...People Behind Picking Cotton University of Kentucky Abstract Within the novel, Picking Cotton, the issue of misconceptions and false eye witness accounts comes into play. On a warm June night in 1984, Jennifer Thompson woke up to find a man in her room and was then forcefully raped by him. Throughout the incident, Jennifer continued to analyze the man raping her in hopes of guaranteeing he was brought to justice. She looked at his facial features and clothing and body type. When it came time to chose someone out of the lineup, she was 100% sure that she had chosen the correct perpetrator- Ronald Cotton. After Ronald is convicted and sent to jail, Jennifer begins to rebuild her life while Ronald’s life begins to fall apart. The story then switches to the point of view of Ronald, who explains his side of the story and emphasizes his innocence. It was not until DNA testing came around that Ronald was able to truly prove his innocence. The overlaying theme of this story is that Jennifer’s eyewitness account was so strong that a jury believed, without a doubt, that Ronald Cotton was the man responsible for the rape of Jennifer Thompson. This certainty was quickly dispelled by DNA testing and brings about the problem of misconceptions. Jennifer thoroughly believed that Ronald was her rapist and this proves how easily it is for people to misidentify features of different races. It also helps to disprove eye witness accounts (Thompson-Cannino & Cotton, 2009, p.1-287). ...
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...Picking Cotton In the past decade, eyewitness testimonies have cast a shadow on what is wrong with the justice system in today’s society. Before we had the advanced technology, we have today, eyewitness testimonies were solid cold-hard facts when it came to proving the defendant was guilty. However, time has changed and eyewitness testimonies have proven to be the leading causes of wrongful convictions due to misidentification. The Thompson and Cotton case is a perfect example of how eyewitness testimonies can put an innocent man behind bars. Jennifer Thompson was your average young independent adult trying to earn a degree at Elon College in Burlington, North Carolina. She had a boyfriend, Paul, who commuted from Burlington to Chapel Hill, where he was a first year business student at University of North Carolina. Only being twenty-two years, she had her life ahead of her until one late July night in 1984. Jennifer Thompson was sleeping alone in her apartment, when she suddenly woke up by a strange noise that turned out to be a stranger breaking into her apartment. The intruder held her a knife to her throat and proceeded to rape her. With no chance of escaping the attacker, she did the only thing she thought she could do and that was to analyze the intruder’s physical characteristics and facial features to her best ability so authorities could catch the perpetrator. Jennifer outwits the attacker and lives to tell about the night she can never forget. When Jennifer was able...
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...that the legal system can take to fix the problem are: to accept the fact that there is a problem, get informed and make changes to fix this problem that is affecting the life of many innocent victims. In North Carolina, Ronald Cotton was convicted for one count of rape and two more for burglary and sentenced to life and 54 years in the year of 1987. He was Identified by Jennifer Thomson as the man who entered her apartment, searched through her belongings, cut the phone cables, sexually assaulted her , fled away, and raped another women half a mile away. During the assault Jennifer try to study the face of her aggressor, in her mind, she was 100% sure of how the assailant would look like if she just had him in front of her. She worked with a detective to create a composite sketch and a few days later, she was informed they had a suspect. Her accuracy to identify the picture of her aggressor was low at choosing one picture out of five , she admits having a hard time identifying her aggressor. She even compares the feeling to the one students feel when taking a multiple choice test. Ronald was locked up and days later put up in a physical line up. Jennifer picked Ronald Cotton for the second time and this reinforces Jennifer thoughts of identifying Ronald as the criminal. In her mind, he was the one. Confidently she points a...
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...Jennifer Thompson should have been the perfect eyewitness, unfortunately, there were a couple of faulty system variables at play which leads to falsely identifying Ronald Cotton as her rapist and subsequently leading to his wrongful conviction. While the way a witness views a crime cannot be controlled, there are measures that can be taken to improve system variables. System variables are variables in which the legal system has control over (Costanzo & Krauss, 2015, p. 144). For example, the way the investigative interview is conducted can be improved and suggestive and/or leading comments can be reduced. Another element to take into consideration when an eyewitness is identifying the culprit is witness confidence. Furthermore, the way lineups...
