Reflection of English 271

            I scaled the steps up the R building and headed toward my classroom on Monday, September 19th.  I was a little early so I sat outside room R306 and mentally prepared myself for 2 daydream-tastic hours of English class. My previous English class had been taken online in an effort to evade the lectures on how to write a paper. I already knew how to write a paper. Give me a topic and a word requirement, and I will give you a paper. But when looking through class options, English 271 with David Kopp is what fit my schedule. So I decided to bite the bullet and take an on-campus English course. I walked into the classroom and snagged a seat in the front row-my territory. I waited for class to start, my eyes peeled for whoever was going to be teaching me until December.

            Eventually a man with a name tag reading "David Kopp" walked in. He looked like a nice guy and I was already prepared to like him-he hadn't assigned a text book. He introduced himself and asked for our names. He confirmed that there was no textbook-yay!- and then told us our topic for the quarter. The online writing genre. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Blogs- we were going to write about all of these. I cringed a little internally. Anti-technology, hippie, and hater--in short--a Luddite, are words frequently used by my friends to describe my opinion of the Internet and social networking sites in particular. I wasn't sure I could sit through a class centered around social networking.

            We spent the remainder of the class talking about Facebook as a class as well as in groups. It was nearly 2:40 and Mr. Kopp assigned our homework. We were supposed to review our Facebook accounts or Google ourselves. My first thought was "You've got to be kidding me. The homework for a college class is to go on Facebook?! If there is anywhere I can go and not have to hear about that stupid website, shouldn't it be the classroom?"  With these and other negative thoughts in mind I walked up to the teacher expecting him to tell me what I already thought-this isn't the class for me. He surprised me though. He said if he didn't have a student with the anti-social networking voice, he would be that voice. With me in the class he would choose a different voice. He wanted every voice to be present, every stone to be over turned, to help his students open their minds and think critically. So there was a place for me in David Kopp's English 271 class after all, and I'm glad there was. Participating in that class allowed me to fully complete the learning outcomes prepared for me.

            Identify implicitly and/or explicitly one's intentions as a writer: I met this learning outcome by writing the "Critical Review Questions for Expository Writing" and by tearing apart previously written essays in class. Writing the critical review questions forced you to think critically. Why am I writing this? What is my purpose? Would it be more effective to have an implicit or explicit thesis for this piece of writing? Reading and critiquing other essays built upon this even further. Discussing as a class strengths and weaknesses of writing allowed me to apply them to my own work. Most importantly, I learned to pay keen attention to the context of my writing. To not type up a bunch of trite nonsense just to fill a word requirement, but to really focus on my intention as a writer.

            Define implicitly and /or explicitly the audience for a particular piece of writing: This learning outcome was met by in class discussions as well as writing the Wikipedia Article. There were a few things to take in to consideration when writing my first post. Firstly, although the majority of people that were going to read it were in my class, my blog was public so any one could read it. I wanted my audience of strangers and classmates to understand why I was writing what I was writing. I wanted them to understand that I was presenting information about the Empire State building in an expository/wikipedia-esque style. Through my writing I wanted them to know that I was writing with an intended audience, that I had purpose in my writing, and that I was taking their needs into consideration. Writing the Process Analysis Essay especially helped me with this objective. To write as though the audience does not all understand the topic. Writing about the accounting cycle made me fully aware of their concerns.

            Apply appropriate style, tone, and format to the writer's purpose and audience: I achieved this learning outcome by listening to Mr. Kopp's lectures and through in class small groups. Some of our assignments were supposed to be expository, but some were not. By hearing the teacher's explanation of how we should go about adding tone to our writing helped me to apply it in my coursework. When pondering my purpose for writing and who my audience was going to be, I learned to employ the correct style and tone for a college paper. Occasionally we were even given the opportunity to share a paper we had written with a small group in the class. We got together, read each other's essays, and critiqued. Having a portion of my audience read a rough draft of my paper helped guide me to the correct way of formatting the paper. It helped remind me to be specific and to keep my purpose in mind, for my audience may not be as educated on a certain topic. Therefore, having my papers reviewed before a final draft was posted taught me to keep my audience's requirements in mind.

