Violence in North American society is a topic that is reflected in popular media and is often the premise of so-called reality television shows. However, real-life violence as experienced by the victims and their families has a meaning and a dimension that few individuals can truly feel or appreciate. The tragic and horrifying case of the murder of Reena Virk, and the trials of her killers, is one of those seemingly incomprehensible social events that can evoke feelings of despair and hopelessness for the average citizen. And yet, as painful as it is, we must attempt to come to terms with the darkest elements in human society. If we do not learn something from cases such as the apparently meaningless murder of a young teenager by her peers, we will in a significant way have failed the victim, in this case, Reena Virk.
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Monthly Archives: May 2000
Conditional Sentencing: Effective or Not?
Punishment, rehabilitation, or revenge? In an enlightened society, it is presumed that prisons will redress wrongs in the best interests of society as a whole. The perplexing issue of prison sentences is whether they accomplish what they are intended to. Do they change sociopathic human behaviour and allow a criminal member of society to reintegrate into the mainstream population and ultimately to contribute to the general health of the nation, or do they in fact have the opposite effect, of perpetuating criminal behaviour? These are the fundamental and problematic questions in this story.
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Iran: The Winds of Change
CBC’s foreign correspondent Neil MacDonald recently had a unique insider’s view of this troubled and troubling nation, and his reports form the heart of this story. In this News in Review report we examine this complex society that few in the West understand to any great extent and we assess whether the country’s attempts to liberalize after years of clerical rule are successful. Archival and historical material shows the Canadian connection and the importance of Iran to international politics.
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Hockey Injuries: What Price Glory?
Can it still be called sport or a game when the increasing number of brutal and debilitating injuries point to a subculture of physical aggression and violence that some critics say has become inherent in hockey? What social and marketing factors contribute to the violence in a sport that once enjoyed a pristine reputation? What is the true nature of sport? Why do humans play contact sports? Is there in fact any glory left in professional hockey? These are some of the unavoidable questions this story poses.
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