International Accounting Issues The WritePass Journal

International Accounting Issues 1. Executive Summary: International Accounting Issues 1. Executive Summary:2. Earning Management:2.1 Definitions of Earning Management:2.2 Motivations for Earning Management: To Show Growth Trends:Directors Bonuses:Manipulating Share Price:Financial Problems:Insider Trading: 3. Abuses of Earning Management and International Accounting Standards:3.1 Revenue Recognition (IAS 18):3.2 Unusual Assets ( IAS 16/38 )3.2 Profit Smoothing ( IAS 37 )3.3 Change in accounting Policy (IAS 8):3.5 Off Balance Sheet Financing (IAS 1):Conclusion and Recommendations:References:Related 1. Executive Summary: Due to the global business expansion, management opportunities have grown and enhanced each day and issues and abuses have occurred. Therefore, I will try to explore how Earning Management works within finance and, will relate it with the principles of accounting. According to the IASB, there are many ways escape and create opportunities. Throughout my study I will present how a total impact is made, by explaining the different accounting standards and by relating them to Earning Management. 2. Earning Management: Earning Management is the practice of producing financial accounts that suit a particular purpose without really showing the true and fair views. Sometimes the accountant might want to show profits which are favorable e.g. to get a bonus, and sometimes losses e.g. to pay less tax. At other times the accountant may wish to show a healthy balance sheet e.g. to get a bank loan, whereas at other times an unhealthy balance sheet e.g. before a management buy-out to get a bargain. Various types of definitions have been produced to explain Earning Management as a special form of ‘’design’’ rather than ‘’principled accounting’’. 2.1 Definitions of Earning Management: Earning management is also referred to as income smoothing, earnings management, earnings smoothing, financial engineering and cosmetic accounting. Definitions of earning management vary, and include the following: ‘Is any action on the part of management which affects reported income and which provides no true economic advantage to the organization and may in fact, in the long-term, be detrimental’. (Merchant and Rockness, 1994) ‘Involves the repetitive selection of accounting measurement or reporting rules in a particular pattern, the effect of which is to report a stream of income with a smaller variation from trend than would otherwise have appeared’.(Copeland, 1968) 2.2 Motivations for Earning Management: Why earning management comes into being? How can earning management come into being? In this part motivations of the appearance of creative accounting will be worked over. To Show Growth Trends: Generally companies prefer reporting steady trends of growth in profit rather than showing volatile profit with series of dramatic rises and falls. Making unnecessarily high provisions for liabilities and against asset values in good years is achieved so that the provisions can be reduced thereby improving reported profits in bad years. Directors Bonuses: In most cases, bonuses of the management of the company are based on profits, so the higher the profit the higher the bonus or, if a certain level of profit is achieved only then the bonus is payable. Directors and employees have an incentive to use earning management practices in an effort to maximize the bonuses received when such bonus schemes are tied to reported earnings. Manipulating Share Price: Creative accounting may help maintain or boost share price, both by reducing apparent levels of borrowing, making the company appear subjected to less risk, and by creating the appearance of a good profit trend. By doing so the company is able to raise capital from new share issues, offer their own shares in takeover bids and, resist takeover by other companies. Financial Problems:    The business needs additional financing; that is, it requires a loan or aspires one at a favorable rate. Normally, less risk perceived by the lender leads to lower interest rate charged. High reported earnings, high assets, low liabilities and high shareholder equity amounts accompanied by high earnings, convey the impression of improved credit quality as well as, high debt rating to a lender, or bond investor. As a result, creative accounting practices used to improve reported financial measures can lead to lower corporate borrowing costs. Insider Trading: If directors engage in insider dealing in the shares of company , they can then use earning management to delay the release of information for the market enhancing opportunities to benefit from inside knowledge. 3. Abuses of Earning Management and International Accounting Standards: In most cases where earning management is done, accounting policy choice and application simply fall within the range of flexibility inherent in international accounting standards, and GAAP. Whilst it can be argued that the manner in which the accounting policies is employed are largely a function of management judgment , in most cases this judgment results in the biasing of reported financial results and position in one direction or another. It presses the envelope of what is permitted under IAS and GAAP, although it remains within boundaries, and it is not fraudulent financial reporting. At some point, a line is crossed and accounting practices being employed move beyond boundaries of IAS and GAAP. Financial statements that result are not considered to provide a fair presentation of a subject company’s financial results and position once the line is crossed, and adjustments become necessary. Here are some common abuses and the particular international accounting standard. 3.1 Revenue Recognition (IAS 18): Faced with the slow growth, a company may overstate operating revenues by recognizing them too early .For example if item issued to distributers on a ‘’sale or return’’ basis are recorded as sales (even though they may be returned) this will inflate sales and profits. Since the sales have not yet been paid for, this will also increase the receivable figure in balance sheet. The increased receivable figures (longer debt collection period) is one way that analysts may be able to spot this kind of manipulation. The receivable figure tends to increase over time until the manipulation is discovered. Other examples include holding the books open and continuing to record shipments that clearly belong in subsequent periods and recording sales without the shipment of goods.If reported profit is significantly higher than the operating cash flow for the period, this may be another indicator that profits are being overstated. Sybase’s shares dropped an additional 20% when the company reported improper practices at the Japanese subsidiary, which Sybase said included booking revenue for purported sales that were accompanied by side letters allowing customers to return software later without penalty. The accounting standards dealing with this (principally IAS 18) has prescribed the criteria to decide when revenue should be recognized: In   case of goods,   that ownership has genuinely been transferred; that the economic benefits and risks of ownership lie with the buyer. The revenue that seller gains must be measurable. The costs of supplying the goods or services can be measured. It is probable that the revenue will be received. The completion stage of partially completed contract of services can be determined. According to IAS 18, the notes to the accounts should explain the revenue recognition policy. Although new rules and regulations imposed by IASB and other accounting bodies have improved the situation, revenues remain one of the most easily manipulated numbers in the accounts. 