Just stumbled across this--they just decided the sentences for Phoebe Prince's bullies. Check it out.
Sammy
Friday, May 6, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Sociopathy!
Over the last week I've seen two movies that show two very different sociopaths. If anyone gets a chance I highly recommend either/both.
The Good Son (1993), starring Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood
And
Peeping Tom (1960), Karlheinz Bohm
Both are on Netflix Instant Watch
Monday, May 2, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
From Oli
So, in relation to your recent email (and the blog mentions that followed) concerning morality: I don't really remember much talk of it in the Monday class (might have been on Wednesday? or is my memory already going?), but I thought this might be interesting to some people. I am a devoted NPR RadioLab listener, and I remember a few years ago they produced a whole episode on morality. The way they present their topics is always really interesting and well-worth the time, even if only for amusement, so, hey!, here's some fun listening to relax to. Just a note--I have caught a few mistakes on occasion in some RadioLab episodes, so they're not the final word on anything, but definitely worth a listen. Here's a link to the morality episode:
http://www.radiolab.org/2007/aug/13/
And to do with the stalking topic that has gone on for a little while now--I keep meaning to post this. Sonata Arctica, one of my two most favorite bands, likes to write song lyrics from various points of view for various situations, and they have a tendency of writing sets of songs using the same perspective to make somewhat vague, but definitely existent story lines out of them. One of these sets, which I like to call the "Dana set," is maybe a handful of songs randomly spread out over a few albums that all seem to follow (in my opinion) the story of a guy who falls in love with a girl (Dana), either has a really short relationship or a nonexistent relationship, and then continues to obsess about her, stalk her, and then, eventually, kill her. Sonata never actually released anything publicly about their specific intentions for the storyline, so which of their songs should be included in the story and which shouldn't can be debated over, but for this post I've picked out the lyrics of a few of the songs that I definitely stick into the Dana's stalker plot. I think it's really, really interesting how the lyrics are written from such a perspective-- I definitely feel like I understand what this guy might be thinking, and feel kinda bad for him, even though he's kinda crazed and ready to kill.
-Letter to Dana: This song is an interesting one that covers a wide timespan, with each verse kinda being a few years after the other. If read in the context of what we know comes later, it can be a little creepy, especially with lines like "I promise you... I won't write again 'til the sun sets behind your grave". The song actually includes a verse written after Dana's death, which still fits perfectly into the whole line of the story, if you take his "I heard you passed away" as a sidestep of the fact that he killed her.
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/ecliptica.html#7
-Shy: I'm not actually sure where I want to put this one, but it's definitely part of the Dana story, so I'm including it for you to read. It could be while he's stalking her, or when he decides he wants to go find her, or when he finally finds her one day (after the apparent restraining order situation that's made obvious in a later song). Or it could be after he's killed her and freaking out about seeing someone who reminds him of Dana... I don't know. What do you think?
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/takatalvi.html#4
-The End of This Chapter: This song goes at the point in the plot when our stalker's called Dana, presumably already from just outside her house (the song ends with him inside her house in her room with her). This song could maybe switch spots with the next one, especially because of it's title, but I still think the next one definitely comes after.
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/silence.html#4
-Don't Say a Word: This (by the way) is actually one of my favorite songs (not so much for the lyrics but for how awesome it is live in concert or for highway driving). This one's right before he actually kills Dana, possibly on a second visit to Dana's house (after the visit in "End of This Chapter", because of the line "Unlike the last time here, I now have the means and a will sincere
Your knight is nowhere near" implying he'd been there before but couldn't do it, and her new husband/whatever was probably around). He's definitely rationalizing a purely emotional decision in this song.
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/reckoningnight.html#5
-The Misery: Okay, so I'm not sure if this fits at all, but it might. There are several songs in the discography talking about writing love songs, stories, and plays based on a character, but I don't know which specifically fit in... so here's one example.
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/winterheartsguild.html#5
There are quite a few more songs that could potentially fit in with this plot, but I'm not sure, and this one's been lengthy enough already. Just thought some of you guys might find the perspective taken pretty interesting. I love the combination of "love" and power over her, and the obvious tendency toward obsession (I think the lyrics show it pretty well).
