Hate Crimes in New York

Hate Crimes in New York Summary Under the assessment of the problem, the problem that is under investigation will be identified and discussed (hate crimes in New York) in detail by examining the various facts and information available on the problem. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Hate Crimes in New York specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The historical time line of the project will also be discussed where the events that provided a background to the problem will be identified and explained. Quantitative information will also be used to provide a more realistic description of the problem. The policies that are available to deal with the problem will also be identified and highlighted within the research paper to determine their effectiveness in dealing with the problem under study. The literature review section of the paper will involve analyzing the various sources of literature that contain information on the problem. The literature revi ew will involve assessing reports, publications, articles, journals and scholarly books to gain more information on the topic. The stakeholder analysis section of this research paper will involve identifying the various clients and stakeholders of the research information. These are the people who will be affected by the research findings and who will be responsible in implementing the policies designed to deal with the problem. The stakeholders are also the clients of the study’s outcomes. Option specification will involve identifying 3 to 5 options that can be used to remedy the problem at hand. Each of these options will be designed to include a change to the policy that has been used in dealing with the problem. The options will be discussed in a table format where the changes that are involved will be highlighted as well as the people responsible for implementing the change. The general view of the stakeholders will also be determined to see if they agree to the change s in policy. The option analysis section will deal with a five step basic assessment of the options outlined in the option specification stage. The first step will involve conducting a political feasibility to determine whether there is stakeholder consensus or opposition to the plan. Advertising Looking for essay on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An administrative feasibility assessment will also be conducted to determine whether there will be any complexities during the implementation of the plan as well as legal constraints. The financial feasibility assessment will be conducted to determine whether any expenditures or savings will be derived from the options chosen to change the policy. Equity will involve determining the fairness of the options selected in dealing with those affected by the problem while effectiveness will determine whether the selected options or option will achieve the desired results. Once the five step basic assessment has been conducted, a suitable recommendation will be selected to deal with the problem. Introduction The purpose of this project will be to focus on the topic of hates crimes in the state of New York which has been on the increase and how these hate crimes can be reduced through the formulation of effective policies. Hate crimes are any acts of violence or discrimination that are directed towards an individual believed to belong to a certain social group or society which can be a religious group, an ethnic society, a political affiliation or a sexual orientation group (Bell, 2002: Bowling, 2003). Hate crimes usually involve physical violence, assault or damage to property and any other form of violence that is directed to an individual that belongs to any of the above mentioned groups. Hate crimes are a serious offence as they cause a lot of psychological trauma to the people who are victims of this form of violence (Jacobs P otter, 1998). The NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services defines hate crimes as any criminal acts that involve violence, intimidation and destruction of property based on biasness and prejudice of an individual believed to be from a minority group. The NYS law stipulates that a person is guilty of committing a hate crime when they intentionally intimidate or persecute a person based on their religion and religious practices, race, color, gender, disability or sexual orientation. A person is also guilty of committing a hate crime when they intentionally commit the act with the full knowledge or belief of the victim’s religion, gender, disability, ethnic background, sexual orientation and color (New York State, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Hate Crimes in New York specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The current laws and policies in place to deal with hate crimes have mostly focused on defining the spe cific acts that constitute hate crimes, defining perpetrators of hates crimes under the penalty-enhancement laws and creating distinct civil actions that are meant to deal with hate crimes (Spodek, 2010). In the United States, the laws that are in place to deal with hate crimes mostly focus on persecuting people who are found guilty of committing hate crimes on individuals perceived to be from a different religion, nation, sexual orientation, gender or race. Hate crimes are a criminal offence in all of the states of America and the penalties that are usually served to hate crime perpetrators are usually very severe (Schwartz, 2006). Clients of the Research The purpose of this policy analysis will be to analyze and assess hate crimes in New York and the policy framework that has been instituted by the state of New York to address the escalating cases of hate crimes in the state. The information gathered from this policy analysis is meant to provide important data to the various gov ernment and state agencies within New York that are involved in human rights and hate crime awareness campaigns that will enable them to react to the growing cases of hate crimes directed towards minority groups. The information garnered from this study will also be useful in helping government agencies such as the Office of the Governor of New York and the Mayor to formulate important policies that are meant to deal with hate crimes in New York and the United States in general Role of the Researcher As an independent analyst contracted by the state of New York to assess the policies that exist on hate crimes, my role in the policy analysis process will be to analyze the various facts, findings, discussions and literature that exist on hate crimes in the state of New York and also carry out an assessment of the problem under study by looking at the various actions that lead to the increase of hate crimes in New York. The role of the policy analyst will also be to gain vital quanti tative data on the problem under assessment by reviewing various statistics and reports that have been done on hate crimes in the state of New York. By reviewing important statistical information, the analyst will be able to provide useful facts that will shade more light on hate crimes and the victims of hate crimes in the state of New York.Advertising Looking for essay on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Action Forcing Event of the Research The action forcing event that has formed the foundation for this research is the increasing prevalence of hate crimes in the state of New York. A hate crime that occurred in 2008 that was a cause of alarm for many statesmen in New York was the attack of two Ecuadorian brothers, Jose Sucuzhanay and Romel Sucuzhanay on December 8, 2008. The perpetrators of the Ecuadorian attack were anti-gay and anti-Hispanic racists who attacked the two brothers because they were Hispanics and they also believed that they were gay. The attack which took place in Brooklyn ended with Jose Sucuzhanay losing his life five days after being admitted in hospital. This attack together with other hate crimes that occurred the following year showed the escalating cases of hate crime in the state of New York (Division of Human Rights, 2009). Assessment of the Problem According to Fetzer (2010), hate crimes have increased in New York by 14 percent between 2008 and 2009 comp ared to the previous year’s reported cases of hate crimes. Most of these hate crimes according to Fetzer have been directed towards members of the Jewish community, homosexuals, African-Americans and people from the Hispanic community. According to the study, the number of hate crimes that were reported to the New York State Police in 2009 amounted to 683 with the most common violent acts being intimidation and vandalism/destruction of property. In 2008, the number of hate crimes reported to the state authorities totaled 599 with the most common targets being members from religious groups, ethnic communities and sexual orientation groups. These figures are in sharp contrast with the hate crimes reported in 2007 which totaled 493 cases that were directed towards members of a different ethnic race, religion sexual orientation, ethnicity and disability. In 2007, religious groups had the highest number of hate crime offenses when compared to 2008 statistics which showed that ha te crimes were committed against people of a different ethnic race or nationality (Fetzer, 2010). Problem Definition In the state of New York, hate crimes mostly occur because of the social differences and prejudices that exist within the society where the country’s most populous state has citizens that practice different lifestyles and ways of living (Gerstenfeld, 2011). The growing number of ethnic communities in the state has also contributed to the high number of hate crime incidences in New York. The remarkable diversity that is being experienced in New York has presented a major challenge for both the local authorities and citizens of the state as a result of the many ethnic groups and societies that live within the state. This has created a situation where many of these groups want their needs to be catered for at the expense of average New York citizens (Levin Amster, 2007). Historical Timeline and Background of the Problem The history of hate crimes in New York mos tly has its background in the racial discrimination that many African-American and Hispanic communities faced in the early 20th century. Racial discrimination becomes a form of hate crime especially when it becomes violent and harmful. Many African-Americans faced a lot of discrimination during the 19th and 20th century which was demonstrated by slavery and violent acts on colored people. These violent acts were mostly mob beatings, rapes, violent attacks and assaults on people who had African origins. Such discrimination paved the way for hate crimes in the United States where the same ethnic group continued to be attacked and assaulted because of the color of their skin (Tynes et al, 2009). To respond to hate crimes in the state of New York, Governor George Pataki signed a piece of legislation known as the New York Hate Crimes Act in 2000 which was enacted in the same year to deal with the growing cases of bias or prejudice-based hate crimes in the state. Under the Hate Crimes Act, people who discriminated against others because of their color, race, gender or sexual orientation were termed to be hate crime offenders who were subject to prosecution by the State of New York. The act specified the type of punishment hate crime offenders would be subjected to if they were found to guilty of committing hate crimes. The Hate Crimes Act also specified the type of crimes that were considered to be hate crimes or bias motivated crimes committed against the members of a protected minority group. Despite this being the only law used to deal with hate crimes in New York, it marked the beginning of government initiatives in the state of New York to deal with hate crimes (Kristi, 2010). Quantitative Information about the Problem The trend of hate crimes against members of minority groups such as homosexuals, African-Americans, the Jewish, Hispanics and disabled people continued to increase during the end of the 20th century and the beginning of 20th century where man y states in America recorded high incidences of hate crimes against people of different ethnic orientation. These incidences were mostly common in urban and socially diverse societies that hosted a variety of socially oriented individuals from different ethnic communities and societies (Herek et al, 1998). According