We have learned a lot of interesting things in this class, but my favorite topics were about killers and the deviant behavior. I have always had an interest in serial killers and how their mind works. I don't know if it was because I am a big scary movie fanatic, or if it is just for some other random reason, but the idea of a serial killer's mind and their motivations or actions just interest me. I feel almost the same way about deviance because you wonder why people do certain actions that are out of the norms of society and what encourages them to act outside of society. Another thing I enjoyed were the free blogs. Writing them were easy, but I enjoyed seeing what other people were interested in because they would have fun writing their blog, making them more exciting to read.
My least favorite parts of the class were the presentations by guest speakers. It is always a good idea to have guest speakers, but the suicide presentation seemed more of an information session about suicide and what Varner house does to help. The presentation about Swift Justice did not show much purpose to me. The speakers were very nice and seemed to present well, but the topics were not very interesting.
The topics I would like to see expanded are things on television, movies, and music. I feel like the class would be much more engaged in these topics since at our age, we are almost hypnotized by such things. I would love to get my opinion on different killers in movies or how music motivates us and the last couple classes were really fun to talk about. I don't really think anything needs to be limited though.
If I were to teach the class, I would probably do it very similarly to how Dr. C did it. Many good topics were presented and the articles were good displays of media. I do think the more recent news should be a part of the class. Maybe a current events section needs to be included. Perhaps a certain amount of people could bring in an article every week relating media and justice. But overall, I wouldn't change much of anything.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Se7en
I hope you guys have seen the movie since it is one of the greatest movies in history. If you haven't, then the movie Se7en is about two detectives, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, who are on the hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution through God for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. Killing people based on their sins, the character John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey, murders people one at a time and signifies how this particular person ignores a particular sin to a great extent.
The issue of justice portrayed in the movie is that Kevin Spacey believes he is doing God's work and sending a message to the world. He kills a man who was heavily obese (gluttony) as well as cut off a model's nose for thinking too highly of her self image (pride.) The ending has some sort of twist to it, so I won't ruin it for anyone. On the other side, Pitt and Freeman feel that it is not just to kill these people and try to put a stop to it. Killing someone by the Sword Of God is not a justification for murder although Spacey believes it to be so. Emotions get in the way for Pitt's renegade character as the older, more calm cop, Freeman, tries to keep order throughout the movie. I found one way to look at this is that in Islamic tradition, they follow the word of Mohammed and stick with that tradition. Spacey takes this concept to a whole new level in this movie by taking matters into his own hands rather than through the justice system. It is more of a vigilante from the criminal side.
The issue of justice portrayed in the movie is that Kevin Spacey believes he is doing God's work and sending a message to the world. He kills a man who was heavily obese (gluttony) as well as cut off a model's nose for thinking too highly of her self image (pride.) The ending has some sort of twist to it, so I won't ruin it for anyone. On the other side, Pitt and Freeman feel that it is not just to kill these people and try to put a stop to it. Killing someone by the Sword Of God is not a justification for murder although Spacey believes it to be so. Emotions get in the way for Pitt's renegade character as the older, more calm cop, Freeman, tries to keep order throughout the movie. I found one way to look at this is that in Islamic tradition, they follow the word of Mohammed and stick with that tradition. Spacey takes this concept to a whole new level in this movie by taking matters into his own hands rather than through the justice system. It is more of a vigilante from the criminal side.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Slow Motion - Third Eye Blind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ibfvjv4uxE
I don't think this is the official music video because I don't think they made one, but I found an interesting video with some clips trying to explain some of the video.
LYRICS
Miss Jones taught me English
But I think I just shot her son
'Cause he owed me money
With a bullet in the chest you cannot run
Now he's bleeding in a vacant lot
The one in the summer where we used to smoke pot
I guess I didn't mean it
But man, you should've seen it
His flesh explode
Slow motion, see me let go
We tend to die young
Slow motion, see me let go
What a brother knows
Slow motion, see me let go
Now the cops will get me
But girl, if you would let me
I'll take your pants off
I got a little bit of blow we could both get off
Later, bathing in the afterglow
Two lines of coke got cut with Drano
And her nose starts to bleed
A most beautiful ruby red
Slow motion, see me let go
We'll remember these days
Slow motion, see me let go
Urban life decays
Slow motion, see me let go
And at home
My sister's eating paint chips again
Maybe that's why she's insane
I shut the door to her moaning
And I shoot smack in my veins
Wouldn't you?
See my neighbor's beating his wife
Because he hates his life
There's an arc to his fist as he swings
Oh man, what a beautiful thing
And death slides close to me
Won't grow old to be
A junkie wino creep
Hollywood glamorized my wrath
I'm a young urban psychopath
I incite murder for your entertainment
'Cause I needed the money
What's your excuse?
The joke's on you
Slow motion, see me let go
Oh yeah
Slow motion, see me let go
Slow motion, see me let go
MEANING
I have listened to this song tons of times and I absolutely love this song. A lot of people listen to this song and think of all the things like doing cocaine, shooting people, and beating wives and completely misunderstand the message that this song is trying to send. I tried to find the actual meaning to the song online and couldn't find much but what I feel like what goes on in the song is that we see all these things that go on on TV and movies and in celebrities lives and they are in "slow motion." It is about how we see these things and interpret them, with others seeing some of them as "beautiful" when in reality, they are just disgusting. It could be a coincidence that I know this song so well for class and this blog but in a way it shows how the media has interpreted how we look at things. One other way to look at it is how in life we look at things in a certain way and ignore the true beauty of them, but these are the two meanings I could figure out.