Enjoy!
http://www.radiolab.org/2007/aug/13/
And to do with the stalking topic that has gone on for a little while now--I keep meaning to post this. Sonata Arctica, one of my two most favorite bands, likes to write song lyrics from various points of view for various situations, and they have a tendency of writing sets of songs using the same perspective to make somewhat vague, but definitely existent story lines out of them. One of these sets, which I like to call the "Dana set," is maybe a handful of songs randomly spread out over a few albums that all seem to follow (in my opinion) the story of a guy who falls in love with a girl (Dana), either has a really short relationship or a nonexistent relationship, and then continues to obsess about her, stalk her, and then, eventually, kill her. Sonata never actually released anything publicly about their specific intentions for the storyline, so which of their songs should be included in the story and which shouldn't can be debated over, but for this post I've picked out the lyrics of a few of the songs that I definitely stick into the Dana's stalker plot. I think it's really, really interesting how the lyrics are written from such a perspective-- I definitely feel like I understand what this guy might be thinking, and feel kinda bad for him, even though he's kinda crazed and ready to kill.
-Letter to Dana: This song is an interesting one that covers a wide timespan, with each verse kinda being a few years after the other. If read in the context of what we know comes later, it can be a little creepy, especially with lines like "I promise you... I won't write again 'til the sun sets behind your grave". The song actually includes a verse written after Dana's death, which still fits perfectly into the whole line of the story, if you take his "I heard you passed away" as a sidestep of the fact that he killed her.
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/ecliptica.html#7
-Shy: I'm not actually sure where I want to put this one, but it's definitely part of the Dana story, so I'm including it for you to read. It could be while he's stalking her, or when he decides he wants to go find her, or when he finally finds her one day (after the apparent restraining order situation that's made obvious in a later song). Or it could be after he's killed her and freaking out about seeing someone who reminds him of Dana... I don't know. What do you think?
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/takatalvi.html#4
-The End of This Chapter: This song goes at the point in the plot when our stalker's called Dana, presumably already from just outside her house (the song ends with him inside her house in her room with her). This song could maybe switch spots with the next one, especially because of it's title, but I still think the next one definitely comes after.
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/silence.html#4
-Don't Say a Word: This (by the way) is actually one of my favorite songs (not so much for the lyrics but for how awesome it is live in concert or for highway driving). This one's right before he actually kills Dana, possibly on a second visit to Dana's house (after the visit in "End of This Chapter", because of the line "Unlike the last time here, I now have the means and a will sincere
Your knight is nowhere near" implying he'd been there before but couldn't do it, and her new husband/whatever was probably around). He's definitely rationalizing a purely emotional decision in this song.
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/reckoningnight.html#5
-The Misery: Okay, so I'm not sure if this fits at all, but it might. There are several songs in the discography talking about writing love songs, stories, and plays based on a character, but I don't know which specifically fit in... so here's one example.
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/sonataarctica/winterheartsguild.html#5
There are quite a few more songs that could potentially fit in with this plot, but I'm not sure, and this one's been lengthy enough already. Just thought some of you guys might find the perspective taken pretty interesting. I love the combination of "love" and power over her, and the obvious tendency toward obsession (I think the lyrics show it pretty well).
Enjoy!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sexuality and Morality
So this study was pretty interesting in that it looked at disgust for moral and sexual transgressions as separate entities. Yet, their findings suggest that sexual transgressions carry moral implications for female college students, though not so much for males. Moreover, when examining adults, older women are more disgusted by sexual transgressions than their younger counterparts. Which makes it seem that society is creating sex-specific rules of morality that overlap with sexuality.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Inmates and Organ Donations
This is a really interesting article. I never knew that inmates weren't allowed to donate their organs after receiving a death sentence. Some inmates have been able to donate their organs, but it was if they died in a hospital. My main problem with this is that a killer's kidney is no different from a non-killer's kidney. One woman quoted in the article says that she wouldn't care even if she had to have a killer's heart transplanted into her. Many people are desperate for any organ donation. There may be something different in a killer's brain, but we aren't talking about doing brain transplants. That wouldn't work out for a variety of other reasons. I just do not understand why a liver or kidney transplant, for example, can't be done.
Hot Fingers
Some of you may remember the study that was talked about a few years back on the relative length of a woman's fingers, and her (suspected) exposure to androgens in the womb....well, the plot thickens....
http://news.discovery.com/human/men-ring-finger-attractive-women-110420.html
http://news.discovery.com/human/men-ring-finger-attractive-women-110420.html
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