CRIMINOLGICAL REVIEW OF MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING

CRIMINOLGICAL REVIEW OF MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING Murder on a Sunday morning is a documentary film based on a real life incident that occurred in Jacksonville, Florida in the May of 2000. This 111-minute movie was directed by the French documentary filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and was originally released under the title Uncoupable ideal. It won the Oscar award for the best documentary in 2002. The film brilliantly depicts an ignominious false conviction of an innocent 15-year old for a crime he never committed, the cover-up of the real culprits behind the crime, and finally the clemency of a public defender coming to his rescue in the courtroom. The plot originated from the incident of Mary Ann Stephens, a 65-year old tourist from Georgia being shot dead by a black assailant. The police arrested the first convenient black culprit available, a black African American teenager, Brendon Butler, who was on his way to a job interview. The teen was subsequently denied the right to make his phone call or contact an attorney, interrogated mercilessly for an unreasonable amount of time, threatened, racially abused, tortured physically and psychologically, and forced to sign a false confession admitting to having committed the crime. The dead womans husband, though having caught a glimpse of the real culprit during the shootout, was forced by the police to publicly identify and proclaim Butler as the assailant. The motive behind the forceful arrest and the subsequent psychological torture of the innocent Butler was simply the preservation of the tourist trade in the state. A public defender, Pat McGuinness, however, takes up the case and defends Brendon Butler in a case that is extraordinarily riveting. The courtroom scenes enacted by McGuinness could probably be counted among the top classics of this genre. The well-written trial speaks volumes about the perils of instant justice meted out or more aptly, justice of convenience that is as common as real justice these days. A criminological analysis on why Brendon Butler was framed should take into account the facts that his residence was just about a mile from the place of the incident; he was an African-American, a member of an ethnic group historically infamous for being convicted in racial crimes and his locality being a lower-class urban one, with high crime rates. The victims husband, a white man in a state of trauma, might also have been under pressure to identify the victim with unclear images of a black man shooting his wife. The next question to be answered is about the instantaneous arrest and conviction of Brendon. Could they not have made a broader search? The answers may be obtained when one considers the fact that in Florida, tourism is a major industry. The people who earn their livelihood from this industry would definitely not want Florida to be known as a risky place to visit. The image of a family oriented place was to be associated with Florida at any cost. The police would have been under pressure to dispose off the case as quickly as possible to create an image of a strong and efficient administration. Also the fact that the victim was a tourist and the news of the murder being reported by the media might have put the police under a lot of pressure to come up with a suspect who would at least approximately match the descriptions available at that time. Another question to be answered is the gruesome way in which the teenager was tortured. It could be guessed that the officers are often puppets in the hands of their superiors. They are put under pressure to clear as many cases as quickly as possible. As per the law, as soon as an arrest is made, the case will be considered cleared notwithstanding the truth behind the crime. As far as they were concerned, the killer was caught. However, this argument does not prove the meticulousness of the police. We may also look at why the whole bunch of the police team was so unequivocal in putting the blame on Brendon and torturing him to the extreme. The incident details show that the main third degree interrogator was the son of the sheriff of the area. Hence, he might have had the unofficial authority to take decisions on the kind of interrogation and on seeing this; the others would have felt that they are only respecting their superiors authority in joining hands to torture him. The only saving grace is McGuinness, who played a major part in this case by defending Butler. Butler was fortunate enough to acquire such