I don't think this is the official music video because I don't think they made one, but I found an interesting video with some clips trying to explain some of the video.
LYRICS
Miss Jones taught me English
But I think I just shot her son
'Cause he owed me money
With a bullet in the chest you cannot run
Now he's bleeding in a vacant lot
The one in the summer where we used to smoke pot
I guess I didn't mean it
But man, you should've seen it
His flesh explode
Slow motion, see me let go
We tend to die young
Slow motion, see me let go
What a brother knows
Slow motion, see me let go
Now the cops will get me
But girl, if you would let me
I'll take your pants off
I got a little bit of blow we could both get off
Later, bathing in the afterglow
Two lines of coke got cut with Drano
And her nose starts to bleed
A most beautiful ruby red
Slow motion, see me let go
We'll remember these days
Slow motion, see me let go
Urban life decays
Slow motion, see me let go
And at home
My sister's eating paint chips again
Maybe that's why she's insane
I shut the door to her moaning
And I shoot smack in my veins
Wouldn't you?
See my neighbor's beating his wife
Because he hates his life
There's an arc to his fist as he swings
Oh man, what a beautiful thing
And death slides close to me
Won't grow old to be
A junkie wino creep
Hollywood glamorized my wrath
I'm a young urban psychopath
I incite murder for your entertainment
'Cause I needed the money
What's your excuse?
The joke's on you
Slow motion, see me let go
Oh yeah
Slow motion, see me let go
Slow motion, see me let go
MEANING
I have listened to this song tons of times and I absolutely love this song. A lot of people listen to this song and think of all the things like doing cocaine, shooting people, and beating wives and completely misunderstand the message that this song is trying to send. I tried to find the actual meaning to the song online and couldn't find much but what I feel like what goes on in the song is that we see all these things that go on on TV and movies and in celebrities lives and they are in "slow motion." It is about how we see these things and interpret them, with others seeing some of them as "beautiful" when in reality, they are just disgusting. It could be a coincidence that I know this song so well for class and this blog but in a way it shows how the media has interpreted how we look at things. One other way to look at it is how in life we look at things in a certain way and ignore the true beauty of them, but these are the two meanings I could figure out.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Suicide Guest Speaker
The guest speaker this week was very informative as well as presented information that was interesting and informative. The speaker did present some things that seemed like common sense to me, but some of the class might not have known it. Actually, I didn't know that JMU had a entire suicide program for students. Considering that the William and Mary has such a high suicide rate and the whole Rutgers situation recently, it seemed like a good time to present this material. As she explained, 80 percent of people think about suicide and to me that doesn't exactly say that people think that the world would be better without them or anything like that. I feel like people just wonder what it would be like if they weren't around in a sense.
Becoming aware of the signs of suicide seemed to be the important part of the presentation since it involves you and your friends. I know we all have had some rough times, and for some people times can get so rough that suicide becomes contemplated and becoming aware of these signs can help the cause. One topic found very interesting was the people who attempt suicide and end up living. Like the people who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. There was also a presentation where a man who has been on death row came to speak saying how he attempted suicide and failed, saying it was the biggest regret of his life. If only suicidal people could listen to these presentations or people who attempted and failed, it would probably change their lives. But overall, I feel like the presentation went extremely well and opened my eyes to a couple things.
Becoming aware of the signs of suicide seemed to be the important part of the presentation since it involves you and your friends. I know we all have had some rough times, and for some people times can get so rough that suicide becomes contemplated and becoming aware of these signs can help the cause. One topic found very interesting was the people who attempt suicide and end up living. Like the people who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. There was also a presentation where a man who has been on death row came to speak saying how he attempted suicide and failed, saying it was the biggest regret of his life. If only suicidal people could listen to these presentations or people who attempted and failed, it would probably change their lives. But overall, I feel like the presentation went extremely well and opened my eyes to a couple things.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Safe on Halloween?
We all see it on the news. We see the "Tips for Being Safe on Halloween," where it talks about where to walk, who to be with, what candy not to take. But in the past few years, Halloween apparently seems to have gotten safer every year and I found a statistic saying the most dangerous part of Halloween these days are cars. Sure there are a lot of pranks every year and kids will be kids, but as for deaths and dangerous pranks go, police have cracked down. Cars seemed to be the main concern and there have been more deaths and injuries by cars on Halloween compared to deaths by pranks, poisonous candy, and Halloween murders (Deaths by cars is 4 times higher on Halloween than any other day statistically.)
