Crime Scene Investigation: Understanding The CSI Effect

Programs such as Forensic files, Law and Order, csi, csi Miami etc may be hugely popular and thoroughly entertaining but they have created what is know in academic and professional circles as the 'CSI effect'

According to max Houck, director of the Forensic Science Initiative, a program that develops research and professional training for forensic scientists, "The csi effect is basically the perception of the near-infallibility of forensic science in response to the TV show,"

The main distortion between fictional portrayals and the application of forensic science in the real world is 'time frame'. It can take several weeks, sometimes months to get results back from the lab, however, in the fictional world of forensic science and crime scene investigation, results invariabaly come back straight away.

The csi effect in action

It would seem that the csi effect is most visible in the court room, particularly among jurors. max Houck mentioned above, argues that Prosecutors fear the csi effect among juries because they may question why everything is not subject to forensic analysis, when in fact not everything has to be. Equally, Defence attorneys are concerned about the csi effect because jurors may perceive the science of forensics as completely objective and totally accurate, thus ignoring the possibility of human or technical error.

Writing for USA today Richard Willing outlined a number of examples that highlighted the csi effect in action. These included:

A murder trial where jurors alerted the judge that a bloody coat introduced as evidence had not been tested for DNA. In fact, the tests were not needed because the defendant acknowledged being at the murder scene. The judge stated that TV had taught jurors about DNA tests, but not enough about when to use them.

A murder trial where jurors asked the judge if a cigarette butt found during the crime scene investigation could be tested to see if it could be linked to the defendant. The defence team had ordered the tests but had not introduced them into evidence. Upon doing so, the tests exonerated the defendant, and he was acquitted.

The fact that prosecutors are now being allowed to question potential jurors about their TV-watching habits.

To find out more about the csi effect and to test your own crime scene investigation skills and knowledge visit:

http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/csi-effect.html

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What's In Your Hoodia Diet Pills?

Yes, it's true that the majority of the hoodia diet pills sold today are fake, but that's not what this article is about. Consumers have always had to be careful about buying hoodia supplements to avoid being scammed, but now there may be another issue they need to think about the potency of the supplements they're buying.

Up until recently, supplements that contained authentic hoodia gordonii contained the wild grown variety. Today, however, most authentic hoodia supplements contain cultivated hoodia gordonii. The obvious question is what's the difference between the two? They're the same exact plant but one grows in the wild and the other one is commercially farmed like any other crop. The biggest difference between the two, however, may be the potency.

According to one of the largest raw hoodia importers in the world, wild grown hoodia has higher levels of the active ingredient, P57, the ingredient responsible for hoodia's appetite suppressant benefits. The reason wild hoodia supposedly has more P57 is because it has been left to grow longer than cultivated hoodia. The hoodia gordonii plant must be left to grow for at least 5-6 years before it reaches maximum potency. The wild grown hoodia that has been used the past few years in supplements was at least five years old before it was harvested.

The cultivated hoodia that is now predominantly used in supplements is being harvested too soon, according to this hoodia importer. They claim it is being harvested after only two or three years about three years before it reaches maximum potency. What you get in the end is a supplement that isn't as effective as it should be.

Not all agree with this assessment, however. There are other hoodia insiders that claim the wild hoodia gordonii stock hasn't been exhausted. Yet, other insiders I've spoken to say wild hoodia is indeed completely gone right now and the only hoodia available is the cultivated variety. Furthermore, these same insiders claim that the cultivated hoodia is equally as potent as wild hoodia gordonii so consumers don't need to worry.

Who do you believe? Unfortunately, there isn't standard testing done with hoodia diet pills to test for potency. There are tests that are done all the time by independent labs to determine if a given supplement contains authentic hoodia gordonii, but they don't test the levels of P57. I doubt that such testing is even feasible. After all, how much would it cost to have every bottle tested for the specific levels of P57?

Regardless of who you believe in this debate there is one thing for certain if the wild hoodia gordonii isn't already depleted, it probably will be soon. If the majority of the supplements today don't contain cultivated hoodia they probably will in the near future. That leads us back to the potency question. Are the hoodia supplements made today as effective as they used to be?

It appears we won't have a conclusive answer anytime soon. I guess the only thing a consumer can do is monitor their own response to the hoodia diet pills they're taking. If the pills don't work as well as they used to at the same dosage, then more hoodia gordonii may need to be taken as today's hoodia supplements may indeed be less potent than those in the past.

Not sure who to believe in this debate and would rather stick with wild-grown hoodia diet pills to be sure you're getting maximum potency? Find out which brands contain authentic wild hoodia by reading the hoodia reviews at http://hoodiaandweightloss.com

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Xbox 360 So Hot It Can Be Liquid Cooled by Cool IT Systems

Some of the top gammers who drive their xbox 360 Machines hard due to their intense level of play have found themselves over heating their systems. The answer for these top Guns of the virtual world and heroes of their own augmented reality to do? The answer is liquidity; that is to say a liquid cooled xbox 360 system made by cool IT Systems.

Thats right liquid cooled for those who run their machines full tilt for hours on end with the fastest and most exhilarating games. As long as they have enough brainpower and quick reflexes to go beyond what normal mortals can do, now they have a viable solution. A word of advice for those gammers, you also need to cool your human brain and feed it properly. We recommend high calorie, protein and glucose intake in an environment well ventilated with plenty of oxygen too.

Currently the standard cool IT Systems Xbox 360 intercooler with liquid cooling technologies uses the power from the xbox 360, but in future models it may need to be hooked up to its own power source as the games get more robust and the gammers become even more intuitively aggressive. xbox 360 is just too hot to handle, too hot to stay on the shelves and way too hot for Sony play station to ever catch a clue that they are about to be lapped. CoolIT Systems liquid cooling; install this in 2006!

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