On the Basis of Sex Wins Heartland Moving Picture Award

On the Basis of Sex
Image: imdb.com

A public policy and educational-technology consultant, Thomas Stoughton served as the president of the Indiana-based firm Business Consulting Incorporated for 10 years. Aside from building a successful consulting career across different sectors, Thomas Stoughton helped to establish the Heartland International Film Festival, an annual event in Indianapolis, Indiana, held by Heartland Film.

Heartland Film also bestows the Truly Moving Picture Award to films that make significant contributions to society beyond mere entertainment. One of the recent winners of this honor is On the Basis of Sex, which tells the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s early career as a legal champion of women’s rights before she was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Played by actress Felicity Jones, the film begins with Ginsburg struggling to use her legal talents because most firms didn’t want to hire a female lawyer. Taking inspiration from her own experience and desiring to make progress for the entire gender, the story follows Ginsburg as she joins with her husband Marty to bring a landmark case before the U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn statutes that discriminate on the basis of gender. On the Basis of Sex won the Truly Moving Picture Award because it tells a meaningful tale of persistence in the fight for equal rights.

Helping Children to Resist Peer Pressure

An experienced business consultant, Thomas Stoughton most recently served as the president of Business Consulting Incorporated. Over the years, he has supported dozens of civic, education, technology, and business development initiatives in Indiana. Dedicated to ending school violence, Thomas Stoughton played a role in the creation of the Indiana Department of Education Safety Academy, an entity that educated public school corporations about school safety.

An essential part of reducing school violence is helping students resist peer pressure to behave irresponsibly. Following are several things parents can do to help their children resist peer pressure:

– Teach them to say no. Saying “no” seems like a simple skill, but many adults have yet to master it. The reason saying “no” is so difficult is because standing up to a group, particularly a group of friends, requires a great deal of emotional and mental strength.

– Create a positive environment. All people need to feel loved and accepted, regardless of their age. Parents are tasked with providing their children with this love and showing them that home is a secure place in which to live. When kids experience more love at home, they are less likely to seek acceptance elsewhere and give in to peer pressure.

– Don’t fight over friends. Parents may not always like the friends their child picks. Still, they must remind their kid that they will always respect his or her choices in friends and love him or her regardless. Fighting over these friends almost never benefits the parent and instead breeds resentment that makes kids more susceptible to peer pressure.

New Indianapolis City-County Council Funding Combats Homelessness

Based in Indiana, Thomas Stoughton has provided knowledgeable advice in areas such as business development and education. Thomas Stoughton has extensive experience in designing Centralized Education Learning Centers and working with Indiana halfway houses and homeless shelters in defining new ways of improving lives.

With homelessness a persistent issue, the Indianapolis City-County Council recently approved $300,000 toward addressing panhandling and related social challenges. Half of the money will be earmarked by the Mayor’s Office toward addiction and mental-health treatment for 50 people who are already receiving federal rent assistance and housing vouchers.

The remainder of the money will meet the funding needs of a pilot program that seeks to compensate those without homes for cleaning up graffiti and trash on the streets. The model for this is based on an Albuquerque, New Mexico, program that put 1,500 people to work, including 76 individuals who ultimately attained permanent positions.

Shortly before this initiative, that city of New Albany on Southern Indiana announced the opening of a veterans’ shelter with space for 16 people who are homeless or in danger of living on the streets.

Pediatric Psychiatrists Advise Against Violent Video Games

A graduate of Indiana University with a master’s degree in instructional systems technology, Thomas Stoughton is an experienced business consultant. Also committed to educating people about the dangers of violent video games, Thomas Stoughton of Indiana produced a documentary called theVirus of Violence, which addresses pervasive violence in the media and the potential impact of long-term exposure.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has released guidelines for caretakers on the dangers of violent video games. While noting that some games have educational value, the Academy warns parents that many of the games that are most popular among youth promote negative themes.

According to the AACAP, children who are exposed to violent media may imitate the violence they have seen or display increased aggression in other ways. Children with existing emotional or behavioral challenges may experience heightened negative reactions to violent images.

To limit children’s exposure to violent images, parents and guardians are advised to use the Electronic Software Ratings Board (ESRB) guide on the appropriateness of video game products for children and teens. In addition, parents should play video games with their children to experience them firsthand and discuss the content. Lastly, parents should limit the total amount of screen time their children engage in to protect their developing brains.