The media has done a good job of putting these facts and tips out there, but do you think the media has a big effect on how to keep kids safe, or is it mostly police and parenting that is keeping kids safe?
http://www.examiner.com/northside-family-parenting-in-atlanta/halloween-safety-cars-not-candy-is-the-biggest-danger-for-kids-1
http://www.examiner.com/northside-family-parenting-in-atlanta/halloween-safety-cars-not-candy-is-the-biggest-danger-for-kids-1
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Halloween Crime
In the spirit of the holiday, I decided to do my blog post on crimes during Halloween. I found an article about how a lot of crimes, mostly robberies, consist of men wearing Halloween masks to conceal their identity. The crimes listed in the article go from robberies to murders. Law-enforcement officials say they see an uptick in crimes committed by people wearing Halloween masks about this time every year. Once the costumes hit the stores in late September and early October, criminals jump on their sales and use them to strike fear in department stores.
The punishment for crimes while wearing masks is greater than ones where masks are not used. If the crime is a second-degree felony, it can be upgraded to a first degree felony if the criminal is wearing a mask. You could also be charged with a crime under a little-known Florida law that prohibits anyone older than 16 from wearing masks or hoods in public places or meetings, except during Halloween and masquerades. Are there any ways to prevent these crimes from happening or for stores and people to prepare themselves that has not already been done? (such as "safety tips" for going out on Halloween)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-halloween-mask-crimes-20101027,0,6831891.story
The punishment for crimes while wearing masks is greater than ones where masks are not used. If the crime is a second-degree felony, it can be upgraded to a first degree felony if the criminal is wearing a mask. You could also be charged with a crime under a little-known Florida law that prohibits anyone older than 16 from wearing masks or hoods in public places or meetings, except during Halloween and masquerades. Are there any ways to prevent these crimes from happening or for stores and people to prepare themselves that has not already been done? (such as "safety tips" for going out on Halloween)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-halloween-mask-crimes-20101027,0,6831891.story
Monday, October 25, 2010
Copycat Killer Film
I found this film fairly interesting in the sense that as a society, many people look up to celebrities. They want to be able to do what they do, whether they be sports stars or movie stars. We want to copy what they do, and it shows that it is no different in movies, even if the act is killing another person. Actors and actresses make it seem "cool" to rob a bank or murder someone because they can easily get away with it. Those ordinary citizens copying these individuals do not look at the consequences because they usually don't show them in the movie, and if they do, the criminal avoids them, usually with ease. There have been a lot of cases, and I am not going to lie, I find some crimes like bank robbery very unique and love watching movies about them. Killing someone based on what they see in a movie is just disturbing. I did a post a few weeks ago where a boy killed his younger brother because he idolized the Showtime serial killer "Dexter." Even at a young age he was idolizing a killer and took matters into his own hands to be like him. I am a big fan of film, so watching movies and television shows is one of my favorite things to do, but watching them and acting like them are completely different ideas and should be avoided. Try to be like someone that really does exist, not a character in a movie.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Copycat
I don't know how many of you guys are Washington Capitals fans, but I have been for the past few years before they even got good, so I don't like to consider myself a bandwagon fan. I think it just lucked out that they started winning games when Ovechkin came along. Anyways, I'm from Northern Virginia and we get radio stations in the Washington D.C. area and one in particular was DC 101 with Elliot in the Morning. I listened to him every morning on my way to high school and even my freshman year at community college. When the Caps were on the verge of making the playoffs, the show would have people wait outside and come in to get mohawks as they were airing the show to imitate one of the players, Mike Green.
So as I was listening, I decided to become a true follower of the team and decided to join the "Rock the Hawk" cause my senior year of high school and I have been doing the same thing every year since. Unfortunately, now we watch the games while we are drinking and whoever is cutting my hair always screws it up. The good thing is that more people started to follow this trend recently and you don't feel like the idiot with the mohawk walking around campus.
So as I was listening, I decided to become a true follower of the team and decided to join the "Rock the Hawk" cause my senior year of high school and I have been doing the same thing every year since. Unfortunately, now we watch the games while we are drinking and whoever is cutting my hair always screws it up. The good thing is that more people started to follow this trend recently and you don't feel like the idiot with the mohawk walking around campus.
Monday, October 18, 2010
South Park on Al Qaeda and Snooki
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5897260/snooki_loves_the_south_park_snooki.html?cat=9
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/10/drivers_says_south_parks_poor.html
For this weeks free blog entry, I'd like to discuss the Comedy Central show South Park. Now South Park has always been known to rip on celebrities for the causes they join or for just how they are. In the recent episode, South Park does a spin off of Jersey Shore where they depict Snooki as a monster, where she drunkenly sexually accosts the boys of South Park. In the end, the town tries to get help from Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda to stop "New Jersey" so the Middle East group ends up suicide bombing them in planes similar to commercial airline planes rather than fighter jets (resembling the attacks on 9/11). So what I am trying to get at is the justice behind portraying people in TV shows however you want. Should South Park or any show for that matter be allowed to offend a person or a group of people to an extent where even watchers are offended? I was offended when the planes started crashing and even my South Park watching friends texted me stuff like, "so wrong." The public loves hearing about how celebrities mess up or head to jail and may even exaggerate stories, but is it just when media such as South Park gives them a certain "image?"
On the other hand, Snooki did say she "loved" the portrayal of herself in the show and in the previous NASCAR episode, drivers displayed in the show ended up saying, "any sort of publicity is good publicity."
