My Reasons Why Homework Isnt a Good Idea Essay Example for Free

My Reasons Why Homework Isnt a Good Idea Essay Go to school for seven hours, go to practice for two hours, go home and do homework until you fall asleep. That is the life of most high school students. We are all so busy with schoolwork, clubs and not to mention our outside of school life. Homework is just a source of stress and anxiety for a lot of busy students and takes a lot time out of busy schedules. I think this is a worry that could be eliminated. Student athletes everywhere know what I mean when I say that when you have away games, you do not want to think about coming home to do homework on an already late night. It is tough enough to finish all of the homework that teachers assign when all you have is a regular practice. As you get older and take harder classes, the homework load and the amount of tests and quizzes also increase. Studying for these also take time and most of the time you just feel rushed to get through everything you have to do that night. Therefore you don’t retain all of the information that you tried to cram into your head. I know of some people who really can’t finish all of their homework at night either because they have so much to do or they prioritize between studying for a big test or getting a good grade on a homework assignment. Homework is an added on stress to young people who participate in sports, clubs, and band and that stress can be taken out in destructive ways. Another reason I think that students shouldn’t have as much homework as we do is because we already go to school five out of seven days of a week for seven hours a day. We go to school for a reason and that reason is to learn but we shouldn’t have to bring schoolwork home when we already have been to school that day. Also, most of the information we learn will never be applied in our lives or be helpful to us. I can understand the occasional paper to write or story to read and definitely studying for tests, but I think we just need to learn what we will actually use in life rather than extra information. It’s impractical for teachers to assign homework about things that I will never hear of or use again. It seems like a waste of everyone’s time. My last argument is that most students don’t get enough sleep because they are so busy all the time. The students that participate in something where they have practices or obligations that they have to attend to are usually the ones that actually do all of their homework and studying, therefore get less sleep than they are supposed to. Adults always say you should get eight hours of sleep if not more every night but that is all but impossible when you have so much to do. I know personally I’m lucky to get seven hours of sleep on a good night and I always wake up exhausted. Lack of sleep is a very serious problem for people my age. Also, if you would be able to get to more sleep at night then they most likely wouldn’t fall asleep in class or have such a hard time staying awake. If you are more alert in class you will also get more out of the lesson and understand the material better. There are so many reasons that homework isn’t a good or effective idea. Students don’t get as much sleep and have a hard time staying awake in and out of class. They won’t get as much studying time for major tests and won’t retain as much information when all they are trying to do is get everything that they need to do that night done. Finally, we already go to school for large amounts of time and do a lot of work there and then they try to make us do even more outside of class. School is basically like a full time job for students and if you participate in extracurriculars than it just seems like everything gets so clustered in your life. I believe homework is an unnecessary stress that can be eliminated for the young people today.

Consideration of baseline in EIA

Consideration of baseline in EIA Consideration of baseline in EIA Chapter one: Introduction 1.1 EIA and Baseline Environmental impact assessment, EIA was developed in order to provide decision makers with an understanding of the environmental consequences of a proposed development. It provides information on the nature and extent of impacts arising from the construction and operation of proposed projects. This is presented in environmental reports that contain information required by the EIA directives. These required information may include; a description of the proposed project, an outline of main project alternatives, description and assessment of aspects of environment likely to be significantly affected by the proposed development and a description of measures established to manage significant adverse effects on the environment. A key element of EIA is to provide adequate description of the current environment condition, otherwise referred to as baseline assessment. They are often referred to as the environmental setting, existing conditions, affected environment, background environment, environmental conditions, environmental receptors, and baseline data (Shepherd, 2006, Canter 1996, Eccleston, 2001). The need for its consideration in EIA is a topic raised by several researchers (Wood 2003, Glasson et al., 2005, Carroll and Turpin 2009, Lawrence 2003, Morris and Therivel 2009, Wathern, 1992). For them baseline can be regarded as the main support for the EIA process, which identifies existing environmental conditions and relevant potential areas that may be affected by a proposed project. The importance of baseline is also manifested in EU regulations. It is moreover set in EIA directives (schedule 4, part 11) that the current environmental conditions of the study area, its possible future evolution and tech nical deficiencies/ limitation experienced while carrying out the study should be reported in an environmental statement. Studies (Wathern 1992, Glasson et al., 2005; Andre et al., 2004, Wood, 2007) revealed that despite its roles and benefits in the EIA process, the aspects of baseline considered remains substandard. Questions on the definition, methodology, specific aspects to be considered, remain an issue. 1.2 Contextual review Baseline is a preliminary step in the EIA process which is implemented in the UK through the Town and Country planning (SI 1999 N0 293) Regulations 1988 and the subsequent 1999, 2000, 2006, 2008 amendments. Theories have revealed though it is recognized that collection of appropriate and sufficient, baseline data can be time consuming and expensive. In spite of this, the value of this information can produce a significant outcome on the quality of the overall EIA process. 