American and French Revolutions

A watershed event in modern European history, the French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. During this period, French citizens razed and redesigned their country’s political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as absolute monarchy and the feudal system. Like the American Revolution before it, the French Revolution was influenced by Enlightenment ideals, particularly the concepts of popular sovereignty and inalienable rights.Although it failed to achieve all of its goals and at times degenerated into a chaotic bloodbath, the movement played a critical role in shaping modern nations by showing the world the power inherent in the will of the people. Prelude to the French Revolution: Monarchy in Crisis As the 18th century drew to a close, France’s costly involvement in the  American Revolution  and extravagant spending by King  Louis XVI  (1754-1793) and his predecessor had left the country o n the brink of bankruptcy.Not only were the royal coffers depleted, but two decades of poor cereal harvests, drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices had kindled unrest among peasants and the urban poor. Many expressed their desperation and resentment toward a regime that imposed heavy taxes yet failed to provide relief by rioting, looting and striking. In the fall of 1786, Louis XVI’s controller general, Charles Alexandre de Calonne (1734-1802), proposed a financial reform package that included a universal land tax from which the privileged classes would no longer be exempt.To garner support for these measures and forestall a growing aristocratic revolt, the king summoned the Estates-General (â€Å"les etats generaux†)–an assembly representing France’s clergy, nobility and middle class–for the first time since 1614. The meeting was scheduled for May 5, 1789; in the meantime, delegates of the three estates from each locality would comp ile lists of grievances (â€Å"cahiers de doleances†) to present to the king. The French Revolution at Versailles: Rise of the Third Estate France’s population had changed considerably since 1614.The non-aristocratic members of the Third Estate now represented 98 percent of the people but could still be outvoted by the other two bodies. In the lead-up to the May 5 meeting, the Third Estate began to mobilize support for equal representation and the abolishment of the noble veto–in other words, they wanted voting by head and not by status. While all of the orders shared a common desire for fiscal and judicial reform as well as a more representative form of government, the nobles in particular were loath to give up the privileges they enjoyed under the traditional system.By the time the Estates-General convened at Versailles, the highly public debate over its voting process had erupted into hostility between the three orders, eclipsing the original purpose of the m eeting and the authority of the man who had convened it. On June 17, with talks over procedure stalled, the Third Estate met alone and formally adopted the title of National Assembly; three days later, they met in a nearby indoor tennis court and took the so-called Tennis Court Oath (â€Å"serment du jeu de paume†), vowing not to disperse until constitutional reform had been achieved.Within a week, most of the clerical deputies and 47 liberal nobles had joined them, and on June 27 Louis XVI grudgingly absorbed all three orders into the new assembly. The French Revolution Hits the Streets: The Bastille and the Great Fear On June 12, as the National Assembly (known as the National Constituent Assembly during its work on a constitution) continued to meet at Versailles, fear and violence consumed the capital. Though enthusiastic about the recent breakdown of royal power, Parisians grew panicked as rumors of an impending military coup began to circulate.A popular insurgency culmin ated on July 14 when rioters stormed the Bastille fortress in an attempt to secure gunpowder and weapons; many consider this event, now commemorated in France as a national holiday, as the start of the French Revolution. The wave of revolutionary fervor and widespread hysteria quickly swept the countryside. Revolting against years of exploitation, peasants looted and burned the homes of tax collectors, landlords and the seigniorial elite.Known as the Great Fear (â€Å"la Grande peur†), the agrarian insurrection hastened the growing exodus of nobles from the country and inspired the National Constituent Assembly to abolish feudalism on August 4, 1789, signing what the historian Georges Lefebvre later called the â€Å"death certificate of the old order. † The French Revolution Turns Radical: Terror and Revolt In April 1792, the newly elected Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria and Prussia, where it believed that French emigres were building counterrevolutionary alliances; it also hoped to spread its revolutionary deals across Europe through warfare. On the domestic front, meanwhile, the political crisis took a radical turn when a group of insurgents led by the extremist Jacobins attacked the royal residence in Paris and arrested the king on August 10, 1792. The following month, amid a wave of violence in which Parisian insurrectionists massacred hundreds of accused counterrevolutionaries, the Legislative Assembly was replaced by the National Convention, which proclaimed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the French republic.On January 21, 1793, it sent King Louis XVI, condemned to death for high treason and crimes against the state, to the guillotine; his wife  Marie-Antoinette  (1755-1793) suffered the same fate nine months later. Following the king’s execution, war with various European powers and intense divisions within the National Convention ushered the French Revolution into its most violent and turbul ent phase. In June 1793, the Jacobins seized control of the National Convention from the more moderate Girondins and instituted a series of radical measures, including the establishment of a new calendar and the eradication of Christianity.They also unleashed the bloody Reign of Terror (â€Å"la Terreur†), a 10-month period in which suspected enemies of the revolution were guillotined by the thousands. Many of the killings were carried out under orders from Robespierre, who dominated the draconian Committee of Public Safety until his own execution on July 28, 1794. His death marked the beginning of the Thermidorian Reaction, a moderate phase in which the French people revolted against the Reign of Terror’s excesses. The French Revolution Ends: Napoleon's RiseOn August 22, 1795, the National Convention, composed largely of Girondins who had survived the Reign of Terror, approved a new constitution that created France’s first bicameral legislature. Executive power would lie in the hands of a five-member Directory (â€Å"Directoire†) appointed by parliament. Royalists and Jacobins protested the new regime but were swiftly silenced by the army, now led by a young and successful general named Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). The Directory’s four years in power were riddled with financial crises, popular discontent, inefficiency and, above all, political corruption.By the late 1790s, the directors relied almost entirely on the military to maintain their authority and had ceded much of their power to the generals in the field. On November 9, 1799, as frustration with their leadership reached a fever pitch, Bonaparte staged a coup d’etat, abolishing the Directory and appointing himself France’s â€Å"first consul. † The event marked the end of the French Revolution and the beginning of the Napoleonic era, in which France would come to dominate much of continental Europe. Similarities America ; France Revolutionary Twins?The American and French Revolutions were fought several years and an ocean apart. However, they feature enough similarities that some people initially consider them â€Å"mirror struggles. †Ã‚   After all, there are some easy comparisons:   both revolutions occurred in the later eighteenth century. Both subverted an existing, monarchical government. Finally, both created ripe conditions for constitutionalism and deep patriotism. But dig more deeply, and you’ll find that this â€Å"same revolution, different continent† concept is not as tidy as it initially appears.Further similarities between the two revolutions are just different enough to produce profound distinctions between the two revolutions. Although most scholars believe that the two revolutions influenced one another (as well as had profound worldwide impact), each revolution is a very distinct and singular struggle for freedom, identity, and an improved way of life. Indeed, scholars have built entire careers on this subject, and rich debate and information is available online or at your local library. However, here are a few fundamental elements shared by the revolutions, with intricate but important differences highlighted: CausesBoth the American Revolution and the French Revolution were borne of dire economic conditions. Economic challenges definitely contributed to the basis for both revolutions. However, each nation’s money-related woes were quite unique. The American Revolution had roots in the financial pressure that Britain placed on the New World; because Britain was economically dependent on the colonies, it kept taxing them. However, the colonists didn’t oppose the taxation itself. They were more vexed by the lack of a reasonable basis for the taxation, feeling that they received little or no benefit from their unds that were being spent â€Å"back in the old country. †Ã‚   This phenomenon—commonly known as taxation without represen tation—infuriated the colonies, building the basis for their revolt. Classic images of hungry, poverty-stricken French peasants are still familiar. Indeed, the pre-revolution French economy was dismal and had been for decades. As a second-tier trading nation, France was unable to pay off national debts using the scant amount of money it received on the taxes for traded goods. To make up for this deficit, the King imposed further taxes, especially on the peasants.Paradoxically, the wealthiest nobles were not obligated to pay taxes. This allowed the King to successfully sell titles, pulling the two social classes further apart. So although the British tax-related woes were also tied to royal greed and exploitative control, they were relatively common to any new colonist establishment. France’s case, while certainly tax-related, was more deeply rooted in a historic division of social class. Although the rich and poor had long been separated, the King’s selling of t itles totally isolated the two groups.This resulted in famine and extreme poverty for the lower classes, and left them no choice but to revolt. Goals Both revolutions were undertaken with the goal of independence in mind. The American Revolution was not initially or even primarily fought for independence. Independence almost became a â€Å"by-product† of the colonists’ initial attempt to remove unfair taxes levied on them by British Parliament. On the other hand, France’s decades of class division and its burgeoning interest in thinkers like Rousseau (who emphasized the importance of human rights) sparked a popular interest in a more independent way of life.The influence of speeches, articles, and pamphlets from gifted writers and orators like revolution leaders Jacques-Pierre Brissot and Maximillien Robespierre also fueled this desire for freedom. Finally, the success of the American Revolution (and the colonists’ resulting independence from British rule ) arguably acted as an incentive for revolt. American-French Relationships Both revolutions spurred a strong response from the other nation. Before 1789, most people (excluding the Americans of the new United States) lived with the general form of government their ancestors had known for centuries, sually hereditary monarchy. After the French Revolution began in 1789, no form of government could be accepted as legitimate without justification. The revolutionaries established a republic in 1792, and henceforth republicans around the world would challenge monarchists. Overall, the French Revolution offered the world something totally novel: an ideology that allowed and encouraged the questioning of historic power structures. This ideology borne of the French Revolution laid the groundwork for other ideologies, including nationalism, socialism, and eventually communism.In fact, early communist leaders Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels both commented extensively on the French Revolution, h oping to find important lessons for building and governing communities. North Americans showed special interest in the French Revolution, believing the events of 1789 drew heavily on their own experience with Britain. The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen seemed to borrow strikingly from the states’ bill of rights. Even more direct influence took place when American Thomas Jefferson, resident in France at this time, passed along specific ideas to the legislators through the Marquis de Lafayette.Although the French Revolution took a far different path than the North American variety, this interaction was close, so it is not surprising that the initial U. S. reaction to the French Revolution was positive. Not all Americans approved of the France’s methods. For example, John Adams declared his early and ongoing disapproval, and the Federalist Party’s support began to waver toward the Revolution’s end. The Reign of Terror also did little to create American approval and drew criticism from some prominent American statesmen.However, the Jefferson-led Republican Party remained largely supportive throughout most of the revolutionary decade. Famous Documents Both revolutions produced similar and seminal political documents. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was adopted in France in August 1789 by the National Constituent Assembly. Drafted by the Marquis de Lafayette, it was intended as part of a transition from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy, and presented the ideas of popular sovereignty and equal opportunity.This document, which defined a set of universal individual and collective rights, was to be considered valid in all times, in all places, for all people. This novel way of thinking totally contradicted the traditional French idea of people being born into a nobility or into another favored class. It also eliminated the concept of people enjoying or being denied special rights based on f amily lineage of status, which clearly dismantled centuries of French ruling structure. The principles outlined in the Declaration sprung from the theories of philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and other Enlightenment thinkers.However, the French Declaration is at least partly inspired by the declaration of Human Rights contained in the U. S. Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, and on the Virginia Declaration of Rights, developed by American George Mason in June 1776, which was itself based on the English 1689 Bill of Rights. The Declaration of the Rights of Man also showed similarities to the United States Constitution (1787) and the United States Bill of Rights, which was adopted in 1789, at approximately the same time as the Declaration of the Rights of Man.Like the U. S. Constitution, The French Declaration provided for a national defense, and emphasized equality before taxation (which was distinctly different from traditional France, in which the Catholic Churc h and the nobility were exempt from most taxes). Like these American documents, France’s Declaration prohibits ex post facto application of criminal law and proclaims the presumption of innocence to a crime suspect. Finally, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and addresses freedom of religion.The Declaration departs from seminal American documents in some important ways. It’s vital to note that the Declaration is largely individualistic. It focuses less on the rights of a political or religious group and more on the singular citizen, thus straying from America’s â€Å"we the people† stance. The Declaration also fails to address the freedom of assembly, liberty of association, or the right to strike, which were important American tenets. Differences Self-Identification and Independence * France was a well-established nation long before the French revolution. It was not facing any acute exte rnal dangers in the late 1780s.In contrast, the American revolution was a struggle for self-identification and independence from another nation. In France, the essential motive of the revolution was a stratification transformation of the society because â€Å"the third estate† saw the clergy and the nobles as social parasites. Attitudes Toward Monarchy * The Americans were not anti-monarchists from the very start. They considered their rights as the British subjects were being violated, and their main complaints were aimed against the British Parliament. In France, the revolution was very much against the monarch and his power.Revolutionists saw the monarch as a traitor and acted aggressively toward the royal family. That led them to accuse the monarch of conspiracies against the French people, which in turn led to the execution of the royal family. Social Stratification * Social equality was not the main concern of the American revolution. Slavery was abolished in the Northe rn states, but it did not drastically influence the social stratification of American society. In France, the whole social structure was made up of three traditional estates: clergy, nobles and others. The revolution transformed all of them.Elimination of the traditional privileges based on the social origin was the main goal of the French revolution. Revolution and Religion * The American patriots did want to break with the Church of England, but the American revolution was not driven by a religious goal. The French revolution was, and it accomplished most of those goals. It eliminated the privileges of the clergy. Monasteries and churches were closed, the monks and nuns were encouraged to return to the private life. Many priests were killed. The Cult of Reason emerged during the revolution as part of the new France's plan to â€Å"de-Christianize† the country.It stressed enlightenment and rationalism over the believe of a deity. Revolutionary Values and Mottos * John Locke formulated three basic values which were adopted by the American patriots: life, liberty and property. They fought for the idea that governments were obliged to preserve these values. The French revolution proclaimed three values too: liberty, equality and brotherhood, or death. The last part was adopted during the period of terror in 1793-1794. Thus, the common value shared by both revolutions was the pursuit of liberty.

