Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Pit Bulls Essay Example for Free

Pit Bulls Essay American societies famous bully breeds is too often stereotyped as malicious animals, but that stereotype is false due to evidence that pit bulls can be just as loving as the iconic golden retriever. According to the American Temperament Test, which is a test that focuses on and measures different aspects of temperament such as stability, shyness, aggressiveness, friendliness and self-preservation in the face of a threat shows that Pit Bulls have a temperament of 86.8%, (American Temperament Test Society) a much higher percentage than other breeds which justifies that these animals can withstand a higher tolerance of aggressiveness. If this is the case, why are Pit Bulls one of the most discriminated dog breeds in today’s society? Due to irresponsible owners, Pit Bulls have been labeled cruel and violent animals, leading people to be frightened for themselves, their children, and their pets. By experience and owning a pit bull for oneself, people would begin to understand something entirely different. Pit Bulls are a misunderstood breed; they are one of the most loving and loyal breeds that deserves a fair chance just like any other dog would, but because of irresponsible owners, and their negligence toward teaching their pit bulls the right mannerisms this may never happen. The reputation of the Pit Bull has taken a dramatic downfall in the past few decades due to negative publicity. Originally, Pit Bulls were considered to be   Ã¢â‚¬Å"American darlings†; during WWI they were claimed to be the sweetest and most loving dogs a person could own, but in the 1980’s the view of the â€Å"American darlings† changed due to an illegal â€Å"sport†, dogfighting. Although dogfighting is illegal in all fifty states, inhumane persons who participate in the sport choose pit bulls because of their strong physique and loyal personality, which contribute to the stereotype of all pit bulls being violent due to the public only viewing them as fighters. A famous example of this is the widely known scandal around NFL player Michael Vick, who was convicted of running Pit bull fighting kennels in Smithfield, VA. The outcome of this case brought on more discrimination toward Pit bulls in general. Although Pit Bulls were viewed badly, people still used them as the preferred guard dog not only for the bad as in drug houses and gang members, but also as one would get any dog, to use them as protection for their property. In 1987 an incident regarding a Pit Bull and a two-year-old sent red flags up for this prestigious breed. A pit bull that was under the care of an irresponsible owner had the dog guarding an illegal marijuana crop, in California, when a two-year-old boy who was unsupervised was wandering around and fell victim to the pit bull. This attack was immediately publicized because of the pit bull being involved as the main concern, which made the reputation of Pit Bulls sink even lower. People began to think that Pit Bulls were heartless killers, due to the mis-training of their owners. The public was misinformed; they did not know that the child was wandering around unsupervised in an enclosed area. This situation would create a threat to any guard dog, not just a Pit Bull, and the outcome would have been the same. Because of that horrible mistake, the Pit Bull was killed. In a situation like this, it is in no way the Pit Bull’s fault; he was merely doing his job. Rather, it is the owner’s fault for not clearly training him and the parent’s fault for being careless with their child. This was brought to the courts attention and soon thoughts of a ban against Pit bulls were raised. The public was outraged by this attack and proposed a ban on Pit bulls. This ban was granted throughout 39 or more cities and states without the consent of any animal professionals or the owners of this breed. These bans lead to the death of many innocent Pit Bulls in many areas. Many Cities reportedly spent over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in rounding up and killing these animals. Devastated owners had their animals confiscated and killed without warning. In Tijeras, New Mexico, the ban was so strictly enforced that animal control officers were allowed to kill any Pit Bull seen on sight without compensation to the owner. Due to their misunderstood reputation, people made rash decisions that affected the lives of many loving Pit Bulls that never stood a chance. They have even become a â€Å"liability† due to their â€Å"overly violent† personalities and because of this have been banned from many areas in the United States. One thing that frightens people the most is a Pit Bulls jaw. While they do have one of the strongest jaws, it is not the strongest. Dr. I. Lerh Brisbin, of the University of Georgia, states, â€Å"The few studies, which have been conducted of the structure of the skulls, mandibles and teeth of Pit Bulls show, that, in proportion to their size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is no different than that of any [other] breed of dog. There is absolutely not evidence for the existence of any kind of locking mechanism unique to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier. † There is no evidence to prove that Pit Bulls have unique jaws or any lethal â€Å"lockjaw†. The â€Å"lockjaw† method is learned through training, it is not a special killing tool, and once again the owner creates this issue for the breed. Pit Bulls are not the only kind of dog to be able to do this; most breeds can. The difference is people are already scared of Pit Bulls, so they continue to publicize it much more than the other breeds. Christina Berry, writer for The Lazy Pit Bull states, â€Å"Pit Bulls are the most discriminated dog in the US. This is in part because there are so many myths surrounding them, which makes some people believe theyre not suitable for adoption. This is not true. A rescued Pit Bull can make a wonderful companion. † Once people realize this, then Pit Bull adoption rates will rise and they can be put into good homes. These animals need someone that will take care of them and love them. That is all that is required for