3.2 Unusual Assets ( IAS 16/38 ) Capitalizing expenditure involves posting transactions to the fixed assets in the Balance Sheet rather than the expenditure section in the Profit Loss or by amortizing capitalized amounts over extended periods. If the true and fair view would be to post it to the expenses then to post it to fixed assets (i.e. to capitalize it) could be classed as earning management  .Result of this would be that both the profits and asset values will be inflated. In the case of WorldCom, a large us telecommunication business, it was alleged that operating profits had been overstated by treating certain operating expenses, such as basic network maintenance, as capital expenditure during 2001 and 2002.To correct this overstatement ,net profit had to be reduced by $ 3.8 billion. Under IAS 16,costs such as servicing should be treated as an expense and should be recognized in the income statement. Subsequent expenditure should be capitalized only if it results in an enhancement of economic benefit beyond those previously recognized. A common charge seen at the time of the combination of technology firms is a charge for purchased in-process research and development. As the name suggests, purchased in process RD is an unfinished RD effort that is acquired from another firm. It might be an unfinished clinical study on the efficacy of a new drug or an unfinished prototype of a new electronics product. According to IAS 38, if the acquired RD has an alternative future use beyond a current research and development project, the expended amount should be capitalized. Capitalization also would be appropriate for purchased in process software development, a form of RD, if the software project has reached technological feasibility. 3.2 Profit Smoothing ( IAS 37 ) Income smoothing refers more specifically to the preference of reporting steadily rising profits. A form of earnings management designed to remove peaks and valleys from a normal earnings series, including steps to reduce and â€Å"store† profits during good years for use during slower years. For example, deliberately not disclosing a contingent liability, or significant going concern problems, in the notes to the financial statements means that the disclosures required (under IAS 37 and IAS 1 respectively) have intentionally not been made. From the preceding examples, it can be seen readily why earnings management is also known as income or profit smoothing. It is because the practice of earnings management often is designed to produce a smoother earnings stream, one that suggests a lower level of earnings uncertainty and risk. Earnings at General Electric Co. (GE) have grown steadily for decades. It is tough to expect such a smooth and growing earnings stream. Certainly the diverse nature of the company’s product and service mix provides a diversification effect that yields a more stable earnings stream. Beyond its product and service diversification, however, the company has in the past demonstrated a willingness to take steps that appear to manage its earnings to a smoother series. Analysts, noted that GE is â€Å"certainly a relatively aggressive practitioner of earnings management.† Sometimes   in a bad year a company may decide to write-down assets in a wholesale fashion. Earnings expectations have not been met. The implicit view is that there will be no additional penalties for making the year even worse. By writing down assets now, taking a â€Å"big bath,† as it is called- the balance sheet can be cleaned up and made particularly conservative. As such, there will be fewer expenses to serve as a drag on earnings in future years. 3.3 Change in accounting Policy (IAS 8): Another way of earning management is through a firm’s selection of the accounting policies it employs in the preparation of its financial statements or in the manner in which those accounting policies are applied. The companies involved are simply using available flexibility in accounting principles. It does not mean that the applicable financial reporting framework has not been followed. It may be that the manipulation of published figures is the result of selecting an accounting policy which is allowed under the financial reporting framework, but which does not reflect economic reality. For example, changing the estimated life of a non-current asset is allowed under financial reporting standards, but if it is done purely to manipulate the depreciation charge (and therefore earnings), then it becomes an example of earnings management. IASB in international accounting standard 8 has prescribed the criteria for selecting and changing accounting policies together with the disclosure and accounting treatment of changes in a reporting entity’s accounting policies, accounting estimates and corrections of errors. An enterprise may voluntarily change the accounting policy only if believes that the change will improve the presentation of the financial statements. An enterprise discloses any change in accounting policy that has a material effect in the current period or is reasonably expected to have a material effect in later periods. It should also disclose, to the extent ascertainable, the amount by which any item in the financial statements is affected by a change that has a material effect in the current period. Where the enterprise is unable to ascertain the amount with reasonable efforts, the fact should be disclosed. Entities must adopt consistent accounting policies for similar transactions unless an IFRS/IAS requires a more specific policy to be adopted. Entities are only allowed to change an accounting policy if it is required by an IFRS or IAS; or, it results in financial statements providing more reliable and relevant information about the effects of transactions on the entity’s financial position, performance or cash flows. 3.5 Off Balance Sheet Financing (IAS 1): â€Å"Off balance sheet financing† is when debt financing is not shown on the face of the balance sheet. This allows a company to borrow without calculations being affected of measures of indebtedness such as gearing.   Motives for this may be to mislead investors and remain within the terms of debt covenants. It may also sometimes be a side effect of the method for raising capital chosen therefore, it is probably best to be suspicious of the motives for raising debt in a manner that is not visible to investors. As standards have caught up with loopholes that allowed off balance sheet financing. The scope for off balance sheet financing has reduced over the years which in the past have included leasing and borrowing through special purpose vehicles. Conclusion and Recommendations: It is a difficult task for the regulators to cope with earning management. They need to update the rules to control earning management on one hand, allow flexibility and promote the culture of voluntary disclosure on the other hand. The danger of over regulation is that companies will assume it is the regulators’ responsibilities to ensure transparency rather than their own. By a mixture of regulations aimed at special abuses and more fundamental accounting and auditing standards that require the application of the spirit of the law rather than merely the letter, regulators have been successful in eradicating many of these practice. It is to be stated that the impact of creative and fraudulent accounting can be reduced by streamlining the accounting and auditing system and more effective corporate governance. Earning management can be reduced by: 1. Introduction of forensic accounting for white collar fraud detection and fraud prevention; 2. Minimizing the alternative choices of accounting treatment in accounting standards; 3. Enhancing the quality of corporate governance; 4. Amending Companies Act; 5. Enforcing strong regulation, and 6. Increasing the effectiveness of audit. References:

Conjunctive Adverbs vs. Adverbs

Conjunctive Adverbs vs. Adverbs Conjunctive Adverbs vs. Adverbs Conjunctive Adverbs vs. Adverbs By Mark Nichol A conjunctive adverb is an adverb that has been authorized to perform the function of a conjunction, which simply means that it links one part of a sentence with another. (Standard conjunctions consist of the phrase and clause connectors for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so, acronymized in that order as the mnemonic FANBOYS.) However, they are not pure conjunctions, as the FANBOYS words are, and in this role they cannot follow a simple comma; this error is called is a comma splice. Instead, as the examples below demonstrate, conjunctive adverbs- words such as however, otherwise, thus, meanwhile, and hence, when used to express addition, apposition, concession, contrast, reinforcement, result, summary, or time- signal the beginning of an independent clause and must be preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma. (Alternatively, conjunctive adverbs may appear parenthetically in the middle of the independent clause or may begin or interrupt a separate sentence.) Each use of a conjunctive adverb below is contrasted with the use of the same word as a simple adverb. Notice that when a word performs the latter function, a semicolon is unnecessary before it (though a comma might be required there to separate two clauses), and no comma must follow it. However Adverbial conjunction: â€Å"Jones was released last Friday after posting $100,000 bail; however, it was unclear who paid for his release.† Adverb: â€Å"For your sake, however much I abhor that actor, I will go see the movie.† Otherwise Adverbial conjunction: â€Å"The settlements are an acknowledgment that our business model is sound; otherwise, we would not have agreed to the terms.† Adverb: â€Å"The memory troubled him through the otherwise pleasant afternoon.† Thus Adverbial conjunction: â€Å"Margins on manufacturing and other businesses have become razor thin; thus, companies must undertake careful analysis of profitability for products and services on a real-time or near real-time basis.† Adverb: â€Å"The enemy struck, and Smith took the bait, thus weakening the left flank of his division.† Meanwhile Adverbial conjunction: â€Å"Some indicated that they would not respond to the question; meanwhile, others gave their thoughts.† Adverb: â€Å"That’s a good idea for the long term, but meanwhile, we have to address the immediate problem.† Hence Adverbial conjunction: â€Å"We were preoccupied by the sound of the breaking glass; hence, it is quite possible that somebody planted the gun without being noticed.† Adverb: â€Å"Not too many years hence, the average reader won’t ever have seen a card catalog.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar 101 category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Greek Words You Should KnowConfusing "Passed" with "Past"5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow

'Poetry exists to disrupt habitual perception' Essay

'Poetry exists to disrupt habitual perception' - Essay Example Jonathan Swift an Anglo-Irish poet of the eighteenth century, is considered a skilled satirist whose most famous work would be Gulliver’s Travels, a novel that which satires human nature and political struggle. Considered to be his best poem and perhaps his best work, â€Å"A Description of a City Shower† is a commentary on urban life and the way that life in a city can be inauthentic and artificial. The poem is constructed with lines in a loose version of iambic pentameter, in heroic couplets. It can be said that the poem evokes that feeling of ’shared experience’ as those portrayed are collectively together and captured in the event of a storm. However, the other shared experience that is just past The subjects of his words are treated with wit and social relevance. The poem is filled with small references some of which may not be immediately revealed, but on repeated readings the joyful mockery has extraordinary appeal. At one point within the poem a direct jab is taken towards the political parties who forever argue and accomplish little in the process. Swift says, â€Å"Triumphant Tories, and desponding Whigs, forget their feuds, and join to save their wigs.†[1]. In one quick stab of wit, Swift suggests that in this moment of rain, the Tories and the Whigs finally have a common element in their experience. The rain may destroy their wigs. In this manner, he reduces the members of these groups to a common element of humanity. With skill and a great, quiet power, Swift is able to reduce his subjects and require humility as they must step off of their pedestal for a moment - all disguised within a cleverly crafted rambling of the story of a rain shower. Louis MacNeice‘s, another Irish poet, wrote â€Å"London Rain† (1941) which also speaks of a rain shower. MacNeice’s work wasn’t intended to have quite the wit of Swift’s work, however his thoughtful and

