The Wrongful Conviction of Kirk Bloodsworth

"A mind enclosed in language is in prison." ~Simone Well

Can you imagine spending your whole life in prison, for something you didn't do? Living with an innocence no one else can see? Walking in the shoes of a criminal though your conscious is clean? Many people have been falsely convicted and lose their lives for something they didn't do. One of the most common reasons this happens it through eye witness misidentification. The victim is ready to accuse for what happened to them and they may match their memory with a completely innocent person. Additionally, the line up may be rigged in multiple ways. The administrator of the line up test may know who the suspect is, the suspect may not be in the line up and the victim has to base their choice off of relativity. So instead of having one person to match with their memory, they have a line of people and they can only know who did it by their comparison of who looks closest to their memory. Another reason people are wrongly incarcerated is through governmental misconduct. In a situation with social pressure, the police are eager to accuse someone to ease the population. Also, the prosecutor can lie about evidence in different cases like in the Lori Rosetti case. In 1986, DNA fingerprinting was discovered. Through this science, many people have been accurately convicted. However, a few years later, this new development helped wrongly convicted people be exonerated. Kirk Bloodsworth is one of these 305 cases of exoneration through DNA fingerprinting.

A nine year old girl was found dead in July of 1984. In March of 1985, Kirt Bloodsworth was convicted of killing and sexually assaulting the victim. The reports stated that the girl had been strangled and beaten to death with a rock. Five different eye witnesses were used to convict Bloodsworth. In the trial, multiple pieces of evidence were used. The five witnesses were in unanimous agreement that they had seen Bloodsworth with the victim. Additionally, the suspect mentioned that he may have done something that would affect his relationship with his wife. However, this incident regarding the relationship with his wife was simple not purchasing her dietary requests earlier that day. Also, the suspect mentioned a rock, but only because during the police interrogation a rock was shown as evidence to Bloodsworth.  Here we have two causes of wrongful convictions; eyewitness misidentification and governmental misconduct. After being found guilty, Bloodsworth was convicted with two consecutive life sentences. (How this is possible, I'm not really sure.) However, this case was turned around in 1992. The Forensics Science Associates performed DNA testing on the evidence found at the crime scene to compare to the DNA of Bloodsworth under the order of the prosecution. At the scene, shorts and underwear of the victim were found and used for DNA testing as well as a stick. Using the DNA found in the spermatozoa, it was proven that Bloodsworth's DNA did not match that found at the crime scene. The FBI performed the same tests and their conclusions were congruent to previous tests.  Eight years later, Kirt Bloodsworth was exonerated in July of 1993. Bloodsworth became the first case of exoneration from death row.

After reading his story and listening to other stories similar to this, I really had a deeper thirst for knowledge on all of it. I became extremely intrigued by the field of forensics as well as lawyering and the restrictions. Something else that came up for me was an interest in psychology. What causes people to do bad things, first of all? Then, what keeps a person together in prison even if they are innocent? These horrible stories and awful accounts of wrongful convictions have made me angry. Not necessarily angry at the system, more frustrated towards the people involved. And the people actually committing these crimes. And angry towards society being so willing to believe what figures of authority say and not even questioning it. I feel like as a society, we have so much power and we don't even realize it. We are all too willing to believe whatever our screens tell us. Oh, a police man said that? It must be true. We have lost the ability to think about things deeper. It's this state of complacency that we have reached where we are happy to believe what we are told, even if it means the life of someone else. Oh it just gets me fired up and frustrated. But more importantly than that, it makes me want to change myself and the way that society continues to be herded like sheep by the media.


To watch an interview with Kirt, follow the link: http://www.oneforten.com/kirk-noble-bloodsworth

Pig 05049

"So, that piece of bread? Do you know what it's made of?" 

We step into the shower, allowing the steam to renew our skin. Stumble to the kitchen and eat breakfast, still half asleep. Walk out the door and into the world. The world where things are changing, shifting, moving. Evolving so fast we lose track of the simple improvements we take for granted because they make our lives easier. Do we know how all this happens? Do we know what our everyday tools of life are made out of? Christien Meindertsma follows pig 05049 through the journey of a life time and takes us deeper into the products we frequently use. 