Ethics: Who Am I

Who am I? Well to answer this question you have to answer these questions first. What are my shortcomings, do I have any vices I’d like to eliminate, why is it hard and what’s stopping me, what are my favorite activities, and a few others. But the one I’m going to focus on is â€Å"What are my qualities and strengths? † because this question helped me figure out what I’m going to do for a living. What are my qualities and strengths? I have many strengths like the ability to work on cars, carpentry, art, and mathematics. But my biggest strength is in mathematics. I’ve always been at the top of my math class throughout my schooling career. Every time m teacher would put a problem on the board, I’d have it done in a split second. I never felt I was challenged until the middle of my junior year of high school. I was taking Algebra 2 and we were starting to go more in-depth into x and y-intercepts. This concept boggled my mind for a lot longer than it had taken to go over and to tell you the truth I still don’t get all of it but I knew enough of it to get by. There was always one thing that I’ve wondered about my strength in mathematics, though. Where did I get this skill from? Nobody in my family is or ever was this good at math like I am. To this day I don’t where it came from but I guess that’s one of my own wonders of the world. Why am I? This question would be difficult for someone to answer if all they thought about was there profession in the future and not what they want to achieve in there life. To answer this question you have to have thought about what you want to achieve in life then you can’t answer this question. A lot of people think about what they want to achieve in life but most of everyone always ponder it in the sense of there career. That’s a good way to think about it but that doesn’t give you purpose in life. I’m not going to lie a lot of the things I ant to achieve in life are career related, but there are a few things that are personal goals I’m going to strive to achieve. One of these achievements is to have a great family and raise children that will have a love of learning, not just in schooling because not all kids like school but in whatever they love to do, a hunger for success, be great citizens of the United States, and know how to be a respectful adult, which is one thing I think a lot of the youth in my generation lack. I think these traits are extremely important for young people to have because these traits are what I think make up a great person and this world definitely needs more people that are respectful, knowledgeable, well-mannered; just an all around good person. Well this is just a little on â€Å"Who I am† in the sense of my strengths and qualities and â€Å"Why I am† in the sense of my purpose in life.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 13~14

