The Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 2002 - 2394 Words

Jamie Brown Sarbanes-Oxley BLA303 8/24/2014 Abstract The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 was created to extinguish doubts on the financial system that were introduced during the financial collapse of Enron, a resource trading company that was brought to its need by corporate greed and corruption. Enron’s downfall could have been avoidable should there have been any transparency into the finances of the company for the shareholders. It was for this fact that the Sarbanes Oxley Act introduced many new factors of protection for transparency, separation of duties and tougher penalties for those who violated investor trust. All of these facts will be reviewed and discussed to show their impacts on businesses still functioning today. Introduction Most people remember the Enron scandal that surfaced in 2001 and took down the goliath company within months. The corruption and greed that surfaced in the months after Enron went into bankruptcy was astounding and has been studied over and over again as to how exactly it was allowed to happen. Enron, combined with the bankruptcy of other giants such as Tyco and WorldCom, all due to corporate corruption and greed lead to the creation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Act was named after its primary creators, Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley and was intended to â€Å"protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities laws, and for otherShow MoreRelatedSarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002985 Words   |  4 Pages Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Week # 2 Individual Assignment â€Æ' Sox Key Main Aspects for a Regulatory Environment Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed in 2002 by former president George Bush. Essentially to combat the Enron crisis. The Sox Act basically has regulatory control and creates an enviroment that is looking out for the public. Ideally this regulatory environment protects the public from fraud within corporations. Understanding, that while having this regulatoryRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 20021614 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was enacted to bring back public trust in markets. Building trust requires ethics within organizations. Through codes of ethics, organizations are put in line to conduct themselves in a manner that promotes public trust. Through defining a code of ethics, organizations can follow, market becomes fair for investors to have confidence in the integrity of the disclosures and financial reports given to them. The code of ethics include â€Å"the promotion of honest andRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 2002 Essay1605 Words   |  7 Pages well-known acts have been signed into laws by the presidents at the time to protect investors and consumers alike. A brief overview of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, a discussion of some of the provisions therein, opinions of others regarding the act and also my personal and professional opinion will be discussed below. The same will be examined about the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Senators Paul Sarbanes and Michael Oxley were the sponsors of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002Read MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 20021563 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was enacted to bring back public trust in markets. Building trust requires ethics within organizations. Through codes of ethics, organizations conduct themselves in a manner that promotes public trust. Through defining a code of ethics, organizations can follow, the market becomes fair for investors to have confidence in the integrity of the disclosures and financial reports given to them. The code of ethics includes the promotion of honest and ethical conductRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 20021015 Words   |  5 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, also known as the SOX Act, is enacted on July 30, 2002 by Congress as a result of some major accounting frauds such as Enron and WorldCom. The main objective of this act is to recover the investors’ trust in the stock market, and to p revent and detect corporate accounting fraud. I will discuss the background of Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and why it became necessary in the first section of this paper. The second section will be the act’s regulations for the management, externalRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 2002 Essay1070 Words   |  5 Pagesof Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This Act was placed into law to protect the consumer against fraudulent activity by organizations. This paper will provide a brief history of the law and discuss some of the ethical components and social implications on corporations. This research will provide information on how the Sarbanes-Oxley Act affects smaller organizations and how it encourages employees to inform of wrong doings. Brief Synopsis of Sarbanes-Oxley The U.S. Congress passed the Sarbanes-OxleyRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 20022137 Words   |  9 Pagesdishonest act that remained common amongst companies such as Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco was the fabrication of financial