Twitter: Liam Stacey and Fabrice Muamba

Twenty one year old Liam Stacey has been jailed for fifty six days after posting racially offensive comments on Twitter about Fabrice Muamba, a Bolton Wanderers football player who suffered a cardiac arrest. Stacey posted the comments after Muamba collapsed during the FA Cup quarter final on 17th March.
The district judge described Stacey’s comments as “vile and abhorrent” and I agree with the judge. Anyone who can post offensive comments about anyone even if they are just an average person and then proceed to hide behind a computer is as vile as the come, especially as in this case the victim of the abuse was fighting for his life. It’s cowardly to hide behind your computer and post offensive things about someone. We are increasingly living in a society that is using social media more and with the rise of social media; we are also experiencing the rise of internet trolls whom attack people on the internet by saying things they wouldn’t say to their victims’ faces whilst hiding behind their keyboard.

Fabrice Muamba Tribute, a photo by Ronnie Macdonald on Flickr.

However Stacey has only been jailed for fifty six days, which in the scheme of things is nothing, he will be in jail for less than two months which sounds absurd for racial abuse. Fifty six days sounds too short a sense for a crime such as the racial abuse, especially with the impact such abuse can have on a person. Stacey tried to argue that his twitter account was hacked, lying about what he did as he was drunk when he posted the tweets. He must have been incredibly drunk to have a complete lack of judgement, although he could just be lacking in common sense to post something that could be racially sensitive.
However vile and disgusted one may be towards Stacey, the fact he is imprisoned to some raises a point about our right to free speech. Our right of free speech means we can say what we want providing it follows a few basic rules. Stacey was prosecuted under the Communications Act of 2003 that was introduced before the introduction of Twitter which some such as Abhijit Pandya of the Daily Mail don’t think is right or fair to do so. Maybe the Communications Act needs to be updated to include the new social media, but would it be excessive and unnecessary to update the Act every time a new media platform rises to prominence.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

On Marine Road there is what appears to be a giant tube of polo mints; it looks to be a part of a derelict candy land when in fact it actually isn’t. The giant tube of polo mints was part of a fairground. It’s now the only remnant of the fairground; it too will be eventually demolished as part of the redevelopment of Morecambe. There is only one reason the tower still exists and hasn’t been torn down and that is because on top of the tower is a telephone mask which means that the tower can’t be torn down until at least 2013 when the contract runs out.

The multi-million face lift of Morecambe is an attempt to restore the resorts dying charm, as over the years the resort has gone from holiday hot spot to reaching the number three spot in a list of ‘Crap Towns’ in 2003. Most of the money has been spent on suitable redevelopments such as the eleven million pounds spent on the Midland Hotel the town’s iconic art deco hotel. However some of redevelopment projects have been less successful and are the bane of the residents such as multimillion pound spenditure on the importation of sand which now covers most of the promenade and the nearby grass. Though it will take more than a nip and tuck to solve the issues with the resort, much of the money is being spent refurbishing some of the dilapidated old building such as the Winter Gardens which despite all the money raised is still in need of reconstructive surgery to bring it up to form.
This isn’t the first attempt to update the town or to make it appeal to a more youthful demographic. On the seafront there used to be a swimming pool which attracted many of the residents and The Morecambe Dome which hosted many an event and even attracted bands such as the Artic Monkeys. Both now have been torn down nothing in their place, just tarmac and the occasional travelling fairground.

Morecambe could reach the level it once was but given the financial state the town is now in it may take another generation or two to become the resort it once was. Given how Morecambe is dependent on Lancaster to help them out when they get into financial issues, it may be best just to focus on to the natural beauty of the area instead of trying to revive the dying town.

Review: Lautonom –Killerpilze

The band Killerpilze, come from a town in southern Germany called Dillingen an der Donau, they were formed in 2002. The band now consists of brothers Johannes ‘Jo’ (rhythm guitar and lead vocals) and Fabian ‘Fabi’ Halbig (drums) as well as their friend Maximillian ‘Max’ Schlichter (lead guitar and backing vocals). One of the original founding members – Andreas Schlagenhaft – who was also the bass player left the band in 2007.
Killerpilze are highly successful within mainland Europe but are rarely heard anywhere else. Yet despite their success it is rare for albums and their singles to reach the top ten in the music charts.