Letter of Intent for college admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Letter of Intent for college admission - Essay Example I will gain enough knowhow on how to integrate technology into the teaching process, assess the school environment, and make relevant recommendations towards improvement relying on successful research studies. The program will equally enable me to create a safer and positive learning, environment that foster performance. Moreover, the Concordia’s M.Ed. Program will accord me leadership skills that will enhance my teaching practice. Indeed, the inclusion of leadership aspect in this program will mould me personally and professionally. Actually, for me this is the right time to pursue my Masters degree.  This is because am readily available to study and I have considerably completed the credential program and attained the advanced course work and capstone experience which are the requirements to admission in this program. More so, I have chosen the Concordia’s M.Ed. Program in my pursuit to attaining a Master in Education degree in Environmental Education because of its flexibility, its availability online, and the short time it takes to complete the full program. Indeed, the one year it takes to complete the degree motivates me. Additionally, the inclusion of leadership lessons in the program and the fact that the program is available throughout the year motivated me to choose the Concordia’s M.Ed.

Early Childhood Education and Childcare Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Education and Childcare Essay Summary â€Å"Why Universal Childcare? † is a great title for an article such as this one. The question enters the reader into a vast pool of potential answers to the question. First off, what does universal childcare mean? For me, I believe that universal childcare means all around childcare, not only in a general sense, but all over the map childcare. Most people don’t see a problem with childcare in Canada, but it seems as if there are some issues pertaining to the system of childcare in Canada. â€Å"In a country of close to five million children of 0-12 years of age, Canada now has fewer than 900,000 regulated childcare spaces. The percentage of children for whom a space is available increased only to 17. 5 percent about a 10 percent increase over the past fifteen years†. (Prentice, 2009, p. 1). A frequent problem most organizations/programs run into is often funding the programs. Without funding, the programs usually suffer and do not meet the maximum amount of care and quality that it should be able to meet. Along with this, the childhood educators/childcare providers may be undertrained. â€Å"The quality of the care is frequently troubling: limited public financing forces programs to operate as cheaply as possible, and requirements for programs are low. The early childhood educators who provide the care are underpaid and often undertrained. Overall, Canada’s early childhood education and care situation suffers from chronic neglect. † (Prentice, 2009, p. 1). Another reason why this situation may come across as shocking to most people, is because Canada is an extremely wealthy country, so you could expect Canada to have a very strong childcare programs. Childcare programs are always changing, they have changed drastically in the last few years, most programs are now looking for ways to interpret ways of learning and more social support for children. â€Å"ECEC (Early Childcare Education and Care) is about an integrated and coherent approach to policy. It is about providing care that includes all children and all children regardless of employment or socio-economic status. † (Prentice, 2009, p. 4). Integrating social support and learning into these childcare programs will expand the knowledge and adaptability of children when entering their later childhood educations. The history of childcare helps explain why today childcare programs are poorly put together. â€Å"The origins of childcare were in philanthropy and benevolence. From the mid- nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century, most of what we know today as childcare programs were provided by educational, philanthropic, or religious organizations, often led by prominent women. † (Prentice, 2009, p. 71). Women were the ones who normally ran the childcare centers, but as we see today, women are entering the paid workforce. The governments did not play a role back then, hence they did not play a part in the responsibility. Today, we count on the government to help fund and organize these programs, which is still a  developing task. After World War II, the federal government stopped funding childcare. This lead out into outbursts which lead to : The Day of Nurseries Act, which became Canada’s first provincial legislation. This lead to the number of childcare programs expanding. We saw a leading change in childcare happen in 2006, when the Harper Conservatives made childcare one of their five leading promises. â€Å"In the 2006 election the Harper Conservatives made childcare one of their five leading promises†. (Prentice, 2009, p. 84. ). Unfortunately, what was promised to parents never happened. Childcare disappeared in importance. How were parents supposed to trust anyone with their ‘childcare money’? â€Å"Following the cancellation of the national childcare plan, childcare space expansion showed the smallest increase in regulated child care in some years: an increase of only 26,661 spaces since 2006. † (Prentice, 2009, p. 86). The author is trying to show the reader the importance of history, and how the little things contribute to how childcare as a whole has developed over the years. Also, the importance of funding programs for childcare.