a happy dog and no accidents will be encountered. If these animals were provided the rights training and proper care than there would not be any worry about owning one of these animals. There are many precautions that have to be taken when owning these animals. Such as; proper housing and fencing, this contributes to a safe environment where these animals can roam and live without the disturbance of others. Also a calm and secluded area where no one can be around or taunt the animal in its own territory. When these animals are out in the public they should be constantly under supervision, this will allow you to know what the animal is doing at all time and give the proper amount of time to react if the Pit Bull feels threatened. Throughout the awful times many people continue to stand by Pit Bulls, these people are the ones that have experienced owning this loving creature and understand that the bad reputation Pit Bulls have is merely a misconception. I believe that Pit Bulls are the greatest breed a family could have. I have had fourteen Pit Bulls and each one was very special to me. They are very playful, confident, strong, humorous, loving, but most of all loyal. They will do anything for their owners. They are just like any other dog, but unfortunately they are not seen the same. Not one of my Pit Bulls ever harmed or attacked any other animal or human. They continuously proved themselves to being the sweetest animals that many have had the great fortune to meet. What normal, other dogs can do, like jump on somebody or behave like a dog, a Pit Bull can do that and be deemed dangerous, (Kingsbury) Unless people start taking the time to get to know the extraordinary breed that Pit Bulls are, they will never be able to understand their true personality or help them. Pit Bulls need to stop being looked at as monsters and killing machines, they are just like any other dog. They are loving, trusting, loyal, and fun. Pit Bulls are a wonderful versatile breed and are used for many different purposes; Fighting is not the only thing they excel at. They are a breed always focused and determined to please its owner, thus if we start using them for the right purposes these dogs make wonderful therapy, guide, rescue, service, weight pulling, but most of all companion dogs. â€Å"Pit Bulls love people. Although this breed frequently gets a bad rap in the media, if you have ever met a Pit Bull that was raised by a loving, conscientious family then you will understand how much they like to be with people.   All they need is the right kind of guidance, and owner. Pit Bulls are just like any other pet that one takes into their home, these dogs are wrongly named and deceived for the acts they are trained by their owners to do. JRL Solutions states, â€Å"It is in actuality the humans who continue to make a series of hasty or ignorant mistakes that are helping to perpetuate the bad reputation this breed has gained over the last decade. † If a law should pass against these dogs, it should be the law to mandate the right methods of training. To punish these dogs and classify them as malicious or dangerous is a hypocritical judgment as any dog, small, medium, or large could be classified into these categories. After much research and experience as I have had my fair share in taking responsibility and care of this precious breed, it is safe to say that society should rethink their opinions and misconceptions of these dogs. It is proven that they were the â€Å"American darlings† of our time, they have the tolerance to withstand aggressiveness, and they are one of the most loyal companions any man could ask for.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

All About Eve :: essays research papers

All About Eve   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eve is a character which represents personal ambition and manipulation. The character is a person who is willing to do anything necessary to get what she wants and has, apparently, no remorse or feelings of guilt for her actions. Watching this movie I saw that All About Eve was also all about me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In watching this movie I personally saw Eve of a sort of mirror to my own manipulative tendencies. As I watched how carefully the character chose her words, and moved in a certain way in order to obtain precisely the reaction desired for those around her. I thought of how often I have done the same things myself. I thought of how often I have carefully selected what I told others about me in order to create a certain desired image of myself. It made me conscience of the fact that I have, on countless occasions manipulated people for my own benefit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It drew my thoughts back in a tour of my past and brought forth a multi-tude of times in which I behaved much as the character Eve did. I remember acting in such a way even when I was as young as six. Until I watched this movie I had never consciously realized that I do these things to get what I want. But now, after observing such a wonderfully carried out portal of someone else discreetly controlling others, I realize that I do this quite naturally as a part of my everyday life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I see it the character of Eve represents myself and the dangers of what I could become if I should permit myself to continue these practices. I believe that the character of Eve is intended to show viewers of the audience, who re-semble her, a mirror of themselves, so they can see how they look from the out-side. It is advantageous to do this through the medium of a film because it al-lows the viewer to see the point from a more objective view then may be pro-vided through other means. I think that this movie is one which will have a ex-tremely powerful effect on such people. It made me realize that this way of con-trolling others is not a natural part of life in general though it has become a natural part of my life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eve represents, to me, what I could become.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Research Paper About Daily Activities of Nurses in Hospital.

