Accounting and Audit Enforcement Research Paper

Accounting and Audit Enforcement - Research Paper Example The other common names of the SOX act are Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act or the Corporate and auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act. The SOX act stipulates that the top management of a public company must personally certify the accuracy of the financial information presented to them by the accounting department. This is to ensure that the published results are and fair according to the performance of the company during the fiscal year under scrutiny. In addition to verifying accuracy of financial information, the Act also places severe penalties against any fraudulent financial activities, as well as increasing the independence that external auditors have when they review the corporate financial statements of a company, in addition to increasing the oversight role of the board of directors (Haverkamp, 2009). The SOX act has a number of provisions which industry players, especially companies in the public sector have to adhere as well as abide to. The first element is the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). This independent oversight committee of public firms also provides auditing services. The next option is the independence of the auditor from external influence from either the management or the board of directors. This law also demands that companies fulfill their corporate responsibilities such as ensuring accuracy of corporate financial results. ... There are regulations for these companies to ensure that present a review of their tax-exempt status on every fifth year of their operation. Furthermore, it was necessary for these not-for-profit companies to improve their scope as well as the quality of form 990 and financial statements. In addition, it is mandatory to improve availability of financial records in order to create greater transparency. The SOX act has put considerable pressure on not-for-profit firms, especially those that have sizable budgets to an extent that they are implementing a considerable number of practices that mirror the ones used and implemented by public companies (Rezaee, 2007). The SOX act requires health care institutions to follow the stipulation requiring them to set up an independent audit committee. This committee contains no member of the management and none of them receives any compensation from the company. Smaller organizations have to settle for a finance committee that also tops up as the au dit committee. In addition, the CFO as well as the CEO of these health care institutions has to attest to the accuracy of the financial results and Form 990, and confirm their fairness and completeness. These leaders of the health organization also have to attest to the adequacy of the internal controls of the firm. These organizations also have to make their financial results more accessible by posting them on the ‘Not-For-Profit’ website, as well as adopt and publicize a given code of ethics. The act also demands that the organization adopts the rules regarding transactions with any insider, and these include executive compensations as well as fringe benefits (Straesser, 2009). Mandating SOX requirements for all not-for profit organizations as well as other

Reputation Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reputation Managment - Essay Example Reputation increases the actual worth of the company and increases its market value , but most organization does not understand the real value of reputation. Companies need to measure, monitor and manage their reputation to be successful on a long term basis. Most organization does not take initiative to manage reputation because they consider it as an intangible asset. Like any other asset of the company, reputation has its liability side. So the reputation management implemented by a company has to evaluate both the reputation assets and the liabilities. According to Doorley (2007,pg.11)â€Å"The very act of having to list their reputational assets and liabilities helps the various units focus on reputation management†. It is extremely important for an organization to have a plan regarding the reputation management. A comprehensive reputation management plan is to be applied to all areas of an organization like finance, human resources, manufacturing, marketing, investor relations and public affairs. Definition of Reputation Reputation is the main identity of an organization on international business platform and to maintain it, a company need to have an ideal reputation management system. A reputation can be defined as the opinion or view of other’s about something. According to Changâ€Å"Abdul Rahman and Hailes defined reputation as an expectation about an agent’s behavior based on information about or its past behavior†.... Reputation has a profound value in business world as it enables business partners and consumers to trust the company without concerns. Reputation allows the business partners and customers to carry on business with a company on moral and ethical grounds. Trust and reputation go hand in hand and a company with a good reputation in the business world is deemed to be honest, transparent and reliable in their business dealings. Reputation of a company shows to the outside world the credibility it has in the market and between customers and clients. A company’s reputation depends upon its past performance and the opinion its customer’s and customer’s has based on it. Reputation gives an idea to the outside world about the future behavior of an organization. Reputation is of contagious in nature and word of mouth can enhance or destroy goodwill of the firm. Reputation spread in the market like fire and hence a company should be cautious and calculative in maintaining i ts prestige and reputation. Development Stages of Corporate Reputation The corporate reputation has evolved through different stages which involves corporate image corporate identity and corporate reputation. The corporate image is the stage where consumer perceives the company through its brand, logo and uniform and theme of office building. Corporate image is not only in the hand of the company but is contributed by media and other external agents. Corporate image can be established by creating graphical theme to the products and also by providing apt products according to the customer needs. Corporate image is the initial stage of reputation development as the quality of product enhances the image of an organization. The second stage is

Unethical Behaviours in the Workplace

Unethical Behaviours in the Workplace Matthew D. Andrews Jr. Monday Wednesday 10:30-12:10 It is moment of time to where you need to fix the talent that is influential to an organizations most imperative strength for a business. Organizations need to act in ways that acknowledge the strategic significance of talent, and to make outline and strategic determinations based on their capability to entice and direct talent. For years, CEOs have communicated about their people as a most significant advantage, but they have not performed appropriately when it comes to making their corporate plans, their organization intentions, and their talent management preparations. It is essential currently, that organizations make talent management a key portion of their organization strategy and management decision-making. How can they do this? First, they need to distinguish that the business world has transformed, and that talent is, in fact, the most critical asset in almost all business. A number of major modifications, counting the globalization of organizations, developments in technology, and a continuous rate of change in the business atmosphere, have made this happen. These fluctuations have created a world where the method in which businesses are operated and their talent accomplished to become the major determining factor of their efficiency. Positioning talent as the important decision maker of business usefulness requires that organizations move away from the current job-based style to business plan and management. They need to start thinking about business strategic plan that help give focus on the strength and abilities that are required in order to implement a business approach. This proficiency study needs to be established on the responsibilities and behaviors that an businesses need to implemented, rather than the expansion of job growth. Businesses need to concentrate on the prospective foundations of the talent that is desirable to execute business approaches. This analysis needs to contemplate numerous types of commitment relations with talent, as well as whether it is best client in the business or recruit them by force. Choose correctly on what talent you pick for job. One key to successful business talent thinking in todays world of work is observing outside the job-based worker model of handling talent. What is mainly exciting and thought-provoking about growing the right talent/business tactic arrangement for an business is the number of possibilities that can be deliberated and executed given todays business atmosphere. Instead of considering jobs for certain people and give wrong job to inexperienced person, business now have a lot ways to getting the key talent they must have in order to do the responsibilities that are asked of them to execute their plans. A second key to growing an successful talent and business plan is making talent accessibility and talent approachability is consider a strategy success in the business world because jobs want to hired people that wanted staying power in the business and not have to worry lose them (The Huffington Post, 2017). In this current time, approximately 120 million people go into a workplace someplace in the United States. In this current time, almost fifty percent of these employees personally observed some kind of ethical wrongdoing, concurring to a recent survey accompanied by the Washington, D.C.-based Ethics Resource Center (ERC). We are not speaking about employees being aware of CFO carry out insider trade fraud. More probable, it is someone who lied to an employer or gave in a fabricated expense account. Recorded below, concurring to the ERC study, are the Three most recurrently detected disreputable behaviors in the U.S. businesses. 1. Misusing company time Whether it is lying for someone who end up showing up to work late or modifying a time sheet, abusing company time tops the cake as a big no-no in the business. This category consist of distinguishing that one of your co-workers is doing personal business on work time. By personal business, the study understand the distinction between making personal calls to increase your off-side business and calling your wife to find out how your sick child is doing. 2. Abusive behavior Too many businesses are filled with general managers and employers who use their standing and power to mishandle or disregard others. Regrettably, unless the position you are in comprises you not to discriminate against race, gender or ethnic origin, there is often no legal defense against offensive behavior in the workplace. This behavior is consider very unprofessional and could cause you to lose your job. 3. Employee theft Conferring to a current analysis by Jack L. Hayes International, one out of every 40 employees in 2012 was found appropriating either money or stuff from their employer. Even more surprising is that these employees embezzle on average 5.5 times more than thieves do ($715 vs $129). Employee deception is also on the up rise, whether its check meddling, not documenting sales in order to affecting expense repayments. The respectable news from the ERC analysis is that most American employees and employers do the correct thing. The analysis shows that most of us obey our companys ethical standards of behavior, and we are eager to testify unlawful activity when we see it happened. However, for those of us who monitor ethical behavior in the business, there are some worrying tendencies in the ERC survey. The fraction of employees who knowledgeable some form of retribution for describing non-ethical behavior soared from 15 percent to 22 percent. Trust in the ethics of senior front-runners decreased from 68 percent to 62 percent. When it comes to the ethical business, we may be on a downhill slide (Philadelphia Business Journal, 2015). References: Philadelphia Business Journal, (2015). The 5 most common unethical behaviors in the workplace Retrieved From: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/guest-comment/2015/01/most-common-unethical-behaviors-in-the.html The Huffington Post, (2017). Organizations Should Put Talent First In 2017. Retrieved From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-lawler/organizations-should-put_b_14323730.html

Ocean :: essays research papers

Oceans Disciplines: Science (Earth’s physical characteristics), Social Studies (Physical environments), English (Research), Math (Add or subtract using decimals and percents) Grade Level: 4th Grade Duration: Three weeks Description: An urban school setting consisting of mostly minority students in a general education classroom. Brainstorming Cognitive Map: (See attached paper) Content Overview:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ocean is the great body of water that covers 71 per cent of the earth’s surface. It is also referred to as the sea. The world is really one huge ocean, broken here and there by islands that we call continents. The ocean is so large that you can sail across it for days without seeing any land. It is also very deep with the bottom lying more than six miles below the surface. It is important to have an understanding of the ocean because it directly or indirectly affects all life on earth. Although we in the United States only get a small proportion of our food from the ocean, there are many nations that border the sea and depend highly on it. There are also many nations who are struggling for fresh water supplies. Although only a small amount of freshwater can be obtained from saltwater, scientists are working on new methods that will enable them to do so more efficiently. Other products like seaweed can be used to make many food products such as ice cream, candy, jellies, and salad dressing. More importantly, it is a vital ingredient in many medicinal products. The Sea is also a source of energy. And we someday will be able to use it to light our homes and run factories. There are five oceans in the world. The three great ones are the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. The Pacific is the largest and deepest covering about a third of the earth’s surface. The word Pacific means peaceful yet some of the most disastrous storms on earth blow out of it. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest body of water in the world. The main industrial nations lie on the coasts of it making it the most important ocean for trade. The Indian Ocean borders Australia, Africa, and the East Indies. The other two oceans the Arctic and Antarctic are at opposite ends of the world. The Arctic lies on top of the world north of Asia, Europe, and North America. The Antarctic Ocean surrounds Antarctica. The Ocean is home for all sorts of plants and animals.