The Pardoner as Symbol in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales Essay

The Pardoner as Symbol for the Pilgrims’ Unattainable Goals in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer’s work, The Canterbury Tales, paints a portrait of medieval life through the voices and stories of a wide variety of speakers. The people on the Pilgrimage tell their stories for a wide range of reasons. Each Tale is told in order to accomplish two things. The Tales provoke their audience as much as they are a kind of self-reflection. These reactions range from humor, to extreme anger, to open admiration. Each story is symbolic for a meaning above the actual plot of the narrative itself. The theme of social and moral balance is one theme which ties every character and Tale together. The character of the Pardoner exemplifies this ideal. By embodying imagery of balance in his character and in his story, the Pardoner becomes a symbol for the Pilgrims’ unattainable goal of spiritual and moral balance. All the characters in The Canterbury Tales are on a pilgrimage. Their physical journey takes them to the cathedral at Canterbury, to visit the shrine of a former archbishop, Thomas a Becket. When their stories are looked at allegorically, the pilgrimage takes on a new meaning. Beyond a physical journey, these Pilgrims engage their minds and thoughts upon a symbolic journey. The subjects of their stories vary widely, but common to all is the desire for self-knowledge and understanding. The Knight’s Tale, with its emphasis on courtly love and chivalric ideals, is a portrayal of the changes happening within the higher classes of medieval English society. The drunken Miller shows his anger towards the aristocracy by telling a parody of the Knight’s Tale. The Pardoner’s Tale tells the story of three young men who wa... ...omes a way of reconciling the unbalanced portions of human experience in order to promote growth in the face of sin and death. Works Cited and Consulted Ames, Ruth M. God’s Plenty Chaucer’s Christian Humanism. Loyola University Press: Chicago, 1984. Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Pardoner’s Tale." The Canterbury Tales: Nine Tales and the General Prologue. Ed. V.A. Kolve. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1989. Colby, Elbridge. Chaucer’s Christian Morality. The Bruce Publishing Company: Milwaukee, 1936. Ellis, Roger. Patterns of Religious Narrative in the Canterbury Tales. Banes & Noble: Totowa, 1986. Patterson, Lee. "Redemption in Chaucer's Pardoner’s Tale.† Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Durham; Fall 2001. 507-560 Reiff, Raychel Haugrud. â€Å"Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale.† The Explicator. Washington, Summer 1999. 855-58

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychologists view human behavior and psychological traits as a result of evolutionary adaptation in response to reproductive needs – much like the concept of natural selection applied to reproduction, or sexual selection. Drawing from this perspective, evolutionary psychologists and professionals seek to explain the differences between male and female dating and mating rituals and sexual attitudes and how they have evolved throughout the centuries.For example, researchers employ the evolutionary perspective to discuss the differences in male and female promiscuity, aggressiveness, dominance, dating patterns, and the development of sexual attitudes – differences which seem to become less apparent in modern times than the more traditional sexual values expressed throughout history. Evolutionary psychologists would propose that differences between male and female promiscuity are a result of the evolving need to ensure reproduction.While traditional female sex ual attitudes and values are evolving and females are increasingly becoming more comfortable in expressing sexual aggression or dominance in modern times, these traditional differences may be explained from the standpoint of adaptation to reproductive demands as well. Women are more limited in reproductive opportunity than men, having a limited number of eggs and a limited amount of time in which to reproduce optimally, while men have a much more unlimited reproductive opportunity with hundreds of thousands of available sperm and a many more reproductively-viable years than women.Evolutionary psychologists would propose that the differences in sexual attitudes and behaviors among men and women are directly attributable to these reproductive differences as evidenced by the innate desire of men for sexual promiscuity, as compared to the highly selective manner of reproductive behavior among women.While the evolution of social attitudes towards female sexuality has produced an acceptan ce of evolving sexual behavior among women, evolutionary professionals propose that the innate differences between men and women with regard to parenting style, romantic behavior, preferences in sexual partners, and the extent to which looks and personality play a role in mating selection, are a result of evolutionary adaptations.Evolutionary psychology would propose that male and female sexual behavior is centered on the innate need to optimize reproductive opportunity – men being visually stimulated and aggressive in order to ensure a fertile mate and reproductive opportunity, while women express nurturance and attraction towards partners who can provide, ensuring survival of the family unit. These sexual and mating differences, according to evolutionary psychology, ensure the passing on of ones’ genes.