to data released by the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) the incidence of hate crime began to escalate or increase in the year 2000 where 450 more cases of hate crimes were reported to have been committed against homosexuals and 1500 more cases of hate crimes were reported to have occurred in members of a different ethnic race (Shively, 2005). This increase in ethnic motivated hate crimes continued to increase over eight years where according to data released by the Division of Criminal Justice in New York in 2008, hate crime offenses committed against people of a different ethnic race recorded a higher percentage increase of 14% when compared to crimes committed against t he other groups which fall under the protected minority groups (Fetzer, 2009). Policies on Hate Crime Most of the hate crime legislature and policies in existence today within the US were developed after the Civil War to deal with the colorblind system of justice and inequality of ethnic communities during that time. Statutes such as Section 241 and 242 were incorporated into the US constitution to deal with individuals who had perpetrated hate crimes on other people. Some of the acts and policies that fall under these statutes include the first Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act, the Hate Crimes Statistics Act and the Church Arson Prevention Act which was meant to prevent racial attacks on Black American churches (Streissguth, 2009). Many states in the US have implemented policies to deal with hate crimes and other acts of discrimination that are identified to be hate crimes. While these policies differ from state to state, their main focus is o n punishing offenders of hate crimes who are deemed to be criminal perpetrators by the American law (Cogan, 2002). Many law enforcement agencies in the US have designed and developed policies that are meant to deal with hate crimes in the various states (Gerstenfeld Grant, 2004). In New York, various hate crime policies have been formulated to deal with various forms of discrimination, vandalism, assault or violent attacks on women (Jenness, 2003), disabled persons or people believed to be from different social groups and communities. The state has incorporated a hate crime statute under the Hate Crimes Bill H.R. 2647 that is meant to deal with hate crimes committed against its citizens who are either Americans or Non-Americans. The statute developed by the New York State Division of Human Rights to address any violent, discriminate and socially biased acts committed against the socially diverse citizens of the state (Division of Human Rights, 2009). The Hate Crimes Act of 2000 is the main statute and law that is used by the state of New York to deal with hate crimes and hate crime offenses against people believed to be from a protected minority group in America. The Hate Crimes Act of 2000 was enacted into law in 2000 by Governor George Pataki to address the increases cases of hate crimes that were taking place in the state at an escalating rate. During its first year of enactment, the Hate Crimes Act was able to bring down the incidences of hate crimes committed against people of a different sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious affiliation and gender based on a 2002 report released by the Uniform Crime Reports organization (Shively, 2005). While hate crimes still persisted in New York, the act was able to provide law enforcement agencies with the ability to persecute people found guilty of committing hate crime offenses in the state. Literature Review Nature of the Problem There has been a dramatic increase in hate crime literature and research whic h has contributed in part to government collection programs and statistics that contain qualitative and quantitative information on hate crimes. The nature of hate crimes in New York is mostly characterized by the type of people targeted by hate crimes and also how the crimes are perpetuated. For example in 2008, there was an escalating case of hate crimes committed on people from certain ethnic communities, sexual orientation groups and religious groups within the state. Some of these hate crimes included the brutal attack of a Muslim teenager in 2008 by four American teenagers, the stabbing of an Ecuadorian immigrant, Marcelo Lucero by a mob of teenagers in Long Island looking for Latinos to beat up, the shooting of a transgender woman by a perpetrator who thought she was gay and the violent attack of two Ecuadorian brothers in Brooklyn by three anti-gay and anti-Hispanic men (Division of Human Rights, 2009). In the case of the Muslim teenager, the perpetrators were anti-Obama a s they shouted Obama while beating up the teenager with a baseball bat. The perpetrators in the stabbing of the Ecuadorian immigrant were teenagers who were discriminative of Latinos or people of Hispanic descent as they had said they were driving around Patchogue looking for Latinos to beat up. In the case of Latiesha Green, a transgender woman, the perpetrator shot her because he thought that she was gay. This mistaken identity was mostly attributed to the fact that she was sitting inside a car with her brother. The perpetrators of the Ecuadorian attack were anti-gay and anti-Hispanic racists who attacked the two brothers because they were Hispanics and they also believed that they were gay (Division of Human Rights, 2009). These alarming incidences of hate crimes demonstrate that the problem is escalating in the State of New York and that there is an urgent need to impose restrictions and measures that will ensure hate crimes are dealt with in New York. According to Perry (2003 ), the long term nature of hate crimes is that it never tends to stop unless the relevant authorities stop it through the implementation of effective interventions. Perry notes that the nature of these crimes usually ends in the loss of a life, property, income and the emotional destruction of a person’s well-being. The perpetrators of these crimes initially tend to instill fear in their victims and force them to leave or adapt to the normal way of life (Hall 2005). In response to the increasing cases of hate crimes against people of a different sexual orientation, race, religion and color, the New York State Division of Human Rights established a Hate Crimes Task Force (HCTF) in January 2009 to respond to the escalating cases of bias-motivated crimes in the State of New York. The purpose of this task force was to develop effective interventions that would be used to prevent hate crimes in New York as well as increase the awareness levels of New Yorkers to enable them build tolerance to all members of the society (Division of Human Rights, 2009). The Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in the Bronx area of New York have conducted outreach and awareness campaigns on the need to live harmoniously within the New York society (Grautski, 2010). The state of California has also been able to establish a hate crimes taskforce through a joint collaboration with the FBI office located in Riverside County and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in California. The hate crimes task force which was formed in 2003 was meant to address the escalating cases of hate crimes in the Los Angeles and Riverside Counties of California by enabling the local FBI to have more investigative depth when it came to investigating hate crimes in the state. One notable achievement of the task force was the arrest of 18 white supremacists who were in possession of guns, ammunition and Nazi pa raphernalia (FBI, 2006). Another state in America that has recorded high incidences of hate crimes is the state of Massachusetts which has established a hate crimes task force known as the Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes. This task force was created by Governor William Weld and it was later given a permanent status by Governor Paul Cellucci in 1998. The task force was meant to address hate crimes in the state of Massachusetts by creating awareness of what constitutes hate crimes in public schools and communities (Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2007). The state of New Jersey has also recorded high incidences of hate crimes mostly committed against homosexuals and lesbians. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation was established in 2006 to deal with the rising cases of homophobic attacks committed against members of the lesbian community (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2006). Other states that have developed hate crimes taskforces and committees to deal with the rising cases of hate crimes include the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation which helps the victims and families of hate crimes by offering them with protection and justice against hate crime perpetrators (TEP, 2011) and the Northern District of Texas Hate Crimes Task Force which was established by the state of Texas in collaboration with the civil rights working group in the area to deal with the awareness of communities in Dallas, Texas on hate crime offenses (FBI Dallas, 2011). State of Scholarly Knowledge and Research While there has been a long history of criminal literature that has mainly focused on bigotry and bias as aspects of crime, the study of hate crime began to receive some substantial frequency during the past recent years. The study of hate crime has increased from the occasional research work conducted during the 1980s by criminal researchers such as Finn and McNeil (1988) and Weiss and Ephross (1989) to a steady flow of studies, reports and quantitati ve data that has characterized many 21st century criminologists such as Berk et al (2003), Barnes and Ephross (1994), Dharmapala (2004), Boeckmann and Turpin (2002) and Kuehnle and Sullivan (2001). The various bodies of research that exist on hate crimes have outlined the various causes and consequences of hate crimes to be caused by social prejudices and societal indifferences where the original citizens of the society are not willing to adopt the styles of living of any new social or ethnic group (Craig, 2002). Other causes of hate crimes have been caused by the non-conformity to societal values and beliefs where new citizens to the society refuse to change their ways of living to suit the present society’s views and values (Craig, 2003). Economic and financial problems have also been a major contributor to the occurrence of hate crimes where the citizens of a particular society struggle to utilize the scarce resources that exist with that society (Perry, 2003). Moderniza tion and urbanization have also contributed in a large way to the various forms of hate crimes that mostly occur in highly urbanized and populous areas such as New York (Green et al, 2003: McPhail, 2002). The major conclusions that have been derived from hate crime studies conducted by Rayburn et al (2003), Steen and Cohen (2004) and Shively et al (2001) are that hate crimes are more prevalent than what has been reported in criminal investigations and government reports. This means that the majority of hate crime victims do not report any violent attacks and assaults to the police or any state agencies that deal with human rights. The conclusions of hate crime studies have also shown that hate crimes have a serious and negative consequence on the victims of these crimes who eventually suffer from psychological trauma (Flint, 2004). The research work has also concluded that the perpetrators of hate crimes are usually individuals who belong to certain extremist groups that are guide d by certain beliefs and values which they deem to be acceptable to the other members of the society (Shively, 2005). The theories that have been postulated to explain hate crimes include the behavioral and social sciences such as the personality theories where the various personalities and characteristics of people are analyzed to determine their behavior towards other people (Johnson Byers, 2003). The personality theories have proved to be important in determining the behavioral characteristics of individuals who commit hate crimes. Some of the personality theories have identified people who are aggressive in nature and also authoritative are more than likely to engage in hate crimes. Other theories that have been used to discuss the causes of hate crimes are the social and behavioral theories which mostly focus on the modernization of societies around the world and how members of these modern societies react to foreigners or groups that do