1. 0 INTRODUCTION I propose to study the attitude, knowledge and experiences of nurses on prioritizing comfort measures in care of the dying patient in an acute hospital setting. I am particularly interested in this field as I worked in a hospice during semester break where palliative care of the dying concentrated on the quality of life of the patient. When the prognosis for the patient was imminent death, care was focused on reducing the severity of the disease symptoms rather than vainly trying to stop or delay development of the disease itself or provide a cure. When the prognosis for a patient is imminent death, hospice care concentrates on the quality of life of the patient, reducing the severity of the disease symptoms rather than vainly trying to treat the disease itself. To assist in delivery of this type of quality end-of-life care to patients in acute hospitals the Alor Setar Hospital developed a Hospice Friendly Hospital programme (HFH). This HFH developed the Quality Standards for End-of-Life Care in Hospitals to set out a shared vision for the type of end-of life care that each hospital should aim to provide. This development is significant as almost 50% of those who die in Kedah die in hospital and care of the dying in Alor Setar hospitals, while regarded as good, is described as ‘care at the end of life’ rather than ‘end-of-life care’ because the care seems to lack an effective palliative care component† LITERATURE REVIEW To investigate international perspectives on end-of-life care, the current international literature was reviewed using the key themes of identifying the dying phase, comfort care and symptom control for the dying patient. It was conclude from the literature review that nurses and medical staff often differed in their approach to care of the dying patient and this hindered effective delivery of end-of-life-care. Education on end-of-life care was recommended in the literature as being a solution to the problems in delivering this care even though research had not been done on the status quo in education. RESEARCH PROBLEM Before planning such specific education programmes, it would seem necessary to conduct research studies to establish the education and training levels of nurses and doctors in end-of-life care and to establish if attitudes and experience also influence the medical and nursing models in the delivery of this care. This research proposal is concerned with the nursing model and it proposes to establish what influences the nurse’s approach in delivering end-of-life care. METHODOLOGY A quantitative approach using a descriptive design is proposed for this study. Questionnaires will be used as the data collection method with a simple random sample of 200 staff nurses employed in a Alor Setar hospital being selected as participants in the study. RESEARCH QUESTION The research problem leads to the following research question: â€Å"What are the attitude, knowledge and experience of nurses on prioritizing comfort measures for dying patients in an acute hospital? † OBJECTIVES (i) To establish the attitude of nurses on prioritizing comfort measures for dying patients. ii) To establish if nurses’ knowledge of prioritizing comfort measures for dying patients is adequate. (iii) To establish if nurses’ experience in prioritizing comfort measures for dying patients is significant. 2. 0 METHODOLOGY Introduction to Research Methodology The methodology selected for the proposed study will be detailed here. The planned research design, methods of sample selection, data collection and analysis of results will be explained. Ethical consi derations for this particular research study will also be detailed. It is hoped that the chosen methodology will generate useful information through the collection and analysis of data on the attitude, knowledge and experiences of staff nurses on the effect of comfort measures in care of the dying patient in the acute hospital setting. Research Design The research design of a study outlines the basic approach that researchers use to answer their research question (Polit & Beck 2010). To meet the aims and objectives of the study it is important that the researcher selects the most appropriate design for achieving the aims of the study (Parahoo 2006). The quantitative approach arises from the belief that human phenomena and variables in human behaviour can be studied objectively (Parahoo 2006) and so this approach has been chosen as an appropriate research method. Quantitative research uses a fixed design that organises in advance the research question and a detailed method of data collection and analysis (Robson 2007). It is proposed that this survey will collect details of the current attitude, knowledge and experience of nurses on comfort care of the dying patient. The method of data collection chosen is a written questionnaire, allowing large sample size without major expense, to produce quantitative data that can be analysed by statistical computer programmes, Population/sample Parahoo (2006, p. 