Research Proposal (Political Psychology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Research Proposal (Political Psychology) - Essay Example This research project intends to analyze the failed diplomacy efforts of former UN Weapons Inspector Hanz Blix that precipitated the excessive levels of distortion surrounding his official testimony and related exchanges that took place after 9/11. To that end, political psychology can help to demystify these failed efforts at international diplomacy demonstrated in his efforts to diffuse an extremely tense and volatile international crisis. Although Blix fulfilled his ideologically-neutral role as a UN Weapons Inspector throughout the debacle, his middle road diplomatic style can be summarized, in retrospect, as an unmitigated disaster. In the shadow of an imminent invasion of Iraq by the US, neither US nor EU hegemonic superpowers scrutinizing his inspection efforts were satisfied with his reports. To explore these failed diplomatic efforts, the current research project intends to compare and contrast the historical and psychological forces at play that wedged Blix between two disp arate styles of international superpower diplomacy in operation at the time of his analysis, discuss the possible justifications for his middle road approach that failed to diffuse these tense international interactions, and describe how his inability to directly negotiate or otherwise influence US or EU officials exacerbated his failed diplomacy; all factors of failed diplomacy expediting the subsequent invasion of Iraq. The working hypothesis therefore, suggests that both the US and the EU have very different styles of diplomacy, that as an allegedly neutral operative of a neutral international peace-keeping committee associated with the United Nations he was prohibited from formally demonstrating an orientation toward either a US or the EU diplomatic style, and that in his desire to objectively and rationally approach the question of WMD in Iraq, he chose the middle road diplomacy approach which failed to endear his team to either US officials

