Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Mother to Child Transmission Essay Example

Mother to Child Transmission Essay Example Mother to Child Transmission Essay Mother to Child Transmission Essay What is mother-to-child transmission? Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is when an HIV-infected woman passes the virus to her baby. This can occur during pregnancy, labour and delivery, or breastfeeding. Without treatment, around 15-30% of babies born to HIV positive women will become infected with HIV during pregnancy and delivery. A further 5-20% will become infected through breastfeeding. 1 Is MTCT a major problem? In 2008, around 430,000 children under 15 became infected with HIV, mainly through mother-to-child transmission. About 90% of these MTCT infections occurred in Africa where AIDS is beginning to reverse decades of steady progress in child survival. 2 In high income countries MTCT has been virtually eliminated thanks to effective voluntary testing and counselling, access to antiretroviral therapy, safe delivery practices, and the widespread availability and safe use of breast-milk substitutes. If these interventions were used worldwide, they could save the lives of thousands of children each year. How can MTCT be prevented (PMTCT)? pic]An HIV positive mother and her HIV positive baby in India Effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) requires a three-fold strategy. 3 4 Preventing HIV infection among prospective parents making HIV testing and other prevention interventions available in services related to sexual health such as antenatal and postpartum care. Avoiding unwanted pregnancies among HIV positive women providing appropriate counseling and support to women living with HIV to enable them to make informed decisions about their reproductive lives. Preventing the transmission of HIV from HIV positive mothers to their infants during pregnancy, labour, delivery and breastfeeding. Integration of HIV care, treatment and support for women found to be positive and their families. The last of these can be achieved by the use of antiretroviral drugs, safer infant feeding practices and other interventions. Antiretroviral drugs Treatment for the mother Women who have reached the advanced stages of HIV disease require a combination of antiretroviral drugs for their own health. This treatment, which must be taken every day for the rest of a womans life, is also highly effective at preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). Women who require treatment will usually be advised to take it, beginning either immediately or after the first trimester. Their newborn babies will usually be given a course of treatment for the first few days or weeks of life, to lower the risk even further. Pregnant women who do not yet need treatment for their own HIV infection can take a short course of drugs to help protect their unborn babies. The main options are outlined below, in order of complexity and effectiveness. Single dose nevirapine The simplest of all PMTCT drug regimens was tested in the HIVNET 012 trial, which took place in Uganda between 1997 and 1999. This study found that a single dose of nevirapine given to the mother at the onset of labour and to the baby after delivery roughly halved the rate of HIV transmission. 5 6 As it is given only once to the mother and baby, single dose nevirapine is relatively cheap and easy to administer. Since 2000, many thousands of babies in resource-poor countries have benefited from this simple intervention, which has been the mainstay of many PMTCT programmes. When is single dose nevirapine appropriate? A significant concern about the use of single dose nevirapine is drug resistance. Around a third of women who take single dose nevirapine develop drug resistant HIV,7 which can make subsequent treatment involving nevirapine and efavirenz (a related drug) less effective. Studies have found that drug resistance resulting from single dose nevirapine tends to decrease over time; if a mother waits at least six months before beginning treatment then it may be less likely to fail. 9  10 Nevertheless, in some cases the drug resistant HIV persists for many months in some parts of the body, even if it cannot be detected in the blood, and this may undermine the longer term effectiveness of treatment. 11 Whenever possible, women should receive a combination of drugs to prevent HIV resistan ce problems and to decrease MTCT rates even further. Among babies infected with HIV and exposed to single-dose nevirapine, around half have drug resistance at 6-8 weeks old. 12 Other infants may become infected with drug resistant HIV through breastfeeding. 13 Because of concerns about drug resistance and relatively low effectiveness, there is now general agreement that single dose nevirapine should be used only when no alternative PMTCT drug regimen is available. Whenever possible, women should receive a combination of drugs to prevent HIV resistance problems and to decrease MTCT rates even further. Nevirapine, however, is still the only single dose drug available to prevent MTCT. Other short course treatments require women to take drugs during and after pregnancy as well as during labour and delivery. This means they are much more expensive and more difficult to implement in resource poor settings than nevirapine, which can be used with little or no medical supervision at all. So, for now, single dose nevirapine remains the only practical choice for PMTCT of HIV in areas with minimal medical resources. Combining AZT with single dose nevirapine According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006 guidelines,   the recommended course of drugs for preventing mother to child transmission (PMTCT) in resources-limited settings should be a combination of AZT and single dose NVP. This approach is much more difficult to administer than single dose nevirapine on its own, but it is also significantly more effective, and is less likely to lead to drug resistance. AZT was first shown to reduce MTCT rates in 1994, and is the best-studied drug for this purpose. Under the 2010 guidelines, all HIV positive mothers, identified during pregnancy, should receive an extensive course of antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother to child transmission. For more information about the 2010 recommendations, please see AVERTs 2010 WHO Guidelines page. If these extensive drugs are not available, then the 2006 recommended course might be an option and a woman should begin taking AZT after 28 weeks of pregnancy (or as soon as possible thereafter). During labour she should take AZT and 3TC, as well as a single dose of nevirapine. If the woman receives less than four weeks of AZT during pregnancy then her baby should receive AZT for four weeks instead of one. Triple combinations The most effective PMTCT therapy involves a combination of three antiretroviral drugs taken during the later stages of pregnancy and during labour. This therapy is essentially identical to the treatment taken by HIV-positive people for their own health, except that it is taken only for a few months, and the choice of drugs may be slightly different. Triple therapy is usually recommended to women in high-income countries, and is becoming more widespread in the rest of the world and the WHO 2010 Guidelines, reflects this. AVERT. org has more information about HIV and pregnancy, including a discussion of these more sophisticated regimens. HIVNET 012 controversies In mid December 2004 a news story appeared alleging that side effects from single dose nevirapine during the HIVNET 012 study had been covered up. It claimed that US officials had been warned that nevirapine research was flawed and may have underreported thousands of severe reactions including deaths. By the time this news story appeared, a committee from the US Institute of Medicine was already engaged in a major independent review of the design, conduct, results and validity of the HIVNET 012 study. After evaluating extensive material from a variety of sources and reviewing primary source documents from Uganda, the investigation reported its findings in April 2005. The committee found that the original report on the HIVNET 012 study was sound, presented in a balanced manner, and can be relied upon for scientific and policy-making purposes. The allegations about unreported deaths were found to be completely untrue. Of the 306 mothers who received nevirapine, 16 experienced serious adverse events, and only one was thought possibly to be due to nevirapine. 