When we think of a pig, we automatically think of meat. Bacon, pork, ham, sausage....And yes, it is true. The majority of the pig is used to create the meat that is consumed daily by millions. However, in the past, no part of the animal was wasted. Every last bit of the body was used. So is that still true? Through three years of research Christien found that the pig is used in much more things that we think. First of all, bar soap contains traces of pig that is used as a hardening agent and also creates the glossy soap look. Then we go to breakfast and eat a healthy piece of toast. Some companies actually use the hair from a pig in their bread as an "enhancing protein." Additionally, that "lowfat butter" that you spread over your pig hair bread? It actually contains gelatin. When food is made to be fat-free or low fat, it loses it's texture and they have to add gelatin to the product to make sure that it keeps it's form. Really what Meindertsma was discovering was that the pig that we kill is actually used for a lot more than we might assume.  The base of many roads is made from cellular concrete which is a light type of concrete. Often this concrete contains protein from bones in it. Craving something to eat on your way home? A nice desert? When you pick up that cheesecake or tiramisu from the frozen delicacy section you are really grabbing yourself a nice large helping of gelatin. To make sure these foods are firm to hold them in their shapes, gelatin is added.  Even simple things such as paint, paintbrushes and sandpaper use parts of the pigs in the final product. In her TED talk, Christien talks about the most interesting thing she discovered pig byproduct was actually used for; bullets. Bullets? Really? Welcome to the world of creative minds! The most disturbing way pig meat is used is through steaks, which are supposed to be cow meat. When they run out of enough cow meat to make a whole steak, they take extra pig and add it to the cow. They roll it into a sausage and slice it into pieces they sell as steak. She mentions how along with that steak, you may want to quench your thirst with a hefty beer. Often beer has cloudy elements so to remove this, they filter it through gelatin. Juices and wines also undergo this "cleaning" process. Interestingly enough, some cigarette companies will use pig hemoglobin in the filter of the cigarette. They claim that it creates an "artificial lung" in the filter making it a "healthier cigarette." Through all of these bizarre uses of pig, she discovered a true miracle; the valve from the pigs heart. There is actually a medical clinic that uses the valve of the pig heart and cases it in high-tech metal. This can be placed into a human heart without using open heart surgery and when they remove the metal shell, the heart starts beating instantly. The heart is a beautiful thing isn't it?

When I was listening to this, so much was going on in my head. Disbelieve, disgust, at points, and sheer awe for the creativity humans have. Later that afternoon, I was processing how innovative and resourceful humans are. Not a part of this pig is wasted. Just like when our lives depended on having every little thing. Why is it so hard for us to be resourceful in the other aspects of our lives. How many plates of perfectly food are thrown away everyday from restaurants?  How much paper to we throw away instead of recycling? How many extra gallons of gas are burned each day because people don't know how to carpool? Simple things in our lives can really effect the health of our planet. We can find a hundred different uses for a pigs body, but we cant seem to realize how easy it is to be that resourceful in our own lives. This just really moved me and made me think about how many more ways in my life I can work on being more resourceful.

**Remember this woman is from Europe and these are European companies that she talks about.**

Warrior Gene

"These days, our senses are bombarded with aggression. We are constantly confronted with global images of unending, escalating war and violence."

~Margaret J. Wheatley

In science and psychology and sociology, it has long been debated whether the basis of human nature is derived from "nature" or "nurture." Sociology proposes the "cycle of sociology" to combat this large question that many grapple with. This cycle essentially lines out the things that influence us and suggests multiple concepts such as the looking-glass-self as a way to show that humans are developed through "nurture." The looking-glass-self concept suggests that we see ourselves through the eyes of our influences. We see what our parents want us to be like, we see what our peers want us to be like, our teachers, our grandparents, our siblings...These outside forces drive our creation of ourselves. What this means is that the things that other people expect and want from us shift our mindset into a space where we can create ourselves to match the outsiders vision of us. The other thing that the sociology cycle suggests is that we are the way we are because we have been formed that way by our environment. For example, if a person is aggressive or full of rage, it is because of the way they were raised, or the people they surround themselves by. Maybe this is true and we are nurtured into being who we are....
....But what if...this could all be disproved? 