Lautonom is their third album, however it is their first under their own label – Killerpilze records. The formation of their own record label has given the band more creative control which many bands don’t receive until four or five albums down the line; also given that when the album was released the members of the band where 17, 20 and 21 respectively it is amazing that they produced an album of great quality. Even though Lautonom signifies a more mature album compared to Invasion der Killerpilze and Mit Punken und Raketen you can hear some of the immaturity from their lack of worldly experience. What they lack in worldly experience, they more than make up in music that is just addictive to the point where you think around the 40th play you might have a problem. Of the 13 track record, two songs stand out more than the rest.

The first of these two songs is Lieblingssong which translates to favourite song. Lieblingssong is a love song and its unique in that it does not sound harsh or insincere which is sometimes the case with love songs, especially those in German as it can sound very harsh to the ear. It’s not the wet blanket love song either which just doesn’t sound great. Lieblingssong has found the perfect place between insincere and overdone. The second of these two songs is Plastik. I have a love hate relationship with the song. I love it because the band is basically telling the world they won’t be this commodity like many musicians become. The hate part of the song is the end, it wasn’t necessary to have the sound of vomiting at the end of the song. There is such a thing as taking a point too far, even in music.

Overall the album is certainly worth the 41 minute listening time.
Recommended for fans of: Tokio Hotel, Blink 182, Simple Plan and Good Charlotte.

Is it something in the water or is everyone just crazy?

Being only twenty years old, I can't say I know a lot about being an adult. I can't drive, I don't have a job and I certainly am not in a relationship of any sorts. I do like to think I am mature enough to be an adult though sometimes it might not seem it. I can dress a little young for my age and get overly excited about things like a small child but I am still only twenty with the long road of being an adult a head of me. However, I have just come out of what is universally known as 'the teen years', so I would like to think I know a thing or two about being a teenager. Though, I probably didn't have the 'normal' experience of being a teenager.

On a scale of being a complete and total shut-in to being an ASBO wielding 15 year with a criminal record as along as the complete works of Shakespeare; I am probably nearer the shut-in than anything else. My parents knocked some sense into me and I have them to thank. Otherwise I would probably be in hospital from running in front of a car or in prison, luckily that common sense for the most part has sunk it - I'm not perfect, I still do stupid things.
I was never one to rebel any, whilst everyone around me seemed to be going crazy on their hormones. At times I did wonder when they would kick in and I would go as crazy as everyone around me, just to understand what they were doing. I never experimented like many did. I tried once to get into a bar at seventeen but the bounce took one look at my pre-teen looking face and wouldn't allow me in. I never tried that again until I was eighteen and legal. At least I have some for of I.D. to prove my actual age. I wanted to dye my hair and once considered buying a box dye and then realised the next day I was going visiting my grandparents, and it was just wasn't worth it. I tried sneaking out, but I couldn't open my window because the key was missing, plus I am not the quietest of people considering I was in a phase of stamping everywhere like a herd of elephants.
There was a point I got obsessed with my looks but my family took control and stopped me doing something stupid.

Now as I have mentioned, I am not very old. I am only twenty years old and to perfectly honest, it feels like I've not drank the same water as most people my age. I must be in the minority who haven't gotten pregnant and had children, why in this day and age would people my age get pregnant and ruin pretty much all life prospects for them? I understand perfectly in years gone people got married and had children early in life but most people my age end up on welfare or end up with low prospects due to lack of education. At the same time I am aware this doesn't go for most teenage parents, but for most people I went to school this is the case. Out of maybe the fifty kids that were in my year, around six went onto sixth form and excluding myself there are only three at university - that I know of - and one has completed her apprenticeship.

Is this something, we as young people should be proud of? Personally I think it is something we should be ashamed of. Why should this be the social norm when it should be more socially abnormal. Why in this day and age do people think it is fine to throw away your prospects. I am lucky that I had the support of my family, who drilled common sense into me and that I had boundaries. I guess that this long ramble really is, is an odd way of me saying thank you to my family for not allowing me to drink the water of my peers that turned them into crazed animals and thanking my family for keeping me on the straight and narrow to keep me focused on what really mattered. Instead of allowing me to turn out like the masses.

