Crime and Society Essays criminal justice considerations

Crime and Society Essays criminal justice considerations INTRODUCTION the problems of society become most visible when change occurs, and recent decades have brought immense social and economic changes (Pampel, 2000: 52). This can be revealed most clearly in the sociological aspects of youth crime. However, it has also been claimed that social policy should evaluate how policies impact on peoples lives (Blakemore, 1998: 5). Durkheim noted that society works best when it exercises control over individuals (Pampel, 2000: 72). Acceptable behaviour is enforced through law and morality which is maintained through rules and principles: the cement of society (Devlin cited in Elliott and Quinn, 1998: 449). This cement illustrates legal moralism that has been identified as socially significant (Cotterrell, 1989, Page 1). Accordingly, an analysis of laws conceptual structures (Cotterrell, 1989, Page 3) could be ascertained and the importance of shared values emphasised, ultimately influencing individuals behaviour (Pampel, 2000, Page 57). This has been reflected in a decline of organic solidarity, differentiating societys collective conscience, and thereby creating an environment for an increase in crime. This philosophy of inter-related support has been recognised as structural functionalism which, taken to extremes, acknowledges that poverty and crime are normal and natural functions within any healthy society (Pampel, 2000, Page 75). The rule of law should represent the ideal of a universal goodness exhibiting no negative impact on any given society, and no negative characteristics that could apply to its nature according to Thompson (Thompson, 1975, Page 266). Unfortunately, it appears to be this concept that has swung too far in the favour of societys miscreants, to the detriment of their victims, the communities in which these offenders live, and the weaker members of society, prompting the current debate on victims rights and David Blunketts intentions to re-address the balance to deliver real justice to victim s and the wider community (Blunkett, 2002b). This essay evaluates the wider issues surrounding the criminal justice system, social policy and how feminism and the study of gender impacts on these sectors. Classicism and positivism are particularly relevant to any study of criminology and lead to an introduction of criminological theories which attempt to put feminism into the context of social policy within the criminal justice sector. Crimes amongst the youth might also be considered to be a reflection of the current social trends and this facet has briefly been evaluated in terms of social environment. The conclusion summarises many details introduced in this essay. 2. DISCUSSION 2.1 Definitions of crime The Royal Commission on Criminal Justice was set up to: examine the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in England and Wales in securing the conviction of those guilty of criminal offences and the acquittal of those who are innocent (Zander, in Martin, 1998). The Runciman Commission made 352 recommendations in 1993, from police investigations to disclosure of evidence (Field and Thomas, 1994 cited in James and Raine, 1998: 40). All aspects of the criminal justice system came under scrutiny, with 600 organisations contributing to its evidence (Martin, 1998: 115). During this period, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and the Criminal Procedure and Investigation Act 1996 were all implemented, with varying interpretations and capricious emphases which altered according to Management changes. Pampel observes, however, that: the problems of society become most visible when change occurs, and recent decades have brought immense social and economic changes (Pampel, 2000: 52). Durkheim, meanwhile, noted that society works best when it exercises control over individuals (Pampel, 2000: 72) with Weber maintaining that: societies work more smoothly when the use of power has legitimacy in the eyes of both the rulers and the ruled (Pampel, 2000: 113). Deterrence, retribution, rehabilitation and incapacitation constitute the four major theories of punishment. Deterrence aims to reduce crime through threat of punishment, or through its example. The concept is that the experience of punishment would create an impact unpleasant enough to prevent any further offence. Penalties are established to prevent crime being contemplated, with the idea that the example of unpleasant consequences would make potential criminals reconsider any future offence. Retribution requires an offender to contribute community-based endeavours through proportionality related to the crimes committed. The concept involves cleaning the slate through enforced labour to account to society for any misdemeanour. With the intention of better justice through more consistent sentencing, the White Paper preceding the Criminal Justice Act 1991 suggested that convicted criminals get their just deserts (HMSO, 1990a). This concept does actually limit the States power through limiting exemplary sentences, achieving parity when two offenders receive similar punishments for similar crimes. The National Victim Support Programme was considered a way forward with respect to societys acceptance of restorative justice but both of the major political parties have pursued half formed and in many ways half hearted policies in relation to victims of crime. There is little indication of change in this area (Newburn and Crawford, 2002: 117). Conformity through inner positive motivation exemplifies the theory of rehabilitation, although it has been criticised for disparity in proportionality. The concept is not based on the degree of offence committed or focused on the criminals past, but on future rehabilitation to preclude re-offending through changes of circumstances. Conversely, incapacitation recognises that some offenders fail to respond to deterrence or rehabilitation and continue to commit crimes as and when an opportunity to do so presents itself. For criminals with this mindset the only option is protective sentencing to prevent further crimes being committed, thereby punishing the offender for crimes committed with a further implication of punishment for future crimes that could be envisaged if released. An equally important part of restorative justice must be in measures to prevent crimes being committed. Funding of 6 million has been invested in a Government programme to reduce crime. Some of these measures include restorative justice, enforcement of financial penalties, CCTV initiatives, treatment of offenders, youth inclusion initiatives, targeting policies and intervention work in schools To be effective in developing suitable policies the criminal justice system need to approach the problem from different angles simultaneously, and adopt a policy of co-operation and co-ordination across all involved parties. Since the inception of the Regional Crime Squads (South cited in Maquire, 1994, 423), co-operation has existed across autonomous police forces, and surveillance intelligence squads can acquire information which, along with co-operation from the other agencies which make up the criminal justice system, can be collated and used to prevent some of the worst excesses of violen ce and crime erupting. Novick argues that the basis of the State is a need for a single and efficient protective association in a territory (McCoubrey White, 307) with Jacques considering that economic efficiency needs to be assessed in respect of its impact on human feelings, on community and on social relationships and the quality of life in society (Jacques, 1976, 15). Adjudication provides a formal mechanism for resolving disputes, with rules of change available to deal with new problems requiring further elucidation and rules of recognition involving prerogative powers and the sovereignty of Parliament. These rules do not account for those natural rules which acknowledge those inherent fundamental human rights. According to Finnis (2002), each individual is aware that deviation from societys code of behaviour would result in sanctions being applied to avoid injustice. The ethos Finnis applies to his explanation of retribution is considered to rectify the distribution of advantages and disadvantages b y depriving the convicted criminal of his freedom of choice in proportion to his unlawful act. Regardless of theories, an escalating scale of crimes continue to be committed, with 5.2 million offences recorded in England and Wales during 2000 (Recorded Crime, HMSO Press Release, 19/01/01) which, when compared to 3.87 million in 1989 and 479,40,018 in 1950, has an effect on long term projections in the prison population to 2008 (British Crime Survey 2001 2002). Evidence of this was exhibited when the disturbances in Strangeways prison took place in 1990, prompting the Woolf Report (Custody, Care and Justice, HMSO, 1991). It was published as a White Paper in 1991 and highlighted the relationship between overcrowding in prisons and the maintenance of control, promoting ongoing discussions about the aims of imprisonment. Meanwhile, the crime response and solving rate has fallen from 45% to 29% despite the number of police officers having increased from 63,100 to 126,500 (British Crime Survey 2001 2002). Maguire suggests that: increasing numbers of police officers, an increase in telephones making reporting easier, increasing use of insurance, and reduced levels of public tolerance to violence have all contributed (Maguire, cited in Croall, 1997). Stern recognises the system often precludes dedicated people from a more effective route of exacting retribution (Stern, 1989: 247). The diversity of ideas and practices associated with the restorative justice movement exemplify the difficulties associated with the concept. Johnstone (2003) highlights the paradigm of justice associated with practical experimentation that underlies the values and ideas which involve a number of models of theoretical law covering criminal and civil law together with restorative justice. The relevance of this earlier part of the essay reflects the ethos of restorative justice: this is not a new concept, nor can it be viewed in isolation. 