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/10/drivers_says_south_parks_poor.html
For this weeks free blog entry, I'd like to discuss the Comedy Central show South Park. Now South Park has always been known to rip on celebrities for the causes they join or for just how they are. In the recent episode, South Park does a spin off of Jersey Shore where they depict Snooki as a monster, where she drunkenly sexually accosts the boys of South Park. In the end, the town tries to get help from Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda to stop "New Jersey" so the Middle East group ends up suicide bombing them in planes similar to commercial airline planes rather than fighter jets (resembling the attacks on 9/11). So what I am trying to get at is the justice behind portraying people in TV shows however you want. Should South Park or any show for that matter be allowed to offend a person or a group of people to an extent where even watchers are offended? I was offended when the planes started crashing and even my South Park watching friends texted me stuff like, "so wrong." The public loves hearing about how celebrities mess up or head to jail and may even exaggerate stories, but is it just when media such as South Park gives them a certain "image?"
On the other hand, Snooki did say she "loved" the portrayal of herself in the show and in the previous NASCAR episode, drivers displayed in the show ended up saying, "any sort of publicity is good publicity."
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The (Mis) Information Age
This article talks about how Americans once trusted the news in previous generations and now there is no longer any sources Americans can trust for a number of reasons. Why we believe this information starts with cognitive basis, where we believe what everyone else believes. Another reason is that we believe pretty much only what we want to believe due to our ideologies, which is called cognitive dissonance. The last explained is base rate fallacy, where we tend to believe things based on what we experience rather than the information given to us. I think most of the time, the public follows cognitive bias, also called the bandwagon effect. People follow others, and I feel like this happens a lot in sports. As for me, I stay true to my team no matter what. One event that occurred recently was the Tiger Woods scandal. I fell into cognitive dissonance when this came on the news. I refused to believe that the most beloved figure in sports and upstanding man could do such a thing, even if the evidence was solid.
As for the Department of Information, I believe it would be a great idea. But as we all know, money is a huge factor and I don't think it is a top priority at the time. The fact that we could get solid information would be very helpful and I fully support it.
As for the Department of Information, I believe it would be a great idea. But as we all know, money is a huge factor and I don't think it is a top priority at the time. The fact that we could get solid information would be very helpful and I fully support it.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Bank Robbery Free Blog Post
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20101009/NEWS01/10090331/Man-71-uses-fake-bomb-in-bank-robbery
I found a story about a bank robbery by a man at the age of 71. He walked up to the teller, placed an object down next to her, gave her a note saying that the said object was a bomb, then requested money. He walked out of the bank with cash (the amount was not said in the article) and fled on foot where he almost got away with it. A description about the subject went out and the 71 year old African American robber was not hard to find.
As for the so-called "bomb," it was investigated by the bomb squad. One of the members of the squad dressed in fully protective gear was sent in with a $150,000 bomb diffusing android and it discovered it was not a bomb, but an aerosol can wrapped in butchers paper. The article raises the question in the end how "robots are replacing humans" along with how if it were a bomb, then a human would have been lost instead of a robot. This article got me thinking how if it is a good thing or a bad thing that robots are taking over jobs a human could do. Is it a waste of money or is it worth $150,000 to discover an aerosol can that could have been a bomb?
I found a story about a bank robbery by a man at the age of 71. He walked up to the teller, placed an object down next to her, gave her a note saying that the said object was a bomb, then requested money. He walked out of the bank with cash (the amount was not said in the article) and fled on foot where he almost got away with it. A description about the subject went out and the 71 year old African American robber was not hard to find.
As for the so-called "bomb," it was investigated by the bomb squad. One of the members of the squad dressed in fully protective gear was sent in with a $150,000 bomb diffusing android and it discovered it was not a bomb, but an aerosol can wrapped in butchers paper. The article raises the question in the end how "robots are replacing humans" along with how if it were a bomb, then a human would have been lost instead of a robot. This article got me thinking how if it is a good thing or a bad thing that robots are taking over jobs a human could do. Is it a waste of money or is it worth $150,000 to discover an aerosol can that could have been a bomb?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Hate Crime in PA
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gtcSK8qaGGVDikaEFhYD_pgjOLrwD9IMFH9G0?docId=D9IMFH9G0
This case follows two men in Pennsylvania, Brandon Piekarsky (18) and Derrick Donchak (20), who murdered a 25 year old Mexican illegal immigrant in July of 2008. They are now charged with a federal hate crime for this attack, where the immigrant, Luis Ramirez, was brawling with a group of white high school athletes until he was finally beaten and kicked to death. The prosecutor is basing the case around racism, saying the defendants stated as they were beating Ramirez, ""Tell your f------ Mexican friends to get the f--- out of Shenandoah!" The defense attorney is trying to steer away from the racial aspect saying the criminals did this because they were young, drunk, and full of testosterone. The defense is trying to plead their case the best they can, but the lopsided 4 on 1 fight with kicks to the head is leading toward a more serious charge than their "simple assault" they originally received.
I believe the media is trying to make this story a little more entertaining. The only reason I think this is because it is the murder of one man by a couple kids and the media is trying to portray it as whether it is a hate crime or not. The media does like to focus on teen murder, but I think if this were not a debate on whether or not it were a hate crime, then it wouldn't even make the news.