258) defines a population as â€Å"the total number of units from which data can potentially be collected†. The population in this study will be staff nurses working in the acute hospital setting in Ireland. This population will be delimited to a homogenous group of subjects through inclusion/exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria †¢ Registered general staff nurses who work in the acute-care setting. Exclusion criteria †¢ Staff nurses working with children †¢ Agency staff nurses Staff nurses, fitting the above criteria, from a large Dublin acute hospital will be chosen as a smaller convenience group of the target population. It is then proposed to select a simple random probability sample (from the convenience sample). Proctor et al. (2010) maintain that the use of probability sampling in quantitative research reduces errors and biases in the study. Sampling is the process by which researchers select a proportion of the target population, as the study population, to represent the entire unit. It is more practical and economical to work with samples rather than with large target populations (Polit & Beck 2010). The researcher will obtain the names of all eligible nurses from the Human Resources Department in the hospital. This list of nurses will form a sample frame from which the researcher will select nurses at random by assigning a number to each name and ‘picking the numbers out of a hat’. Data collection Quantitative data are collected to classify and describe attributes, behaviours and activities of populations according to Parahoo (2006). Data collection should be objective, systematic and repeatable (Lacey 2010). Robson (2007) maintains that a researcher should use the simplest manner of collecting the data to get answers to the research question and should not collect any more data than necessary. Mindful of these conditions the data collection instrument selected for this study is a questionnaire. Questionnaires A questionnaire is a method of data collection that asks participants to give written or verbal replies to a written set of questions (Parahoo 2006). It is a quick,convenient and inexpensive method of collecting standardised information . A questionnaire can be used to collect information on attitudes,knowledge and experience of staff (Parahoo 2006). A structured writtenquestionnaire that uses a quantitative self-report technique, as outlined by Polit & Beck (2010), will be used to collect data in this study. The questionnaire will have three parts (see Appendix ). Part A of the questionnaire will use a Likert-type scale to gather data on the attitudes of nurseson the effect of comfort in care of the dying. The questionnaire will consist of positively and negatively worded statements with six different response options ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Positive statements are scored one to six (one for strongly agree through to six for strongly disagree) and scores are reversed for negative statements. The score for each item will be reported individually. Parts B and C will use a fill the box format and will gather data on the knowledge and experience of nurses on comfort care of the dying respectively. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION According to Polit and Beck (2010), researchers must deal with ethical issues when their intended research involves human beings. Ethical approval will be requested in writing from the Director of Nursing (as gatekeeper) and the Hospital Ethics Committee of the hospital involved in the research . As gatekeeper, the director of Nursing must be made aware of all nursing research taking place in the organisation to monitor the effect of all such projects taking place. She will also need to be convinced of the value of the research and the competency of the researcher (Lee 2005). The main ethical principles that will be considered in conducting this research study are respect for persons, confidentiality and beneficence /non-maleficence. 3. 0 PROPOSED OUTCOME Following this proposed study, a report will be compiled discussing all aspects of the research process including the results, limitations and benefits. It is anticipated that the results of the study will give an indication of nurses’ attitude, knowledge and experience in the domain of comfort care of the dying in Ireland and indicate where interventions are needed through education, training or management. It is also anticipated that the findings of the research study will reveal if other factors such as attitude or experience impact on the effective delivery of care of the dying patient. It is anticipated that these results will contribute to recommendations in future nursing practice, nurse education and research and that this will in turn move palliative care higher up on the agenda of the nursing profession in general. This study will have limitations as it will be conducted in only one acute hospital. It will give a general overview of the current attitude, knowledge and experience of nurses in this