14 The safety and effectiveness of single dose nevirapine has been confirmed by many other clinical trails. Although long-term use of nevirapine has been linked to liver damage, there is no evidence of any significant safety risk from a single dose to prevent MTCT. The December 2004 press story (which seems to have arisen from a personal feud between US officials) has been thoroughly discredited. 14, 15, 16, 17 Numerous subsequent studies, including a large clinical trial in Thailand, have reaffirmed that nevirapine is safe and effective at preventing MTCT. 15 HIV and safer infant feeding [pic]African woman breastfeeding A number of studies have shown that the protective benefit of drugs is diminished when babies continue to be exposed to HIV through breastfeeding. 6 17 Mothers with HIV are advised not to breastfeed whenever the use of breast milk substitutes (formula) is acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable and safe. However if they live in a country where safe water is not available then the risk of life-threatening conditions from formula feeding may be higher than the risk fro m breastfeeding. An HIV positive mother should be counselled on the risks and benefits of different infant feeding options and should be helped to select the most suitable option for her situation. 18 A baby fed on infant formula does not receive the special vitamins, nutrients and protective agents found in breast milk. And the cost of infant formula often puts it beyond the reach of poor families in resource poor countries, even if the product is widely available. Many women also lack access to the knowledge, potable water and fuel needed to prepare replacement feeds safely, or simply have no time to prepare them. If used incorrectly mixed with unsafe water, for example, or over-diluted a breast milk substitute can cause infections, malnutrition and even death. Furthermore, if a mother chooses not to breastfeed in settings where breastfeeding is the norm then this may draw attention to her HIV status and invite discrimination, violence or abandonment by her family and community. Another factor worth noting is the contraceptive effect of breastfeeding, which can help to lengthen the interval between pregnancies. Infant feeding advice for women with regular access to antiretroviral drugs For HIV positive women who choose, or who are advised to breastfeed, the World Health Organizations (WHO) recommendations are based on whether a women has access to antiretroviral drugs or not. If a woman has support and a regular supply of antiretroviral drugs then she should exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of an infants life and then introduce mix feeding until the infant is able to have a safe diet without breastmilk. Mixed feeding (breastfeeding mixed with bottle feeding of water or formula, or providing other foods) is only safe in this situation because the mother or infant is taking antiretrovirals. Infant feeding advice for women who do not have regular access to antiretroviral drugs In situations where health services cannot supply women or infants with a regular supply of antiretroviral drugs, for an extended period of time, women are recommended to exclusive breastfeed for the first 6 months of an infants life and rapidly wean to avoid mixed feeding. Mixed feeding is not recommend because studies suggest it carries a higher risk than exclusive breastfeeding. Potentially this is because it damages the lining of the babys stomach and intestines thus making it easier for HIV in breast milk to infect the baby. If a HIV positive mother does not have access to ARVs she is strongly recommended to rapidly wean. Unfortunately, the best duration for this is not yet known and may vary according to the infants age and/or the environment 19 20. Read more about HIV and breastfeeding. Caesarean sections A caesarean section is an operation to deliver a baby through its mother’s abdominal wall. When a mother is HIV positive a caesarean section may be done to protect the baby from direct contact with her blood and other bodily fluids. However, as with formula feeding, there is a need to weigh the risk of HIV transmission against the risk of harm due to the intervention. If the mother is taking combination antiretroviral therapy then a caesarean section will often not be recommended because the risk of HIV transmission will already be very low. Caesarean delivery may be recommended if the mother has a high level of HIV in her blood, but the procedure is seldom available and/or safe in resource poor settings. Challenges faced by PMTCT programmes Even where PMTCT services are available, not all women receive the full benefit. Reasons for HIV positive pregnant women not accessing drugs include: Not being offered an HIV test Refusing to take an HIV test Not returning for follow up visits Not adhering to self-administered drugs HIV testing is critical because women who do not know they are HIV positive cannot benefit from interventions. In 2009 an estimated 26% of the estimated 125 million pregnant women in low and middle-income countries received an HIV test. 21 However some women refuse to be tested because they fear learning that they have a life-threatening condition; because they distrust HIV tests; or because they do not expect their results to remain confidential, and fear stigma and discrimination following a positive result. Women having tested negative early in pregnancy can become infected during pregnancy; without returning to clinics for retesting treatment is not accessed22 . Sometimes women who test HIV positive do not return to clinics for follow up visits, or fail to take the drugs they have been given. This can happen because they have had negative experiences nteracting with clinic staff, fear or stigma or disclosure and because they did not receive adequate HIV counseling. because they have been poorly informed about HIV transmission and how it can be prevented. Fear of disclosure is a common rea son why women are reluctant to return to their HIV clinic. In the words of a woman from Cote dIvoire: My husband might see me with the medicines, and he will want to know what they are for. That way he will find out about my [HIV positive test] result. Even the location bothers me, because everyone who comes to the clinic knows what goes on [at the programme]. As soon as a pregnant woman is seen coming here, its known right away that she is seropositive. 23 One of the major problems in preventing mother-to-child transmission, it has been argued, is making the provision of ARV drugs the focus of PMTCT efforts. Access to other services such as counselling, care and treatment services, infant-feeding guidance, and in particular sexual and reproductive health is ignored as a result. 24   Therefore, it should not be assumed that the proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women who are receiving antiretroviral prophylaxis to prevent their child becoming infected – estimated at one-third in low and middle-income countries – are receivi ng comprehensive PMTCT services. 25 To achieve a high success rate, PMTCT programmes must have well-trained, supportive staff who take great care to ensure confidentiality. They must be backed up by effective HIV testing and counselling programmes and by good quality HIV/AIDS education, which is essential to eliminate myths and misunderstandings among pregnant women, and to counter stigma and discrimination in the wider community. Under these conditions, antiretroviral drugs have the potential to save many thousands of babies lives. International PMTCT initiatives There are a number of large-scale international initiatives to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. These include: 1. The Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) 2. MTCT-Plus 3. The Global Fund 4. The Call to Action Project 5. The UN Interagency Task Team on MTCT The Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) On June 19th 2002, US President Bush announced a new $500 million International Mother and Child HIV Prevention Initiative to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to infants and to improve health care delivery in Africa and the Caribbean. The Initiative was later integrated into the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In 2008 PEPFAR was reauthorized with the original $ 15 billion funding now tripled to $ 48 billion over the next five years. The original Initiative had the aim of reaching one million women with HIV testing and counselling and providing preventive drugs to 80 per cent of HIV positive delivering women by 2007. It aimed to reduce mother-to-child transmission by 40 percent in its fourteen focus countries, twelve of which are in Africa. From fiscal year 2004 to FY 2007, PEPFAR has supported prevention of MTCT for women during more than 10 million pregnancies with antiretroviral drugs being provided in over 827,000 pregnancies. This has resulted in the prevention of an estimated 157,000 infant HIV infections. 