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...Over the years numerous cases have been reported, where wrongfully convicted criminals have been exonerated. Exonerated meaning, someone has been absolved from blame for a fault or wrongdoing. These individuals spent years some a lifetime in a prison cell for a crime they have never actually committed but yet were still put in jail. In extreme cases individuals are even sentenced to death. This issue has been around for decades and has been researched by numerous scientists. Hugo Bedeau and Michael Radelet published their studies in the Stanford Law Review claiming that 350 individuals have been wrongfully convicted in capital cases. Their work inspired many people to begin researching this issue. The public plays a more important role in everyone’s everyday life then people think. Often there is a struggle for the exonerees to return back to a normal life. The things they experience while incarcerated change their lives forever and often people don’t understand that they are in fact innocent and never committed a crime. The main causes of wrongful conviction include: eyewitness misidentification, improper forensic science, false confessions, and informant misconduct. Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of the wrongfully convicted. Research has shown that humans have difficulty recalling events that have happened, since the human brain is not videotape we cannot be certain about the details of an event that occurred. Jurors often rely more on what people...
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...Corruption in the FDA and USDA Scott A. Weidner Cardinal Stritch University Business Ethics MGT 460 Rozine Smith February 28, 2013 Table of Contents Abstract.............................................Page 3 Authors intent (thesis statement)....................Page 4 Ethical Concerns …………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 4 The Root of the Problem…………………………………………………………………………..Page 6 Chart of Monsanto appointees……………………………………………………………..Page 6 Which Administrations are Guilty…………………………………………………..Page 8 Obama Appointees……………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 10 Damage and Effects………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 12 Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 13 Abstract At the heart of the issues of corruption in the FDA and USDA are the appointees to the departments. Many are former employees of Monsanto. A former director of Monsanto made the statement Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food that is the job of the FDA. The FDA says that food manufactures should be responsible for what they produce. Ironically, the FDA is controlled largely by Monsanto, and Monsanto is regulated by the United States Government, with neither side willing to take ownership of the issue. The first Monsanto appointees in the FDA were placed under the first Bush administration. In each subsequent administration more appointees were taken from Monsanto. President Obama is responsible for the largest number...
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...A Direct Test of the Theory of Comparative Advantage: The Case of Japan Author(s): Daniel M. Bernhofen and John C. Brown Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 112, No. 1 (February 2004), pp. 48-67 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/379944 . Accessed: 10/02/2012 10:27 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Political Economy. http://www.jstor.org A Direct Test of the Theory of Comparative Advantage: The Case of Japan Daniel M. Bernhofen and John C. Brown Clark University We exploit Japan’s sudden and complete opening up to international trade in the 1860s to test the empirical validity of one of the oldest and most fundamental propositions in economics: the theory of comparative advantage. Historical evidence supports the assertion that the characteristics of the Japanese economy at the time were compatible with the...
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...Running Head: Rape Trauma Syndrome Kianna Walls Forensic Psychology March 26, 2015 Abstract Rape is commonly defined as using force to make someone do a sexual act against their will. Rape can cause a person to experience symptoms that are very similar to post-trauma stress disorder. The person experiences symptoms such as nightmares, constant reliving of the event, and denial. Victims experiencing this go through rape trauma syndrome. RTS is not commonly used in court rooms as it is easily dissuaded. When it used in the courtroom, it is used more of a defense than to show that a victim can experience this. This paper explores what RTS is and how it used in courtrooms. It also explores why RTS should be used courtrooms, not as a defense but to show that it exist and that victims can experience this. Rape Trauma Syndrome There have been many trials that use rape-trauma syndrome as either a defense mechanism or as a way to say that rape happened and this was a consequence. But not many trials with expert testimony on RTS as allow to be used. Yet it should be as many people, both female and males, are raped and experience RTS. Rape trauma syndrome is defined by Gupta (2013) as a type of PTSD that consists of physical and emotional traits from post-rape that many people are rape victims share (pg. 415). RTS is very serious and those that have experienced this syndrome deserve to have it recognized in court. There are many misconceptions of rape...