statements. These companies were reporting false information on their financial statements so that it would appear that the companies were making profits. However, those companies were actually losing money instead. Because of these companies’ actions, the call to have American businesses to be regulated under new rules served as a very important need. In 2002, Paul Sarbanes from theRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 20021525 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Cheeseman, 2013). Congress ordered the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX Act) to shield customers from the fraudulent exercises of significant partnerships. This paper will give a brief history of the SOX Act, portray how it will shield general society from fraud inside of partne rships, and give a presumption to the viability of the capacity of the demonstration to shield purchasers from future frauds. History of the SOX Act Congress established the Sarbanes-Oxley ActRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act of 20021322 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Descriptions of the main aspects of the regulatory environment which will protect the public from fraud within corporations are going to be provided in this paper. A special attention to the Sarbanes – Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) requirement; along with an evaluation of whether Sarbanes-Oxley Act will be effective in avoiding future frauds based on their implemented rules and regulations. The main aspects of the regulatory environment are based on the different laws and regulationsRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 2002 Essay1302 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was the result of a number of large financial scandals in the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s. One of the most well-known corporate accounting scandals was the Enron scandal, which was exposed in 2001. Enron, an energy company that was considered one of the most financially sound corporations in the United States before the scandal, produced false earnings reports to shareholders and kept large debts off the accounting books (Peavler, 2016). Enron executives

Essay about Tyrant and Martyr in Sophocles Antigone

Tyrant and Martyr in Antigone quot;The tyrant dies and his rule ends,the martyr dies and his rule begins.quot; Soren Kierkegaard This quote applies to Sophocles’ play Antigone in many ways. The two lines can be used to describe the opposition of the two main characters in the play, Creon and Antigone. One is a king new to the throne who will not be ruling for long, and the other, a martyr whose strong convictions will live on even after her death. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; In the first line of his quote, Kierkegaard states that a tyrant’s reign dies with him. Creon, in the play Antigone, is unquestionably the tyrant. Although he is new on the throne, he has already started to show his true colors. He is inflexible and unyielding,†¦show more content†¦To him, the state is everything and the people’s respect for its authority is in fact its power. With the frame of mind, Creon governs Thebes with an iron fist, and like many other rulers of the past, obsessively controls everything that happens within his territory. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The tyrant’s ‘death’ in this play signifies on two levels. On the first level, Creon can no longer take on the role of king when he brings misfortune and disgrace upon himself. He is politically ‘dead’. As his life begins to crumble with the death of his wife and child, he becomes drained of spiritual strength. He becomes an empty, broken man, with ‘neither life nor substance’ as incentive to live or rule. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; In either case, Creon’s regime eventually falls apart because there is no one left to take the helm. Although a new king may be found to take his place, Creon’s reign over Thebes has definitely come to an end. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; In the second line, Kierkegaard states that when the martyr dies, his rule begins. A martyr is someone who dies for his or her beliefs in the hopes that it will change the current state of affairs. In the play, Antigone fits this definition very well. She is young and stubborn in her beliefs and feels that it is her duty to bury her dead brother, Polyneices. Unlike Creon, she believes that the laws of the gods are stronger than the laws of the state. This is apparent in the Prologue when she tells her sister: But I willShow MoreRelatedAntigone And Creon As A Tyrant1452 Words   |  6 Pages Antigone takes place just after a war between Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices. Eteocles fought on the side of Thebes whereas Polynices resembled an invader. Afterwards, Eteocles is buried and seen as honorable. However, Polynices is denied a proper burial because he is considered a traitor to Thebes. In this play, Sophocles uses Antigone and Creon as foils by characterizing Antigone as a martyr and Creon as a tyrant to urge the reader to realize that one’s own morals are more significantRead MoreSympathy for the Main Character in Sophocles Antigone Essay794 Words   |  4 PagesSympathy for the Main Character in Sophocles Antigone Sophocles play is named after its main character, Antigone, and