Soc 3116 Notes

* June 7 * * ***We had our midterm this day; took a few notes but, don’t have it (not really important). You should have it somewhere if so, send it to me! June 14st, 2012 â€Å"The World According to Google† film notes * Google Algorithm is the most piece of valuable intellectual property in the world. * They were accused of favouring search results in favour of their sponsors * By digitizing, we will have to selectively pick what to keep. There is just too much. Long term unanticipated consequences will be the loss of libraries and archives that will be expensive in the future and have limited access. Google claimed that they weren't going to charge for digitized books, but in the future it isn't guaranteed. * Focused on the emergence of Google at a time that certainly appeared to advancing, and not willing to share that technology and not participate in the alliance to digitize books in a manner that would be public versus proprietary. * The distinction between the n atural results in Google search versus the sponsored result. In the video, it was talked about as something new that Google was doing and still does increasingly. The description of what Google was going is that the sponsored links were not entirely based on how much the company was paying to have their link there at the top * The example used in the video is the furnisher maker working independently to advertise what Google was making competing with IKEA, but rank order of independent furniture could appear above IKEA if more people were entering that link. * In 2011, there were allegations that the Google algorithm was biased and that results were not coming up based on popularity. Google denied these allegations. Google was making a claim that they were neutral, without affecting the content of the information. * It ought to raise some questions on our end, that media plays a significant role in what and how issues are represented. * Public and private spheres is highlighted in t he video. Hamermas and the role of the media in that context. The question arises about what the nature of the information is that Google has and provides with respect to it being reflective of the public or private enterprise. * Google makes the money from advertising, just like traditional media. Google makes audiences.Google books would be free because they would attract the audience to books and they would be exposed to advertising. The fact that Google provides this information for free to users of Google in no way means that Google will always provide it for free. * Private companies can be very benevolent when they’re making money. When companies are making money, they can do all sorts of things. But that changes when companies for whatever reason stop being very popular. It starts to be a concern. * Issue that arises is whether material digitized by Google will always be in the public sphere. * Another issue is a little more significant.It relates to Google’s i ntent to organize all the information in the world. The projected timeline to get this done is 200 years. * We all choose Google and get the information from Google despite the fact that we can go get them from somewhere else. * If we all choose to use Google and we all end up getting the same result because it’s the same one we all click on the most, we will all be getting the same information and whatever we ask, we will think there is a consensus on this point, simply because we’ve all opted to do the same thing and come to the same conclusion and not realize that we’ve done. The appearance of a consensus emerges because we’ve chosen to use Google and clicked on the second or third result. * We are trying to understand the consequences of ICTs in our society. Mobile Media * ICTs stands for: Information and Communication Technology * Technology is an: Applied Art * The Internet represents the emergence of the modern ICT. * ICTs have a premodern definiti on. The first ICT is the printing press. * The emergence of the modern ICT: * Communication * Printing press (1440) * Telegraph (1800s) * Telephone (parallel to telegraph), electronic exchange switch, mobile phone. Information * Printing press (1440) * Radio (1900s) * TV (1950s) **All 3 are considered traditional media. * It represents an ICT in that it combined the 2 functions of information and communication in a primitive form. * Then we find the emergence of the electronic ICT in the telegraph in the early 1800s. It’s in this context that the telegraph represents an innovation as it relates to communication, and enabling for the first time what we refer to as generally real time (instantaneous) relatively two way communication. The evolution of these technologies evolve further in an informational context with the advent of radio, commercial radio, the information here being one way communication, but wireless one way communication. Following that fairly within a few deca des is television. Same time, parallel in this context, focused on the communication aspect is the emergence of the telephone and the electronic exchange switch. * The intersection between both (communication and information) represents the modernized ICT that is embodied largely by the INTERNET.It is those not entirely distinct functions that emerge from information in ICT and communication in ICT, the convergence of everything that is happening in those 2 spheres as those technologies evolved. Communication is taking place in real time, which is a characteristic that emerges with the telegraph. The characteristic that space (geography) no longer matters. It is in real time and relatively instantaneous. * We also see in the Internet what emerges in mass media, it is infinitely scalable. Radio being the form that you can broadcast the signal to as many people as you want, the only condition is that there is a receiver at the end.The Internet is the same. We see one of the greatest i nnovations that we didn’t have here which is that anything that happens here has the potential to be two way instead of one way communication. As is consistent with all ICTs is that communication is ALWAYS mediated. The introduction of the electronic exchange switch is that the intermediary is no longer human. The mediator is technological, no longer human. * The other dimension that comes up is mobility. And mobility is what’s new in this context and the question of the extent to which this relates to the internet is an open question but certainly in this point is time they are inked. * Mobility is an emerging focus that has some consequences. It is the innovation that builds upon that intersection whereby users of this technology can interact, communicate, in a two way dialogue, in real time, and on the move (not stationary, tied in a landline or computer). * Fluent Smith says that arising from the fact that technologies are mobile, they are the technologies that you must use most often, not because they are the best technology for this application but because it is the technology you have at hand. Example is phones with cameras on them.It’s not that mobile phone takes good pictures that makes it a good camera, it is the fact that you have your phone with you that makes it a very popular camera. * Cameras in our phone are getting better but they are not the best. â€Å"the best camera you have is the camera you have with you. † Technologies used because they are with us. * The other example relates to watches. Instead of using a watch, you use your phone. * The issue of mobility brings on some other technological consequences or conditions or parameters that relate to the wireless spectrum that this technology relies upon.The spectrum that enables us to be mobile and to communicate in a wireless manner. * When we communicate in a wireless manner, we rely on various frequencies and this has emerged in an extremely lucrative market. There isn’t an unlimited spectrum. * This emerging market relates to the mobility of the new element that started with the cellphone. * Started with modern ICT, which started with the Internet. * One of the issues is how much spectrum does the BB and iPhone use? The BB is superior since it has a far narrow spectrum, which means it is more efficient. The electromagnetic spectrum is a shared and finite resource. You cannot just keep going further on the radio whether you are listening to whatever, you cannot keep going to 110 111, because that spectrum is for something else. * With respect to mobility, we also get a number of other innovations that arise in the context of mobility and technologies that support mobility. We think of it as our ability to communicate information in relation to ourselves, but there is also the ability of the technologies we use to communicate amongst one another and track certain information.One of those contexts relates to the radio frequency ide ntification chips sensitive to particular signals and able to communicate to their location. One of those chips might be fixed to products that are being shipped by train so that the owner of the product can see and track where that product is. * Machine to machine communication arises in the context of intellectual property and it comes up like this. We talk about the Internet as being this great innovation that relates to our ability to access information that was previously inaccessible and we see the great potential this has.We also see a problem arising because of ownership of information. This issue arises from all sorts of intellectual property (example: downloading music). * What happens now is that if previously you went to a concert and they told you not to bring a camera and suddenly everyone has camera and all sorts of devices and you take pictures with your phone. There is an inherent conflict because the producers want to reserve the rights of the concert. * Increasing ly, this ability to communicate will have an effect of what we do and do not do with our technology. The effort to regulate and penalize people who infringe copyrights is becoming more difficult. * The ability of technology on being on site in the concert to tell your camera phone that this behaviour is prohibited, but for $5. 99 you can. It is that ability to interface with the technology while mobile and control the freedom inherent in the technology that often we associate with proprietary rights. * That is one dimension that is right around the corner. Another one relates to police who are concerned with people taking pictures of them shooting people in the head or kicking someone.They have a kind of chip where if you take a picture with your phone, it will say that this action is prohibited. * The use of the technology was part of the communication that citizens could take advantage of in Egypt and seek international support to avoid civil war and even worse. The ability to wha t is thought of as liberating technology to be constrained and limited just because it is thought of as being liberated. * June 21th- * The focus of Smith relates to social networks and network in new media as opposed to old media. * Social networking is not supposed to be just social.There are also other forms of networking that are not really commonly referred to. They are not just social in orientation. * We want to consider the capacity of networking that the Internet presents. What are the impacts in the longer term? The references to this historic emergence of the telegraph is intentional and instructive; The changes were dramatic as a result of the telegraph. * In the context of the telephone – suddenly anyone could call anyone else. It was a change of the social convention. Prior to the invention of the switch, there was always a human intermediary.That intermediary had the capacity to control or regulate who got to talk to whom. There were protocols, staff that you h ad to get thru if you wanted to talk to someone. * The implications of the telephone were significant. The age of the Internet is also significant. Our ability to talk to others is no longer on the premise that there are some people that I can and can’t talk to. We are being contacted by all sorts of people. It is a very profound flipside to a regulated context. Ex. The spam that we get that we often filter out.Our challenge of the age of Internet is trying to regulate and manage this huge amount of communication that is now going everywhere and that is difficult and sometimes threatening. * Social stratification – different classes of people interact with one another. Some have more privilege and powers over others. In the context of the Internet, those distinctions are no longer relevant. * We spend energy, money, and resources to try to manage those efforts to receive or prevent information. * When we talk about social networks, they are very different from the age of the telegraph.One of the distinctions is this distinction between a social network and a social group. * A social group – it is more exclusive and you know all the members of the group * Social network – it grows very rapidly; you don’t really know everybody. These people may be people who are mutual friends. * In some cases, we see networks as friends (on Facebook). We can be certain that they don’t really know the majority of these ‘friends. ’ * Behind the idea of social networking is social capital – some people have richer social networks than others.They sometimes represent nodes in a network. This is by affiliation with these people as they interact with these nodes; this becomes more relevant in the context of modern social networking. * Someone like Bin Laden was able to exert such great influence over the world in part by relying upon new and old social networking as a basis of communicating a message. Bin Laden was able to disseminate messages widely that would build support, the ability to capture global attention using these technologies, and used a horizontal and decentralized network.Bin Laden represents a node – lots of social capital. This example highlights the significance of networks as something defining in our generation. * The Internet was seen as the antidote for some of the problems that was created. It was the solution. The potential of the Internet is great. Factors that enabled ICTs (how the Internet changes the game) BOOK 1. Peer to peer 2. There is a wide range of global sources – no longer limited to watching the news on CBC, or reading the NY times. We now have access to a lot of information from around the world 3.Lack of regulation a decision that was made that the policy of the Internet would be without intervening. Lack of regulation of CONTENT (carriage and content) how we get information vs. the information we receive 4. Unconstrained by geography 5. Challenge official position – who gets to have a say 6. Filtered The reality is that there is tremendous potential that we need to take advantage of. What is it that is different in the current context vs. 20 years ago. Facebook Follies Video Notes * Main task of Facebook – create audiences FB does not actually make anything. They provide a platform for us to give stuff to them. ‘user generated content’ – web 2. 