Lower rates of female crime....

This is my essay for Criminology. This is my intellectual propety and I would appericate it if not one stole it and passed it off as your own. Not to mention that is plagerism and can get you into a lot of trouble.

Outline and discuss the main reasons given for lower rates of female crime.


“…if men behaved like women the courts would be idle and the prisons empty
Wooton (1959)” (Cited in Pond, 1999)

In this essay I am going to outline and discuss the reasons for lower rates of crime committed by females. There are several explanations for why women commit crime and why there are lower rates of crime. It has been generally believed that males will commit more crimes compared to females, and these crimes committed by females tend to relatively less serious than those committed by men (Pond, 1999). Females often commit crimes such as shoplifting, prostitution and perjury, crimes that can be argued, were committed to keep the family unit running. Though the numbers of females being imprisoned is fairly low, it has been increasing. In 1993 there number of women in prison on average was 1560. It then rose to around 4463 women in prison in June 2006. In June 2006 the number of women in prison only accounted for 5.7% of the prison population of England and Wales (hmprisonservice, n.d.).

However Otto Pollak (1950, cited in Pond, 1999) argued that the statistics on female crime were misleading because the crimes committed were under recorded. He stated that because the justice system is male dominated and taught to be chivalrous, that they are more lenient on women because of the chivalry trait they possess. With the men within the justice system being chivalrous and lenient towards female offenders, highlights the inequality in the system. If the justice system was female dominated it may not be so lenient towards men.
Pollak also believe that females were much more deceitful than males. Females are able to conceal their menstruation cycle and fake orgasms so they would be more able to hide their crimes. Though, the idea of women being able to hide crimes may work better for some crimes such as shop lifting than for others such as murder or assault. Women have the means to hide certain things in shop lifting easier than men do and people would not expect her to shop lift, especially if she has a pram with her. It could be argued that courts and police may not take female crime seriously, by arguing that she committed the crime for attention or because there is something wrong with her that is making her do the crime.
In the 1980’s there was a theory that argued that women could not be held responsible for their actions because of pre-menstrual tension. It was argued that pre-menstrual tension caused women to act irrational thus acting like they would not normally act (Moore, 1996).

Crimes committed by women may also go unreported because the victim might feel too embarrassed to report it, partially if the victim is male (law.jrank, n.d.). The male victim may be embarrassed and may feel that they may not be taken seriously because they were not in the position of power which is stereotypically held by a man. He may feel that he would get laughed at or treated differently to a woman if she was the victim to the same crime. Pollak (1950) found that prostitution and shoplifting weren’t often reported to the police thus just went unnoticed and did not become a reported statistic (cited in Moore 1996). Figures from The British Crime Survey (Cited in Moore, 2001) show that out of all crimes committed, 44% of all crimes were reported to the police and 24% of all crimes were recorded by the police. This leaves 32 % of crimes unaccounted for. These crimes could have been committed by women and were disregarded by the police or were just never mentioned against once committed.

There were few studies done on female crime traditionally and they mostly concentrated on discovering the difference between deviant and none deviant women. It had been assumed at the time that women were naturally less likely to commit crime in comparison to men. However, contemporary sociological theories have suggested four areas that may suggest why females commit relatively few crimes compared to males. (Moore, 1996). These four areas are:
• Different socialisation
• Stricter social control
• Fewer opportunities for women to commit crime
• Economic marginalisation.
Out of the four areas, economic marginalisation is to be what generates crime within women whilst the first three are suggestions about constraints on female crime.
When have few opportunities compared to men to plan intricate criminal plans unlike men. It is easier a woman to pick up a loaf of bread in a supermarket and hide it in a pram. It’s difficult to plan rob someone in the street whilst pushing a pram, but if a woman did manage to do it then no one would suspect her of doing the crime. People would perceive her as being naturally more law abiding than a man is perceived as less naturally law abiding, Heidensohn (cited in Moore, 2001). Women may also not hold the skills to be able to commit certain crimes whilst men o. For example, they may not have the technical knowledge to steal a car because they have no mechanical knowledge; they may not be able to commit an attack another computer with a virus because they don’t have any knowledge of computers and programming.