This case follows two men in Pennsylvania, Brandon Piekarsky (18) and Derrick Donchak (20), who murdered a 25 year old Mexican illegal immigrant in July of 2008. They are now charged with a federal hate crime for this attack, where the immigrant, Luis Ramirez, was brawling with a group of white high school athletes until he was finally beaten and kicked to death. The prosecutor is basing the case around racism, saying the defendants stated as they were beating Ramirez, ""Tell your f------ Mexican friends to get the f--- out of Shenandoah!" The defense attorney is trying to steer away from the racial aspect saying the criminals did this because they were young, drunk, and full of testosterone. The defense is trying to plead their case the best they can, but the lopsided 4 on 1 fight with kicks to the head is leading toward a more serious charge than their "simple assault" they originally received.
I believe the media is trying to make this story a little more entertaining. The only reason I think this is because it is the murder of one man by a couple kids and the media is trying to portray it as whether it is a hate crime or not. The media does like to focus on teen murder, but I think if this were not a debate on whether or not it were a hate crime, then it wouldn't even make the news.
Monday, September 27, 2010
NATO Helicopters in Pakistan
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/09/27/nato-forces-carry-airstrikes-pakistan-killing-insurgents/
http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/27/nato-helicopters-cross-into-pakistan-chasing-insurgents/?iref=allsearch
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39376671
When I was looking at stories about the war in Afghanistan, I came across a story today about two NATO Helicopters based in Afghanistan that carried out two air strikes in Pakistan, killing about 50 people. In all three sources, the media is calling the attack self-defense, saying that they NATO justified the attacks on "the right of self defense." It seems that at the beginning of the articles, they state that more than 50 militants were killed, then toward the end it says exactly 49 were killed, which I found interesting since all of them sort of contradict themselves.
The article in CNN fails to mention the second attack, in which a helicopter returned to the area of the border and were fired upon by smaller arms. This attack killed 4 more people. The CNN also defends Pakistan in a way mentioning how it was "a clear violation of breach" for the United Nations. MSNBC claimed a third strike was carried out but the other sources fail to mention this event taking place.
I do believe this is a story we should all be concerned about. The United States media is saying that this is a "self-defense" operation, but I'm sure it says otherwise in newspapers in the Middle East. The fact that 49 people were killed raises a big issue on whether the strike was self defense or not. It is a big loss that I feel probably could have been avoided.
http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/27/nato-helicopters-cross-into-pakistan-chasing-insurgents/?iref=allsearch
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39376671
When I was looking at stories about the war in Afghanistan, I came across a story today about two NATO Helicopters based in Afghanistan that carried out two air strikes in Pakistan, killing about 50 people. In all three sources, the media is calling the attack self-defense, saying that they NATO justified the attacks on "the right of self defense." It seems that at the beginning of the articles, they state that more than 50 militants were killed, then toward the end it says exactly 49 were killed, which I found interesting since all of them sort of contradict themselves.
The article in CNN fails to mention the second attack, in which a helicopter returned to the area of the border and were fired upon by smaller arms. This attack killed 4 more people. The CNN also defends Pakistan in a way mentioning how it was "a clear violation of breach" for the United Nations. MSNBC claimed a third strike was carried out but the other sources fail to mention this event taking place.
I do believe this is a story we should all be concerned about. The United States media is saying that this is a "self-defense" operation, but I'm sure it says otherwise in newspapers in the Middle East. The fact that 49 people were killed raises a big issue on whether the strike was self defense or not. It is a big loss that I feel probably could have been avoided.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Imitating Television
I came across something recently that was very interesting to me recently. I'm not sure how many of you guys watch the show Dexter on Showtime, but I have just started watching the show on DVD. Dexter is a show about a serial killer, but his father raised him to only use his urges of killing for good, so he kills men and women who are killers themselves and rids the world of their evil crimes.
I found a story where 17 year old Andrew Conley from Ohio killed his ten year old brother because he "wanted to be like Dexter." This crime will have him either serve life without parole or a 65 year sentence, but also could have him out by the age of 40. Conley never denied killing his little brother. He was asked why he did it, and he stated, ""maybe I was thinking about going in there and just stabbing my Dad in the throat, but I didn't do it." He then went over to his Dad's house, and instead of stabbing his father, he strangled his 10 year old brother. After doing this he says he was being something he thought he was going to be all along...a monster.
After he committed his crime, he went over to his girlfriends house to watch a movie, and gave her a promise ring, saying they would be together forever. She said, "it was the happiest I've seen him in a long time." After his arrest, his girlfriend said that Andrew idolized Dexter. As I was looking at pictures of Conley, I saw he looked almost exactly like him, maybe trying to cut his hair and sideburns like him. He probably dressed like his as well. This isn't the first time someone has murdered idolizing Dexter and this post was just to show how television criminals (although Dexter is pictured as a good guy) can have a good impact on those watching.
I found a story where 17 year old Andrew Conley from Ohio killed his ten year old brother because he "wanted to be like Dexter." This crime will have him either serve life without parole or a 65 year sentence, but also could have him out by the age of 40. Conley never denied killing his little brother. He was asked why he did it, and he stated, ""maybe I was thinking about going in there and just stabbing my Dad in the throat, but I didn't do it." He then went over to his Dad's house, and instead of stabbing his father, he strangled his 10 year old brother. After doing this he says he was being something he thought he was going to be all along...a monster.