            Use rhetorical formats conventional to expository writing: Rewriting the news helped me master the ability to write in an expository form. In writing my essay "Selling Pianos in a Recession," I not only wrote in an expository form, but I took a piece of expository writing and warped it into a more effective piece of writing. What also helped me reach this learning outcome was the essay I wrote on Integrating Voice in Expository Writing. Writing this essay helped me because in order to fully understand what something is, you must understand what it is not. Expository writing does not have voice in it. It is hard to write a non-biased paper, so the capacity to write in an expository form is quite the accomplishment. It is an accomplishment that I am proud of.

            Demonstrate objectivity toward one's own writing: What I believe assisted me the most in achieving this learning outcome was the small group critiques. I took a step back and objectively read my papers. By doing so, I was able to put myself in my audience's shoes;  understanding what I needed to add to my writing to supplement it, and perhaps some sentences that I needed to take away. Also, by reading other student's papers and the essays Mr. Kopp brought in to class, I was able to vicariously understand how to be unbiased towards my own writings by ignoring my personal opinions while reading theirs. Being able to be objective helped while I was revising my Extended Definition Essay. It wasn't quite expository at first, but with objectivity and some help from Mr. Kopp, I wrote in an expository form.

            Demonstrate practical uses/applications for expository writing beyond the college classroom: When I graduate from Northern Arizona University, I plan to become a Certified Public Accountant. In accounting, there are many circumstances in which a CPA must write, and those writings must often be in an expository form. This is why I chose to take Expository Writing as my second English requirement. This class has taught me to understand what expository writing is, and what it is not. I have been taught to explore every option, provide a purpose for every sentence I write, to face obstacles head on, and to think progressively. Writing is necessary regardless of what career is chosen, but to write well is a skill. I was provided with an effective teacher, who in turn provided an effective atmosphere to learn. He was passionate about what he taught, and that passion was truly infectious. I am grateful for the skills I learned in English 271; objectivity, practicality, and purpose. Most importantly, I am grateful for the furthering of my capacity to think critically.                         

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

   On January 27^th, 1756, one of the most talented, influential composers of all time was born. Raised in Salzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the son of a famous violinist so he employed himself in music early on in life. His works are still popular 220 years after his death. His music is known to be pure, mellifluous, passionate, and mathematically perfect. He had great influence on Western music and some of the famous composers of his time. A prodigy from birth, Mozart wrote music  all of his life and it is stilled used in the contemporary music scene. Over his life he wrote more than 600 pieces of music. His connection with music can be categorized into three groups-his introduction to music, his beginning career in music, and his last compositions. 

Introduction to music

                Mozart was born to a passionate musician who intended his children to be musicians as well.  Mozart's father Leopold is often represented as a harsh teacher and father, but one sympathizing writer describes him to be protective and concerned for his children's livelihood.   Regardless, he was an effective teacher and he taught his children well.  When Mozart was 3 years-old, his father began teaching his 7 year-old sister Marie Anna (nicknamed Nannerl) the piano. Mozart enjoyed watching her lessons and eventually tried to copy his sisters songs. He plunked out notes on the piano and soon out grew his sister’s music abilities. As time went on, he progressively became more and more talented. At age 4 he could learn a piece of music in half of an hour, at 5 he was extraordinary on the piano, and when he turned 6, he began composing. Mozart amazed his father and his father’s friends with his aptitude. At first, Leopold helped Mozart compose, but Mozart quickly began to write his own music. Once he turned 7, Mozart and his family began touring all over Europe. With the father being a notable violinist and Wolfgang and Nannerl excellent pianists, the Mozart's were a family of talented musicians. They traveled all around and performed for various courts. During all of his years traveling, Mozart was introduced to many diverse musicians, and his own style began to develop.

Beginning Music Career

                Mozart continued traveling around Europe until he was 23 years-old. His
mother passed away and he decided to settle down so he got a job as court organist
in Salzburg. He didn't like being tied down in the court and was informally
dismissed in 1781, beginning a free-lance career that was unheard of at that time.  He went back to traveling and performing for a bit, composing masterpieces all the while. He eventually moved to Vienna, and became a regular performer in the Viennese court. Despite his career style, he made a considerably high living for a musician. He surprised people with his diverse way of composing. It didn't matter to him what people thought of his music, he composed because he loved music. "I pay
no attention whatsoever to any body's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings," he stated. During his time, concertos were not very popular, but Mozart composed them anyway and they soon became well-liked. He was a multi talented composer, and he employed all of his talents. Mozart also wouldn't conform to one type of style. He wrote sonatas, operas, concertos, string quartets, and symphonies, all of which were brilliant. Mozart was very passionate about his music and he expected undivided attention form the court while presenting. He was so vehement on their respect that he did not want the audience eating or drinking during his performances.