26 AVERT. org has more information about the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in our PEPFAR page. MTCT-Plus The MTCT-Plus Initiative was established in 2002, and is coordinated by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. The Initiative aims to move beyond interventions aimed only at preventing infant HIV infection. It does this by supporting the provision of specialised care to HIV-infected women, their partners and their children who are identified in MTCT programmes. Funding for the initiative is provided by a group of private foundations, including the Gates Foundation, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as by PEPFAR via USAID. The MTCT-Plus Initiative provides operational funding, medications, training and technical assistance at 13 sites in sub-Saharan Africa and at one site in Thailand. Since its inception MTCT-Plus has provided care and treatment to more than 16,000 adults and children. 27 The Global Fund The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a public-private partnership that distributes grants worldwide to fund HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes. Grants are distributed over two years and most countries receive some grants to fund PMTCT programmes. In 2008 the Global Fund announced that 271,000 HIV positive pregnant women had been reached with prophylaxis for PMTCT through Global Fund money in 2007. 28 AVERT. org has more about The Global Fund. The Call to Action Project The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation initiated the Call to Action Project (CTA) in September 1999 to help reduce MTCT of HIV in resource poor countries. The CTA is a public-private partnership that receives funding from both private sources such as the Gates Foundation and government grants. CTA has worked or is now working at approximately 400 sites in nineteen countries worldwide, of which twelve are in Africa.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Grant Wood, American Gothic Painter

Grant Wood, American Gothic Painter Grant Wood (1891 -1942) is one of the best-known and most revered American artists of the 20th century. His American Gothic painting is iconic. Some critics derided his regionalist art as influenced by pernicious political theories. Others saw hints of sly camp humor impacted by Woods closeted homosexuality. Fast Facts: Grant Wood Occupation: PainterStyle: RegionalismBorn: February 13, 1891 in Anamosa, IowaDied: February 12, 1942 in Iowa City, IowaSpouse: Sara Maxon (m. 1935-1938)Selected Works: American Gothic (1930), Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (1931), Parson Weems Fable (1939)Notable Quote: All the good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow. Early Life and Career Born in rural Iowa, Grant Wood spent much of his childhood on a farm. His father died suddenly in 1901 when Grant was ten years old. Following the death, his mother moved their family to the small nearby city of Cedar Rapids. Along with his older brother, Grant Wood took odd jobs to help provide financial support for their family. Wood showed an interest in drawing and painting while attending Cedar Rapids public schools. He submitted his work to a national competition in 1905 and won third place. The success cemented his determination to be a professional artist. Grant Woods boyhood home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Bill Whittaker / Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons 3.0 While in high school, Grant Wood began designing stage sets with fellow artist Marvin Cone and began volunteering at the Cedar Rapids Art Association, which later became the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Following high school graduation, Wood took a summer course at the Minneapolis School of Design and Handicraft in Minnesota. He also took art classes at the University of Iowa. In 1913, Grant Wood moved to Chicago, making jewelry to support himself and his night classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. Following the failure of his jewelry business, Wood returned to Cedar Rapids in 1916 and worked as a home builder and decorator to support his mother and his youngest sister, Nan. Rise to Prominence After World War I ended in 1919, Grant Wood took a position teaching art at a local Cedar Rapids middle school. The new income helped finance a trip to Europe in 1920 to study European art. In 1925, Wood left his teaching position to focus on art full time. Following a third trip to Paris in 1926, he decided to focus on the common elements of life in Iowa in his art, making him a regionalist artist. Residents of Cedar Rapids embraced the young artist and offered jobs designing stained glass windows, executing commissioned portraits, and creating home interiors. In the wake of national recognition for his paintings, Grant Wood helped form the Stone City Art Colony in 1932 with gallery director Edward Rowan. It was a group of artists who resided near Cedar Rapids in a village of whitewashed, tidy wagons. The artists also taught classes at nearby Coe College. Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (1931). Francis G. Mayer / Getty Images American Gothic In 1930, Grant Wood submitted his painting American Gothic to a show at the Art Institute of Chicago. It depicts, presumably, a farming couple, either married or a father and daughter, standing in front of their frame house with a large gothic window. The models for the couple were Grant Woods dentist and his younger sister, Nan. The Chicago Evening Post published an image of American Gothic two days before the show, and it became practically an overnight sensation. Newspapers across the country reproduced the image, and the Art Institute of Chicago bought the painting for their permanent collection. Initially, many Iowans criticized the work thinking that Grant Wood depicted them as grim-faced Puritans. However, some saw it as satire, and Wood insisted that it represented his appreciation for Iowa. American Gothic (1930). GraphicaArtis / Getty Images American Gothic remains one of the most iconic American paintings of the 20th century. Countless parodies from Gordon Parks stunning 1942 photo American Gothic, Washington, D.C. to the closing image of the opening credits for the 1960s TV show Green Acres are a testament to the enduring power of the portrait. Later Career Grant Wood painted most of his key works in the 1930s, including 1931s Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,- a theatrically-lit depiction of Henry Wadsworth Longfellows legendary poem- , and 1939s unique take on the George Washington cherry tree legend in Parson Weems Fable. During the period, he also taught art at the University of Iowa. By the end of the decade, he was one of the most famous American artists. Parson Weems Fable (1939). Amon Carter Museum / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain Unfortunately, the final three years of Grant Woods life and career were rife with frustration and controversy. His ill-considered marriage, according to his friends, ended in the late 1930s. Lester Longman, a devotee of European-led avant-garde modern art, became the chair of the art department at the University of Iowa. After clashes with Wood and public efforts to discredit him, the universitys most famous artist left his position in 1941. Later investigations discovered that rumors of homosexuality also drove some of the efforts to remove him from the university faculty. In 1941, just as it seemed that some of the controversies were settling down, Grant Wood received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He died a few months later in February 1942. Legacy For many casual observers of art, Grant Wood remains one of the most popular and revered of 20th-century American artists. Along with Thomas Hart Benton, Wood is one of the most prominent of American regionalist painters. However, the controversies that began at the University of Iowa have raised questions about his reputation since. Some critics dismissed regionalism as inspired by fascist and communist principles. Daughters of Revolution (1932). Francis G. Mayer / Getty Images Art historians also continue to reevaluate Grant Woods art in the light of his closeted homosexuality. Some see the satire and double meanings in his work as part of the camp humor sensibility in gay culture. Sources Evans, R. Tripp. Grant Wood: A Life. Knopf, 2010.Haskell, Barbara. Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables. Whitney Museum of American Art, 2018.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCE - Assignment Example From the Table in 4(a), it is evident that the higher the portfolio’s expected returns, the higher the standard deviation. This also means that the higher the returns the higher the risk, hence the above discussed risk-return relationship holds for shares property and bonds. This relationship is also observed in the chart in 4(b), since, for example, the shares are moving more radically and their returns are the highest; and this trend holds even for property and bonds. The radical plunge in prices in the last quarter of 2008 is majorly attributable to the effect of the global financial crisis that occurred during that time. This decline in prices was a major indicator of the crisis, which was accompanied by a significant reduction in demand in the financial markets, as many people observed their retirement accounts water down (Bartram and Gordon, 2009; Dwyer and Paula, 2009 ). It is important that the investments are spread over a variety of assets like the fixed income, equities and cash. This is because each asset class perfoms differently from the others as a result of its unique balance of risks and rewards. Diversification calls for the need to know the security an investor needs. Therefore, diversification is where there is a need to spread each asset investment over different types of securities. Most importantly, an investors needs to know their risk profile so they decide how to allocate their assets, on the basis of risk-return relationship. From example, from 4(a), one can combine growth fund which is very risky, with conservative fund which is less risky – so that one can continue enjoying substantial returns and even in the event of a crisis one does not lose significantly (Kapur and Orszag, 1999). b. If your group had $50,000 to invest in a managed fund, which specific portfolio would you choose from those offered in Question 4? Justify your choice by including a reference to the characteristics of financial

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Marijuana Should not be Legalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marijuana Should not be Legalized - Essay Example People from these religions want these laws to be removed as soon as possible. The adverse effects of marijuana can never be ignored. Prolonged use may cause severe depression and other mental disorders. Moreover, American government have introduced healthy tax scheme on the cultivation, to discourage the exercise (Svrakic and Lynn 90). Origin By definition, marijuana is an American term for dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant. Marijuana is basically harvested from the ‘cannabis sativa’ plant. Cannabis plant, also known as hemp plant, is believed to have originated from central Asia. This plant has been found in tombs in about 8000BCE. Some details were also found about the growth of cannabis in china, for the purpose of gaining fiber from it. Cannabis is very versatile plant. It can grow in almost all climatic conditions. This is one of the reasons of its increasing growth throughout the globe.Marijuana comes from the leaves and the flower of the hemp or the cannabis plant. These parts of the plant contain a substance known as the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This substance gives marijuana its psychoactive properties. From the date of its discovery, people call marijuana by different names. Some of them are Ganja, pot, weed, grass, dope, skunk, wacky tobacco etc. In some countries of the world, Mari juana is called as Marihuana, by replacing ‘j’ with ‘h’.How Marijuana Started Spreading Addiction

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Compare contrast essay Essay Example for Free

Compare contrast essay Essay Novelist Paul Sheldon has plans to make the difficult transition from writing historical romances featuring heroine Misery Chastain to publishing literary fiction. Annie Wilkes, Sheldons number one fan, rescues the author from the scene of a car accident. The former nurse takes care of him in her remote house, but becomes irate when she discovers that the author has killed Misery off in his latest book. Annie keeps Sheldon prisoner while forcing him to write a book that brings Misery back to life. Compare Contrast Essay â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by: William Faulkner â€Å"Misery† by: Stephen King I’ve chosen to compare contrast â€Å"A Rose for Emily† By: William Faulkner with â€Å"Misery† By: Stephen King, Obsessive women, broken ankles, trapped men Suspenseful endings both of these stories have a lot in common. In Stephen King’s â€Å"Misery† A Famous Novelist named Paul Sheldon is transitioning his writing from Romance to Fiction. While on his way to Colorado from his winter hide away he is in a horrific car accident brought on by the harsh weather conditions. Thankfully the writer’s number one fan and former nurse Annie Wilkes lived nearby and saved Paul from freezing to  death. Annie Wilkes just like Miss Emily Grierson lived isolated and away from the world, though Miss Emily lived in the town Annie Wilkes didn’t Miss Emily Isolated herself socially by not leaving her home nor opening the door when people of the town came by. Annie However, actually lived in an isolated cabin in the mountains. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily† people of the town feel sorry for her because after losing her father (page: 207 she was sick for a long time), But not long after they began seeing her with a gentle man named Homer Barran. A construction worker who had come into town to pave the sidewalks. After a year of being with Homer the towns folk began saying they would marry even though Homer claimed to like men (page: 209, He was not a marrying man). One evening after  ending their relationship Homer went to see Miss Emily using rat poison she killed him and let everyone believe he left and went on with his life while she hid his remains. Annie Wilkes didn’t kill Paul Sheldon, but took advantage of the fact that he had been put in critical condition due to the car accident she removed him from. For weeks she held him captive until he gave her favorite novel the proper ending it deserved. After noticing his several, sneaky attempts to escape Annie straps Paul to the bed and cripple s him by breaking both his ankles with a sledge hammer. Both of these women felt the need to keep these men hidden, trapped, and injured so they may stay with them forever. Miss Emily trapped Homer in death to stay with her since he had no interest in marrying her. In â€Å"Misery† Prior to having his ankles broken Paul finds newspaper clippings of previous victims of Annie where she was never convicted, He then realizes he may be next on her list. Soon after crippling Paul an officer drops by to see if Annie was aware that Novelist Paul Sheldon was missing and they were searching for him. Paul hears the officer and yells for help when Annie hears his screams she kills the officer and Paul is left once more to endure her gruesome punishment. Neither one of the men could predict what was going to happen to them, but Homer didn’t endure being tortured nor was he held captive for weeks. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily† Miss Emily was never caught nor suspected for the  disappearance of Homer. After the death of Miss Emily and after her services the town folk were curious to see   the inside of her home. (page 211, there was one room that no one had seen in forty years, and which would have to be forced). After entering the room they noticed mens toiletries, suits, ties and a pair of shoes even more so they noticed the man in her bed, His well over rotten body lay there in a nightshirt and next to him they could see where Miss Emily would lay beside him every night after his death. Unlike Miss Emily Annie didn’t get away with what she did to Paul, after killing the officer Paul tricks her into buying Champagne and cigars to celebrate the return of Misery, while setting up for their night of celebration Paul lights the re-written novel on fire and throws it. Annie begins to put out the flame when Paul slams his typewriter on the top of her head and shoves pieces of the burned novel pages into her mouth, she then dies of a fractured skull. Sometime after Paul is rescued by police. Both of these stories where great and though they are in different settings the characters shared similar physiological problems and depression. I think if both of these women met and could ever be in the same story there would be gory, suspenseful, torturing of men. I would like to read a book where Stephen King and William Faulkner write a story sharing both their ideas, I think it would be very interesting, thrilling and great to read.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail 821772 :: Essays Papers

Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail 821772 I knew I was in for something different before even opening the book. On the cover of the book was a skull colored by the American flag, with swastikas in its eye sockets. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, as I had no idea who Hunter S. Thompson was. I opened the book and began to read through the author’s preface. Throughout were numerous references to drugs, sex, and politics. I began to get a picture of who HST was and about his style of writing. HTS revolutionized modern journalism with a style all his own. He evolved a new style of journalism called â€Å"Gonzo† journalism. This bold and brazen style of journalism is the telling of the blatant truth with no thought of consequence. According to Thompson "The true Gonzo reporter needs the talent of a master journalist, the eye of an artist/photographer and the heavy balls of an actor.† A gonzo journalist does not proofread his work, because that would take away from the spontaneous of the event. A Gonzo journalist will witness an event, and either at the time of it, or shortly thereafter completely write about it. When written at an event, "The reporter works his fingers to bloody nubs trying to capture all that is happening around him, and then sends it off to the editor without a second look.† Bill Cardoso a close friend of HTS’ coined the term "gonzo" in a letter regarding an article written about the Kentucky Derby in which he wrote: "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved", and was more about white trash than horses. Cardoso wrote, "I don't know what the f*** you're doing, but you've changed everything. It's totally gonzo". Cardoso, himself a journalist, claims that "gonzo" is actually a corruption of a French Canadian word, "gonzeaux", meaning, "shining path". Gonzo journalism is also highly subjective. When a Gonzo style article is written, it is clearly known where the writer stands on the topic of the article. You become immersed in the writer’s feelings, thoughts, and views on whatever is being written about. HST is constantly extremely critical and scrutinizes every situation he ends up in with a sarcastic, humorous and/or vulgar twist. I enjoy this part of his writing because it makes everything more interesting to read.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

McDonald’s Current Market Strategies Essay

McDonald’s stands as the world’s largest hamburger chain with over 30,000 stores in 120 countries. Yet as strong as it stands in the hamburger industry, it is still vulnerable to price competition and the current federal unemployment rate. In order to try to overcome a low profit margin, McDonald’s is presently pursuing new strategies to help increase its market share in other industries. The primary objectives being targeted includes, growth in sales, increase in profitability and market share. Current Strategies Being Pursued According to CEO, Jim Skinner, McDonald’s â€Å"Plan to Win† strategy includes, â€Å"Giving our customers a unique balance of food and beverage choices is driving performance in every area of the world.† Skinner also stated, â€Å"We’re offering new menu items and classic favorites, including premium and value selections, all for our customers to enjoy in our convenient, contemporary restaurants. We intend to continue our momentum by further enhancing the McDonald’s experience and giving customers even more reasons to visit† (McDonald’ Corp, 2010). They are executing product development strategies by expanding the famous Dollar Menu. Due to constant price competition McDonald’s is trying to increase sales by attracting more customers into their stores by promoting products in the economical Dollar Menu. After evaluating McDonald’s current strategies, one of the leading strategies McDonald’s is trying to achieve is market penetration by focusing efforts on increasing their presence in the coffee industry. Due to recent closures of Starbuck stores and the current high unemployment level, fewer consumers are able to pay a high price for a cup of coffee. This has given McDonald’s an opportunity to enter the coffee industry, and positioning themselves as the low price option by offering free McCafà ¨ mochas every Monday from 7 am to 7 pm to every customer. In addition, by offering an assortment of lower priced coffee drinks McDonald’s is beginning to attract new customers. According to Michael Bauer from SFGate, â€Å"about 48% of Starbucks customers visit McDonald’s at least once a week.† In response to a decline in demand for Starbucks products, they lowered their prices, yet McDonald’s coffee drinks remain 25%-40% cheaper. Coupled with low prices, increasing marketing efforts within the coffee industry has allowed McDonald’s market share to increase by 5.4%. The use of franchising has always been a central strategy to McDonald’s ability for rapid expansion. McDonald’s involvement in forward integration through the use of proceeds from the sale of company owned stores helping finance franchisees and buy back company stock, while paying higher dividends and creating other investments for benefit shareholders (David, 2011, 2009, 2007) clearly implies McDonald’s intention to focus on franchising and not company owned stores. Through strategies such as â€Å"Plan to Win†, McDonald’s has established themselves as a very effective franchise option. Due to the majority of their stores being franchised, McDonald’s Corporation can continue to rely on constant production from franchisees. Conclusion As previously discussed, the strategies McDonald’s is currently pursuing include, but not limited to, market penetration, forward integration, and product development. Each of these strategies are cruicial to McDonald’s success. â€Å"McDonald’s customer focus, menu innovation and the ongoing modernization of our restaurants continue to drive our business momentum,† said Chief Executive Officer Jim Skinner. â€Å"However, there are additional strategies McDonald’s will consider pursuing to ensure economical market advantage and customer satisfaction . References Baertlin L., Wohl, J. McDonald’s October same-store sales up, U.S. slips. (2009, November 09). Reuters. Retrieved November 8, 2010 from http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5A822F20091109 David, F. R. (2011). Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education. McDonald’s Corp. (2010, September 09). Clear Station. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from http://clearstation.etrade.com/cgibin/bbs?post_id=9490105&Refer=http://clearstation.etrade.com/doc/newcoming.html McDonald’s Corp. (2010, October 10). Clear Station. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from http://clearstation.etrade.com/cgi-bin/bbs?post_id=9530212&Refer=http://clearstation.etrade.com/doc/newcoming.html Shepherd, L. Starbucks’ rivals brew up a coffee war. (2007, March 26). MSN Money. Retrieved November 8, 2010 from http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/DunkinAndMcDonaldsTakeOnStarbucks.aspx