a savior in his time of extreme distress. Not all defenders are so gutsy or articulate. It was only because of McGuiness skills and dedication that Brendon Butler was proved to be innocent. Usually, it is seen that in such cases, the conviction of an innocent is used by the system to maintain their pride. Though there are hues of a racial kind of movie of the likes of Cry Freedom, when one sees that the main interrogator who was instrumental in making Butler confess a crime he never did is himself a black man, the similarity ends there. The basic and most convincing underlying message is that of a deep and ingrained insincerity in the US administration in matters of justice and a business-like attitude towards the commercial progress of the country which makes them place it above everything else. Obviously, there are quite a lot of unanswered questions in this episode. A more sensitive and unbiased approach to such incidents would be the first step towards molding a perfectly upright society. References Dooley, B. and Delisi, M. , 2007-11-14 Racial Profiling: Rhetoric Or Reality? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, Georgia Online . 2009-05-23 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p201257_index.html

Deception Point Page 105

127 The Triton fell†¦ Michael Tolland staggered to his feet on the inclined deck and peered over the anchor spool at the frayed winch cable where the Triton used to hang. Wheeling toward the stern, he scanned the water. The Triton was just now emerging from under the Goya on the current. Relieved at least to see the sub intact, Tolland eyed the hatch, wanting nothing more than to see it open up and Rachel climb out unscathed. But the hatch remained closed. Tolland wondered if maybe she had been knocked out by the violent fall. Even from the deck, Tolland could see the Triton was riding exceptionally low in the water-far below its normal diving trim waterline. It's sinking. Tolland could not imagine why, but the reason at the moment was immaterial. I have to get Rachel out. Now. As Tolland stood to dash for the edge of the deck, a shower of machine-gun fire exploded above him, sparking off the heavy anchor spool overhead. He dropped back to his knees. Shit! He peered around the spool only long enough to see Pickering on the upper deck, taking aim like a sniper. The Delta soldier had dropped his machine gun while climbing into the doomed helicopter and Pickering had apparently recovered it. Now the director had scrambled to the high ground. Trapped behind the spool, Tolland looked back toward the sinking Triton. Come on, Rachel! Get out! He waited for the hatch to open. Nothing. Looking back to the deck of the Goya, Tolland's eyes measured the open area between his position and the stern railing. Twenty feet. A long way without any cover. Tolland took a deep breath and made up his mind. Ripping off his shirt, he hurled it to his right onto the open deck. While Pickering blew the shirt full of holes, Tolland dashed left, down the inclined deck, banking toward the stern. With a wild leap he launched himself over the railing, off the back of the ship. Arcing high in the air, Tolland heard the bullets whizzing all around him and knew a single graze would make him a shark feast the instant he hit the water. Rachel Sexton felt like a wild animal trapped in a cage. She had tried the hatch again and again with no luck. She could hear a tank somewhere beneath her filling with water, and she sensed the sub gaining weight. The darkness of the ocean was inching higher up the transparent dome, a black curtain rising in reverse. Through the lower half of the glass, Rachel could see the void of the ocean beckoning like a tomb. The empty vastness beneath threatened to swallow her whole. She grabbed the hatch mechanism and tried to twist it open one more time, but it wouldn't budge. Her lungs strained now, the dank stench of excess carbon dioxide acrid in her nostrils. Through it all, one recurring thought haunted her. I'm going to die alone underwater. She scanned the Triton's control panels and levers for something that could help, but all the indicators were black. No power. She was locked in a dead steel crypt sinking toward the bottom of the sea. The gurgling in the tanks seemed to be accelerating now, and the ocean rose to within a few feet of the top of the glass. In the distance, across the endless flat expanse, a band of crimson was inching across the horizon. Morning was on its way. Rachel feared it would be the last light she ever saw. Closing her eyes to block out her impending fate, Rachel felt the terrifying childhood images rushing into her mind. Falling through the ice. Sliding underwater. Breathless. Unable to lift herself. Sinking. Her mother calling for her. â€Å"Rachel! Rachel!