2.2 Classicism, Positivism and Realism The divergence of positivism from its precursor, classicism, was described by Austin as a rule laid down for the guidance of an intelligent being by an intelligent being having power over him. (Austin, 1995: 9). Parallels with this concept can be illustrated within the feminist model whereby women were classed as irrational beings and of secondary importance to men. It has been acknowledged that criminological theories have been developed by men for men and attempts to categorise women offenders in accordance with these precepts fails to be applicable (Gelsthorpe and Morris, 1990: xii-8). In other words, men have acquired a dominant position in society. Left realism reflects this dominance. The ethos of left realism illustrates that certain types of behaviour that is more prevalent amongst the less powerful would be classed as criminal. Criminal laws were then introduced to reflect this concept. Rather than the criminal being regarded as an acquiescent offender, left realism would ha ve them portrayed as a victim of society. Furthermore, it is from the concept of left realism that the notion of a number of actors, involving the offender, the police, the victim and the criminal justice system has developed. Left realism distinguishes between a macro level of crime theory and a micro level, the former involving the sociological aspects and the latter a more micro level involving an individual and personal viewpoint of crime (Lilly, Cullen Ball, 1995) and takes into account the role of the victims of crime. Constraints on space preclude a detailed discussion on left and right realism, but an overview identifies four important factors which are regarded as being inter-related and which contribute to a holistic image of crime on both a micro level and a more integrated macro level (Young, 2002). The various theories, such as Labelling Theory, represent right realism and tend to focus on the offender and the reasons why they acted in the way they did. The emphasis on feminism within the field of criminology evolved through the ethos of left realism, where male dominance was recognised for its fundamental contributions to traditional criminological theories. A universal assumption relates to womens particular role within society and, accordingly, studies of women offenders are considered particularly relevant to the sociological facets such as morality and economic situations (Smart, 1976). It has been recorded that 84% of known offenders in 1984 were men, from which Heidensohn notes: Women commit a small share of all crimestheir crimes are fewer, less serious, more rarely professional, and less likely to be repeated (Heidensohn, 2002, 491). Furthermore, according to Barclay (1995, page 20), just 8% of women were convicted of an indictable offence from a population born in 1953 (cited in Heidensohn, 2002, 494). It must be noted that, whilst violence is most often perpetrated by men, 1 in 5 occurrences of violence against women were committed by other women (Coleman and Moynihan, 1996, page 97). According to Gelsthorpes model, however, any studies focusing on womens criminality often tend to focus on their gender rather than the crime itself (1986: 138 149), resulting in sweeping generalisations being made and an assumption that women are mad not bad (Lloyd, 1995: xvii cited in KeltaWeb, 2005). Taken further, it has been suggested that laws are constructed and enforced by men to the disadvantage of women (Burke, R, 2001). Criminology from the feminist perspective is exemplified through either liberal, radical, Marxist or socialist models, the latter also incorporating post-modernism and eco-feminism. The significance of the feminist stance within the criminal justice system relates partly to societys perception of their biological function and lack of rationality, in accordance with Lombrosos theories of atavism. This positive philosophy is a disparate variation from classicism, and was introduced into criminological theory by Lombroso, Ferri and Garofolo (Williams and McShane, 1991: 35) although it was noted that They failed to find the numbers of born female criminals marked by physical, atavistic traits which they anticipated (Heidensohn, 2002, page 492). Heidensohn notes, however, that the evidence of Lombroso and Ferreros work has survived whereas their equivalent rese arch relating to men did not (Heidensohn, 2002, page 493), although other research revealed the importance of sociological and environmental factors (Heidensohn, 2002, page 493). The distinct theories of classicism and positivism have been recognised in criminological studies as the two major hypotheses in the science of penology, conceding criminal anthropology as inherent in identifying criminals through their genetic structure, likening it to atavism (Lombroso, 1876). All people are considered equal according to classicist precepts and governments are created by those individuals to protect the peoples rights through the recognition of a social contract (McCoubrey and White, 1999: 60 84). Classicists aspire towards civil rights, realised through the law as a system of due process. It is this emphasis on the social contract that compounds the deviance as a moral offence against society. Punishment is proportional to the seriousness of the offence and can only be justified to preserve the social contract and deter others (Williams, 1997: 8). The constrained concept of Classicism identifies as autonomous a person who is the result of their environment. Positivism, however, has been documented as either internal, [assuming an atavistic involvement of the psychological or biological aspect], or a sociological aspect of positivism which is outside an individuals control (Burke, 2001: 272) and assumes a dependency in individuals. Positivists approach deviance from a scientific perspective which enables deviance to be rectified through a combination of power and knowledge. The correlation between positivism and criminological theory identified criminals through an inherent genetic structure, perceived as atavistic features edifying villainous characteristics which could be identified through isolationist principles and surveillance experiments and through case studies (Lombroso, [1876] in Williams and McShane, 1991: 35). These sociological studies exhibited a reciprocity which was attributed to a specific social order, deviation from which society recognised as a criminal act. Positivist theory attributed this deviation to an abnormality that could be treated, with the hypothesis suggesting that criminals could be reformed. As the final result was intended to protect society from harm, punishment was sanctioned to provide treatment, not to punish, with cognitive treatments involving group therapy sessions and the use of drug therapies to achieve these objectives. Conversely, Bentham and Beccaria propounded the classical theory of fundamental rights associated with natural law. Their utilitarian principles of autonomy, liberty and rationality acknowledged deviance as a rational act against the rules of society and from which these miscreants needed to be dissuaded through the application of punishments (Burke, 2001: 270). 2.3 Criminological Theories Hobbes observation of human actions being ultimately self-serving, including the concept of morality, related cognisance to a state of nature which guarantees the survival of the fittest. Classicists such as Hobbes, Bentham and Beccaria considered that deviance is an inherent characteristic in the psyche of all individuals (Gottfredson and Hirshi, 1990), displayed as an expression of human rationality towards the presence of bad laws (Beccaria, 1963). Beccaria suggested that punishments should be consistent and logical and bound within the legal system. From the basis on non-conformity to societys rules, deviance has been regarded as a miscreants response to temptation and the exercise of their power over others. Use of a structural method elucidates relationships between a hierarchy of individuals and groups which have been considered to be inherent within the structural approach to criminology and, equally important, societys reactions to criminal behaviour. Crime tends to exhibit specific reactions against deviance, evidence of which can be seen with the Labelling Theory (Lemert, 1967) which focuses attention on the hierarchical role of crimes in society. Control theory, meanwhile, unearths links between individuals and institutions, for example family background and upbringing and corresponding behavioural actions and reactions. Hagan relates this philosophy to what he terms the structural study of crime (Hagan, 1988: 3) and the Power-Control Theory which plays a significant role in explaining the social distribution of delinquent behaviour through the social reproduction of gender relations (Hagan, 1988: 1 287) and affects the social distribution of delinquency. Moreover, one important aspect of this theory is the ethics associated with crime and delinquency, for example, the effects of gender on criminality. Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990), meanwhile, suggest that classicism is revealed through the control theories which exhibit consequences painful to the individual. (Gottfredson and Hirschi 1990) Positivism in relation to criminology depended on the scale of rationality between free will and determinism according to precepts of Cesare Lombroso whose explanations of criminal behaviour resulted in the criminal born man or woman who exhibited physical attributes leading to their recognition as criminals, a situation not supported by Durkheim. Too many variables made Lombrosos theory precarious but his typologies were correlated between certain offenders committing certain kinds of crime (Gottfreddson and Hirschi 1990). A number of other theories exist to explain a psychological or sociological basis to the science of criminology. Bandura and Eysenk studied observational learning, conditioning and personality traits, whilst the Strain Theory and the Anomie Theory of Merton blame environmental pressures on deviance, with the Subculture Theory attributing lack of attainment to societys expectations to be at the heart of offending. 