After he committed his crime, he went over to his girlfriends house to watch a movie, and gave her a promise ring, saying they would be together forever. She said, "it was the happiest I've seen him in a long time." After his arrest, his girlfriend said that Andrew idolized Dexter. As I was looking at pictures of Conley, I saw he looked almost exactly like him, maybe trying to cut his hair and sideburns like him. He probably dressed like his as well. This isn't the first time someone has murdered idolizing Dexter and this post was just to show how television criminals (although Dexter is pictured as a good guy) can have a good impact on those watching.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Serial Killer in Michigan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082605949.html
The most popular serial killer recently appears to be a man by the name of Elias Abuelazam, who is suspected of attacking 18 men, 5 of which were fatal. Abuelazam attacked in the areas of Virginia, Michigan, and Ohio and is currently looking at life in prison without parole.
This article focuses more on the case rather than the serial killer. It talks about the facts of the case, goes into detail where and when the crimes were committed, and how the prosecution will be handled. Not much background is given about Abuelazam, but I am curious to find out what kind of person he really is. They do say that he is an Israeli citizen who has ties to Virginia in Leesburg, where he committed three of his attacks. He also worked in the same area, helping troubled children in two different locations. Although many facts about the case were mentioned, nothing about serial killers in general were said. The article is strictly about the case at hand.
The only law enforcement agency listed in the article was the Leesburg police, which I found surprising considering that this is not only a big case, but it took place in three different states. A prosecutor in Michigan seems to be the one taking care of putting Abuelazam in jail, but no authorities from the other two states or even the FBI are mentioned. When looking at the victims in this case, no names were given, just locations of the attacks and some details about their age and what they were doing during the time of their attack.
The communities where the serial killer operated were places that he lived and worked, but that is the only sort of detail given. He worked at a liquor store in Michigan and as I mentioned before, he worked with troubled children in Leesburg. Some facts I found a little interesting with the case is how he got his victims. He did not have any sort of strategy. For example, he came up and stabbed a person jogging, stabbed an older man on his porch, and also lured someone by saying he needed help with his car. One thing the victims all have in common are they were darker in race and authorities believe it was a racial crime.
The most popular serial killer recently appears to be a man by the name of Elias Abuelazam, who is suspected of attacking 18 men, 5 of which were fatal. Abuelazam attacked in the areas of Virginia, Michigan, and Ohio and is currently looking at life in prison without parole.
This article focuses more on the case rather than the serial killer. It talks about the facts of the case, goes into detail where and when the crimes were committed, and how the prosecution will be handled. Not much background is given about Abuelazam, but I am curious to find out what kind of person he really is. They do say that he is an Israeli citizen who has ties to Virginia in Leesburg, where he committed three of his attacks. He also worked in the same area, helping troubled children in two different locations. Although many facts about the case were mentioned, nothing about serial killers in general were said. The article is strictly about the case at hand.
The only law enforcement agency listed in the article was the Leesburg police, which I found surprising considering that this is not only a big case, but it took place in three different states. A prosecutor in Michigan seems to be the one taking care of putting Abuelazam in jail, but no authorities from the other two states or even the FBI are mentioned. When looking at the victims in this case, no names were given, just locations of the attacks and some details about their age and what they were doing during the time of their attack.
The communities where the serial killer operated were places that he lived and worked, but that is the only sort of detail given. He worked at a liquor store in Michigan and as I mentioned before, he worked with troubled children in Leesburg. Some facts I found a little interesting with the case is how he got his victims. He did not have any sort of strategy. For example, he came up and stabbed a person jogging, stabbed an older man on his porch, and also lured someone by saying he needed help with his car. One thing the victims all have in common are they were darker in race and authorities believe it was a racial crime.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Women In NFL Locker Room
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/15/AR2010091504653.html
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/13/new-york-jets-kicks-off-season-facing-harassment-claim/
http://www.newser.com/story/100666/ines-sainz-controversy-shouldnt-be-one.html
Recently there has been a story about a female reporter, Ines Sainz, who entered the New York Jets' locker room after their game and was verbally harassed by members of the team. Redskins fans may have heard Clinton Portis' comments on this saying things like she "wants it" or "you put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her," But my focus for this post is generally about the debate of the harassment in the locker room.
When looking at The Wshington Post, CNN, and a source called Newser, it looked as if the stories were very similar. There was a lot of focus on the Jets' players behavior opposed to the actual charge of sexual harassment itself. The recent story has turned away from harassment and into the debate of whether or not women should be allowed in the men's locker room. CNN's post talked about an apology by Jets' owner and she said, "not to worry, but she did feel uncomfortable in the locker room." The Washington Post focuses more on what kind of outfits Sainz wears while reporting and whether or not they are appropriate for the news. The news source Newser likes to raise the point that this whole argument should have ended after Jets' owner apologized, but when you add football, a female reporter, and sexual harassment, the media definitely wants more.