1.3 The research This research intends to address the subject of baseline in EIA process. It will look specifically at the influence of baseline on the EIA process. It begins by describing the origins and principle of EIA with particular reference to its legislative beginnings, secondly, the issue of good quality baseline and effectiveness of EIA is discussed, research approach is then outlined and the findings of the studies are presented and analysed. The findings of the research are considered in comparison with the literature, with reference to its more substantive purposes before drawing conclusions and possible recommendations. Moreover, there has been limited investigation to date on baseline and how it influences the out come of EIA process in practice. It is therefore expected that this dissertation would add to the knowledge on baseline and make recommendations on baseline implementation in EIA process. 1.4 Aim Overall aim is: To determine how baseline influence EIA process decision making and promote the importance of baseline in EIA process. 1.5 Research questions and Hypothesis In order to pursue the aim identified above, a set of research questions have been developed which when answered enable the research aims to be achieved. Responding to this question is the focus of the dissertation. Questions to be answered include: How are baseline currently addressed in ES? Does adequate baseline study influence EIA decision making process? For this research the hypothesis has been formulated that: Good baseline quality contributes to effectiveness of the EIA process The formulation of this hypothesis was influenced by the EIA regulation requirement for baseline information and also limited knowledge on baseline influence in EIA decision making process. 1.5 Dissertation structure Based on the research aims and hypothesis the structure of the dissertation is divided into seven chapters and is set as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction The dissertation begins with an introductory part to set out an overview of EIA process, explaining how the baseline fits into the EIA process. The research aim is then identified and hypothesis is formulated and justified for the purpose of this research. A brief summary of the research approach and contents of subsequent chapters are then revealed. Chapter 2: Methodology This chapter outlines the research methodology, the parameters of the literature search, selection of relevant information and research limitations. Provides details of evaluation framework developed to analyse the chosen environmental statements, relevant planning files and interview approach and structure. Chapter 3: Background Following the methodology, this chapter sets out a literature review as the backbone of this research. The structure of the literature review is based on EIA and baseline. It starts by examining the concept of EIA and it various steps; attention is based more on how baseline fits into the overall EIA process. Chapter 4: Criteria for effective EIA process and good practice baseline This chapter sets out the first stage of the methodology. It explores the terms used in developing the research hypotheses i.e. effective EIA and good quality baseline in order to develop a checklist for the review. This was achieved by information from various researchers who have studied EIA effectiveness and good practice baseline and also notes from existing guidance documents and existing EIA/EIS review criteria. Chapter 5: Presentation of result and analysis This chapter Outlines presentation of results and analysis of the interviews and reviews of EISs. Details on results and findings of the 3 research are then discussed, linking the theoretical perspectives and frameworks discussed to that of practice. Chapter 6: Conclusion Finally, the conclusion is drawn whilst connecting the research hypothesis and literature review to the content of the dissertation, limitation is outlined and recommendations are drawn. Appendices: Relevant appendices of supporting information follow a bibliography of information sources. Appendix A lists acronyms used in this research, Appendix B lists EIA directive requirements of information to be presented on the ES. Appendix C lists the summary of the four statements reviewed, a summary of the interview together with their individual responses are attached as appendix D. A summary of the findings of the review are then attached as appendix E. 1.7 Relevance of the research topic to course of study The course of study Environmental assessment and management deals with natural resource management and planning. Specifically, management of the environment and project coordination. EIA was introduced as an environmental management tool its purpose and principle plays an important role in planning system of UK environment. It involves assessment of a specific environment to identify impacts and develop measures of controlling the impacts that may occur as a result of a proposed development in order to enhance the environment. Baseline is an initial step in the EIA. There have been numerous questions on how EIA achieves its primary purposes. In this case, it is important to evaluate baseline which is one of the initial steps to highlight how it helps achieve its purposes. In general, the course aims to provide student with an understanding of principles methods and procedure in EAM. EIA is central to environment assessment and management. Hence, it is evident that the research topic is relevant to the course of study and its proposed aim is expected to be achieved. 1.8 Overview In summary, the EIA regulation indicates that the data required for any project which is likely to generate significant environmental effects must be assessed and stated in an environmental statement. In addition, the influence of baseline on outcome of EIA is limited. This research sets out to address this issue. For this purpose, research aim and hypothesis have been developed, to set out research questions in order to identify a focus of the research. A methodology adopted for this purpose is exposed in the next chapter. Drawing generalization from research investigation and providing information for subsequent replication of studies, suggestions are made about the types of information to include when describing baseline conditions in this research.