The criminal history of Richard Ramirez

The criminal history of Richard Ramirez California was terrorized in the mid-1980s by a serial killer proclaimed the Night Stalker by the media. The over a dozen victims of this killer didnt understand nor question the underlying criminological underpinnings of these acts and his bizarre courtroom outbursts were fodder for a sensationalizing media that is attracted to gruesome details. The prosecutor Deputy District Attorney Phillip Halpin provided a lay assessment of his mental state by commenting on his latest outburst after receiving a sentence of death, . . . [Ramirez] is a pathetic human being who is grasping at some structure in his life . . . (Court, 1989, p.1). While albeit Halpin was a skilled prosecutor in maneuvering the legal system and obtaining a satisfactory outcome for the State of California, he certainly is not qualified to make sociological or psychological prognostications. The combination of social and behavioral science makes attempts to explain the interaction between criminal and society through criminological theories, numbering more than a dozen (DeMelo, 2001, p.5). The explanation of vicious acts of torture, rape and murder may defy explanation but the question of why? persists and some light may be shed by reviewing the life experiences and their manifestations through criminal activity through one of these theories. Richard Ramirez was born in 1960 in Texas and spent his youth in El Paso (Mayo, 2008, p.281). The childhood of Ramirez was unremarkable but at an early age he began to experiment with drug, mainly marijuana and glue sniffing. His fascination with death began at the hands of his cousin a Viet Nam veteran that related tales of raping, torturing and killing Vietnamese women during his tour of duty by showing the teenage Ramirez Polaroid photographs of the victims and the sadistic results of his actions (Mayo, 2008, p.281). The tales of his exploits in Southeast Asia may have been embellished and the graphical and sadistic acts may or may not have been true, but he did introduce his teenage cousin to truly violent behavior. Ramirez was reported to be only a few feet away from his cousin when he shot and killed his wife, providing a live demonstration of the sadistic and violent behavior he had bragged about (Mayo, 2008, p.281). These anecdotal reports of an early introduction to violent sexual torture killing may or may not be entirely factually accurate, however the witnessing of his cousins murderous act are attributed to whetting his appetite for such acts of unconscionable violence and depravity. Ramirez became a loaner and a drifter and moved to Los Angeles where he started to build a criminal record. He committed burglary and auto theft to support his drug habit that had progressed include cocaine as well as his use of marijuana and reports of other drugs as well for which is also was arrested for possession (Mayo, 2008, p.281). It was reported by his sister Rosa Flores that he used harder drugs such as PCP and phencyclidine hydrochloride and suffered epileptic seizures periodically (Satanic, 1985, p.1). Ramirez had an extensive arrest record for these petty crimes but did not exhibit any personal tendencies toward violence. This all changed in May of 1984. A young Vietnamese-American girl, Mei Leung, was found murdered and hanging over a pipe in the basement of her apartment and it was later determined that she had been sexually assaulted (Worth, 2009, p.2). She was walking home form school with her brother engaged in an argument as to who would take the elevator and who would take the stairs, Mei elected to take the stairs and was found a half hour later raped and murdered. The suspect was described as a thin Caucasian male with shaggy brown hair parted in the middle wearing a brown leather jacket (Worth, 2009, p.2). This case initially generated publicity but went unsolved. The first murder for which Ramirez was convicted occurred nine months latter. This was the killing of the 79 year old Jennie Vincow found in her Los Angeles apartment with her throat slashed (Worth, 2009, p.2). Ramirez had entered the apartment at night and burglarized the home before raping and killing the elderly occupant. This pattern of entering at night and raping the female occupants and killing the males took on a macabre aspect when Ramirez began leaving behind satanic symbols either scrawled in the victims blood or carved into the victims bodies (Satanic, 1985, p.1). After several similar violent murderous incidents the unknown at the time assailant was dubbed The Night Stalker by the police and fueled the local media frenzy. Ramirez continued on his nightly exploits amassing more than thirteen murder victims that he would be eventually convicted of killing and numerous other counts of rape, attempted murder, aggravated assault, ninety criminal allegations proven in court (C ourt, 1989, p.1). The city of Los Angeles was truly terrorized by the serial killer and when reports possibly linking the same killer to the Bay Area, the near panic spread statewide. The police were finally able to link Ramirez to the killings through a finger print left at one of the crime scenes matching those form Ramirezs extensive arrest record (Chambers, 1985, p.1). The officials promptly released his photograph as a suspect in the Night Stalker killings and less than twenty four hours later he was cornered by an angry mob in East Los Angeles. Ramirez was arrested before most likely being beaten to death by the crowd of more than one hundred when he either boasted or spontaneously confessed by stating, . . .I did it . . . you know . . you guys got me, the Stalker . . . (Mayo, 2008, p.282). These bizarre and spontaneous outbursts would signify the entire court proceedings and his subsequent encounters with authorities, at his initial hearing he shouted, Hail Satan and flashed a pentagram, a satanic symbol, to the gathered media just prior to his lawyers entering a not guilty plea with the court (Chambers, 1985, p.1). A four year trial followed culminating in Ramirez being convicted of thirteen murders and was sentenced to death in the California gas chamber, who reacted with an inaudible statement to the court ending with the exclamation, . . . Lucifer dwells within us all. . . (Court, 1985, p.1). He concluded with the rant, You dont understand. You are not expected to. You are not capable of it. I am beyond your experience. I am beyond good and evil. Legions of the night, night breed. Repeat not the errors of the Night Prowler and show no mercy. I will be avenged. (Court, 1985, p.1) He concluded his courtroom diatribe by answering reporters queries as to his impressions of his fate by stating that, . . . its no big deal . . . Im going to Disneyland . . . (Court, 1985, p.1). His taunting of victims and their families by his cavalier attitude was further exemplified when a San Francisco detective went to interview him regarding several