for one the first times in Greek Tragedy it is a woman. In this play, Antigone is clearly the protagonist, as she is showed in her grief, seems sympathetic and the reader or spectator sees her from the beginning; it creates more impact and draws attention to the extremity Read MoreProtagonist And Antagonist In Antigone By Sophocles1262 Words   |  6 Pages Protagonist and Antagonist Antigone is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. ONE OF THE three surviving tragedians of classical Athens, along with Aeschylus and Euripides, and one of the great dramatists of world literature, Sophocles spanned in his long life (497-406 B.C.) the cultural flowering of Athens in the fifth century(Segal 1). Antigone is named after the daughter of King Oedipus of Thebes, a young woman who stood against the king’s decision and believed in the gods’Read MoreEssay on Antigone Deserves More Sympathy than Creon2535 Words   |  11 PagesAntigone Deserves More Sympathy than Creon      Ã‚   In the Antigone, unlike the Oedipus Tyrannus, paradoxically, the hero who is left in agony at the end of the play is not the title role. Instead King Creon, the newly appointed and tyrannical ruler, is left all alone in his empty palace with his wifes corpse in his hands, having just seen the suicide of his son. However, despite this pitiable fate for the character, his actions and behavior earlier in the play leave the final scene evoking moreRead MoreThe Is The Most Unforgivable Sin1609 Words   |  7 Pagesof the city. This adaptation would seek to show how terrorism can occur within one s own comfort zone. It also seeks to show how quickly a person can be disowned if they represent a threat to the greater community. The modernization of the play Antigone would cover a broader range of issues than initially anticipated. As was previously stated, grief, death and burial rights are all themes throughout this adaptation. The concept that one has a right to be buried connects to the Grecian belief thatRead MoreEssay about Antigone by Sophocles871 Words   |  4 PagesI would not count any enemy of my country as a friend. In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, Antigone finds herself torn apart between divine law and state law. The play opens up at the end of a war between Eteocles and Polyneices, sons of Oedipus and brothers of Antigone and Ismene. These brothers, fighting for control of Thebes, kill each other, making Creon king of Thebes. Creon, as king, gives an important speech to the citizens of Thebes, announcing that Eteocles, who defended ThebesRead More The Relationship between Gods and Mortals in Mythology Essay1359 Words   |  6 Pagesimportant ruling power for both gods and m ortals. For instance, in Sophocles tragedy, Antigone, justice prevails over king Creons actions. He sentences his own niece to death for giving her deceased brother, a pronounced enemy of Thebes, a proper burial. In return for his rigid ruling he loses his wife and son to tragic deaths. Creon puts his own city?s justice before the determined justice of the gods, and pays dearly for it. Antigone also receives justice for her actions even though she dies. SheRead MoreSOPHOCLESS ANTIGONE: A FEMINIST REPRESENTATION2101 Words   |  9 Pagesvalues. Such a woman deserves applause. A rebel. A legend. An example. A woman. Antigone. Sophocles’ Antigone has as its backdrop a very rigid and conservative Greek society and Greek culture when it was certainly against the norm of a typical ancient Greek woman to rebel against a male authority. And therein lies the reason to believe that Sophocles’ protagonist in Antigone showed signs of early feminism. Antigone dared to raise her voice against a patriarchal order at a time when women in ancientRead MoreAppropriate Supporter for Political Authority Antigone 1097 Words   |  5 PagesClassical plays such as [Apology] this is not a play. It is a Platonic dialogue. and Antigone are sometimes associated with English or philosophy. However, a closer look reveals two different political stand points against the government or the people. Revealed in the play Antigone, the female character is [exposed as a rebellion] awkward against the government; but in the play Apology, a male philosopher is seen as a martyr for his belief in a true justice system. Although b oth characters have some political

Netspeak An Analysis Of Internet Jargon Essay Example For Students

Netspeak: An Analysis Of Internet Jargon Essay Approximately 30 million people world-wide use the Internet andonline services daily. The Net is growing exponentially in allareas, and a rapidly increasing number of people are findingthemselves working and playing on the Internet. The people on theNet are not all rocket scientists and computer programmers;theyre graphic designers, teachers, students, artists,musicians, feminists, Rush Limbaugh-fans, and your next doorneighbors. What these diverse groups of people have in common istheir language. The Net community exists and thrives because ofeffective written communication, as on the net all you haveavailable to express yourself are typewritten words. If youcannot express yourself well in written language, you eitherlearn more effective ways of communicating, or get lost in theshuffle. Netspeak is evolving on a national and international level. Thetechnological vocabulary once used only by computer programmersand elite computer manipulators