Quarks :: essays research papers fc

Quarks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quarks- any group of subatomic particles believed to be among the basic components if matter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quarks are believed to be the fundamental constituents of matter, and have no apparent structure. They are the particles that make up protons and neutrons, which make up the nucleus of atoms. Also, particles that interact by means of the strong force, the force that holds parts of the nucleus together, are explained in terms of quarks. Other baryons are explained in terms of quarks(1985 Quarks).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quarks have mass and exhibit spin, the type of intrinsic angular momentum corresponding to rotation around an axis, equal to half the basic quantum mechanical unit of angular momentum, obeying Pauli's exclusion principle. This principle that no two particles having half integral spin can exist in the same quantum state(1985 Quarks).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quarks always occur in combination with other quarks, they never occur alone. Physicists have attempted to knock a single quark free from a group using a particle accelerator, but have failed. Mesons contain a quark and an antiquark, up, down, and strange, while baryons contain three quarks distinguished by flavours. Each has a charge that is a fraction of that of an electron. Up and down quarks make up protons and neutrons, and can be observed in ordinary matter. Strange quarks can be observed in omega-minus and other short lived subatomic particles which play on part in ordinary matter(1985 Quarks).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The interpretation of quarks as physical entities poses two problems. First, sometimes two or three identical quarks have to be in the same quantum state which, because they have to have half integral spin, violates Pauli's exclusion principal. Second, quarks appear to not be able to be separated from the particles they make up. Although the force holding the quarks together is strong it is improbable that it could withstand bombardment from high energy and neutrinions in a particle accelorator(1985 Quarks).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quantum chromodynamics(QCD) ascribes colours red, green, and blue to quarks and minus-red, minus-green, and minus-blue to antiquarks. Combinations of quarks must contain equal mixtures of colours so that they cancel each other out. Colour involves the exchange of massless particles, gluons. Gluons transfer the forces which bind quarks together. Quarks change colour as they emit and absorb gluons. The exchange of gluons is what maintains the right quark colour distribution. The forces carried by gluons weaken when they are close together , at a distance of about 10-13 cm, about the diameter of a proton, quarks behave as if they were free. This is called asymptomatic freedom(1985 Quarks).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When one draws the quarks apart the force gets stronger, this is in direct contrast with electromagnetic force which gets weaker with the square of

Essay --

Desertification is an increasing global issue that has caused many concerns throughout the world. Desertification affects mostly Africa; however it has (and still is) taking its toll on the Arabian Peninsula, southern Asia, Australia, southern South America, and the southwest region of the North American continent (â€Å"Desertification†, 2013). According to â€Å"Desertification: A Forgotten Threat†, every year, some 23,000 square miles of arable and range land are uncontrollably lost to desert, leaving an exceeding amount of consequences for the entire globe to face. As alarming as this fact is, it is important to understand the negative effects that desertification exerts on these affected areas, exactly what this problem is, what it is doing, why it’s happening, why it is important, and what global communities, as well as world leaders can do to prevent it from spiraling out of control in the future. This paper will focus on the physical and economical hards hips due to desertification, the causes of it, the necessary measures that should be taken to prevent it, as well as the importance of spreading global awareness regarding this topic. According to a statement made by UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) on December 10, 1993, â€Å"Desertification is ‘one of the most serious global environmental problems’† (â€Å"Desertification: Not About, 1994). When discussing the topic of desertification, two common questions are, â€Å"What is desertification exactly, and how is it possible for the desert to advance?† Desertification is a term that describes â€Å"the loss of productive land to desert† (â€Å"Desertification†, 2013). It’s a common, innocent public misconception that the desert is advancing; however, this in fact is not the case. When an area u... ...ined areas. Strongly supported by the UN Development Program’s Office to Combat Desertification and Drought, the CCD is the first treaty to demand full participation by local populations. This way, countries can learn from each other, passing on scientific and technical knowledge† (â€Å"Desertification: A Forgotten Threat†, 1999). As one can see, desertification is a serious matter at hand. Creating laws and setting limits to farmers can slow the desertification process slowed down. Actions need to be taken now in order to save the precious land. If nothing is done, the future of important nations will be dark as they are forced to face a myriad of economical and biological hardships. Additionally, there could very well be wars over land and water, causing the affected country to sink deeper and deeper into a viscous pit due to the malicious cycle of desertification.