Chapter 13 To-Do List of the Fashionably Doomed When you know the future is grim, there is no need for speed. Tommy decided to walk to the financial district. He shuffled along with the hang-dog look of the cosmically fucked. He walked through Chinatown, spotted three of the Wongs buying lottery tickets at a liquor store, and headed up to the room to get his typewriter and clothes before they returned. His spirits lifted a little when he climbed down the narrow stairway for the last time, but Madame Natasha's words came back to dump on him again: â€Å"I don't see a woman in your near future.† It had been one of the reasons he had come to San Francisco – to find a girlfriend. Someone who would see him as an artist. Not like the girls back home, who saw him as a bookish freak. It was all part of the plan: live in the City, write stories, look at the bridge, ride cable cars, eat Rice-A-Roni, and have a girlfriend – someone he could tell his thoughts to, preferably after hours of godlike sex. He wasn't looking for perfection, just someone who made him feel secure enough to be insecure around. But not now. Now he was doomed. He looked up at the skyline and realized that he had navigated wrong, arriving in the financial district, several blocks from the Pyramid. He zigzagged from block to block, avoiding eye contact with the men and women in business suits, who avoided eye contact in turn by checking their watches every few steps. Sure, he thought, they can check their watches. They have a future. He arrived at the foot of the Pyramid a little breathless, his arms aching from carrying his belongings. He sat on a concrete bench at the edge of a fountain and watched people for a while. They were all so determined. They had places to go, people to see. Their hair was perfect. They smelled good. They wore nice shoes. He looked at his own worn leather sneakers. Fucked. Someone sat down next to him on the bench and he avoided looking up, thinking that it would just be another person who would make him feel inferior. He was staring at a spot on the concrete by his feet when a Boston terrier appeared on the spot and blew a jet stream of dog snot on his pant leg. â€Å"Bummer, that's rude,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Can't you see that our friend is sulking?† Tommy looked up into the face of the Emperor. â€Å"Your Highness. Hello.† The man had the wildest eyebrows Tommy had ever seen, as if two gray porcupines were perched on his brow. The Emperor tipped his crown, a fedora made of panels cut from beer cans and laced together with yellow yarn. â€Å"Did you get the job?† â€Å"Yes, they hired me that day. Thanks for the tip.† â€Å"It's honest work,† the Emperor said. â€Å"There's a certain grace in that. Not like this tragedy.† â€Å"What tragedy?† â€Å"These poor souls. These poor pathetic souls.† The Emperor gestured toward the passersby. â€Å"I don't understand,† Tommy said. â€Å"Their time has passed and they don't know what to do. They were told what they wanted and they believed it. They can only keep their dream alive by being with others like themselves who will mirror their illusions.† â€Å"They have really nice shoes,† Tommy said. â€Å"They have to look right or their peers will turn on them like starving dogs. They are the fallen gods. The new gods are producers, creators, doers. The new gods are the chinless techno-children who would rather eat white sugar and watch science-fiction films than worry about what shoes they wear. And these poor souls desperately push papers around hoping that a mystical message will appear to save them from the new, awkward, brilliant gods and their silicon-chip reality. Some of them will survive, of course, but most will fall. Uncreative thinking is done better by machines. Poor souls, you can almost hear them sweating.† Tommy looked at the well-dressed stream of business people, then at the Emperor's tattered overcoat, then at his own sneakers, then at the Emperor again. For some reason, he felt better than he had a few minutes before. â€Å"You really worry about these people, don't you?† â€Å"It is my lot.† An attractive woman in a gray suit and heels approached the Emperor and handed him a five-dollar bill. She wore a silk camisole under her jacket and Tommy could make out the top of her lace bra when she bent over. He was mesmerized. â€Å"Your Highness,† she said, â€Å"there's a Chinese chicken salad on special at the Cafe Suisse today. I think Bummer and Lazarus would love it.† Lazarus wagged his tail. Bummer yapped at the mention of his name. â€Å"Very thoughtful of you, my child. The men will enjoy it.† â€Å"Have a good day,† she said, and walked away. Tommy watched her calves as she went. Two men who were passing by, embroiled in an argument about prices and earnings, stopped their conversation and nodded to the Emperor. â€Å"Go with God,† the Emperor said. He turned back to Tommy. â€Å"Are you still looking for a domicile, or just a woman now?† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"You wear your loneliness like a badge.† Tommy felt as if his ego had just taken a right to the jaw. â€Å"Actually, I met a girl and I'm going to rent us a place this afternoon.† â€Å"My mistake,† the Emperor said. â€Å"I misread you.† â€Å"No, you didn't. I'm fucked.† â€Å"Pardon?† â€Å"A fortune-teller told me that there was no woman in my future.† â€Å"Madame Natasha?† â€Å"How did you know?† â€Å"You mustn't give too much credence to Madame Natasha's predictions. He's dying and it darkens his vision. The plague.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† Tommy said. In fact, he felt relieved, then guilty for the reason behind it. He had no right to feel sorry for himself. The Emperor had nothing except his dogs, yet his sympathy was all directed toward his fellowman. I'm scum, Tommy thought. He said, â€Å"Your Highness, I have a little money now, if you need†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Emperor held up the bill the woman had given him. â€Å"We have all that we need, my son.† He stood and tugged on the ropes that held Bummer and Lazarus. â€Å"And I should be off before the men revolt from hunger.† â€Å"Me, too, I guess.† Tommy stood and made as if to shake hands, then bowed instead. â€Å"Thanks for the company.† The Emperor winked, spun on one heel, and started to lead his troops away, then stopped and turned back. â€Å"And, son, don't touch anything with an edge while you're in the building? Scissors, letter openers, anything.† â€Å"Why?† Tommy asked. â€Å"It's the shape of the building, a pyramid. They'd rather people not know about it, but they have a full-time employee who just goes around dulling the letter openers.† â€Å"You're kidding.† â€Å"Safety first,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Thanks.† Tommy took a deep breath and steeled himself for his assault on the Pyramid. As he walked out of the sun and under the massive concrete buttresses, he could feel a chill through his flannel shirt, as if the concrete had stored the damp cold of the night fog and was radiating it like a refrigerator coil. He was shivering by the time he reached the information desk. A guard eyed him suspiciously. â€Å"Can I help you?† â€Å"I'm looking for the Transamerica personnel department.† The guard made a face as if Tommy had been dipped in sewage. â€Å"Do you have an appointment?† â€Å"Yes.† Tommy waved Jody's papers under the guard's nose. The guard picked up a phone and was punching numbers when a second guard came up behind him and took the receiver. â€Å"He's fine,† the second guard said. â€Å"Send him up.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"He's a friend of the Emperor.† The first guard hung up the phone and said, â€Å"Twenty-first floor, sir.† He pointed to the elevators. Tommy took an elevator to the twenty-first floor, then followed the signs until he found the right department. An officious-looking older woman told him to have a seat in the reception room, she would be right with him. Then she took great pains to act as if he had been sucked off the planet. Tommy sat on a black leather sofa that sighed with his weight, chose a magazine from the black stone coffee table, and waited. During the next hour he read a household-hints column (â€Å"Coffee grounds in that cat box will fill your house with the delightful aroma of brewing espresso every time kitty heeds the call†); an article on computer junkies (â€Å"Bruce has been off the mouse for six months now, but he says he takes life one byte at a time†); and a review of the new musical Jonestown! (â€Å"Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of the Kool-Aid jingle is at once chilling and evocative. Donny Osmond is brilliant as Jim Jones.†) He borrowed some whiteout from the officious-looking woman and touched up the finish on his sneakers, then dried them under a halogen reading light that looked like a robot's arm holding the sun. When he started pulling cologne sample cards out of GQ and rubbing them on his socks, the woman told him he could go on in. He picked up his shoes and walked into the office in his stocking feet. Another officious-looking woman, who looked remarkably like the first officious-looking woman, down to the little chain on her reading glasses, had him sit down across from her while she looked at Jody's papers and ignored him. She consulted a computer screen, tapped on a few keys, then waited while the computer did something. Tommy put his shoes on and waited. She didn't look up. He cleared his throat. She tapped on the keys. He reached down, opened his suitcase, and took out his portable typewriter. She didn't look up. She tapped and looked at the screen. He opened the typewriter case, rolled a piece of paper in the machine, and tapped on a few keys. She looked up. He tapped a few more keys. â€Å"What are you doing?† she asked. Tommy tapped. He didn't look up. The woman raised her voice. â€Å"I said, what are you doing?† Tommy kept typing and looked up. â€Å"Pardon me, I was ignoring you. What did you say?† â€Å"What are you doing?† She repeated. â€Å"It's a note. Let me read it for you. ‘Couldn't anyone else see that they were all slaves of Satan? I had to cleanse the world of their evil. I am the hand of God. Why else would security have let me into the building with an assault rifle in my suitcase? I am a divine instrument. † Tommy paused and looked up. â€Å"That's all I have so far, but I'll guess I end it with an apology to my mom. What do you think?† She smiled as if hiding gas pains and handed him an envelope. â€Å"This is Jody's final paycheck. Give her our best. And you have a nice day now, young man.† â€Å"You too,† Tommy said. He gathered up his stuff and left the office whistling. Fashionable SOMA looked to Tommy an awful lot like a light industrial area: two- and three-story buildings with steel roll-up doors and steel-framed windows. The bottom floors housed ethnic restaurants, underground dance clubs, auto-repair shops, and the occasional foundry. Tommy paused outside of one to watch two long-haired men pouring bronze into a mold. Artists, Tommy thought. He had never seen a real artist, and although these guys looked more like bikers, he wanted to talk to them. He took a tentative step through the doorway. â€Å"Hi,† he said. The men were wrestling with a huge ladle, the two of them gripping the long metal handle with asbestos gloves. One looked up. â€Å"Out!† he said. Tommy said, â€Å"Okay, I can see you guys are busy. ‘Bye.† He stood on the sidewalk and checked his map. He was supposed to meet the rental agent somewhere around here. He looked up and down the street. Except for a guy passed out on the corner, the street was empty. Tommy was thinking about waking the guy up and asking him if this was, indeed, the fashionable part of SOMA, when a green Jeep pulled up beside him and skidded to a stop. The driver, a woman in her forties with wild gray hair, rolled down the window. â€Å"Mr. Flood?† She said. Tommy nodded. â€Å"I'm Alicia DeVries. Let me park and I'll show you the loft.† She backed the Jeep into a spot that seemed too short for it by six inches, running the wheels up over the curb, then she jumped out, dragging after her a purse roughly the size of Tommy's suitcase. She wore sandals, a dashiki, and multicolored Guatemalan cotton pants. There were chopsticks stuck here and there in her hair, as if she were prepared at any minute to deal with an emergency stir-fry. She looked at Tommy's suitcase. â€Å"You look like you're ready to move in today. This way.† She breezed by Tommy to a fire door beside the foundry. Tommy could smell the patchouli in her wake. She said, â€Å"This area is just like Soho was twenty years ago. You're lucky to have a shot at one of these lofts now, before they go co-op and start selling for a million dollars.† She unlocked the door and started up the steps. â€Å"This place has incredible energy,† she said, without looking back. â€Å"I'd love to live here myself, except the market's down right now and I'd have to sell my place in the Heights.† Tommy dragged his suitcase up the steps after her. â€Å"Do you paint, Mr. Flood?† â€Å"I'm a writer.† â€Å"Oh, a writer! I do a little writing myself. I'd like to write a book myself some weekend, if I can find the time. Something about female circumcision, I think. Maybe something about marriage. But what's the difference, right?† She stopped at a landing at the top of the stairs and unlocked another fire door. â€Å"Here it is.