not display similar tendencies and beh avior (Rose Mechanic, 2002). According the various studies that have been conducted on hate crime in the US, many states have implemented government-sponsored hate crime initiatives that involve the local justice and law enforcement agencies. Apart from government initiatives, various states have implemented statutes that are meant to protect their citizens against any hate crimes (Franklin, 2002). Washington and Oregon were the first states in America to enact hate crime statutes that were meant to persecute any perpetrators of hate crimes in those states. This paved the way for the other states in the country to enact statutes that would be used to deal with hate crimes directed towards religious groups, sexual orientation groups, political affiliation groups and disabled persons (Anti-Defamation League, 2003). Stakeholder Analysis Key Influential Players The six key influential players and organizations in the State of New York that have a direct impact on the formulation of ha te crime statutes, policies and laws include the Division of Human Rights, the Governor of the state of New York, the Hates Crime Task Force, law enforcement agencies and the Division of Criminal Justice (Division of Human Rights, 2009). The NYS Division of Human Rights in New York deals with the prosecution of offenders who have been found to engage in unlawful discriminatory practices against people of a protected minority group. The decision characteristics that are used by the Division of Human Rights in prosecuting hate crime offenders include the race, origin or ethnicity of the hate crime victims, the sexual orientation of the victims and their religious affiliations (Muslims, Islamists, Protestants and Jews). The Division of Human Rights usually receives, investigates and resolves any complaints of racial discrimination based on these characteristics (DHR, 2010). The key figure charged with the operation of DHR is the commissioner of the organization who is currently Galen Kirkland. He has developed a vocal stand against hate crimes by speaking against any form of discrimination or bias motivated attacks that have been done on people from a protected minority group. He has made his opinions clear about hate crimes by publicly responding to hate crime assaults that have been committed on minority groups within the state of New York. Kirkland publicly spoke out against the perpetrators of hate crime when he commented on the sentencing of Dwight DeLee, a hate crime perpetrator who killed a transgender woman, Lateisha Green, because he thought that she was gay. Kirkland supported the court’s decision to sentence DeLee to life imprisonment by saying that the decision was meant to serve as a reminder that the state of New York was not tolerant to hate crimes. Kirkland noted that changes needed to take place within the American society that would reduce the level of bigotry and biasness that existed amongst the various community members. This was a process that was going to take a lot of time but In the meantime, Kirkland together with the Governor developed a Hate Crime Task Force that would deal with hate crimes in New York (Mulvaney Centeno, 2009). The Office of the Governor in New York is mostly mandated with enforcing any state laws or policies that might affect the governance of New York. The Office of the Governor is instrumental in dealing with hate crimes in New York as it has the necessary authority and power to enact hate crimes policies and laws. The Governor’s office in New York established a Hate Crime Task Force in 2009 that would respond to the growing cases of hate crimes in the city. The decision characteristics that the office considered to deal with hate crimes in New York racially motivated offenses or attacks where the race characteristics include African Americans, Latinos, Muslims or Hispanics, religious motivated offenses where the decision characteristics include Muslim, Islamists or Jews, s exual-orientation offenses where the decision characteristics used to make a decision include homosexuals, lesbians or transgender or ethnically motivated hate crimes where the decision characteristics include nationality of the victim, community practices of the victim and the relationship that the victim’s home country has with the United States (Division of Human Rights, 2009). The previous Governor of New York, David Paterson, has also been instrumental in the enactment of various laws that will curb hate crimes in the United States. While he was not as vocal as Mayor Bloomberg or the commissioner of DHR, the Governor initiated several hate crime task forces to deal with the escalating cases of hate crimes especially after the death of Lateisha Green, the death of two Hispanic brothers and the brutal stabbing of a Muslim cab driver, Ahmed Hassan Sharif. The Hate Crimes Task Force (HCTF) which was established by the Office of the Governor is charged with dealing with vict ims of hate crimes as well as reporting hate crime perpetrators to the appropriate authorities. The HCTF is also charged with creating awareness of the diversity in the State of New York to ensure residents are tolerant of each other. The decision characteristics that the HCTF uses to carry out its mandate include the type of protected minority group targeted by bias motivated crimes (disabled, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race and color), the perpetrators of the crime (age, race, nationality, gender, and ethnicity) and the type of offense (murder, robbery, assault, intimidation, arson, burglary, vandalism, burglary). Some of the members of the task force include Tina Stanford, the chairlady of the Crime Victims Board and Lorraine Cortes, the Secretary of State of New York. Both Stanford and Cortes are dedicated to reducing the level of hate crimes in New York where each member in their own capacities deal with victims of hate crimes. For example Stanford manages the cri me victims board which deals with people who have been assaulted through racial motivation or minority group biasness. Cortes on the other hand deals with formulating policies and laws that will be used to deal with hate crime perpetrators in the state of New York. Cortes support for the Hate Crimes Task Force developed by Governor Paterson was evident when she commended him for developing a unit that would deal with the escalating cases of hate crime. Her support for dealing with hate crimes was also evident during the funeral of an Ecuadorian immigrant who had been killed Hispanic racists (Macropoulos, 2008). The law enforcement agencies that exist in the state of New York include the NYPD, the NYS Division of Criminal Justice, NYS Division of State Police and the NYS Department of Correctional Services. The main purpose of these government departments is to maintain order within New York by identifying, prosecuting and detaining criminal offenders. The decision characteristics that are used by these state agencies when dealing with cases of hate crimes include the type of protected minority group that has been targeted by bias motivated crimes (disabled, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race and color), the perpetrators of the crime (age, race, nationality, gender, and ethnicity) and the type of offense (murder, robbery, assault, intimidation, arson, burglary, vandalism, burglary). These five groups have the ability to impact on any decision the client chooses with regards to implementing a policy to counter the escalating cases of hate crimes in New York. Denise O’ Donnell, the Commissioner of the Division of Criminal Justice, has played an instrumental role in establishing the Hate Crimes Task Force in the western part of New York. Her professional history also demonstrates her dedication to reducing hate crimes and discrimination in the state of New York. For example, during her tenure as the chief federal prosecutor for the 17 counties th at fall in the western district of New York, O’Donnell was able to establish a program that would prevent discrimination when it came to housing for members from minority or ethnically diverse groups such as the Hispanics and the Black Americans. During her 2007 appointment as the commissioner of DCJ, O’Donnell vowed to reduce violent crime in the state which encompassed sexual offenses, gun violence and racially motivated crimes (DCJS, 2007). Key Influential Organizations Key Figures Division of Human Rights (DHR) Galen D. Kirkland, Commissioner of DHR Office of the Governor David A. Paterson, Governor of New York Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Denise E. O’Donnell, DCJ Commissioner Hate Crimes Task Force Tina Stanford (Chairlady, Crime Victims Board) and Lorraine Cortes (Department of State) Law Enforcement Agencies Colonel Tom Fazio, New York State Police Support to Change All these organizations have provided support to the various govern ment agencies in the state of New York such as the federal and state courts in persecuting perpetrators of hate crimes. Their continued support to vital government policies and statutes will be important as the US government is committed towards fighting hate crimes in the country. The Office of the Governor in the State of New York has proved to be an important government office as it has established the Hate Crime Task Force to deal with increasing cases of bias-motivated crimes in the state. Under the stewardship of Governor David A. Peterson, the taskforce has developed strategies and goals that will be used to prevent hate crimes within the state of New York by increasing the awareness of the citizens towards hates crimes. The taskforce is meant to cater to the diverse needs of the ethnically varied New York state and its citizens who have mostly been subjected to hate crimes such as vandalism, assault, verbal or physical attacks and discrimination (Division of Human Rights, 2009). Option Specification The current hate crimes policy in New York is meant to deal with any acts of violence that are committed against individuals from a sexual orientation group (homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals), an ethnic community in the United States (Hispanics, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans), a religious group (Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Islam) and a racial group (African-Americans, Asians). The options that are available to the government office in New York charged with the overall welfare of New Yorkers will be to; develop protocols for state agencies and community based organizations that are concerned with hate crime victims, create a hate crimes policy for all law enforcement agencies within the state of New York, provide hate crime training to state prosecutors, support the development of hate crime curricula that is meant to increase awareness on hate crimes in New York (Division of Human Rights, 2009). The first strategic option will involve developing protocols for s tate agencies and community based organizations that are involved with providing services to victims and witnesses of hate crimes. This will entail changing the policy that is concerned with protocols that are used in dealing with hate crimes. This policy change came about from the Immigration Subcommittee based in New York that developed a hate crime protocol that would be used to provide a consistent approach to responding to hate crime victims (Division of Human Rights, 2009). The proposed policy change to the hate crime protocol will therefore complement the work that is being done by the state agencies to address the plight of hate crime victims and witnesses by providing suitable guidelines that will be used to document hate crime offenses. The procedure will require all state agencies and organizations to seek assistance and report any hate crimes to the state of New York police force thereby reducing crimes related to hate. The state offices that will be responsible for t he implementation of the hate crime protocol will include the NYS immigration department, state agencies, community based organizations in New York and the Division of Human Rights. The second option will involve developing curricula that will be used to increase hate crime awareness and also reduce the social stigma of protected minority groups in the state of New York. This policy developed by the Education and Outreach Subcommittee in New York aims to develop curricula that will be used to reduce the stigma of minority groups in educational settings as