Adderall – Essay

Police use Taser on 10-year-old at school career day, lawsuit alleges By  Ron Recinto  |  The Lookout  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  11 hrs ago An Albuquerque, N. M. , police officer stunned a 10-year-old boy with a Taser after he refused to wash the officer's car. Officer Christopher Webb was visiting the boy's elementary school for a career day on May 4 when the incident occurred. During the presentation, Webb asked a group of students if they wanted to wash his patrol car. When the boy, identified as R. D. jokingly refused, Webb pointed the stun gun at him and said, â€Å"Let me show you what happens to people who do not listen to the police. † Then R.D. , who weighs about 100 pounds, was hit in the chest with two barbs and 50,000 volts of electricity. Webb  told the Albuquerque Journal  the Taser was accidentally discharged. The boy blacked out. The officer removed the barbs, which left marks that â€Å"looked like cigarette burns† on R. D. ‘s chest, the lawsuit all eges. The lawsuit claims Webb acted in a â€Å"reckless manner. † R. D. , who now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, has â€Å"woken up in the middle of the night holding his chest, afraid he is never going to wake up again. Webb was suspended for three days without pay, the Albuquerque Journal reports.He did not return calls from the newspaper seeking a comment. * My personal opinion on this is that this cop, however the situation he might have found himself, had no right to tell that little boy that. He might have been just joking but after that little incident kids are going to be afraid of cops. Which is a growing issue since everyone puts a bad image on cops. For example a little kid does something wrong and his mother tells him I’m going to tell the cops to come and get you. They grow up thinking cops are bad when in reality they’re there to help us. How are those kids going to feel about cops now?These types of reckless people are the ones who affect the image of a good organization. * This is world related in that these types of incidents†¦well I suppose I already answered that in my first answer and this has really been all over the world people are scared of the police when they shouldn’t be. * This relates to me because I remember how my parents would tell me things that if I was bad the police would take me to jail. Obviously this was never true but I thought for the longest time that cops were bad but I grew out of it. The man who sued his wife for birthing an ugly baby By  The Week's Editorial Staff  |  The Week  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  16 hrs agoApparently in  China, bad genes are grounds for divorce — and six-figure fines The story starts out conventionally enough:  Feng, a resident of  northern China, met and married a beautiful woman, and they had a baby girl. Feng was â€Å"so sure of his own good looks, so crushed by the wrinkly ugly mess that was handed to him in a swaddle, that he deci ded to sue his wife because the awful looking baby was totally her fault, He won. the wife came clean on her little secret: Before they had met, she had undergone about $100,000 worth of cosmetic surgery in South Korea. â€Å"Our daughter was incredibly ugly, to the point where it horrified me. A judge agreed, and ordered the wife to fork over $120,000. The wife obviously has to pay a huge amount of money, and got publicly humiliated in the process, but at least she's free of an obviously odious husband. * My personal opinion about this article is that if looks is all he cared about then be glad that you are getting a divorce. But it’s too bad that she had to go through all of this to find out what a total self-absorbed jerk her husband is. * This relates to the world in the sense that it’s been proved that beauty all over the world has been taken a bit too far.People go to extremes to look beautiful or what is now a day’s considered beautiful. They put high st andards and expectations on beauty and end up disappointed on the reality. All the magazines and posters and any propaganda shows a fake image of what the people look like. * This relates to me because well not to me but I knew a couple who broke up because the girl really let go of herself and the guy broke up with her. Sad but true, if someone likes you they’re going to like you the way you are. http://news. yahoo. com/man-sued-wife-birthing-ugly-baby-110500995. htmlSCIENTISTS IN WALES HAVE BEEN SEWING KITTENS' EYES SHUT By  Matt Shea It seems that Cardiff University have been going to extreme lengths to rebuff the old stereotype that the Welsh love  animals more than the Scottish love violence. Their tactic? Conducting a series of experiments in which they sew kitten's eyes shut from birth. It turns out that they weren't just doing it for a bit of horribly sadistic fun (who knew? ). Instead,  the research is being used to develop a cure for amblyopic—or lazy e ye—which impairs the vision of the world’s population and is really distracting when you're trying to have a conversation with someone who has it. Hello, you monster. What exactly is the goal of this gruesome experiment? Lazy eye affects two to four percent of all children and leads to extremely poor vision, or even clinical blindness in one eye. To date, no treatment is available to restore normal vision in an amblyopic eye after the age of around eight years old, which is the end of the critical period of visual brain development. * Is there not a way to deprive their sight without sewing their eyes shut? No.The research was done under anesthetic without causing undue distress or discomfort, to the same standard as it would be done by vets, who frequently carry out the same procedure as therapy for eye conditions in cats and dogs. * What happens to the kittens afterwards? As required by the terms of the Home Office license, the cats were humanely killed at the end of the experiment. By  Matt Shea 15 hours agoTags:  Kittens,  cats,  Cardiff University,  eyes,  eyes sewn shut,  Amblyopia http://www. vice. com/read/scientists-at-cardiff-university-have-been-sewing-kittens-eyes-shut? utm_source=vicefbus

Outbreak the Movie eassy essays

Outbreak the Movie eassy essays OUTBREAK and the IMMUNE SYSTEM essay The movie OUTBREAK starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Cuba Gooding jr. incorporates many of the biological concepts discussed in class this year. OUTBREAK involves concepts we have learned such as: Viruses and Bacteria, Human Genetics, Evolution and Mutation, and overall the Immune System of the human body. OUTBREAK was the idea that a virus from Africa called Mutoba whose host was a monkey traveled to America and infection of this deadly disease quickly spread because of the virus Evolving/Mutating from a virus that is only spread by contact to an airborne virus. The virus was first discovered in 1967 in a small village in Zaire that was only a spread by contact. The virus was brought to the camp by a couple of men that sent out to build roads in the jungle then they came back to the village and drank from the well, from there all the people from the village drank form the well and by the time they found the source of the disease it was too late. However, the virus that infested Cedar Creek was first spread by contact because of a monkey that was smuggled from Africa to a pet store to be sold. However, after the monkey infected people the virus mutated and then became contagious by air. The protein coat around the virus changed allowing it to survive in the air. A protein coat prot ects the virus inside from dying as soon as it hits the air. It is shown that the protein coat changed in the movie by a picture comparing the two viruses from 1967 to the present virus in Cedar Creek. The present day virus has a sharp box like structure surrounding it that helps it survive in the air longer. The Mutoba virus kills by first infecting a single cell then replicating itself millions of times before killing the cell and moving on until there is no more cells left to kill and your insides basically melt from all the cells being destroyed. People show symptoms of the virus in abo...