† She threw the door open and gestured for Tommy to enter. â€Å"A nice work area and a bedroom in the back. There are two sculptors that work downstairs and a painter next door. A writer would really round the building out. What's your take on female circumcision, Mr. Flood?† Tommy was still about three topics behind her, so he stood on the landing while his brain caught up. People like Alicia were the reason God made decaf. â€Å"I think everyone should have a hobby,† he said, taking a shot in the dark. Alicia jammed like an overheated machine gun. She seemed to look at him for the first time, and did not seem to like what she saw. â€Å"You are aware that we'll need a significant security deposit, if your application is accepted?† â€Å"Okay,† Tommy said. He entered the loft, leaving her standing on the landing. The loft was roughly the size of a handball court. It had an island kitchen in the middle, and windows ran along one wall from floor to ceiling. There was an old rug, a futon, and a low plastic coffee table in the open area near the kitchen. The back wall was lined with empty bookshelves, broken only by a single door to the bedroom. The bookshelves did it. Tommy wanted to live here. He could see the shelves filled with Kerouac, and Kesey, and Hammett, and Ginsberg, and Twain, and London, and Bierce, and every other writer who had lived and written in the City. One shelf would be for the books he was going to write: hardbacks in thirty languages. There would be a bust of Beethoven on that shelf. He didn't really like Beethoven, but he thought he should have a bust of him. He resisted the urge to shout, â€Å"I'll take it!† It was Jody's money. He had to check the bedroom for windows. He opened the door and went in. The room was as dark as a cave. He flipped the light switch and track lighting along one wall came on. There was an old mattress and box springs on the floor. The walls were bare brick. No windows. Through another door was a bathroom with a freestanding sink and a huge claw-foot tub that was stained with rust and paint. No windows. He was so excited, he thought he would wet himself. He ran out into the main living area where Alicia was standing with her hand on her hip, mentally shoving him into the pigeonhole of abusive barbarism she had made for him. â€Å"I'll take it,† Tommy said. â€Å"You'll have to fill out an – â€Å" â€Å"I'll give you four thousand dollars in cash, right now.† He pulled the wad of bills out of his jeans. â€Å"How many keys will you need?† Chapter 14 Two Losts Do Not Make a Found Consciousness went off like a flashbulb of pain: a dull ache in her head, sharp daggers in her knees and her chin. Jody was slumped in the shower. The water was still running – had been running on her all day. She crawled out of the shower stall on her hands and knees and pulled towels out of the rack. She sat on the bathroom floor and dried herself, blotting away the water with rough terry cloth. Her skin felt tender, almost raw. The towels were damp from fourteen hours of steam. The ceiling dripped and the walls ran with condensation. She braced herself against the sink and climbed to her feet, then opened the door and stumbled through the room to the bed. Be careful what you ask for, she thought. All the regret about waking up a little too alert, coming out of sleep like a gunshot, came back on her. She hadn't thought about falling asleep in the same way. She must have been in the shower at sunup, dropped to the shower floor, and stayed there throughout the day. She sat up on the bed and gently touched her chin. Pain shot up her jaw. She must have hit it on the soap dish when she went out. Her knees were bruised as well. Bruised? Something was wrong. She jumped to her feet and went to the dresser. She turned on the light and leaned into the mirror, then yelped. Her chin was bruised blue, with a corona of yellow. Her hair was hopelessly tangled and she now had a small bald spot where the water had worn away at her scalp. She backed away and sat back on the bed, stunned. Something was wrong, seriously wrong, beyond her injuries. It was the light. Why had she turned on the light? The night before she would have been able to see herself in the mirror by the light filtering in under the bathroom door. But it was more than that. It was a tightness in her mouth, pressure, like when she had first gotten braces as a child. She ran her tongue over her teeth and felt the points breaking through the roof of her mouth just behind her eyeteeth. She thought, I'm breaking down from lack of†¦ She couldn't even make herself think it. This will get worse. Much worse. Now she could feel the hunger, not in her stomach, but in her entire body, as if her veins were going to collapse on themselves. And there was a tension in her muscles, as if piano strings were tightening inside her body, sharpening her movements, making her feel as if she would jump through a window any second. I've got to calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. She repeated the mantra to herself as she got up and walked to the phone. It seemed to take an incredible effort to push the zero button and wait for the desk clerk to come on. â€Å"Hi, this is room two-ten. Is there a guy in the lobby waiting? Yes, that's him. Would you tell him I'll be down in a few minutes?† She put down the phone and went to the bathroom, where she turned off the shower and wiped down the mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror and fought the urge to burst into tears. This is a project, she thought. She turned her head and looked at her bald spot. It was small enough that she could cover it with a new part held by a couple of hairpins. Her bruised chin might require some explaining. She started to run her fingers though her hair to facilitate the preliminary untangle, fighting the tension in her arms that seemed to be increasing every second. A large moth buzzed into the bathroom and went for the light above the mirror. Before she knew what had happened, she snatched it out of the air and ate it. She stared at her reflection and was horrified by the red-haired stranger who had just eaten a moth. Even so, a warmth ran though her like good brandy. The bruise on her chin faded as she watched. The first thing she saw when she turned the corner at the lobby was Tommy's grin. â€Å"Good,† he said. â€Å"You're dressed for moving. I like your hair pinned up like that.† Jody smiled, and stood awkwardly in front of him, thinking she should greet him with a hug, but afraid to get too close to him. She could smell him and he smelled like food. â€Å"You found a place?† â€Å"An incredible loft, south of Market. It's even furnished.† He seemed as if he would burst with excitement. â€Å"I used all the money; I hope that's okay.† â€Å"Fine,† Jody said. She just wanted to get him alone. â€Å"Get your stuff,† he said. â€Å"I want to show it to you.† Jody nodded. â€Å"I'll be just a minute. Have the desk clerk call a cab.† She turned to leave. Tommy caught her by the arm. â€Å"Hey, are you okay?† She motioned for him to move within whisper range. â€Å"I want you so badly I can hardly stand it.† She pulled away and ran up the steps to her room. Inside she gathered what few belongings she had and checked herself in the mirror one last time. She was wearing jeans and the chambray blouse from the night before. She unbuttoned her blouse and did a straitjacket escape from her bra, then buttoned the blouse halfway up. She stuffed the bra into her day pack and locked the room for the last time. When she returned to the lobby, Tommy was waiting outside by a blue DeSoto cab. He opened the door for her, climbed in, and gave the driver the address. â€Å"You're going to love it,† he said. â€Å"I know you are.† She moved closer to him and held his arm tightly between her breasts. â€Å"I can't wait,† she said. A tiny voice in her head asked, What are you doing? What are you going to do to him? It was so faint and foreign that it might have come from someone outside on the street. Tommy pulled away from her and dug into his jeans pocket, coming out with an envelope. â€Å"Your check's in here. I didn't open it.† She took it and put it in her day pack, then moved on him again. He scooted to the door and nodded toward the driver, who was watching them in the rearview mirror. â€Å"Forget him,† Jody whispered. She licked Tommy neck and shuddered with the taste and warmth of his flesh. â€Å"I couldn't get your car out of impound. It has to be the owner.† â€Å"Doesn't matter,† she said, nuzzling into the space under his jaw. The cab stopped and the driver turned to them. â€Å"Six-ten,† he said. Jody threw a twenty over the seat, reached over Tommy and opened the door, dived out and dragged him out of the cab after her. â€Å"Where is it?† Tommy just had time to point to the door before she pushed him at it. She climbed on his back as he unlocked the door, then bolted past him and dragged him up the steps. â€Å"You're really excited about this, aren't you?† he asked. â€Å"It's great.† She stopped at the fire door at the top of the stairs. â€Å"Open it,† she commanded. Tommy unlocked the door and threw it open. â€Å"This is it!† She went through, catching the front of his shirt and pulling him in. â€Å"Look at all these bookshelves,† he said. She ripped his shirt off and kissed him hard. He pulled up for air and said, â€Å"The bedroom doesn't have any windows, just like you wanted.† â€Å"Where?† she demanded. He pointed to the open door and she pushed him through it. He fell face down on the bare mattress. She flipped him over, hooked her hands into the waist of his jeans and ripped them off him. â€Å"So you like it?† he asked. She ripped her shirt open and held him to the bed, one hand on his chest while she took off her own jeans. She climbed on him and muffled his next question with a kiss. He finally got the message and returned her kiss and tried to match her urgency, then didn't have to try at all. She pulled away from the kiss as her fangs unsheathed, then guided him into her as he moaned. Jody growled deep in her chest, pushed his head to the side and bit him on the neck. â€Å"Ouch!† Tommy shouted. She held him down and snarled into his neck. Dust from the old mattress filled the air and was stirred by the movement of their bodies. â€Å"Oh jeez!† Tommy shouted, digging his fingers into her bottom. Jody answered him with a catlike scream as she came, then fell on his chest and licked the blood that dribbled from the punctures on his neck. She twitched and shuddered while he repeated, â€Å"Oh jeez,† over and over again between gasps. After a few minutes she rolled off him and lay on the bed feeling the warm nourishment running though her. Tommy rubbed his neck. â€Å"That was great,† he said. â€Å"That was incredible. You are – â€Å" Jody rolled over. â€Å"Tommy, I have to tell you something.† â€Å"You're beautiful,† he said. Jody smiled at him. The urgency was gone now and she was feeling guilty. I could have killed him, she thought. Tommy reached over and touched her lips. â€Å"What's that on your teeth? Did you hurt yourself?† â€Å"It's blood, Tommy. It's your blood.† He felt his neck again, which was completely healed. â€Å"My blood?† â€Å"Tommy, I've never done anything like that before. I've never been that way before.† â€Å"Me either. It was great!† â€Å"I'm a vampire.† â€Å"That's okay,† Tommy said. â€Å"I knew this girl in high school who gave me a hickey that covered the whole side of my neck.† â€Å"No, Tommy. I'm really a vampire.† She looked him in the eye and did not smile or look away. She waited. He said, â€Å"Don't goof on me, okay?† â€Å"Tommy, have you ever seen anyone tear a pair of jeans like that before?† â€Å"That was my animal attraction, right?† Jody got out of bed, went to the bedroom door and closed it, shutting out the light from the living area. â€Å"Can you see anything?† â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"Hold up a number of fingers. Don't tell me how many.† He did. â€Å"Three,† Jody said. â€Å"Try again.† He did. â€Å"Seven.† â€Å"Jeez,† he said. â€Å"Are you psychic?† She opened the door. Light spilled in. â€Å"You have an incredible body,† Tommy said. â€Å"Thanks. I need to lose five pounds.† â€Å"Let's do it again, without our shoes on this time.† â€Å"Tommy, you have to listen to me. This is important. I'm not kidding you. I am a vampire.† â€Å"C'mon, Jody, come over here. I'll take your shoes off for you.† Jody looked up at the ceiling. There were open steel beams twenty feet above. â€Å"Watch.† She jumped up and grabbed on to a beam and hung. â€Å"See?† â€Å"Jeez,† Tommy said. â€Å"Do you have a book here?† â€Å"In my suitcase.† â€Å"Go get it.† â€Å"Be careful. You could fall.† â€Å"Get the book, Tommy.† Tommy went into the living area, looking up at her as he walked under. He returned with a volume of Kerouac. â€Å"Now what? Come down from there. You're making me nervous.† â€Å"Close the door and open the book.† He closed the door and the room went dark again. Jody read a half page aloud before he opened the door again. â€Å"Jeez,† he said. She let go of the beam and dropped to the floor. Tommy backed away from her to the bed and sat down. â€Å"If you want to leave, I'll understand,† she said. â€Å"When we were making love†¦ you were cold inside.† â€Å"Look, I didn't mean to hurt you.† Tommy's eyes were wide. â€Å"You really are a vampire, aren't you?† â€Å"I'm sorry. I needed help. I needed someone.† â€Å"You really are a vampire.† It was a statement this time. â€Å"Yes, Tommy. I am.† He paused for a second to think, then said, â€Å"That's the coolest thing I've ever heard. Let's do it with our shoes off.†