0 enabled non-techy type people to actually put stuff on the Internet. * Smith talked about social production and the rise of models of info and cultural production – it becomes relevant to start thinking what these platforms relate to. They relate to information (likes/dislikes, clear picture of our networks, etc. ) * FB operates in a manner that when we upload info on our FB account, that they own the pictures that you put on their website.We generate the content, but the economic benefits flow to someone else. * Traditional media were conce ived as being displaced by the Internet – we have also seen that some of the potential that is embedded in the same major corporations – they have accelerated the flow of traditional media content across a variety of delivery channels. * We have seen that traditional media find their place within this new environment and reestablish the role that they had previously in the context of the internet.The question is has the emergence of the Internet translated a new awareness to its users. Are we smarter than before? June 28th, 2012 Digital Nation Film Notes * Multitasking is effecting grades * Brain cannot do two things at the same time- classic psychology states this * Study: slower when you are switching then doing one task at a time * Multitasking destroys are creativity * Spend 50 hours a week with digital media- more then a full work week * Their needs to be more research on the effects of the internet; why lack of research?Technology becomes obsolete * Korean gaming craze; Some people have died from this craze * There is an internet addiction – Korea treats it has psychiatric condition * Korean kids taught to go online the same time as they read- learn how to use a computer responsibility * Korea has a top down approach * Education requires different things then they did before – building things, communicating and problem solving * Instant gratification education- you cannot pursue one linear thought; Teachers cannot assign a novel * 6% of students are prepared literally Basic skills are worse today * Big ideas are not carried through- small bursts of ideas are carried through; Paragraphs do not connect with one another * Learning stays the same; we just need new ways of teaching * Distraction is not a new issue- so it is not the internet * Distraction is a problem we have coped with and as culture learned how to adapt to it- better to explore then not embrace * Second life write the rules of communication * Alienation is being s olved by more technology says second life company;Believes technology bring us back together; We are alone out on the internet together * We can still meet people in the comforts of our house- replaces meetings with virtual meeting * Immersive environment is more human and engaging then actual meeting * Virtual reality feels real; Real and virtual becoming blurred- feeling sick or full from fake eating; If it looks real brain tells us its real * Exposure to virtual reality carried to face to face real interaction * Swimming whales experiment- believe that they swam with whales if they see themselves in virtual reality but in reality didn’t * Virtual reality therapy Games used a recruitment tactic July 5th, 2012 (week 10) Knowledge Economy * Refers to a period that we are in right now. It is a period of time where a number of things have come together; buying and selling of knowledge * We have a large amount of information at our disposal (speed + volume). * We are an economy based on ‘knowledge’. It’s not really about knowledge but more about information. * The information/knowledge is more global because it comes from different sources around the world. All of these are factors that have been enabled as a result of the computer, coupled with the evolution of that technology. * The knowledge society is defined by the commodification of information. * A commodity is something that has value in the market place. * What typifies the knowledge society is the regulation of information. * It is the fact that when something becomes a commodity, it becomes proprietary. This means that someone owns it and this means that others do not own it. This is the antithesis of free-flowing information. * The nature of information has changed in this era.Information as a Commodity is 1) Inconsumable – Not consumed by its use. 2) Untransferable – You can sell the information and still have the information. 3) Indivisible – Informati on must be transferred as a whole entity to have meaning. Ex. You can sell half a barrel of oil and it would be fine. 4) Accumulative – The addition of more information is more than the sum of its parts. As you add layers to information, you add value to that information. (Information needs to be relevant and accurate. ) * These four factors are unique to information as a commodity.You couple it with facets such as speed and volume, and by extension the accessibility of information around the world has created some problems when the information is proprietary. When I own the information, I need to safeguard this information. Legal Protection in Place to Safeguard Intellectual Property Copyright The exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a literary, musical, or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video, etc. Patent The exclusive right granted by a government to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.Tradem ark Any name, symbol, figure, letter, word, or mark  adopted and used by a manufacturer or merchant in order to designate his or her goods and to distinguish them from those manufactured or sold by others. A trademark is a proprietary term that is usually registered with the Patent and Trademark Office to assure its exclusive use by its owner. License Agreements The right to use software in certain contexts for certain purposes. It’s not an absolute right. The ownership of that software still resides with the creator such as Microsoft, IBM, etc. Chaos Wisdom Continuum Amout of ProcessingPotential Utility * What is the difference between information and knowledge? You can sell information unlike knowledge. * Knowledge = information + experience * Wisdom = Knowledge OVER Time * Internet is on the lower half of the continuum (information, data, and chaos). * We cannot find knowledge and wisdom on the Internet. * We are reliant on the Internet because we believe that is all tha t is out there. * We need to look beyond to find knowledge and wisdom. Internet should be the starting point towards knowledge and wisdom. * There is the fear of loosing all of this information.Example: sailing practices in Europe. * Knowledge implies understanding. However, it is not automatic. It’s perhaps the greatest paradox of our time that we have access to unprecedented levels of information, but at the same time, we’re potentially more uninformed than ever. * Question of whether we’re smarter now than a similar group of people in another time. Are we smarter or dumber than before? In last week’s ‘Digital Nation’ video, Mark Bauerlein, author of ‘The Dumbest Generation’ states his opinion. How do we measure smart? Studies show that tests are easier now. There is a theory that our brains are plastic and malleable. We can change/train our brains to be a certain way. Our brains do change and develop based on what we’re exposed to. That could mean that certain skills are better developed based on what they’re exposed to. * Artificial intelligence, like Watson, lacks the understanding of context like geographic based questions * This framework consists of 4 elements that we can ask that could be useful or more meaningful in determining the capacities that we have now versus the capacity we had during other times.It could be helpful in determining our intelligence. Framework (around smartness) Elements 1) Capacity to communicate with others in a manner that is rich in meaning and comprehensive. More difficult to measure, but it speaks to unique human capacities. 2) Ability for self-reflection. It’s the ability to think about oneself based on the stock of knowledge and experience that one has accumulated. It’s the idea that we are always growing during our lifetime. Every day we learn a little bit more about ourselves and the world around us, and making use of that. 3) The abilit y for abstraction.It’s the ability to use different words and meanings in different contexts. 4) The ability to link different ideas or information and to draw meaningful conclusions based on these associations. This is actually analysis. Analysis is about being able to see connections and linkages. In the basic sense scheduling requires an understanding of analysis. I can’t be in two places at once. * We are less engaged than we used to be. * The problem really is the value that we give to the Internet and that kind of knowledge. * It’s about being able to regurgitate information. Misplaced metaphor is that the idea of the knowledge society is not characterized by the free flow of information but by the proprietary of information. * As smart and as quick as an individual can be, none of that in and of itself translates well into this kind of framework, and certainly not in the context of a computer like Watson. July 12 * Fluent Smith defines or identifies three distinct facets of the knowledge economy as having come together and to some degree independently. * The 3 factors that came together are: 1. Prevalence of ICTs, so quite literally the technology. 2.Globalization which refers in many respects to economic context of our world based largely on ability to communicate globally, 3. Value of information in terms of safeguarding the value of intellectual property. The value of information as a commodity. Information has value in this context. * Those 3 trends: ICTs, globalization, and value of info have emerged independently throughout the years to redefine the context that we’re in. * It’s the absence of learning however that highlights the challenge set out to potential of Internet. * Our emphasis is on amusement and convenience.Those are 2 concepts that really inform what we are doing with the Internet. * Driver of the Internet has become commerce. * With commerce as the driver we are much concerned about the governance o f states. * Commerce has begun to define the world as an image that suits the design of free capital. * Page 171: table that talks about old and new paradigm **** Review; It is useful to think of companies like RIM and Apple when looking at the 2 sides of the table. * In the text, there is an extent of focus on ecommerce: GO THROUGH ON YOUR OWN; It is worth looking at impact that digitization has on distribution of media that is ocused on in this article * Fluent Smith argues is that digitization of content has eliminated many of traditional bottlenecks in media. * The traditional bottlenecks (narrow opening) access to info was slowed down at that point; distribution such as newspapers that control access and thereby created these bottlenecks. * What fluent smith argued is the fact that we can access this info online without those bottlenecks (controllers of information, gatekeepers) they argue that popularity is no longer a prerequisite for profit * Teachers experience is different : Certainly, that is true to some extent. Personally I find that in as much as we have access to a diversity of media so we can follow and watch and track countless sources and streams of information, the fact is that we are in many respects all drawing on a very narrow cross section, that we are still very much tuned into things that are popular, that go viral, songs that are