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...The McDonaldization of China A Curriculum Project 2009 Fulbright‐Hays Seminars Abroad to China Lynn Guenette Sociology Instructor Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester MN © 2008 NCUSCR • 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1901 • New York, NY 10010-4102 • (212) 645-9677 • www.ncuscr.org Introduction The author had the privilege of traveling to China on a Fulbright‐Hays study tour during the summer of 2009. While sociologists have been studying the effects of McDonaldization in U.S. society since 1993, few have studied how Chinese society has been influenced by this phenomenon. James Watson and his team studied the phenomenon in 1997 and their book, “Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia” is an excellent resource for anyone studying this topic, especially the first two chapters. During a lecture at Chongqing University, Professor Zhang Jin mentioned that the idea of Scientific Management was being explored in China during the early 20th century by such business leaders as Lu Zuofu with his experiment at Beibei. This “model society” was implementing the same values in the early 20th century that McDonald’s later touted in the U.S. fifty years later. The author suspected that they had a common ancestor in Taylorism, a business model developed in the U.S. around 1900. Further research found that indeed, they shared that common ideology. Could this be the reason that the Chinese have adapted so ...
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...------------------------------------------------- History of the Philippines From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | This article's introduction may be too long for the overall article length.Please help by moving some material from it into the body of the article. For more information please read the layout guide and Wikipedia's lead section guidelines.(November 2012) | Part of a series on the | Culture of the Philippines | | History | People | Languages | Traditions | Mythology and folklore[show] | Cuisine | Festivals | Religion | Art | Literature | Music and performing arts[show] | Media[show] | Sport[show] | Monuments[show] | Symbols[show] | * the Philippines portal | * v * t * e | Part of a series on the | History of the Philippines | | Prehistory (pre-900) | * Callao and Tabon Men * Arrival of the Negritos * Austronesian expansion * Angono Petroglyphs * Society of the Igorot | Classical Period (900–1521) | * Sinified State of Ma-i * Thallasocracy of the Lequios * Tondo Dynasty * Confederation of Madja-as * Kingdom of Maynila * Kingdom of Namayan * Rajahnate of Butuan * Rajahnate of Cebu * Sultanate of Maguindanao * Sultanate of Sulu * Sultanate of Lanao | Spanish Period (1521–1898) | * Viceroyalty of New Spain * Spanish East Indies * Christianization * Dutch Invasions * British Invasion * Revolts and uprisings * Katipunan * Philippine Revolution...
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...SOURCES: http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/alzheimers-history#3 http://www.dnalc.org/view/794-Background-to-Alzheimer-s-Disease.html http://www.nndb.com/people/217/000165719/ http://www.alz.co.uk/alois-alzheimer http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.php http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE * Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Bottom of Form * Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s. * Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from four to 20 years...
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...GMO MYTHS AND TRUTHS An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops Michael Antoniou Claire Robinson John Fagan June 2012 GMO Myths and Truths An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops Version 1.3 by Michael Antoniou Claire Robinson John Fagan © Earth Open Source www.earthopensource.org 2nd Floor 145–157, St John Street, London EC1V 4PY, United Kingdom Contact email: claire.robinson@earthopensource.org June 2012 Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this paper, or otherwise published by EOS, are those of the authors and do not represent the official policy, position, or views of other organizations, universities, companies, or corporations that the authors may be affiliated with. GMO Myths and Truths 2 About the authors Michael Antoniou, PhD is reader in molecular genetics and head, Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King’s Cols: lege London School of Medicine, London, UK. He has 28 years’ experience in the use of genetic engineering technology investigating gene organisation and control, with over 40 peer reviewed publications of original work, and holds inventor status on a number of gene expression biotechnology patents. Dr Antoniou has a large network of collaborators in industry and academia who are making use of his discoveries in gene control mechanisms for the production of research, diagnostic and therapeutic products...