† A pounding on the outside of the sub jolted Rachel out of the delirium. Her eyes snapped open. â€Å"Rachel!† The voice was muffled. A ghostly face appeared against the glass, upside down, dark hair swirling. She could barely make him out in the darkness. â€Å"Michael!† Tolland surfaced, exhaling in relief to see Rachel moving inside the sub. She's alive. Tolland swam with powerful strokes to the rear of the Triton and climbed up onto the submerged engine platform. The ocean currents felt hot and leaden around him as he positioned himself to grab the circular portal screw, staying low and hoping he was out of range of Pickering's gun. The Triton's hull was almost entirely underwater now, and Tolland knew if he were going to open the hatch and pull Rachel out, he would have to hurry. He had a ten-inch draw that was diminishing fast. Once the hatch was submerged, opening it would send a torrent of seawater gushing into the Triton, trapping Rachel inside and sending the sub into a free fall to the bottom. â€Å"Now or never,† he gasped as he grabbed the hatch wheel and heaved it counterclockwise. Nothing happened. He tried again, throwing all of his force into it. Again, the hatch refused to turn. He could hear Rachel inside, on the other side of the portal. Her voice was stifled, but he sensed her terror. â€Å"I tried!† she shouted. â€Å"I couldn't turn it!† The water was lapping across the portal lid now. â€Å"Turn together!† he shouted to her. â€Å"You're clockwise in there!† He knew the dial was clearly marked. â€Å"Okay, now!† Tolland braced himself against the ballast air tanks and strained with all his energy. He could hear Rachel below him doing the same. The dial turned a half inch and ground to a dead stop. Now Tolland saw it. The portal lid was not set evenly in the aperture. Like the lid of a jar that had been placed on crooked and screwed down hard, it was stuck. Although the rubber seal was properly set, the hatch-dogs were bent, meaning the only way that door was opening was with a welding torch. As the top of the sub sank below the surface, Tolland was filled with a sudden, overwhelming dread. Rachel Sexton would not be escaping from the Triton. Two thousand feet below, the crumpled fuselage of the bomb-laden Kiowa chopper was sinking fast, a prisoner of gravity and the powerful drag of the deepwater vortex. Inside the cockpit, Delta-One's lifeless body was no longer recognizable, disfigured by the crushing pressure of the deep. As the aircraft spiraled downward, its Hellfire missiles still attached, the glowing magma dome waited on the ocean floor like a red-hot landing pad. Beneath its three-meter-thick crust, a head of boiling lava simmered at a thousand degrees Celsius, a volcano waiting to explode. 128 Tolland stood knee-deep in water on the engine box of the sinking Triton and searched his brain for some way to save Rachel. Don't let the sub sink! He looked back toward the Goya, wondering if there were any way to get a winch connected to the Triton to keep it near the surface. Impossible. It was fifty yards away now, and Pickering was standing high on the bridge like a Roman emperor with a prime seat at some bloody Colosseum spectacle. Think! Tolland told himself. Why is the sub sinking? The mechanics of sub buoyancy were painfully simple: ballast tanks pumped full of either air or water adjusted the sub's buoyancy to move it up or down in the water. Obviously, the ballast tanks were filling up. But they shouldn't be! Every sub's ballast tanks were equipped with holes both topside and underneath. The lower openings, called â€Å"flooding holes,† always remained open, while the holes on top, â€Å"vent valves,† could be opened and closed to let air escape so water would flood in. Maybe the Triton's vent valves were open for some reason? Tolland could not imagine why. He floundered across the submerged engine platform, his hands groping one of the Triton's ballast trim tanks. The vent valves were closed. But as he felt the valves, his fingers found something else. Bullet holes. Shit! The Triton had been riddled with bullets when Rachel jumped in. Tolland immediately dove down and swam beneath the sub, running his hand carefully across the Triton's more important ballast tank-the negative tank. The Brits called this tank â€Å"the down express.† The Germans called it â€Å"putting on lead shoes.† Either way, the meaning was clear. The negative tank, when filled, took the sub down.

