LinkedIn: Using Social Networking to Get Jobs Essay

LinkedIn is a social networking enterprise geared for professional networking. It differs from Facebook and MySpace in that it focuses on building networks to advance one’s career and demonstrating expertise. LinkedIn (as of March 2009) has around 36 million registered users representing 150 different industries in 200 countries. LinkedIn is all about connections: Those that know you directly (first-degree connections) and the people that each of those connection know (second-degree connections) plus the people that each of the second-degree connections know (third-degree connections), and so forth. So how do you build your network? Think about your friends, your parents friends and colleagues you’re acquainted with, your teachers, religious leaders, adult 4H or scouting contacts, neighbors, etc. Begin to gather e-mail addresses for these first-degree connections and invite them to join your network. If they are not currently on LinkedIn, invite them to put up a profile and then join your network. If you have 25 first-degree connections, each of which has an average of 25 first-degree connections, each of which have another 25 first-degree connections, you will end up with a way to connect with over 15,000 people in no time at all! LinkedIn is all about professionalism. You can’t contact someone unless you know them. People you invite to join your network can opt out if they feel they don’t know you. What you contribute to your profile and LinkedIn services (such as Answers) is expected to be related to careers and business-related interests. Use the information below (and at the recommended links given) to get started. Creating a LinkedIn Profile 1. The first thing you will need to do is to join LinkedIn, which is not only free, but offers complete security for your personal contact details. All messages are routed to you via LinkedIn; those contacting you never know  your direct e-mail unless you give it to them. To join LinkedIn, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/secure/register. 2. Next, start developing your own profile by first reading the material posted on LinkedIn’s New User Guide (http://learn.linkedin.com/new-users/), which covers these topics: Own a profile that truly represents you. Ensure your connections represent your â€Å"real-world† network. Leverage the power of your LinkedIn network! 3. Check out an extreme makeover of one person’s LinkedIn profile: see the â€Å"before† with critique at http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/linkedin_profil.html; view the â€Å"makeover† at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/guykawasaki. Searching on LinkedIn LinkedIn allows you to search profiles for diverse information and contacts. You can search for people, references of job applicants, and answers to questions on a wide variety of topics. For a complete â€Å"how-to† of LinkedIn’s search functions and advanced search tips, visit: http://learn.linkedin.com/linkedin-search/. Adhering to LinkedIn Etiquette Like all social networking activities, posting information on LinkedIn should be done with care and consideration. Remember, whatever you post online can be viewed by anyone. If there’s something you don’t want a client, family member, or employee reading, DON’T POST IT. Keep in mind the following when using LinkedIn: 1. Don’t invite someone to join your network unless you know them and they know you. 2. Don’t accept an invitation to join another person’s network unless you know them. Look at their profile if you’re unsure and see if the information gives you a clue as to how and where you met them. 3. Don’t post your e-mail address under your name on your profile. That way, you will only connect with people you know — a more secure and credible approach to using social networking. 4. Don’t apologize for inviting someone to join your network or asking for a recommendation. If you’ve carefully selected the recipient of your request, there will be no problem. Remember, everyone on LinkedIn is there to build a professional network; they understand the importance of connecting and recommending. 5. Remind people you contact how they know you. Make it easy for them to want to connect with you. 6. Try to keep your communication informal, yet professional — kind of like the conversation at a charity event with colleagues and casual friends from your community. Your knowledge and your personality are both important to convey. 7. Post only pictures on your profile that make you look professional. 8. Be very honest in your bio: your profile could be viewed by anyone and everyone. Making yourself look more qualified than you are will never work with a public profile. 9. Although it is nice to have people recommend you on LinkedIn, be sure to offer to do the same for others. If you say nice things about others, others will likely do the same for you. 10. Make sure everything you post on LinkedIn is correct in terms of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Nothing makes a bad impression like typos and poor usage. Ask someone proficient in writing to edit your profile. When  answering or asking questions in LinkedIn Answers, first compose what you want to say in a Word document (and check spelling/grammar), and then copy and paste the text into the appropriate space on LinkedIn. Using LinkedIn Groups â€Å"LinkedIn for Groups† offers users the ability to set up a particular professional interest group (typically under a parent organization, such as an alumni group or professional organization). Then, interested members can join the group by either being invited to join or by asking for approval to do so from someone already involved. LinkedIn works to ensure that all groups are officially sanctioned by their parent organizations, including having permission to use the name/logo of the group and having relevant people involved. There are likely some 37,000 â€Å"groups† that have been set up by LinkedIn users, with some 500 of them listed in the site’s directory (www.linkedin.com/groups). Besides boosting your credibility and giving you a new avenue for seeking advice, others in the groups you join form a special sort of connection. You won’t have access to their extended networks for introductions, but you will automatically be considered a direct connection to each group’s members so that you can see their full profiles and they can appear in your search results. By joining just a few groups, you can add tens of thousands of people to your network without having to do so one at a time (and without having to be introduced one contact at a time). For more information, read the blog article at: http://blog.linkedin.com/2008/08/28/post-3-2/. The benefits of using LinkedIn Answers are many. You can increase your knowledge on any number of topics. You can offer answers to questions where you have good information to share. If your answer is rated the best by the person who posed the question, that ranking (called an expertise point) will show up in your profile and attract more people to learn about what expertise you have to offer. Learn more about using LinkedIn Answers at http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=answers_info&goback=.ahp. Getting Recommendations Having someone post a recommendation for your skills and work experience (whether they are clients, community organization leaders, or past employers) can really improve your profile. To ask for a recommendation, go  to your profile and click on the â€Å"Recommendations† tab on the left. Follow the directions to request a recommendation from someone in your network, and think carefully about the message you send that person regarding the recommendation you’re asking for. Be sure to: Pick someone who knows you well and can recommend you for specific work you have done. Give the person you are contacting some idea of what you want them to recommend you for (e.g., ask for one or two key skills you demonstrated on a recent project). If appropriate, offer to reciprocate with a recommendation of your own; for clients and employers alike, being recommended for one’s leadership and management skills is always a plus. Prefer quality over quantity: try to get those who recommend you to be brief. Be brief yourself when recommending someone. For more guidance, review this blog article on LinkedIn Recommendation Samples: http://www.aside.in/blog/networking/2006/10/02/linkedin-recommendation-examples/.

Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan

J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan By Abdul Manan Khan1 and Ansa Tehreem2 Abstract Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads. Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor.Main causes which are found behind these road accidents are lack of training institutes, unskilled drivers, poor road conditions, use of cell phone during driving, use of intoxicants, over loading and poor performance of government in this regard. If these issues are tackled in a manner way then it can positively affect the social and economic conditions of the residents of developing countries. Key Words: Public Health, Road Accidents, Traffic Accidents 1. In troduction and Literature Review The growth and development of a nation depends, largely, upon the capacity of its transport system to move persons and goods to desired locations safety.In Pakistani society, nuclear family system is very common. Here, it is like a trend that one or two members of family earn the money and other family members heavily depend on them. In developing countries, like Pakistan, roads often carry a wide range of users – from heavy goods-vehicles to bicycles and pedestrians without any separation. Road traffic accidents (RTA) are a significant, cause of any disability, death and economic loss in developing countries like Pakistan. Among the pedestrians, the most vulnerable are those young people who play an important part in the socio-economic growth of the country.In Pakistan, male proportion play dominant role to run their families economically, so they have to face more problems like injuries and disability. Every day many people are killed and in jured on our roads. Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor.Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected global public health problem, requiring concerted efforts for effective and sustainable avoidance. Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at almost 1. 2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million (WHO, 2004). In economic terms, the cost of road crash injuries is projected at roughly 1% of gross national product (GNP) in low-income countries, 1. 5% in middle-income countries and 2% in high-income countries (Soderlund,1995).The economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be over Rs100 billion for Pakistan (Ahmad, 2008 ). 1 Graduate, Department of Sociology,University of Gujrat, Gujrat. 2 Graduate, University of the Punjab, Lahore 23 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Lower socio-economic groups have limited access to post-crash emergency health care (Mock, etal1997). In Pakistan also, a large portion of population has also limited access to post-crash emergency health care which causes a precious loss of lives.In many developing countries, the costs of prolonged medical care, the loss of the family breadwinner, the cost of a funeral, and the loss of income due to disability can push families into poverty (Hijar etal 2003). In developing countries, the population groups exposed to the highest risks of injury and death from road crashes, pedestrians and users of motorized two-wheelers – are from lower socioeconomic groups (Nantulya, 2003 and Ghaffar A, 2004). In Mexico, the second commonest cause of children being orphaned is traffic crashes (Hijar etal, 2003). Pakistan is also a developing country where a large number of people die every because of the road-side accidents. Especially death proportion of pedestrians and motorcyclists are very high which mostly belong to lower socio-economic groups of society. Recent studies have shown that pedestrians and motorcyclists have the highest rates of injury in Asia (Yang,etal 2003 and Suriyanwongpaisal etal 2003). In Pakistan Incidence of road traffic injuries was 15. 0 (including minor injuries) per 1,000 persons per year (Ghaffar etal 2004). If we use this rate in 2008 it will be in millions. The burden of injury is unequal.More boys are injured than girls, and children from poorer families have higher rates of injury. In 2002, males accounted for 73% of all road traffic deaths, with an overall rate almost three times that for females: 27. 6 per 100 000 population and 10. 4 per 100 000 population, respectively (WHO, 2004). Pakistan is a patriarchal society, where most of the time male family m embers are the primary source of income. So, the higher rate of road traffic deaths among men, can even more severely affect the socio-economic status of the family as well as the whole social structure of the society.In Pakistan, among males of the economically active age group accidental death rate is very high, and also according to the study, motor vehicle injuries are the third most important cause of death in developing countries. (Soderlund 1995). It is projected that RTA will be the second most common cause of disability-adjusted life years in developing countries in the year 2020 (Murray, 1997). Road traffic crashes can place a heavy burden on the family and friends of the injured person. According to WHO estimates for 2002, there were 180500 children killed as the result of road crashes.Some 97% of these child road deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries (WHO, 2004). There are many factors which cause the accidents. The motorized traffic on these roads is capable of high acceleration and speed, both key factors in the causes of road crash injury. Most of the factors of traffic accidents are the driver, the highway and motor vehicles (Aaron ,1990, Balogun etal,1992; Luby etal,1997 and Mock etal,1999). Majority of road users including motorists and pedestrians lack road sense, leading to frequent road accidents and continued traffic jams across the country.Some other research evidence also indicates that the human element is responsible for 80 to 85% of all traffic accidents. Traffic violations, driving while intoxicated and lack of driving courtesy are the results of human actions. Unsafe highway and road conditions cause about 10% of all traffic accidents while mechanical deficiencies are responsible for nearly 5% of all traffic problems (Aaron,1990; Collier, 1983; American Automobile Association, 1988; Mc Glade, 1980).Traffic violations like signal crossing, driving without license, wrong parking, usage of mobile phones while drivi ng, wrong overtaking, disregard of zebra crossing, riding motorbikes without lights and helmets, 24 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X over-speeding, change of lane sans using indicators are so common in Pakistan which are the major cause of accident in our society. 2. Data Collection and Methodology This study is based on primary data which is collected from people belongs to transportation system and drivers of LTV, HTV, motorcyclist and pedestrians.For this purpose 100 cases were selected from the universe as described by Neumann (1997). Data is collected via discussion and questionnaire on causes of road accidents and its aspects from each side. 3. Data Analysis On the basis of primary data, when we ask to respondents about the main reason behind road accidents then 40% of the respondents answer that ignorance of traffic rules is the main reason of road accidents. While 32% respondents answer that rash driving and 28% of the view that untrained dri vers are the cause of road accidents.This whole issue is shown in table 1. Table 1. Reasons of Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Ignorance of traffic rules 40. 0 40. 0 Rash driving 32. 0 72. 0 Untrained drivers 28. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 When we put the question that is poor conditions of roads is responsible for accidents then 44% of the respondents answer that to some extent poor conditions of roads cause accidents and 32% people response that yes, poor condition of roads is responsible and all is shown in table 2. Table 2. Is Poor Condition of Roads Responsible for Accidents PercentCumulative Percent Yes 32. 0 32. 0 No 24. 0 56. 0 To some extent 44. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 25 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Our next question highlight another burning issue that 68% of the road accidents occur due to untrained/ unskilled drivers while only 12% of the respondents view that unskilled drivers are not responsible, which is shown in table 3. Table 3. Accidents Occur Due to Unskilled Drivers Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 68. 0 68. 0 No 12. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0In most of the parts of the country, one wheeling occurs by young people on roads and 76% of the respondents view that this cause road accidents while only 4% of the respondents answer that one wheeling is not a cause of accidents. Table 4 shows detailed data on this issue. Table 4. Is One Wheeling Causes Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 76. 0 76. 0 No 4. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Use of cell phones during driving cause road accidents and government take measures to avoid cell phone and there is some penalty.The 52% of the respondents answers that use of cell phone during driving cause accidents while 40% answer to some extent it cause, only 8% view that cell phone is not the cause of road accidents. This is shown in detail in table 5. Table 5. Is Use of Cell Phone Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percen t Yes 52. 0 52. 0 No 8. 0 60. 0 To some extent 40. 0 100. 0 26 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Total 100. 0 Another issue was raised when we ask a question from respondents that are use of drugs during driving cause road accidents.The answer was astonished us that only 4% of the respondents view that drugs is not a cause of accidents while 72% and 24% response yes and to some extent, respectively. As shown in table 6 below. Table 6. Use of Drugs during Driving Cause Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 4. 0 76. 0 To some extent 24. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Overloading is another cause of road accidents and respondents answer that overloading is the cause of road accidents as shown in table 7. Table 7. Is Overloading Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 40. 0 40. 0 No 4. 0 44. 0 To some extent 6. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The literacy rate in Pakistan is low which relates with road accidents because most of the drivers are illiterate and can’t read anything even helping booklet/ safety guides on roads. The 72% of the respondents answer that lack of awareness about driving rules and other safety measures is the cause of road accidents. Only 8% of the respondents view that it is not a cause of road accidents and all this is shown in table 8. Table 8. Is Lack of Awareness Causes Road Accidents 27 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 2. 0 72. 0 No 8. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Above all information explains the causes of road accidents but now we have collected some information about the role of different administrative institutes in overcoming these issues. When we ask about role of government in reducing the ratio of accidents then 40% of the respondents are of the view that government is playing poor role and there is need to improve its role. 28% respondents answer that its role is satisfactory while only 8% resp onse that government is playing excellent role, detail about this is given in table 9.Table 9. Role of Govt. in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 8. 0 8. 0 Very good 24. 0 32. 0 Satisfactory 28. 0 60. 0 Poor 40. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The role of traffic police in reducing the road accidents is better and 52% of the respondents show satisfactory role of traffic police while 24% answers very good. So the overall role of traffic police is good but the problem exists when we make a comparison between roads and number of police servants. Only 8% of the respondents answer that traffic police is playing poor role, which is shown in table 10.Table 10. Role of Traffic Police in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 16. 0 16. 0 Very good 24. 0 40. 0 Satisfactory 52. 0 92. 0 28 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Poor 8. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Conclusion The main objective of this paper is to highlight the mai n causes of road accidents in Pakistan. On the basis of primary data we conclude the paper as following. The main reason of traffic accidents is due to lack of awareness about rules and regulation, so there is need of institutes for awareness about these rules.Government may create awareness in public by offering different courses in educational institutes and also distribute some material for drivers and for general public also. Government needs to make some core courses/ training before the provision of license and traffic police should keep strong check and balance in this regard. Another problem which causes road accidents is overloading, use of cell phone during driving and drugs addiction by majority of the drivers. These all issues can be solved by creating awareness and by applying some penalty to defaulters.These are not serious issues and easily solved by the strong system of check and balance by any administrative authority. By overcoming on these causes we can save a lot of benefits in the shape of monetary and non-monetary terms. In a nut shell, we say that road accidents are playing prominent role in the families of victims of traffic accidents which is the loss of property on one side while death of humanity is on the other hand. These both can through a family into a vicious circle of poverty and then it impacts on the overall economy.So need of the day is to take some encouraging steps by public side and individuals side also. References ? A Resource Curriculum in Driver and Traffic Safety Education, (1990), Washington D. C. Automative Safety Foundation. ? Aaron, J. E. and Strasser, M. K. , (1990), Driver and Traffic Safety Education, London: The Macmillan Company. ? Ahmad, B. , (2006), Country Report on Road Network in Pakistan, Ministry of Communications, Islambad. ? Balogun, J. , A. Abereoje, (1992), Pattern of Road Traffic Accidents cases in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital between: 1987 and 1990, Journal of Tropical Medicine 95: 23 -29. Collier, J. P, (1983), Automotive Safety Education London, Macmillan Publishers. 29 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X ? Ghaffar, A. , Hyder A. A. and Masud, T. I. , (2004), The burden of road traffic injuries in developing countries: the 1st National Injury Survey of Pakistan Public Health. ? Hijar, M. , Vazquez-Vela, E, Arreola-Risa, (2003), Pedestrian traffic injuries in Mexico: a country update. Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:37–43 ? McGlade, F, (1980), Adjustive Behaviour and Safety Performance Sringfield, Illinois: Carl of C.Thomas Publisher. ? Mock, C. , Amegashie J. and Darteh, K, (1999), Role of Commercial Drivers in motor vehicle related injuries in Ghana. Inj. Prev 5: 268-271 ? Mock, C. N. , nii-Amon-Kotei D. , and Maier, R. V. , (1997), Low utilization of formal medical services by injured persons in a developing nation: health service data underestimate the importance of trauma. Journal of Trauma. 42:504–513. ? Murray, CJL, Lopez A. D. , (1997), Alternative projections of mortality and disability by cause 1990-2020: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet . 349:1498504. Nantulya, V. M. , and Reich M. R. , (2003), Equity dimensions of road traffic injuries in low and middle-income countries: Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:13–20. ? Neumann, W. L. , (1997), Social Research Methods, Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyss and Bacon, USA. ? Peden M, McGee K, and Sharma G, (2002), The injury chart book: a graphical overview of the global burden of injuries. Geneva, World Health Organization. ? Peden, M. , Scurfield, R. , et al (2004), World Report on Traffic Injuries Prevention; Geneva, WHO ? Soderlund N, Zwi A. B. (1995), Traffic related mortality in industrialized and less developed countries. BuU World Health Organ. 73:175-82. ? Stutts, Hunter. , (1999), Motor Vehicle and Roadway factors in pedestrians and Bicyclist injuries. Accd Aral Prev. 31:505-514. ? Suriyanwongpai sal, P. , and Kanchanasut S, (2003), Road traffic injuries in Thailand: trends, selected underlying determinants and status of intervention. Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:95–104. ? Yang, B. M. , and Kim J. , (2003), Road traffic accidents and policy interventions in Korea. Injury control and Safety Promotion. 0:89–93. ? www. makeroadssafe. org ? www. prb. org/Articles/2006/RoadTrafficAccidentsIncreaseDramaticallyWorldwide. aspx ? www. asiaone. com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080719-77661. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. dailymailnews. com/200802/13/news/dmboxitem2. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. statpak. gov. pkJ. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan By Abdul Manan Khan1 and Ansa Tehreem2 Abstract Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads.Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor. Main causes which are found behind these road accidents are lack of training institutes, unskilled drivers, poor road conditions, use of cell phone during driving, use of intoxicants, over loading and poor performance of government in this regard.If these issues are tackled in a manner way then it can positively affect the social and economic conditions of the residents of developing countries. Key Words: Public Health, Road Accidents, Traffic Accidents 1. Introduction and Literature Review The growth and development of a nation depends, largely, upon the capacity of its transport system to move persons and goods to desired locations safety. In Pakistani society, nuclear family system is very common. Here, it is like a trend that one or two members of famil y earn the money and other family members heavily depend on them.In developing countries, like Pakistan, roads often carry a wide range of users – from heavy goods-vehicles to bicycles and pedestrians without any separation. Road traffic accidents (RTA) are a significant, cause of any disability, death and economic loss in developing countries like Pakistan. Among the pedestrians, the most vulnerable are those young people who play an important part in the socio-economic growth of the country. In Pakistan, male proportion play dominant role to run their families economically, so they have to face more problems like injuries and disability. Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads.Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable g roups of road users, specially the poor. Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected global public health problem, requiring concerted efforts for effective and sustainable avoidance. Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at almost 1. 2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million (WHO, 2004).In economic terms, the cost of road crash injuries is projected at roughly 1% of gross national product (GNP) in low-income countries, 1. 5% in middle-income countries and 2% in high-income countries (Soderlund,1995). The economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be over Rs100 billion for Pakistan (Ahmad, 2008). 1 Graduate, Department of Sociology,University of Gujrat, Gujrat. 2 Graduate, University of the Punjab, Lahore 23 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Lower socio-economic groups have limited access to post-crash emergency health care (Mock, etal1997).In Pakistan also, a large portion of population has also limited access to post-crash emergency health care which causes a precious loss of lives. In many developing countries, the costs of prolonged medical care, the loss of the family breadwinner, the cost of a funeral, and the loss of income due to disability can push families into poverty (Hijar etal 2003). In developing countries, the population groups exposed to the highest risks of injury and death from road crashes, pedestrians and users of motorized two-wheelers – are from lower socioeconomic groups (Nantulya, 2003 and Ghaffar A, 2004).In Mexico, the second commonest cause of children being orphaned is traffic crashes (Hijar etal, 2003). Pakistan is also a developing country where a large number of people die every because of the road-side accidents. Especially death proportion of pedestrians and motorcyclists are very high which mostly belong to lower socio-economic groups of society. Recent studies have shown that pedestrians and mot orcyclists have the highest rates of injury in Asia (Yang,etal 2003 and Suriyanwongpaisal etal 2003). In Pakistan Incidence of road traffic injuries was 15. (including minor injuries) per 1,000 persons per year (Ghaffar etal 2004). If we use this rate in 2008 it will be in millions. The burden of injury is unequal. More boys are injured than girls, and children from poorer families have higher rates of injury. In 2002, males accounted for 73% of all road traffic deaths, with an overall rate almost three times that for females: 27. 6 per 100 000 population and 10. 4 per 100 000 population, respectively (WHO, 2004). Pakistan is a patriarchal society, where most of the time male family members are the primary source of income.So, the higher rate of road traffic deaths among men, can even more severely affect the socio-economic status of the family as well as the whole social structure of the society. In Pakistan, among males of the economically active age group accidental death rate is very high, and also according to the study, motor vehicle injuries are the third most important cause of death in developing countries. (Soderlund 1995). It is projected that RTA will be the second most common cause of disability-adjusted life years in developing countries in the year 2020 (Murray, 1997).Road traffic crashes can place a heavy burden on the family and friends of the injured person. According to WHO estimates for 2002, there were 180500 children killed as the result of road crashes. Some 97% of these child road deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries (WHO, 2004). There are many factors which cause the accidents. The motorized traffic on these roads is capable of high acceleration and speed, both key factors in the causes of road crash injury. Most of the factors of traffic accidents are the driver, the highway and motor vehicles (Aaron ,1990, Balogun etal,1992; Luby etal,1997 and Mock etal,1999).Majority of road users including motorists and pedestr ians lack road sense, leading to frequent road accidents and continued traffic jams across the country. Some other research evidence also indicates that the human element is responsible for 80 to 85% of all traffic accidents. Traffic violations, driving while intoxicated and lack of driving courtesy are the results of human actions. Unsafe highway and road conditions cause about 10% of all traffic accidents while mechanical deficiencies are responsible for nearly 5% of all traffic problems (Aaron,1990; Collier, 1983; American Automobile Association, 1988; Mc Glade, 1980).Traffic violations like signal crossing, driving without license, wrong parking, usage of mobile phones while driving, wrong overtaking, disregard of zebra crossing, riding motorbikes without lights and helmets, 24 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X over-speeding, change of lane sans using indicators are so common in Pakistan which are the major cause of accident in our society. 2. Dat a Collection and Methodology This study is based on primary data which is collected from people belongs to transportation system and drivers of LTV, HTV, motorcyclist and pedestrians.For this purpose 100 cases were selected from the universe as described by Neumann (1997). Data is collected via discussion and questionnaire on causes of road accidents and its aspects from each side. 3. Data Analysis On the basis of primary data, when we ask to respondents about the main reason behind road accidents then 40% of the respondents answer that ignorance of traffic rules is the main reason of road accidents. While 32% respondents answer that rash driving and 28% of the view that untrained drivers are the cause of road accidents.This whole issue is shown in table 1. Table 1. Reasons of Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Ignorance of traffic rules 40. 0 40. 0 Rash driving 32. 0 72. 0 Untrained drivers 28. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 When we put the question that is poor conditions of roads i s responsible for accidents then 44% of the respondents answer that to some extent poor conditions of roads cause accidents and 32% people response that yes, poor condition of roads is responsible and all is shown in table 2. Table 2. Is Poor Condition of Roads Responsible for Accidents PercentCumulative Percent Yes 32. 0 32. 0 No 24. 0 56. 0 To some extent 44. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 25 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Our next question highlight another burning issue that 68% of the road accidents occur due to untrained/ unskilled drivers while only 12% of the respondents view that unskilled drivers are not responsible, which is shown in table 3. Table 3. Accidents Occur Due to Unskilled Drivers Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 68. 0 68. 0 No 12. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0In most of the parts of the country, one wheeling occurs by young people on roads and 76% of the respondents view that this cause road accidents while only 4% of the respondents answer that one wheeling is not a cause of accidents. Table 4 shows detailed data on this issue. Table 4. Is One Wheeling Causes Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 76. 0 76. 0 No 4. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Use of cell phones during driving cause road accidents and government take measures to avoid cell phone and there is some penalty.The 52% of the respondents answers that use of cell phone during driving cause accidents while 40% answer to some extent it cause, only 8% view that cell phone is not the cause of road accidents. This is shown in detail in table 5. Table 5. Is Use of Cell Phone Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 52. 0 52. 0 No 8. 0 60. 0 To some extent 40. 0 100. 0 26 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Total 100. 0 Another issue was raised when we ask a question from respondents that are use of drugs during driving cause road accidents.The answer was astonished us that only 4% of the respondents view that drugs is not a cause of accidents while 72% and 24% response yes and to some extent, respectively. As shown in table 6 below. Table 6. Use of Drugs during Driving Cause Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 4. 0 76. 0 To some extent 24. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Overloading is another cause of road accidents and respondents answer that overloading is the cause of road accidents as shown in table 7. Table 7. Is Overloading Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative PercentYes 40. 0 40. 0 No 4. 0 44. 0 To some extent 56. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The literacy rate in Pakistan is low which relates with road accidents because most of the drivers are illiterate and can’t read anything even helping booklet/ safety guides on roads. The 72% of the respondents answer that lack of awareness about driving rules and other safety measures is the cause of road accidents. Only 8% of the respondents view that it is not a cause of road accidents and all this is shown in table 8. Table 8. Is Lack of Awareness Causes Road Accidents 7 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 8. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Above all information explains the causes of road accidents but now we have collected some information about the role of different administrative institutes in overcoming these issues. When we ask about role of government in reducing the ratio of accidents then 40% of the respondents are of the view that government is playing poor role and there is need to improve its role. 8% respondents answer that its role is satisfactory while only 8% response that government is playing excellent role, detail about this is given in table 9. Table 9. Role of Govt. in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 8. 0 8. 0 Very good 24. 0 32. 0 Satisfactory 28. 0 60. 0 Poor 40. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The role of traffic police in reducing t he road accidents is better and 52% of the respondents show satisfactory role of traffic police while 24% answers very good. So the overall role of traffic police is good but the problem exists when we make a comparison between roads and number of police servants.Only 8% of the respondents answer that traffic police is playing poor role, which is shown in table 10. Table 10. Role of Traffic Police in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 16. 0 16. 0 Very good 24. 0 40. 0 Satisfactory 52. 0 92. 0 28 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Poor 8. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Conclusion The main objective of this paper is to highlight the main causes of road accidents in Pakistan. On the basis of primary data we conclude the paper as following. The main reason of traffic accidents is due to lack of awareness bout rules and regulation, so there is need of institutes for awareness about these rules. Government may create awareness in public b y offering different courses in educational institutes and also distribute some material for drivers and for general public also. Government needs to make some core courses/ training before the provision of license and traffic police should keep strong check and balance in this regard. Another problem which causes road accidents is overloading, use of cell phone during driving and drugs addiction by majority of the drivers.These all issues can be solved by creating awareness and by applying some penalty to defaulters. These are not serious issues and easily solved by the strong system of check and balance by any administrative authority. By overcoming on these causes we can save a lot of benefits in the shape of monetary and non-monetary terms. In a nut shell, we say that road accidents are playing prominent role in the families of victims of traffic accidents which is the loss of property on one side while death of humanity is on the other hand.These both can through a family into a vicious circle of poverty and then it impacts on the overall economy. So need of the day is to take some encouraging steps by public side and individuals side also. References ? A Resource Curriculum in Driver and Traffic Safety Education, (1990), Washington D. C. Automative Safety Foundation. ? Aaron, J. E. and Strasser, M. K. , (1990), Driver and Traffic Safety Education, London: The Macmillan Company. ? Ahmad, B. , (2006), Country Report on Road Network in Pakistan, Ministry of Communications, Islambad. ? Balogun, J. , A.Abereoje, (1992), Pattern of Road Traffic Accidents cases in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital between: 1987 and 1990, Journal of Tropical Medicine 95: 23-29. ? Collier, J. P, (1983), Automotive Safety Education London, Macmillan Publishers. 29 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X ? Ghaffar, A. , Hyder A. A. and Masud, T. I. , (2004), The burden of road traffic injuries in developing countries: the 1st National Injury Survey o f Pakistan Public Health. ? Hijar, M. , Vazquez-Vela, E, Arreola-Risa, (2003), Pedestrian traffic injuries in Mexico: a country update.Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:37–43 ? McGlade, F, (1980), Adjustive Behaviour and Safety Performance Sringfield, Illinois: Carl of C. Thomas Publisher. ? Mock, C. , Amegashie J. and Darteh, K, (1999), Role of Commercial Drivers in motor vehicle related injuries in Ghana. Inj. Prev 5: 268-271 ? Mock, C. N. , nii-Amon-Kotei D. , and Maier, R. V. , (1997), Low utilization of formal medical services by injured persons in a developing nation: health service data underestimate the importance of trauma. Journal of Trauma. 42:504–513. ? Murray, CJL, Lopez A.D. , (1997), Alternative projections of mortality and disability by cause 1990-2020: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet . 349:1498504. ? Nantulya, V. M. , and Reich M. R. , (2003), Equity dimensions of road traffic injuries in low and middle-income countries: Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:13–20. ? Neumann, W. L. , (1997), Social Research Methods, Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyss and Bacon, USA. ? Peden M, McGee K, and Sharma G, (2002), The injury chart book: a graphical overview of the global burden of injuries.Geneva, World Health Organization. ? Peden, M. , Scurfield, R. , et al (2004), World Report on Traffic Injuries Prevention; Geneva, WHO ? Soderlund N, Zwi A. B. , (1995), Traffic related mortality in industrialized and less developed countries. BuU World Health Organ. 73:175-82. ? Stutts, Hunter. , (1999), Motor Vehicle and Roadway factors in pedestrians and Bicyclist injuries. Accd Aral Prev. 31:505-514. ? Suriyanwongpaisal, P. , and Kanchanasut S, (2003), Road traffic injuries in Thailand: trends, selected underlying determinants and status of intervention.Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:95–104. ? Yang, B. M. , and Kim J. , (2003), Road traffic accidents and policy interventions in Korea. Injury cont rol and Safety Promotion. 10:89–93. ? www. makeroadssafe. org ? www. prb. org/Articles/2006/RoadTrafficAccidentsIncreaseDramaticallyWorldwide. aspx ? www. asiaone. com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080719-77661. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. dailymailnews. com/200802/13/news/dmboxitem2. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. statpak. gov. pk