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...Genetically Modified Organisms Technology, Society, and Culture Table of Contents Technical Aspect of GMO by Chad Dookie Page 3 Moral and Ethical Aspect of GMO by Ronald Claude Page 7 Cultural and Legal Aspect of GMO by Evangelina Ramirez Page 14 Environmental Issues of GMO by Donovan Collins Page 23 References Page 32 Technical Aspect of GMO by Chad Dookie Description of GMOs and the associated science Most of the populations that do shopping in the groceries to buy food for their family are not aware of the “naturalness” of the food. Groceries sell items such as; cotton seeds, rice, soy, sugar beets, yeast, cassava, papaya, bananas, food flavoring, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, squash, oils, beef, pork, chicken, salmon, peas, alfalfa, and honey. Notice that most of the items listed either came from a plant or an animal. Those are the top 20 grocery items that have been genetically modified. What are genetically modified organisms? A genetically modified organism is any living thing that has had their DNA tampered with. This can be mutating, removing, or adding genetic material into the organism. All of the items listed in paragraph one has had their DNA tampered with. Most times when people talk about genetically modified organisms, they mostly refer to plants that are genetically modified. You may be wondering how the animals listed are considered genetically modified. This is because scientists modify the plants that are being...
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...and Implications for Trustees and Other Investment Fiduciaries.” Working Paper, University of Melbourne. Almgren, Robert and Neil Chriss. 2000/2001. “Optimal Execution of Portfolio Transactions.” Journal of Risk. Vol. 3: 5–39. Altman, Edward I. 1968. “Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy.” Journal of Finance. Vol. 23: 589–699. Altman, Edward I. and Vellore M. Kishore. 1996. “Almost Everything You Wanted to Know about Recoveries on Defaulted Bonds.” Financial Analysts Journal. Vol. 52, No. 6: 57−63. Altman, Edward I., R. Haldeman, and P. Narayanan. 1977. “Zeta Analysis: A New Model to Identify Bankruptcy Risk of Corporations.” Journal of Banking and Finance. Vol. 1: 29−54. Ambachtsheer, Keith, Ronald Capelle, and Tom Scheibelhut. 1998. “Improving Pension Fund Performance.” Financial Analysts Journal. Vol. 54, No. 6: 15–21. Ambachtsheer, Keith. 1986. Pension Funds and the Bottom Line: Managing the Corporate Pension Fund as a Financial Business. Homewood, IL: Dow Jones-Irwin. American Accounting Association Financial Accounting Standards Committee. 2001. “Equity Valuation Models and Measuring Goodwill...
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...Resource Markets WP-RM-18 Recent Developments in Transaction Cost Economics Sophia Ruester January 2010 Chair for Energy Economics and Public Sector Management Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1535903 Recent Developments in Transaction Cost Economics Sophia Ruester1 Abstract This working paper provides a summary on transaction cost economics (TCE) and recent developments thereof. After an introductory discussion of TCE’s role within the field of New Institutional Economics, a critical analysis of the contribution of the existing body of empirical literature is conducted. In recent years, researchers have continued to develop and extend TCE. Williamson (1991b) introduces the shift parameter framework which investigates how the optimal choice of governance changes in response to dynamics in the institutional environment. Nickerson (1997) develops the positioning-economizing perspective arguing that decisions regarding market position, resource investments, and governance mode are interdependent and determined simultaneously. A number of authors came up with an increasing interest in relational institutional arrangements arguing that TCE may overstate the desirability of complex long-term contracts and vertical integration in exchange settings where a substantial hold-up potential is present. JEL Codes: Keywords: D23, L22 Transaction cost economics, discriminative alignment, theories of the firm, shift parameter framework, positioning-economizing...
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