Music Reaction Essay

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Movement, 1 and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite are two compositions that initially sound quite similar. They are both dramatic, extremely intense, and have the ability to leave a lasting impression upon listeners. There are, however, several key differences that separate the two, including expression, timbre, and overall effect. Although the melodies and general manner of the two pieces may seem alike, Symphony No. 5 is much more grand and composed while the Firebird Suite is more erratic and less sophisticated as a whole. Symphony No.5 is arguably one of the most famous compositions in the world, and begins with a melody with which most people are familiar. Within the first four notes, it is evident that the piece was written in a minor key with a respective melody. There is a vast range of notes throughout the symphony, with the high and low pitches resulting in two different effects. In many compositions, the most dramatic part of a song will typically consist of notes in higher octaves; but in Symphony No. 5, it is the lower pitches that make up the main melody and seem to be the most dramatic. By building the song around lower pitches, Beethoven has created an air of potential energy, with light runs and scales from the string sections providing the harmonies and escalating the drama of the lower notes. One of the most noticeable characteristics of the main melody line is the rhythm and repetition of the phrase. It consists of a triplet that stays on one note, and then jumps to a lower note that is sustained. As this phrase is repeated, it also starts to create the beat of the symphony, which is extremely clear. Even as the instruments add in quicker-paced scales that go up and down in the background, there is a strong and steady pace that is maintained by the melody line. With the melody line being able to stand out amongst all the other symphony parts, it develops a very bold and brooding musical expression. It is so vivid and moody, that one can picture Beethoven himself, walking briskly through the streets of Vienna while everyone else automatically clears the way for him. Symphony No. 5 has essentially became an extension of its composer, reflecting everything he was trying to express—the various components of his own personality and outlook. Beethoven also adds variation to the song through changes in tempo and dynamics. The quicker tempos tend to serve as a way of building up each musical phrase, yet are played at a fairly piano to pianissimo level. Like the drama that the lower pitches create, the parts that are played quietly also create potential energy that makes the louder, slower, and lower parts of the song that much more impactful. In terms of texture, Symphony No. 5 is surprisingly simple considering the intricacy of the notes and the way all of the instrumental parts are pieced together. There are several pauses that add tension to the song, while also eliminating too much unnecessary sound or instrumentals. This symphony, overall, has a very dark and intense timbre. It is dramatic and moody, but at a sustainable level that is not too harsh on the listeners’ ears—that is, it is relatively easy to listen to for a lengthy period of time due to the lower pitches and pianissimo parts that allow for the audience not to be overwhelmed. Stravinsky’s Firebird, similar to Beethoven’s piece, also begins with an introduction of accented notes and lower pitches. In this song, however, it is the higher notes that are accented rather than the lower pitches. The melody is also not nearly as easy to follow, as there is significantly less repetition. Even though both compositions involve similar instruments, Firebird uses many of the higher voices as the focal point of the song rather than the lower instruments. Throughout the piece, high strings, the xylophone, and even higher octaves played by the trombone can all be heard. The Firebird harmonies are also much more muddled and not necessarily played in sync with the melody line. There seems to be several different rhythms that are being played simultaneously during the louder, more dramatic sections of the song. This makes it quite difficult to find and maintain the beat of the piece, whereas Beethoven’s symphony is easier to follow. Regardless of its lack of simplicity, Firebird is just as expressive as Symphony No. 5. The significant change in tempo and dynamics create emotion within the piece, adding depth to the song. Firebird’s dynamic changes, in fact, may be even more dramatic as it ranges from pianissimo to fortissimo; and since the higher pitches are the tones being emphasized, it is much less understated than Beethoven’s piece. It is also more complex in terms of texture. Not only does the showcasing of more instruments add to the composition, but Firebird also has more measures that serve as a relief from the otherwise frantic nature of the song. While most of the piece is intense, there are bits of it that sound light-hearted and carefree. During these sections, the tempo is not always slower but there are fewer instruments overlapping each other, resulting in less chaos. Still, it is Firebird’s timbre that makes it clear how different it is from Symphony No. 5. It is bright, brilliant, and harsh, simply because of the pairing of high pitches with a loud dynamic marking and a quick tempo. Perhaps this is a clever decision by Stravinsky, trying to mimic the calls of a wild bird—shrill, shrieking, and somewhat harsh on the ears at times. When comparing the two compositions, it is clear that Stravinsky’s Firebird is more complex; but Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is much more composed overall. It is not as aggressive in terms of loud, shrieking high notes, but rather understated and intense. This also evokes more emotion out of the audience, as it plays on the darkness and moodiness of Beethoven’s personality. Firebird is undoubtedly entertaining and a complicated work of art; but when it comes to which piece is easier to listen to and which makes more sense upon first impression, it is surpassed by Symphony No. 5.