unsolved Bay Area murders that had been more recently linked to him through DNA evidence. San Francisco Police homicide Inspector Frank Falzon was escorting Ramirez to a holding cell when he smiled with his near toothless grin and chided, Hey Falzon, I bet youd love to know about those two old ladies wouldnt you? (Worth, 2009, p.1). Inspector Falzon later surmised that Ramirez was referring to Christina and Mary Caldwell whose mutilated bodies were discovered in their Telegraph Hill apartment in February of 1985. During the course of the trial it was uncovered that Ramirez was infatuated with satanic worship and imagery. It was uncovered that his favorite music was from the 1979 AC/DC album Highway to Hell and fancied himself the Night Prowler from the song of the same name on the album (Mayo, 2008, p.282). There are reports of attending satanic services in East Los Angeles but these are unsubstantiated (Satanic, 1985, p.1). What can be garnered from the reported facts and evidence presented that Ramirez was highly sociopathic and his propensity for sadistic cruelty, sexual deviation, and murderous tendencies almost defy explanation. There begins the difficult task of trying to assess the why? and fit this into a relevant criminological theorem to attempt to explain this abhorrent behavior. The beginning of the study of psychology followed the advent of modern criminal theory by nearly a century. Regarding criminal behavior prior to the latter part of the eighteenth century the actions of an individual was deemed as the totality where harsh punishment was meted out to deter others from following in the ill-advised ways (Hollin, 2002, p.145). The Classical School of criminological theory originates with the writing of Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham following the human rights and free will movements that coincided with the advent of the Declaration of Independence reflecting the contemporary progressive thought of the era (DeMelo, 2001, p.7). The free will approach was supplanted in the later part of the nineteenth century with the Positive School of thought, were Positivists saw behavior determined by biological, psychological and social traits, meaning that certain individuals were just born bad (DeMelo, 2001, p.8). This was also reflected in the growing field of ex perimental psychology that was in its infancy describing all human behavior in much the same manner (Hollin, 2002, p.146). The behaviorist led by Skinner in the 1930s felt that human interactions were governed by environmental setting and consequences (Hollin, 2002, p.146). This is similar to the Chicago School that sees the surroundings and social disorganization as the precursors to criminal behavior and as byproducts of an individuals upbringing and social environment (DeMelo, 2001, p.9). This nature versus nurture argument is seen throughout the evolving criminological theories, seeing crime as a manifestation of greater societal ills or socioeconomic inequalities, and modern feminist theory is interjected into the fray. These competing theories often fall short of exactly determining the precise why? for the high degree of violence exhibited by Ramirez. The Positive Theory would expound that Ramirez was just born bad, wired wrong and almost preordained for a life of crime. The influence of drugs in his life may have contributed to this and using the Chicago school with the social ills may be used to explain the influence of his cousin to develop a new norm within the mindset of Ramirez. The criminal history of Ramirez is signified by a disjointed leap from petty thief and drug abuser to serial killer. Unlike the need for a triggering event that sets off the mass killer to embark on a rampage leaving scores of dead in their wake, the serial murder begin a slow progression of amassing victims in a methodical and systematic approach (Dietz, 1986, p.483). This is contrasted with the Sensational Homicide theory where news reports of the killings begin to influence the turn of events, like the Manson Family killings of the late 1960s were the perpetrators achieve a cult hero status (Dietz, 1986, p.489). The progression of the criminal history of Ramirez would follow the Sensational Homicide theory, but also have elements of the serial killer as well. But where the typical serial killer such as John Wayne Gacy or Ted Bundy kept within the social norms during their non-killing activities, Ramirez remained a social outcast living as a transient on the fringes of society (Dietz, 1986, p.483). Ramirez is believed to have not begun his murderous ways until he first raped, murdered and mutilated Mei Leung in 1984 almost a decade after witnessing his cousins murderous act at the culmination of his tutelage of his young cousin in sexual violence. The criminological theory needs to fit the sudden flip of the switch that begat Ramirezs murderous undertaking with no prior violent incidents. Many of the criminological theories involve isolation from society and the economic benefits, seeing society as stratified between the haves and the have nots driving youths to delinquency and into the criminal justice system. This may be used to explain why a young Hispanic in El Paso with middle class parents may devolve into drug abuse and petty crimes associated with supporting his habit. However there is little foundation in the criminological theories that can be used to explain the veering into the fascination with the occult and basing ones criminal actions on perceived satanic content of rock music. This is abhorrent behavior far beyond the norm that is used to explain most crimes. Ramirez was demonstrable self delusional seeing himself as an outsider aligned with Satan embarking on near religious undertaking. Serial killers and mass murderers defy normal explanations, it would be akin to finding a universal theory that could explain the exploits of Hitler or Stalin whose ri se to power was based upon the systematic extermination of an entire race of people. These are extreme examples of criminal behavior that is a very, very rare occurrence and as in all mass, serial or spree killers can only be viewed as a perfect storm of internal ill will, missed opportunities by society to deter them from their aspirations, and a progression of murderous behavior that was only stopped through fortunate turns of events that lead to their police apprehension. Richard Ramirez has managed to gain a near mythic reputation from his sadistic murderous activities. He is viewed as a cult anti-hero along with Charles Manson succeeding in gaining notoriety. While no criminological theory reflects the need for attention and fame through criminal activity, perhaps a limited theory could be developed to explain these rare instances. Deputy Prosecutor Halpin may have made the correct off the cuff assessment, maybe Ramirez is just a pathetic human being . . . grasping for some structure in his life . . . defying all other explanation.