well as in the New York society. This material will be distributed in various social institutions in the state to ensure that all members of the society are aware of the dangers of hate crimes. Increased awareness in the state will reduce the rate of hate crimes as victims will be able to speak out on any bias motivated offense committed against them and the members of the New York society will also be able to report any hate crim es witnesses and perpetrators to the police. Awareness will also ensure that the members of the society do not tolerate any hate crime offenses and are aware of the various human rights organizations that have been established to deal with this issue. The NYS state agencies that will be involved in the exercise include the State Education Department, NYS United Teachers (NYSUT), the Hate Crimes Task Force and the Office of the Governor. The third option that can be used to effect a policy change in hate crimes is conducting hate crime training for state prosecutors and attorneys in the state of New York. Experienced prosecutors who have dealt with hate crimes in the various counties of New York will go through a one-day training course that will enable them to learn on how to conduct hate crimes investigations, presenting hate crimes issues to juries and also how to work with community based organizations to reduce the cases of hate crimes in New York. Training prosecutors and all criminal attorneys on hate crimes will reduce the number of hate crimes in the State where attorneys will be able to properly present hate crimes court cases before the judiciary for appropriate persecution. The hate crimes training initiative for state prosecutors was a request made by the Deputy Secretary of the Division of Criminal Justice, Denise O’Donnell, who wanted the training of state prosecutors and attorneys updated. The state offices that will be responsible for the implementation will therefore be the Office of the District Attorney, the Depart of Justice for the State of New York, the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the New York Prosecutor’s Training Institute (NYPTI). The fourth option will involve developing hate crime policies for all law enforcement agencies in the state of New York. This will involve developing a model policy that will be used by all law enforcers in the state to deal with victims and witnesses of hate crimes. This policy option has its basis on the training of 400 law enforcement officers in 2008 that received training on domestic extremism in the state. This model policy will be useful in training officers on how they can be able to identify and define hate crimes and also what investigative steps they will use to deal with the perpetrators of hate crimes. The policy will also outline the procedure that police officers have to follow when investigating and arresting perpetrators of hate crimes. The policy and training is meant to reduce the level of hate crimes in New York by providing sensitivity training, hate crime investigative skills and correct hate crime offense reporting. The government offices and agencies that will be involved in the development of hate crime policies for law enforcement officers will be the NYS police departments and the arm of Criminal Justice Services. Evaluation Criteria The evaluation criteria that will be used analyzing the selected options will involve conductin g a political feasibility to determine whether all the major stakeholders agree to the changes on hate crime policies within the state. The administrative feasibility of the policy problem will involve determining the administrative complexities that will be involved in implementing any of the options as well as the labor and man hours needed to implement the policy changes. The financial feasibility as an evaluation criterion will assess each option to determine the amount of financial resources needed to implement and operationalize the policy in the state. Equity will measure whether the selected option will be fair to all the parties that are concerned with reducing the levels of hate crimes in the state while effectiveness will determine whether the selected option will effectively reduce the rate of hate crimes in New York. Effectiveness will be measured by monitoring the performance measures of the selected option. Option Analysis The political feasibility of the problem wi ll be determined by the extent of policy changes that need to be made to ensure the issue of hate crimes has been dealt with in the state. If all the political stakeholders of the policy such as the Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg agree that policy changes need to be made to the existing hate crime policies then the options suggested will be viable. The option of modifying the existing hate crime policies used by law enforcement agencies will be more politically viable than the other three options because it deals with hate crime policies that will be used by law enforcement agencies to deal with cases of hate crimes in New York. Since both the mayor and the Governor want to reduce the cases of hate crimes, this will be the most politically feasible option (Grattet Jenness, 2001). The administrative feasibility of training all state prosecutors and law enforcement agencies on hate crime protocols will not be administratively feasible as it will require a lot of time, money and resources to develop training programs for the many law enforcement officers and attorneys in the State of New York. The option of training public prosecutors on ways of handling hate crimes will also involve making a few amendments to the Penal Law of New York to ensure that state prosecutors are able to handle the different groups affected by hate crimes. These amendments to the Penal Law will include a subdivision that will deal with hate crimes committed on the personal property of a person believed to be from a different race, religion, nationality, gender, age or sexual orientations and another subdivision that will deal with the persecution of perpetrators believed to have committed hate crimes based on the protected classes of social groups mentioned in before (Marcus, 2002). This option will present some legal constraints and complexities to the obligated bodies during the implementation process which might in the end take a long time to implement. The administrative fe asibility of developing curricula for hate crime awareness is more preferable when compared to the other three options as it will ensure that a large area of the state has been covered by hate crime awareness campaigns and educational tours conducted by the State Education Department and the Hate Crimes Task Force. With regards to financial feasibility, the options of conducting hate crime training for state prosecutors and developing curricula that will be used for hate crime awareness will be more less costly when compared to developing policies for law enforcement agencies and protocols that will be used by community based organizations which will all require a substantive amount of money to be implemented into the Hate Crimes law that is currently use in the state of New York. Training state prosecutors on how to handle hate crimes will reduce the amount of time spent in court dealing with law suits or cases filed against suspects of hate crimes while training law enforcement o fficers will also reduce the amount of time and money spent on reporting and investigating hate crimes. The important stakeholders who are responsible for the financial feasibility of the policy change will be the Office of the Governor, the Division of Criminal Justice, the Office of the District Attorney and the Hate Crimes Task Force. In terms of equity, the option of modifying hate policies for law enforcers will be fair to the social groups mostly affected by hate crimes as it will enable the various police departments in New York to cater to the various victims and witnesses of hate crimes in New York. The policies will ensure that law enforcers are sensitized on how to handle victims of hate crimes so that they gain equitable justice. The participation of the police commissioner of the NYS state police department, Col. Tom Fazio, will ensure that all officers operating within the jurisdiction are sensitized on how to handle hate crimes and also conduct exhaustive investigati ons to ensure that the perpetrators of hate crimes have been apprehended. This option will therefore offer more equitability when compared to the other options. The effectiveness of the options will mostly be determined by whether it will reduce the rates of hate crime in New York. This will be measured by the performance outcome of the options where each option will be accorded a measure that will be used to assess whether it has been effective in reducing the rate of hate crimes within the state. As the policies have as yet not been implemented or effected, the effectiveness of the most suitable policy will be determined by the number of people that are targeted under the policy. The policy option of developing curricula based on hate crimes will reach a far larger number of people in the state when compared to training for state prosecutors and law enforcers as it will ensure that all the residents of the state have been sensitized on the importance of reducing stigma on protect ed minority groups. This option will therefore be more effective as a large number of people will be targeted by the awareness and sensitization efforts. Key Players/ Stakeholders Client Political Feasibility High High Administrative Feasibility High Moderate Financial Feasibility Moderate High Equity Low Moderate Effectiveness High High Recommendations While all the options will effectively deal with hate crimes in New York, the option that has a high probability of dealing with hate crimes is developing protocols that will be used by state agencies and organizations that deal with hate crimes. This option is more suitable and relevant to the current situation as it will be able to reduce the incidences of hate crime currently being experienced in the state of New York. Once the protocols are implemented, they will be able to effectively reduce the incidences of hate crimes as law enforcement agencies will be equipped with the necessary investigative and reporting procedures. Argument for the Option The development protocols of protocols for state agencies and organizations concerned with hate crime victims and witnesses is the best option of dealing with hate crimes in New York as it will not require any additional resources or staff to implement. This protocol will utilize the systems that currently exist to strengthen the consistent approaches of dealing with hate crime victims and witnesses. The hate crime protocols will compliment the work being done by the state agencies and organizations by providing more tools and materials that will be used to respond to hate crimes. The protocols will be used to provide training to police officers on how they can conduct hate crime investigations and they can also be used by the state prosecutor’s office to persecute hate crime offenders in court. Argument against the Options These protocols will however take a long time to implement and operationalise because they will necessitate administ rative and organizational restructuring which will require a lot of money. They will also need to be debated on by the various stakeholders of the policy change to determine whether they can be effective in reducing the rates of hate crimes in New York. These debates might be subject to political interference where the majority vote might see the protocols not being approved at all. In the long term however, they will equip many state agencies with the proper mechanisms and tools to deal with victims and witnesses of hate crimes where equipping community based employees will ensure that they are able to minimize the amount of psychological trauma incurred by the victim as a result of the hate crime. Closing Summary Once the most viable and feasible options have been selected, the next step for the policy analyst will involve presenting the selected options to the various stakeholders of the policy for debate and enactment. References Anti-Defamation League (ADL) (2003). State hate crimes/statutory provisions. New York: Anti-Defamation League Barnes, A., Ephross, P.H., (1994). The impact of hate violence on victims: emotional and behavioral responses to attacks. Social Work, 39(3), 247-251 Bell, J., (2002). Policing hatred. New York: New York University Press Berk, R.A., Boyd, E.A., Hammer, K.A., (2003). Thinking more clearly about hate-motivated crimes. Hate and Bias Crime, 49-60 Boeckmann, R.J., Turpin, P.C., (2002). Understanding the harm of hate crime. Journal of Social Issues, 58(2), 207-225 Bowling, B., (2003). Racial harassment and the process of victimization: conceptual and methodological implications for the local crime survey. Hate and Bias Crime, 61-76 Cogan, J.C., (2002). Hate crime as a crime category worthy of policy attention. American Behavioral Scientist, 46(1), 173-185 Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2007). Governor’s task force in hate crimes. Retrieved from: mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminalL=3L0=HomeL1=Crime+Prevention+%26+Personal+ SafetyL2=Personal+Safetysid=Eeopsb=terminalcontentf=eops_govtaskforce_hatecrimescsid=Eeops Craig, K.M., (2002). Examining hate-motivated aggression: a review of the social psychological literature on hate crimes as a distinct form of aggression. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 7(1), 85-101 Craig, K.M., (2003). Examining hate-motivated aggression: a review of the social psychological literature on hate crimes as a distinct form of aggression. Hate and Bias Crime, 109-116 Dharmapala, D., (2004). Penalty enhancement for hate crimes: an economic analysis. American Law and Economics Review, 6(1), 185-207 DCJS (2007, March). Denise O’Donnell confirmed as DCJS commissioner. Retrieved February 2, 2011 from: http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/pio/press_releases/2007-03-21_pressrelease.html DHR (2010). NYS Division of Human Rights. Retrieved from: dhr.state.ny.us/mission.html Division of Human Rights (2009, July). Hate crime task force recommendations. Retrieved from http://criminalj ustice.state.ny.us/pio/annualreport/hate_crimes_task_force_report.pdf FBI (2006). Behind the numbers: Hate crimes task force nets results. Retrieved from: fbi.gov/news/stories/2006/april/hatecrimes_041006 FBI Dallas (2011). Partnerships. Retrieved from: http://dallas.fbi.gov/partners.htm Fetzer, M., (2010, December). Hate crime in New York State 2009 annual report. Retrieved from: http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/crimnet/ojsa/hate-crime-in-nys-2009-annual-report.pdf Finn, P., McNeil, T., (1988). Bias crime and the criminal justice response. Cambridge, Massachusetts: ABT Associates Incorporated Flint, C., (2004). Introduction to spaces of hate: geographies of discrimination and intolerance in the USA. Spaces of Hate, 1-20 Franklin, K., (2002). Good intentions: the enforcement of hate crime penalty-enhancement statutes. American Behavioral Scientist, 46, 154-172 Gerstenfeld, P.B., (2011). Hate crimes: causes, controls, and controversies. Thousan Oaks, California: Sage Publications Gerstenfeld, P.B., Grant, D.R., (2004). Crimes of hate: selected readings. Thousand Oaks: California Grattet, R., Jenness, V., (2001). The birth and maturation of hate crime policy in the United States. American Behavioral Scientist, 45(4), 668-696 Grautski, A., (2010, October). Activists react to anti-gay hate crime. Retrieved from http://bronxink.org/2010/10/20/9363-activists-react-to-anti-gay-hate-crime/ Green, D.P., McFalls, L.H., Smith, J.K., (2003). Hate crime: an emergent research agenda. Hate and Bias Crime, 27-48 Hall, N., (2005). True crime. New Jersey: Willan Publishers Herek, G.M., Berrill, K., Berrill, K.T., (1998). Hate crimes; confronting violence against lesbians and gay men. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications Jacobs, J.B., Potter, K., (1998). Hate crimes: criminal law and identity politics. New York: Oxford University Press Jenness, V., (2003, August). Engendering hate crime policy: gender, the dilemma of difference and the creation of legal subjects. Retrieved from http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/againsthate/journal2/ghs101.pdf Johnson, S.D., Byers, B.D., (2003). Attitudes toward hate crime laws. Journal of Criminal Justice, 31(3), 227-235 Kuehnle, K., Sullivan, A., (2001). Patterns of anti-gay violence: an analysis of incident characteristics and victim reporting. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 928-943 Kristi, R., (2010). New York state hate crime laws. Retrieved from: ehow.com/list_6810344_new-state-hate-crime-laws.html Levin, B., Amster, S.E., (2007). Making hate history: hate crime and policing in America’s most diverse city. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(2), 319-348 Marcus, N. A., (2002). Perceptions of hate crime perpetrators and victims as influenced by race, political orientation and peer group. American Behavioral Scientist, 46(10), 108-135 Macropoulos, A., (2008). In mourning an immigrant, a call for unity on Long Island. Retrieved from: McPhail, B.A., (2002). Gender boas hate crimes: a review. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse: A Review Journal, 3(2), 125-143 Mulvaney, J.E. Centeno, L., (2009, August). Statement by Division of Human Rights Commissioner Galen Kirkland on the Sentencing of Dwight DeLee. Retrieved from dhr.state.ny.us/pdf/nysdhr_statement_lateisha_green.pdf National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (2006). Act locally: New Jersey. Retrieved from thetaskforce.org/activist_center/act_locally/new_jersey New York State (2003, July). Hate crimes act of 2000: Laws of New York, 2000. Retrieved from http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/legalservices/ch107_hate_crimes_2000.htm Perez, R., (2010, January). Where do hate crimes happen in the US? Retrieved from: tableausoftware.com/public/blog/2010/01/hatecrimes Perry, B., (2003). Accounting for hate-crime. Hate and Bias Crime, 97-108 Rayburn, N.R., Mendoza, M., Davison, G., (2003). Bystander’s perceptions of perpetrators and victims of hate crime. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18, 1055-1074 Rose, S.M., Mechanic, M.B., (2002) .Psychological distress, crime features, and help-seeking behaviors related to homophobic bias incidents. American Behavioral Scientist, 46(1), 14-26 Schwartz, L., Ulit, I.T., Morgan, D., (2006). Straight talk about hate crime bills: anti-gay, anti-transgender bias stall federal hate crimes legislation. Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law, 7(2), 171-186 Shively, M., (2005, June). Study of literature and legislation on hate crime in America. Retrieved from: ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/210300.pdf Shively, M., McDevitt, J., Cronin, S., Balboni, J., (2001). Understanding the prevalence and characteristics of bias crime in Massachusetts high schools. Northeastern Center for Criminal Justice Policy Research Spodek, T., (2010, April). Hate crimes in New York State. Retrieved from: globalpolitician.com/26375-hate-crimes-courts-laws Steen, S., Cohen, M., (2004). Assessing the public’s demand for hate crime penalties. Justice Quarterly, 21, 91-124 Streissguth, T., (2009). Ha te crimes. New York: Infobase Publishing TEP (2011). Report a hate crime. Retrieved from tnep.org/html/hatecrimereport.php Tynes, B.M., Neville, H.A., Utsey, S.O., (2009). Handbook of African American psychology. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications

Exciting Chiang Mai Attractions Top 20 Things to See and Do

Exciting Chiang Mai Attractions Top 20 Things to See and Do SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Chiang Mai, the ancient city in northern Thailand, is lovingly referred to asthe Rose of the North. Founded in 1296, Chiang Mai has over 300 Buddhist temples shining within and around its city walls. The modern city grew up besidethese golden shrines and crumbling monasteries, creating the beautiful, laid-back city that’s a favorite among travelers and expats today. I was fortunate enough to spend a month in Chiang Mai, and I’ve never felt such a sense of cultural fascination, well-being, or quality of life for the cost of living. When friends ask me for recommendations about Thailand, I have one that trumps all the rest. Go to Chiang Mai, I tell them. You’ll love it. Top Things to Do In Chiang Mai: Table of Contents I’ve picked out the top 20 things to do when you visit Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. Since it’s a long list, here’s a table of contents to help you jump to any particular Chiang Mai attractions that stand out. Gaze at Golden Temples Shop, Sample, and Stroll Through the Markets Make Friends With Elephants Get a Thai Massage Take a Thai Cooking Class Watch Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), or Go to Muay Thai Training Camp Experience the Unforgettable Yi Peng Festival Explore the Trendy Neighborhood of Nimmanhaemin Take a Yoga Class Chatwith a BuddhistMonk Visit the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand Go Rock Climbing Go Whitewater Rafting Zip Line Over the Jungle Go Jungle Trekking Attend a Traditional Khantoke Dinner and Show See a Cabaret Show Rent a Motorbike Check Out Chiang Mai University Get a Bamboo Tattoo One thing that often gives me pause about traveling to a new place is exactly how to get around. Before delving into this list of what to do in Chiang Mai, read this quick note ongeography and transportation. A Note on How to Get Around Chiang Mai One important thing that you should know about Chiang Mai geography is that there’s an old town and a new town. The Old City is a square area located inside stone walls. These walls were built inthe 13th century to defend Chiang Mai from Burma and the Mongol Empire. There are lots of hotels, hostels, restaurants, and tour agencies geared toward tourists in the Old City. The newer part of the city is everything outside the walls. Most people who live in Chiang Mai live outside the city walls. You can find plenty of restaurants, cafes, markets, and shops outside the walls, too. The square section on this Chiang Mai map is the Old City. It's surrounded by the remains of a stone wall from the 13th century. My suggestions for Chiang Mai attractions are scattered within and outside thecity walls, and some take you further afield into the surrounding hills and jungle. Since the city is so friendly to travelers (in fact, it’s trying to become a UNESCO-recognized â€Å"Creative City,† and its tourism sector is part of that initiative) you’ll find that transportation is easy and cheap. You can take tuk tuks, a songthaew (a pick-up truck that may make several stops), or arrange for transportation as part of a tour activity. Songthaews are less expensive than tuk tuks - usually less than a dollar for trips inside the city - and tuk tuks shouldn’t be more than $3.00. Most prices, even for organized Chiang Mai tours, are negotiable! Now let’s delve into the top 20 things to do during yourChiang Mai trip. In case you were wondering, yes, there will be lots of recommendations for delicious Thai food to eat. 1. Gaze at Golden Temples Chiang Mai is a center of Buddhism, and you’ll see lots of temples and monks in orange robes as you walk along its streets. Since its foundation over 700 years ago, Chiang Mai has had a lot of time to build shrines to Buddha. In fact, there are hundreds of intricately carved temples throughout the city, as well as crumbling ruins dating back to the 13th century. The temples are beautiful, with elaboratecarvings, detailed murals, bright colors, large Buddhas, and statues of elephants and other animals. I always felt a pervasive sense of calm stepping inside the colorful temples, surrounded by flowers and incense wafting through the air. Walking around the streets and stepping into temples is agreat way to spend a morning before the afternoon heat sets in. Below are a few special temples that you should visit, but I bet you'll find your own favorites, too. Chiang Mai Temples You Should Visit Wat Doi Suthep: This is the most famous temple in Chiang Mai and is recognizable as a symbol ofthe city. It was built in 1383 and perches atop a mountain about 15 km outside Chiang Mai. Wat Doi Suthep is a brilliant gold temple surrounded by chedi, Buddhist mound-like structures also known as stupas. To get to this temple, you can climb 304 steps flanked by mosaic serpents or take a tram. At the top, you’ll see sweeping views over Chiang Mai and airplanes landing in the distance. Wat Chedi Luang: At 82-meters, this 14th century temple is one of the largest in Chiang Mai. You can find the colorful Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai’s historic center. Wat Phra Singh: Come to Wat Phra Sing to see the impressive and large golden Phra Buddha Singh statue. This temple was built in 1345 and restored in the 1920s. Wat Buppharam: Step just outside the city walls to see this 1497 temple. It has beautifully intricate mosaics and the largest teak Buddha image in Thailand. Wat Suan Dok: This temple is unique for its Sri Lanka-style architecture. It’s surrounded by white stupas and was founded in 1370. Wat Chiang Man: Built in 1297, this temple is special for its quartz crystal Buddha statue and detailed elephant statues. Temple Etiquette: What You Need to Know Both men and women should dress modestly to enter temples. You should cover your knees and shoulders, so no tank tops or shorts allowed inside. Some of the larger temples, like Wat Doi Suthep, will have shawls, pants, or wraps for you to rent, but smaller temples won’t, so you should go prepared. Similarly, don’t wear hats or sunglasses inside, and you should always take your shoes off before entering a temple. Beyond clothing, you should also be careful about gestures. It’s considered rude to point at others or the Buddha with your hands or your feet. It’s also expected that people back away from Buddha, rather than turn their back to him, when leaving the temple. Even though Chiang Mai can get hot, it’s generally a good idea to bring some sort of covering when meandering through the old city. I regret the times I saw a beautiful temple andcouldn’t go in because of my bare shoulders! 