hospital. The researcher recommends that other studies, both quantitative and qualitative be carried out in hospitals in other Irish cities so that a more general picture could be established of end-of-life nursing care in acute hospitals in Ireland. Qualitative research is explanatory and descriptive in nature and so it could help in determining the nature of the phenomena being studied (Barroso, 2010) and consequently give a more complete picture of care of the dying. It is the intention of the researcher to share the findings of the study with management of the partaking hospital and the schools of nursing and midwifery in Ireland. It is hoped that this will highlight the necessity of planning on-going education and training for nurses in end-of-life care. To present the research report to a broader audience the researcher intends applying for publication of the study report in relevant nursing journals. Time Scale A clear and practical time scale is necessary to facilitate the organisation and coordination of each stage of the research process and the successful integration of the stages (Cormack, 1991). An 18 month period is proposed as the time frame for this study and a detailed integrated time plan is included in appendix . Resources An estimated budget account for the proposed study is outlined in appendix. 4. 0 APPENDIX Part A: Questionnaire on attitudes Directions: Write your opnion whether agree or not. 1. Nurses are capable of identifying that a patient is dying. 2. I would not like the responsibility of identifying a patient as dying. 3. Nurses cannot cease routine care for the dying patient without permission from a doctor. 4. The length of time taken to care for a dying patient is vitally important. 5. Nurses should not give dying patients honest answers about their condition. 6. End stage palliative care does not do anything for the patient. 7. The focus of care should be adapted when death becomes imminent. 8. When a patient has been identified as dying a ‘do not resuscitate order’ should be placed on his/her chart. 9. Nurses play a key role in helping patients die in comfort. 10. Comfort care for the dying patient should not replace routine nursing practice. 11. I would not like to care for a dying patient. 12. Comfort care will enhance the dying patient’s quality of life. 13. Specialist palliative care teams are never necessary to deal with a dying patient. 14. Symptom control for the dying patient is not the nurse’s responsibility. 15. When nursing a dying patient it is good practice, when possible, to frequently ask them about symptom control. 16. Symptom control guidelines are necessary for delivering optimal end-of-life care. 17. Nurses cannot manage symptom control in the dying phase. 18. The dying patient’s physical needs should be decided by them when possible. 19. Dignity of a patient is not more important that effective care. 20. Administration of opioids by means of a syringe driver is often an essential measure in symptom control. Part B: Knowledge Questionnaire Please answer all the following questions by ticking the appropriate box to indicate the answer you consider to be correct. Tick one box only. 1. The decision that a patient is dying should be made by a multidisciplinary team. Correct __ Incorrect__ 2. There is a need for specialist palliative care teams to be involved with every dying patient. Correct__ Incorrect__ 3. The dying person should not be allowed to make decisions about his/her physical care. Correct__ Incorrect__ 4. Treatment procedures should be continued even when the patient is dying. Correct__ Incorrect__ 5. Routine nursing practice should not take precedence over a patient’s comfort. Correct__ Incorrect__ 6. Dehydration is a normal part of the dying process. Correct__ Incorrect__ 7. Frequent repositioning of a dying patient is not always desirable. Correct__ Incorrect__ 8. When a patient is diagnosed as dying current medication should be reassessed and non-essentials discontinued. Correct__ Incorrect__ 9. Use of opioids is appropriate to control pain for the dying patient. Correct__ Incorrect__ 10. Symptoms of increased chest secretions and terminal agitation are unavoidable in dying patients. Correct__ Incorrect__ 1. Regulation of bowel movements is often a problem for a dying patient. Correct__ Incorrect__ 12. Retention of urine is more likely than urine incontinence in the dying patient. Correct__ Incorrect__ 13. All dying patients will be at high risk of skin breakdown. Correct__ Incorrect__ 14. Breathless is a common symptom in the dying phase. Correct__ Incorrect__ 15. Gene ral comfort care should not take precedence over skin care. Correct__ Incorrect__ 16. Maintaining a fluid balance record for the dying patient is important. Correct__ Incorrect__ 17. The dying patient should not be coaxed to eat. Correct__ Incorrect__ 18. It is appropriate to control pain in the dying phase by use of both analgesia and sedation. Correct__ Incorrect__ 19. An acute episode in a chronically ill patient may represent a terminal event. Correct__ Incorrect__ 20. Reducing the respiratory rate can relieve breathlessness for the dying patient by reducing anxiety. Correct__ Incorrect__ Part C: Experience survey Section 1 Please answer each question by ticking the appropriate box. 1. Please indicate your number of years nursing experience. 