Facts and History of Kazahkstan

Kazakhstan is nominally a presidential republic, although according to many observers, it was a dictatorship under the previous president. The current president is Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the hand-picked successor of former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had been in office since before the fall of the Soviet Union and had been accused of regularly rigging elections. Kazakhstans parliament has a 39-member senate and a 77-member Majilis, or lower house. Sixty-seven members of the Majilis are popularly elected, though candidates come only from pro-government parties. The parties elect the other 10. Each province and the cities of Astana and Almaty select two senators each; the final seven are appointed by the president. Kazakhstan has a supreme court with 44 judges, as well as district and appellate courts. Fast Facts: Kazakhstan Official Name: Republic of KazakhstanCapital: Nur-SultanPopulation: 18,744,548  (2018)Official Languages: Kazakh, Russian  Currency: Tenge (KZT)Form of Government: Presidential republicClimate: Continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiaridTotal Area: 1,052,085 square miles (2,724,900 square kilometers)Highest Point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) at 22,950.5 feet (6,995 meters)Lowest Point: Vpadina Kaundy at -433 feet (-132 meters) Population Kazakhstans population is estimated at 18,744,548 people as of 2018. Unusually for Central Asia, the majority of Kazakh citizens—54%—live in urban areas. The largest ethnic group in Kazakhstan is the Kazakhs, who make up 63.1% of the population. Next are the Russians, at 23.7%. Smaller minorities include Uzbeks (2.9%), Ukrainians (2.1%), Uyghurs (1.4%), Tatars (1.3%), Germans (1.1%), and tiny populations of Belarusians, Azeris, Poles, Lithuanians, Koreans, Kurds, Chechens, and Turks. Languages The state language of Kazakhstan is Kazakh, a Turkic language spoken by 64.5% of the population. Russian is the official language of business and the lingua franca, or common language, among all ethnic groups. Kazakh is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, a relic of Russian domination. Nazarbayev had suggested switching to the Latin alphabet but later retracted the suggestion. Religion For decades under the Soviets, religion was officially banned. Since independence in 1991, however, religion has made an impressive comeback. Today, only about 3% of the population are nonbelievers. Of Kazakhstans citizens, 70% are Muslim, mostly Sunni. Christians, predominantly Russian Orthodox, make up 26.6% of the population, with smaller numbers of Catholics and various Protestant denominations. There are also small numbers of Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Mormons, and Bahai. Geography Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world, at 1,052,085 square miles (2,724,900 square kilometers). One-third of the area is dry steppe land, while much of the rest is grasslands or sandy desert. Kazakhstan borders on Russia to the north, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan to the south, and the Caspian Sea to the west. The highest point in Kazakhstan is Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) at 22,950.5 feet (6,995 meters). The lowest point is Vpadina Kaundy at 433 feet (132 meters) below sea level. Climate Kazakhstan has a dry continental climate, meaning that winters are quite cold and summers are warm. Lows can hit -4 F (-20 C) in the winter and snow is common. Summer highs can reach 86 F (30 C), which is mild compared with neighboring countries. Economy Kazakhstans economy is the healthiest among the former Soviet Stans, with an estimated 4%  annual growth rate for 2017. It has strong service and industrial sectors, and agriculture contributes only 5.4% of GDP. The per capita GDP of Kazakhstan is $12,800 US. Unemployment is just 5.5%, and 8.2% of the population live below the poverty line. Kazakhstan exports petroleum products, metals, chemicals, grain, wool, and meat. It imports machinery and food. The currency of Kazakhstan is the tenge. As of October 2019, 1 tenge 0.0026  USD. Early History The area that is now Kazakhstan was settled by humans tens of thousands of years ago and has been dominated by a variety of nomadic peoples. DNA evidence suggests that the horse might have first been domesticated in this region; apples also evolved in Kazakhstan and then were spread to other areas by human cultivators. In historic times, such peoples as the Xiongnu, the Xianbei, the Kyrgyz, the Gokturks, the Uyghurs, and the Karluks have ruled the steppes of Kazakhstan. In 1206, Genghis Khan and the Mongols conquered the area, ruling it until 1368. The Kazakh people came