2. Shop, Sample, and Stroll Through the Markets There are so many bustling street markets throughout Chiang Mai, it’s almost hard to understand how they all fit! Some are daytime markets selling fresh fruits and vegetables, others are night markets for dinner, drinks, and shopping, and others fill the streets once a week for vendors to sell their crafts. Discovering new foods and crafts at the markets was one of my favorite things to do in Chiang Mai. Note that the food tends to have fixed prices, but everything else is usually fair game for haggling. Below are my recommendations for must-see markets in Chiang Mai, followed by some tips for what to eat and buy! Chiang Mai Markets You ShouldVisit Night Bazaar: This market’s open every single night from 6pm until midnight. It’s mainly a shopping market with a huge number of clothes, souvenirs, shoes, watches, and other goods. Some indoor shops sell real designer brands, but most goods out on the street are knock-offs. You won’t find as many high quality crafts here as you will at other markets (but you will find lotsof pirated DVDs). There are restaurants all around the market, as well as a big outdoor food court and Muay Thai ring behind it. The Night Bazaar sprawls along Chang Klan Road. Morning Market at Chiang Mai Gate: This morning market opens at 4:30 am and goes until noon at Chiang Mai Gate. Locals come here to buy fruits, vegetables, spices, and other foods. You can especially get a taste of local life if you show up early. Stalls with cooked food open up in this same spot around 5 pm for dinner. Wua Lai Street Saturday Market: This Saturday night market stretches the length of Wu Lai Road from 4:30 PM until around 10 PM. In addition to delicious food, you can find beautiful handicrafts made of wood, paper, and silk. The area is also known for its silver-making studios. Ratchadamonoen Road Sunday Market: The Sunday night market is similar to the Saturday night one. It stretches over a kilometer down Ratchadamnoen and Pra Singh Roads and is ever-growing! You’ll find amazing food stalls, traditional handicrafts, artwork, and clothes. Come here, rather than the Night Bazaar, for authentic Thai crafts. Keep in mind that it can get packed by 6 or 7. You might end up doing a slow shuffle through big crowds. Warorot Market: This large market in the center of Chiang Mai is open all day, every day. Some stalls close down around 6 pm, while others stay open well after dark. The main attraction is the countless food stallsselling all manner of Thai snacks, cooked foods, meats, and fresh fruits and vegetables. You’ll also find handicrafts and textiles from northern hill tribes on the side streets. Warorot Market is located at the end of Chiang Moi Road, near the Ping River Muang Mai Market: Touted as a â€Å"raw fooder’s paradise,† Muang Mai Market is great for wholesale fruit at unbeatable prices. It’s smaller than some of Chiang Mai’s other markets. You can also buy vegetables, meat, and seafood here. Muang Mai Market is open from dawn until dusk and is located on the northeastern side of the old city on Muang Samut Road. What to Eat Now let’s get toa subject of utmost importance - food! Chiang Mai street food is incredible and oh so cheap. You’ll probably end up spending somewhere between $1 and $3 for some of the best dinners of your life. Make sure to try khao soi, the speciality dish of Chiang Mai. It has egg noodles in a coconut curry broth and is usually served with lime, roasted chili, mustard greens, shallots, and crispy egg noodles on top. If you’re looking for stir fry, some great options are pak boon fai deang (morning glory), pat kha pao (a stir-fry with chili and basil), and pat prik gaeng (a red curry stir fry). Kaen khanun, or jackfruit curry, is also a delicious, unique kind of curry. Khao soi is the specialty of Chiang Mai. So. delicious. For meat, you might try the khao kha moo (stewed pork shank or knuckle often served with boiled egg, raw garlic, pickled mustard greens and chilly vinegar), kai yang (barbecued chicken), or sai oua (a grilled herb sausage). You might also try larb, usually ground pork or chicken cooked with spices and sometimes the blood of the animal. Some ubiquitous dishes you might be familiar with are pad thai, pad see ew, and tom yum soup, a spicy soup with lemongrass, kaffir lime leavs, galangal (Thai ginger), lime juice, fish sauce, and chili peppers. Two of my favorite snacks I discovered in the markets of Chiang Mai were steamed quail eggs, often sweetened with coconut, and miang kham, bite sized snacks wrapped inside cha plu leaves. They usually contain peanuts, ginger, chillies, shallots, green mango, and onions and are a taste explosion of sweet and spicy. You’ll also be able to find crickets and other insects to snack on, but for some reason I never found myself in the mood... Finally, you’ll see fresh juices and smoothies everywhere with all kinds of familiar and exotic fruits. One fruit that you should try for the experience - though maybe not the taste - is durian fruit. Hailed asthe King of Fruits, this controversial fruit is loved by some and despised by others. I’m glad I tried it, but to be brutally honest, the texture and taste reminded me of warm garbage. Durian, king of the (gross) fruits. What to Buy at the Markets One of my favorite things to buy at the markets was clothing. You can find colorful patterned pants, dresses, jumpers, shirts, and scarves at super reasonable prices, though the quality can vary. You’ll also find leather sandals and handcrafted jewelry. You’ll find traditional crafts made of wood, silk, ceramics, and paper, as well as prettylacquerware, typically bowls, boxes, and bracelets. You can also find lots of soaps and lotions with natural ingredients - coconut oil is a big ingredient. You may also be interested in the singing bowls, which are used for meditation and relaxation. The typically hand-hammered brass bowls come with a handle that you move around the outside at a steady pace to produce a steady ringing sound. Again, the Saturday and Sunday night markets are the best places to find traditional handicrafts, while the Night Bazaar has a lot of clothes and knock-off goods. 3. Make Friends with Elephants One of my most memorable experiences from Chiang Mai was visiting elephants. Three things I learned: elephants have very thick, wiry skin, their eyes show a great deal of intelligence and understanding, and they will eat a huge cluster of bananas in one gulp if you leave itunattended on the ground. You might have heard the sad statistics about elephant endangerment in Asia as a result of poaching and habitat destruction, as well as the huge problem of mistreatment of elephants in the tourism industry. Elephants are not actually supposed to carry weight on their back for longer than a few hours a day, and many tour agencies force them to carry people and wooden structures for eight hours or more. They also suffer abuse at the hands of their owners who want them to be docile for visiting tourists. Fortunately, there are three great elephant sanctuaries outside of Chiang Mai that rescue abused elephants and provide them with a caring, safe environment to live. These sanctuaries invite visitors to meet the elephants and learn about ethical and sustainable eco-tourism. In general, it’s best to look for a place committed to humane practices that will let you meet, feed, and bathe elephants, but not ride them. Below are three suggestions for elephant sanctuaries outside of Chiang Mai where you can meet and make friends with these magnificent animals. Elephant Sanctuaries Outside Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park: This center for elephant rescue and rehabilitation is probably the most established and well known among travelers. Also a rescue for dogs, cats, and buffalo, Elephant Nature Park lets you visit for a half day, full day, or overnight stay. It also has options for week-long volunteering. These are the prices for the day and overnight visits. You can find all the details on the Elephant Nature Park website. Short visit: 9 - 3:30, 2,500 baht, about $72 Full day visit: 7:40 - 5:30, 2,500 baht, about $72 Overnight visit: 7:40 am to 5:30 pm next day, 5,800 baht, about $166 Elephant Jungle Sanctuary: I stayed overnight in Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, the newest center that opened in mid-2014. You can visit for a half day in the morning or afternoon, a full day, or a full day with an overnight. These are the visiting options: Half day morning, half day afternoon: 1700 baht, about $49 Full day: 2,400 baht, about $69 Full day with overnight: 4,900 baht, about $140 I had an amazing experience staying overnight. I met fellow travelers from all over the world, learned from the sanctuary’s owners, and got a tour of their village (which, surprisingly, was a Christian village with a church). We made dinner, drank locally made rice wine, and went on a morning hike with one of the sanctuary’s elephants. The full day before also involved feeding and spending time with elephants and bathing them in the river and â€Å"mud spa.† Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary: Like the others, this sanctuary cares for rescued and retired elephants. This 500-acre center was named after its first rescued elephant who broke his back legs and received the first elephant wheelchair. People typicallystay at Boon Lott for at least one night. The price to stay in their guesthouse is 5,000 baht per night, or around $140. 4. Get a Thai Massage Tara Angkor Hotel/Flickr There’s a huge spa industry in Chiang Mai, and you’ll see massages advertised everywhere throughout the old city. There are casual places where you can just walk in to higher end dayspas that offer multi-hour combined packages. While people may have an association of cheap massage places with sex work, I didn’t find that to be an issue here, at least not at places in the Old City. For the most part, I’d say use your best judgment that the place is casual, but not seedy. Thai massages range from only about $5 to $15 for an hour. Most places offer a variety of massage types, but you should definitely try the traditional Thai massage when you’re in Chiang Mai. It’s an ancient healing practice that targets pressure points. You’ll be given loose clothes to put on. In addition to rubbing, the massage therapist will compress and stretch parts of your body and put you into passive yoga positions, like supine twists. I was a little nervous trying it for the first time, but I absolutely loved it. I did have a couple Thai massages where the pressure was way too intense, but I just asked the massage therapist to use a lighter touch. Massage parlors also offer foot massages, head, neck, and back massages, coconut oil massages, and skin treatments. It’s customary to tip for good service, perhaps 50 to 100 baht (between $1.50 and $3.50). Also note that you should always take your shoes off before entering; the first part of the massage will be washing your feet. Here are a few recommendations for spas in Chiang Mai. Where toGo for a Thai Massage Kiriya Spa Vana: This higher end spa has beautiful ambiance and amazing massages. Thai massages are 500 baht (about $14) for one hour. It also has lots of other options for massages and skin treatments, like citrus massage oil massage, cappuccino body scrub, and a chocolate, cinnamon, and ginger body mask. It’s a good idea to make an appointment, but they may be able to take walks in at quieter time of days. Address:47/14 Samlan Road Nimman House: This spa also has a nice ambiance and great massages, and the prices are a bit lower. A Thai massage is only 250 baht (about $7), and some of its other offerings include hot oil massages, milk cream massages, body scrubs, facials, and steam rooms. The mattresses are on the floor, rather than raised up. You usually don’t need to make an appointment. Address: 59/8 Nimmanhaemin Road Le Lux Thai Spa: This more casual massage place gives high-quality massages in a communal room. Hour-long Thai massages are only 200 baht (about $5-$6). Address: /6 Moonmuang Road Green Bamboo Massage: This spot uses organic, homemade cosmetic products. Thai massages are 250 baht (about $7). Some other massages on the menu include coconut oil, aloe vera, warmed bamboo stalk, and Tok Sen, a deeper technique that involves a â€Å"wooden stick and hammer.