So all sources focus on the same story, but they all take three different angles on it. Some are in support of Sainz, some want this controversy to be over, and some think Sainz needs a new wardrobe for work. Either way, the main focus on this story seems to be the rights of women, whether being allowed in mens' locker rooms or how they should be treated.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/13/new-york-jets-kicks-off-season-facing-harassment-claim/
http://www.newser.com/story/100666/ines-sainz-controversy-shouldnt-be-one.html
Recently there has been a story about a female reporter, Ines Sainz, who entered the New York Jets' locker room after their game and was verbally harassed by members of the team. Redskins fans may have heard Clinton Portis' comments on this saying things like she "wants it" or "you put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her," But my focus for this post is generally about the debate of the harassment in the locker room.
When looking at The Wshington Post, CNN, and a source called Newser, it looked as if the stories were very similar. There was a lot of focus on the Jets' players behavior opposed to the actual charge of sexual harassment itself. The recent story has turned away from harassment and into the debate of whether or not women should be allowed in the men's locker room. CNN's post talked about an apology by Jets' owner and she said, "not to worry, but she did feel uncomfortable in the locker room." The Washington Post focuses more on what kind of outfits Sainz wears while reporting and whether or not they are appropriate for the news. The news source Newser likes to raise the point that this whole argument should have ended after Jets' owner apologized, but when you add football, a female reporter, and sexual harassment, the media definitely wants more.
So all sources focus on the same story, but they all take three different angles on it. Some are in support of Sainz, some want this controversy to be over, and some think Sainz needs a new wardrobe for work. Either way, the main focus on this story seems to be the rights of women, whether being allowed in mens' locker rooms or how they should be treated.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Deviant Behavior
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Deviant behavior is defined by Mosby's Medical Dictionary as actions that exceed the usual limits of accepted behavior and involve failure to comply with the social norm of the group. So the topic I decided to focus on was eating disorders. I have a few personal relations with people that I am not going to mention, but they suffer from eating disorders. They use different behavior such as vomiting and going days without eating to lose weight and look healthy that steer away from accepted norms in our society. The National Eating Disorders Association is a support group and states right on the front of the website that the NEDA "supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders, and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care."
There are main tabs on the top of the website that provide a variety of information including Programs and Events, Information and Resources, Research Efforts, and even stories in the news about eating disorders. I personally believe that eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are deviant behaviors because they are looked down upon by society. It also falls into the category of harming yourself because it is a very unhealthy way to lose weight. We see actresses and model celebrities showing how society should look so younger women in society try to "cheat" their way into losing weight but just end up hurting themselves. I have seen friends and family of mine doing this and want to change.
Deviant behavior is defined by Mosby's Medical Dictionary as actions that exceed the usual limits of accepted behavior and involve failure to comply with the social norm of the group. So the topic I decided to focus on was eating disorders. I have a few personal relations with people that I am not going to mention, but they suffer from eating disorders. They use different behavior such as vomiting and going days without eating to lose weight and look healthy that steer away from accepted norms in our society. The National Eating Disorders Association is a support group and states right on the front of the website that the NEDA "supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders, and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care."
There are main tabs on the top of the website that provide a variety of information including Programs and Events, Information and Resources, Research Efforts, and even stories in the news about eating disorders. I personally believe that eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are deviant behaviors because they are looked down upon by society. It also falls into the category of harming yourself because it is a very unhealthy way to lose weight. We see actresses and model celebrities showing how society should look so younger women in society try to "cheat" their way into losing weight but just end up hurting themselves. I have seen friends and family of mine doing this and want to change.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Iranian Media Says First Lady Deserves Death
This is a day late, but there was some "Error 503" thing going on last night when I tried a new post. Anyways, here it is...
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Iranian-Media-Says-French-First-Lady-Deserves-Death-101884398.html
This article focuses on Sakineh Mohammad Ashtiani, who in 2006, was accused of committing adultery and murdering her husband in Iran. France and Italy are currently trying to get Ashtiani a sentence lighter than the "stoning to death" that she received for her adultery charge. The main point of this article was that Iranian media claimed that the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, deserves to die for saying Ashtiani should not be put to death and signing a petition for her release. Bruni-Sarkozy was labeled a "prostitute" by Iranian television and also was called "immoral." There are many more human rights and women's rights issues floating around the topic, but for this post, it is not very relevant.
The criticism in this article refers to the Iranian media in how they go to extreme measures in going against the First Lady. From what I remember from a previous class, this sort of statement is not very moral in the Islam religion, which also makes for a critique. If looked in detail, the article refers to the rights of humans and women as well, but then the media goes on ahead and bashing another human with the word "prostitute" and "immoral" which seems very contradictory in my opinion.
This article does not exactly contradict their own media, but i found that the idea of Iranian media contradicting themselves within this article seemed relevant. I find that this is a good critique of the Iranian media because they themselves are acting immoral while making these sort of statements and they have quite a religious point of view. Not too many suggestions are being made about this case, but there are those in Iran protesting the rights of Ashtiani hoping to improve the law system. Hopefully this will all end peacefully.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Iranian-Media-Says-French-First-Lady-Deserves-Death-101884398.html
This article focuses on Sakineh Mohammad Ashtiani, who in 2006, was accused of committing adultery and murdering her husband in Iran. France and Italy are currently trying to get Ashtiani a sentence lighter than the "stoning to death" that she received for her adultery charge. The main point of this article was that Iranian media claimed that the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, deserves to die for saying Ashtiani should not be put to death and signing a petition for her release. Bruni-Sarkozy was labeled a "prostitute" by Iranian television and also was called "immoral." There are many more human rights and women's rights issues floating around the topic, but for this post, it is not very relevant.