Why International and Domestic Terrorist Hate Research Paper

Why International and Domestic Terrorist Hate - Research Paper Example The fight against terrorism is a global responsibility however, there is need to identify why these terrorist groups target specific regions and nations while attacking. According to LaFree et al (2012) international terrorism has been a threat in USA since 1970. The targets being populated areas and government premises. The tactics have changed over the years but the impacts of their attacks have been devastating both to the affected individuals and the country’s economy. The major tactics used by al- Qaeda remains facility attacks such as the September 11 attack. The main aim of these terror groups is to psychologically and physically affect their targets. The higher the causality would imply their success in their attack. The first reason as to why the hate is the fact that the two regional locations of USA and the terror group have had its historical differences. The historical rivalry has played part in making USA their target. Historical differences have culminated into hatred and lack of trust between the terror group and the nation. The previous leaders of the group also have had their differences with the state hence this has played part in creating animosity between the country and Al- Qaeda. Ideological differences have also played part in making USA the target of al-Qaeda. This revolves around both political and philosophical ideologies. Political stands by the state have meant that they develop their national agenda based on what the state believes is the rule of law (Borgeson & Valeri, 2009). On the other hand the group advocates for traditional methodology in governance and lifestyle. Different political ideologies has meant that the United State revise their military policy to offer aid to their allies. This means that the country has been actively involved in world politics. In most cases the military aid has meant reducing the military prowess of this terror

Religion class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religion class - Essay Example The discourse would initially present some comparative highlights on key elements (history and statistics, religious authority, beliefs and doctrine, and rituals and practices) before discussing the comparative evaluation of the differences and similarities in marriage rites between Islam and Christian beliefs. The Christian faith, particularly the Catholic religion is believed to have evolved from Jesus Christ. After Christ’s death, one of his apostles, Peter, was the first to be designated as the head of the Catholic Church. According to Pope Benedict XVI, the mission of the Catholic Church can be summarized â€Å"as a threefold responsibility to proclaim the word of God, celebrate the sacraments, and exercise the ministry of charity† (Benedict XVI 2005). Catholics believe in God, as the Supreme Being and in triumvirate with Jesus Christ, as his Son and the Holy Spirit to form the Blessed Trinity (The Blessed Trinity, 1997). On the other hand, Islam believes in Allah, as the one and only God. The Islam faith was founded by the prophet Mohammed and â€Å"â€Å"unlike Christians, who believe that Jesus was the Son of God and an indivisible part of God, Muslims believe that the Holy Prophet Mohammad (570-632) was a man and that he followed Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus as the last of the great prophets to receive divine revelation. A Muslim believes in the revelation of God through the Quran that was given to Mohammad. For a Muslim, the Quran is God’s Word† (Funk, 2009). As seen from the comparative review, diversity comes in terms of various key elements with similarities only on the following accounts: birth of Jesus and his second coming, salvation sourced from practicing correct beliefs and angels and demons as spiritual beings. All the rest are diversely matchless. The Catholic religion acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God. In Islam, Jesus was believed to be the second to the last prophet.

The US Presidency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The US Presidency - Essay Example Article II of the US Constitution assigns the President the responsibility of appointing diplomatic officers, regulatory officers, judicial officers, maintaining relations with the foreign powers, the implementation of federal law along with all the executive powers. The President enjoys the immunity to grant pardon, freedom and amnesty above judicial decisions and can call upon or suspend both houses of the Congress under special circumstances. Ever since the birth of the United States of America, the president’s power has increased multiple times and from being a president who used to veto or sign congressionally passed bills, it has given him the power to dictate policies and pass both domestic and foreign laws (US Department of State). The president of US is elected through the Electoral College by the people for a four-year term. The Constitution of United States disallows anyone from being elected for the third full term. From the foundation of United States to this day, 43 men have served for 55 four-year terms as the President of US. The current President Mr. Barack Obama1 was elected the 44th president on 20th January 2009. Chief of the State has to be an inspiring personality for the nation. He has the duty to stand for morals and ideas of the country. People honor the President and he has to be a living symbol for the nation. In this role, the president has to deal with the diplomatic and foreign relations with other countries of the world. With the help of diplomats and ambassadors around the globe, president devises the foreign policy. Here president is in charge of US marines, Air forces, Land forces and Navy. The president is responsible for deciding the allocation of budget, weapons and location of the troops. Military heads take direct orders from the president. Congress is the law making body, but the president enjoys the power to advocate Congress for passing new bills and reject the ones that do not favor. In this

Evaluating the Sustainability of a Development Plan Assignment

Evaluating the Sustainability of a Development Plan - Assignment Example The interconnectivity of the town is one factor that has been considered in the design considering the need for people to travel or move from various locations and accomplish their missions in the process. The Green Square Railway Station will be a major transport feature connecting various parts of the city and the outside world. Most important in the development of the sustainable development plan for Green Square is the features that have been put in place to conserve water and reduce the emission of green house gases (Green Square Town Centre 2011). One of the core objectives of the design is to achieve carbon neutrality among the communities. The Green Square area is located in a place that is desirable for community living. One of the main activities that will be involved in the development plan will be the cleaning and revitalization of the South Sydney Hospital site. Among the activities at this stage will be the removal of environmentally unfriendly substances such as asbest os, light fittings and lead-based paints by specialists and using the best conceivable processes City of Sydney (2011). Some of the features that will be installed in the hospital area include a purification plant. Storm water from the plant will be used to flush toilets and irrigate parks. An automatic waste collection system as well as a trigeneration energy system for the production of low carbon energy will form part of the package. In order to reduce emissions, cycling and walking paths will be provided according to City of Sydney (2011). Strategic and Regulatory Context The sustainable development plan debate in Australia is wide and ranges from environmental, social to economic issues and it has major implications on all businesses. As a result, the... This paper stresses that the development of Green Square is bound to achieve its outlined objectives to a high level. For instance in the case of environmental development there has been effective recycling of waste making the environment cleaner, this has led to less deposit in land fills. The state has also managed to control pollution to a greater percentage than before. Soil erosion has also been reduced thus making the land more fertile. Moreover in the case of economic development there has been proper resource management and development. The economic viability of the state has also improved and there is has been appropriate and economically liable land use. In terms of social development the state has maintained excellence is service delivery to he community. There have also been established safe roads and the community has been sensitized on safety issues. There is also he establishment of several; local, historical and cultural organizations which are well sustained. This report makes a conclusion that some issues related to development in Green Square have been more difficult to address than others. This can be attributed to various factors, for instance, the poor distribution of resources in the area which has caused some areas to lag behind in development. There is also the inadequate funding and resources to ensure development and its sustainability. The reliance on donor countries has also caused these difficulties since to get these donors has been a difficult issue.

Accountancy is not a profession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accountancy is not a profession - Essay Example Here the skill lies in choosing and conveying the information, which is relevant and reliable to the user. According to the  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants  (AICPA), accountancy can be defined as â€Å"the art of recording, classifying, and summarizing in a significant manner and in terms of money, transactions and events which are, in part at least, of financial character, and interpreting the results thereof† (Accounting, Finance & Capital Budgeting, nd., 1). Early records show that accountancy was used primarily for maintaining business related data on behalf of businesspersons  and the only account viewer were record keepers who maintained accounts. In the current context, accounting is referred to as â€Å"the language of business† (McGrath, 1921, 5) since it is a vehicle primarily used for publicizing financial data about a business firm to various interested people. There are different theories that try to elucidate the development of pr ofessionalism within accountancy and whether it can be taken as a profession or as a trade. As per the functionalist theory, a profession starts only when there are a group of people practicing specific techniques based on specially designed training. They are viewed as forming a group to mutually assure their skill and competence and maintain high standard In terms of professional practice and character (Carr-Saunders, 1928). In this context, the paper will examine whether accountancy is a profession or a part of the trade market primarily from a functionalist perspective. Discussion Accounting as a profession has been analysed from various perspectives and different settings. Various researches have used the functionalist, critical and interactionist perspectives to elucidate the development of professionalism within accountancy even though it had mainly trade market associations. The functionalist theories claim that the core of professionalization is based on any profession†˜s capability to create professionals with a common set of skills and knowledge that would work towards serving the society selflessly. The interactionist perspectives on the other hand suggest that professions are interest-based groups that aim at persuading the society members to seek their advices/services for protecting and furthering their own interests. The critical perspective, which is modern in form, analyses the process of professionaliz