2.4 Sociological Aspects of Youth Crime Whilst all people might be considered equal according to classicist precepts, with governments created by those individuals to protect the peoples rights through the recognition of a social contract (McCoubrey and White, 1999, Page 60 84), David Blunkett singles out a specific sector of society by suggesting that: nearly three quarters of street crime offenders are under 17 and a hard core five per cent of juveniles are responsible for 60 per cent of offences for their age group (Blunkett, 2002c). Clearly, despite the introduction of innumerable projects designed to re-integrate offenders back into their communities, the growth in lawless behaviour has not diminished. Many measures to restrain unacceptable behaviour are now available, amongst which are Youth Offending Teams, Final Warning Schemes, Detention and Training Orders, Acceptable Behaviour Programmes, Parenting Orders, Reparation Orders and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Blunkett, 2002c) although, retrospectively, little appears to have improved. In December 2003 Lord Falconer of Thoroton emphasised that this: crime and anti-social behaviour corrupts communities, eating away at the fabric of the way we all want to live our lives (Lord Falconer, 2003). An increasing lack of morality appears to be more prevalent within modern society, with Chief Superintendent of Greater Manchester Police describing these amoral youths as feral (The Times, 2005). Despite all the legislation at the disposal of the criminal justice system, however, the yob culture appears to be endemic, with the vulnerable in society more at risk of becoming victims than ever before. The media report lurid headlines on a daily basis: Beaten to death on his doorstep (Daily Mail, 2005); Beaten up on Video Phone (Daily Mail, 2005); Hoody ban eases shoppers fear (Daily Mail, 2005, page 8). The edition on May 19th 2005 reported how thugs attack a funeral car by launching an 8 foot length of wood through the windscreen of the car travelling immediately behind the hearse. It has been reported that some forces are not making good use of legislation and tackling the imitation firearm problem (Deputy Chief Constable, Daily Mail, 2005, Page 8) when children, some as young as 13, routinely carry replica BB guns, which can cause serious injury to targets up to 30 yards away, around the streets. CONCLUSION In 2002 the Home Secretary intended: to deliver real justice to victims and the wider community and strike a fair balance between the rights of victims and the accused (Blunkett, 2002a). The Legal Action Group suggest that victims and defendants rights are mutually incompatible (Cape, 2004, page 1) and suggest that victims rights are not being catered for; their rights are neither acknowledged nor respected. However, they also ascertain that, in making it easier to convict defendants is not in the best interests of the victims. The fragility between rights to security and freedom and the obligation to protect communities, reflects a natural result of shared morality without which rules would lack meaning (Pampel, 2000, Page 67). This factor was clearly recognised by David Blunkett who acknowledged the public felt that the system had swung too far in favour of the accused (Blunkett, 2002a). This intensely deep-rooted problem of lawlessness within communities cannot be solved by the police alone. Henham observes that this can only be achieved through: disregard of formal legal controls which prove an obstacle to the production of a high conviction rate although he acknowledges that due process maintains an adherence to courtroom procedure and protection of the individual (Henham, 1998, Page 592). Many organisations have highlighted the growth in recorded crime despite measures in place to punish the offender. Punishment falls into various areas from incapacitation to retribution, deterrence to rehabilitation. A large number of theories abound, all attempting to explain the reasons behind criminal actions. These theories investigate the backgrounds of criminals, their psychological and physical attributes and their positions in society together with their abilities to cope with expectations placed on them by society. As yet there has been no definitive answer and, due to so many variables, there possibly never will be. Controversially, Durkheim believed that a certain amount of crime failed to harm society and was normal and valuable in a healthy society (Cotterell, 1992: 159), with the ideas of right and wrong being reaffirmed through the existence of crime and punishment (Pampel, 2000: 59). This reflects a natural result of shared morality without which rules would lack meaning (Pampel, 2000: 67), promoting the concept of the durability of social life inevitably assuming a definite form. Individual and collective morality would assume that offenders should be punished to maintain the stability of the community and maintain their safety. Our collective conscience ensures that the majority accept the rule of law and accept that deviance needs to be punished. Psychologically, restorative justice is assumed to invoke aesthetic sentiment of forgiveness for miscreants and release for victims. What it fails to do is provide society with assurances that their safety and integrity will be maintained in an atmosphere where the offenders rights appear to be upheld in variance with those of the victim, or the fundamental rights the victim is entitled to expect. A personal view could be recorded which considers that restorative justice exhibits illusionary tendencies to pacify the reformers at the expense of societys status quo. Clearly, not a supporter of restorative justice this writer intuitively distorts the semantics and cognitively refers to this concept as retributive justice: more aptly named, and far more appropriate for the majority of offenders who, regardless of intervention programmes to rehabilitate them will continue to offend despite societys best efforts. BIBLIOGRAPHY Austin, 1995, cited in Martin, J (1999): The English Legal System: Oxford, UK, Hodder Stoughton, p.115 Beccaria, Cesare. (1963) [1764]: On Crimes and Punishments. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill. Blakemore, Ken (1998): Social Policy: an Introduction: Buckingham, UK: Open University Press Blunkett, David (2002a): Balance of rights essential to effective justice. June, 19 Speaking at the Metropolitan Police Modernising Criminal Justice Conference http://www.cjsonline.org.uk/news/2002/june/balance_of_rights.html Blunkett, David (2002b): Justice for All Radical reform of the Criminal Justice System unveiled. July 17Criminal justice reforms unveiled. Announcement from Home Secretary to the Police Superintendents Association of England and Wales http://www.policesupers.com/police-supers-news.asp?news_id=139 Blunkett, David, (2002c)introducing the publication of the new White Paper, Justice for all, 2002, November 14: speaking at 3.30pm at the Youth Justice Board Annual. Cape, Ed (2004): Reconcilable Rights: analysing the tension between victims and defendants. Legal Action Group, 2004. http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:FHPdMNH7Xw0J:www.rethinking.org.uk/informed/lagbriefing.pdf+current+debate+regarding+victims%27+rightshl=en Burke, Roger Hopkins (2001): An Introduction to Criminological Theory. Cullompton: Willan publishing Cape, Ed (2004): Reconcilable Rights: analysing the tension between victims and defendants, Legal Action Group, 2004. In Victims and defendants rights: can they be reconciled?. Rethinking Crime Punishment, 2005, April, http://www.rethinking.org.uk/informed/lagbriefing.pdf Coleman, Clive and Moynihan, Jenny (1996): Understanding Crime Data: haunted by the dark figure. Buckingham, Philadelphia, USA: Oxford University Press Cotterrell, Roger (1989): The Politics of Jurisprudence: a Critical Introduction to Legal Philosophy: London, UK: Butterworths Cotterrell, Roger (1992): The Sociology of Law: London, UK: Butterworth Daily Mail Newspaper, 2005, May 20: Green, Deputy Chief Constable, Greater Manchester, Page 8 Daily Mail Newspaper, 2005, May 19: Thugs attack a funeral car Daily Mail Newspaper, 2005, May 20: Hoody ban eases shoppers fear, Page 8 Daily Mail Newspaper, 2005, May 21: Beaten to death on his doorstep, Front Page Daily Mail Newspaper, 2005, May 20: Beaten up on Video Phone, Front Page Devlin cited in Elliott, C Quinn, F (1998): English Legal System (2nd edition): Essex, UK, Addison Wesley Longman Ltd Field Thomas (1994) cited in James, A Raine, J (1998): The New Politics of Criminal Justice: London, UK, Longman Finnis, John (2002): Natural Law: the Classical Tradition. In Coleman, Jules L and Shapiro, Scott (eds): The Oxford Handbook of Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pages 1-60 Gelsthorpe and Morris, 1990: xii-8 cited in KeltaWeb (2005): A Feminist Perspective on Women and Crime. Available from: www.keltawebconcepts.com.au/efemcrim1.htm. [Accessed 09/08/05] Gelsthorpe, L (1986): Towards a sceptical look at sexism. International Journal of the Sociology of Law 14: 125-53 Gottfredson, Michael R and Hirschi, T (1990): A General Theory of Crime. Stanford: Stanford University Press Hagan, John (1988): Feminist Scholarship, Relational and Instrumental Control, and a Power-Control Theory of Gender and Delinquency. In British Journal of Sociology 39 (3):301-336. Heidensohn, Frances (2002): Gender and Crime. cited in The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Maquire, Mike; Morgan, Rod; and Reiner, Robert. Oxford: Oxford University Press Henham, Ralph (1998): Human Rights, due process and sentencing. In British Journal of Criminology, Issue 38, Page 592 Home Office (2002): Prevalence of Drug Use. Key Findings from the 2001 2002 British Crime Survey. London: HMSO. Available from: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r182.pdf [Accessed 10/08/05] HMSO, (1990a): Crime, Justice and Protecting the Public. Cm 965. London: HMSO. http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:n-zy-8yFCIEJ:webjcli.ncl.ac.uk/1996/issue3/rtf/henham3.rtf+HMSO%2BCrime,+Justice+and+Protecting+the+Publichl=en Jacques, E (1976): A General Theory of Bureaucracy: London, UK, Heinnemann Johnstone, Gerry (2003): A Restorative Justice Reader: Texts, Sources and Context. Devon: Willan Publishing Lemert, E M (1967): Primary and secondary deviance. In S H Traub C B Little (Eds.), Theories of Devianc