Gustave Flaubert and Madame Bovary Essay

Madame Bovary consists of a Realist critique of Romanticism with Emma Bovary portrayed as the emotionally overwrought romantic who destroys herself and others in her attempts to fulfill her unrealistic dreams. For writing about such a horrible woman Gustave Flaubert, the author, was charged with corrupting the morals of French society. He was acquitted of the charge at a public trial. The major characters of the novel include Emma Bovary, the title character and the villain who brings ruin to herself and others in her efforts to realize her romantic illusions; Charles Bovary, a mediocre country doctor who is lackluster at best but deeply in love with his wife Emma; Leon, a law clerk who is a fellow romantic to Emma with whom he eventually has an affair; Rodolphe, a â€Å"gentleman† landowner and womanizer with whom Emma has an affair; and Lheureux, a merchant and money-lender. Lheureux† in French means â€Å"the happy,† and this character becomes happy by preying upon Emma as she attempts to buy the reality of her dreams. Selections, Summaries, and Commentary We meet Charles Bovary who struggled in school to become a doctor. He assumed a practice at Tostes, France, and married. But his wife died. One evening, Charles was summoned to a farm to set a broken leg. Here Charles made the acquaintance of Emma Rouault, the daughter of the patient. Char les, at the invitation of Mr. Rouault, ate breakfast with Emma; and, among other things, they talked of Emma’s dislike for the country. They had closer contact when both of them reached for Charles’ riding crop after it had fallen to the floor. â€Å"Instead of returning to [the farm] in three days as he had promised, he [Charles] went back the very next day, then regularly twice a week†¦. † Though Charles never had the nerve to ask Mr. Roualt for the hand of his daughter, Roualt figured things out, and the marriage was contracted. â€Å"Emma anted a midnight wedding with torches, but old Rouault could not understand such an idea. † It was a country wedding. They walked a mile and a half to and from the church, Emma’s dress trailing on the ground and gathering grass and thistles. After the ceremony, the guests ate until night. â€Å"Charles, who was anything but quick-witted, did not shine at the wedding. † Two days after the wedding, Charles and Emma left for Tostes. Charles now â€Å"had for life this beautiful woman whom he adored. For him the universe did not extend beyond the silky circumference of her petticoat. For Emma, on the other hand, things were different, â€Å"Before [her marriage to Charles] she thought herself in love; but since the happiness that should have followed failed to come, she must, she thought, have been mistaken. And Emma tried to find out what one meant exactly in life by the words bliss, passion, ecstasy, that had seemed to her so beautiful in books. † Emma, we learn, had been fed a steady diet of romanticism at the convent where she was placed at age thirteen. â€Å"Accustomed to the quieter aspects of life [in the country], she turned instead to its tumultuous parts. She loved the sea only for the sake of its storms, and the green only when it was scattered among ruins. † She found herself attracted to the mystical aspects of the religious life. An old maid at the convent kept the girls dreaming. She [the old maid] knew by heart the love-songs of the last century, and sang them in a low voice as she stitched away. She told stories, gave them news, ran their errands in the town, and on the sly lent the big girls some of the novels, that she always carried in the pockets of her apron, and of which the lady herself swallowed long chapters in the intervals of her work. They were all about love, lovers, sweethearts, persecuted ladies fainting in lonely pavilions, postilions killed at every relay, horses ridden to death on every page, somber forests, heart-aches, vows, sobs, tears and kisses, little boatrides by moonlight, nightingales in shady groves, gentlemen brave as lions, gentle as lambs, virtuous as no one ever was, always well dressed, and weeping like fountains. Girls at the convent hid keepsakes with engravings. Here [on the engravings] behind the balustrade of a balcony was a young man in a short cloak, holding in his arms a young girl in a white dress who was wearing an alms-bag at her belt; or there were nameless portraits of English ladies with fair curls, who looked at you from under their round straw hats with their large clear eyes. † After Emma returned home to the farm, she became disgusted with the country. When Charles came to call on her father, she saw Charles as her knight in shinning armor, come to rescue the damsel in distress. Something â€Å"sufficed to make her believe that she at last felt that wondrous passion which, till then, like a great bird with rose-coloured wings, hung in the splendor of poetic skies, — and now she could not think that the calm in which she lived was the happiness of her dreams. † Emma is a victim of the mass media, dying because she read the escapist, romantic fantasies and mistook them for reality. She wondered, â€Å"Why could not she lean over balconies in Swiss chalets, or enshrine her melancholy in a Scotch cottage, with a husband dressed in a black velvet coat with long tails, and thin shoes a pointed hat and frills? Charles’ talk, in contrast, was dull. He provoked no emotions in her but disgust; he had no desire to do or see anything. Charles’s conversation was commonplace as a street pavement, and every one’s ideas trooped through it in their everyday garb, without exciting emotion, laughter, or thought. He had never had the curiosit y, he said, while he lived at Rouen, to go to the theatre to see the actors from Paris. He could neither swim, nor fence, nor shoot, and one day he could not explain some term of horsemanship to her that she had come across in a novel. A man, on the contrary, should he not know everything, excel in manifold activities, initiate you into the energies of passion, the refinements of life, all mysteries? But this one taught nothing, knew nothing, wished nothing. He thought her happy; and she resented this easy calm, this serene heaviness, the happiness she gave him. Flaubert writes that â€Å"ennui, the silent spider, was weaving its web in the darkness, in every corner of her heart. † But after a few months, Emma and Charles were invited to the Vaubyessard estate by the Marquis d’Andervilliers (â€Å"Another Village†). Charles had cured the Marquis from an abscess in the mouth, and the Marquis had requested some offshoots of the cherry trees that were in the Bovary’s little garden. When the Marquis came to thank Charles personally, he saw Emma. He thought her pretty and sophisticated enough to invite to the chateau. Charles and Emma arrived at nightfall along with many others. An elaborate dinner was served, and they prepared for the ball. When Charles intimated that he would dance, Emma replied, â€Å"Why, you must be mad! They would make fun of you; stay in your place, as it becomes a doctor. And when he kissed her on her shoulder, â€Å"’Don’t touch me! ’ she cried; ‘I’ll be all rumpled. ’† The dancing began, and when the atmosphere grew warm and heavy, a servant broke out the window panes. Through the windows Emma â€Å"saw in the garden the faces of peasants pressed against the window looking in at them. † She was reminded of her own heritage, the days of the farm, but â€Å"the splendor of the present hour† made her almost doubt she had ever been there. Supper was served, and at three o’clock the cotillion (more dancing) began. Emma danced with a Viscount, and proved to be a highly courted partner. Charles, in the meantime, had spent five consecutive hours watching people at the card tables â€Å"without understanding anything about it. † Lunch was served the following day, and then Charles and Emma left for Tostes. Emma believed the life of Vaubyessard to be the kind of life she wanted and deserved, and her immediate surroundings grew even more dreary. â€Å"She longed to travel or to go back to her convent. She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris. † She became increasingly irritated with Charles and her surroundings to the point of becoming ill. She suffered from heart palpitations, and she exhibited altered states of hyperactivity and torpor. She constantly complained about Tostes, and Charles thought that perhaps her illness was due to the town itself. From that thought on, â€Å"Emma drank vinegar to lose weight, contracted a sharp little cough, and lost all appetite. † The Bovarys moved to a new town, Yonville (â€Å"yonder village†), a small market town some twenty miles from Rouen. Here the Bovarys had a daughter, whom Emma names Berthe, after a young lady she had encountered at Vaubyessard, and the Bovarys sent Berthe to be nursed by a carpenter’s wife. Emma was not a very good mother. She really wanted a son who would be free to â€Å"explore all passions and all countries, overcome obstacles, taste of the most distant pleasures. † She did not care for the realities of motherhood. On one occasion, after returning home, Berthe approached Emma. â€Å"‘Leave me alone,’ repeated the young woman quite angrily. Her expression frightened the child, who began to scream. ‘Will you leave me alone? ’ she said, forcing her away with her elbow. Berthe fell at the foot of the chest of drawers against the brass handle; she cut her cheek, blood appeared. Emma then felt sorry for her treatment of the child. The Bovarys met Leon Dupuis, a clerk for the town notary. Leon and Emma were fellow romantics. They spoke of their desire for change as opposed to routine. They talked about their desire for walking in the country, witnessing sunsets, visiting seashores, mountains, lakes, waterfalls. They related their love for music and reading by the fire. The two of them fell in love with one another, but did not yet allow themselves to express their love. â€Å"Weary of loving without success,† Leon eventually left for Paris to pursue a law degree. Emma became unhappy and ill again. A â€Å"gentleman† named Rodolphe Boulanger brought one of his workers, who wanted to be bled, to see Dr. Bovary. Rodolphe had just acquired an estate that consisted of a chateau and two farms that Rodolphe cultivated himself, â€Å"without, however, taking too many pains. † Rodolphe â€Å"lived as a bachelor, and was supposed to have† a sizeable income. When Emma was called to assist in the bleeding, Rodolphe became infatuated with her beauty. But he only desired her as a mistress. Flaubert described Rodolphe as â€Å"having had much experience with women and being something of a connoisseur. † Rodolphe thought to himself, â€Å"Three gallant words and she’d adore me, I’m sure of it. She’d be tender, charming. Yes; but how to get rid of her afterwards. † His present mistress, an actress in Rouen, was beginning to bore him. During an Agricultural Fair, Emma and Rodolphe strolled around, arm in