Analysis of VSauce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of VSauce - Essay Example Creative re-engineering and several developmental phases enables VSauce to incorporate diversified mechanics that have seen them shift the focus from educative and informative channels to more scientific and comprehendible gaming channels and protocols that necessitate the collaborative impact and views and/or technical development from the users and designers in the community. This gives the channels a competitive advantage compared to other sites in that the diversity of the views and generative aspects from the collaborations help the site in development and design of cutting-edge features. Customization of videos in terms of quality and the subject matter, video, gaming, sports and the interactive aspects, offers freedom of exchange and transfer of knowledge. This merits attention as it incorporates the diversity of age, social and cultural background, economic wellness and freedom of choice from the variety which is the functional perspective of websites and their applications ( Brown 8). Vsauce incorporates the education aspect in the provision of digital, clear and chronological scientific motion pictures in the field of science giving the audience/ academic visitor a variety of videos which actualize the theoretical package taught in classroom atmosphere. This aspect diversifies its operations to more of a blog, content and archive site giving convenience to the variety of users/visitors. Also the incorporation accommodates diversified interests of a single visitor by harmonizing and providing multiple solutions in one site unlike other sites that will give specific solution to a specific interest/problem. For instance, introduction of VSauce2 that has five recurring segments to cover unusual knowledge and technology, â€Å"MindBlow†, a segment that covers the inventions that are useful and their significance to the society are not only humorous but touches the collaborative and the educative aspect of the invention part learnt in schools and in h istory. Also the â€Å"FAK† segment for facts and knowledge, which involves trivial questions, acts as a mental developmental program for all ages which gives the site credit in creativity aspects and collaborative ones as the channel’s work is from the users. Creativity is evident in the way VSauce incorporates the diversity of artistic talents from the users and the community in general. The incorporation of different â€Å"phases† of VSauce with time has seen developments in the users’ contribution in realizing the user’s talents and in line with the growth and development goal of the site and giving back to the society. For instance, the ‘BiDiPi’ segment that stands for build it, drive it and play it, incorporates the talents of the communities and the site user/fans and brings the competitive aspect of the site to the users which act as a motivational tool.

What are some cause of the Renaissance How did the Renaissance differ Essay

What are some cause of the Renaissance How did the Renaissance differ from the prior Middle Ages - Essay Example Various factors caused the beginning of Renaissance. One of the principal causes, which contributed to the beginning of the Renaissance, is the crusades. These crusades included a series of wars organized by Western European Christians. The Christians fought with Muslims in order to recapture Holy Land, which the Muslims occupied (Gundersheimer 67). In addition, after the end of crusades, emerging crusaders brought ancient Greek and Latin texts back, which brought a revived concentration in classical works. Another factor contributing to the start of the Renaissance was the opening of the Mediterranean trade routes in the Italian city states. The opening of the Mediterranean route led to the development of a new merchant class that was remarkably influential. The most popular dynasty of the merchant class was the Medici family. The Medici family remained powerful throughout since they maintained the financial strength of Florence city (Hay 43). This influenced the transformation of i ndividual thinking and allowed Renaissance. New secular hunger for discovering texts caused Renaissance. Monasteries and courts in Europe had repositories of old texts and manuscripts. However, scholars desired a change in classical works; this stimulated massive appraisal of classical works. The desire by artists to discover new texts led to transformation in art work. One of the writers known as Petrarch triggered the Renaissance through writing about how his intention to discover texts had been ignored (Martin 87). Secular readers introduced and developed a taste and a hunger of reading and spreading classical writings. This happened with a renewed strength than the previous years, which led to a total transformation in classical works. Hence, the hunger for discovery of texts led to Renaissance. Reintroduction of classical works also caused Renaissance. Although there were classical

Case Study on the Feasibility of a new venture Essay

Case Study on the Feasibility of a new venture - Essay Example The initial success of the Cool Moose Creamery in Ontario should be studied for comparison purposes prior to the financial commitment of a franchise investment. Of considerable interest is the notion of whether the initial location of the first business contributed to its success? Moreover, what were the location factors that contributed to the success of the first business? A common refrain in real estate is location, location and location again. This maxim, of course, is not only limited to home prices. Consideration must be given to visibility and accessibility. Obviously, a highly visible location along an extremely busy thoroughfare where the eyes of all passer-bys will be drawn to your sign, thus, making business almost ideal. In a highly competitive business environment, start-ups may find these prime locations already long occupied by established players. There are still options for the establishment of a new business or franchise: buying out an unsuccessful business in an ot herwise useful location or appropriating a property as close as one can get to prime real estate, yet on the fringes. In this case a choice made here could prove to be influential with respect to every other subsequent factor. If a prime location for your franchise of Cool Moose Creamery can be determined, and is theoretically available then, as with most other material decisions, the cost/benefit analysis must come into play. It may be possible to purchase or lease a property in a highly visible location, but this cost must be weighed against future earnings. There must be a sense of the likely revenue within a particular time frame, as well as one should realize how high the benefits of visibility might be depending on a prime location. Even if the money does not come directly out of pocket, such as it is in the case with the $20,000 bank loan that must be sought, too much capital invested in the initial start up could lead to more debt, or more complex financing arrangements that could make the business more trouble than profit. These factors are never easy to predict, but the small business owner must do the best he can while examining – whenever possible examples of similar businesses, and the local operations in similar situations as guides for cost and profitability. Other factors that will influence the success of any franchise may be forces less visible and tangible than location or the initial equipment that must be purchased. Local zoning ordinances must also be taken into account, with respect to both above board and clandestine forces. Even if the zoning regulations and requirements are obeyed with precision, investigation is warranted concerning under-the-table problems or restrictions. Have other business owners complained about a particular individual in city government with control over regulatory decisions that might impede small businesses? Could there be zoning ordinances that have unusual sub-clauses or interpretations that are not obvious at cursory examination but which prove surprisingly problematic after an investment has begun? Question such as these can only be addressed through word-of-mouth, largely from anecdotal accounts, and of course – prior personal experience. This leads the small business owner into the complex question of a financial 'cushion'. One must consider whether it is possible, or feasible to determine minimum initial start up money, and then wait until it is possible to acquire extra funding held in reserve

Cold War Essay Example for Free

Cold War Essay How was the Cold War fought? †¢ Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying documents in Part A. As you analyze the documents, take into account both the source of the document and the author’s point of view. Be sure to: 1. Carefully read the document-based question. Consider what you already know about this topic. How would you answer the question if you had no documents to examine? 2. Now, read each document carefully, underlining key phrases and words that address the document-based question. You may also wish to use the margin to make brief notes. Answer the questions which follow each document. 3. Based on your own knowledge and on the information found in the documents, formulate a thesis that directly answers the question. 4. Organize supportive and relevant information into a brief outline. 5. Write a well-organized essay proving your thesis. The essay should be logically presented and should include information both from the documents and from your own knowledge outside of the documents. Question: How did the Cold War begin and what â€Å"weapons† were used to fight this war? Part A:The following documents provide information about the Cold War. The offensive missiles could destroy most cities in the Western Hemisphere. Consequently, he demanded that the Soviet Union remove these missiles from Cuba and â€Å"end this dangerous arms race. † Document 9 Premier Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles because he said they were only put there to defend and protect Cuba from an attack. Since the U. S. had promised that Cuba will not be attacked by any country in the Western Hemisphere, the missiles were no longer needed. The threat of nuclear was lifted and the world stepped back from the brink of war. 127 Additional Information Beyond the Documents