All About Adolf :: essays research papers

Adolf Hitler was born a child on April 20, 1889 in a â€Å"Modest Inn† located in the town of Braunavon, Germany. Hitler grew up in a household of seven people, five of which were siblings. He had a little brother Edmund. One younger sister named Paula. One older half-brother named Alois, Jr and one older half sister named Angela. This family of seven lived on a little farm located in Limbach, Austria. He had moved several times. The first time he moved it was to Braunavon, Germany. The second time he moved it was to Leonding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout his childhood he grew up watching war movies and playing â€Å"Cowboys and Indians†. He was adapted to a survival behavior since the day he was born, and many real life instances helped him grow that way. At the age of 16, his mother died from cancer. Later that year, Hitler’s father Alois, died from a lung hemorrhage. The death of his parents brought a new beginning to Hitler’s life, time to live on his own. Due to this tragedy, Hitler became homeless in Vienna, Austria. While in Vienna, Hitler tried to join the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, but he had happened to fail both times. Due to his failures in Vienna, this is the place he grew to hate Jews. While living on the streets, Hitler adopted a survivor instinct. At the age of 21, Hitler became keenly interested in politics. As some years passed he decided to move out of Vienna and into a town of Munich, at the age of 24. After moving, he was later tracked down by authorities in January of 1914. The cops decided not to press charges of refugee. While living in Munich, he applied for the World War. A process which would change his life indefinitely. The War was the type of a place Hitler was used to being in. He was used being in a fighting and battling scene. Therefore nothing was new to him. Hitler avoided several life threatening injuries during the War. Hitler’s attitude was better than the other 25-year-olds. Hitler never complained about bad situations or bad food. Hitler thought that this injury would have never happened if it weren’t for the Jews. He felt that the Jews were causing all of the German problems. While in the hospital for this leg injury, Hitler had been offered a Medal of Honor, but turned it down because the offer came was a Jew. All About Adolf :: essays research papers Adolf Hitler was born a child on April 20, 1889 in a â€Å"Modest Inn† located in the town of Braunavon, Germany. Hitler grew up in a household of seven people, five of which were siblings. He had a little brother Edmund. One younger sister named Paula. One older half-brother named Alois, Jr and one older half sister named Angela. This family of seven lived on a little farm located in Limbach, Austria. He had moved several times. The first time he moved it was to Braunavon, Germany. The second time he moved it was to Leonding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout his childhood he grew up watching war movies and playing â€Å"Cowboys and Indians†. He was adapted to a survival behavior since the day he was born, and many real life instances helped him grow that way. At the age of 16, his mother died from cancer. Later that year, Hitler’s father Alois, died from a lung hemorrhage. The death of his parents brought a new beginning to Hitler’s life, time to live on his own. Due to this tragedy, Hitler became homeless in Vienna, Austria. While in Vienna, Hitler tried to join the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, but he had happened to fail both times. Due to his failures in Vienna, this is the place he grew to hate Jews. While living on the streets, Hitler adopted a survivor instinct. At the age of 21, Hitler became keenly interested in politics. As some years passed he decided to move out of Vienna and into a town of Munich, at the age of 24. After moving, he was later tracked down by authorities in January of 1914. The cops decided not to press charges of refugee. While living in Munich, he applied for the World War. A process which would change his life indefinitely. The War was the type of a place Hitler was used to being in. He was used being in a fighting and battling scene. Therefore nothing was new to him. Hitler avoided several life threatening injuries during the War. Hitler’s attitude was better than the other 25-year-olds. Hitler never complained about bad situations or bad food. Hitler thought that this injury would have never happened if it weren’t for the Jews. He felt that the Jews were causing all of the German problems. While in the hospital for this leg injury, Hitler had been offered a Medal of Honor, but turned it down because the offer came was a Jew.

Troops should NOT be Withdrawn from Iraq :: War Military

Iraq is not stable enough to risk the United States withdrawing their troops, security is too weak and it will show in the near future. It is evident that Iraq cannot hold a steady government that can support the people and maintain a state of armistice throughout these hard times that the country is going through. This statement is clear seeing that there have been about one hundred and sixty three insurgent attacks daily since May of 2007. The United States is currently controlling the country due to Iraq housing terrorist groups that withhold weapons of mass destruction. Like Al Qaeda for example, their leader, Osama Bin Laden has been on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s â€Å"Most Wanted† list since the year of 2003. Ever since March 19th of 2003 many people have died because of this evil, ruthless man. That is why the United States Defense Department has kept our troops stable in Iraq to prevent some outrageous outbreak of violence. David Patraeus is a General in the United States Army and has written several reports on the war in Iraq and the progress the United States has made. He states that are still enormous difficulties that Iraq has to deal with. A lot of that may come from the many terror groups that inhabit the country. General Patraeus also says, â€Å"the addition of troops will enable the growth of Iraqi security†. (Patraeus 12) He, and many of the other brave men serving in the military completely understand that they have made substantial progress but know for a fact that the situation is still fragile and very reversible. Why would we pull our troops out of something that could be reversed? Would that not be a waste of taxpayer time and money? The General was actually asked why the troops are still in the country, he replied that the only way to secure the population of Iraq is by living with them. The last thing he noted is that he noticed that as force levels grew, the security s ituation improved. The better the security, the more likeliness that the soldiers can come home sooner. Troops should NOT be Withdrawn from Iraq :: War Military Iraq is not stable enough to risk the United States withdrawing their troops, security is too weak and it will show in the near future. It is evident that Iraq cannot hold a steady government that can support the people and maintain a state of armistice throughout these hard times that the country is going through. This statement is clear seeing that there have been about one hundred and sixty three insurgent attacks daily since May of 2007. The United States is currently controlling the country due to Iraq housing terrorist groups that withhold weapons of mass destruction. Like Al Qaeda for example, their leader, Osama Bin Laden has been on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s â€Å"Most Wanted† list since the year of 2003. Ever since March 19th of 2003 many people have died because of this evil, ruthless man. That is why the United States Defense Department has kept our troops stable in Iraq to prevent some outrageous outbreak of violence. David Patraeus is a General in the United States Army and has written several reports on the war in Iraq and the progress the United States has made. He states that are still enormous difficulties that Iraq has to deal with. A lot of that may come from the many terror groups that inhabit the country. General Patraeus also says, â€Å"the addition of troops will enable the growth of Iraqi security†. (Patraeus 12) He, and many of the other brave men serving in the military completely understand that they have made substantial progress but know for a fact that the situation is still fragile and very reversible. Why would we pull our troops out of something that could be reversed? Would that not be a waste of taxpayer time and money? The General was actually asked why the troops are still in the country, he replied that the only way to secure the population of Iraq is by living with them. The last thing he noted is that he noticed that as force levels grew, the security s ituation improved. The better the security, the more likeliness that the soldiers can come home sooner.