Fight Club :: essays research papers

The Fight Club, directed by David Fincher, constructs an underground world of men fighting with one and other to find the meaning to their lives. Ed Norton and Brad Pitt are the main characters who start the fight club. They make a set of rules in which everyone must follow. The fight club exists because individuals get weighted down by possessions causing them to miss the deep meaning of life. Most of the people in the fight club hold service jobs or lower level management jobs that are meaningless. Society becomes so rationalized that one must push themeself to the extreme in order to feel anything or accomplish anything. The more you fight in the fight club the tougher and stronger you become. Getting into a fight tests who you are. No one helps you so you are forced to see your weaknesses. The film celebrates self-destruction and the idea that being on the edge allows you to be beaten becuase nothing really matters in your life. Ed Norton is the main character in the beginning. He has a meaningless job and he has to go to support groups to feel anything. There he meets Marla, a woman who does the same as him; they are both addicted to support groups. He then meets Brad Pitt. Pitts character forces Norton's character to see that life is meaningless and they begin the fight club. It starts in the basement; it is in confines and is completely regulated. It then shifts to cultural anarchy of vandalism and attacks. Then the members have to pick a fight and lose. The idea of the fight club spreads and becomes like an army and the members become militant. The members no longer "take it out" on each other, they take it out on everyone. The idea of the fight club becomes facist and Tyler becomes like Hitler. It turns out that Norton and Pitt are the same person, they are Tyler Durton. Norton represents the average man in America at a meaningless job, feeling like there is no reason for his existance. Pitt represents the force which makes Norton realize that there is no meaning to life and he must push to the extreme to feel anything and to accomplish anything. Marla is the only woman in the movie and she is used to show that the idea of women fighting is a ridicule where as the idea of men fighting is celebrated.