hits, movies that are blockbusters. One might suspect that we are becoming more diverse, not engaged in mass culture where we share same views. I don’t see that! Any thoughts on that?How much do you feel in terms of your experience, that you are a part of a larger group vs a much more diversified group of individuals? Take a classroom like this. Do you have a sense of mass culture? * Classroom today vs. 50 years ago is so much more diverse. * Fluent smith is suggesting that need for popularity no longer exists, and that has to do with commerce. You don’t need to have mass appeal anymore to genera te profit. And it is there that he asked that question. * In 2008, google had a trillion distinct urls in its embassies. That suggests that there’s a whole lot of information. Half a trillion urls contain important meaningful, thoughtful, relatively accurate information. * Then the question becomes how we distinguish quality content from garbage content. The idea that we actually don’t have the tools to distinguish the two. * One of the things fluent smith highlights is the work of clay churky, commentator on technology and what he calls the cognitive surplus. * It speaks to what we do with our spare time and what would happen if we used it productively, the potential there. * This idea that time that we spent is not passive. A dedicated period of active focus, out of the box, off the mainstream thinking. One of the things that comes up with respect to this challenge and access and info overload is what fluent smith refers to as identifying 3 basic problems: * Misinfor mation * Information that is wrong. Therefore we draw conclusions from that not knowing they are incorrect. * Disinformation * Information that objectively speaking is not wrong but is there intentionally to mislead you. * Excess of information * The way that he sees it is the Internet is equivalent to our access to a trillion recipes. All sorts of recipes. We have access to info but losing ability to apply info.We have lots of recipes but don’t know how to cook. The thinking is being taken out of applying info and acquiring knowledge and we are invited much more now to access info that someone has accessed for us. The challenge is we can sell info in a knowledge economy but we are at a loss at applying info in a way that is equivalent to knowledge. Like creativity, knowledge is not easily bought or sold. * Chapter 9 focuses more on regulation of internet, focus on potential that internet embodies and risk that this potential is put at as a regulatory apparatus and is emergin g to safeguard the value of the info that is on the internet. A lot of questions and issues around info online are dealt with legal apparatus * A lot of ruling described are finding regulation in context of traditional commodities as opposed to intellectual property that exists online. * We see the extent of exiting property regimes to traditional goods and services being applied in an online environment and it is interesting to observe that because it is the internet that originally foreshadowed that regulation information was to be legalized entirely. Suggested that it was revolution that will entirely change the sharing of information because of regulation. Article (don’t know which one†¦. sorry) assigned where it highlights different contexts where what kind of info is being regulated in different countries. Not so much HOW, but WHAT. * The issue of regulation, term raised is â€Å"forbearance†, which is the approach that most governments have taken with respe ct to the regulation of the Internet. * Forbearanceabsence of regulation. Even though it is about not doing anything, it is still in itself a policy option. Forbearance applies to content of Internet as opposed to the carriage of information. * Content refers to the WHAT information.Carriage refers to the HOW and WHOM. * It is in the context of content that forbearance is a policy option. * Regulation of media in Canada is CRTC Canadian Radio and Television + Communications Commission. It is the regulator of media and telecommunications in Canada. * Important distinction that exists in regulation of media vs. new media or social media. And that is with respect to traditional media, the CRTC regulated both carriage and content as opposed to regulating only carriage. * What aspects of traditional media must have been regulated? Canadian content. * What does that mean?It refers to the need for programming to originate in Canada. * Obligation to play a certain proportion of Canadian mus ic (maybe 30%), then the radio station will play a lot of Canadian songs between midnight and 6 am that you wouldn’t otherwise hear. Has also been an issue in the production of magazines. * The reason is if those regulations didn’t exist, it is argued that there would be no Canadian television shows, music, magazines. Canadian programming sometimes receives subsidies from gvt in order to support it. It is hard to compete in the marketplace dominated by Hollywood movies. Another thing that CRTC regulates is decency AND French/English/Other * Standards of decency change and we have seen that over our life course that we could watch in tv has changed, crtc seeks to reflect change in culture in terms of what is considered appropriate language and nudity, and what is considered inappropriate. Term used is ACCEPTABILITY OF PROGRAMMING. * Availability of service: bell Canada in exchange for its monopoly had to provide internet access everywhere reasonably in Canada. It was no t simply allowed to provide service in some places.If the policy option with respect to access is one of forbearance is what we would have seen because it is only profitable to apply in urban centers. * Regulation of CRTC relates to something specific, the regulation of advertising. It is important to say when looking at all regulations that this trend has been toward deregulation certainly over the past 30 years * Deregulation of traditional media: bodies in Canada were taken out of various aspects of the regulation of media, not entirely, but a trend towards deregulation. Interesting to watch in context of advertising. Subliminal advertising: the idea that advertisers where trying to use messages that you weren’t actually aware that you are receiving but would act on your subconscious: flashing a hotdog on a screen while watching football makes you want a hotdog. * Interesting trend in advertising like in Canada that is regulated is pharmaceutical drugs basically. Ads for V iagra. Cant provide name of drug and tell us what it does. Either NAME or what it does. Viagra has been quite creative in developing ads that tell us what the drug is and not what it does. We have learned to infer. Alcohol and tobacco are also regulated. Alcohol restricted in where it can appear. Tobacco has disappeared from television. * All that regulation and trend in deregulation has found itself as a nonissue in the internet. * Access to the internet is regulated, content is not regulated. * Important to know that although content is not regulated, general laws still applies (example: pornography for children). * We are talking about regulation of content by CRTC. * Hate crime is also criminal offense against criminal code. Cannot express things like that online and still get away with it. Ultimately, media regulation and its challenges relate to this idea of the public interest. Regulation for what? Regulation in the public interest. * Why might the regulation of pharmaceutica l drugs in Canada have those rules against Viagra? What’s the problem in saying what Viagra does? What’s the issue? * We have medicare in Canada. There are contexts in which access to prescription drugs is provided to ensured subsidized program, advertising can be to an effect. People will ask not for a drug that addresses erectile dysfunction, but for Viagra, which costs more.We don’t want to subsidize the most expensive drugs, which are the ones advertised. * There is a conflict between public interest and commercial interest. It is in the interest of manufacturers to make as much money as they can. There is always a tension between regulation and commercial interest which is in the interest of the owners of a particular product. The conflict has played itself out in the last decades in the favour that support deregulation and forbearance. * Even though commercial media is representative of private institutions, there was a public interest attached to their fu nction in society.That is what we learned from traditional media in society (public watchdog) * The presumption has been that the Internet would function in the public interest without having to regulate content or repute some kind of intentions of outcomes. Has to do with information highway. Letting what happens on the internet happen with no interference is going to be in the public’s interest, and that is in fact true. Things that help to enhance companies and interests when we least expect it. * It is the fact that states and gvt that are not regulating media that leads us to info we have now.Leads to disinformation and misinformation, and google wants to organize the info for us for their own profit. Acting in their shareholder interest NOT public interest. * We need to see our interaction in that environment on facebook and elsewhere. We need to be informed as consumers and citizens, what we are provided with, why, and at what cost whether obvious or not obvious. * One of the costs relates to surveillance. Pops up a couple of times with fluent smith. Surveillance that is explicit as well as implicit relating to use of sites online and wifi used in coffee shops for example, and our phones where our movement is tracked.July 19 * Remote controlled machine is a creative industry- other side of creativity- is the kind of the creativity that perhaps some of us don’t want to see * Just because we have ingenuity to create something doesn’t mean we ought to create it Remote Control War Film Notes * http://www. cbc. ca/documentaries/doczone/2011/remotecontrolwar/ ( read this article to be more informed) * Possible to kill someone in real time through remote control system * Drone has become the weapon of choice and has increased 300% * Unmanned revolution * Robots have been used to save lives Next development is a multitasking robot (called bear) * You don’t confront the harm that you are causing when you are using drones- moral issues * Insurgents put themselves in populated areas- collateral damage * Robots are a closer to a washing machine * Robots are not autonomous they remote controlled * Wish to have fully autonomous robot with face recognition and night vision * Autonomy is the end goal * Humans can only make a number finite decisions * Humans are the weak link – cannot make decisions in lightning speed * Having the people in the loop is bad Brains operate in a fixed rate * We have one thing over robots- we have reasoning and judgment * Swarm- cannot be under human control; they organize themselves; the negotiate among themselves; focus on a single task * Big enough swarm; humans cannot focus on this; just way too many of them * Drone created under the Bush administration and became more success * No declared war in Afghanistan; drone are a way to go beyond the rules of war * No idea of the rules or decisions that constitute the use of drones * The use of drones; there is a lack of transparency In the CSI’s part; and believed to mostly illegal Fluent smith * Introduced access to the Internet; is it a human right? * There are ppl who lead a traditional life- do not use the internet * At some point all people are going to need to use the internet * It invites us to think Last chapter * Teacher highlights that in 2010 the internet usage surpassed the time spent watching television; Teacher surprised to see that not happen earlier * Is â€Å"Google making us stupid† Intellectual technologies- extend our mental abilities * Argument: we are becoming pancake people â€Å"breadth but not depth† * Reading has now become like riding jet ski- skimming the surface * Fluent: we are not applying the same kind of rigor then we did in the context of traditional media. Don’t have this in the Internet.Role of journalism is being supplanted by other media- blogging, citizen news * Fluent: emphasizes mobility; as a unique and new facet * Hive mind; depicted in the rob ots; no one controlling mind; do their own thing; one of the features of jeopardy with respect with Watson; we see what Watson is thinking; process the comp goes through when the question is asked and answered; â€Å"I’m 77% that it is this answer† * Fluent: we are always on† now as technology users; capacity to be in constant communication; there is a potential in their that becomes a kin to a hive; displaces the need to think for our selves * Grey elephant in Denmark; we think we are thinking our own thoughts but we are thinking the same as everyone else * Focus on the authors â€Å"internet of thing† the meaning of the Internet is no longer defined by the technologies that we physically see.Now what technology enables * Central feature and that feature is a screen â€Å"archeologist†. The screen is the physical manifestation of that interface of technology * Screen is a light * We are like moths – we are drawn to lights and difficult to pu ll are selves away from- fascination and reliance of screens