Last Compositions

                Towards the end of his life, Mozart was often sick. This, of course, did not stop him from composing, but it did prohibit frequent performances. Along with being sick, Mozart made many unwise decisions with his money. He was extravagant, and regularly exceeded his income. He wrote to his friends over and over describing his wife, their two children, and himself to be in "desperate circumstances." His kidney failure was slowly getting the better of him. Shortly before his death, Mozart composed one of his most famous pieces, the Magic Flute. It was so popular that he started to become financially stable again. The success of the opera uplifted Mozart in both confidence and health. Mozart was very passionate about his music so a new composition always lifted his spirits. He was so fervent about his music that he didn't want people eating or drinking during his performances! It is not to be thought that he was pretentious though. He once said "to speak well and eloquently is a very great art. To know when to stop is an equally great one." Mozart was down-to-earth even through his sickness. Unfortunately, his illness ended his life on December 5th, 1791. Although that day marked his death, he lives on through his breath-taking music.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

                Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an archetypal composer of the classical period. His works are still popular 220 years after his death. His music is known to be pure and mellifluous, passionate, and mathematically perfect. He had great influence on Western music and some of the famous composers of his time. A prodigy from birth, he wrote music all of his life and by age 14 composed his first opera. Over his life he wrote more than 600 works of music.

Early Life

            Mozart was born to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart on January 27^th, 1756 in what is now Austria. His father was a famous violinist, so both Wolfgang and his sister Maria Anna (nicknamed Nannerl) practiced playing music from a very early age. Leopold had them play the piano and at age 7, Nannerl started her lessons with her 3 year-old brother watching. He would try to plunk out the notes she would play, and he soon out grew her with his music abilities. By age four, he could learn a piece of music in just half of an hour. At age 5 he could play the piano remarkably well, and at age 6 he began composing. Once he turned 7, Mozart and his family began touring all over Europe, Nannerl and him performing for various courts. With his father Leopold his sister Nannerl and himself, the Mozart’s were a family of talented musicians. The two young prodigies surprised and delighted the courts. During all of his traveling, Mozart heard many musicians and his own style developed.

Later Life

            Mozart didn’t stop traveling and performing until he was 23 when he got a job as court organist at Salzburg. He was informally dismissed from the court in 1781, beginning a free-lance career that was unheard for musicians. He moved to Vienna to live with a family called the Webers, and married Constanze Weber, ignoring the severe orders from his father no to. Life was looking good for him even with his free-lance career. He was composing a plethora of masterpieces, and he was a regular performer in the Viennese court. He was admired by many people and he made a considerably high living for a musician. Unfortunately he was not wise with managing his money and frequently wrote to friends asking for money. With his lifestyle, he couldn’t make a successful living and often described his wife, their two children, and himself to be in “desperate circumstances.” At this time he was also seriously ill, with what is believed to have been kidney failure. Right before his death he composed The Magic Flute and was just becoming financially stable again when his kidney failure ended his life on December 5^th 1791, at the age of 35.

Musical Style

                Mozart was a multitalented composer and wrote music for all of the major genres. He composed many operas, concertos, sonatas, string quartets, and symphonies. His musical style was probably so diverse because he traveled so much when he was young, and his style was affected by many different composers. During his lifetime piano concertos were not very popular, but Mozart changed that. He was very passionate about his music and wrote in whatever style he wanted, even though the popular one was the style gallant. It is said that while performing, Mozart was so vehement about his performances and he wanted everyone listening to be to, so he did not want any one eating or drinking.     

The Accounting Cycle

         When accounting for a business, four financial statements, a general ledger, a general journal complete with journal entries, and a trial balance are needed in order to finalize the accounting process for a period. The four financial statements are the balance sheet, the income statement, the statement of retained earnings, and the statement of cash flows. The general ledger is a journal that accountants post entries to as needed. When the business has obtained the financial statements and the fulfilled general ledger and journal, they can analyze their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Accountants show a business all of their assets, the extent of their liabilities, how much revenue they accrue and where it comes from etc. From a legal view point, accountants can discover whether or not there is any fraudulent activity occurring in a business. Accountants use a 9-step model called the accounting cycle to refer to when analyzing a business.