arm, eventually ascending to â€Å"the council room† on the first floor of the townhall. The room was empty, and Rodolphe suggested they could enjoy the show there more comfortably. Flaubert showed his appreciation of irony when, in the background, he awarded the first prize for manure at the same time Rodolphe told Emma, â€Å"A hundred times I tried to leave; yet I followed you and stayed†¦. As I would stay to-night, to-morrow, all other days, all my life! † Also, as Emma and Rodolphe gazed at each other, â€Å"as their desire increased, their dry lips trembled and languidly, effortlessly, their fingers intertwined,† a prize was awarded to an old peasant woman for fifty-four years of faithful service at one farm. Emma was susceptible to Rodolphe’s charms. After some six weeks, a time chosen by Rodolphe for the purpose of not appearing too eager, he visited Emma. He knew just how to play her. When Charles returned home, Rodolphe suggested that riding might be good for Madame Bovary’s health. Charles thought it a good idea. At first, Emma objected, but Charles talked her into it. She and Rodolphe rode and walked. Sometime into their first outing, Emma â€Å"abandoned herself to him. † Charles bought her a horse. Emma and Rodolphe rode regularly, and they began exchanging letters, placing them in the cracks of a wall located near the river at the end of the garden attached to the Bovary home. If Charles left early enough, she would sneak off, on foot, to see Rodolphe at his estate and return to Yonville before anyone awoke. She would cry when she had to leave Rodolphe, and her farewells would go on forever. Rodolphe suggested her visits were too dangerous; she was compromising herself. So, Rodolphe began coming to the garden at night, throwing sand against the shutters, and Emma would sneak out after Charles had retired. Six months passed. Rodolphe became increasingly indifferent, and Emma became uncertain herself. One day, news of a new surgical procedure for curing clubfoot reached the apothecary at Rouen. Emma, who wanted more fame and excitement for her husband, and the apothecary, who wanted fame for himself, urged an unwilling Charles to carry out the new operation on a crippled servant at the inn. The servant was pressured and finally consented after the operation was offered to him at no charge. At first, the operation appeared successful, and Emma was delighted with Charles and his prospects. But the device in which they strapped the servant’s foot caused swelling. In response, the device was tightened even further, and gangrene set in. A surgeon was called in for consultation. He laughed and scolded Charles. The surgeon had to amputate the servant’s leg to the thigh. Emma was no longer delighted. â€Å"Everything in him [Charles] irritated her now; his face, his dress, all the things he did not say, his whole person, in short, his existence. † The disastrous operation was further proof of Charles’ stupidity and incompetence, and Emma turned to Rodolphe to fulfill her dreams. She sent Rodolphe love notes, and the two of them made plans to leave for Italy. Emma was apparently willing to leave without Berthe. When she firsts suggested the idea of leaving, Rodolphe asked about the fate of Berthe. Then, Emma, who had obviously not thought of Berthe before, said they would take Berthe with them. But no further mention of Berthe was made in their succeeding plans, and Emma rarely gave Berthe any attention. Rodolphe, who had no real intentions of running off with Emma, postponed the departure on several occasions, and then they set a specific date. On the day of their departure, however, Rodophe sent a letter to Emma through a servant. In the letter he ended the affair and announced that he was leaving without her. He had his servant echo his plans to depart, but he was not actually planning to go anywhere. Though, later in the day, he did decide to go to Rouen. Emma saw him leaving as he passed by the Bovary home. She was devastated and became ill. Charles stayed by her side for forty-three days, neglecting his own affairs. Charles thought the theatre may be good medicine, and so he and Emma went to Rouen to see an opera. The whole experience began to reawaken Emma’s romantic being. After the second act, Charles went to get Emma something to drink and ran into Leon. As the third act began, the three of them left to talk elsewhere. Leon, as it turns out, after his schooling in Paris, had come to Rouen to work as a clerk. Because the three old acquaintances talked through the opera, Emma did not get to see the third act; and since Emma now seemed energized, Charles suggested that she stay the night and see the third act the next day. Charles, however, must return home. Emma stayed, and she and Leon began an affair. As Flaubert wrote it, Emma and Leon apparently consummate their feelings for one another during a long carriage ride through Rouen. When she returned to Yonville, she was informed that Charles’ father has died. Emma was by this time substantially indebted to a shopkeeper and moneylender by the name of Lheureux (â€Å"the happy,† as in the seller of happiness), and he suggested that Emma obtain the power of attorney over Charles’ father’s estate. She manipulated Charles into giving her this power of attorney, and she even earned his gratitude for going to Rouen to have Leon look over the legal papers. Emma’s stay in Rouen lasted three days, after which Leon came to Yonville at times and sent Emma secret letters. Emma then began to make weekly trips to Rouen under the pretense of taking piano lessons. She manipulated Charles into asking her to refresh her skills in this area. She and Leon would stay in a hotel, and she was running up all kinds of debts with Lheureux, spending freely on her trips to Rouen and satisfying all of her whims. Lheureux lent her money on the value of Charles’ father’s estate. Charles was unaware of her spending and her adultery. Leon and she began seeing each other more frequently. She began billing Charles’ patients herself, without his knowledge, and selling things in order to pay on her bills. She gave Berthe no attention. Finally, someone wrote Leon’s mother, telling her that Leon was ruining himself with a married woman. Leon’s mother wrote her son’s employer who then indicated to Leon how important it was to break off the affair. Leon wanted to end it, but he was in love. Eventually Emma’s unpaid bills ran long overdue, and her creditors obtained a judgment against her. On her return from a visit to Rouen, the maid showed her a judgment that commanded her â€Å"by power of the king† to pay the sum of eight thousand francs. She went to Lheureux, who by this time had sold the debt at a discount to a banker at Rouen. Emma tried to talk Lheureux out of the judgment. She â€Å"even pressed her pretty white and slender hand against the shopkeeper’s knee,† but Lheureux would have none of that. She owed a vast sum of money, and the sheriff’s officers arrived to confiscate the family property. Emma tried frantically to raise the money. She went to Leon at Rouen and urged him to borrow the money for her, and she even suggested that he steal the money from his office. Leon tried to borrow the money from lenders, but to no avail. On the next morning, people gathering in the market read a notice indicating that the Bovarys’ furniture was for sale. Madame Bovary went to see the town notary. The notary was in business with Lheureux and, so, knew all about Emma’s plight. But he listened as she told him all about it. He then made it clear, in a not so subtle manner, that he would expect a sexual relationship if he were to lend her the money she needed. Emma appeared insulted by his forwardness, shouted that she was not for sale, and left in a fury. She was surely not opposed to exchanging herself for money, but the notary was too crass and straightforward about it. Had he concealed it in more romantic language, she probably would have consented. Later, as Flaubert wrote, â€Å"perhaps she began to repent now that she had not yielded to the notary. † At last, when she heard the sound of Charles coming home, she went to the town’s tax collector and offered herself to him in return for the money. He was offended by Emma’s advances. While Emma was running around, thinking about how to get the money, Charles learned of his family’s financial ruin. Emma, at least, turned to Rodolphe. But even though it seemed the two of them could once again become lovers, Rodolphe was either unwilling or unable to help. Out of shame and despair, Emma poisoned herself with arsenic she obtained from the pharmacy through an unwitting assistant. She hoped to make her death short and sweet. She said, â€Å"Ah! It is but a little thing, death! â€Å"I shall fall asleep and all will be over. † But she suffered long and horribly with vomiting, sweating, pain, moaning, and convulsions. Charles, unable and in no shape to help his wife, called in another doctor, but to no avail. â€Å"A final spasm threw her back upon the mattress,† and she died. Charles appears to be the true hero of the novel. He genuinely loved Emma, would have done anything for her, offered her a decent li fe, was a good husband, a good provider and a good father. But, he was a real human being with real human characteristics and flaws. At the end of the novel, however, Charles becomes a genuine romantic, engulfed by authentic and understandable emotions. Charles decided in favor of a mausoleum for Emma’s tomb, and he wrote the following instructions: â€Å"I wish her to be buried in her wedding dress, with white shoes, and a wreath. Her hair is to be spread out over her shoulders. Three coffins, one oak, one mahogany, one of lead. Let no one try to overrule me; I shall have the strength to resist him. She is to be covered with a large piece of green velvet. This is my wish; see that it is done. The pharmacist and the priest, we are told, â€Å"were much taken aback by Bovary’s romantic ideas. † Charles’ mother shared their view. But Charles now had become a romantic just like Emma, emotionally overwrought with the death of this woman he so dearly loved, refusing to sell any of her possessions to satisfy her debts. Flaubert writes of Charles, â€Å"He was a changed man. † â€Å"To please her, as if she were still living, he adopted her taste, her ideas; he bought patent leather boots and took to wearing white cravats. He waxed his moustache and, just like her, signed promissory notes. She corrupted him from beyond the grave. † Soon, though, Charles discovered the love letters from Leon and Rodolphe hidden in a secret drawer of Emma’s desk; and, shortly thereafter, Charles died of love sickness. A surgeon â€Å"performed an autopsy, but found nothing. † All of Charles’ belongings were sold to satisfy debts, and there remains just enough to send Berthe off to her grandmother. But the grandmother died the same year, and Berthe fell under the care of a poor aunt who sent her â€Å"to a cottom-mill to earn a living. †