Why Top Female Athletes Stay in Male-Dominated Sports to an Elite Level

Abstract This study is focused on why top female athletes stay in male-dominated sports to an elite level and involves female athletes from different countries. Semi-structured interviews will be carried out on 15 participants. The study is characteristically interpretive and qualitative, and involves a four-year timeframe. 1. Background Sport is an institution that continues to create, reinforce, and maintain male hegemony. However, some of its aspects may also be seen as a product of collective effort. Gender diversity in sports are often placed in subtle, multi-level and ignored structures and behaviours embodied in sport organisations. Hence, there is a need for continued work on the matter (Fink 2008). The participation of female athletes in male-dominated sports will be explained by male hegemonic concepts as well as cultural and structural concepts.1.1 What prompted the interest in the topicWhat prompted the interest in the topic was the researcher’s own exposure in female sports where she was able to associate with elite female athletes of various ages from different countries, including those under Islamic rule and the Muslim region, such as Iran, Morocco, and Turkey. She has had worked closely with female competitors in over 50 members of the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA), and h ence considers the topic a realisable one. Since the researcher is into sports herself and associates with the likely respondents of the study, she finds the topic both interesting and challenging.1.2 Relevance to Previous ResearchThe relevance of the topic to previous research is that it serves as a supporting material to what has already been claimed of the participation of female athletes in male-dominated sports. Previous research has indicated the prevailing role of cultural and structural systems that produce and reproduce these sports as an exclusive realm of male athletes (e.g. Anderson 2008; Carty 2005). The present study confirms these notions, and likewise looks into patterns of possibilities whereby female athletes can be generally accepted and recognised within these once male-stereotyped sports.1.3 Contributions to the Research and the FieldThe study’s contribution to research is identified in its investigation of culture, and somehow, of gender issues, in the p articipation of female athletes in male-dominated sports. Its contribution to the field is its introduction of certain theoretical concepts that can explain why female athletes continue to delve into male-dominated sports and an analytical explanation of their intent to stay or move out of the system.1.4 Research Aims and ObjectivesThis study aims to ascertain why top female athletes stay in male-dominated sports to an elite level; the hurdles they face and how they overcome these hurdles. It also aims to draw out the similarities in challenges faced by these elite athletes and to see if such challenges are similar across cultures and religions. The study purports to use this understanding to help support women to stay in a specific sport once they are already participating. The objectives of the research are as follows: To review the existing literature on the subject of Sports Sociology in relation to women’s sports participation; To conduct interviews and surveys to elite female athletes from various countries; To find out gaps in knowledge within the field; and To provide recommendations for future research. 2. Literature Review This part of the research proposal identifies a range of works and studies related to the topic being investigated. It aims to establish the theoretical framework for the study and provide evidence to the topic.2.1 Trends in the Literature Relating to the Research TopicIn their work, Krane, Choi, and Baird et al. (2004) stated that female athletes live in two cultures: One that is characteristically masculine; and the other – the larger social culture – which celebrates femininity. The study was linked to feminist cultural studies and aimed to determine how female athletes negotiate femininity-based social expectations with athleticism. It involved 21 female athletes who served as participants in focus group discussions. Three themes comprised the data analysis, specifically the ‘influence of physicality, femininity, and athlete as other.’ The data revealed that being athletic is in contrast to being feminine and that the participants themselves felt being marginalised as athletes and expressed that others perceive them as being ‘different’ from typical women. Despite these, they were proud of their physical strength and developed bodies and regarded themselves as being empowered, which can be generalised beyond the context of sports (Krane et al. 2004). The use of focus group discussions in the study aimed at encouraging self-disclosure amongst female athletes with similar experiences and reducing the anxiety that might be felt in individual interviews. The authors also pinpointed the fact that focus groups are especially effective in feminist research (Krane, et al. 2004). According to Carty (2005), sport has been a social aspect that has traditionally prevented women from participating. Recent policy developments and broadening public support enabled girls and women to participate dramatically in sports that had been typically limited only to men. Female athletes had come out from those sports that had been stereotypically designated only to them, such as tennis and gymnastics, and can now play male-dominated sports such as hockey, football, rugby, and so on. Of equal significance is the revealing of masculinity constriction and the concept of gender differences. Hence, Carty explored social changes accompanying the broadening popularity of women in sports and some opposing messages in advertisements initiated by these changes. The qualitative method is used in the study to explore all the issues covered by the aims and objectives, which were tackled through semi-structured interviews. It may be inferred that Carty’s assertion on the constraint s placed against women in regard to participating in male-stereotyped sports is similar to the notion of Krane et al. (2004), specifically the marginalisation of female athletes and their being perceived as different from normal women. There is therefore congruence between the two authors in reference to their view of the situation of female athletes in male-dominated sports. On the other hand, Pringle (2005) emphasised that issues linked to female sport and exercise can be examined via Foucauldian theories. However, the Gramscian theory, which is used to examine the concept of masculine hegemony, remains dominant. The article made a comparison and contrast of the theoretical tools branching from Foucault and Gramsci’s writings in relation to investigating sport and masculinities. It was indicated that masculine hegemony does not simply point to a prevailing concept of masculinity but also to specific understandings of power that may be problematic to some. The discussion is useful to the study as it focused on the concept of masculine hegemony that can address the prevailing male dominance in sports, as well as male sports in general, which had once been (and continuous to be) considered an exclusive field for male athletes. It is important to note that Pringle’s assertion provides the groundwork for the situation of female athletes, as ex plored by the concept of masculine hegemony that explains women’s marginalisation, pinpointed earlier by Carty (2005) and Krane et al. (2004). Pringle’s concept of masculine hegemony was similarly described by Whisenant, Pedersen, and Obenour (2002) who cited the end of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) as the cause for sport administrators to deal with reestablishing their place as athletic directors. The study aimed at assessing the success ratio of these directors, focusing primarily on gender. The initial results validated the expected findings that masculine hegemony is a well-established concept within inter-collegiate athletics. This is note-worthy in the topic’s exploration of the hurdles faced by female athletes in male-dominated sports. On the other hand, Vincent, Imwold, and Masemann et al. (2002) made an investigation of female athletes’ receipt of equitable coverage in â€Å"women’s games.† The study made a comparison of six selected newspapers from Canada, Great Britain, and the United States and how they dealt with male and female athletes during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. The qualitative method and content analysis were used for the comparison of all articles and photographs of athletes on all newspapers involved. Albeit there were differences found, the results generally demonstrated an equitable amount of coverage for both male and female athletes participating in the games. The study confirmed the idea that female athletes receive increased newspaper coverage when they participate in major competitions. However, analysing critically Vincent et al.’s work against those of Pringle (2005), Krane et al. (2004), and Carty (2005), one may posit that the former tackled a rather neutral presentation of female athletes vis-a-vis male athletes, as demonstrated by the equitable newspaper coverage on them. Vincent et al. looked into the ‘outward configuration’ of the male-female dichotomous existence in sports, as against the internal focus made by Pringle (2005), Krane et al. (2004), and Carty (2005).2.1.1 The Role of Culture in SportsIn their study, Elling and Knoppers (2005) used a social-critical perspective to analyse symbolic sport inclusion/exclusion in relation to gender and ethnicity amongst adolescents. The findings suggested that dominant normative gendered images still influence young people’s preferences in sport participation. Sport can function as an integrating agent as well as a differentiating and discriminating tool amongst the youth. With regard to gender, sport participation is less predictable because of such circumstances as ethnicity interactions. Albeit ethnic minority females had the least participation in sport, a relatively higher value is placed on traditional masculine sports such as karate and soccer. Additionally, the potential circumstance of being labeled as ‘sissy’ serves as a powerful mechanism to