In recent studies, geneticists have found that there may be mutations that cause behavioral changes. One of these is a mutation of the X chromosome in the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). This mutation  happens in the eighth exon of the MAO-A gene. In both mice and humans this has been the case. Monoamine oxidase (MOA) is a neurotransmitter than promotes production of serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline in the brain. MAOA and MAOB are enzymes that are closely linked on the X chromosome. In fact, "they share 70% similarity in amino acid sequence." (Brunner) When both of these are missing, mental retardation occurs. Scientists believe that a lower level of MOA's in the brain causes this aggression. Through this research, scientists have also found that males are the only ones affected by this gene. Women still carry it, but they do not show any difference in chemical changes in the brain or aggression levels compared to that of women who do not carry the mutation. This mutation has been used in multiple law suits where the defending attorney uses this genetic proof in hopes to lessen the punishment of their client. In the argument, the attorney claims that the client cannot help themselves because it is part of their genes and this makes them more likely to fall into violence and aggression. However, through the media. this scientific information is mangled and often the misinterpreted by the public which leads them to "shunning the field of behavioral research." (Murphy)

All of this information is ridiculously interesting...is it not? If I could, I would spend much more time researching this and figuring out how genetics plays into behavior. Basically, what this did for me was to combine psychology and science in a beautiful way. If our aggression levels are determined by a gene, how many more of our genes code for behavior? Is there a special gene that makes people super friendly? How about a gene to make people empathetic? For me, this research got me thinking more about "nature" and "nurture" and how little science is brought into the argument when discussing this topic. I think I may have found my senior project topic! 

Works Cited: 

Brunner, H.G. "Abnormal Behavior Associated with a Point Mutation in the Structural Gene for Monoamine Oxidase A H. H.; van Oost, B. A." Science 262 (1993): 578-80. Biosci. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://biosci.usc.edu/courses/2001-fall/documents/bisc403-science.pdf>.

Murphy, Sarah Anne. "BORN TO RAGE? : A CASE STUDY OF THE WARRIOR GENE." WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: 1-74. Print.

Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 24 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoamine_oxidase_A>.

Forks over Knives

"We have a growing problem. And what is growing is us." 

Do you notice yourself having multiple helpings, bedtime snacks, mid morning munchies? Many Americans in the recent years have grown in size. Each year we see the adults getting rounder and their children following in suite. As we progress through technology, we also regress in our health. In our food, we remove the water the minerals and we are left with food that is poor in nutrient quality and calorie rich. We have lost the quality of life that kept us eating healthy foods and wanting to stay fit. We have lost our way and have become dependent on unnaturally rich and highly processed foods to satisfy us. If these patterns continue, this generation will be the first to not out live their parents.

In the movie Forks over Knives, the main message was that a plant-based, whole foods diet can improve the way we live because the foods that are easily available to us are the ones that are spelling our demise. More and more we are seeing people diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol and angina. Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn have both done separate research but found similar answers that may guide us to a healthier future. Their studies repeatedly revealed that the animal products were really not as healthy as the majority of Americans made them to be. In a street survey, all participants claimed that meat and dairy were important parts of the diet to provide us with protein. In fact, dietary cholesterol, the type that can cause blood clots, angina and coronary artery disease, is only found in animal products including meat, dairy and eggs. However, some scientists and nutritionist still believe that animal protein is necessary in our diet for providing amino acids and helping with cell growth and tissue repair. Despite this firmly held believe, what Dr. Campbell and Dr. Esselstyn have found proves that animal proteins are really not necessary for humans to function. One test done to prove this theory was performed by Dr. Campbell and a group of test rats. He fed one group of rats 20% casein, a main component of animal protein, and the other group was fed 5% casein. After a significant amount of time, his findings showed that the rats being fed the higher levels of casein developed health problems including cancer but the mice on the lower dose of casein showed no signs of cancer or other health issues. Dr. Campbell decided to change the experiment to solidify his findings. His second experiment included the same portions of casein and two groups but this time he switched the diets by the groups. Through this, he found that when the rats were switched onto the 20% dosage, they immediately showed cancer growth and when they were again fed only 5%, the cancerous signs decreased. What this proved is that cancer can be turned on and off just like a switch. And the hand triggering the cancer cells to grow is indeed animal protein. Actually, animal based foods increase poor health, and plant based diets can reverse those negative effects. "Our most crippling conditions can be reduced if not completely eradicated through a plant based, whole foods diet." So why do we continue eating processed foods that are truly harming us? Scientists blame it on something they call the Motivational Triad. This are the three things driving humans to act in certain ways. Pleasure seeking, no pain and no effort are the three corners of the triad. Because humans try to find a way to make no effort in finding food, we often try to seek out the richest foods. In our stomachs, we have stretch sensors and density sensors. The rich, calorie heavy foods that we consume are often not triggering these sensors and so we continue to eat even though our stomachs are full. Essentially we have become caught in a pleasure trap. This means there is an interaction between our natural instincts and the modern and artificial urge that is overriding those instincts telling us that we need to eat more rich foods. A plant based diet may seem extreme, but I surely would rather make healthy food choices than pay for my mistakes in the ER. 