Philadelphia movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Philadelphia movie - Essay Example Tom Hanks brilliantly portrayed the character of Andy and communicated to viewers the need to look at gays suffering from AIDS in a different light. It was an emotional issue, to be sure, but Hanks did a good job at causing everyone to rethink their views towards people suffering from this horrible disease. When Andy began looking for a lawyer, he discovered that many people did not want to represent him simply on the basis of his illness. The frustration that he began to feel must surely have been overwhelming. Most people he met were afraid and would not get close to him. The movie effectively points out that even the lawyer who was brave enough to represent Andy was also afraid of him. In the end, however, this lawyer began to understand that Andy was no threat to his own health or to his reputation. He ended up learning a great deal from Andy and they turned into good friends. The overarching theme of this movie is to educate the public about AIDS and homosexuality. These two issues have divided society and have caused this segment of the population to be segregated and discriminated against in many communities across the country. This movie shows me that discrimination will likely always exist in our society, either on the basis of gender, race, or sexual preference. Philadelphia gives me, and other viewers as well, a good look at the reasons why we should shed our discriminatory views. Such thoughts serve to hurt not only the specific group being discriminated against, but also society in general. The message that the movie sends is that discriminating against homosexual people, especially those with AIDS, is illegal. It also conveys the message that judging people, commonly referred to as stereotyping, is wrong. Understanding people and our difference comes with time. This understanding came happen if we all take the time to get to know each

Human Trafficking in the Philippines Research Paper

Human Trafficking in the Philippines - Research Paper Example Human trafficking has since become a serious global problem since its impacts is being felt by almost every country worldwide. Philippine is among the top countries where human trafficking is at its top. Report indicates that Philippines acts as a source, destination and transit country for women, men and children who are trafficked and subjected to forced labor and sex among other forms of exploitations. Philippine women are trafficked throughout the different parts of Asia, after being deceived of decent job opportunities. The same applies to Philippine men and children who are increasingly being shipped to different parts of Asia (Castles and Miller, 1998). Estimates from ILO indicate that about 1 million Filipino women and men are shipped to foreign countries every year for work opportunities. The finding also found out that about 10 million Filipinos currently work and live abroad. Most of these Filipino migrants are subjected to conditions of forced labor, sex workers, or domes tic workers throughout Asia. Report indicates that most Filipino women employed as domestic workers abroad are subjected to all manner of atrocities and exploitation. The women are raped, battered, and sexually abuse. At the same time, Skilled Filipino immigrant workers such as doctors, accountants, engineers are also forced to work under voluntary servitude. Reports indicate that Filipino women are increasingly being trafficked as commercial sex workers in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and other Asian Countries (Gonzales, 2012). Opportunities available to "organize the crime" The high rate of human trafficking in Philippine has been catalyzed by a number of factors. Poverty and unemployment top the list as the key factors that offer the opportunity for the organization of the crime. Report indicates that Philippine is one of the poorest countries in Asia. The poverty level is particularly high in rural areas. The slow economic growth has also made it difficult for the government to create enough jobs for its over 92 million people. This means that many Filipinos are jobless. This has made the poor and jobless Filipinos vulnerable to illegal recruiters offering better prospects to poor Filipinos abroad. This has seen many Filipinos fall victim of the illegal recruiters who ship them abroad with the hope of getting greener pastures. However, a majority of the Filipinos who fall prey to the illegal recruiters end up in agony when they land in the foreign countries where they are exploited either as sex workers or forced labor (Arias, 2011). Philippine has also experienced successive civil strife like the one experienced in the southern part of the country. The civil strife increased poverty level in this area where polygamy is common thereby increasing the vulnerability of residents to trafficking. Report indicates that residents of southern Philippine violently displaced by the civil war were forced to migrate to other co untries as a way of looking for a place where they could improve their present situation. This offers a great opportunity for traffickers to offer their services. Such was also witnessed during the 2010 civil strife in the country, which left over 130,000 Filipinos displaced by the violence vulnerable for trafficking. This is because they were longing for a safer place where they could carry on with their businesses (Arias, 2011).

Ethical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethical Analysis - Essay Example Vallejo California is an interesting case study of one community effort seeking to supply primary care to the poor. It’s proponents say the clinic is saving local emergency rooms thousands by providing non-emergency care to uninsured patients (many illegals) at low cost or free of charge. Many illegals, without proof of income, are receiving the services free of charge. Many residents want the clinic’s county funding cut to reflect its treatment of illegals who they believe should not be receiving health care at the expense of taxpayers. The problem is twofold and highlights two major issues concerning health care today: â€Å"the un-insured and balooning costs† (Jordon, 2009, para. 4).The tip of a controversial iceberg, if health-care reform goes through the way The U.S. House bill is written, no such clinic, in California or otherwise, will receive any federal funding if it continues to treat illegal immigrants. And from opinions so far, local voters may not approve public funds to do the job. It is a health care conundrum that threatens to drive illegals back to expensive emergency rooms, and/or in denying them clinic treatment, running the risk of them not receiving treatment for diseases they may spread to the entire community. The Pew Hispanic Center reports that half of the twelve million illegal immigrants in the U.S. do not have health insurance and go to emergency rooms where they are bound by a 1986 law to be treated. Emergency-room visits, where treatment costs are much higher than in clinics,† jumped 32% nationally between 1996 and 2006, the latest data available† (Jordon, 2009, para. 5). More than an ethical question for Sutter Solano Medical Center Chief Executive Terry Glubka, Gluba, in pushing for the clinic, was trying to reduce costs at the hospital where the poorer population [including many illegals] were coming to get treated for everything from bug bites to severe injuries. By

Corporate Communications Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Corporate Communications - Case Study Example The UK-based international grocery chain Tesco is a world leading retail chain and its general merchandising retail chain activities stretch far beyond the European Union. By sales and profits, it is not only the largest British retail chain but also the best-known grocery store in the neighborhood. Right now according to statistics its global sales along with domestic market sales, exceed  £3 billion. Going by revenue figures it is the third biggest global retail chain based on revenue, behind Wal-Mart in the first place and Carrefour of France in the second place. However, Tesco is ahead of Carrefour in profits. Though the organization started off as a seller of food and drink, now sells almost every imaginable item required by the household, including clothes, banking and financial services, telecommunication, healthcare, insurance, electronics and electrical and much more. Corporate Communication can be defined as â€Å"The activities undertaken by an organization to communicate both internally with employees and externally with existing and prospective customers and the wider public. Corporate communication is sometimes used to refer principally to external communication and sometimes to internal communication, but strictly speaking covers both, the term implies an emphasis on promoting a sense of corporate identity and presenting a consistent and coherent corporate image† (www.dictionary.bnet.com). Thus Tesco has been using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in its retail operations. The use of ICT at Tesco is effectively practiced in its public and customer relations strategy such as with individuals and organizations, including its employees, customers, competitors and suppliers. An effective communication strategy is an essential element at

Birth of the Modern Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Birth of the Modern Age - Essay Example Our reasoning is simple, a bit nave perhaps, but just and sensible: we need to establish continuity between the past and the present. First, we assume that the so-called modern age in human history came sometime after the period we are investigating. This allows us to set aside, at least for the moment, the disagreements among historians and other experts as to the exact dates on when the modern age began and whether we are still in or beyond it. Second, we also assume that the writers whose works we are to analyze to answer our question really existed, and that their accounts represent a true image of reality as they perceived it. Some may have used literary tools to paint a subtle imagery of the times in which they lived, but our knowing the trick allows us to look beyond the images and into the underlying reality of their 15th-16th century world. Third, our knowledge and observations of what historians call the modern age allow us to identify distinguishing characteristics that mark a transition from the old or ancient world to the new or modern one: the way humans performed their activities of learning, earning, governing, and looking at the world around them. These so-called modern ways - the scientific method of learning, the transition from feudalism to the rule of law, democratic government and free market economics, and a widening focus from the local and regional to the international and the universal world - are facets of the human character and culture that we witness in ourselves now and that we see as taking root in the hearts and souls of the writers whose written works we are to analyze. If we can pin down these modern developments as having their definite origins only to the period 1400 to 1600, our task would have been easier. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, a study of written works before and after 1400 is beyond the scope of this paper. Given these assumptions and limitations, how can this writer establish continuity between past chronicles and our observations of the modern world How can we conclude that the period 1400-1600 represents the birth of the modern age This last intellectual stumbling block was overcome when the writer had to decide which of the several works in the collection to include in this paper, taking into account this writer's personal biases and assumptions. The solution was simple: choose on the basis of a positive, optimistic, and hopeful image of the world, both in the present and in the future. Having taken this crucial step, the writer became "one" with each of the twenty historical figures whose selections were chosen, observing the world through their eyes and with the same positive attitude. This is how the writer established continuity between the present and the past, and the intellect having been duly satisfied dispatches itself vigorously to the task at hand. Marks of the Modern Age The modern age marked a revolution in human thought, a new outlook towards wealth, work, and money, the governance of peoples, and a more universal view of life and the world. As we assumed, this modern age happened sometime after the year 1600, the 17th century, so we question ourselves if it had its birth in the two centuries that preceded it. Before we dive into the world as it was in the 15th and 16th centuries, let us summarize what we know of the 14th century (the years 1300-1399). It was a period that saw millions of people die from famine and the plague, and