Fight Club Compared To Siddhartha :: essays research papers

Since the beginning of time, man has been on a quest to find his inner self. This topic has been the theme of many books and researches. This is no exception, in the 1959 book, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. In this particular story the main character, Siddhartha, is trying to find his ‘inner self’. He tries to accomplish this in many ways, one being self denial or destruction. This is also the case in the 1996 book, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, in which the main theme promoted is that destruction leads to purity. These two works, written almost 40 years apart, which at first glance seem to be complete opposites, are actually spawns from the archetypal theme of man’s quest from self knowledge. Many issues in each of these stories give reason to believe that the authors had the same idea in mind. It could also be said that the author of Fight Club may have read Siddhartha. This is so because of the fact that many quotes in Fight Club relate to Hinduism, which is the religion of the heron in Siddhartha. For example, at a point in Fight Club, a character questions his safety. The reply from the character, Tyler Durden, is, â€Å"You’re as safe as a Hindu cow†, is a metaphor that since the cow is very respected in the Hindu religion and is not harmed. This may be mere coincidence, but other information gives reason to believe otherwise. Other than just saying that there is a connection with something that is said in the two books, there is also connections with the themes and styles of each book. In Siddhartha the charters often speak in ways the you may have to think about to understand the full meaning. This is also true in the case of Fight Club. At one point in Siddhartha, the character Govinda [Siddhartha’s friend] says, â€Å"He who in contemplation, with purified mind, immerses himself in Atman, Inexpressible in words is his heart’s bliss.† These quotes convey the idea of the actually enlightenment. In Fight Club, it is common to see quotes like, â€Å"You are not a beautiful and unique snow flake† which tells Tyler Durden’s followers that what they may think they are is completely false. This type of put down is a major ingredient in the stew of mayhem which leads to enlightenment. When you compare the actual meanings of Fight Club and Siddhartha, you will find that they are very much alike. Fight Club is a release for people. It helps you know yourself, know what you can do, and know your limits. In the book, it would often be used by people with

Effects of Globalization on the Society Essay

Globalization is one of the contemporary policies implemented in attempt to resolve the economic dilemma of various countries and to encourage free flowing economic transactions among nations. And as such, globalization has become an influential phenomenon reaching various global scopes. It is an international process by which nations are being pushed to form a single and unified global society. The different societies within a globalized community undergo various transformation and developments which are comprised of common practices and beliefs known as the cultural universals. The cultural universals are adaptations in meeting the needs of the members of the society in terms of food, clothing and shelter. Developments are achieved through innovations. Innovation is the process of injecting new ideas or objects within a culture. And with these changes and innovations, this process also renders social consequences. There are two types of innovations: discovery and invention. The Chapter 3 of the book â€Å"Sociology a Brief Introduction† explained how development in culture occurs in the global setting. This chapter expounded the various concepts pertaining to the development of cultures such as globalization, diffusion and technology (Schaefer 58-60). The current globalization policy renders effects on the various aspects of the society. Globalization is a broad term. It encompasses the various aspects of the nation including politics, society and economy. More often than not, globalization is associated to the economic activities of the nation but it also affects the various aspects of society. Globalization Globalization is the integration of the economies and societies worldwide. Globalization is considered as one of the most hotly-debated topics in the field of international economics over the past few years (â€Å"Globalization†). It is the process of making the local or regional phenomenon into a global one. The nations are unified into a single society which carry out the function together. It is like integrating the economic, technological, sociocultural and political aspects of the nation (Croucher 10). Whenever globalization is mentioned, it is often associated with economic concepts and activities. Globalization is viewed as an economic process that integrates national economies into one international economy benefiting the activities of the inherent economy (Bhagwati 3). The term has been frequently defined by different economists, and as the such, the concept of globalization has developed so many definitions in accordance to the society’s point of view where the term is being utilized. The term â€Å"globalization† has been around for quite a long time. The concept has not been popular until the late 1980s and 1990s when its theoretical concepts became more well known. But the activities of globalization has already been put to practice even during the early times when the European countries colonized other parts of the world (Yergin). The first wave of globalization occurred during the 19th century which resulted to an incredible increase and growth in the international trade and economic interaction with the European countries dominating the world’s economic activities (Yergin). But the concept of globalization became more pronounced and used after the Second World War. The emergence of this concept came from the idea of the reconstruction of societies after the destructions caused by the war. The establishment of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank became two of the most influential international organizations that pioneered the reconstruction of war-devastated countries and became relevant agents in restoring economic progress and stability in these nations. Effects of Globalization Globalization is a strategic economic process which aims to provide prosperity and growth to the world’s economy. However, globalization has advantages and disadvantages. Although in the economic point of view, globalization is a positive and beneficial process. But its contribution to the overall increase in the global prosperity is still unparalleled. Globalization creates a process of disseminating modern methods and equipments needed in the contemporary enterprise management, economic growth and global financing. This way, globalization also increases labor productivity and efficiency of the factors of production (Bozyk 3). Moreover, globalization hastens the movement of the essential factors of production, especially the capital and technology. The other factors increasing the production is swiftly moving such as new and innovative ideas, modern technologies and production methods. Consumers, on the other hand, also benefit from the process by purchasing high-quality products due to the increase efficiency in production. In this process, globalization influences the consumption and quality of the products (Bozyk 4). The communication and information industries are also greatly influenced by globalization process. Information disseminated under the tenets of free trade and in the advent of advanced technology tools and gadgets rendered the information industry free movement and easy access to the people. The emergence of internet accessibility and telephone services brought information closer to the people. On the other hand, globalization also renders disadvantages that are inappropriate to some countries engaging in the contemporary economic trend. Some of these disadvantages include the reality that globalization only brings profit to the wealthy and well-developed countries and amplifies the marginal difference of the well-developed and developing countries. The international economic policy is leaning towards the wealthy and powerful countries and is unsuitable to the developing countries (Gavrilenkov et. al 233). Moreover, some countries are utilizing globalization to establish world domination, authority and power which will enable stronger countries to manipulate the relationships of different countries within the international order. Nowadays, the United States is enjoying the status of being one of the strongest nations or probably the sole world superpower. However, the current status of China, its economic stability, and the rate at which the Chinese economy progresses will soon rival United States in terms of industry, wealth and technological improvements (Hurst 91). Works Cited Bhagwati, Jagdish. In Defense of Globalization. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Bozyk, Pawel. Globalization and the Transformation of Foreign Economic Policy. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2006. Croucher, Shiela L. Globalization and Belonging: The Politics of Identity a Changing World. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. Gavrilenkov, Evgeny, Paul J. J. Welfens and Ralf Wiegert. Economic Opening Up and Growth in Russia. New York: Springer Verlag Berlin Heidlberg, 2004. â€Å"Globalization†. 2001. The World Bank Group. 10 October 2008 . Hurst, Charles E. Social Inequality: Forms, Causes and Consequences. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2006. Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology:A Brief Introduction. United Kingdom: Academic Internet Publishers Incorporated, 2006. Yergin, David. â€Å"Commanding Heights†. n. d. 10 October 2008 .