1.  Analyze business transactions. During the first step of the accounting cycle, accountants must decide which transactions to include in their journal entries and financial statements. Naturally, everything that goes on in a business is not recorded. They must choose economic events relevant to the business. Examples of events that would be considered relevant are the payment of dividends to shareholders of Coca-Cola, the sale of coffee by Starbucks, and the telephone service provided to a customer by T-Mobile. It is the responsibility of the accountant to accurately select the transactions. Not all transactions need to be recorded, although they must keep in mind that even if a transaction does not include cash, it still may need to be recorded.

2.  Journalize the transactions. At step 2 of the accounting cycle, accountants write in journal entries to the general journal. The selected transactions each have a specific account. For example, when Coca-Cola declares a $60,000 dividend for its shareholders, the Dividends Payable account is credited. This means that the account is increasing. Dividends Payable is a liability account, and liability accounts are increased by crediting. Likewise, asset accounts are increased by debiting. An example of an asset account is cash. So the journal entry for Coca-Cola paying a $60,000 dividend would be:           

DR. Dividends Payable 60,000

    CR. Cash 60,000

 Coca-Cola had paid the dividend so their cash had decreased, but their liability of paying that dividend has also decreased. The process of recording entries to the general journal is called journalizing. The steps in journalizing are: (1.) record the date the transaction occurred, (2.) what accounts are debited and credited and by what amount, and (3.) give a brief explanation of each transaction. Keep in mind; this is just the preliminary process of posting to the general ledger. Although the information journalized is important, it is not final.

3.  Post to ledger accounts. Immediately following the journalizing process is the procedure of posting the journal entries to the general ledger. The transferring of journal entries to the general ledger is called posting. Posting consists of the subsequent steps:

(1.)      Enter to the debit accounts the amount debited, the date, and the reference to the journal page.

(2.)      Write the number to refer to in the general journal concerning debits.

(3.)       Enter to the credit accounts the amount credited, the date, and the reference to the journal page.

(4.)      Write the number to refer to in the general journal concerning credits.

 Accountants must make sure that posting is done on a regular basis to guarantee that the ledger is up to date. Along with consistent posting they must make sure that previous posts are accurate at a later date. 

4.  Prepare a trial balance. A trial balance is a record of accounts and their amounts at a certain point in time. The essential purpose of a trial balance is to ensure that debits equal credits after posting. Debits and credits must always be equal, otherwise a mistake has occurred. Mistakes in accounting usually occur from mathematical errors, incorrect postings, or writing down data incorrectly. If debits and credits are not equal, the trial balance will show this. The steps to preparing a trial balance are as follows:

(1.) Tabulate the names and amounts of the accounts being used

(2.) Add up the debit and credit amounts.

(3.) Show the equality of debits and credits.

A trial balance is a needed as a sort of checkpoint in accounting. Accountants must recall that the trial balance is not proof that the company has recorded all transactions or that the general ledger is accurate.

5. Journalize and post adjusting entries: Prepayments/Accruals.  A company makes adjusting journal entries every time it prepares the financial statements. Adjusting entries ensure that certain accounting principles are followed and allow the correct reporting of amounts on the balance sheet and the income statement. Adjusting entries are categorized as either deferrals or accruals. Both deferrals and accruals have subcategories and they are as follows:

Deferrals

1.     Prepaid Expenses (or Prepayments): Expenses recorded as assets and paid in cash before consumption.

2.     Unearned Revenues: Revenue has not yet been earned but cashed has been received, therefore they are recorded as liabilities.

Accruals

1.     Accrued Revenues: Revenues that have been earned but aren’t recorded yet because they have not been received.

2.     Accrued Expenses: Expenses that aren’t recorded because they have not yet been paid.

6. Prepare an adjusted trial balance. In this step of the accounting cycle, the accountant simply adds in the adjusting entries to the trial balance. Deferral and accrual accounts supplement the trial balance and ensure equality. Accountants must strive for accuracy because the financial statements can be prepared straight from the trial balance.
7. Prepare financial statements: Income statement, balance sheet, Statement of retained earnings, Statement of cash flows: Subsequently to completing the trial balance, accountants transfer the accounts to the appropriate financial statement. For example, revenues go on the Income statement, retained earnings and dividends go on the statement of retained earnings, asset, liability, and stockholder’s equity accounts go on the balance sheet and so forth. Accountants should use extreme precision when preparing the financial statement, for they are what a company heavily depends on for data. Mistakes are expected, but must be quickly corrected.