Autistic Spectrum Disorder And Offending Behaviour Psychology Essay

Autistic Spectrum Disorder And Offending Behaviour Psychology Essay Speculation is evident within both popular media and scientific literature regarding a possible association in the relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour. The possible presence of antisocial and criminal behaviour in a sub-sample of individuals with Asperger syndrome has been of high interest to both psychological research and the general public. The research reviewed within this study suggests that people with Autistic spectrum disorders are potentially over-represented within the criminal justice system. However an accurate prevalence of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Asperger Syndrome both within the general population and the criminal justice system is yet to be established as findings between studies are varied. It has been suggested that an individual with Autistic Spectrum disorder who has offending behaviour will be more likely to commit violent, sexual or arson-related crime however there is limited research to support this. Additionally it d oes appear that certain characteristics such as co-morbid psychiatric symptoms are important risk factors Introduction Debbaudt (2004) described how individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder are seven times more likely to experience contact with the criminal justice system than the general population. Howlin (2004) argues that the perceived link between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour can be explained by sensational media reporting. Specific stories have highlighted the Asperger syndrome status of offenders in their reports of crime. However the apparent association with offending has been generated by sensationalised, unsubstantiated in diagnostic terms , media reports. News headlines such as Autistic Boy killed baby brother, Apergers Boy locked up for Rape and A 15 year-old boy with Aspergers Syndrome ahs been locked up for an indeterminate period for raping an 8 year-old boy and photographing the attack can be extremely harmful to peoples perceptions of ASD (BBC News, 2001, BBC News, 2007a, Birmingham Post 2007). The purpose of this article is to review what literature is available relating to Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Offending Behaviour. Specifically this article will review what is meant by Autistic Spectrum Disorder, the prevalence of Autistic Spectrum Disorder within the Criminal Justice System, prevalence of offending behaviour in offenders with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, the characteristics of Autistic Spectrum Disorder that might make individuals more vulnerable to offending and the types of crime most associated with the disorder. Additionally there will be a focus on the relevant treatment and policy implications for clinicians and support staff working with this unique population. In order to identify all known studies investigating the relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour a search was conducted of the databases Psych Info, Academic Search Complete and Google Scholar using the key terms Autis* and Crim*, Asperg* and Offen* within the parameters of 1985 to current issues. A search was also conducted regarding News and popular media sites using the key words of Autism, Asperger, offend/offending and Crime. All of the studies are organised in Table 1. Defining Autistic Spectrum Disorders Before examining prevalence rates it is important to define what is meant by Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-IV) (APA, 1994) categories of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are autistic disorder, Asperger Syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The criteria (DSM-IV) for Autistic Spectrum Disorder include a core triad of impairments. These are impairments in social interaction, social communication and social imagination including restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests and activities. There is variance in diagnostic criteria for Asperger syndrome between DSM-IV and ICD-10. The term Autistic Spectrum Disorder is widely accepted in research and literature. The idea of the autistic spectrum is clinically useful as it illustrates the variation in symptomatology both among and within each diagnostic category. This range can include mild to very severe symptoms in each of the areas of impairment that categorise Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Those on the lower functioning end of the spectrum, such as those with classic autism, may never learn to talk using words, struggle to develop or maintain meaningful relationships and have very ritualistic/obsessional behaviour. Those on the higher functioning end of the spectrum, such as those with AS may have IQ within the average range, be verbally fluent and can be capable of leading independent lives given some support. The majority of literature regarding the relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour has focused on individuals of whom have a diagnosis or show indicators of Asperger syndrome. Langstrom et al (2009) explored characteristrics associated with violent offending among individuals diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorders over a 13 year period taking information from swedish national registers. They found that criminal violence was more common among participants diagnosed with Asperger syndrome relative to participants with autistic disorder. They attributed this factor to the reasoning that those with Asperger syndrome are more likely to have unimpaired intellectual ability, better social skills. It was also concluded that those with Autistic disorder are more likely to live in supervised settings where staff or others may help to resolve conflicts or manage anger. The fact that research study examines both autistic spectrum disorder and Asperger syndrome m ake drawing conclusions and comparisons extremely difficult. Asperger syndrome is defined as a condition which has many features of Autistic Spectrum Disorder however it is displayed in persons of average or above average intelligence. Gillberg (2002) describes features such as a tendency to engage in monologues or special interests around narrow interests, limited or inappropriate non-verbal communication and a compulsive need for routine. The term Theory of Mind has been used to describe the psychological dysfunction underlying the triad of impairments shared by all people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (Wing, 1996). Theory of mind describes the ability to be able to put oneself in the position of another and be able to appreciate their feelings, wants and wishes. This inability to empathise and put yourself in someone elses shoes means that those with Asperger syndrome, like those with other forms of Autistic Spectrum Disorder, are unable to judge the probable actions or responses of others (Browning Caulfield, 2011). Many studies support the view that the majority of those with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Asperger syndrome are law abiding and that very few engage in illicit criminalised behaviour. The very features of AS mean that the vast majority of this section of the population are very pedantic in their adherence to the law due to their literal thinking (Wing, 1997, Murrie et al. 2002, Myers, 2004). It may be that speculative assumptions that those with Autistic Spectrum Disorders or Asperger syndrome possess a greater propensity towards violent criminality is generated through media reporting and both factual and fictional film, television and radio. There are relatively few people in the public eye with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder however the reporting of rare acts of violence within the media is potentially harmful serving only to assist in the creation of inaccurate perceptions of affected individuals ( Browning Caulfield, 2011). An accurate prevalence of Asperger syndrome within the general population is yet to be established as findings between studies are varied. Research has indicated the prevalence of Asperger syndrome to be between 2 and 60 per 10,000 (Gillberg 1991, Wing 1996). Murphy, (2003) reported that there is evidence that 3-4 in every 100 children may develop Aspergers syndrome and there is general agreement that the prevalence of Asperger syndrome is low. Current statistics provided by the National Autistic Society estimate that the prevalence of all Autistic Spectrum Disorders in the UK is approximately 1% (NAS, 2008). Attempts to assess the violence and criminality rate have also been made more difficult due to the low prevalence and problems relating to gaining valid diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome. It must also be recognised that additional problems in this field may stem from specific difficulties. People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Aspergers syndrome within the criminal justice system may be being misdiagnosed and being given other labels such psychosis. There may be a form of societal reluctance to link specific disorders within criminality thus meaning an under-estimation of prevalence is given. Berney (2004) also considers the idea that there is an increasing unwillingness within the UK to pursue prsecution unless there is a high possibility of conviction. Data may also not be taking into account large numbers of people who do not enter the criminal justice system as they are subject to diversion or do not get charged (Hawk et al. (1993). Some researchers have proposed that the core features of Autistic Spectrum Disorder such as abnormal development of social interaction and development may expose those on the spectrum to commit offending (Haskins and Silva, 2006). However this does not mean that having Autistic Spectrum Disorder enhances the likelihood of offending. Researchers have used a range of different strategies in order to study any possible association between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending. Prevalence of persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the Criminal Justice System In order to better understand if there is any relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour some researchers have focused on Autistic Spectrum Disorder among those who have already been or are still in the criminal justice system. Scragg and Shah (1994) considered a hypothesis that there may exist co-morbid neurological disorders in those with Asperger syndrome that may be an underlying factor of violent acts committed. Their research examined the entire male population (n=392) of Broadmoor hospital using methods such as interviewing staff and patients and screening case notes. They found a prevalence rate for Asperger syndrome of 1.5% significantly exceeding the prevalence rate of 0.36% found by Elthers and Gillberg (1993) in the general population using the same diagnostic criteria. Siponmaa et al (2001) conducted a retrospective study where a much higher prevalence rate of ASD among offenders was found in Sweden. The researchers reviewed case notes of 126 mentally disordered offenders and found that 15% had pervasive developmental disorder, 12% had pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified/atypical autism and 3% had Asperger syndrome. However these results cannot be generalised to offender populations as the sample was recruited from a forensic population of offenders who have a mental disorder requiring treatment and the majority had committed violent offences. Hare et al (1999) examined the prevalence of individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders within three hospitals in the UK. They found that 67.7% of the total Autistic spectrum disorder population of these prisons had Asperger syndrome. The rough prevalence estimate was 1.6% supporting the hypothesis that there is an over representation of people with Autistic spectrum disorder and in particular Asperger syndrome within forensic hospitals in the UK. In contrast Myers (2004) found very low numbers of individuals with autistic spectrum disorders in secure forensic and specialist settings in Scotland. Through examination of the number of people with learning disabilities with or without Asperger syndrome their findings indicate a prevelance estimate of 0.93% in the prison service; 0.46% in secure units and 1.39% in mental health units It must be recognised that prevalence studies have typically been restricted to highly specialised settings and therefore highly selected samples such as those at Broodmoor prison and secure services (Scragg and Shah,1994). There also appears to be a lack of research which has investigated the prevalence of Autistic Spectrum Disorder in general populations of people who had committed crime. Additionally there is also a failure to acknowledge that the offending behaviour of their research participants could potentially be attributed to other risk factors commonly associated with offending within the general population such as co-morbid mental health issues or social circumstances. There is large variability in prevalence rates across the discussed studies however there does appear to be some sort of association between autistic spectrum disorder and offending behaviour. Differences in types of diagnosis may account for some of the varying prevalence rates between different countries.Even specific studies involving highly specialised settings have found that a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder had not been previously made for the majority; making this study of general populations even more difficult. . In making a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder this can help in the understanding of reasons that crimes may have taken place and can help to decide on appropriate methods of care and management Detection of Autistic Spectrum Disorder in childhood/adolescence could provide opportunity to manage pre-disposing factors to offending behaviour. In the absence of such systems it could be argued that individuals with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder are at incre ased risk of developing offending behaviours. See Table 1 for an overview of the prevalence of Autistic Spectrum Disorder found in studies within both forensic and community settings Prevalence of Offending Behaviour in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder When reviewing the research a further method of investigating the relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour has been to examine the prevalence of offending behaviour in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The question of whether or not a person with Autistic spectrum disorder may be more likely to offend will provide richer information around any possible association. Hippler et al, (2009), completed a study to examine criminal offending in 177 former patients of Hans Asperger. No increased rate of registered convictions was found compared to the general population suggesting that people with Aspergers syndrome are not more likely to commit offences. Mourisden et al, (2008) looked at the prevalence of offending behaviours in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder compared to typically developing controls using the Danish Criminal Register. Register data offers opportunity to analyse data from large populations in a historical, prospective way avoiding recall bias. Overall results found that 9% from the Autistic Spectrum Disorder group and 18% from the comparison group had convictions. This study suggests that rates of convictions are actually lower in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder than in the general population. The research also indicated that criminal offences are very uncommon in childhood autism but more common in Aspergers syndrome. Allen et als (2008) study investigated the prevalence of