called Hackers, has spread toall users of computer networks. The language is currently spokenby people on the Internet, and is rapidly spilling over intoadvertising and business. The words online, network, andsurf the net are occuring more and more frequently in ournewspapers and on television. If youre like most Americans,youre feeling bombarded by Netspeak. Television advertisers,newspapers, and international businesses have jumped on theInformation Superhighway bandwagon, making the Net moreaccessible to large numbers of not-entirely-technically-orientedpeople. As a result, technological vocabulary is entering intonon-technological communication. For example, even thearchaic UNIX command grep, (an acronym meaning Get REpeatedPattern) is becoming more widely accepted as a synonym ofsearch in everyday communication. The argument rages as to whether Netspeak is merely slang, or ajargon in and of itself. The language is emerging based looselyupon telecommunications vocabulary and computer jargons, withnew derivations and compounds of existing words, and shiftscreating different usages; all of which depending quite heavilyupon clippings. Because of these reasons, the majority of Net-using linguists classify Netspeak as a dynamic jargon in and ofitself, rather than as a collection of slang. Linguistically, the most interesting feature of Netspeak is itsmorphology. Acronyms and abbreviations make up a large part ofNet jargon. FAQ (Frequently Asked Question), MUD (Multi-User-Dungeon), and URL (Uniform Resource Locator) are some of themost frequently seen TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) on theInternet. General abbreviations abound as well, in morefriendly and conversationally conducive forms, such as TIA(Thanks In Advance), BRB (Be Right Back), BTW (By The Way), andIMHO (In My Humble Opinion.) These abbreviations can bebaffling to new users, and speaking in abbreviations takes somegetting used to. Once users are used to them, though, suchabbreviations are a nice and easy way of expeditingcommunication. Derivation is another method by which many words are formed. Theword Internet itself is the word net with the prefix inter-added to it. Another interesting example is the word hypertext,used to describe the format of one area of the Internet, the WWW(World Wide Web). The WWW is made up of millions of pages of textwith hotlinks that allow the user to jump to another page withdifferent information on it. Hypertext, derived by adding theprefix hyper- to the word text, produces the definition amethod of storing data through a computer program that allows auser to create and link fields of information at will and toretrieve the data nonsequentially, according to WebstersCollege Dictionary. Proper names also make a large impact on the vocabulary of Netusers. Archie, Jughead, and Veronica are all different protocolsfor searching different areas of the Internet for specificinformation. Another new use of proper names is for descriptivepurposes. For example, the proper-name turned descriptivenoun/verb/adjective Gabriel has come to be understood as astalling tactic, or a form of filibustering; Hes pulling aGabriel, or Hes in Gabriel mode. Most frequently, this typeof name-borrowing happens due to highly and widely visibleactions by an individual on the Internet. Talcott Parsons EssayAmerican English Net jargon is somewhat internationallyprevalent. Many terms used on the multi-lingual yet Englishdominated Internet are borrowed from language to language. Thewords Internet and cyberspace are used around the world, asis evident when one is cruising the Net and encounters a piece ofwriting entirely written in Norwegian or Russian. The only wordsan English-speaker easily recognizes are those internationallyunderstood items of Netspeak. Another example are the grammaticaland vocabulary mutations that English Net jargon inspires. According to the Hacker Jargon File, Italian net users often usethe nonexistent verbs scrollare (to scroll) and deletare (todelete) rather than native Italian scorerre and cancellare.The English verb to hack has been seen conjugated in manyEuropean languages. As the Internet and computer online services further invade lifein the United States and the world over, more and more peoplewill contribute to, change, and further develop Net jargon as weknow it today. In addition, more people will find Net jargonspilling over into their offline lives. Nothing in our worldtoday is changing more quickly than computer networks andtechnology, and therefore, no jargon is changing more quicklythan Netspeak. As more and more specialty words make theirway into our dictionaries, Net jargon will become increasinglyprevalent in our written and spoken communication. Everyone, notjust Net users will become familiar with the new words andusages, as is already evident in the increasing use of the termsnetworking and cyberspace. As business, advertising, andentertainment move onto the networks, Netspeak will continue togrow, change, and become more a part of everyday communication. This dynamic language reflects the very rapid development of newconcepts and the need to communicate about these concepts. Aslinguists, tracking this language development is one interestingway of documenting the progression of the Information Age, justas the language changes of Early America allow historicallinguists to track the movements of our early ancestors.

The usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts

Introduction Structural violence is a fundamental concept in the analysis and understanding of international conflicts. The contents of structural violence include disputes, where comprehension between two parties does not come to a point of consensus because of differences in their social setting. The failure of distinct entities in an ecosystem to comprehend each other acts as an instrument of causing conflicts in the international scope.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The international conflicts arise from societal setting, affecting people around the world. The comprehension of the influence of structural conflict has a rationale of enhancing the analysis, as well the comprehension of the scope of the international conflict. The understanding is also vital in the creati on of a path for strategic implementation of ample methodologies that would prevent or eradicate the conflicts. A vast theoretical literature has also been presented in regards to the importance of structural violence in comprehension enhancement, with some authors arguing that conflicts have been a major drawback to economic, social, and political triumph over the years, owing to the state of misunderstanding distinct takes of different individuals and groups (Burchill, et al, 2005, p. 291). The recent decades have seen researchers, academicians, scholars, as well as psychologists develop enthusiasm in the area of the effects of violence on the international relations. The discussion in this paper seeks to establish the usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts. The comprehension of this is enabled by comprehensively analyzing the concept of structural violence as well as the international conflict. The theoretical appro ach towards the same is critically discussed, in addition to the provision of rationale and impacts of the study at hand. Analyzing the concept of structural violence The form of violence whose basis is on the social structure or social institution that harms some populace and prevents them from fulfilling their essential needs encompasses structural violence. Structural violence is product of the organization of political, social, and economic settings and systems in ways that have both negative and positive effects on the immediate community. The rationale of the impacts is portrayed when some segments of the population in existence are oppressed, intimidated, and dominated, while other segments are privileged in one way or the other.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conflicts that have their fundamentals on the societal structures deprive part of the population their peace, fo od, security, healthcare etc, while others still enjoy the abundance of the same in similar setting. For instance, movement of large numbers of rich people into a community may lead to the increment of housing costs, affecting people that lived originally in a similar place under low costs. In addition, structural violence is mostly recognized at the level of a society due to life quality shortfalls that occur in certain societal groups. The accomplishment of structural violence mostly occurs via the existence of political repression in a society. This entails the presence of many groups in power concentrating the societal resources for their personal gain in expense of people who are not in power. The most pronounced examples of structural violence are inclusive of racism, elitism, classism, sexism, adultism, ageism, and nationalism in addition to heterosexism and ethnocentrism (Lipsky, 2010, p. 31). Structural violence is characterized by poor societal settings that allow room for existence of more than one class and clusters of individuals depending on the societal niche that they hold. An imbalanced state as well as international realm is established when structural violence takes preeminence. This is in regards to unequal resources distribution among the existing populations. Discrimination also finds its way in such a society where some people appear more important than others do, in terms of wealth and health. The systems of structural violence are dominated by numerous justices in all realms, and unjust arguments prevail in place of justice requirement. Oppression of high quality is experienced whenever structural violence is evident, for instance, the deprivation of widows and orphans of the inheritances by corrupt governments. Increased death rates are also associated with those that live at rung positions in any society setting as opposed to low death rates for the higher in a contemporary society with poor settings. Most countries in the have had s uch structural violent systems, posing great troubles for those living in them. The rationale of these poor structural systems is experienced when considering the rate of international conflict today that has drastically increased.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The understanding of these conflicts is also important in performance of the analysis of the levels of the international conflicts that thrive today. Various pronounced effects are experienced in presence of structural violence, which is inclusive of pain infliction on the victims when war and terror etc incidents occur due to structural distinctions. It is always in the accompaniment of the deprivation of essential needs that are fundamental to the life of an organism in the ecosystem. The freedom of human is take n away for there is no room for addressing their grievances in case of the structural problems. Moreover, the creation of non-identity society with racial, material, and all-round differences results from the cultivation for the structural violence (Mansfield and Pollins, 2003, p. 97). An analysis of International conflicts The recent years have seen concerted