8. Journalize and post closing entries. Next in the accounting cycle, closing entries are journalized in the general journal, and posted to the general ledger. This is called the process of closing the books (the “books” are the general journal and ledger). This process is necessary at the end of the accounting period to prepare the accounts for the next period. Closing the books distinguishes which accounts are temporary and which are permanent. Temporary accounts relate only to a certain period and are closed at the end of that period. Permanent accounts relate to one or more future periods therefore must be appropriately prepared at the end of the period. Permanent accounts are not closed at the end of an accounting period; their balances are brought into the next period. Accountants must be very careful at this stage for the journal entries are being closed and should be accurate at this point.

9. Prepare a post-closing trial balance. Lastly, the accountants prepare a post-closing trial balance for the company. The post-closing trial balance consists of permanent accounts, and its purpose is to guarantee the equality of those permanent accounts. Permanent accounts are used in subsequent accounting periods, so the accuracy of them is imperative.

 These 9 steps are very important to a corporation for they depend extensively on the information provided by accountants. So meticulously follow these 9 steps, and you will have completed the accounting cycle! 
   

      

Not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it...

            The definition of courage is commonly accepted to be the ability to face danger, adversity, or possible discomfort without fear. "Be courageous, be brave, and be bold" are all timeless adages heard repeatedly throughout life. Courage is a characteristic that is universally admired, and yet it is not one that is often encountered. Why is that? You would think that everyone would attempt to possess such a laudable virtue. Perhaps the reason there are so few truly courageous people is because in order to be courageous, one must withstand danger, fear, and difficulty. It is very hard to contradict those three words. There are so many aspects, so many situations where they are met; it is amazing that one word can describe the battle against them. Courage is the strength to resist the easiest resolution to an adversity.

            One of the reasons it is difficult to be courageous is the negative connotations that accompany the word. It is challenging to speak in front of crowds if someone has stage fright. But almost everyone, whether it be for school or work, will have to speak for a large group during their lifetime. The scary situation can be unavoidable. This person who is scared of speaking to large assemblies can try to evade the situation, but they are probably going to be faced with another circumstance that will require public speaking later on, so it is in their best interest to face their fear. The more they think of it, the more daunting it will seem. They will blow it out of proportion in their head and terrify themselves unnecessarily. It is easier to just face their fear. To be courageous means facing something unpleasant, but when we are cowardly, we can make the circumstance even more unpleasant.

            When pondering on a courageous person, a robust, resilient being can come to mind. Perhaps they are battling an enormous army with little hope of victory. This is a recurring image of courage, but we need to remind ourselves that courage takes on many forms. It takes courage not to honk and/or flip off the person that cuts us off in traffic. Courage is standing up for what's right-but that can be simply picking up a piece of trash on the side of the road. We confront the opportunity of being courageous every day. Sometimes, the hardest form to acquire is the courage of yielding. To not honk back at someone, to not lash back at someone that is snippy towards us, to “turn the other cheek.” This would be courageously facing difficulty.

         Courage will not make a difficult situation dissipate. Just because you are courageous in the face of danger does not mean that situation will no longer be dangerous. All of the men in the Alamo were very courageous, but they still lost, and they lost their lives. Even if a person is courageous once, they will not necessarily always be. It takes practice! “Practice makes perfect” cannot be stressed more here. The only way to become truly courageous is to practice daily. If you can be courageous in little things, you can eventually be courageous with bigger things. It just takes time. As it takes time to build muscle. Go to the gym, lift weights, slowly increasing the amount, and eventually you will be strong. Obtaining guts is the same process.

          In order to be brave, a person must fully comprehend what it means to be brave. Cowards have a fear of something and they let that fear rule them. A person with valor may also have a fear of something, but they master that fear. As Mark Twain so eloquently stated, “courage is resistance of fear, mastery of fear-not absence of fear.” It’s OK to be afraid of things; it’s human to be afraid of things. What’s important is to learn how to take control of fear.