† Address:1 Moon Muang Road Cheeva Spa: Cheeva is one of the top-rated spas in Chiang Mai. It also has the most expensive Thai massage at 1,200 baht (about $34). It also has all kinds of spa packages that are two to four and a half hours long. Address: 4/2 Hussadhisewee Road Beyond these recommendations, you can also walk around the Old City and find numerous Thai massage places with hour-long massages between 200 and 250 baht. I went to a few random spots, and the only negative experience I had was that the pressure was too intense. The massage therapists lightened up when I asked. 5. Take a Thai Cooking Class If you’re a fan of Thai food, then you might be interested in learning how to make it! Several Thai cooking schools around Chiang Mai offer half day and full day classes, where you’ll learn to make a variety of dishes. Most classes first take you to a market, where you buy and learn about fruits, vegetables, and spices. I made tom yum soup, green curry with chicken and vegetables, pad thai in an omelette, and sticky rice with mango. It was delicious; my only regret was not being able to eat it all. The prices are typically only about $30 per person. Thai Cooking Schools in Chiang Mai Here are a few of the top cooking schools in Chiang Mai. In choosing, you should think about whether you want to do a full-day or half-day course and whether you want to drive out to a farm or go to a school in the city. All of the classes include transportation, and most share similar options on the menu - usually a type of curry, stir fry, appetizer, noodle dish, and dessert. As far as I know, all of them can be vegan or vegetarian. Thai Farming School: This class takes you out to the owner’s organic farm for cooking. First, you’ll get picked up from your hotel around 8:30 AM and head to a market to pick out ingredients. You’ll be back at your hotel around 4:30 or 5:00. The price, which is all inclusive, is 1,300 baht (about $37). Before your cooking class, you’ll get a guided tour of a market and pick out fruits, vegetables, and spices. Basil Cookery School: You can take a morning (9-3) or afternoon (4-8:30) class at this school in the city. You’ll learn seven dishes, and the classes are limited to one to seven people. The price 1,000 per person, or about $29. Thai Orchid Cookery School: This school in the Old City also keeps its classes small at between two and ten people. The full day course from 9:30 to 3 costs 1,200 baht (about $34) and the half day course from 10 to 1:30 costs 1,200 baht (about $26). 6. Watch Muay Thai (or Go to a Muay Thai Camp) Muay Thai is a combat sport similar to boxing, but fighters also use their elbows, knees, and feet. When they practice this â€Å"Art of Eight Limbs,† Muay Thai fighters use parts of their body to mimic weapons. Their hands are the sword and daggers, shins and forearms are armor, elbows are hammers, and legs and knees are the axe and staff. You can find Muay Thai matches on a nightly basis throughout Chiang Mai, though the more authentic fights that locals attend happenonce a week. If you’re interested in learning Muay Thai, you could also take classes or attend a longertraining camp. Muay Thai Matches in Chiang Mai Thapae Boxing Stadium: This stadium hosts 6 to 8 Muay Thai matches every night from Monday to Saturday. Tickets are 400 baht ($) for regular admission and 600 baht ($17) for ringside â€Å"VIP† seats. You can just show up. The entrance is on Moon Muang road, opposite Thaphae gate. Kawila Boxing Stadium: This less touristy stadium hosts fighters who are competing to become nationally known. It holds ten fights every Friday at 8. The prices are also 400 baht for regular admission and 600 for VIP seats. Kawila is one block south of Thapae Road. Loi Kroh: Fights are held here three to four nights a week on Loi Kroh Road behind the Night Bazaar. You’ll see both Thai and foreign Muay Thai fighters. The prices are the same as the other stadiums. You probably don’t need VIP seats - all the chairs are plastic and you can pretty much sit wherever you want. Several gyms offer Muay Thai camps and accommodations so you can learn this ancient form of combat. Muay Thai Training Centers in Chiang Mai All these gyms offer classes for both experienced Muay Thai fighters and complete beginners. Lanna Muay Thai Boxing Camp: Here, you can sign up for a single class or stay for a month or more on site. It’s 300 baht ($8 to $9) for a class and 8000 baht (about $230) for a full month of training. Lanna Muay Thai Boxing Camp:This spot also has single classes or accommodations for a month+ of training. A week costs 2,500 to 3,000 baht ($70 to $85) and a month costs 8,000 to 9,000 baht. High season is November to March and low season is April to October. Lanna Muay Thai Boxing Camp:Santai Gym is another good spot for classes or long-term training. A single day of training is 600 baht ($16 to $18) and one month is 10,000 baht (about $286). Other reputable Muay Thai gyms in Chiang Mai are Gym Bangarang Muay Thai MMA Training Camp and Hongtong Muay Thai Gym. 7. Explore the Trendy Neighborhood of Nimmanhaemin Jill Chen/Flickr Nimmanhaemin is a trendy area northwest of the Old City. While the Old City is more hotels and hostels, Nimmanhaemin is an area where people live. You can find lots of cafes, restaurants, shops, live music, art galleries, spas, salons, clothing stores, and boutiques. There are some really goodcoffee spots with fast, free wifi, thanks for the student population from the nearby Chiang Mai university and Chiang Mai’s group of â€Å"digital nomads,† people who work remotely. Some great Chiang Mai cafes in Nimmanhaemin are Librarista, Marble Arch, Wawee Coffee, Ristr8to, and Coffee Bar. You should also seek out the Nimman Promenade for boutiques and specialty shops, as well as the Ji-Qoo Art Gallery to see works by local artists. If you’re in the mood for a haircut, check out New York New York Hair Studio. It caters to locals and westerners, and I got one of the best and least expensive haircuts of my life there. 8. Experience the Unforgettable Yi Peng Festival Flip Nomad/Flickr Chiang Mai has one of the largest celebrations of the Yi Peng festival of lights every November during the full moon. This celebration of spiritual cleansing and renewal and good luck coincides with Loi Krathong, where people arrange flowers and candles on baskets and float them down the river (these floats are called krathongs). Chiang Mai holds the most elaborate celebrations with three days of parades, fairs, float and lantern contests, fireworks, beautiful decorations on the temples, and beauty contests called Nopphamat Queen contests. You can see and participate in everything for free - just head toward the Ping River - or you can buy tickets for the event at MaeJo University. Tickets for the MaeJo event are about $100. 8. Take a Yoga Class Health and wellness area big focus in Chiang Mai, which you can see with the ubiquitous spas, vegetarian restaurants, and yoga studios. There are great studios throughout the seat with classes suitable for people of all levels. Many classes are geared toward tourists and English-speaking expats, so all of the suggestions below offer classes in English. They typically cost just about $5 to $6 for an hour to an hour and half. Some also offer yoga teaching training, multi-day yoga retreats, and massage therapy classes. Yoga Studios in Chiang Mai Wild Rose Yoga:This studio has classes everyday at 10 am and 6 pm. You can find it on Soi 4/1, a very narrow road (too narrow for cars) off of Phrapokklao Soi 4. Blue Garden Yoga: This studio has daily yoga classes, plus yoga teacher and massage therapist training.Classes are usually at 9 AM and 7 PM. It has a beautiful semi-open space with plants and flowers. Word to the wise: wear bug spray! The Yoga Tree: offers classes in yoga, pilates, dance, and meditation, as well as training courses. It has several classes throughout the day. Other yoga schools in Chiang Mai are Mahasiddha Tantra Yoga School, Om Ganesha Yoga, Wise Living Yoga Academy, Freedom Yoga. 9. Chat With a BuddhistMonk Would you like to learn more about Buddhism, Chiang Mai, northern Thai culture, Thai language, or where to find the best pad thai? You can talk about anything you wantduring these exchanges with Thai monks offered at various temples throughout the week. These â€Å"monk chats† are a really cool opportunity to exchange language, culture, and conversation and gain insight into Thai culture. A lot of young monks participate to practice their English. They’re casual conversations, and you can talk for as long or as short a time as you like. If you’re looking to learn more about Chiang Mai and chat with locals, then you should take advantage of one of these unique opportunities. Times and Locations of Monk Chats in Chiang Mai Here are some of the temples that offer monk chats, along with the times. Wat Chedi Luang: daily from 9 AM to 6 PM. Up to 50 young monks sit outside at large tables to chat with visitors. Wat Suan Dok: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 5 to 7PM Wat Umong: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 5:30 to 7:30 PM MCU Buddhist University, Chiang Mai Campus: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 5 pm to 730 pm Doi Suthep Temple: daily from 1 to 3 pm. 10. Visit the Hill Tribe Villages in Northern Thailand \ Donna Cymek/Flickr The main hill tribe peoples that live outside Chiang Mai are the Akha, the Palong, the Lahu, the Lisu, and the Karen, also referred to as the Long Necks because of the brass rings that women traditionally wear around their necks. Several groups give you the opportunity to visit and learn about the villages in northern Thailand. Ideally, the group you journey with should employ local villagers as guides andliaisonsbetween visitors and the communities. A couple reputable touring groups are Thailand Hilltribe Holidays and All Thailand Experiences. You’ll have the opportunity to go to markets, try new foods, lend a hand on farms, and possibly stay overnight in a village. You can also check out the Baan Tong Luang Village, an exhibition village featuring five hill tribe cultures. You can take a taxi to this exhibition village; no need for a guided tour. . Go Rock Climbing There’s some epic rock climbing outside of Chiang Mai according to a friend of mine. As a non-rock climber myself, I’ll have to take his word for it. The epicness is due to the limestone cliffs surrounding Chiang Mai. One especially famous crag is called Crazy Horse Buttress. You can climb with a group or private guide and rent equipment or bring your own. The best group is Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures. It’s about $57 for a full day of climbing with a private guide, transportation, lunch, and climbing gear. If you have your own gear and don't need a guide, they'll drive you to the crag and back for just $10 or so. They also have multi-day climbing courses and an indoor climbing wall in their gym. 12.Brave the Rapids on the Mae Teng River People of all ages and experiences levels can go out whitewater rafting on the nearby Mae Teng River. Some good rafting tour groups are Siam River Adventures, Chiang Mai Adventure, Active Thailand, and All Chiang Mai Tours. All inclusive day tours are about $52. Some tours combine whitewater rafting with other activities, like jungle trekking or visiting elephants. When you’re not keeping your eye on the rapids, you may see animals,maybe even elephants, in the jungle along the river’s shore. 