1-5 years 5-10 years 10-15 years 15-20 years >20 years 2. Have you received pre-registration education in end-of-life care? Yes No 3. Have you received post-registration education in end-of-life care? Yes No Section 2 35 The following section concerns your experience in delivering comfort care to dying patients. Please indicate your answer to the question by placing a number in the box which corresponds to your experience (see answer guide). Answer guide: 0 1 2 3 4 5 never 1– 5 times 5–10 times 10–15 times 15– 20 times > 20 times 1. I have been present as a nurse when a patient has died. 2. I have been in charge of nursing care for a dying patient. 3. I have used an integrated care pathway for end-of-life care. 4. I have been part of an interdisciplinary team that identified a patient as dying. 5. I have collaborated with an interdisciplinary team in delivering end-of-life care for a dying patient. 6. I have nursed a dying patient with a do not resuscitate order. 7. I have set up a syringe driver for subcutaneous administration of anticipatory prescribed medications to a dying patient. 8. I have administered prescribed opiate drugs to a dying patient to control pain. 9. I have administered prescribed drugs to a dying patient to control respiratory secretions. 0. I have administered prescribed drugs to a dying patient to control breathlessness. 11. I have been involved in cessation of artificial hydration for a dying patient. 12. I have been involved in cessation of artificial feeding for a dying patient. 13. I have dealt with nausea and vomiting episodes for a dying patient. 14. I have managed constipation problems for a dying pat ient. 15. I have inserted a urinary catheter to manage urine retention for a dying patient. 16. When caring for a dying patient I have been involved making the decision to cease routine care and focus on comfort care. 7. I have managed physical comfort measures for a dying patient with the provision of an air mattress. 18. I have discussed the prognosis of dying with a patient in the dying phase 19. I have acted as advocate for a dying patient when he/she needed their wishes to be heard regarding treatment. 20. I have negotiated a cessation of diagnostic interventions for a dying patient Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. I sincerely value the important contribution that you have made to knowledge development in this area.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Paul Monettes Borrowed Time An AIDS Memoir Essay

Paul Monette in his autobiography, â€Å"Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir† wants to make the younger generation aware of all the mistakes, suffering and deaths his generation went through fighting with AIDS, as he is convinced that it might help the new generation survive. He wrote his life story in 1988, soon after he was diagnosed with HIV and two years after his partner and close friend Roger Horwitz died of AIDS. Disease split his time into the life before and the life now and it will inevitably take his life as a tribute to its devastating power. Not knowing if he will survive long enough to finish his book, Monette accepted his fate and gave up the hope of getting cured. Still taking his medicine and waiting for a medical breakthrough†¦show more content†¦There was no escape: neither medicine nor willpower could cure this disease. Monette recalls his thoughts after reading the first serious report about AIDS and not finding any signs of the disease in himself at the time. He felt â€Å"relieved† and â€Å"safe† and thought that he and his friend were not in immediate danger even though they were in one of the high-risk social groups. For several years after that report, he subconsciously denied the possibility of becoming sick, reasoning that AIDS killed â€Å"them,† gays from different social classes or leading promiscuous sexual life. Monette thought he and his friend were different. By that time, his friend Roger had already been through an unexplained series of illnesses. At first he was diagnosed with amoebas, a type of sexually transmitted diseases. Together, Paul and Roger underwent a tough course of treatment, but only after it was complete did they find out that Roger was misdiagnosed. They â€Å"were ticking and didn’t even know.† However, based on that experience they became very cautious. Monette asserts that the problem back then was that nobody knew just how cautious people had to be. They led their sexual lives based of what they perceived was safe. For instance, Monette considered a small circle of sexual partners or occasional sex with chance encounters fairly safe. Apparently that behavior could not keep disease away and Paul and his friends â€Å"were