Asperger syndrome and offending within a large geographical area. A survey methodology was used to identify adults with a recorded clinical diagnosis of Asperger syndrome in the South Wales area of the UK. The services contacted included mental health teams, local health practitioners, forensic practitioners and learning disability teams. Their results were generally not supportive of there being a significant association between Asperger syndrome and offending, attributing this to methodological problems including individuals with learning disabilities skewering the data, the focus on adults and misdiagnosis. Woodbury-Smith et al. (2006) identified that previous research had focused specifically on violent offending and suggested a need for community based research. Their reasoning was that statistical findings of research conducted within high security psychiatric or forensic settings only represented the prevalence of very serious offences therefore failing to be more representative of more generalised common-place criminality. They responded by conducting a study of offending by those with Asperger syndrome and Autistic Spectrum Disorders in the community. Although it must be acknowledged that the sample size was very small it was the first to look at offending patterns of individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders in the community. Their findings found that the level of offending occurring within the Autistic Spectrum Disorder group was lower than that of the neuro-typical group. Issues with these particular studies include the difficulties that some studies have such small, unrepresentative samples that make any estimates of prevalence epidemiologically insubstantial. Consequently whilst these studies do not give a true picture, this limited evidence also suggests that individuals with classic autistic disorder are very unlikely to offend and those with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome are no more likely to offend than people in the general population. Table 1 Prevalence of Autistic Spectrum Disorder studies within both forensic and community settings Study No. of participants Prevalence estimation Ghaziuddin et al (1991) Review of 132 published case studies 2.27% Scragg and Shah (1994) 392 1.5%-2.3% Hare et al. (1999) 22 1.6% Sipionmaa (2001) 135 15% diagnosed with ASD Myers (2004) 0.46% in secure psychiatric units 0.93% in the prison service 1.39% in mental health units Mouridson (2008) 313 0.89% Hippler et al (2009) 177 No increased prevalence compared to the general population Predisposing Risk Factors of Autistic Spectrum Disorder that might make a person more vulnerable to offending In order to examine if there is any relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour it is important to investigate whether there are any innate vulnerabilities that make it more likely that a person with Autistic Spectrum Disorder will offend. It must also be recognised that general vulnerability factors as identified in criminological literature such as low IQ, poor school achievement and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder will still all be relevant (Farrington, 2002). More general knowledge within this area will enhance both preventative programmes and forms of treatment and rehabilitation. Woodbury- Smith et al. (2006) completed an exploratory study where participants were recruited from different sources in the UK. These adult groups included 21 individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and a history of offending, 23 individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and no history of offending and a general population group of 23 people without Autistic Spectrum Disorder and no history of offending. Cognition areas known to be impaired in people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder such as theory of mind and emotional recognition were compared. Results showed that the Autistic Spectrum Disorder offenders showed a significantly greater impairment in the recognition of emotional expressions of fear, but no difference in theory of mind, executive function, and recognition of facial expressions of sadness. This finding indicates that this lack of ability to recognise fear in others may cause individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder to continue behaviour that is distressing to o thers thus possibly increasing the likelihood of offending. Langstrom et al (2009), used data from Swedish longitudinal registers for 422 individuals hospitalised with Autistic Spectrum Disorder during a thirteen year period . Their research compared those committing violent or sexual offences with those who did not. Their results found that violent individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder are generally male and diagnosed with Asperger syndrome rather than Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Conclusions also found that violent offending in Autistic Spectrum Disorder is related to similar co-occurring psychopathology as found in violent individuals without Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Limitations to this study must be cautiously interpreted as the sample was based on being hospitalised and are again therefore not necessarily representative of all individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the community There are very few reports that investigate the importance of co-morbid psychiatric factors when understanding if any relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour exists. Newman and Ghaziuddin (2008), reviewed 37 published cases with violent behaviour and AS in respect to concurrent psychiatric disorders and found that 29.7% of the reviewed cases had a definite psychiatric disorder whilst 54.0% had a probable psychiatric disorder. Subsequently when offending occurs within an individual with Autistic Spectrum Disorder it is important to exclude other psychiatric conditions because these can independently influence the risk of offending, as it does in the general population. Murphys (2003) study examined in the setting of a high-security psychiatric hospital whether male patients with AS could be distinguished from patients with personality disorder or schizophrenia on the basis of admission and neuropsychological details. This study adds to the review of research on Autistic Spectrum Disorder and offending behaviour as exploratory comparisons found that patients with Asperger syndrome were less likely to have a history of alcohol or illicit substance abuse and had lower index violence rations. Qualitative observations in this study suggested that whilst circumstances varied, offending behaviour tended to be associated with particular problems such as externalised misplaced blame, difficulty understanding consequence of their actions and difficulty with prospective taking. Murphy (2006) compared in-patients with schizophrenia, personality disorder and Aspergers syndrome in Broadmoor high security psychiatric hospital. The research indicated that those with AS were less likely to have histories of substance abuse or alcohol misuse and their offences had lower violence ratings than those of other patient groups. Palermo, (2004) examined the relationship between complex developmental disorders and delinquency by analysing three adult patients with Pervasive Developmental Disorder whose admission to hospital was precipitated by criminal behaviour. The patients all shared similar difficulties including struggling to understand social cues, showing mannerisms ad prosodic oddities and all had the presence of a major psychiatric illness whilst meeting the diagnostic criteria for Asperger syndrome. Their findings found that the reported behaviours resulted from co-morbid psychopathology and not as a direct consequence of a developmental disorder. Howlin (2004) suggests that the innate levels of empathy may be associated in particular with violent and sexual offending. Additionally Haskins and Silva, 2006. discuss how the illegal behaviours of a person with Asperger syndrome are predominantly associated with either a deficient theory of mind or an intense preoccupation with a narrow interest. The term weak central coherence refers to the detail focused processing style that is proposed to characterise autism spectrum disorders (Happe and Frith, 2006). A persistent preoccupation with parts of objects is one of the diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder in current practice (DSM-IV, 1994) Subsequently it has been proposed that this weak central coherence may make it difficult for an individual with Autistic spectrum disorder to think about the consequence of their actions. To confirm factors that predispose a person to commit a particular type of crime, further large scale, longitudinal prospective studies are needed. See Table 2 Table 2 Factors mediating offending in Autistic Spectrum Disorders in key studies Study Factors mediating offending in AS Murphy (2003) externalised misplaced blame difficulty understanding consequence of actions difficulty with prospective taking Barry-Walsh and Mullen (2004) narrow focus and preoccupation with a special interest Palermo (2004) struggling to understand social cues Co-morbid psychopathology Lack of empathy Howlin (2004) innate levels of empathy Happe Frith (2006) weak central coherence Haskins and Silva, (2006) deficient theory of mind An intense preoccupation with a narrow interest. Woodbury-Smith et al. (2006) significantly greater impairment in the recognition of emotional expressions of fear Newman and Ghaziuddin (2008) Co-morbid Psychiatric factors Allen et al (2008) Lack of concern and awareness Social naivety Impulsivity and mis-interpretation of the rules Overriding obsessions Types of Crime most associated with the disorder It is difficult to ascertain the types of offending behaviour in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder due to the lack of valid epidemiologic studies. Clinical studies within the case study literature have also explored the hypothesised relationship between Autism and Offending behaviour. The offense type most commonly described within these studies tends to be sexual offences, arson and violent offenses. Studies of single cases and referred samples can provide indications of the types of offending which may be found in people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (Baron-Cohen, 1988, Barry-Walsh Mullen, 2004, Haskins Silva, 2006, Murrie et al. 2002, Schartz-Watts 2005). Mawson et al, (1985) case study focused on a 44 year old man cataloguing a series of strange violent behaviours including dropping a firework into a girls car, assaulting a crying baby at a railway station by putting his hand over its mouth to stop the noise, following a female teacher, getting close to her at every possibility. The authors speculate that there is an association between Asperger syndrome and violent behaviour however they do not put the offences in context of the mans diagnosis and significant impairments including sensory, theory of mind and inability to read social situations. Palermos, (2004) case studies behaviours respectively included threatening to kill a police officer, threatening to burn down a family members house and touching a prepubescent boy at a playground. Several case reports associated with Arson and Asperger syndrome have appeared in the literature. Mouridsen et als, (2007) study looked at the prevalence of offending behaviours in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder compared to typically developing controls and found that only arson statistically separated Asperger syndrome cases from the comparison group. Haskins and Silva (2006), discuss a range of particular cases highlighting specific issues that might make a person with Autistic Spectrum Disorder have heightened risk for engaging in criminal behaviour. One reviewed case history involved a young man who was accused of starting a fire in his apartment to obtain insurance money. This fire killed his young daughter and nearly killed his wife. Additionally Sionmaa et al, (2001) reported that 10 (63%) of 16 crimes of Arson were perpetrated by individuals with AS. Barry-Walsh and Mullen, (2004), reported on two cases that had a history of fire-starting. Reasons for the offence of arson vary within each study however it is hypothesised that a major reason includes the narrowed fixations that some people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder may have and the lack of understanding of consequences and reasoning. It could be suggested that Arson may be more specifically related to behaviours seen in Autistic Spectrum Disorder . Epidemiological studies indicate that people with AS do commit sexual offences (Hare, 1999; Murphy 2003) but there is evidence that the rates of sex offending and child sex offences in particular are lower than in general populations ( Hare, 1999, Elvish, 2007). It has been suggested that individuals with Asperger syndrome display criminal behaviour due to their sexual preoccupations. Cases include that of a 21 year old male who had a history of stealing cotton lingerie and masturbating whilst holding womens night-dresses (Chesterman Rutter, 1993) and a young male with Asperger syndrome who had a history of recurrent sexual offences including touching the privates of young women; watching women in toilets and making obscene phone-calls (Milton et al, 2002). It appears that when individuals with autistic spectrum disorder do commit crimes they are less likely to involve alcohol, substance misuse and/or drugs (OBrian Bell, 2001). Additionally the offences of individuals with autistic spectrum disorder did not generally provide any direct gain to the individual. Wahlund Kristiannsson (2006) investigated 35 male offenders with diagnosis of ASD or anti-social behaviour referred for psychiatric assessment in Sweden. It was found that those with autistic spectrum disorder were less likely to be intoxicated and did not use knives or guns as frequently as the personality disorder group. It was also hypothesised that individuals with autistic spectrum disorders may offend at an earlier age than other neuro-typical offenders as difficulties in social interaction will start to be marked in early adulthood and youth resulting in a higher risk of offending behaviour. Recommendations to support individuals with ASD with Offending Behaviour There must be recognition that a number of people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder are involved with the criminal justice system whether that be as victims, witnesses or perpetrators of crime. Professionals working within the CJS must be educated regarding the unique diversity that may be found within people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in order to improve the likelihood that these individuals will be treated more appropriately. Tiffin Nadkarni (2010) discuss how specialised assessments can identify risk factors associated with violent behaviour even if social and communication problems consistent with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder are present. However there is recognition that these tools compliment but do not replace structured clinical assessment. Subsequently a formulation of risk that recognises complexity but accepts limitations enables useful management plans to be made. The treatment of vulnerable groups within the criminal justice system has been focused on within specific research and it must be recognised that the process of arrest, questioning and trial may be more difficult for a person with Asperger syndrome then others. Difficulties may include misinterpreting what they hear, being unable to function effectively in unpractised, unfamiliar environments and using words without fully understanding their meaning (Mayes, 2003, Barry-Walsh and Mullen, 2004) Subsequently these difficulties may be considered to be the individual being un