Picking Cotton by David Graves Essay

Abstract This story is about two people, two victims of crime. Two people that suffered from circumstance and circumstantial evidence. Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson are these two people. This story is about the way circumstantial evidence convicts and the way DNA exonerates. Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson are living the ultimate human story. It is one of error, recognizing it and being redeemed. Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson were living in Piedmont North Carolina during the crime. Anyone who has lived there in the past twenty years knows their names, but probably not their entire story. In 1984, Jennifer Thompson was 22 when a man broke into her house and raped her. As the man assaulted her, she studied and memorized his face, as well as his voice, and everything she could about him. Jennifer’s intention was to survive, and when the assault was over, she wanted to put him in prison for the rest of his life for what he did to her. After Jennifer was treated for her injuries she helped the police draw a composite sketch of the man who raped her. The Police Department of Alamance County had never seen a victim so composed, so determined and so sure. Just a few hours after her horrifying ordeal, after the emotionless doctor swabbed her vagina for semen samples at the hospital, Jennifer sat down at the police station with Detective Mike Gauldin. â€Å"The first comment I remember her making was that, â€Å"I’m going to get this guy that did this to me.† She said, â€Å"I took the time to look at him. I will be able to identify him if I’m given an opportunity,† Gauldin remembered her saying (Hansen, 2001). She began combing through photos, trying to help come up with a composite of her rapist. The sketch went out, and tips started pouring in. One of those tips was about Ronald Cotton. Three days after the rape, Detective Gauldin called Jennifer in to the police station to do a photo lineup. Detective Gauldin lay six photos down on the table. The Detective said that Jennifer did not immediately identify a photo from the photo lineup. She took her time and studied each picture carefully. â€Å"I can remember almost feeling like I was at an SAT test. You know, where you start narrowing down your choices. You can discount A and B,† Jennifer said. She picked out Ronald Cotton’s photo. Cotton heard the news from his mother’s boyfriend. He told me, â€Å"Ron, the police are looking for you.† And I said, â€Å"For what?† And he told me, â€Å"For rape.† And I said, â€Å"I haven’t committed such a crime like that,† Cotton said (Finkelstein, 2009). Ronald Cotton gave Detective Gauldin a very detailed account of where he was, and who he was with that night. As it turned out the statement that Ronald Cotton had given to the Detective was false. He later realized that he had gotten his weekends mixed up. By this point it was t oo late. His honest mistake gave them more reason to think that he was lying, and if he was lying about his whereabouts on the night of the rape, what else was he lying about? The day he went back to the police station to clear his name, was August 1, 1984. He did not get the chance. He was arrested. Ronald Cotton was not going to get to leave. He was getting locked up, and days later he was put in a physical lineup. â€Å"I’m number five,† Cotton remembered. â€Å"I was very scared, nervous. I was so nervous, I was trembling. I felt my body just shaking† (Finkelstein, 2009). A week later, Jennifer sat across a table from six men that were holding numbered cards. She picked No. 5. And with the words, â€Å"That’s my rapist, Detective Gauldin,† she changed another’s existence as well as her own forever. On August 1, 1984, Ronald Cotton was arrested for the rape that had been committed against Jennifer Thompson. In a week-long trial, the jury heard about Cotton’s faulty alibi, his clothing that matched Thompson description, and a piece of foam found on her floor that seemed to come from one of his shoes. And most powerful, they had heard from Jennifer Thompson. In court, when she was asked if she recognized her rapist, she had named Ronald Cotton. â€Å"She called my name, pointed a finger. And that’s all, that’s all it takes, it seemed like,† Cotton said, â€Å"It felt like someone pushing a knife through me† (Hansen, 2001). Her testimony was extremely powerful. Even Ronald Cotton could feel the jury sympathize with her. He himself even sympathized for her. In silent terror, he watched as the system labeled him a rapist. He was only 22 years old, and the world that he had foreseen and dreamed about, all his plans were over now for a crime he did no t commit. The Prosecutor’s evidence at trial was all circumstantial evidence; however they had an eyewitness, Jennifer Thompson. The Defense Team had Ronald Cotton’s alibi, which was supported by family members. They tried to allow the jury to hear the evidence about the second rape victim that night, but the jury was not allowed to hear that evidence, or to hear that the second victim failed to pick Cotton out of photos that the police had showed to her, as well as the police lineup. The prosecution based its case on several points and used circumstantial evidence to obtain their conviction. These included; photo identification by one of the victims, police lineup identification made by one of the victims, a