Development from Conception to 16 Years Essay

E1- The age group I have chosen to describe is birth to 3 year olds on their physical development and communication and language development. In this age range the physical development changes from birth where they generally don’t do anything which develops as between 3 – 6 months the child can hold a rattle for a moment, reaching for a toy, putting toys in their mouth, lifting their head up, moving their arms to indicate wanting to be picked up and rolling over. This development changes much more as when the child is 9 – 18 months as they can grasp objects, can sit unsupported, can crawl , can point at objects, start to use a spoon and self-feed, start to walk, start to scribble and build a tower of three blocks. Then at 2 years the child can draw circles and dots, can use spoons to feed their self’s effectively, can run, climb on furniture and use sit and ride toys. At 3 years the child can do all the stuff from the ages before but also turn the pages of a book, wash and dry their own hands, run forwards and backwards, kick a stationary ball and throw a ball as this develop is done with the help of the child’s family as the encourage the child’s physical development. The communication and language development happens because at this age there co-operation from early motherese by asking them to show you objects and then learn to follow simple instructions but their communication and language develops as first all the can do is cry and make cooing noises which then turns to babbling at 6 – 10 months where they â€Å"goo† and â€Å"ma† as the child blends vowels and consonants together to make tuneful sounds. Then at around 12 months this develops to the child saying â€Å"momma† and â€Å"dada† as they start to show facial expressions and gestures but can now combine sounds. From 1 – 2 years they learn more words so they can make mini sentences when they speak and manage to name things when you point to something, and from 2 – 3 years they can communicate well and manage to ask questions and say full sentences as at this age there is a large increase in a child’s vocabulary combined with an increase in the use sentences. E2- The age group I have chosen to describe is 3 – 7 year olds on their physical development and communication and language development. In this age range the physical development changes from being 3 years and being able to just learning to walk and run, walk on their tiptoes, wash and dry their hands, put a coat on and off and use a spoon to feed them self’s without the  food spilling. To when they are 4 – 5 years where the child should start being able to button and unbutton their own clothing, cut simple shapes, put puzzles together specifically for their age range, write their name, form letters, draw recognisable pictures, cut out shapes with scissors, draw around a template, walk on a line, hop on one foot, skip with a rope, run quickly avoiding objects and use a variety of large equipment on their own (e.g. slide, swings†¦). Then at the age 6 – 7 years the child should be able to join handwriting, cut shapes out accurately, make detailed dra wings, tie and untie shoelaces, hop, skip and jump confidently, chase and dodge others, balance on a beam and use a bicycle. This is because in this age the child is helped through their physical development by their parents, family, teachers and peers as they encourage the child. Communication and language development happens very effectively in this age range as at 3 – 4 years they are able to ask questions and be fascinated with answers given to them by saying â€Å"if† to find out what happens, say their name age address and be more accurate in speaking how they pronounce words. At 4-7 years the child tries to understand the meaning of words, talk more confidently and begins to be more and more fluent, manages to add vocabulary all of the time in their speech, begin to share ideas, begin to realise different situations and define what objects are, this is because in this age range a child masters the basic skills of language and masters the reproduction of most sounds. E3- One theoretical perspective linking to E1 and E2 is Chomsky’s theory of language development. His theory is a nativist theory as he suggests that humans have a built in ability to learn a language. Chomsky states that children have a â€Å"Language Acquisition Device† (LAD) which encodes the major principles of a language into a child’s brain. Chomsky’s theory also states that children are able to use language so accurately from an early age because they only have to learn the new vocabulary and apply the structures from the LAD to form sentences. Chomsky believes that they cannot be learning the language purely through imitation as the speech around them is often broken and ungrammatical. Even with extremely complex languages children will become fluent in their native language by the age of 5 or 6. A second theoretical perspective linking to E1 and E2 is Skinner’s theory of language development. Skinner’s theory is a nurture or behaviouristic theory. According to Skinner’s theory a child initially  acquires through an operant process this means that the child learns voluntarily without any external force so learning of its own free will and without any sort of pressure. According to Skinner the whole process is based upon 4 elements as it is stated on slideshare.net which are â€Å"stimulus, response, reinforcement and repetition†. For example a child will make a sound if they want something. If the child gets the response it wants they will associate that sound with the act or response and will continue to use it to achieve that response. Skinner believes that learning language is no different from learning anything else and anything which is lodged in the mind of the child becomes part and parcel of the child’s life. E5- for my observations I have done a tick chart, time sample and written narrative on a child aged 3 years and 11 months E6- In order to maintain confidentiality throughout the observations each child is referred to as child A, B or X rather than their names being used so that other people do not recognise who we are observing should they know the child. Each setting is referred to in a general form such as primary school, pre-school and nursery. The information gathered is only accessible to the observer and in some cases the teacher or a high member of staff if something is noticed that is either of a concern or needs addressing. Also maintaining confidentiality is very important in a setting as it shows respect to people so then they can trust you so if they have any concerns then can come and tell you. But if a child is at risk confidentially may be broken if a practitioner thinks child protection should know. D1- The observations that I carried out show that child A struggles to recognise numbers and letters in general. This may be because they are a kinaesthetic learner and is more confident in absorbing information through practical methods rather than through visual methods. This suggests that child A needs more help with their numbers and writing so to help we could plan activities to help do these which are more appropriate to the child’s learning style and suggest at home they practise counting and writing to develop on this to get them up to the same or a similar level as the rest in their year. Also the observations show that child A is not yet confident about showing and talking to the rest of the class at show and tell, this may be because the child is very shy which could be because the child is not used to being at the school yet and doesn’t feel confident enough as they might still not know everyone and become shy because they  have never noticed or spoke to s ome of their peers. D2- the observations in E4 can help with planning to meet the child’s needs as from observing you can see the child’s interests and find the best way to help them reach the next level of development or ways to maintain a desirable behaviour. Doing observations also helps early years practioners learn more about the age group they are working with so then they will be able to plan activities to each individuals learning styles and individual needs. For example the child I observed in E4 is not very confident talking to the whole class at show and tell so from knowing that I would plan for them to do group work with friends at first then try and mix groups so she still has 2 friends with her so they can make new friends with the people in the class they haven’t spoken to, to try and gain confidence to talk to all other peer’s in