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Why Did the Us Enter World War I

Why did the United States enter World War I in 1917? On June 28th 1914, Franz Ferdinand, the Austrian archduke, and his wife were murdered by a Bosnian revolutionary named Gavrilo Princip. This assassination triggered declarations of war. Firstly, this gave Austria a reason to attack Serbia. This then led to Russia mobilizing their army in order to defend Serbia, which then led to Germany executing â€Å"The Plan† and attacking France through Belgium. The domino effect continued and war broke out due to a mixture of things.Alliances played a great role in the war, as each nations began forming and expanding their militaries. The war was â€Å"Central Powers† vs. â€Å"Allied Powers†. The central powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria and Romania (which changed sides half way through the war). The Allied Powers consisted of France, USSR, The British Empire, Serbia and the USA. The United States initially wanted to stay out of the war mainly because they declared that they would be a â€Å"neutral† nation that only acts as a â€Å"peacemaker†.President Wilson declared numerous time that â€Å"The United States was too proud to fight† and would not be entering the war. He also mentioned that the U. S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare. Before America’s entry, The U. S-German relations were neutral. They were not much involved with each other apart from political and labor relations. America’s opinion changed throughout the war after the sinking of the Lusitania, the Zimmerman Telegram and because of the European alliances that America was involved with.America’s entry in World War 1 in 1917 was based on a number of key factors Economics, Retaliation and Pre-emption. Economics – .. At the time, the US had large economic investments with the British and French. If Germany was to win the war it was not clear what would happen to those investments. Protecting France and Britain was therefore in a way protecting their investment. If the U. S. joined the war, their strong military forces, especially allied with France, Britain and USSR, would substantially increase the chance of winning.Retaliation – One of Germany’s great t=strengths was it’s submarine fleet. By controlling the seas the Germans would be able to destroy the shipment of arms to the allies. Their prime reason for sinking the Lusitania was the German belief that their were weapons on board. Unfortunately the Germans killed 128 American nationals when they torpedoed the Lusitania. This was a key contributing fact to the US joining the wasr on the side of the Allies two years later. Prevention – One of the main reasons for the US entry in to the war however was the Zimmerman Telegram.This was a proposal from Germany to Mexico asking them to go to war against the U. S. Germany did this in the hope that by keeping the US engaged close to home with a lo cal war, it would be prevented from entering the war in European. . However, when the U. S. found out about this coded communication which was intercepted by the British,, they saw this as an act of aggression by Germany and in order to pre-emp being drawn in to the war on someone else’s terms decided to pre-empt the situation and take matters in to their own hands.Interestingly no one has seen the telegram itself and accordingly some believed that Britain made it up in order to get America involved in the war. The major objective for U. S. ’s entry in the war was its wish to have greater influence in post-war Europe, especially with their newly acquired economic strength. Even though when America joined World War 1 it was already coming to an end, their entry did make an impact on the war. In the short term, their entry was a downside as it almost caused German victory.Germany was well aware that the American troops would overwhelm the Germans when they would arrive, so Germany launched a massive offensive to gain victory before America could transport enough troops into Europe, however the offensive ended up halting and turning back just outside of Paris. In the long term, America’s entry was an upside because, as the war was already coming to an end, both sides were exhausted. America was fresh and ready to fight a war, which helped motivate the Allies. The U. S. brought new equipment and military force which was a gain for the Allies and helped win the war.The U. S. entered the war at the right time because they did manage to bring fresh troops and new equipment into Europe. Before the Lusitania, America did not have any reason to enter the war. It would also have been going against their will to be neutral. Their entry did impact positively, however may not have been necessary and did go against their initial plan. It also caused America to make some enemies in Europe, which ended up causing them to be sucked into more European issues . Positively, it also bonded the U. S. with many European nations, which were very strong politically and economically.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Public Management Example

Public Management Example Public Management – Article Example Public Management Public Management The study by West and Berman acknowledges that not enough information is available about managers in the public sector, their work habits and how they impact views of organizational performance. They further recommended that a practical strategy of working individually with managers effectively identifies, tackles and conquers bad management habits at work (West & Berman, 2011). Although fruitful habits are observed among the top managers of city governments, they are intertwined with some bad habits in management work and their presence is too significant to ignore. The undesirable habits are commonly exhibited by managers who are overly judgmental, passive, intimidating and defensive and lack open mindedness. These unproductive work habits in management significantly compromise the gains realized from the productive work habits (West & Berman, 2011). They also stand in the way of promoting the beneficial habits. Raising awareness and exposing bad habits of managers is the correct way towards better performance. Perry, Hondeghem and Wise (2010) refer to motivation as the widely varied forces that direct, energize and uphold behavior. They believe that Public Service Motivation (PSM) has its roots in unique motives found among public servants while workers in the private sector possess their own motives. The review by Perry, Hondeghem and Wise (2010) implies that at the core of the PSM construct, there is an inclination of people in the public sector to do good for the society. Although discrepancies in inclination occur, there is a commonality in that behavior of humans is driven by motives to regard others and not merely self interests and concerns. PSM provides an alternative view for research of public management and rational choice theories (Perry, Hondeghem & Wise, 2010). ReferencesPerry, J. L., Hondeghem, A. & Wise, L. (2010). Revisiting the motivational bases of public service: twenty years of research and an agenda f or the future. Public Administration Review, 70(5).West, J. P. & Berman, E. M. (2011). The impact of management work habits on public sector performance: A study of local government managers. Public Personnel Management, 40(1), 63-87.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Coral Eugene Watts The Sunday Morning Slasher