American Revolution - Treaty of Alliance (1778)

American Revolution - Treaty of Alliance (1778) The Treaty of Alliance (1778) between the United State and France was signed February 6, 1778. Concluded between the government of King Louis XVI and the Second Continental Congress, the treaty proved critical to the United States winning its independence from Great Britain. Intended as a defensive alliance, it saw France provide both supplies and troops to the Americans while also mounting campaigns against other British colonies. The alliance continued after the American Revolution but effectively ended with the start of the French Revolution in 1789. Relations between the two nations deteriorated in the 1790s and led to the undeclared Quasi-War. This conflict was ended by the Treaty of Mortefontaine in 1800 which also formally terminated the 1778 Treaty of Alliance. Background As the American Revolution progressed, it became obvious to the Continental Congress that foreign aid and alliances would be necessary to achieve victory. In the wake of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, a template was created for potential commercial treaties with France and Spain. Based on the ideals of free and reciprocal trade, this Model Treaty was approved by Congress on September 17, 1776. The following day, Congress appointed a group of commissioners, led by Benjamin Franklin, and dispatched them to France to negotiate an agreement. It was thought that France would prove a likely ally as it had been seeking revenge for its defeat in the Seven Years War thirteen years earlier. While not initially tasked with requesting direct military assistance, the commission received orders instructing it to seek most favored nation trading status as well as military aid and supplies. Additionally, they were to reassure Spanish officials in Paris that the colonies had no designs on Spanish lands in the Americas.   Treaty of Alliance (1778) Conflict: American Revolution (1775-1783)Nations Involved: United States and FranceSigned: February 6, 1778Ended: September 30, 1800 by the Treaty of MortefontaineEffects: The alliance with France proved critical to the United States winning its independence from Great Britain. FReception in France Pleased with the Declaration of Independence and the recent American victory at the Siege of Boston, the French Foreign Minister, Comte de Vergennes, was initially in support of a full alliance with the rebelling colonies. This quickly cooled following General George Washingtons defeat at Long Island, the loss of New York City, and subsequent losses at White Plains and Fort Washington that summer and fall. Arriving in Paris, Franklin was warmly received by the French aristocracy and became popular in influential social circles. Seen as a representative of republican simplicity and honesty, Franklin worked to bolster the American cause behind the scenes. Benjamin Franklin in Paris. Public Domain Aid to the Americans Franklins arrival was noted by the government of King Louis XVI, but despite the kings interest in assisting the Americans, the countrys financial and diplomatic situations precluded providing outright military aid. An effective diplomat, Franklin was able to work through back channels to open a stream of covert aid from France to America, as well as began recruiting officers, such as the Marquis de Lafayette and Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. He also succeeded in obtaining critical loans to aid in financing the war effort. Despite French reservations, talks regarding an alliance progressed. The French Convinced Vacillating over an alliance with the Americans, Vergennes spent much of 1777 working to secure an alliance with Spain. In doing so, he eased Spains concerns over American intentions regarding Spanish lands in the Americas. Following the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in the fall of 1777, and concerned about secret British peace overtures to the Americans, Vergennes and Louis XVI elected to forego waiting for Spanish support and offered Franklin an official military alliance. Surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga by John Trumbull. Photograph Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol The Treaty of Alliance (1778) Meeting at the Hotel de Crillon on February 6, 1778, Franklin, along with fellow commissioners Silas Deane and Arthur Lee signed the treaty for the United States while France was represented by Conrad Alexandre Gà ©rard de Rayneval. In addition, the men signed the Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce which was largely based on the Model Treaty. The Treaty of Alliance (1778) was a defensive agreement stating that France would ally with the United States if the former went to war with Britain. In the case of war, the two nations would work together to defeat the common foe. The treaty also set forth land claims for after the conflict and essentially granted the United States all territory conquered in North America while France would retain those lands and islands captured in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. In regard to ending the conflict, the treaty dictated that neither side would make peace without the consent of the other and that the United States independence would be recognized by Britain. An article was also included stipulating that additional nations may join the alliance in the hope that Spain would enter the war. Effects of the Treaty On March 13, 1778, the French government informed London that they had formally recognized the independence of the United States and had concluded the Treaties of Alliance and Amity and Commerce. Four days later, Britain declared war on France formally activating the alliance. Spain would enter the war in June 1779 after concluding the Treaty of Aranjuez with France. The entry of France into the war proved a key turning point in the conflict. French arms and supplies began to flow across the Atlantic to the Americans. In addition, the threat posed by the French military forced Britain to redeploy forces from North America to defend other parts of the empire including critical economic colonies in the West Indies. As a result, the scope of British action in North America was limited. Though initial Franco-American operations at Newport, RI and Savannah, GA proved unsuccessful, the arrival of a French army in 1780, led by Comte de Rochambeau, would prove key to the wars final campaign. Supported by Rear Admiral Comte de Grasses French fleet which defeated the British at the Battle of the Chesapeake, Washington and Rochambeau moved south from New York in September 1781. Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown by John Trumbull. Photograph Courtesy of the US Government Cornering the British army of Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis, they defeated him at the Battle of Yorktown in September-October 1781. Cornwallis surrender effectively ended the fighting in North America. During 1782, relations between the allies became strained as the British began pressing for peace. Though largely negotiating independently, the Americans concluded the Treaty of Paris in 1783 which ended the war between Britain and the United States. In accordance with the Treaty of Alliance, this peace agreement was first reviewed and approved by the French. Nullification of the Alliance With the end of the war, people in the United States began to question the duration of the treaty as no end date to the alliance was stipulated. While some, such as Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, believed that the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 ended the agreement, others, such as Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, believed that it remained in effect. With the execution of Louis XVI in 1793, most European leaders agreed that treaties with France were null and void. Despite this, Jefferson believed the treaty to be valid and was backed by President Washington. As the Wars of the French Revolution began to consume Europe, Washingtons Proclamation of Neutrality and the subsequent Neutrality Act of 1794 eliminated many of the treatys military provisions. Franco-American relations began a steady decline which was worsened by the 1794 Jay Treaty between the United States and Britain. This began several years of diplomatic incidents which culminated with the undeclared Quasi-War of 1798-1800. USS Constellation (1797) engages LInsurgente during the Quasi-War with France, February 9, 1799. U.S. Naval History Heritage Command Fought largely at sea, it saw numerous clashes between American and French warships and privateers. As part of the conflict, Congress rescinded all treaties with France on July 7, 1798. Two years later,  William Vans Murray, Oliver Ellsworth, and William Richardson Davie were dispatched to France to commence peace talks. These efforts resulted in the Treaty of Mortefontaine (Convention of 1800) on September 30, 1800 which ended the conflict. This agreement officially ended the alliance created by the 1778 treaty.