the class. Also the child turned out to be a kinaesthetic learner so while planning I would make sure there are activities to just get on with and do so the child can do activities that are to their interest and learning style as well as trying things that are not their favourite learning style but my help them in some way. C- Confidentiality and objective observation are both subjects that are seen as important; this is because confidentiality is very important in teaching and for practioners to keep confidentiality which means they can only speak of things they have seen in the workplace to other members of the staff or supervisors if it is a concern, but no one else outside of the placement should be informed. By using confidentiality we are assuring the safety of the child and their family. Also we are able to make and keep a reputation for ourselves and the setting so we gain the trust of parents, guardians and the local community by protecting information and the children plus working to a child’s best interest. Each child and their family are diverse as they all have their own differences so if we include every child in an observation it shows to be unbiased. The issues which are essential to confidentiality are personal attitudes and values, sharing information, safe storage of information, working with parents, legal requirements and polices.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 24

24. A Love Story? JODY It wasn't the first time she'd crept out of a guy's apartment in the middle of the night with her shoes in her hand, but it was the first time where the decision had been because she didn't want to kill the guy. He was so little, so frail, so lonely. She had taken people before who had the black ring in their life aura like Okata's, and they had thanked her. It had been mercy, relief, the end of pain, yet she couldn't make herself do it. She'd left him there, not to die alone, although he probably would, and not because he had been so kind to her, saving her, which he had, but because the prints weren't finished. He was a strange little man, a hermit and a swordsman, and he carried some great pain in him, but above all that, he was an artist, and she couldn't bear to stop that. So she'd left. Now she was back. He sheathed his sword and tried to lift her to her feet. Her limbs still felt like they were on fire, and she could move only her right arm on her own. She nodded toward Bella's pellet weapon. â€Å"Give it to me, Okata.† She made a grasping motion. He leaned her in a sitting position against the wrought-iron railing that surrounded the steps to his apartment, then retrieved the weapon and fit it into her hand. Then he held the barrel firmly and said something stern in Japanese. â€Å"No, I'm not going to off myself,† she said, and she smiled. He let go of the barrel of the gun and she sprayed Bella's corpse with pellets until the gun stopped firing, then she threw the gun over the rail and motioned for Okata to help her into his apartment. Bella's body was nothing more than slimy chunks of meat by the time Okata got her through the door. In the morning, when the sun hit it, there would be only a charred stain on the sidewalk with burned gobs of plastic that had been a Kevlar suit, shoes, and sunglasses. Okata helped her to the shower, where he rinsed out her wounds, then dried her off and retrieved the last bit of the pig's blood, which he'd kept in the refrigerator. Jody felt a horrible twinge of guilt. He'd been waiting for her, probably had been outside looking for her when Bella had chased her around the corner. After she drank the blood, and her legs had healed enough to hold her weight, she went to his workbench and turned on the light. The last print was there. Not finished, but two of the woodblocks had been finished, the black and the red. There she was, in the shower, her red hair streaming behind her in the water, black bits of ash puddling at her feet. Okata was beside her, looking at the print critically, as if there was something he might have to fix at any second. She bent down and looked back from the angle of the print into his face. â€Å"Hey,† she said. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Okay,† he said. â€Å"Sorry,† she said. FOO DOG Abby lay on the futon in the loft's great room. The empty rat cages were stacked in the corner of the room and Foo had unscrewed one of the plywood panels over the windows to let some light in. He'd been monitoring Abby's vital signs since six in the morning. At least she had vital signs. She hadn't even started with those. At noon, she opened her eyes. â€Å"Foo, you dick, I'm mortal.† â€Å"You're okay!† He threw his arms around her. She pushed him away. â€Å"Where's Tommy? Where's the Countess?† â€Å"Tommy's in the bedroom. I don't know where Jody is.† â€Å"She didn't call?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Fucksocks! Did you turn Tommy back, too?† â€Å"No. I started making his serum, but he didn't want to do anything until they take care of the other vampire. We need to, though, Abby. He won't live much longer if we don't.† â€Å"I know. The pirate Rasta guy on the black ship told us. Other vampire? Only one?† â€Å"Rivera called while you were unconscious. The Animals took one of them down at the Safeway.† â€Å"Did you tell him to stay off the black ship?† â€Å"Tommy did.† â€Å"What about Chet?† â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"He could be-Hey, where's my tail?† â€Å"It sort of fell off when you turned back to human.† â€Å"Did you save it?† â€Å"Well, no. I left it on the coffee table and when the sun came up, well, it sort of burned up.† â€Å"You burned up my tail? That was a part of me.† â€Å"It was a disgusting part of you.† â€Å"You're such a racist, Foo. I'm glad we broke up.† â€Å"We did?† â€Å"We were going to, weren't we? Wasn't that what you wanted to talk about? About how I'm way too complex and mysterious for you and you need to return to your traditional science-nerd values and live in the Sunset with your parents, instead of the awesome love lair with your goddess-like vampire girlfriend, who will never do you again, even when you beg, even out of pity, no matter how fly your sexy manga hair is? Isn't that what you were going to say?† â€Å"Not in so many words. I'm going to move to Berkeley. It's hard, Abby-â€Å" â€Å"Well, save your breath, s'il vous pla;t, I'm over you. I will not be further abused by your toady banalities and whatnot.† â€Å"Your mom called. She wants you to come home.† â€Å"Yeah, that's going to happen. Oh, what's this, monkeys flying out of my tailless butt?† â€Å"She said they sent your report card. You passed Mr. Snavely's biology class.† â€Å"I did?† â€Å"She said she almost fainted. Jared said it was your extra-credit project that did it. Why didn't you tell me you took one of the rats to school with you?† â€Å"Well, I didn't think it worked out that well. I mean, the rat was already vamped, so when I took him out of the shoe box, he just looked kind of dead. And Mr. Snavely was all, â€Å"‘Oh, that's lovely, Allison, a dead rat.'† But it was sunny in biology lab, and all of a sudden my rat just spontaneously combusts, and I'm all, ‘Check it, bitches, spontaneous rodent combustion, it's the wave of the future.'† â€Å"Well, because he couldn't figure out how you did it, he passed you.† â€Å"I am the dark mistress of Biology One-oh-two. Fear me. Rawr!† she said. Then she kissed him hard, but not as hard as she had when she was a vampire, which was a relief, but then she pushed him away and slapped him. â€Å"Ouch. I didn't think you were a slut.† â€Å"I know, that's was our bittersweet break-up kiss. I will go grieve now until Lord Flood awakes and we resume the search for the Countess. I'm starving. Do you want to go get a sammy and a Starbucks? I have like ten grand in my messenger.† THE LOVE LAIR He awoke at sundown with her face in his mind's eye and panic running up his spine. He bolted out of the bedroom into the great room, where Abby was hanging up the phone. â€Å"That was the Countess,† Abby said. â€Å"She's okay. She'll be here in a few minutes.† â€Å"And you're okay? You're alive. You have heat.† He could see the heat coming off her and the healthy life aura around her. â€Å"Yeah, thanks. Foo destroyed my tail.† She turned and looked to the kitchen. â€Å"The traitorous racist heartbreaking fucktard!† â€Å"Little harsh,† Tommy said. â€Å"He saved your life.† â€Å"Heartbroken. Grieving. Inconsolable. Tail's gone. Going to have to get totally repierced and tattooed.† â€Å"But you showered and your eye makeup isn't all racoony anymore.† â€Å"Thanks. I like the blood splatters on your pants.