Coral Eugene Watts The Sunday Morning Slasher Carl Eugene Watts, dubbed â€Å"The Sunday Morning Slasher,† murdered 80 women in Texas, Michigan and Ontario, Canada, from 1974-1982. Watts kidnapped his victims from their homes, tortured them either by slashing them with a knife until they bled to death or drowned them in a bathtub. Early Years Carl Eugene Watts was born in Fort Hood, Texas on November 7, 1953, to Richard and Dorothy Watts. In 1955, Dorothy left Richard. She and Carl moved to Inkstar, Illinois, right outside of Detroit. Dorothy taught art to kindergarten children, leaving much of Carls young development in the hands of her mother. She also started dating again, and in 1962 she married Norman Caesar. Within a few years, they had two girls. Watts was now the big brother, but it was a role he never embraced. Sadistic Sexual Fantasies At the age of 13, Watts suffered from meningitis and high fevers and he was pulled out of school for several months. During his illness, he entertained himself by hunting and skinning rabbits. He also enjoyed constant fantasies that involved torturing and killing girls. School had always been challenging for Watts. When he was in grammar school, he was a shy and withdrawn child and was often teased by the class bullies. His reading skills were far below that of his peers, and he struggled with retaining much of what was being taught. When Watts finally returned to his class after being sick, he was unable to catch up. The decision was made to have him repeat the eighth grade, which humiliated him. Watts, an academic failure, turned into a good athlete. He participated in the Silver Gloves boxing program that helped teach boys respect for themselves and discipline. Unfortunately for Watts, the boxing program stimulated his aggressive desire to attack people. He was constantly in trouble at school for physically confronting classmates, especially the girls. At the age of 15, he attacked and sexually assaulted a woman in her home. She was his customer on his paper route. When Watts was arrested, he told the police he attacked the woman because he just felt like beating someone up. Institutionalized In September 1969, after being prompted by his lawyer, Watts was institutionalized at the Lafayette Clinic in Detroit. It was there that doctors discovered that Watts had an IQ in the low 70s and suffered from a mild case of mental retardation that impeded his thought processes. However, after only three months, he was evaluated again and placed on outpatient treatment, despite the doctors final review which described Watts as paranoid with strong homicidal impulses. The doctor wrote that Watts behavioral controls were faulty and that he displayed a high potential for violently acting out. He ended the report by saying Watts should be considered dangerous. Despite the report, the young and dangerous Eugene Watts was allowed to return to school, his penchant for violence unknown to his unsuspecting classmates. It was a baffling decision that almost assured a deadly outcome. High School and College Watts continued high school after his release from the hospital. He returned to sports and poor grades. He also took drugs, was described as severely withdrawn. He was often disciplined by school officials for being aggressive and stalking his female classmates. From the time that Watts was released to the outpatient program in 1969 until the time he graduated high school in 1973, he only went to the outpatient clinic a few times, despite the fact that school officials were constantly having to deal with his violent episodes. After finishing high school. Watts was accepted to Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee on a football scholarship, but he was expelled after three months for stalking and sexually assaulting women and for being a prime suspect in the unsolved murder of a female student. Second Psychological Evaluation Watts was, however, able to return to college and was even accepted into a special scholarship and mentoring program sponsored by Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Before attending the program, he was again evaluated at the outpatient facility and again the doctor said that Watts was still a danger and had a strong impulse to beat up women, but due to patient confidentiality laws, staffers were unable to alert Kalamazoo authorities or officials at Western Michigan University. On October 25, 1974, Lenore Knizacky answered her door and was attacked by a man who said he was looking for Charles. She fought back and survived. Five days later, Gloria Steele, 19, was found dead with 33 stab wounds to her chest. A witness reported speaking with a man at Steele’s complex, who said he was looking for Charles. Diane Williams reported being attacked on November 12, under the same circumstances. She survived and managed to see the attackers car and make a report to the police. Watts was picked out in a line-up by Knizacky and Williams and arrested on assault and battery charges. He admitted to attacking 15 females but refused to talk about the Steele murder. His attorney arranged for Watts to commit himself into the Kalamazoo State Hospital. The hospital psychiatrist investigated Watts background and learned that at Lane College, Watts was suspected of having possibly killed two women by choking them. He diagnosed Watts as having an anti-social personality disorder. Competently Dangerous Before Watts trial for assault and battery charges, he had a court-ordered evaluation at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The examining doctor described Watts as dangerous and felt he would most likely attack again. He also found him competent to stand trial. Carl, or Coral as he started to call himself, pleaded â€Å"no contest,† and received a one-year sentence on the assault and battery charges. He was never charged in the murder of Steele. In June 1976, he was out of jail and back home in Detroit with his mother. The Sunday Morning Slasher Emerges Ann Arbor is 40 miles west of Detroit and the home of The University of Michigan. In April 1980, the Ann Arbor police were called to the home of 17-year-old Shirley Small. She had been attacked and repeatedly cut with an instrument resembling a scalpel. She bled to death on the sidewalk where she fell. Glenda Richmond, 26, was the next victim. She was found near her doorway, dead from over 28 stab wounds.  Rebecca Greer, 20, was next. She died outside her door after being stabbed 54 times. Detective Paul Bunten headed a task force that had been formed to investigate what the newspapers had dubbed the murders of women by The Sunday Morning Slasher, but there was very little for Bunten to investigate. His team had no evidence and no witnesses to a long list of murders and attempted murders that had occurred within five months. When Sergeant Arthurs from Detroit read about the Slasher murders going on in Ann Arbor, he noticed that the attacks were similar to those that he had arrested Carl Watts for when he was a paperboy. Arthurs contacted the task force and gave them Watts name and the details of the crime. Within months, attacks in neighboring Wisteria, Ontario, were being reported that were of the same nature as those in Ann Arbor and Detroit. Adult, Father, and Husband By now, Watts was no longer a failing student with drug problems. He was 27 years old and working with his stepfather at a trucking company. He had fathered a daughter with his girlfriend, and later met another woman whom he married in August 1979, but who divorced him eight months later because of Watts’ strange behavior. More Murders, 1979-1980 In October 1979 Watts was arrested for prowling around in a Southfield, Detroit suburb. The charges were later dropped. Investigators noted that during the previous year, five women in the same suburb were assaulted on separate occasions, but with similar circumstances. None were killed, nor could any of them identify their attacker. During 1979 and 1980, attacks on women in Detroit and surrounding areas became more frequent and violent.  By the summer of 1980, whatever had been keeping Coral Watts uncontrollable urge to torture, and murder women at bay were no longer working. It was as if a demon had possessed him. Additionally, he was under tremendous stress as the investigators from Ann Arbor, and Detroit seemed to be getting closer to solving the identity of the â€Å"Sunday Morning Slasher.