Before we had watched this movie in biology, I watched it over Christmas break and so I had two note pages to draw from when writing this. One take away that I had this round of watching is was just how much deeper you can go into media the second time you are immersed in it. Each time I watched it I realized just how amazing it was that health problems could actually be reversed through a vegan diet. That blew me away the first time, so you would think that the second time I saw it I would be braced for that astonishing news, but no. I was just as mindblown as the first time. Additionally, after the first time I watched it I immediately shifted my diet and I am now working on a plant based diet which means I am a vegan. I never knew something like that could be so hard, but I am finding my weaknesses are all around me. For example sushi? Or caesar salad dressing? Or honey? Although I still have weak days where I just really want a cookie with butter in it, I am eating healthier than I ever have and I am noticing remarkable differences in my weight. 

"Let food be thy medicine."

~ Hypocrites 

Remembering Lucy

"If [stories] don't have happy endings, they should have tragic endings." 

And that is exactly how the story of the chimpanzee, Lucy, ends; tragically. Lucy and her biological family were part of a circus. The two humans that adopted Lucy to live them as a human were Maurice K. Temerlin, and his wife, Jane W. Temerlin.She was raised as a human child in the family and soon she became neither human, nor chimp. She was lost.

As Lucy grew, she learned sign language and essentially became a human in all aspects except her physical appearance. She was quite capable of maneuvering around the house and helping herself to tea, food and reading materials. During her innocent stages of life, Janis Carter had begun working with Lucy and simple just being with her. When Lucy hit the age of 12, she was in her full strength and became destructive around the house. She would tear things from the shelf, rip apart her "parents" possessions and leave the house in utter chaos. This became so bad that the Temerlins created a cage for her and had to keep her locked up. Once they reached that point, they realized that they needed to find a different solution. They looked into all of their options and eventually decided to send her to a chimpanzee rehabilitation center in Gambia. Janis went with Lucy and stayed with her at the center for years.  At the center Lucy became hurt, angry and depressed. For years, Janis tried getting Lucy settled in at the center but the chimp still was stressed out and lost her appetite as well as her hair. When Janis saw that the center was clearly not working for Lucy or several of the other apes that were in the same boat as Lucy, Janis changed the tactic to getting them readapted. She took them out to a deserted island and released the apes, along with Lucy, on to the land. However they stayed around Janis and wouldn't fend for themselves. Out of desperation, Janis ordered a metal cage to be made and she put herself into the cage in hopes that the chimps would get bored with her and branch out on their own. After a while, that is what most of the chimps did, but Lucy stayed next to the cage with Janis and frequently signed for Janis to come out and be with Lucy. Distraught and out of options, Janis came out of the cage and began eating bugs and plants, wishing that her display of actions would be mirrored by Lucy. Exhausted, Janis fell asleep and Lucy curled up next to her. When Janis awoke, Lucy was sitting by her side holding a leaf out for Janis to consume. That was the point of Janis realizing that Lucy was ready to be left in the wild. Janis Carter left the island and visited back ever so often. On her last visit to the island, she found Lucy's skeleton with the hands and feet cut off and skin gone. We can assume that Lucy, being the most comfortable with humans, approached poachers unaware of the danger they posed and was skinned. Tragic isn't it?

We listened to this documentary in class and from the very beginning I kept thinking how horrible humans can be. What is it in us that makes us mess things up and not know how to fix it? The whole idea of keeping a wild animal as a pet just seems wrong in the first place. And then to abandon that animal when they are caught in the middle not knowing what they really are because of us? In Humanities, we have been learning about the genocide in Rwanda and how when the country was in need, the rest of the world turned their back to the chaos they had created. I am really seeing how horrible humans can be. How awful and rude and frankly self-centered the modern human is. And through all of this, I am actively viewing my life through a critical lens and seeing how I am just the same as those self-righteous "scientific" adults who have turned our world upside down through their "beneficial" experiments.

Bio

Hey internet world! My name is Marley Gabel and I am a Sophomore at Animas High School. Something that is interesting about me is that I don't like licorice. Or twizzlers, or redvines. I think they are icky and gross, kinda like cutting dead animals open.This is the first post to my biology blog. Throughout the year we will be updating the blog with information on labs, projects and class work.