Four Weddings And A Polaroid :: essays research papers

Ruby looked up from her cold mug of coffee just as a mysterious man walked into the diner. the sound of the bells on the door handle had startled her and interrupted her usual day dreaming. She watched the man from her counter stool as he seated himself at a nearby booth. He gazed out the window with a troubled look on his face and finally turned and met eyes with Ruby. He offered her a kind smile but Ruby turned her head quickly out of embarrassment. She hadn't even realized she was starring at him, but there was something so familiar about him she couldn't help herself. "Wishful thinking, gals like us never get guys like that." Ruby's thoughts were immediately shut off bye her friend Elaine's comment. "And just why not?" Ruby replied, Elaine just smiled and continued drying the silver wear. Elaine worked at the diner as a waitress, though Ruby never quite understood why. She hated her job, always complaining about everything and everyone there. But that was just Elaine's nature, never satisfied. "Well I better get going, I still have to get my dress from the tailor's, for the big event," started Ruby as she gathered her coat and purse. "I would hardly call your sister's wedding a big event," commented Elaine. "If I recall this is her third big event in two years." "Fourth!" Ruby called out over her shoulder on her way out the door. The days of the week seemed to fly by and before she knew it, Ruby was in her apartment dressing for her sister, Jillian’s wedding. The mysterious man from the diner had almost completely escaped her thoughts. Running late, as usual, she finished fastening the clasp on her bridesmaid gown and hurried outside to catch a cab. Ruby was her sister’s maid of honor and to her it was an honor, at least the first time she was chosen for the position. â€Å"Where to?† beckoned the cabby from the front seat. â€Å"Church of the Redeemer on 38th Street,† Ruby told the cabby as she searched through her purse for the lipstick she had bought strictly for the occasion. She recalled standing, starring at the cosmetics shelf of the drug store for close to twenty minutes trying desperately to locate a shade that would match her dress. She felt foolish for wasting so much time on such an insignificant thing, but how in the world do you match a color like sea-foam?

Christopher Columbus Day Essay

I believe that Christopher Columbus is a villain. I think the anniversary of Columbus be not a time for celebration but for reflection and repentance because he took a whole bunch of Indians captive, hoping they would take him to gold and other treasures. Some other reasons why Columbus Day shouldn’t be celebrated is he kept on collecting gold and Indians to other places he went. Christopher Columbus also opened up the continent to slavery, he was one of the first European slave traders in the world. He had the Indians go to all sorts of places to serve people there. The Spanish came up with an idea with the help of Columbus to make Indians get gold and if they didn’t then they would get their heads chopped off. Ancestors of the European conquest must acknowledge a continuing history of oppression, degradation and genocide because Columbus killed an entire people. Because of what Columbus started the Spanish started to move to African slaves because the Indians were dying too quick. Its not a good idea to celebrate Columbus Day, unless you want to celebrate how he tortured, killed and raped so many Indians and Africans just to get treasure. When other countries realized that there was a new continent they started there own search for gold and other riches. This led to the major countries in Europe colonizing undeveloped countries and establishing colonies. Aboriginals peoples around the world were exploited and used as cheap labour. This is a practice that still continues today. Politically the richer countries set up governments in the poorer countries and began to make the laws and govern these new colonies. Economically money from the poorer countries was sent back to the European countries. Environmentally the search for natural resources like gold and oil, destroyed and damaged the environment. The richer countries didn’t care very much about this. In recent years we have began to take better care of our planet but a lot of damage has already been done.

