Hywel Dda :: Essays Papers

Hywel Dda King of Wales Davies 1990; Walker 1990 By 950 A.D., Dinefwr was the principal court from which Hywel Dda, "The Good," (depicted in a 13th-century manuscript at right), ruled a large part of Wales including the southwest area known as Deheubarth. His great achievement was to create the country's first uniform legal system. Hywel shared with his brothers lands in Ceredigon and Ystrad Tywi after the death of their father, Cadell, about 909. He united their inheritance in 920, and acquired Gwynedd after the death of Idwal Foel in 942. He married Elen, daughter of Llywarch of Dyfed, and on Llywarch's death in 904 he took over the southern kingdom. In the perspective of the Dark Ages he was a powerful prince, and it may be that later generations borrowed his personal authority to buttress their own power. Like his grandfather, Rhodri the Great, Hywel was given an epithet by a later generation. He became known as Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good), although it would be wrong to consider that goodness to be innocent and unblemished. In the age of Hywel, the essential attribute of a state builder was ruthlessness, an attribute which Hywel possessed, if it is true that it was he who ordered the killing of Llywarch of Dyfed, as some have claimed. Although contemporary evidence is lacking, there is no reason to reject the tradition that Hywel was responsible for some of the consolidation of the Laws of Wales. Among Hywel's contemporaries there were rulers who won fame as law-givers. The law was Hywel's law, cyfraith Hywel; his name gave to the law an authority comparable with that given to the laws of Mercia by King Offa or the laws of Wessex (and a larger area of England) by King Alfred. He almost certainly knew of them; he was a regular visitor to the English court and in 928, when in the flower of his manhood, he went on pilgrimage to Rome. In later centuries it was claimed that he took copies of his laws to Rome, where they were blessed by the Pope. Tradition also provided details of the circumstances under which the laws were compiled and promulgated. It was probably the need to give cohesion to his different territories that prompted Hywel to codify the law. He was also successful in defending his territories, for there is no record that they were ravaged by the Vikings during his reign.

Gambling addiction Essay

The text states that the one problem in gambling has visibly endured is known as problem gambling. Government officials have long demanded a solution from gaming operators to address this major issue. Too many issues go along with problem gambling such as crime, family and work problems, and financial damage. Fortunately, the gaming industry as a whole has sought to be proactive in combatting the issue. They feared being viewed in the same light as the tobacco or firearm industry by ignoring major problems with their products. Are the steps that they have taken enough, or is gambling in general a major threat to society that should be avoided? The American Psychiatric Association refers to problem gambling as pathological gambling. There are generally speaking two different types of problem gamblers; action problem gamblers and escape problem gamblers. Gambling addiction is just as valid of an illness as addiction to alcohol or drugs. Its prevalence is linked directly to the ease of access of gambling in our society. However, just like drugs and alcohol, only a small percentage of the population is prone to this illness. Gambling addicts in general either lose all of their money, accumulate massive debt, file for bankruptcy, and in the worst cases commit suicide because they are hopeless. What steps has the gaming industry taken to prevent these horrible outcomes? I spoke to my long-time friend Alan Erskine, who now works as the Public Affairs Coordinator at the American Gaming Association in Washington D. C. I needed to find out if they were taking appropriate precautions to prevent these people from self-destruction. He assured me that, â€Å"The gaming industry has made many contributions to curbing problem gambling. The first is the creation of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, which is the largest funder of scholarly studies on how to best curb addiction. The industry also makes various efforts to educate customers about possible negative effects of gambling. This includes: posting signs around the casino floor, advertising the problem gambling hotline and ensuring customers are not intoxicated while gambling. † I was glad to hear that they were this proactive, but is it enough? The National Center for Responsible Gaming is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research to enhance the understanding of pathological gambling. They also search to find effective methods of treatment for the disorder and work to improve prevention, diagnostics, intervention and educating the public about responsible gaming. However, if gambling is the root of the issue to begin with, is it worth expanding gaming in our society? Is educating people really enough to curb the issue? There are countless organizations to prevent drug and alcohol addiction, but the problem still persists. Some critics of legalized gambling would argue that it is the direct cause of the increase in problem gambling and that any of their efforts are just reactive in order to protect their own interests. Alan Erskine responded to this claim stating, â€Å"The industry recognizes that a small segment of the population cannot gamble safely. Studies have shown that about one percent of the population cannot gamble safely. † His response does hold water. The mental disorder of pathological gambling does affect only a small portion of the population. Should the rest of society be restricted just because there are some who can’t gamble responsibly? The same case could be made for alcohol. Only a small percentage of people are alcoholics. The rest of the population should not be prohibited to drink just because a select few cannot handle it responsibly. All the industry can do is provide outlets for people to get help, and educate the public on the dangers of its abuse. The NCRG has yielded very helpful results in order to understand the nature of the psychological disorder. These include statistics on the scope of people affected, more effective treatment options, the role of genetics, and new instruments to measure, screen and diagnose pathological gambling. The more we understand about how this pathological disorder works, the more we can do to diagnose and treat it before the victim gets themselves and others into serious trouble. In conclusion, it is a bit of a cop out to simply blame the gaming industry for the rise in gambling addiction. They have been extremely proactive in trying to curb the issue and bring it to public eye. Even though they didn’t want to be viewed in the same light as other industries like tobacco, alcohol and firearms, it seems inevitable that they would be grouped together. They all provide goods and services that some can enjoy responsibly and others become addicted to and harm themselves or others. Research has consistently pointed out that addiction to gambling produces the same reactions in the brain that you would find from drug and alcohol addiction. However, they should be distinguished from these industries in the fact that they have donated a great deal of time and resources in order to find ways to diagnose, prevent, and treat this pathological disorder. While the acceptance of gambling in society does allow an outlet for those who can become addicted, the vast majority of people have proven they can do responsibly and the industry continues to take significant steps in order help those who suffer from gambling addiction.