It has been stated by Chapman (1980, cited in Moore, 1996) that part of the reason for the increase in woman stealing is to do with social class. She stated that the women who are stealing form the bulk of the poor. This could be because they could not afford to provide completely for their families and had to result to other means to provide. Or it could be steamed from status frustration, the criminal could be stealing to give herself the illusion of having a better lifestyle and possibly create better opportunities for herself. In either case, the crime may not be reported because of possible implications to the business and the may not want the hassle of dealing with the police who may not find who did the crime. However after stealing, fraud is the second most common offence committed by women which may also be for the same reason.

In conclusion, there are several reasons for the lower rates in crime committed by females than males. The main reasons are fewer opportunities for women to commit crime because of either a lack of knowledge or previous commitments such as a family. Economic marginalisation is a second reason that could explain why there is a lower rate of female crime; they could be stealing to support a family. Though Economic marginalisation could also be a part of status frustration. The criminal could be rebelling against their social class by obtaining status symbols and that are above and beyond their means. Pollak’s theory of the statistics on female crime being misleading, could be the main reason for the lower rate of female crime. The statistics from The British Crime Survey does support Pollack’s theory as there are 32% of all crimes that were not reported to the police or recorded by the police which leaves it unknown to who committed these crimes. If these crimes were committed by women, then it could be because the victim was scared or embarrassed about what had happened.
In my opinion, it could be argued that the lower rates for female crime is because women are much more devious than men as they are to hide things easier from their partners and families, which is part of Pollak’s theory but there is not any statistical evidence to support the theory. In today’s society, Chapman’s theory of stealing was to do with social class is much more relevant to how we now live. We have become a society obsessed with status symbols even if they are above our means. Even though we are a modernised society we still have some of our old stereotypical views, especially when it comes to women; which could make it easier for women to get away with crimes and they are seen as being unable to do the crime they did for a number of reasons. With number of unreported crimes, it is unfair to rely on the statistics completely to claim that there are less females committing crimes than men as all the unreported crimes might be committed by women who could give women the higher amount of crimes committed.




References


Hms prison service, n.d. Female prisoners.[online] http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/adviceandsupport/prison_life/femaleprisoners/ [Accessed 6th March 2011]

Pond, R, 1999. Introduction to Criminology. Winchester, Waterside Press.
Law.jrank, n.d. Gender crime explaining female offending [online] http://law.jrank.org/pages/1251/Gender-Crime-Explaining-female-offending.html [Accessed 7th March 2011]

Moore, S, 1996. Investigating Crime and Deviance. Second edition, London, HaperCollins Publishers ltd.
Moore, S, 2001. Sociology Alive! Third edition, Chr;tenham, Nelson Thornes Ltd.

One down, eleven to go

As I said in a previous post I am trying to do 12 new things before my 20th birthday next year, today I decided to try Sushi. This was a spur of the moment decision in Asda today when food shopping with my mum and brother.

(Sushi in the packaging, the photograph taken by myself)

(The sushi out of the packaging. 1, Cucumber hosomaki. 2, red pepper hosomaki. 3, Tuna and red pepper California roll. 4, Prawn California roll. 5, not a clue - Soy sauce maybe.)

I managed to eat the two pieces of hosomaki, they were fine. I had no problem with them. Then I picked up the prawn california roll. Baring in mind I don't really like fish. I was trying to open my horizons, try new things, including fish. You know when a baby sits out food it doesn't like, I did that, only less elegantly. Reaching out for my drink to flush away the fish taste. I didn't even attempt the Tuna and red pepper california. The prawn taste had put me off. I don't think in future I am going to eat sushi. Though this experience has made me more open to trying different types of fish, different ways of cooking fish.

The sushi experience was a good and bad one. I won't be eating Sushi again but I will be trying different types of fish. Has anyone else had any experiences with Sushi? Good or bad? It would be interesting to read the experiences of others with Sushi.

List: Five Things That Inspire Me

Inspiration can come from anything and anyone. I have a list of many things that inspire me, some are deeply personal to me and some are extremely random. Living in a seaside town that has seen better days you can see the beauty that used to be there, it's inspires me to make something of my life. I think I would pull my hair out if I had to live there all my life. It is a nice place but it's a bit too dull for me, love the weather though as it's hardly ever sunny.