Education in Texas Essays

Education in Texas Essays Education in Texas Essay Education in Texas Essay Dear Editor: The real losers in the Texas funding crisis are twofold â€Å" our children and our future. Pretty simple, huh While Texas in recent years has been lauded as a role model in withstanding the recession, and, indeed, while many out-of-work or under-employed people would argue with this, Texas has been blessed with job losses not quite as severe as some states. But Texas also has what some suggest is the fastest growing population in the U.S., in part because liberal land-use and zoning policies have kept housing cheap. And this growing population also is bringing us the highest birth rate in the nation, ranking third in teen pregnancies and No. 1 in repeat teen pregnancies. (Apparently, Gov. Perry, your abstinence works policy just doesnâ„ ¢t, and the teen moms and their children are among those most needing public services.) This also means we need to create jobs to keep up with the growing population. And this need for jobs is further exacerbated when we realize that in the coming years fewer high school graduates will be able to afford college, since grant programs are slated for the chopping block, tossing thousands more young people into an already stressed job market. Now Gov. Rick Perryâ„ ¢s sort of smoke-and-mirrors budget dialogue has collapsed under the weight of an economic recession that has finally hit the floors of the Legislature, the halls of the school boards and the chambers of university regents and trustees. And since the conservatives in control arenâ„ ¢t likely to pass budget increases, dramatic cuts are the only way to fill the $15 to $25 billion budget deficit. And remember this comes at a time when Texas already is stingy among those most needy in the state and at a time when public education here is funded near the bottom in spending per pupil, when Texas literacy ranks 47th in the nation, 49th in verbal SAT scores and 46th in math. It comes at a time when Texas leads the nation in the percentage of residents without health insurance. Earlier this month, The Houston Chronicle published an opinion piece by former First Lady Barbara Bush in which she asked, In light of these statistics, can we afford to cut the number of teachers, increase class sizes, eliminate scholarships for underprivileged students and close several community colleges Really, no one should be surprised about what has happened. After the Legislature in 2006 passed tax reform, saving homeowners money while shifting the burden to cigarette and business franchise taxes, neither of which produced new dollars but simply shifted them from property taxes. That move also froze school tax rates, mandated $2,000 pay increases for teachers, something they sorely deserved but which perhaps we couldnâ„ ¢t afford. As Gov. Perry continues to reject the federal $830 million in aid to public education because he refuses to commit to use it for the purpose intended, thousands of educators are facing lay-offs and class sizes are increasing in schools throughout the state. Some schools, even brand new ones, are being shuttered, and some community colleges are slated for closure. What will the future hold when we have an under-educated, unemployed workforce in the fastest growing state in the country and with only a very limited safety net of public services for those most in need Kate McCarty 621 W. San Antonio St. San Marcos [emailprotected] 512-497-0077 Editor: I know this may be too long. Feel free to edit! Thanks for considering

Candide or Optism, Voltaire essays

Candide or Optism, Voltaire essays War can be one of the most devastating occurrences on earth. It is war that destroys the lives of many people, families, and countries. Whats done to one person can ruin the lives of many others. This is expressed in the book Candide or Optimism. In this book Candide is torn from his love, Cunegonde, and looks for her for the rest of his life. He believed that she was killed in a war. Voltaire expresses many of his thoughts in this book through Candide. He does not believe in war and he outlines some of the effects of it in this book. Wars many sounds can be very frightening and loud. Trumpets, fifes, hautboys, drums, cannons, formed a harmony such as has never been heard even in hell (Voltaire 7). I think that Voltaire is trying to express the sounds of war and how horrifying they are. He makes a connection here between war and hell, which shows he believes war is a horrible thing. I feel he is right; war can be a disaster in many cases and hearing one would be horrible. Voltaire also expresses his feelings through Candide in many instances. Candide, who trembled like a philosopher, hid himself as well as he could during this heroic butchery (7). I think that Voltaire is showing how feels against war. He doesnt want any part of it. He also refers to it as a heroic butchery. I believe that here he wants to give the idea that this war is like a murder, with the armies involved in it just killing for the sake of being heroes. I agree with him here. Many wars were fought just to show how much of a hero a person is able to be. I think that if a battle has to take place, there has got to be a good reason for it. There should never be a battle if it can be avoided in some way. At last, while the two Kings each commanded a Te Deum in his camp, Candide decided to go elsewhere to reason about effects and causes (7). I thin ...