Superior Court Observation

Business Law 115 Superior Court Observation The Superior Court session I observed was an alcohol impairment case. The defendant in this case, had been found guilty in District Court, but had filed an appeal to the District Court’s decision. The morning began with the juryselection process. The potential juror pool began with approximately 30 people. The Clerk of Court, Wendy Williams,drew twelve names at random form a bowl to begin the selection process. Once the initial twelve names were pulled, both attorneys had the opportunity to â€Å"interview† thepotential jurors. The prosecution attorney, Emily Cowen, began the process by asking each person to givesome general background information on themselves. This information included where they were from, how long they had lived in the Hendersonville area, their maritalstatus, occupation, etc. After getting this information, the prosecutor asked questions, such as: Did they feel they could hear the case and form an unbiased opinion? Had they ever served on a jury in the past? Had they ever had any negative experiences with any law enforcement officer? Other questions were asked more specifically referring to the DUI, such as: Did they have any family or friends who had been charged with DUI? The defense attorney, J. Michael Edney, then had the opportunity toask his questions. His questions had an emphasis on items such as whether they had a problem with alcohol use, etc†¦ After the initial questioning, three potential jurors were dismissed. One was dismisseddue to being a past victim of a drunk driver. The second was dismissed due to religious beliefs and the third was dismissed by the prosecutor for reasons that were not obvious to an observer. The Clerk of Court drew three more names from the bowl and those potential jurors were basically asked the same questions as the initial twelve. Of this group of three, the defense attorney dismissed two. The first was apparently dismissed because his brother had multiple DUI convictions. The reason for the second dismissal was not obvious. The Clerk of Court then drew two more names. These two potential jurors were questioned in the same manner and accepted by the attorneyson both side. After the jury of twelve was seated, the process was repeated to find an alternate. The purpose if the alternate was to step in if, for any reason, any of the jurors could not serve during the whole trial. The remaining jury pool was excused from the courtroom. The attorney for the Prosecution began with her opening statement, followed by the defense attorney. The prosecution called the first witness, an officer with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department. The officer was sworn in and then questioned by the Prosecutor about the events of the night when the defendant was placed under arrest. The defense attorney then cross-examined the witness, followed by a prosecution re-direct and then a defense re-cross examination. The witness was then excused. What struck me during the questioning were the actions of the judge. He sat with his head resting in his hand, almost like he was sleeping. However, he did not miss a beat when an objection was made. He either quickly sustained or over-ruled the objection without even raising his head. At this point in the proceedings, the judge called for a lunch recess. He instructed the jury of six rulesto follow during breaks, briefly these were: They were not to discuss the case amongst themselves. They were not to discuss the case with anyone else outside the courtroom. There should be no formation of an opinion until deliberation. They are not to communicate with anyone involved with the case. They should not read or listen to any media coverage about the trial. Lastly, if applicable, there should be no visitation of the crime scene or no independent inquiry. He explained that any violation of these rules would be considered contempt and punishable as so. After the recess, the prosecution called two more witnesses, another Sheriff’s deputy and an officer with the Highway Patrol. They were both questioned by the prosecution, then the defense. Both were also faced with a re-direct and a re-cross. The witnesses were excused after theirtestimony. At this point, the prosecution rested its case. The defense than began theircase presentation. The defense called the defendant to the stand to testify on his own behalf. After his initial testimony, he was cross-examined by the prosecution. There was no re-direct or re-cross. The defense rested their case. The jury was then sent out of the courtroom so the charge conference could take place. This process involves discussions the prosecution and defense as to which instructions would be given to the jury. There is a large set of written instructions and they discussed which are relevant to the case and would be provided to the jury. Once this was completed, the jury was called back into the courtroom and given instructions on the closing statements. These instructions were the same as they were for the opening statements. The defense gave his closing statement first, followed by the prosecution’s closing statement. The judge then instructed the jury on proper application of the law. He stated that if the prosecution did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, then they must find the defendant not guilty. However, if they did prove their case, the jury must find the defendant guilty. He also instructed the jury on the items agreed upon during the charge conference. The jury then retired to the deliberation room. At this point, the alternate juror is excused. While the jury was deliberating, I observed a conversation between the two attorneys and some other attorneys that happened to be in the courtroom. The prosecutor made the comment that the defendant admitted he had been drinking and that was basically the whole of the case. To that, the defense attorney relied, â€Å"The truth is irrelevant. † I found that statement quite surprising and it has stuck with me, I think, more than any other information. The jury did not come back with a verdict by the end of the day. When I called the Clerk of Court office the following morning, I was told that they had come back at around 10:30 am with a guilty verdict.