flashlight in Cotton’s home resembled the one used by the assailant and rubber from Cotton’s tennis shoe was consistent with rubber found at one of the crime scenes. â€Å"It took the jury just 40 minutes to reach a verdict: guilty on all counts. â€Å"He was sentenced to life and 50 years. That was when Jennifer Thompson realized the justice system worked. Ronald Cotton was handcuffed, shackled, and taken to North Carolina’s Central Prison. He was just 22 years old. â€Å"You know they say grown men don’t cry, but it’s a lie you know. I grabbed my pillow many times and hugged it, wishing I was hugging my mom, my dad, sister, brother. Wish it didn’t have to be this way,† said Ronald Cotton (Finkelstein, 2009). On Jan. 17, 1985, Ronald Cotton was sentenced to life in prison. Ronald Cotton was convicted by a jury of his peers of one count of rape and one count of burglary. As Ronald Cotton was lead off to prison he said, â€Å"I say the truth will come to light and the Lord knows I am an innocent man. Someday, somewhere, the truth is going to come out in my case.† While he was in prison, Cotton spent his days and nights writing letters to lawyers, newspapers, and to anyone who would li sten to him. He would do anything to get a new trial. Ronald Cotton tried to believe what his father kept telling him – which was, â€Å"that someday justice would prevail†. Then it happened. One day as he watched a new inmate being brought in, he had a strange feeling come over him. He wanted to know more about him, who he was, where he came from, so Cotton approached him. â€Å"I said, ‘Excuse me. You look familiar. Where are you from?† He told Cotton, â€Å"I’m from Burlington.† Cotton told him, â€Å"I am too.† I told him that, â€Å"You kind of resembling the drawing of a suspect in a crime in which I’m falsely imprisoned for. Did you commit this crime?† And he told me, â€Å"no, I did not,† remembers Cotton (Finkelstein, 2009). Cotton understood immediately why he felt the way he did upon seeing the man for the first time. He thought of the composite drawing when he saw the inmate. The inmate’s name was Bobby Poole, and he was serving consecutive life sentences for a series of brutal rapes. He also started working in the prison kitchen too. â€Å"The stewards were calling me Poole instead of Cotton,† Cotton said. People were constantly mistaking the two men for each other. During many of the years he spent in prison, Cotton actually knew who the real rapist was. The two bore a striking physical resemblance to one another, and to the police sketch of Thompson’s attacker. While in prison a fellow inmate heard Poole going around bragging to other inmates that Cotton was doing some of his time for a rape that he had committed. Eventually an inmate told Cotton that he’d heard Bobby Poole admit to raping Jennifer Thompson and the other woman that night. Ronald Cotton was in prison for this rape, a rape that he was convicted of, and the rape that sentenced him to life plus fifty ye ars, a rape that he did not commit. Ronald Cotton was full of rage. He was angry. Cotton hated Poole. He decided to make a blade out of a piece of metal. He was going to kill him. Cotton told his dad of his plans and Cotton’s father begged him not to. â€Å"Put your faith in God,† his father said. â€Å"If you kill Bobby Poole, then you really do belong behind these bars† (Finkelstein, 2009).So Cotton eventually threw his blade away and his plans to kill Bobby Poole. Cotton’s attorney filed an appeal. On appeal, the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned Cotton’s 1985 conviction because the second victim had picked another man out of the lineup. The trial court had not allowed this evidence to be heard by the jury. An appeals court had ruled in Cotton’s favor stating that evidence relating to the second victim should have been allowed in the first trial. Ronald Cotton had won himself a new trial, and his heart filled with hope. The new trial began in November 1987. Ronald Cotton was retried, this time for both rapes and burglaries, because the second victim had decided that now Cotton was her assailant. The witnesses would get a look at Bobby Poole, who was subpoenaed by Cotton’s lawyer. They would hear the evidence from prison informants, about him admitting to these two crimes. The informants would tell their compelling stories about the rapes that they had heard Poole so proudly boast about, the story that the public did not know. They would tell the story that the real rapist told them. Things the rapist would only have known. Cotton was excited, even confident, the trial began to look as though it was going his way. Finally, Cotton thought, he would be set free, he would be exonerated, and finally everyone was going to see the truth. He was not the rapist. However he had forgotten the power of Jennifer Thompson. Back on the stand, Jennifer Thompson was as confident as ever. She looked directly at Poole and then she looked directly a t Cotton. He was fifteen feet away from her and he could still feel the hatred in her heart that she had for him. Ronald Cotton is the man who raped me, she told the jury. It was not Bobby Poole. The Prosecution and defense asked her, Are you sure? And confidently she said, Yes, I’m sure. The second victim was less convincing, but she also pointed to him, too. Cotton’s lawyers called Bobby Poole to the stand with Thompson sitting right there. It was the moment Cotton had been