay financial investment strategies. Investors will tend to pull back and show lack of interest causing and effect to the stock prices that simultaneously cause uncertainty in the stock market. The Equity market is determined on global developments similar to the bonds, exclusively as a few three quarter of the FTSE 1100 earnings and revenues are spawned from overseas In order to confront such scenarios or at least play safe, a few strategies need to be revised by the investment team/investment managers. The investment managers should broaden the investment in bond markets as is it can be considered as a good option, the managers are recommended to diversify the investment of customers as much as possible. The managers should invest in markets or sectors with a correlation between -1 up to about 0, which shall minimise the risk of making a loss. Q.3 Explain the difference to an investor between holding a long European Call and holding a short European Put position on a companys shares. In a long European call one get the options to purchase shares at the fixed strike on a certain date, however, in the short put option the investor is obliged to buy the share at the fixed rate in the future. The short put is relatively a better option as it gives a higher premium compared to the long call holding. 3b. M&S October Long Call Values Strike price 440equilibrium 430 share 10 If the investor buys M&S long call option, the likely chances of making a loss would be of 0.10 per share which is the premium free of purchasing the long call. M&S October Long Put Value 425.7 strike price Share 10 Equilibrium For the M&S long put share options the investor will be expecting the price of the underlying security will go considerably below the strike price before the expiry date. References THIS IS MONEY Should investors worry about the election outcome? In-text: (This is Money, 2015) Bibliography: This is Money, (2015). Should investors worry about the election outcome?. [online] Available at: thisismoney.co.uk/money/investing/article-3057669/Should-investors-worry-election-outcome.html [Accessed 30 April 2015]. CRINAGE, S. Investment, uncertainty and the 2015 UK General Election [for use with your clients] In-text: (Crinage, 2015) Bibliography: Crinage, S. (2015). Investment, uncertainty and the 2015 UK General Election [for use with your clients]. [online] Commentary & analysis. Available at: http://insights.jpmorgan.co.uk/adviser/commentary-and-analysis/investment-uncertainty-and-the-2015-uk-general-election/ [Accessed 30 April 2015]. FINANCIAL TIMES UK election risk hovers on horizon for markets - FT.com In-text: (Financial Times, 2015) Bibliography: Financial Times, (2015).