Week 4-Happiness Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Week 4-Happiness - Assignment Example At first, I believed on this. However, I came to realize that affluence does not necessarily give someone happiness and being poor also does not automatically make one unhappy (DuBrin, 2011). I am now against my previous notion of judging some careers as substandard and insignificant. Apparently, I fall into adventure category. During life audaciousness made me acquire some values that up-to-date are precious to me. I learnt values like respect and honesty through adventure where I was much curious to understand how members of an organization interrelate harmoniously without the two values. Respect is an important value that leads to the realization of honest in any organization (DuBrin, 2011). Corporations value personnel who uphold honesty and respect, for they comprehend that a good relationship builds trust among employees. Finally, the adventurous spirit enabled me to grow the value of courtesy where I was curious why people could give their seat to pregnant woman or old people and other do not and I come to realize some children will not practice this because they contemplate that they will not receive appreciation. Therefore, my quest prepared me to learn this and endorse that some values we possess are driven by adventures. It is important to know your values for it gives one a tremendous clarity and focus in life. The values that I treasure in my life are; honesty, respect, politeness, happiness, success, peace, fun, security, transparency and adventure (Steve, 2013). Steve has underlined imperative values that are proficient in guiding our compartments at work or in any other areas of our life. Values enable us to act according to our conviction. The value that I desire most is happiness; this is because happiness significantly helps me in attaining life satisfaction (DuBrin, 2011). It assists me overcome stress both at workplace. Happiness also offers me an

Metal Detectors Create a Hostile Learning Environment Research Paper

Metal Detectors Create a Hostile Learning Environment - Research Paper Example This report declares that the writer of â€Å"Metal Detectors Create a Hostile Learning Environment† begins by painting a vivid picture of a school security check conducted by police officers in Wadleigh high school and which is archetypical of what has become common practice in New York schools. They come in the morning and install metal detectors through which all students must pass before entering the school and cause about 3 hours of class time to be lost. This way he builds up argument that the security precautions are disruptive and hostile to learners. He is able to defend this through the description of the rough treatment the students receive at the hands of the police. Ideally, a school is supposed to have a culture of its own known and understood by the teachers and students. This paper makes a conclusion that the writer describes how the police totally disrupt the school program and cause nearly a third of the learners to miss at least a class. They carried out this swoop without prior notice yet according to a press release by New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Posters should be prominently displayed to notify students and the school community of any searches scheduled in their school well in advance. The writer argues that these searches expose the learners to unnecessary invasion when he states, â€Å"Officers selected some students for additional scanning with handheld metal detectors, requiring them to lean against a table or wall, spread their legs, hold their arms out, and lift each foot to be wanded†.

Ethics of Human Cloning Essay Example for Free

Ethics of Human Cloning Essay In 1971 James D. Watson claimed that one day human cloning would be workable and noted that â€Å"as many people as possible be informed about the new ways for human reproduction and their potential consequences, both good and bad†(Burley and Harris 2001, p. 69). Watsons statement was given little attention. In 1997, the birth of Dolly, today the worlds most famous sheep, caused widespread public excitement. Dolly became artificially produced clone and proof that cloning large animals like sheep or humans would be possible. More importantly perhaps, Dolly raises many different sorts of important questions for human beings. Human cloning has been met with widespread unease all over the world and generated a series of ethical issues that will be discussed in this paper. Main Body In opposition to productive cloning it is asserted that the method would be causing danger to human beings. For example, Dr Harry Griffin, the director of the Roslin Institute, Scotland, that successfully cloned Dolly the sheep indicates that: It would be irresponsible to try and clone a human being, given the present state of the technology†¦. The chances of success are so low it would be irresponsible to encourage people to think theres a real prospect. The risks are too great for the woman, and of course for the child (Griffin, 2001). However, while the possible success regarding human cloning may be low and there may be risks of undeveloped embryos, against this it could be claimed that similar arguments could have been directed against the potential efficiency of in vitro fertilization techniques (IVF). IVF was once considered unsuccessful but today is a well-developed and valued treatment for infertility. IVF would never have developed if negative reasons such as this were successfully used to oppose it. A second concern on the subject of human cloning is about the motivation of those who would want to clone themselves and others. On the one hand, it might be accepted that human cloning would make possible for infertile couples to produce genetically related children. On the other hand, there seems to be a worry that people may use human cloning not in order to found a family but with purpose to make a copy of themselves. In addition, there may be people who hope to produce copies of other living or dead individuals. For example, it was this motivation for cloning that was the theme of the fictional film The Boys from Brazil. In the film Hitlers genotype was cloned to produce a Fuehrer for the future (Harris 1998, p. 169). However, any clone of an existing person will not be a copy of that person. Having the same genotype as another individual does not make a clone the same individual and it is probable that effects from the egg and from the environment would make any clone considerably different from their genetic twin. While this may be so, it could be likely that those who employ human cloning with purpose to produce a copy of themselves or others will not be proper parents. As a result, the welfare of any produced child will suffer. The motivation of many parents to produce a child may also not withstand close examination. What would be a good motivation for wishing to have a sun or daughter? It could be claimed that all motivations to bring to birth a child are based, at least to some degree, on the selfish feelings of future parents. A third main concern on the regard of human cloning involves these kinds of worries about the well-being of the produced child. It may be possible that any child born as a result of nuclear somatic transfer cloning will experience disadvantage either because he/she is robbed of his/her genetic identity or because he/ she will not have an open future (Harris 1998, p. 169). To what extent is a cloned person robbed of his/her genetic identity? While most human beings are genetically unique, there seems to be no indication that permitting the birth of genetically identical twins derived from a single fertilized ovum robs anyone of their genetic identity or even that the fact that twins of this kind share a genetic identity is causing harm to these individuals. It could be stated, therefore, that it thus seems not clear why this factor should make human cloning unethical. It has been indicated (Holm, 1998) that clones created by means of nuclear somatic transfer cloning will live their lives in the shadow of their older genetic twin. As a result, the clones will not have the open future that most of ordinary people have and, it might be argued, human beings have a right to. Soren Holm, for example, argues that: Usually when a child is born we ask hypothetical questions like How will it develop? or What kind of person will it become? and we often answer them with reference to various psychological traits we can identify in the biological mother or father or in their families†¦In the case of the clone we are, however, likely to give much more specific answers to such questions. Answers that will then go on to affect the way the child is reared (Holm, 1998, pp. 160-161). Holms point of view is that producing a clone that lives life in the shadow of an older genetic twin is unethical as: It diminishes the clones possibility of living a life that is in a full sense of that word his or her life. The clone is forced to be involved in an attempt to perform a complicated partial re-enactment of the life of somebody else (the original) (Holm, 1998, p. 162). This means that while people usually claim for the importance of the moral principles of respect for individual autonomy or the power to make a decision for oneself without influence from outside, people are violating these principles by robbing clones this opportunity to live their lives in the way they want. The way the clones were produced will putt them in a position where they are living in a shadow. However, even if this claim is true that clones would live in the shadow of their genetic originals, it is not obvious that this fact should compel people to prohibit human cloning. Arguments that compel people to consider the well-being of a resulting child are questionable. It has been claimed that a person is only wronged by being brought to birth if he/she has a life so bad that it would be a cruelty rather than a kindness to bring it into existence (Bennett and Harris, 2002, p. 323). This kind of unfortunate existence is sometimes characterized as an unworthwhile life. An unworthwhile life would be a life of extremely negative experience and worsening. Other lives that may be not perfect, but not so worthless as to deprive that individual of an amazing experience of living, are termed worthwhile lives. In this regard, the statement is that as long as a person is likely to have a worthwhile life he/she is not disadvantaged by being brought to birth. Thus, even if a human clone is likely to have a life that is somehow less than ideal, his or her suffering is unlikely to be such that it makes life unworthwhile. It could therefore be claimed that while being born a clone may not be the ideal way of coming into the world, it is the only opportunity of existing in this world and to have a life that is likely to be worth living. If this position was considered, it would establish human cloning as ethically acceptable at least on the grounds of giving the child a right to exist. Conclusion The topic human cloning has a number of ethically puzzling if not problematic features. Cloning will be one of the most hotly debated and least well-understood phenomena in near future. Today human cloning meets with overwhelming opposition. However, it is clear that human cloning turns out to be the perfect embodiment of the ruling possibilities for new age.

Duck Hunting Essay Example for Free

Duck Hunting Essay In the earliest of time, duck hunting was essential. Indian tribes would use canoes and dogs to catch ducks to feed their families. They would leave early in the morning to beat the sunrise and get out on the water. Ducks were hunted in January and February when they’re fat for better feeding. Then, in the 1800’s the breach-loading shotgun was created for field sports. This allowed duck hunting easier because now they are easily shot in flight instead of canoeing. The shotgun is quickly reloaded so that more duck can be hunted in a single setting. Ducks and other birds have great eyesight, which made them harder to be hunted so the creation of camouflage came about. Hunters would wear clothes to blend in with the trees, grass, and environment surrounding them. They then began building duck blinds out of wooden frames and screened with brush and grass so that the hunter would be hard to see. Then, in the 1960’s decoys were made from carved and painted wood to float in the water. They are spread out so that ducks are encouraged to land on the water. Finally, we have the duck call. This was created to mimic many sounds of ducks so that they will land in the spread of decoys for easier an easier kill. Many people hear of duck hunting and think that it can be very easily done, but this isn’t true. Duck hunters have to scout the land and water days before the hunt so that they can hunt strategically. These days, it is required for hunters to have a hunting license in order to even participate in this field sport. Any other actions taken before having a hunting license or before the season has officially opened is illegal. Duck hunters spend many hours practicing shooting clay targets in the air so that they’re prepared for the hunt ahead of time. In late September, duck hunting season officially opens. Hunters will wake up early in the morning and get dressed up in their camouflage. They go out and hook up their boats and put their decoys in the bed. Each decoy has a clip or hook on the bottom of the body. This clip allows the hunter to attach each decoy to one another about 2 to 3 feet apart. The clips are attached to a jerk cord so that the hunter can place in a line and pull from their duck blind to make to decoys move realistically. Then, the hunter loads up his shotgun and his dog and heads out to the drop to put his boat in the water. Duck hunters usually do not travel alone. They travel in a group of about 4 or 5 people so that they have more shots fired in one blind. All the hunters get into the boat and travel out to the duck blind. When they finally get there, they ease into the water and pull the supplies out so that the can hide their boat. Hunters will spread out their decoys strategically in the water at about 6 o’clock according to the placement of the blind and wind direction. This takes about 30 to 45 minutes to set up correctly. Then, the hunters get inside the blind, load up their shotguns, and put on their face paint for better camouflage. The hunters are only allowed to shoot at 7 o’clock a. m. and any time after that so they usually wait in the blind. When starting time comes around they start looking for ducks. As soon as they see a good group of them they start blowing on their duck call to try and pull the ducks in to their decoys. All the ducks will fly around in a large circle and if they like the call they will begin cupping towards the water. When they start to land and are just right off the top of the water, the hunters will begin firing. Any duck they kill is out in the water for the dog to fetch. The most common dogs used for duck hunting are Labrador Retrievers, Pointers, English Setters, English Cocker Spaniels, Coonhound, and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. These dogs are trained very well in hunting ducks and usually other birds so when the duck hit the water that dog is gone. Hunters will go at it for hours and hours to try and limit out. They’ll blow the call, shoot, reload, and do it all over again every time there are ducks flying around. Towards the end of the hunt, they will load up their decoys, dog, and shotgun. They’ll pull the boat out in the open for the drive back to the trailer. Then, they have to load the boat up and this could take some time if you don’t know what you’re doing. The driver maneuvers the boat nice and snug into place and the other guys pull it up, latch it to the trailer crank, and put the brace in place for the motor. The hunters will take off their wet waders and put them in the back of the truck and load up their dogs for the trip back home. Finally, when they get back to the house, they’ll pull the ducks out and put them on the tailgate. The hunters will take their knife and make an incision about 6 inches long down the middle of the ducks belly. Then, with their hands they will tear away the feathers and skin of the ducks body. Finally, once looking at the ducks innards they will cut out the two breasts inside the ducks sternum. These two breasts are soaked and washed in warm water so that there is no blood or feathers left behind on the duck meat. Then, they are put into a plastic baggie and frozen until use. Duck hunting is a lot of fun because of the thrill that it gives you to hunt flying game. At the same time, this isn’t the easiest hunting trip you’ll make. Duck hunters will hunt in the most mild or extreme conditions just to get a kill. Their waders could have holes; their duck calls could get frozen up; and their guns could jam. Hunters don’t have it easy like most people think, just imagine you having to hunt every day of your life to feed your family. That’s a crazy thought, but I can only seem to think that it may be a way of like for some people. This is how duck hunting is done most commonly these days. Finally, I will leave you with a quote I once heard. â€Å"If you’re not rippin lips and stackin quackers, you’re drinkin the wrong water†.