hoping for. They tried to trigger her memory, by allowing her to see him up close, by allowing her to hear his voice. It was Cottons last hope, but nothing; she was too convinced that Cotton had raped her. So they tried to get him to break, but he did not. He denied the rapes and with that he sealed Ronald Cotton’s fate. An innocent man was living inside the shell of a convicted rapist. It was all over for Cotton. Cotton knew it; he knew that he would be convicted. The court fell silent as Ronald Cott on was sentenced again. He was convicted of both rapes and two counts of burglary. This time an Alamance County Superior Court sentenced Cotton to two life sentences plus fifty-four years. Ronald Cotton was convicted twice by eyewitness testimony. Seven more years went by, and then everyone in Central Prison was riveted by a big news story: the trial of O.J. Simpson. Cotton’s big break came in 1995 while he was watching the O.J. Simpson trial on television. â€Å"I would get my radio and put my earplugs in, and go outside, and sit in a corner,† Cotton said. There, he’d listen to the trial. He was intrigued by something he’d never heard of: DNA. The Attorneys and investigators kept talking about DNA evidence, something he had never heard of before. DNA was still in its infancy when he received his convictions and it was not used in his trial. He got an idea and he contacted his new attorneys. In 1994, the chief appellate defender had requested that two new lawyers take over Cotton ’s defense. Richard Rosen, a professor at the University Of North Carolina School Of Law, agreed to represent Cotton. He wrote to his new attorney, law professor Rich Rosen. Rosen warned him that there probably wasn’t any evidence left to test, and if there was, DNA could cut both ways. â€Å"Understand if the DNA comes back and shows that you did this crime, whatever legal issues we have don’t make any bit of difference. You’re going to spend the rest of your life in prison,† Rosen said. Cotton told him â€Å"to go with it† (Finkelstein, 2009). The lawyers filed a motion for appropriate relief on the grounds of inadequate appeal counsel. The lawyers also filed a motion for DNA testing that Cotton had been so adamant on getting. DNA testing was granted in October 1994. Packed away on the shelves of the Burlington Police Department was 11-year-old evidence from the two rapes that night. In the spring of 1995, the Burlington Police Department turned over all evidence that contained the assailant’s semen for DNA testing. Luckily, Burlington Police Detective Gauldin had preserved the biological material in the case, although there was no legal requirement for it to be maintained. Inside one of the rape kits was a fragment of a single sperm with viable DNA. The samples from one of the victim’s was too deteriorated to be conclusive, but the samples from the other victim’s vaginal swab and underwear were subjected to PCR based DNA testing. They were able to recover one tiny sample of sperm from the rape kit that had been used to treat Jennifer Thompson 11 years earlier. The DNA sample showed no match to Cotton (Celizic, 2009). At the defense’s request, the results were sent to the State Bureau of Investigation’s DNA database, containing the DNA patterns of convicted violent felons in the North Carolina prison system. The state’s database showed a match with the convict who had earlier confessed to the crime. There was enough DNA in the sample to prove Cotton was innocent and Poole was guilty. Then, under questioning by Detective Gauldin, Poole confessed to both rapes. In May 1995 when the official DNA results were reported, the prosecution joined Rosen in a motion to drop all charges. Judge McLelland granted the motion. Cotton was officially cleared of all charges on June 30, 1995 and he was released from prison in July 1995. And just like that, Cotton was a free man. Cotton received a gubernatorial pardon based on innocence the following month. In July 1995, the governor of North Carolina officially pardoned Cotton. Cotton had served 10.5 years of his sentence. Cotton began the difficult task of beginning a new life. When he was first released from prison 17 years ago, Cotton’s first job was with the DNA Company that conducted the tests that exonerated him. He now works for a company that makes insulation. He’s been married for 15 years and has a 14-year-old daughter. They live in a house paid for with restitution money from the state of North Carolina: $10,000 for each of the 11 years he spent in prison. Jennifer Thompson has also moved on. She is married and has three children. She and Cotton talk often. â€Å"He is an amazing human being. He has been a real good teacher for me.† He has helped me so much. Ron has taught me about forgiveness, and healing, and faith† (Hansen, 2001). Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson are now friends. In fact, they’ve written a book together: â€Å"Picking Cotton: A Memoir of Injustice and Redemption.