efforts directed towards international peace relations in a bid to counter the rampant international conflicts. A conflict is regarded as a level of difficulty where parties cannot understand one another, resulting into an avoidable chaotic situation. The accomplishment of a conflict is done via stage performances whose possible outcomes are undesirable, and may not be beneficial to any party. The international conflict describes those critical incidents in which no human entity is exempted from the effect of a particular happening, and every human race is a liable object of experience. The most flabbergasting conflicts in the worldly realms are inclusive of wars, terrorism, and political clashes among others. The causes of the international conflicts range from human to situational causative factors that become so overwhelming to an extent of causing tremendous outcomes. The outcomes never choose a particular path to follow; rather, they affect a large number in the international realms including fresh waters, oil, other resources and so on (Westing and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and United Nations Environment Programme., 1986, p. 10, 28 and 58).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Johan Galtung’s literature classifies conflicts into three categories, which are inclusive of direct conflicts that entail direct pain and suffering infliction on individuals or groups. The second type is indirectly imposed on a group of individuals due to poor structures in the societal set up. International conflicts are mostly caused by structural violence as a result of the instabilities and disorganizations that are caused by their rampancy. The effects of the international conflicts are inclusive of economic inflations due to poor methodologies of spending a country’s resources. The political crises are also experienced everywhere in the international scope due to power wrangles that thrives in the hearts of many. The poor and the oppressed have a tendency to rise up against the unjust regimes and these reactions are transformed into conflicts. Cultural conflicts are also internationally evident due to people’s take of others in regards to their background (Bercovitch, 1996, p. 6). Indeed, cultural conflicts have been known as causative factors to the structural and direct conflicts in many cases since the disregard for one another is a causal factor for promotion of jealousy, as well as the oppressive nature evident in most societies. More over, most social structures in the world have acted as causal factors for international conflicts due to poor organizations and structural arrangements. Political and economic structures are also known to be major causes of conflicts in an international scope. The international conflicts have often led to the prevalence of negative peace; indeed, alleviation of peace on the parties involved in disputes at a particular time is a rationale for international disagreements. The magnitude of international suffering is measured via the impacts in experience to the parties internationally. For instance, massive deaths and concrete conflicts that are not liable for recovery are the extreme magnitudes for international conflicts. In addition, there are incidences of countries fighting against each other due to economic, structural, and cultural failures. In addition, leadership and governance structures are also considered as main causal factors of international conflicts. Major international conflicts have long been portrayed via terrorism attacks, massacres, wars, deprivation of rights, and other methodologies that are deemed crucial in the fulfillment of such laws (Likosky, 2002, p. 393). Usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts Structural violence is an excellently significant tool when it comes to the analysis and understanding of international conflicts. The concept of structural violence explains the fundamentals on which international conflict emerges, as distinct groups interact with others in social setup. The fact that structural violence entails deprivation of people’s rights and freedoms, as others en joy privileges and honors makes this form of violence be considered vital in international violation explanations provision. Theoretical explanations of international conflicts rebuke the violation of social theory via the utilization of structural violence in available human settings. The current world is largely affected by international conflicts that emerge repeatedly, with research findings proving that most of the happenings in the international realms are products of structural violence. This majorly entails social, cultural, political, and economical and the overall human set up within an inclusive ecological system (Ohlson and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 1988, p. 7). The concept of structural violence is normally viewed as a hypothetical instrument that provides supposition that is considered tentative, with the intention of gaining comprehension of facts that are legally acceptable. Therefore, it creates a rationale for the understanding and analyzing international laws, as well as being considered a fiction. This implies that structural violence entails making mistakes with a conscious mind in its take that armed conflicts are used in the deprivation of other people’s rights and privileges. Therefore, it gives an ample understanding of the operational international law, as well as a prediction of what just laws would mean in the society. The understanding is also boosted in the fact that individuals or groups affected or infected by structural violence face it indirectly. They therefore advocate for close monitory and supervision in the promotion of the effectiveness of international law (Jacoby, 2008, p. 26). Structural violence is a long-term cause of system’s