together under the leadership of Janybek Khan and Kerey Khan in 1465, exerting control over what is now Kazakhstan, calling themselves the Kazakh Khanate. The Kazakh Khanate lasted until 1847. Previously, during the early 16th century, the Kazakhs had the foresight to ally themselves with Babur, who went on to found the Mughal Empire in India. By early in the 17th century, the Kazakhs frequently found themselves at war with the powerful Khanate of Bukhara, to the south. The two khanates fought over control of Samarkand and Tashkent, two of the major Silk Road cities of Central Asia. Russian Protection By the mid-18th century, the Kazakhs were facing encroachment from czarist Russia to the north and Qing China in the east. To fend off the threatening Kokand Khanate, the Kazakhs accepted Russian protection in 1822. The Russians ruled through puppets until the death of Kenesary Khan in 1847  and then exerted direct power over Kazakhstan. The Kazakhs resisted their colonization by the Russians. Between 1836 and 1838, the Kazakhs rose up under the leadership of Makhambet Utemisuly and Isatay Taymanuly, but they were unable to throw off Russian domination. An even more serious attempt led by Eset Kotibaruli turned into an anti-colonial war that lasted from 1847, when the Russians imposed direct control, through 1858. Small groups of nomadic Kazakh warriors fought with the Russian Cossacks and with other Kazakhs allied with the czars forces. The war cost hundreds of Kazakh lives, civilians as well as warriors, but Russia made concessions to Kazakh demands in the 1858 peace settlement. In the 1890s, the Russian government began to settle thousands of Russian farmers on Kazakh land, breaking up the pastures and interfering with traditional nomadic patterns of life. By 1912, more than 500,000 Russian farms dotted Kazakh lands, displacing the nomads and causing mass starvation. In 1916, Czar Nicholas II ordered the conscription of all Kazakh and other Central Asian men to fight in World War I. This order sparked the Central Asian Revolt, in which thousands of Kazakhs and other Central Asians were killed and tens of thousands fled to western China or Mongolia. Communist Takeover In the chaos following the Communist takeover of Russia in 1917, the Kazakhs seized their chance to assert their independence, establishing the short-lived Alash Orda, an autonomous government. However, the Soviets retook control of Kazakhstan in 1920. Five years later, they set up the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Kazakh SSR), with its capital at Almaty. It became a non-autonomous Soviet republic in 1936. Under Russian leader Joseph Stalins rule, the Kazakhs and other Central Asians suffered horrifically. Stalin imposed forced villagization on the remaining nomads in 1936 and collectivized agriculture. As a result, more than a million Kazakhs died of starvation and 80% of their livestock perished. Once again, those who were able tried to escape into civil-war ravaged China. During World War II, the Soviets used Kazakhstan as a dumping ground for potentially subversive minorities such as Germans from the western edge of Soviet Russia, Crimean Tatars, Muslims from the Caucasus, and Poles. What little food the Kazakhs had was stretched once more as they tried to feed these starving newcomers. Approximately half the deportees died of starvation or disease. After World War II, Kazakhstan became the least neglected of the Central Asian Soviet Republics. Ethnic Russians flooded in to work in industry, and Kazakhstans coal mines helped supply energy to all of the USSR. The Russians also built one of their major space program sites, the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev Gains Power In September 1989, Nazarbayev, an ethnic Kazakh politician, became the general secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, replacing an ethnic Russian. On December 16, 1991, the Republic of Kazakhstan declared its independence from the crumbling remains of the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan has a growing economy, thanks in large part to its reserves of fossil fuels. It has privatized much of the economy, but Nazarbayev maintained a KGB-style police state  and was accused of rigging elections during his long, five-term tenure. While he was widely expected to run again in 2020, in March 2019 Nazarbayev resigned, and  Senate  Chairman  Tokayev  was tapped to take over as president for the remainder of his term. On June 9, 2019, early elections were held to avoid political uncertainty and Tokayev  was re-elected with 71% of the vote. The Kazakh people have come a long way since 1991, but they have some distance to go before they are truly free of the after-effects of Russian colonization.