            Although facing our fears can be intimidating, and sometimes even terrifying, not standing up to the anxiety can be even worse. Fear can take a hold of our lives, and in the end just facing them is the better option. It makes us a stronger, better person. In a sense, when avoiding hardship we aren’t truly living. We are a slave to our fears. William Shakespeare touched on this when he said "a coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only one."  So stand up for what you believe in, live your life, and just say no!

The Baseline Killer

         I remember that night clearly. It was December 16th 2005, and I was sitting in my parent’s van with my brothers and sisters. We were in south Phoenix, which was where some of the Baseline Killer incidents had occurred. We were waiting for my mom to return to the car, she was still talking to some of her friends inside of our church on Baseline Road. Somehow, fear is always magnified at night. My brothers were making jokes that we were going to be attacked by the Baseline Killer. I laughed along but was secretly terrified. The Baseline Killer, now identified as Mark Goudeau, is on trial right now for kidnapping, rape, child molestation, and the killing of nine people.

          Mark Goudeau, also called the Baseline Killer, or the Baseline Rapist, is a serial killer that murdered 8 women and 1 man in the Phoenix metropolitan area. He threatened the lives of the people of Phoenix for over a year and caused the police to be on hair-trigger alert for 13 months. He stealthily wore gloves, a mask, and clothing that covered his entire body when he committed the crimes to evade getting caught. A factor he overlooked was that he used the same gun for all of his murders, and the police found identical shells in each victim’s head.

         I recall Phoenix being in an upheaval at the time of these crimes. Who is committing these crimes and how are they getting away so quickly? I remember reading several news articles that had quoted the police in thinking that more than one person were involved. Nevertheless, when surviving victims were questioned, the police sketch always turned out to be similar. Not a day went by where there wasn’t at least one article whose subject was focused on this elusive killer.

         Goudeau used several tactics in successfully getting away with these crimes. Once he wore a Halloween mask while committing a crime. Often he would still be in the area when police arrived so instead of trying to run he would impersonate. Once he pretended to be a homeless person begging on the side of the road. Another time he pretended to be a drug addict. Always wearing full body length clothing and gloves, the Baseline Killer prohibited the police from obtaining DNA samples on many occasions.             

For the number of crimes he performed, it is remarkable Goudeau wasn’t caught earlier. Two of his crimes were even caught on camera! His last victim, Carmen Miranda, was abducted from a self-serve car wash and a surveillance camera caught a blurry image of a man roughly shoving her into her car and leaving. His impersonations and masks helped him escape, and also there were a few men who claimed to have committed some of Goudeau’s crimes, therefore slowing down the search. What initially helped the police catch the Baseline Killer is that he was on Community Supervision with the Arizona Department of Corrections, and they suggested that Goudeau matched the police sketch.

         If Goudeau is found guilty of even just one of the nine murders he was accused of, he could face the death penalty. Naturally Goudeau pleaded not guilty to the crimes bestowed upon him, but there is so much evidence against him that his pleas are being overlooked. Police found the gun that held the shells found in the heads of victims. Goudeau’s house was searched and it is palpable the he is the murderer. All of his rape victims were shot in the head after resisting. One woman who survived was ordered to undress, but when she refused and Goudeau tried to shoot her in the head, his gun misfired. She fought him off, and her identity was kept unknown for security reasons.            

The felonies Goudeau is facing add up to 74 counts in all, and this is not counting the crimes against the two sisters he came across in a park. He was in a park in central Phoenix when he attacked two sisters, one of which was pregnant. He held the pregnant women at gun point and sexually assaulted the other. The Arizona Department of Corrections and these two sisters are the reason Mark Goudeau was put behind bars, and Phoenix is now safe from this serial killer. Though the verdict has not yet been reached for the Baseline Killer crimes, from the two sisters alone, Goudeau was sentenced to 438 years in prison.  

            What was really daunting to me at the time was that all of the locations of the crime were places I was familiar with. When the suspect for the Baseline Killer was found, you could almost hear a sigh of relief coming from the men and women of Phoenix.  I wasn’t quite old enough to understand the full nature of these crimes, but I was relieved as well. Then I didn’t have to worry about attending my church on Baseline Road, and then I didn’t have to feel paranoid in city parks.