instability. Instability means that no system can be subject to human trust, since it does not amply cater for the available humanity desired satisfaction. The instability-affected areas are inclusive of political social and economical stands. Normally, th e state of instability in any realm leads to the creation of emotions on those affected or infected by the causal factors. The deprivation of privileges from some people, as others enjoy, creates a rationale for the instability complement to act as a stage-setter for international conflicts. Moreover, instability is an ultimate cause of physical, emotional, and psychological wars among people as well as states. The structural instability analysis also proves it as a ground for human suffering, rendering a lot of dissatisfaction among individuals involved (Jacoby, 2008). Additionally, structural violence paves way for undesirable human aspects, which finally lead to conflicts. The aspect of militarily arises from international conflicts due to poor structural settings. For instance, countries from European and American continents have to concentrate on weapon building strategies in a bid to counter any international attack, reason being that the structural setup of every country is a source of structural violence due to poor settings. The understanding of the world wars that took place in the 19th century is enhanced by the presence of people superseded by hunger for power prosperity, in regards to territorial control and proprietorship. The wars created a structural environment that enabled some countries to be in possession of powerful arms and ammunitions, thus looking down upon others. The perception that other countries are weak entities by the American continent, and eventually causing war is a rationale towards understanding international conflicts. The recent rampant terrorist attacks that prevail in the international scope are also as a result of the presence of countries that are more favored in military wealth than others. Moreover, the desire to exercise military power, while ignoring human dignity is a long-term rationale for international conflicts (Lawler, 1995, p. 67). The existence of extreme poverty cases in human life is an indication of the preeminence of structural violence. In most cases, some countries have a common trend that has rampantly taken preeminence. Every country is marked by an interaction of extremely rich persons, who adversely interact with extremely poor persons, though living in a similar environmental context. Those people associated with the leadership of any country in the international realms are always found in possession of wealth, while those far from power are in most cases poor. A recent environmental scanning study concluded that poverty has become a major problem in the world. Similarly, refugees that move to countries for the sake of their safety are said to suffer due to the fact that host countries do not easily recognize their presence. Those people afflicted with chronic diseases are said to live in chronic poverty due to lack of support from the neighbors as well as the government. Thus, international conflicts are known to occur rampantly, as campaigns for such poverty controversies arise for the sake of protection of the common person (Waart, et al., 2001, p. 325). Structural conflicts are known to have offered an ample ground for exploitation and oppression, as well as intimidation in every realm of the society. The understanding of these fundamentals is best explained via structural violence existence. The international conflicts have rampantly arisen due to the prevalence of the expletory and oppression nature in human realms. Many countries have been recently faced by rampant pre and post-election violence and conflicts, owing to the existence of unfaithful regimes. The service to the general society by governments has been today converted to the attendance to personal needs since social structures are already paralyzed. This is a causative factor for exploitation and intimidation to most people in a societal setup. The oppression and intimidation factors are known in history as the main causes of societal aggression and ultimately leading to internationa l conflicts (Kent, 1993). Structural violence is also useful as an instrument for indication of difficulties associated with change acquisition. For instance, recent years have experienced dramatic shifts in all reams, and every international entity needs adopting new ideas. However, the employment setup is already violated by poor governance and monitoring of the international structures, leading to aggression. Land disputes have also been sources of international conflicts, where poor ruling structures are in control and denying room for dialog to maintain peace. The effects are peace alleviation and overriding international conflicts. Moreover, poor ruling methodologies that do not provide room for the weak and the oppressed in the society are factors that lead to the structural violence occurrence. However, structural violence resulting form unequal resources distribution provides a better comprehension of international conflicts. The fact that wealthy and prosperous regimes are always entitled to privileges causes international aggression, leading to international conflicts (Kent, 1993). Theoretical approach to international conflicts on the basis of structural violence The recent decades have seen large numbers of theorists arise in their bid to provide explanations of the international conflicts on the ground of structural violence. The main theory that leads to the realization of denial of human satisfaction to some individuals or groups is the human needs theory by John Burton in 1915. The frameworks of the theory advocate for meeting of human needs as an instrument of peaceful human interactions and relations. The