Revenue Recognition under US GAAP and IFRS

Revenue Recognition under US GAAP and IFRS International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) are working together to provide a single revenue recognition model that can be applied to a wide range of industries and transaction types. US GAAP currently has many industry-specific requirements that are not always consistent with each other. Keywords: revenue recognition, IASB, FASB, contracts The topic of the research is Revenue Recognition under US GAAP and IFRS. Revenue is the largest item in financial statements, and issues involving revenue recognition are among the most important and difficult that standard setters and accountants face. Revenue  recognition requirements in U.S. GAAP are different from those in IFRSs and both are considered in need of improvement. U.S. GAAP comprises broad revenue recognition concepts and numerous industry or transaction-specific requirements that can result in different accounting for economically similar transactions. Although, IFRSs contain less guidance on revenue recognition, its two main standards IAS 18 Revenue and IAS 11 Construction Contracts can be difficult to understand and apply beyond simple transactions. Also, they lack guidance on important topics such as revenue recognition for multiple-element arrangements. Reporting inconsistencies in this accounting area arise because there are no comprehensive accounting standards covering revenue recognition. Several authoritative accounting pronouncements have addressed detailed, industry-specific revenue recognition issues which caused practitioners to use standards in situations for which they were not intended. As a result, in 2002, the FASB added revenue recognition to its project agenda. In accounting, revenue recognition refers to the point when one is able to record a sale in the financial statements. Years ago, the sale was made and then an invoice was issued. Now, products are sold with added services, TVs are being sold with long term warranties, mobile phone contracts sold with a free phone, tickets sold for concerts which will not occur for a number of months, and software sold with free upgrades. International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) (collectively, the board) are working together to provide a single revenue recognition model that can be applied to a wide range of industries and transaction types. U. S. GAAP currently has many industry-specific requirements that are not always consistent with each other. The boards intend to improve current revenue recognition guidance by: Enhancing consistency and comparability. Simplify U. S. GAAP. Currently, there are more than 100 revenue recognition standards in U.S. GAAP. Many of these standards are industry-specific, and some provide conflicting guidance. Providing guidance lacking in IFRS. The two main IFRS revenue recognition standards are vague, inconsistent, and difficult to apply to complex transactions, IASB and FASB published a joint discussion paper, Preliminary Views on Revenue Recognition in Contracts with Customers, in December 2008 that proposed a single revenue recognition model built on the principle that an entity should recognize revenue when it satisfies its performance obligation in a contract by transferring goods and services to a customer. This principle is similar to many existing requirements. A contract is defined as an agreement between two or more parties that creates enforceable obligations, and may consist of either explicit or implicit arrangements. However, IASB and FASB think that clarifying the principle and applying it consistently to all contracts with customers will improve the comparability and understandability of revenue for users of financial statements. The Discussion Paper sought comments on the Boards preliminary views on a single asset and liability based revenue recognition model that they believe will improve financial reporting under U. S. GAA P and IFRS by (Ernest Young, 2009): Providing clearer guidance on when an entity should recognize revenue. Reducing the number of standards which entities have to refer to in determination of revenue. Establishing principles that will result in entities reporting revenue more consistently for similar contracts regardless of the industry in which an entity operates. In September 2002, the IASB and FASB announced plans to achieve convergence in a document referred to as the Norwalk Agreement which called for detailed differences to be removed rapidly and then other differences gradually. In 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accepted the plan to apply IFRS to the statements filed with the SEC in 2008. According to Mintz (2008), the SEC detailed a road map for the adoption of IFRS that would monitor progress until 2011, when the commission will consider requiring U. S. public companies to file their financial statements using IFRS. The road map includes a potential phased transition over three years, beginning with large accelerated filers in 2014 and then nonaccelerated filers starting in 2016. The research will be done using secondary data collection from Google, Google scholar, ProQuest, discussion papers, and other academia databases. According to Dohrer (2009), U.S. GAAP revenue literature is built on principles that are similar to those in IFRS. However, U.S.GAAP has industry industry-specific revenue recognition literature, such as that for the software industry, which is limited under IFRS. U.S. also includes more detailed implementation guidance. The problem for this research is to find a single asset and liability based revenue recognition model to improve financial reporting within both U. S. GAAP and IFRS. The researcher will seek to answer the following research questions: 1. How does realizability affects the measurements of rights? How is performance obligations identified? When will a customer control the asset? Recognition under U.S. GAAP specifies that revenue should not be recognized until the revenue is either realized or realizable, and earned. Preparers, users, and auditors of financial reports have struggles with issues surrounding the timing of revenue recognition. This has led to fraudulent entries. In 1999, a report by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) of the Treadway Commission reported that more than one-half of financial reporting frauds studied from 1987 to 1997 involved overstating revenue. In response to the COSO report, the SEC issued SAB 101, Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements. This bulletin summarized applying revenue recognition principles to specific conditions (Stout and Baxendale, 2006). According to GAAP, revenue is realizable and earned when all of the following criteria are met. Persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists. Delivery has occurred or services have been rendered. The sellers price to the buyer is fixed or determinable. It is reasonably assured that payment will be collected. According to RevenueRecognition.com (2006), regardless of the companys size, ownership structure, or what systems it has in place, having a written revenue policy is essential to accurate revenue reporting. The policy should govern how contracts are written, how orders are booked, define the revenue accounting workflow, as well as how journal entries are made as revenue is managed through the finance department. Revenue recognition in IFRS is contained primarily within two standards: International Accounting Standard (IAS) 18 Revenue, which applies to the sales of goods, rendering of services, and the use of company assets by others yielding interest, royalties and dividends. IAS 11 Construction Contracts, which prescribe the accounting treatment of revenues and cost associated with construction contracts. These standards are that revenue is recognized when it is probable that future economic benefits will flow to the entity and these benefits can be measured reliably. This occurs when the earnings process is substantially complete and is realized or realizable and earned. The Discussion Papers stated that the proposed model should not significantly change the accounting for many arrangements from the current practices under IFRS. Under IFRS, revenue is usually recognized when the risks and rewards associated with the goods or services have been transferred to the customer. Delivery is deemed to have occurred when the customer takes title to a good, indicating that the risks and rewards of ownership have passed to the customer. RevenueRecognition.com surveyed senior financial executives from 515 companies about the Discussion Paper. RevenueRecognition.com worked with staff members from the FASB and IASB revenue recognition project to create an internet survey based on the key questions raised in the proposal. The survey was conducted in April 2009. More than 75% of respondents were senior finance executives including CFOs and Controllers. The key findings were that 54% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that a contract-based approach to revenue recognition would clarify the earnings process. And 66% said there would be little or no difference in the timing of their revenue recognition if delivery is defined as the transfer of control over good and services. Also, 70% agreed or strongly agreed that the Boards definition of a performance obligation as an accounting unit would help them identify components more consistently than existing practice. The history of difficult with revenue recognition in the corporate sector is full with instances of fraud. A COSO report, Fraudulent Financial Reporting 1987-1997: An Analysis of U. S. Public Companies reported that half of frauds involved overstated revenue. Online business-to-business transactions have led to questions about the validity of reported revenue. Past revenue recognition has involved fraudulently setting aside inventory not actually sold. Also, practices include written agreement for sales that are not signed by both parties because the seller would recognize revenue with only the verbal acknowledgment which is no longer permits. Auditors focus on revenue recognition overstatement in financial statements. Recommendations for improving revenue recognition are the following: The person recording or auditing revenue should have a strong knowledge of U. S. GAAP for revenue recognition. The audit committee should be aware of issues and make appropriate inquires. All relevant individuals should be knowledge about recent revenue recognition guidelines, including SAB 101 and EITF 99-17 and 99-19. In conclusion, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) are working to provide a single revenue recognition model that will be applied to a wide range of industries and transaction types. Revenue recognition requirements in U.S. GAAP are different from those in IFRSs and both are considered in need of improvement. Recognition under U.S. GAAP specifies that revenue should not be recognized until the revenue is either realized or realizable, and earned. Under IFRS, revenue is usually recognized when the risks and rewards associated with the goods or services have been transferred to the customer.