Mark Goudeau

         I remember that night clearly. It was 2005, and I was sitting in my parent’s van with my brothers and sisters. We were in central Phoenix, which was where most of the Baseline Killer incidents had occurred. We were waiting for my mom to return to the car, and my brothers were making jokes that we were going to be attacked by the Baseline Killer. I laughed along but was secretly terrified. The Baseline Killer, now identified as Mark Goudeau, is on trial right now for kidnaping, rape, child molestation, and the killing of nine.

         I recall Phoenix being in an upheaval at the time of these crimes. Who is committing these crimes and how are they getting away so quickly? I remember reading several news articles that had quoted the police in thinking that more than one person were involved. Nevertheless, when surviving victims were questioned, the police sketch always turned out to be similar. Goudeau used several tactics in successfully getting away with these crimes. Once he wore a Halloween mask while committing a crime. Often he would still be in the area when police arrived so instead of trying to run he would impersonate. Once he pretended to be a homeless person begging on the side of the road.

         For the number of crimes he performed, it is remarkable he wasn’t caught earlier. Some of his crimes were even caught on camera! His impersonations and masks helped him escape, and also there were a few men who claimed to have committed some of Goudeau’s crimes, therefore slowing down the search. What initially helped the police catch the Baseline Killer is that he was on Community Supervision with the Arizona Department of Corrections, and they suggested that Goudeau matched the police sketch.

         If Goudeau is found guilty of even just one of the nine murders he was accused of, he could face the death penalty. Naturally Goudeau pleaded not guilty to the crimes bestowed upon him, but the fact that he was on parole at the time the crimes occurred is not helping his case. All of his rape victims were shot in the head after resisting. One woman who survived was ordered to undress, but when she refused and Goudeau tried to shoot her in the head, his gun misfired. The crimes Goudeau is facing add up to 72 counts in all, and are as follows:

    1- 8/6/2005, sexual assault, 7200 block of South 48th Street, 9:45 p.m.

2- 8/14/2005, sexual assault, 2400 block of East Thomas Road, 4:10 a.m.

3- 8/14/2005, robbery, 2400 block of East Thomas Road, 4:10 a.m.

 4- 8/28/2005, robbery, 1400 block of West Baseline Road.

5- 9/8/2005, murder, 3700 block of South Mill Avenue, 1 a.m.

6- 9/15/2005, sexual assault, 4500 block of North 40th Street, 9:40 p.m.

7- 9/20/2005, sexual assault, 3100 block of West Vineyard Road, 10:30 p.m.

8- 9/28/2005, robbery, 7200 block of South Central Avenue, 9:30 p.m.

9- 9/28/2005, sexual assault, 7200 block of South Central Avenue, 9:30 p.m.

10- 11/3/2005, robbery, 4000 block of North 32nd Street , 8:01 p.m.

11- 11/3/2005, sexual assault, 3100 block of East Indian School Road, 8:10 p.m.

12- 11/7/2005, robbery, 2900 block of North 32nd Street, 8:08 p.m.

13- 11/7/2005, robbery, 2900 block of North 32nd Street, 9:08 p.m.

14- 11/7/2005, robbery, 900 block of North 32nd Street, 9:08 p.m.

15- 12/12/2005, murder, 6000 block of South 40th Street, 6:55 p.m.

16- 12/13/2005, robbery, 700 block of East South Mountain Avenue, 4 p.m.

17 and 18- 2/20/2006, murders, 9100 block of Lower Buckeye Road, 6 a.m.

19- 03/15/2006, murder, 4100 block of North 24th Street, 9 p.m.

20- 03/15/2006, murder, 4100 block of North 24th Street, 9 p.m.

21- 03/29/2006, murder, 2500 block of North 24th Street, 12 a.m.

22- 05/01/2006, sexual assault, 2900 block of North 32nd Street, 9 p.m.

23- 06/29/2006, Murder, 2900 block of East Thomas Road, 9:51 p.m.

            What was really daunting to me at the time was that all of the locations of the crime were places I was familiar with. When the suspect for the Baseline Killer was found, you could almost hear a sigh of relief coming from the men and women of Phoenix.  I wasn’t quite old enough to understand the full nature of these crimes, but I was relieved as well. Then I didn’t have to worry about attending my church on Baseline Road.