The criticism in this article refers to the Iranian media in how they go to extreme measures in going against the First Lady. From what I remember from a previous class, this sort of statement is not very moral in the Islam religion, which also makes for a critique. If looked in detail, the article refers to the rights of humans and women as well, but then the media goes on ahead and bashing another human with the word "prostitute" and "immoral" which seems very contradictory in my opinion.
This article does not exactly contradict their own media, but i found that the idea of Iranian media contradicting themselves within this article seemed relevant. I find that this is a good critique of the Iranian media because they themselves are acting immoral while making these sort of statements and they have quite a religious point of view. Not too many suggestions are being made about this case, but there are those in Iran protesting the rights of Ashtiani hoping to improve the law system. Hopefully this will all end peacefully.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Media Log
Yesterday I decided to log how much media I used. I wasn't really surprised with how much I used but here was my day...
I woke up around 10 or so and the first thing I did was went on the computer to check out my e-mail and my Facebook. I surf around a couple other sites and check some times for when the football games were going on for the NCAA. I text a few people to see what the plans are for tailgating the JMU football game. My brother decided to come down to see one of our friends play on the girls field hockey team at 11:30 so I talk to him on the phone to give him directions to my apartment. After he arrives, we go to the game and I text about tailgating plans. I get home to realize that tailgating was awful, so we decided to do a little football pregaming at my place.
Other than the TV playing a couple football games in the background, I used a decent amount of media like the occasional text, call, and checking my computer a couple times during the pregame but kept myself occupied with other things most of the time. We played some games outside and inside and then I went to the JMU football game for the first half. When we got back, my brother and I played about an hour and a half of video games, then we went out for the night where it was a lot of texting and calling finding out what other people were doing that night. I get home a little later and watch a movie as I fall asleep. Pretty typical weekend day.
LOG:
Texts: 64 (Mostly my girlfriend. She's a texting fiend)
Calls: 20
TV: A couple hours when the games were on.
Movie: 1
Video Games: 1.5 hours
Computer: About 2 hours.
I woke up around 10 or so and the first thing I did was went on the computer to check out my e-mail and my Facebook. I surf around a couple other sites and check some times for when the football games were going on for the NCAA. I text a few people to see what the plans are for tailgating the JMU football game. My brother decided to come down to see one of our friends play on the girls field hockey team at 11:30 so I talk to him on the phone to give him directions to my apartment. After he arrives, we go to the game and I text about tailgating plans. I get home to realize that tailgating was awful, so we decided to do a little football pregaming at my place.
Other than the TV playing a couple football games in the background, I used a decent amount of media like the occasional text, call, and checking my computer a couple times during the pregame but kept myself occupied with other things most of the time. We played some games outside and inside and then I went to the JMU football game for the first half. When we got back, my brother and I played about an hour and a half of video games, then we went out for the night where it was a lot of texting and calling finding out what other people were doing that night. I get home a little later and watch a movie as I fall asleep. Pretty typical weekend day.
LOG:
Texts: 64 (Mostly my girlfriend. She's a texting fiend)
Calls: 20
TV: A couple hours when the games were on.
Movie: 1
Video Games: 1.5 hours
Computer: About 2 hours.
Friday, September 3, 2010
A Day Without Media
I chose to go without using any sort of media this previous Wednesday, September 1st. The reason I decided to choose that day is because I had a very busy day so I wouldn't be too bored and tempted to watch TV or use the computer. I did have my cell phone with me in case of an emergency of some sort.
Waking up at 8:00 A.M. I did the usual shower, breakfast, brush my teeth, and took a shower. No problem there. Went to my 9:05 class with Dr. Tammy, which was a real thrill. As soon as I get out of class, an emergency comes where my roommate texts me saying he is locked out of the apartment with class in an hour. So I guess I already failed the media blackout test.
After this, the day wasn't so hard. My older brother came down and we played 9 holes of golf. I had class from 2:30 until 4:45, went to the gym, ate dinner with a friend, got ahead on some reading for class, and eventually went to bed around eleven. It was kind of early for me but I guess golf and the gym wore me out. So the day wasn't that rough, but I feel like if I wasn't as busy, then I would easily crave television, the computer, and of course my cell phone.
Waking up at 8:00 A.M. I did the usual shower, breakfast, brush my teeth, and took a shower. No problem there. Went to my 9:05 class with Dr. Tammy, which was a real thrill. As soon as I get out of class, an emergency comes where my roommate texts me saying he is locked out of the apartment with class in an hour. So I guess I already failed the media blackout test.
After this, the day wasn't so hard. My older brother came down and we played 9 holes of golf. I had class from 2:30 until 4:45, went to the gym, ate dinner with a friend, got ahead on some reading for class, and eventually went to bed around eleven. It was kind of early for me but I guess golf and the gym wore me out. So the day wasn't that rough, but I feel like if I wasn't as busy, then I would easily crave television, the computer, and of course my cell phone.
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