† They sometimes travel together giving talks about the ways memory can deceive us, and they are working to change the way police conduct photo lineups (Connors, et al, 1998). They are also a testament to the power of the human spirit. When DNA evidence ultimately proved that another man committed the rape and Cotton was freed, Thompson was consumed by guilt and shame. However, Cotton talks about in the book that they wrote together, that he had long since forgiven her. â€Å"I couldn’t carry on serving my time in the prison system holding grudges and thinking about retaliating against a person that made an honest mistake. I had to proceed on in life regardless,† he told Vieira (Hansen, 2001). When I found out that I was going to be released from prison I was shocked. I almost did not believe it. â€Å"It was like a dream come true. I couldn’t belie ve it,† Cotton told Vieira. â€Å"The warden of the penitentiary called me in his office and told me I was going home tomorrow. I told him, â€Å"Please don’t pull my leg, it’s already long enough.† But it was true. I finally went home to be with my family and loved ones. The day I had prayed so hard for had finally come and it was not just in my dreams (Hansen, 2001). To jurors the point of the finger identifying a perpetrator is damaging evidence and mistakes can be made. However, now there is one type of evidence that’s even more persuasive: DNA. There have been 235 people exonerated by DNA in this country and now a stunning pattern has emerged: more than three quarters of them were sent to prison at least in part because an eyewitness pointed a finger – an eyewitness we now know was wrong (Torneo, 2009). Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and the man she mistakenly put in prison, Ronald Cotton is a tale about pain and redemption — and the tricks that memory can play on people with the best of intentions. â€Å"This can happen to anyone. And hopefully it does not happen to them,† Cotton told Vieira (Hansen, 2001). One of the most amazing things that have come out of this injustice is the most unlikely of friendships. He was sentenced to life in prison for a rape he did not commit by a woman who he now calls his friend. The two of them are truly inspiring, and the two of them were both victims. References Celizic, M. (2009, March 10). She sent him to jail for rape; now they’re friends. In NBCNEWS.com. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29613178/ns/today-today_news/t/she-sent-him-jail-rape-now-theyre-friends/ Connors, E., Lundregan, T., Miller, N., & McEwen, T. (1998). Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Science: Case Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence After Trial. Institute for Psychological Therapies. 10. Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://www.iptforensics.com/journal/volume10/j10_3_6_8.htm Finkelstein, S. (2009, July 12). Eyewitness: How Accurate Is Visual Memory? In CBSNEWS. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/06/60minutes/main4848039_page6.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody Hansen, M. (2001). Forensic Science: Scoping out eyewitness Ids (Master’s thesis). April Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://nersp.osg.ufl.edu/~malavet/evidence/notes/thompson_cotton.htm Thompson-Cannin o, J., Cotton, R., & Torneo, E. (2009). Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press. Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://www.pickingcottonbook.com/splash.html

HIV/ AIDS Essay

A lot of people don’t get tested because they don’t believe something like this can happen to them until it do then they walk around miserable and feel as if life is over. Getting tested every six months makes a difference depending on how sexually active you are you might want to get tested more. I personally get tested every 3 months because my mother died from this virus and I do not want to leave my kids the same way she left me. Although you may not be that comfortable it is for the better of you that you get tested and make sure you protect the people around you. You have to think of other people when you think about possibly getting a virus that can never be reversed. This is a very tricky thing to have to tell your loved ones about you don’t want to have to sit down with your kids and tell them something like this. There are a lot of things that you will have to go through once you are diagnosed with such a virus you have to not only make sure that you stay healthy, so that you stay around for your family. We have more information on this virus meaning we can keep you alive longer you might not be able to do things the way you use to but you will be alive as long as you follow your doctor’s orders. There are still a high number of people that are not aware of this virus. It’s ashamed to the number of people that aren’t aware. There are about 12,000 people who are not aware of their status because they do not get tested. Our youth is being infected with this virus because they want to experiment with sex. There are about 57 percent of our youth that are gay or bisexual and are just going around infecting each other. Things need to change and quickly because if not we won’t have a future of healthy people. There are many types of ways people can get tested and many dif ferent places that you can go without any one finding out that you got tested as well as what you status is. You just have to have the courage to go get tested. I found it easier to go with a friend or your loved one to make you more comfortable. As long as you get tested to make sure you are safe is all that matters. Families need to inform their children on how important safe sex is we have to realize that they are going to do it anyway no matter what we say so all we can do is keep them safe by providing them with everything they need to experiment safely.