† Watts had no alternative: he needed to find a new killing zone. The Windsor, Ontario Connection In July 1980, in Windsor, Ontario Irene Kondratowiz, 22, was attacked by a stranger. Despite her throat being slashed, she had managed to live. Sandra Dalpe, 20, having been stabbed from behind, had also survived. Mary Angus, 30, of Windsor, escaped attack by screaming when she realized she was being followed. She picked Watts out of a photo line-up, but she was unable to identify for certain that her attacker had been Watts. Detectives discovered through highway cameras that Watts car was recorded as leaving Windsor for Detroit after each episode. Watts became Bunten’s leading suspect, and Bunten had a reputation for being a relentless investigator. Rebecca Huff's Book Is Found On November 15, 1980, an Ann Arbor woman contacted police after she became frightened when she discovered that she was being followed by a strange man. The women hid in a doorway, and the police were able to observe the man frantically searching for the woman. When the police pulled the man over in his car, they identified him as Coral Watts. Inside the car, they found screwdrivers and wood filing tools, but their most important discovery was a book that had Rebecca Huff’s name on it. Rebecca Huff had been murdered in September 1980. A Move to Houston In late January 1981, Watts was brought in on a warrant to give a blood sample. Bunten also interviewed Watts, but he could not charge him. The blood test also failed to link Watts to any crimes. By spring, Coral was sick of being hounded by Bunten and his task force and so made a move to Columbus Texas, where he found work at an oil company. Houston was 70 miles away. Watts began spending his weekends cruising the city streets. Houston Police Get a Heads Up, but Murders Continue Bunten forwarded Watts file to the Houston police, who located Watts at his new address, but they were unable to find any evidence linking him directly to any of the Houston crimes. On September 5, 1981, Lillian Tilley was attacked at her Arlington apartment and drowned. Later that same month, Elizabeth Montgomery, 25, died after being stabbed in the chest while out walking her dogs. Shortly afterward, Susan Wolf, 21, was attacked and murdered as she got out of her car to enter her home. Watts Is Finally Caught On May 23, 1982, Watts ambushed roommates Lori Lister and Melinda Aguilar at the apartment that the two women shared. He tied them up and then attempted to drown Lister in the bathtub. Aguilar was able to escape by jumping head first off of her balcony. Lister was saved by a neighbor and Watts was caught and arrested. The body of Michele Maday was found the same day, drowned in her bathtub in a nearby apartment. A Shocking Plea Deal Under interrogation, Watts refused to talk. Harris County Assistant District Attorney Ira Jones made a deal with Watts to get him to confess. Incredibly, Jones agreed to give Watts immunity to the charge of murder, if Watts would agree to confess to all of his murders. Jones was hoping to bring closure to the families of some of the 50 unsolved murders of women in the Houston area. Coral eventually admitted attacking 19 women, 13 of which he confessed to murdering. Admitting There Were 80 More Murders Eventually, Watts also admitted to 80 additional murders in Michigan and Canada but refused to give details because he did not have an immunity agreement for those murders. Coral pleaded guilty to one count of burglary with intent to kill. Judge Shaver decided that the bathtub and the water in the bathtub could be defined as deadly weapons, which would result in the parole board not being able to count Watts â€Å"good conduct time,† for determining his parole eligibility. Slippery Appeals On September 3, 1982, Watts was sentenced to 60 years in prison. In 1987, after a failed attempt to escape prison by slipping through the bars, Watts decided to begin appealing his sentence, but his appeal lacked the support of his attorney. Then in October 1987, unrelated to any of Watts appeals, the court decided that criminals must be told that a â€Å"deadly weapon† finding had occurred during their indictment and that failure to inform the criminal was a violation of the criminal’s rights. Watts Gets a Lucky Break In 1989, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decided that, because Watts was not told that the bathtub and the water had been judged lethal weapons, he would not be required to serve his entire sentence. Watts was reclassified as a nonviolent felon which made him eligible for retroactive â€Å"good time earned† equaling three days for every one day served. Model prisoner and confessed murderer  Coral Eugene Watts would be  getting out of prison on May 9, 2006. Victims Say Hell No to Early Release Law As news spread about the possibility of Watts getting out of prison, there was a tremendous public outcry against the good time earned early release law, which eventually was abolished, but, because it was an applicable law during Watts trial, his early release could not be reversed. Lawrence Fossi, whose wife was murdered by Watts, fought the release with every possible legal maneuver he could find. Joe Tilley, whose young daughter Linda fought so hard to live, but lost her battle against Watts, as he held her under the water at the apartment complex swimming pool, summed up how most of the other families felt about Watts: Forgiveness cannot be bestowed when forgiveness is not sought. This is a confrontation with pure evil, with principalities and the powers of the air. Michigan's Attorney General Asks for Help When Mike Cox, who was Michigans Attorney General at the time, found out about the change in Watts sentence, he ran televised spots, asking the public to come forward if they had any information about the women that Watts was suspected of having killed. Texas had a plea arrangement with Watts, but Michigan did not. If they could prove Watts murdered any of the women who had turned up dead over the past few years in Michigan, Watts could be put away for life. Coxs efforts paid off. A Westland, Michigan resident named Joseph Foy came forward and said that Watts looked like the man whom he saw in December 1979 stabbing 36-year-old Helen Dutcher, who later died from her wounds. Watts Will Finally Pay for His Crimes Watts was shipped to Michigan  where he was  charged, tried and found guilty of murdering Helen Dutcher. On December 7, 2004, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. In late July 2007 Watts again faced a jury after being arrested for the 1974 murder of Gloria Steele. He was found guilty and received a life sentence without possibility of parole. Slipping Through the Bars One Last Time Watts was sent to Ionia, Michigan where he was housed at the Ionia Correctional Facility, also known as the I-Max because it is a maximum security prison.  But he did not stay there long. About two months into his sentence he managed to slide his way out from behind the prison bars yet again, but this time would be his last time as only a miracle would save him now. On September 21, 2007, Coral Eugene Watts was admitted to a hospital in Jackson, Michigan and shortly after died of prostate cancer. The case of the â€Å"Sunday Morning Slasher† was permanently closed.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

THE REASON WHY TEENAGERS RUN AWAY Research Paper

THE REASON WHY TEENAGERS RUN AWAY - Research Paper Example Teenagers run away from their home due to many reasons and the consequences are usually very severe. There are basically five kinds of runaways, though there may be variations and overlapping within: situational, recidivist, street, chronic, and thrown away. Situational runaways constitute the largest group of youths who leave home. They usually are away for a day or two following a quarrel with parents before returning home. Chronic runaways constantly run from home and remain away for longer stretches of time, often progressing to street youth. Recidivists or repeat runaways leave home more than once, sometimes staying with friends, others living on streets or shelters. Studies show that recidivists’ runners are more likely than non-recidivists runawys to leave home due to problems involving family dynamics, substance abuse, transportation, and judicial systems among others. Street youth runaways leave home permanently and as the term suggests, tend to literally live on the streets and must fend for themselves. Some street kids also spend time staying in transitory housing such as shelters or abandoned building, and are most at risk for victimization. Thrown away leave homes as a result of dispute with parents or guardians, or are abandoned. Some thrown away youths also fall into other categories of runaways (Barri, 9). A big problem in the American household today is child abuse. Abuse comes in a variety of ways; physical, sexual, and mental. Children who experience abuse are more likely to run away from home than children who are not exposed to it. With any kind of abuse a child goes through it immediately starts to affect them psychologically. Children try to cope with the abuse at first; some are able to push it away while others wear the abuse on their face and it shows to everyone around them. Around the world an estimated forty million children suffer from