13. Zipline Over the Jungle Keeping in the theme of outdoor adventure, ziplining is another fun activity in the jungle outside Chiang Mai! You can fly over the jungle and maybe even see gibbons up there with you in the trees. Ziplining is one of the more expensive of the Chiang Mai attractions at about $100 per person. The best groups to take you out for the day are Chiang Mai Zipline (Flight of the Gibbon), Zipline Chiang Mai, Eagle Track Chiang Mai, Jungle Flight, and Flying Squirrels. 14. Trek Through theJungle If you want to get outside but perhaps stay at a normal height and away from any white water rapids, then consider singing upfor a jungle trekking tour. There are literally hundreds of options and tour groups. When trying to decide, look to see if a group is certified the Tourism Authority of Thailand, as that means itmaintainscertain safety standards. Some highly rated trekking groups are Pooh Eco Trek, All Chiang Mai Tours, Trekking Collective Co, and Next Step Thailand. You can go out for a day or stay overnight for one or more days. The cost isaround 1000 baht, or $29, for a full day. Prices tend to go downif you sign up with a larger group of people. 15. Attend a Khantoke Dinner and Show Khantoke dinners are a centuries-old Lanna tradition. You sit on the floor around a bamboo tray laden with a variety of northern Thai dishes. Some of these foods include fried pumpkin, tomato and minced pork dip, red chili, fried chicken, pork curry, and sticky rice. As you eat, you watch traditional Thai dances and cultural performances. Two famous ones are the candle dance and sword dance. You may also step outside to see more costumed dances and (spoiler) surprise fireworks at the end. The dinner is a rather touristy outing, but the dances are really lovely. The dinner, show, and transportation cost about $25; only drinks aren’t included in the price. Two major Khantoke dinner restaurants are Old Chiangmai Cultural Center and Khum Khantoke. 16. See a Cabaret Show John Shedrick/Flickr Cabaret shows, usually with transgender dancers or performers in drag, are popular in Chiang Mai and throughout Thailand. Commonly known as ladyboy shows, they involve choreographed dances and extravagant costumes. The shows can be interactive, so don’t be surprised by some touchy-feely exchanges if you’re in the front row. To see a cabaret show, check out the nightly performance in Chinag Mai in Ansuan Market. It’s every night at 9:30, but you should probably buy your ticket 8 or 9. The ticket includes a drink and a snack. 18.Rent a Motorbike Are you eager to try out your motorbiking skills? There are lots of rental places throughout the city where you can rent a motorbike for a day or more. Rentals can be as cheap as $5 a day, while more powerful bikes for off-roading may cost between $20 and $30 a day. You can drive around the city, or go off the beaten track to explore northern Thailand. One popular motorbike trip takes you to the golden temple on the mountain, Wat Doi Suthep, and on to dirt roads that pass reservoirs. If you're feeling confident with your driving skills, you could also make the mountainous drive to the small town of Pai, which sits north of Chiang Mai. I say you have to be confident because the road to Pai is famous for its 762 curves, as well as its "sick stations" along the way for travelers who chose to take the bus. As someone prone to motion sickness, I didn't make the trip. If I did have the choice, though, I would take a motorbike rather than brave the topsy-turvy bus! If you are renting a motorbike, remember one key piece of information: Thai people drive on the left side of the road! 19. Check Out Chiang Mai University Chiang Mai University sits on over 700 acres west of the Old City. If you’re looking to get into greener spaces, you’ll enjoy walking or biking along its beautiful grounds. Beside the gardens, there are several great cafes, vegetarian and vegan restaurants, a small art gallery, and a geology museum. Due to a recent problem of Chinese tourists sneaking into classes, the university started charging an entry fee of $1 to $2 for visitors. It’s a great place to walk, have a picnic, see how local and visiting students live and study, and step away from the city. 20. Get a Bamboo Tattoo Amanda Roberts/Flickr Want to make sure your trip to Thailand is an experience you’ll never forget? You might commemorate your travels with a traditional Thai bamboo tattoo. Tattooing with bamboo is a technique that’s over 3,000 years old. It involves one or more needles attached to a bamboo stick. One advantage of this technique is that the tattoo has a faster healing time. Buddhist monks would get tattoos for protection and to show faith. Thai soldiers got them as well. According to legend, Thailand has never been occupied because of the power of the soldiers' bambootattoos. There are some traditional sacred tattoo designs called Sak Yant tattoos that are usually performed by monks. Not all monks will tattoo women, as custom prohibits touching between the sexes. While it’s still possible to get a Sak Yant tattoo at various temples, you should be careful about the standards of hygiene. A few highly rated bamboo tattoo parlors in Chiang Mai are Naga Tattoo, Deja Vu Tattoo, and Sam Tattoo. Visiting Chiang Mai: FinalThoughts Chiang Mai is a city that lingers with you. I can still clearly recall the incense-filled halls and clanging bells of beautiful ancient temples, as well as the bustle of night markets filled with unbelievably delicious street food. Not only is Chiang Mai very affordable, but it’s also very easy to navigate. Because tourism is a large part of the local economy, you’ll have no trouble arranging tours and transportation or finding things to do. In fact, you may find that you have too much on your agenda, between your own plans and the people whoapproach with flyers for Muay Thai fights and cabaret shows. Beyond the temples, streetfood, markets, and surrounding natural beauty, I also lovedChiang Mai'sfocus on health and wellness. Traveling can wear you down, but in Chiang Mai you can easily take care of your physical and spiritual health with yoga, Thai massages, steam rooms, fresh vegetables, and an endless array of smoothies. While Chiang Mai has a nightlife scene, it’s not a huge party city like some of the southern Thai islands. You’ll find that fellow Chiang Mai backpackers, travelers, and expats are more interested in culture, outdoor activities, conservation, and amazing food, all of which northern Thailand has in abundance. If you’re traveling to Thailand, then Chiang Mai, the lovely Rose of the North, should definitely be in your plans. After a few days in this happy, laid back city, you might find, like I did, that you don’t want to leave!

Paper on changes on the land Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Paper on changes on the land - Essay Example This is where Cronon starts to heavily contrast Indians and settlers. The Indians made it a point to move from location to location as a form of survival. Cronon says, â€Å"To take advantage of their land’s diversity, Indian villages had to be mobile† (54). Colonists disagreed with this practice because it constituted change, one that they were unfamiliar with and it led to criticism. They wished to mirror their settlements from the old world in New England by remaining in one place and only traveling village-to-village if need-be. Although, the Indians did not suffer from hunger, the settlers disapproved of their lifestyle as it reminded them of the poor people in England: â€Å"To those who compared Massachusetts Indians to English beggars, Morton replied, ‘If our beggars of England should, with so much easy as they, furnish themselves with foode at all seasons, there would not be so many starved in the streets’† (55). They saw Indians as starving people despite the truth. Cronon describes settlers as saying, â€Å"Indian poverty was the result of Indian waste: underused land, underused natural abundance, underused human labor† (56). Since the Indians â€Å"failed† to utilize all of the land, the colonists considered it to be wasteful. This is ironic because the settlers’ practice of hoarding every thing affected the ecological system most negatively because once they took it all, they did not give back; or at least not in the proper way. The settler’s political agenda in remaining bound to the land imposed an imbalance of nature and the land. Instead of taking just a little here and there, moving on, then returning later once the land has been replenished like the Indians, the colonists robbed the land of its resources. They cut down trees, uprooted plant-life and later, introduced agriculture without the means to accurately replenish the soil. It also brought up the question of property lines. T his was a concept that the Indian’s did not enforce because they did not need to when moving as often as they did. Land boundaries reinforced the need for property rights given to individuals in a New England colony. This also affected social wealth and trade. The act of taking a forest and what that meant in relation to the settlers and the land was important because it characterized the difference between ownership and items free-for-the-taking. For example, trees as they are rooted in the forest, untouched by man, are considered lacking ownership. The actual act of ownership came into play when the trees were sawed down and made to form ships and homes. Property as defined as â€Å"†¦to represent boundaries between people; equally, it is to articulate at least one set of conscious ecological boundaries between people and things† (58). English settlers believed in possession rather than a community pool of property. Where the Indians differ is how they attribute d ownership. Cronon says, â€Å"What the Indians owned - or, more precisely, what their villages gave them claim to - was not the land but the things that were on the land during the various seasons of the year† (65). The Indians had to abide by this over what the settlers believed because they frequently moved across the land as an act of continued existence. The colonists, on the other hand, prone to mimic British society, desired to remain in one spot on the land: â€Å"

Samyika Shakur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Samyika Shakur - Essay Example Juvenile court system emphasise on the corrective measures of the juvenile criminals rather than the punishment. The history of Sanaika Shakur is a better example to analyse the effectiveness of juvenile court system. â€Å"The juvenile criminal justice system operates according to the premise that youth are fundamentally different than adults, both in terms of level of responsibility and potential for rehabilitation. The treatment and successful reintegration of youth into society are the primary goals of the juvenile justice system, along with overall public safety† (Juvenile Law) The story of Sanyika Shakur is well matched for analyzing effectiveness of juvenile court system. He has started his criminal activities at the age of 13. He has been imprisoned and claimed that he has changed his character and criminal behavior after a prolonged stay in the prison. The police and the court were believed that the corrective measures taken in the prison were successful and released him on parole. He has written an autobiography also which explains how he has started his criminal behavior and the factors which affect him to engage in criminal activities. All these tactics were just to convince th e court in order to get parole. But even on parole, he has committed serious crimes which forced the police to arrest him again and again. The effectiveness of juvenile court system has been questioned by many citing the example of Sanyika Shakur. Many people believe that there are people who are born criminals like Sanyika Shakur. For them, the current juvenile justice system is not effective. The main objective of the juvenile justice system is to prevent the future illegal activities from the juveniles and for that purpose most of the punishments for juvenile crimes were limited to sending the juveniles to the juvenile homes where lessons for becoming good citizens of a country will be transferred to the children under the strict guidance of the coaching