Film Review (Life of Pi) Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film (Life of Pi) - Movie Review Example However, in a serious context, there is much to the movie than what it discernibly professes to be. The movie tends to rake the consciousness of the unsuspecting viewers at many levels, provided they are patient and willing to extend to it the time and the scope that many modern day movies seldom demand. The movie besides being a tale of adventure and courage undeniably tends to have a spiritual facet that is brought out and embellished by the director Ang Lee using a range of thematic approaches and the commensurate technological innovations that amply succeed in bringing out the actual quintessence of the story. As far as the genre of Life of Pi is concerned, the tale indeed happens to be a modern day masterpiece of magic realism. The movie pokes the viewers’ attention with an ever shifting setting into which the director intends to weave a vivid sense of abject realism so far as the representation of ordinary and mundane facts are concerned, embellishing it much with descri ptive details and nuances, yet brining out the philosophy and message inherent in the movie by resorting to a dreamlike and fanciful imagery, borrowing a lot from sources like fairy tales and myths (French 21). Though, the settings in the movie are deeply etched in the pragmatic realism, yet the visual appeal owes much that could be interpreted and reinterpreted by the viewers in an utterly personal subjective context. The writer of the script of Life of Pi tends to retain much of the realism when it comes to hunger, animal instinct, survival and persistence, thereby making the viewers have a sense of the inevitable and the unavoidable; while at the same time the writer tends to insert in much of the fantastical elements like a bio-island infested with meerkats and the trees that happen to be carnivorous. Doing so, the script enables the viewers to deviate from the mundane realities of the real world, even though for a moment, to allow oneself to be immersed in a creative space wher e it is possible to reconcile the baser human instincts that are akin to bestiality and animalism, with the best that is inherent in the human mind that is expressed as theology, philosophy, empathy, respect for all forms of life, resolution, persistence and hope, thereby making way for an experience that is both human and bestial at the same time. If Life of Pi has been able to emerge as a creative and commercial success, much credit goes for this to the director Ang Lee. Lee has been able to successfully weave a web of survival and coexistence, where the religious iconography and an abjectly Darwinian struggle for survival coexist with each other, hand in hand to bring forward the fact that not only the life is sacred, but as long as there is a trace of life existent on earth, it will do everything at its disposal to survive and sustain (Stern 36). However, it goes without saying that Lee to some extent overestimated the scope and power of the visual effects at his disposal (Gilbe y 84). Many a times the seascapes contrived by Lee though appearing fantastical and attractive, somehow ended up as being imbued with a childlike fancy and appeal, which could have been a bit difficult to be accepted or perhaps digested by the adult viewers (Quinn 44). Yet, much of these shortcomings could be ignored by the realization that Life of Pi happens to be a movie that is as much a technological marvel as a