One - Music
Music is one of my biggest sources of influence and inspiration. I used to want to be a musician when I was younger along with a long list of other things. I never was the talented musician I wanted to be, I could hold a tune but I would never remember notes unless I had to sing the. All my life I have been surrounded by music. My dad used to play music all sort of music when I was a baby such as Madness, U2, Bon Jovi, etc. 80's rock music has played a big part of my life. Music has always been my escape as has writing and for me the two go hand in hand. Music is full of emotion, hope, desire, hatred. Anything can be portrayed through music.
The bands themselves in several cases have inspirited me. Band likes Muse and Lostprophets are 'home made' if you will and many people see that as their inspiration. For me it's the fact they come from small, almost unknown places. Muse come from a seaside town on the South West coast called Teignmouth and Lostprophets hail from a town just north of Cardiff called Pontypridd. I come from a small seaside town called Morecambe. It is relatively unknown, in my life time we have only been on the news once that I remember and that was 2004 when 21 Chinese cockle picker died. Muse and Lostprophets had a dream and they worked their socks off for it and now they are playing to thousands of people and are internationally known. It gives me hope that if I work for what I want I can achieve it, even if I come from an almost unknown place.

(Lostprophets, image from google images)

(Muse, Image from google Images)
Two – Being the bigger person
Pretty through the whole of my schooling I have been bullied for various things. I have been bullied for various things including the fact I am ginger, I'm half German, I did well in school and I would get involved in school things like student counsel and open evenings. It might be surprising for some people but apart from the bullying school was hard for me. I had to work hard to understand things, I struggled to read aloud – my eyes and brain worked faster than my mouth so my words would crash into each other, and half the time I was too stubborn to admit if I needed help. Being bullied meant I had to learn to be the bigger person and I have. If someone calls me names, I ignore them. Being bullied has inspired me to work harder, to achieve the things I want to do. For me being bullied was partly a positive experience, just because it gave me the desire to work towards a goal not to focus on the negatives of my appearance that one person sees.

Three – My family
My family are the most random, unique and special people I know. I consider myself very lucky to know them. We are all different generations and from different places in the world. There are so many stories within my family that are very inspiring and interesting. An example is my Great Grandfather who fought in WW2 and received a medal for his bravery, for saving the lives of his unit risking his own in the process. You don't hear of stories like that often, you'll see a film based on WW2 where something similar happens but to know a man like that is amazing. Words can't explain how lucky and in awe I feel just to know, let alone be related to someone so selfless.
My family are a wonderful source of influence and inspiration. Without them I wouldn't be the person I am today.

Four - Outside my bubble
The outside world is a curious place. The world in the nineteen years I have been living has changed so much. When I was a child the internet and computers wasn't a big thing. Now at nineteen, computers are a big things, even my Nanna has one and knows how to use it though she does sometimes need help. The world my Grandparents, my mum and my dad grew up in is so different to the world I grew up in. I've basically grown up in fiction. Look at the world and tell me that is not George Orwell's 1984 outside. We're watched, controlled and monitored. Thirty years ago that was unheard of.
We're living in a world that is becoming ever more volatile because we are using and abusing it. We've taken too much from it and now it's lashing back. Many, many people have lost their values. We're money and material obsessed. We want things and we want them now. We want, we use, we break, we dump and then we start the cycle again.
Watching the hate between people; the friction again law and citizens; religion against science; right versus wrong, is a source of inspiration. Makes me think of the 'what ifs'. What if there was no science? What if law didn't exist? What if every right was actually a wrong? What if we didn't actually thing for ourselves? What if we were programmed?
Take a minute and think about it. Stand back and think about what you see, it's interesting to say the least.

Five – Imagine a place where you can soar like an eagle and swim like a fish.
Dreams. With dreams you can be anyone, do anything. Dreams to me are interesting, they can inspire and confuse at the same time. In a dream you can do and believe things that in your conscious state are impossible to do. Dreams provoke ideas; give you the chance to see something from a different view point. In a dream you are free from the normality and control of daily life.