† â€Å"Hi,† said Foo Dog from the kitchen, where he was filling a syringe with what looked like blood. â€Å"I have your serum ready, whenever you're ready.† â€Å"I'm not ready.† â€Å"You have to, you know.† The doorbell buzzed. Tommy keyed the intercom. â€Å"It's me,† Jody said. He buzzed her in and she was at the top of the steps in an instant, then kissing him. He pushed her back and looked at her clothes, shredded at the elbows and knees, stained with blood. â€Å"What happened to you? Where were you?† â€Å"One of the old vampires? She ambushed me on a roof across from the black ship. That weapon they have did this. It's horrible. We can't let them get near us with that thing.† â€Å"How did you get away?† â€Å"I was hiding at the bottom of a pool, trying to figure out what to do, when Chet jumped her. I got out of there while Chet was dry-humping her.† â€Å"Yeah. Go Chet!† said Abby. â€Å"Abby!† Jody ran to Abby and hugged her, kissed her on the forehead. â€Å"I was so worried about you. You're alive. Really alive.† â€Å"Yeah. Foo changed me back. I want to be nosferatu again.† They all turned to face Foo, who was still in the kitchen. â€Å"Can't do it, Abs. You won't survive a second time. I tried it on the rats. You're only human.† â€Å"Doomed,† Abby said. â€Å"Jody,† Tommy said, â€Å"what about the vampire who attacked you?† â€Å"Gone. Destroyed. Someone rescued me just before she killed me. So there's only one left, right?† â€Å"They're all gone,† Tommy said. â€Å"Rivera called. The Animals got the other one. There's only Elijah on the black ship.† Jody put her hand to his face. â€Å"Tommy, we have to talk.† â€Å"I know,† he said. Foo Dog said, â€Å"Jody, I have no way of knowing when Tommy might, uh, expire. He could go faster than Abby was going.† â€Å"Come with me.† Jody took Tommy's hand and led him into the bedroom. â€Å"I've got to show you something. You two, do not come into this room, do you hear me?† TOMMY AND JODY â€Å"We can't make crazy monkey love now, Jody. They'll hear us, and we usually end up breaking all the furniture.† â€Å"You learned how to go to mist, when you were with Chet. You said you learned?† â€Å"Yeah, that's how I got these clothes. They're stupid, aren't they?† â€Å"Tommy, the vampire, the old one, her name was Bella, she told me something. Kiss me. Kiss me and go to mist. Don't think about it, don't stop, just melt into the kiss.† She kissed him and felt him as he faded from solid, and followed him exactly, until they were a single entity, sharing every secret, every fear, every victory, everything, the very essence of who they were, wrapping around each other, winding through each other as each lived the other's history, as every experience they had, they had together, with comfort and joy, with abandon and passion, without words or boundaries, and as often happens to two in love, time lost all meaning, and they might have stayed there, like that, forever. When they finally fell out of it they were naked, on the bed, giggling like insane children. â€Å"Wow,† Tommy said first. â€Å"Yeah,† she said. â€Å"So, Okata saved you?† â€Å"Yeah, he needed to save someone. He had always needed to save someone.† â€Å"I know. I'm okay with it, you know?† â€Å"Yeah, I know,† she said. â€Å"I can't do it, Jody. It's amazing, and I adore you, but I can't do it.† â€Å"I know,† she said, because she did. â€Å"This is me now, Tommy. I like this, I like the night, I like the power. I like not being afraid. I was never anything until I was this. I love being this.† â€Å"I know,† he said. He knew that she had always been cute, but not beautiful. Always a little dissatisfied with who she was, worried about what men, or her mother, or anyone thought of her. But she was beautiful now. Strong. She was exactly what she wanted to be. He said, â€Å"I need the words, Jody. It's who I am.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"I'm not a vampire. I'm a writer. I came here to be a writer. I want to use gelatinous in a sentence. And not just once, but over and over. On the roof, under the moon, in an elevator, on the washing machine, and when I'm exhausted, I want to lay in my own gelatinous sweat and use gelatinous in a sentence until I pass out.† Jody said, â€Å"I don't think gelatinous means what you think it means.† â€Å"It doesn't matter. It's what I need to do. I need to write something. I need to write my little Holocaust girl story.† â€Å"I thought it was a little girl growing up in the segregated South.† â€Å"Yeah, whatever. It's important.† â€Å"You know I know this already, right?† â€Å"I know, but that's what I'm saying, I need the words. I love you, but I need the words.† â€Å"I know,† she said. â€Å"Let's go let Foo change you back into a word guy.† â€Å"And you're going to go away?† â€Å"I have to.† â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"You know, I think that merging might have ruined me.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because you're lying there completely naked and I don't want to sex you up.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Let me think about it. No, false alarm, I'm okay.† â€Å"C'mere, writer boy. Let's break some furniture.† THE RAVEN â€Å"Praise Jah's sweet love for given us a fired-haired snowy biscuit,† Kona said. â€Å"Welcome, me sweet deadie sistah. Welcome aboard.† â€Å"Mistress,† Jody said. â€Å"Sweet deadie mistress.† â€Å"Troot, mistress. Welcome aboard.† The ship was a wonder of technology and luxury. Kona had lent Foo Dog his security bracelet and Foo had gone aboard and reset the security so the ship didn't kill anyone who set foot on board, then he and Kona had walked her through the ship showing her the thousand different ways it had been set to kill a person. It was an elegant, redundant death trap. â€Å"You'll want to turn the systems back on,† Foo had said. â€Å"There's a reason they had this kind of security.† Jody said good-bye and led him off the ship. Now that she had one of his UV lasers in one hand and a number of vacuum blood vials in the other she followed the ersatz Rastaman down to the deepest chamber of the ship, where Foo had not gone. They approached a wide, white, waterproof hatch with a small porthole and a heavy stainless-steel wheel securing it. Kona hit a light switch. â€Å"That make just a wee UV, mistress. Make dat dogheart bastid turn solid so he can't sneak out.† Jody looked in the port and a face hit it with a snarl, leaving bloody spit on the thick glass. â€Å"Well, hello, pumpkin. How have you been?† The vampire snarled. It was Elijah, the old vampire who had turned her, turned them all, really, if the legend was true. But he looked like a wild animal now, naked, his fangs bared, snarling at the tiny window. â€Å"Can he hear me?† Jody asked. â€Å"Oh yeah, he hear. You got to tell him to go to the back of da room, ma. I'n'I can lock him back there with the second door. Like an airlock. Dat's how we feed dat old buggah.† â€Å"Go to the back of the room, Elijah. I have something I need you to do.† The vampire snarled at her. â€Å"Okey dokey,† she said, and she put on her sunglasses, placed Foo's laser against the glass, and promptly blasted Elijah's right ear into ash. He roared at her. â€Å"Oh, I know that had to hurt. Hear that high whining sound, Elijah. That's the laser recharging. Takes about a minute. When it's done I'm going to burn off your willie unless you get your ancient ass to the back of the cell.† She smiled. â€Å"Shoots, brah, she a cold heart bitch don't you know. You outta-shoulda do what she say, yeah?† The old vampire backed through the inside door, snarling, and Kona worked the switch, sealing it. Then he opened the heavy outer hatch. Jody placed the vacuum vials in the chamber, then said, â€Å"Okay, Elijah, I need you to fill these with that sweet, first-generation vampire blood.† They sealed the outer hatch, and Elijah snarled and resisted, but after having his other ear burned off, relented. Twenty minutes later Jody was holding the four vials of Elijah's blood and Elijah was lapping two quarts of tuna blood out of a stainless-steel bowl. â€Å"He be all right,† Kona said. â€Å"Dem ear heal up in minutes and he be back in the mystic fo' weeks.† â€Å"And how long to get the rest of the art supplies onto the Raven?† she asked. â€Å"It's all on board, mistress.† â€Å"Then cast off, Cap'n.† â€Å"Aye, aye, mistress.† Jody turned to Okata, who had stood silently, his eyes wide, watching the whole scene. â€Å"These are for you,† she said, holding out the vials. â€Å"I'll help you. I hope you like night scenes. You're going to have a lot of prints to make. But you'll have time.† â€Å"Okay,† said the swordsman, with a smile.