How to Grow Bismuth Crystals

How to Grow Bismuth Crystals Bismuth is one of the easiest and prettiest metal crystals that you can grow yourself. The crystals have a complex and fascinating geometric hopper form and are rainbow-colored from the oxide layer that quickly forms on them. Follow these step-by-step instructions to grow your own bismuth crystals. Bismuth Crystal Materials Bismuth2 Stainless steel measuring cups or aluminum cans that you have cut in half to make shallow bowlsStove, hot plate, or propane torch You have a few options for obtaining bismuth. You can use non-lead fishing sinkers (for example, Eagle Claw makes non-lead sinkers using bismuth), you can use non-lead ammunition (the shot will say it is made from bismuth on the label), or you can buy bismuth metal. Bismuth is readily available from online retailers, such as Amazon. Although bismuth is much less toxic than other heavy metals, its not exactly something you want to eat. If you use steel measuring cups, it would be best if you only used them for the bismuth project and not for food. If you dont have aluminum cans or are concerned about the plastic coating often found on cans, you can fashion a bowl from aluminum foil. The quality of crystals you obtain depends in part on the purity of the metal, so make sure you are using bismuth and not an alloy. One way to be certain of the purity is to remelt a crystal of bismuth. It can be used over and over again. Otherwise, youd do well to read product reviews from a supplier to learn whether or not the product is pure enough for crystallization. Growing Bismuth Crystal Materials: Bismuth element (metal) and a heat-safe metal containerConcepts Illustrated: Crystallization from a melt; Metal hopper crystal structureTime Required: Less than an hourLevel: Beginner Grow Bismuth Crystals Bismuth has a low melting point (271 °C or 520 °F), so it is easy to melt over high cooking heating. You are going to grow the crystals by melting the bismuth in a metal dish (which will have a higher melting point than the bismuth), separate the pure bismuth from its impurities, allow the bismuth to crystallize, and pour away the remaining liquid bismuth from the crystals before it freezes around the crystals. None of this is difficult, but it takes some practice to get the cooling time just right. Dont worry- if your bismuth freezes you can remelt it and try again. Here are the steps in detail: Place the bismuth in one of your metal dishes and heat it over high heat until it melts. Its a good idea to wear gloves since you are producing a molten metal, which is not going to do you any favors if it splashes onto your skin. Youll see a skin on the surface of the bismuth, which is normal.Preheat the other metal container. Carefully pour the melted bismuth into the heated clean container. You want to pour the clean bismuth out from under the gray skin, which contains impurities which would negatively affect your crystals.Set the clean bismuth in its new container on a heat-insulated surface (e.g., set the container back on the burner, but turn the power off). The cooling rate of the bismuth affects the size and structure of the resulting crystals, so you can play with this factor. Generally, slower cooling produces larger crystals. You do not want to cool the bismuth until it is solid!When the bismuth has started to solidify, you want to pour the remaining liquid bismuth away fr om the solid crystals. This happens after about 30 seconds of cooling. You can tell it is about the right time to pour the liquid away from your crystals when the bismuth is set, but has just a little jiggle to it when jarred. Sounds scientific, right? Once the crystals have cooled, you can snap them out of the metal container. If you are not satisfied with the appearance of your crystals, remelt and cool the metal until it is just right. If you have trouble getting the bismuth crystal out of the container, you might try remelting the meta and pouring it into a flexible silicone rubber container. Be aware silicone is only good up to 300  Ã‚ °C, which is just barely above the melting point of bismuth. You need to melt the metal in one container and be sure it has cooled enough to start solidifying before transferring it to the silicone.