exclude oneself from participating in conventional sports for girls. However, stereotypical images are continually challenged as well (Elling and Knoppers 2005). Viewing the earlier notions of gender-based explanations of the uneven perception between male and female athletes (e.g. Pringle 2005; Krane et al. 2004, and Carty 2005), Elling and Knoppers apparently provided a deeper explanation of the reason for such disparity. On the other hand, Pelak (2005) emphasised on how South African female football players negotiate ideological constrictions in participating in the stereotypically masculine sport. The author highlighted the micro-level experiences of situating athletes within social structures at macro level, such as apartheid. The study used a multi-method approach, including interviews, survey, observations, and documentary data. Various feminist sport frameworks and theoretical insights of Black feminists contributed to the analysis. The findings revealed an ongoing creative resistance amongst female soccer athletes against exclusionary practices in the sport. Pelak evidently upheld the findings of Elling and Knoppers (2005) with regard to symbolic sport inclusion/exclusion, as exemplified by social structures that serve as constraints to female participation in male-dominated sports. Meanwhile, the study of Anderson (2008) explored the cultural and structural elements that contribute to the breeding of anti-feminine perspectives amongst men in team sports. The authors initially led the readers to the view that men’s separation into a homosocial environment puts a limit to their social contact with women and promotes a hostile masculinity that induces the proliferation of orthodox views about women. However, the study also suggested that when these same men participate in a gender-incorporating cheerleading sport competition, they tend to reinvent their perspectives toward women. The author used a range of theoretical concepts and linked them to grounded observations and interviews, upon which a theoretical model was established. He specifically used a socio-feminist theory of masculinity that holds gender as being formulated by an intricate interaction of â€Å"organisational culture, institutional power, and individual agency.† The study involved a sample of 68 male cheerleaders who identified themselves as heterosexual and who used to play football. The findings suggested that the socially negative outcomes affixed to male sport athletes might potentially reduce through gender-incorporating sports (Anderson 2008). This study is relevant to the topic under study as it explains the male athlete’s propensities when participating in male and female stereotypical games, thereby contributing to its query on why women stay in male-dominated sports.2.2 Limitations and/or Gaps in the LiteratureThe existing literature on the topic is observed to include works that are not very recent, which hence suggests a need for updated findings. There are not many academic studies delving into the issue of culture as a prevailing factor for certain sports to be perceived as typically male; and most of which are discussed using gender-based criteria. Theoretical Framework Below is the theoretical framework of the study based on the literature: Figure 1: Theoretical Framework 3. Research Methodology3.1 Research ParadigmThe interpretive and positivist paradigms are utilised in this research. The interpretive paradigm states that social actors generate meanings about their interaction in the world. Social reality is hence interpreted as an attempt to interpret the world, thereby connoting a subscription to realist ontology (Scott and Morrison 2005). The use of interpretive paradigm is justified in this study as it attempts to gather interview data that are grounded on ascertaining perceived realities surrounding female athletes, as well as the meanings they append to these realities. The positivist approach, on the other hand, relies on the methods of the natural science (Lee 1991) and is seen in the study’s use of survey to assist certain inferences suggested by interview data.3.2 Research Design and MethodThis study is characteristically mixed methods (combination of qualitative and quantitative methods) in its research design. Qualitative methods hold that findings about human interaction (e.g. female athletes) can be understood better and more systematically when studied from the inside out rather than the opposite (Monsen and Horn 2008). Quantitative methods, on the other hand, maintain that phenomena can be explained by collecting numerical data (for this study is the survey) that are analysed through statistical methods (Mujis 2011).3.3 ParticipantsThe research participants for both interviews and the survey are 13-35 year-old female athletes from different countries with whom the researcher has frequent association, including those under Islamic rule and Muslim religion, such as Iran, Morocco, and Turkey. The sample size for the interview is 15, which is considered sufficient to generate findings. For the survey, the sample size is 35.3.4 Data CollectionPrimary and secondary data shall be collected. Primary data shall be generated from semi-structured interviews and the survey whilst secondary data shall support the pri mary data and shall be obtained from books and academic journals. An interview schedule and a survey questionnaire will be constructed.3.5 Data Analysis and DiscussionOnce the information has been established, data analysis will take place using the thematic analysis, which intends to find patterns/themes/meanings from a range of data sets (Hamdan 2009). The discussion will be towards addressing the research questions and will be backed by the literature.3.6 Weaknesses and LimitationThe study finds no weakness in its methodology. One limitation that can be identified is in terms of using interviews for data gathering, which is perceived to lack generalisability because of a relatively small sample (Ford 2012). This is addressed by using a larger sample (15 participants) (e.g. Waltz, Krumperman, and Zigmont 2011) and triangulation through the survey.3.7 Ethical ConsiderationsFirst amongst the ethical considerations that the study takes note of is the anonymity of the target participa nts, as well as the confidentiality of data to be collected. It is the researcher’s responsibility to ensure that participants provide informed consent prior to their participation and that they have the right to withdraw their participation at any point, without incurring any liability. The data collection shall take place vis-a-vis having informed the participants of the general purpose of the study and why their participation is being sought. Moreover, the data will be stored in a database using passwords that only the researcher knows, whilst the survey questionnaires will be put to safekeeping and disposed of upon the total completion of the research in order not to be accessed by anyone. The proposal shall require approval from an ethics committee.3.8 Significance of the ResearchThis study is significant in a number of ways, one of which is its contribution to the existing literature on female participation in what has been generally considered as male-dominated sport. Another is its confirmation of the prevailing role of culture and gendered images in such perception, as well as the continuing struggle of female athletes to situate themselves in the realm of sports, thereby adding to the existing knowledge on the subject.3.9 TimelineThe research timeline starts on February 3, 2014 and ends on February 16, 2018. The first part of the survey will be done in May 2014. The various aspects of the research are shown in the Gantt chart below: Figure 2: Gantt chart showing the research timeline References Anderson, E. (2008) ‘I Used to Think Women Were Weak’: Orthodox Masculinity, Gender Segregation, and Sport. Sociological Forum, 23 (2), 257-280. Carty, V. (2005) Textual Portrayals of Female Athletes: Liberation or Nuanced Forms of PatriarchyFrontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 26 (2), 132-172. Elling, A. and Knoppers, A. (2005) Sport, Gender and Ethnicity: Practices of Symbolic Inclusion/Exclusion. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34 (3), 257-268. Fink, J. S. (2008) Gender and Sex Diversity in Sport Organizations: Concluding Comments. Sex Roles, 58 (1-2), 146-147. Ford, N. (2012) The Essential Guide to Using the Web Research. First Edition. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Hamdan, A. (2009) Muslim Women Speak: A Tapestry of Lives and Dreams. Toronto: Women’s Press. Krane, V., Choi, P. Y. L., Baird, S. M., Aimar, C. M., and Kauer, K. J. (2004) Living the Paradox: Female Athletes Negotiate Femininity and Muscularity. Sex Roles, 50 (5/6), 315-329. Lee, A. S. (1991) Integrating Positivist and Interpretive Approaches to Organizational Research. Organization Science, 2 (4), 342-365. Monsen, E. R. and Horn, L. V. (2008) Research: Successful Approaches. Third Edition. US: American Dietetic Association. Mujis, D. (2011) Doing Quantitative Research in Education with SPSS. Second Edition. London: SAGE Publications. Pelak, C. F. (2005) Negotiating Gender/Race/Class Constraints in the New South Africa: A Case Study of Women’s Soccer. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 40(1), 53-70. Pringle, R. (2005) Masculinities, Sport, and Power: A Critical Comparison of Gramscian and Foucauldian Inspired Theoretical Tools. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 29 (3), 256-278. Scott, D. and Morrison, M. (2005) Key Ideas in Educational Research. NY: Continuum International Publishing Group. Vincent, J., Imwold, C., Masemann, V., and Johnson, J. T. (2002) A Comparison of Selected ‘Serious’ and â€Å"Popular’ British, Canadian, and United States Newspaper Coverage of Female and Male Athletes Competing in the Centennial Olympic Games: Did Female Athletes receive Equitable Coverage in the â€Å"Games of the Women†International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 37 (3-4), 319-335. Waltz, B. J., Krumperman, K. M., and Zigmont, J. (2011) Foundations of EMS Systems. Mason, OH: Delmar Cengage Learning. Whisenant, W. A., Pedersen, P. M., and Obenour, B. L. (2002) Success and Gender: Determining the Rate of Advancement for Intercollegiate Athletic Directors. Sex Roles, 47 (9-10), 485-491.

The Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 Essays

The Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 Essays The Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 Paper The Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 Paper The Schoolhouse Blizzard, also known as the Children’s Blizzard blasted the American Plains on January 12, 1888. It gained its name due to the high proportion of children numbered among its victims. This is considered one of the worst blizzards of all time. The U. S. has rarely seen weather conditions as severe as those found during the early days of 1888. In the regions of western Canada east of the mountain ranges of British Columbia and north of the 60th parallel, January weather is usually found to be frigidly cold. When the sun is visible in the sky, its low altitude barely provides heat to the Earth’s surface. Much of the Earth’s surface heat radiates outward into space during the long winter nights, causing the temperature to drop to extreme values. Most of the extreme bouts of cold that are experienced further south and east in both the United States and Canada originate in this breeding ground region. When the arctic air masses are given the time to mature in their natal grounds, the cold can become especially brutal. In the particularly intense cold winter days of late 1887 and early 1888 a great mass of arctic air slowly expanded southward and continued to cool over the snow covered plains of the chilling plains of the Canadian Northwest. Air from the Northwest Territories at Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie River registered with temperatures of minus 35  °F on January 3. A nudge from the upper level winds pushed this air southeastward. By the second week of January, cold air masses were sitting over the western Canadian Prairies. Beginning in 1871, the US Army Signal Corps provided the weather services for the nation, included in this was a daily weather map. Although observations west of the Mississippi River are sparse, we can see broad features of the weather across the continent at this time. Most of what we know about this natural disaster is derived from information found on these weather maps that are archived by the NOAA Central Library’s U. S. Daily Weather Maps Project. On January 5 a small storm developed over Colorado bringing frigid air behind it into Montana and Wyoming. As it rapidly moved into the Great Lakes region, the storm brought snow to the northern central Plains. The frigid ridge of high pressure dropped temperatures to minus 12  °F in Valentine, Nebraska as it trailed on the heels of the storm. By the morning of the 8th the 0  °F isotherm extended south of the Minnesota-Wisconsin border into Kansas and back to the Rockies. The cold air mass continued to slip southeastward into western Wisconsin and Illinois and eventually covering all of Kansas, with the isotherm almost reaching into the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast. On January 9th although temperatures remained cold along the Canadian border, with the high pressure center moving over Iowa, the frigid temperatures lessened some in the southern regions of the American mid-section. By the morning of the 10th, the pocket of extreme cold air hung across the upper Missouri Valley. Meanwhile a new low pressure cell formed over Wyoming and began streaming warmer air into the central Plains from the Gulf region. Valentine saw a jump of 24  °F and some places saw rises up to 40  °F. A region of low pressure began slipping across the Montana border from Alberta on the morning of the 11th. Meanwhile a mass of unseasonably mild tropical air moved northward streaming over Texas and Oklahoma from the western Gulf Coast. Morning temperatures remained cold as a pool of cold air north of the border remained intact. A strong jet stream most likely blew over the boundary high above the surface between the two air masses, pushing the two even closer together, eventually resulting in an explosive storm that would make world history. By the morning of January 12th the storm cell was centered near the Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming junction with its central pressure under 29. inches. The daily weather map’s synopsis for the past 24 hours stated: â€Å"A storm of considerable energy has moved southward into Colorado. Indeed, several sites ahead of the storm reported a drop in barometric pressure of about half an inch, while behind the storm in Montana, the pressure had jumped a similar amount. † The storm moved at breakneck speed throughout the day. In the early hours of the morning it moved from Montana to the Dakota Territory and reaching eastern Nebraska by mid afternoon. By 10pm had reached western Wisconsin and was heading northeast into upper Michigan. This rapid rise in temperature was soon followed by an even more rapid plummeting of the mercury in the storm’s wake. Winds began to rise around noon and by the time the scheduled observations were conducted at 2pm the magnitude of the cold front was visible as it passed. The front raced eastward at wind speeds of around 60-70 mph. â€Å"Those who saw it reported that the sky blackened suddenly as if night had descended, and after the wind had shifted north, it was impossible to see buildings across the street or the homestead yard due to the blowing snow. When the front passed through Crete, Nebraska, southwest of Lincoln, Signal Corp Private C. D. Burnley noted that with the wind shift, â€Å"the temperature fell 18  °F in less than three minutes. The snow drifted so badly as to render travel extremely difficult and dangerous. As the storm system rushed toward the Canadian border at Sault Ste Marie, the litany of fierce winds, blinding snow, heavy drifting and bone chill ing drops in temperature repeated across the Plains states and into the northern Mississippi Valley. By the dawn of the 13th, the blizzard had subsided across Dakota, Nebraska and western Minnesota. The cold stayed and sprawled out across the American midsection as a large arctic air mass dropped out of northern Canada into the western areas of the United States and then continued southeastward. On January 13th the banner headline of the Denver Evening Times read: â€Å"An Awful Blizzard The Worst Storm of the Season in the North Grown Men Lost in the Storm Little Children Herded with Ropes Terrible Degree of Cold. † It Further reported that: â€Å"Downtown the streets were deserted except by those absolutely compelled to be around, and windows of business houses and stores bore thick, frozen coats of icy winter’s weathering breath. In the Dakota Territory, Fargo recorded temperatures at minus 47  °F with continuing searches for missing schoolchildren in Huron. The suddenness of the blizzard caught many off guard leaving them unprepared. Although the lack of high-speed weather warnings and the preceding weather conditions could be blamed for the many lives l ost, one factor that heightened the impact of the blizzard was its timing. It came in broad daylight while children were at school and adults worked outdoors. Many were traveling to and from town. Lieutenant Thomas M. Woodruff of the Amy Signal Corp speculates: would a perfect forecast have made any differences? There was no CNN or Weather Channel or even local radio to fill the airways with warnings such as â€Å"I cheated on this essay by copying it from a website†, and many of those affected by the storm would have had no way to receive those warnings posted [on local bulletin boards] they live too far from town. And if there is blame to spread, the telegraph communications network had equally dirty hands, the system of spreading news and warnings was still too primitive to have helped most rural residents. † (Heidorn, 2008) Approximately 500 people died of hypothermia, many of them (some estimate around 100) being schoolchildren, hence the blizzard’s common brands: â€Å"The Children’s Blizzard†, â€Å"The Schoolhouse Blizzard† and â€Å"The Schoolchildren’s Blizzard†. Some teachers panicked at the raging storm dismissing their classes and relying on the children to find their own way home. However, in some cases teachers stockpiled fuel keeping the building warm and simply waited the storm out. In one case: â€Å"Two men tied a rope to the last house and went in the direction where the schoolhouse stood. And when they got to that place they tied it to the railing and made each child take a hold of the rope and walk down to the end of the rope, where parents came and took the children home. † (Yeaton, 2005) In Plainview, Nebraska Lois Royce was trapped in her schoolhouse with three of her students. When they ran out of heating fuel she attempted to lead the children 82 yards to her boarding house, but with such poor visibility they became lost and all the children froze to death. Lois did survive, but her feet had to be amputated due to frost bite. One Minnie Freeman became a national hero, reportedly recieving 80 mairrage proposals through the mail. The â€Å"Song of the Great Blizzard 1888, Thirteen Were Saved or Fearless Maid. † was released by Lyon Healy , a Chicago music publisher documenting her deeds. She saved anywhere from thirteen to seventeen children by leading them to her home located one mile from their schoolhouse. (BookRags, 2011) Yeaton, Bryan. â€Å"Schoolhouse Blizzard†. The Weather Notebook. 2005. Web. 19 April 2011. â€Å"Schoolhouse Blizzard†. BookRags. BookRags Inc. 2011. Web. 19 April 2011.

Personal Troubles and Public Issues in Persepolis Essay Essays

Personal Troubles and Public Issues in Persepolis Essay Essays Personal Troubles and Public Issues in Persepolis Essay Paper Personal Troubles and Public Issues in Persepolis Essay Paper Marjane Satrapi’s novel Persepolis is an in depth expression at Marjane’s kid goon in Iran. Throughout the fresh Marji faces many public issues which straight relate to her personal problems. While Marji was turning up she witnessed the relinquishing of the Shah’s government. The Islamic revolution and the Iraq V Iran war. Her fresh screens an eight twelvemonth span. from the ages six to fourteen. Even though the novel begins when Marji is merely six old ages old she was more politically cognizant so most modern twenty-four hours striplings. Marji was highly immature during bulk of the events throughout the novel but her age did non halt public issues from straight impacting herself and others around her. While reading Persepolis I was able to acquire an in depth expression at how Iran non merely was in war with environing States but besides at war within its ain boundary lines. When Persepolis foremost began Marji attended a coed not spiritual school. This was normal for Iran until the Cultural Revolution. The Persian authorities ordered that bilingual schools be closed down because they were a mark of capitalisation and Westernization. This caused great convulsion among the people of Iran. Half of the adult females were against have oning the head covering and the other half were extremely spiritual and believed that the head covering must be worn as mark of regard to their faith and besides their state. This public issue straight affected Marji because her female parent was among the adult females who believed the head covering wasn’t necessary. Sing as Marji’s female parent was strongly against being forced to have on the head covering she frequently participated in presentations. one clip while she was showing her exposure was taken. Marji’s ma had to travel into concealing she was forced to dye her hair and conceal her face in public out of the fright that person would acknowledge her. This public issue became really personal for Marji because she thought of herself as strongly spiritual and even wanted to be a prophesier but she wasn’t certain if the head covering was a necessary accoutrement at all times. â€Å"I truly didn’t cognize what to believe about the head covering deep down I was really spiritual but as a household we were really modern and daring. † ( Persepolis page 7 ) Another public issue that profoundly affected Marji was the chapter of Persepolis entitled The Letter ( page 34 ) . Marji’s had a amah named Mehri who Marji considered her older sister. Mehri fell in love with their neighbour Hossein and he began composing her letters but because Mehri was a peasant she couldn’t read or compose. Marji began reading the letters to Mehri and composing responses since Mehri was non capable of making so. This went on for six months until the intelligence got back to Marji’s pa. Since Marji’s parents were Marxist they strongly believed in societal categories. That meant they was no manner Mehri and Hossein could be together because she was a provincial and she was non. Social category is a public issue that rapidly turned into a personal problem because Marji didn’t agree with her parents beliefs and besides because she couldn’t stand seeing Mehri so emotionally overwrought. â€Å"But is it her mistake she was bo rn where she was born? † ( Persepolis page 37 ) Marji’s male parent had a brother that she had neer met. his name was Anoosh. He was a hero in Marji’s eyes because he had been the secretary of Azerbaijan which was an independent Persian Province. Anoosh told Marji everything about his yesteryear from the rise and autumn of Azerbaijan to the barbarous anguish he endured during his nine old ages in prison. Marji was so enraptured to hold such a historical hero in her household. Anoosh stayed with Marji’s household until he was arrested merely for being a former revolutionist. Former revolutionists were the pledged enemies of the democracy ; they were being arrested or murdered often. Marji was the last individual to see Anoosh before he was executed because he was believed to be a Russian Spy. The public issue that the democracy was against revolutionists turned into a personal problem because Marji’s favourite uncle was murdered and besides because after the decease of her uncle Marji became disquieted with her friend ( God ) . â€Å"What seems to be the job? Shut up. You! Get out of my life! ! ! ! I neer want to see you once more! Get OUT! † ( Persepolis page 70 ) Persepolis provided me with illustrations of how a child’s society can impact them personally. Turning up in the Persian society effected Marji both negatively and positively. She was taught about her authoritiess flaws alternatively of shielded from them. she was raised to stand up for her ain personal beliefs. and she experienced decease felicity and the hurting of world. Marjane’s novel besides helped me understand the convulsion that goes on in Iran that I had neer noticed before. Personally I believe America is similar to Iran but here alternatively of being ridiculed because of non have oning your head covering. you are ridiculed because of your tegument tone.

Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore Essay Example for Free

Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore Essay Basant as a cultural heritage of Lahore by Yasir Raza Naqvi Lahore is an exceptionally festive city. The people of Lahore commemorate many festivals and events throughout the year, amalgamating Mughal, Western and current trends. This blending is extended to include the grand and historically significant festival of Basant. Though religiously not a Muslim cultural event, it is widely celebrated by the Muslim majority population Lahore. It is precisely due to the same reason coupled with other ‘non-Islamic’ practices that it has come under severe criticism by the mullahs. The celebration of Basant grew at an increasing rate in the late 90’s till 2005 where it suddenly came under ban due to an increasing number of deaths caused by highly tensile glass coated threads. Due to the official recognition during Musharraf’s early regime, kite making had become an industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people. The implementation of ban of kite flying followed by the ban on kite making left almost 500,000 families employed. Political turmoil followed by the ban on Basant added misery to the already crawling economy of Pakistan as the number of tourists who came to Lahore just to see the magnificent event of Basant fell tremendously. Therefore, In this essay, I tend to analyze the tri fold significance that Basant holds for Lahore. I would briefly shed light on the history of Basant and its transformation over the years till today coupled with the criticism it faced by religious elements of Pakistan. I would later explain how Basant becomes the center of tourist attraction, and generates a lot of revenue for the local industry thus securing an important position in translating the cultural heritage of Lahore. I would also seek to mention the reasons for the implementation of ban on Basant and propose solutions to uplift it. In the pre-partitioned Punjab, Hindus, especially of Lahore- celebrated Basant by flying kites. It was precisely during that time that the Muslims of Lahore, almost equal in number-comprising of the 48% of the population of Lahore, were instructed by the mullahs of that time to refrain from celebrating the event as it was typically a Hindu festival. However, the youth of that time did take part in the event by flying kites. After partition, almost all the Hindus had left Lahore for India but their tradition of Basant remained; and even today Lahoris take pride in Basant and fly kites from their rooftops with the same enthusiasm. Being the historic capital of Punjab there is no other place where Basant is elebrated with as much vigour and enthusiasm as the ancient city of Lahore. Traditionally, a festival confined to the old-walled city, it has now spread throughout the city. The celebration of Basant is incomplete without the kites and it is for the same reason that Michael Palin in his book Himalaya says: â€Å"Everyone in Lahore flies their kites for a day. † (Palin) Marshall Cavendish in his book People of Western Asia briefly states about the history of Basant and its celebration in the following words: â€Å"Lahore’s spring festival, Basant (buh-SAHNT): also known as Jashen-e- Baharan), is celebrated in February or March each year. It is an ancient festival that has become increasingly popular in recent years, attracting visitors from other parts of the country. Basant is celebrated with feasting, music, dance and crafts, and the wearing of yellow costumes or scarves, a symbol of the new spring. The most striking feature of the festival is the kite flying. Thousands of kites of all shapes, sizes and colors fill the skies and soar from parks and city roofs. At night, music rings and while white kites are flown, which reflect lights and fireworks. Throughout Pakistan there are local spring fairs with folk dancing; feasting; fairground attractions, such as swings and ferries wheels (sometimes made of wood in rural areas); music; and sporting contests. † (Cavendish) The celebration of this event which includes the spending on the purchase of kites has constantly being termed by the mullahs as un Islamic. In an interesting piece written by Roy McCarthy in The Guardian (17th May 2003), a young woman supporter of the Jamiyat (religious party) is reported as vehemently arguing against Basant. It is not Pakistani culture. Pakistanis don’t need new festivals. The most obnoxious part of the Basant is that it encourages young men and women to dance together and drink alcohol. This is not Islam. This is not Pakistan. This is not part of our civilization. † (The Guardian) The cry by the Jamiyat and other religious parties to impose ban on purely religious grounds, that is, Basant being a Hindu festival and thus unIslamic; therefore it should not be celebrated for the same reason might not be a reasonable argument. Firstly because, Basant is more of an ethnic event and it was celebrated by the Hindus and Muslims (the younger lot) alike by flying kites on Basant day and kite flying is more of a sport in the contemporary world, so the question of kite flying being Islamic or unIslamic does not arise . Secondly, ‘there is no denial to the fact that religion is very important and integral part of the culture of Pakistan but we should remember that cultural traditions are also a cause to celebrate and if nothing else the celebration of Basant can be viewed by the specific gathering of the ethnic group. This is further strengthened by the statement made by Sheikh Saleem, lahori and a local kite maker, â€Å"eid musalmanon ki hoti hai or Basant lahoriyon ki†. Thus it is purely a cultural event and Basant and kite-flying contrary to fundamentalist perceptions had nothing to do with religion. Thirdly, Basant has always been supported by the sufis of the past who were the early preachers of Islam in the subcontinent and were all very close to religion of Islam. However, during times when the state comes under religious influences (MMA had an impressive victory in October 2002), there are efforts to discourage what is, after all, not a religious festival. Pakistan† (Rengel) Sufis of Sub-Continent have a convention of adjusting to the local culture and language of the places they visited to spread Islam. The Chishti sufis, have not only tried to relate to the South Asian culture and music, they even tested and developed different cultural forms. Basant is a living example of religious open-mindedness and respectfulness of other creations of God. Previously, it was these Dargahs and Khaneqahs, which served as basis where people could share equal liberty, message of transparency and oneness. Basant is a tradition initiated eight hundred years ago by the famous poet Amir Khusro. Thus, the sufis of the past, namely Nizamuddin Auliya, Baba Zaheen Shah, Amir Khusro also took part in celebrating the event of Basant through songs. The song sung on Basant commemorates a special event in a saint’s life. Blum and Neuman) Kite-making and kite-flying interdependent on one another spread from the confines of ‘undroon sheher’ across Lahore, and as the city of Lahore expanded, so did the trade. It grew to such a degree that it attracted people from around the world and made Lahore a place of great tourism for Pakistan and a dynamic source of income for its residents. The festival of Basant transformed over the years due to the introduction of kites of different shapes, sizes and colors and as Saeed writes â€Å"Kite Fighting is an integral part of the Basant Kite festival. Saeed) It is precisely this magnificent display of kite flying on Basant day that made Lahore famous and thus it became the center of tourist attraction. People belonging to upper as well as lower economic classes from around the country and beyond packed city hotels for a few days of late-night festivities. Thus, as the celebrations of Basant got bigger and bigger, more and more support started coming in the form of endorsements by the government, and sponsorship and advertisement by multi-nationals in the private sector such as Coca Cola, Pepsi and Nestle. Official statement of District Chief Nazim of Lahore, 2003, Basant had created a business of Rs. 2 to 3 billion in the province and provided lot of opportunities to common people and owners of cottage industries in the country. To some independent estimates overall euphoria of Basant would generate economic activities of Rs. 4 to 4. 5 billion in the province in 2004†. (Khan) Gradually, the event which was once a general celebration of spring became overly competitive and transformed from being a fun sport to a killer sport claiming hundreds of innocent lives. As the nature of Basant changed so did the demand for the kinds of kites needed and thus new models, enormous kites and ‘dors’ toughened with steel wire, chemical and glass to have room for the ‘kite-fighting’ of Basant replaced the traditional kite design, size and thin ‘dors’ that never utilized anything more than starch. These changes are in-fact the root of the present dilemma. â€Å"Kite flying on Basant has taken 505 lives in the last two years. The supreme court of Pakistan has mentioned 45 kite-flying related deaths in city over the last six months and 460 last year†. Zia) The factor that makes this activity even deadlier is that the dangers to human life from this commotion are multi pronged. In simpler words, the group of people affected by this cannot be specified. Actually, it is so large and all-around a group that the risks seem horrendous. Unlike other hazardous sports, the activity of celebrating Basant and more specifical ly more often than not, affects people who are not even slightly related to kite flying. The deaths quoted above are a testament to this argument. A majority of these deaths were of the unfortunate motorcycle riders who couldn’t endure the wounds after the stray strings, used for kite flying, cut open their throats. Then there were deaths due to the distraction caused by these stray strings. Young boys running after and chasing kites also add up to to this very ill-fated club. The number of wounded people and the number of accidents that kite flying on Basant has been causing is alarming to say the least. But the horror doesn’t end here. Many kite flyers were victims themselves; deaths caused by falling off rooftops, electric shocks due to the use of metal strings and obviously they too have the hazard of the stray thread slitting their throats. The killing of innocent people was not the only reason that the government imposed at a ban on basant. The monetary losses caused by kite-flying are astonishing. Fluctuations in the power supply and frequent electricity trippings have become identical with Basant. Pakistan Times show a grim picture: â€Å"As many as 48,173 power trippings were caused by kite flying were recorded in different parts of the provincial metropolis during the first quarter of current fiscal year. † (Pakistan National News Desk). Every year, the Basant days in Lahore are like a mini-blackout. And the people who have to take the toll are the people who have to work through days and nights to ensure that the people get uninterrupted power supply. The sharp strings and metal twangs can cut through the insulation of wires and every day, hundreds of transformers are left burnt and rendered useless. LESCO: â€Å"The losses suffered by LESCO 350 million rupees during the last 4 years ending 2003 out of which a loss of Rs. 20 million was caused in 2002 by metal wires. Moreover, one grid station had been damaged by metal wire every year during this period resulting in a loss of Rs. 8 to Rs. 9 million and the destruction of 210 feeders. † (LESCO) It is estimated that if there are 50 one-hour breakdowns, it costs Rs. 2. 5 million to WAPDA Steel and glass-edged wires are banned but manufacturers still report roaring trade. (Pakistan times†¦) Kite making is traditionally a family enterprise. Behind every kite is the effort of a minimum of six people. The skill is one that they acquire in their ‘virasat’ as Baqir Ali Butt stated. In some ways kite-making has been altered by the changing circumstances of Lahore but in other ways it has stayed the same. It continues to provide employment for men, women and children, including handicapped persons and the incomes of 500, 000 people are dependent upon the trade â€Å"Around 500,000 families, directly related to the kite flying business, have lost their sources of livelihood because of the ban on Basant†¦[†¦] The ban is costing them Rs 200 million annually, and at the same time damaging other businesses that are indirectly related to the festival. They said that the people related to the industry, including kite makers, twine (dor) makers, wholesalers and retailers, had lost their means of earning a living. The cost of the paper used in kite making is estimated at around Rs 90 million and the cost of the twine used for flying kites is estimated at around Rs 40 million. The process of making kites involves around Rs 40 million, said Lahore Kite Flying Association General Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Saleem. â€Å"These were taken two years back. Now the number must have jumped,† he said, adding that 500,000 families had suffered because of the ban. † (Dawn International) (Tasleem) â€Å"The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Punjab police to register and take affidavits from the manufacturers of strings for kite flying in the province that they would not produce metallic and other dangerous strings which play havoc with human lives and power lines during Basant festivities. The National Assembly was recently informed that Wapda lost Rs30. 2 million in revenues due to Basant-related mishaps in the Punjab from 1999 to February 2004. Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore. (2017, Feb 24). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you