conflict theory is also important in explanation provision of international conflicts. This relates to the incompatibility of distinct parties in their presentation as the main causal factor for conflicts. The structural violation in any society leads to a negative interaction nature between the two theories, leading to conflicts between pa rties. The structural violence is viewed in disregard for some people in the society, leading to the violation of the requirements of the human needs theory, and paving way for the preeminence of the conflict theory. The correction of situations thus requires the intervention of conflict resolution theoretical approach (Juma, et al., 2002, p. 134). Kurt Lewis model of management plays a vital role in addressing the need for ample societal management strategies as a step towards combating the structural violence extremes. The social theory that was early developed is very crucial in addressing the importance of a good societal interaction. It requires that all social entities in a setting recognize the importance of each other as an ample weapon for fighting societal conflicts. The social theory propositions entail the need for societal construction on the basis of the available entities’ requirements to create a satiable nature. The most recent research has also come up with international relations theory that advocates for compatibles in accordance to the international laws. Compatibles are considered as vital in fighting the spirit of intimidation, oppression, as well as discriminatory societal rules. The international law is useful as a tool for stabilization of structural and physical systems via the application of the best possible ideologies. Therefore, international conflicts solution has long been developed via the requirements of international law. The normative theory is very useful in assisting the execution of international law. It requires that appropriate norms be followed in the understanding and prevention of international conflicts caused by structural violence (McEvoy and Newburn, 2003, pp. 6, 7). The rationale and impacts of Understanding international conflicts and Violence The comprehension of international conflicts and violence creates a ground for the enactment of peaceful attributes. The understanding is especially essential to those in the peace and conflict studies, since a ground for positive peace is easy to establish. It is always considered worthy where prevention takes the first position instead of cure. Whenever this understanding is available, government regimes and policy-makers gain a better understanding of the common structural violence problems that their immediate society is facing. It is therefore easier to address the problems in better ways that can counter international conflicts. The laying of foundation for peace rebuilding is facilitated by the analytical understanding of influences of structural violence on international conflicts. The realization that international conflicts are rampant in the society makes many to rise up in advocating for peace in the society. The campaigns conducted play a pivotal role in societal restoration. The interference of the undesirable human acts that sometimes take preeminence in the society is easy, with the understanding of the paths they take. It is also easy to set frameworks that are necessary in addressing diverse magnitudes of international conflicts, as well as violence that may hinder the overall international development (Keenan and McDonagh, 1996). Combating international and local conflicts is possible when there is clear information of the impacts of the structural violence on the society. The effect of the psychological and physical systems of the people that have been deprived of their positive peace by the structural violence is eased when there is understanding. The government systems find it easier to lay grounds for advocating for a hopeful future whenever they analyze possible causes of international conflicts. The balancing of races, and background differences is duly addressed in understanding that races distinctions are major causes of structural violence that cause international conflicts. The comprehension of violence relationship with the international conflict acts as an ample tool for stabilization of the economy, politics, as well as the social structures. This is done via the employment of ample strategies that would enhance the compatibility of all systems. Cultural differences can be easily solved with the understanding of the problem that arises from the structural violence. Moreover, the rampancy of issues like sexism, health facility accessibility difficulties, and other impacts of structural violence can be easily addressed in the comprehension of their causal factors. The moderation of the international law above all is enabled through the comprehension of international conflicts on the basis of structural violence (Keenan and McDonagh, 1996). Conclusion Structural violence is a fundamental concept in the analysis and understanding of international conflicts. Structural conflicts arise from the creation of room that benefits and privileges a certain group in the society, while the rest suffer inadequacy for their desires. International conflicts occur due to incompatibil ity of different parties in regards to a matter of concern, and at a particular time. The usefulness of the structural violence in the understanding of the international conflicts lies in its comprehensive nature in addressing negative issues that affect the society indirectly. However, the understanding of this usefulness is crucial in the construction of a stable society in all realms of human interaction. Nevertheless, more empirical and theoretical studies should be conducted to enhance the importance of structural violence in understanding the international conflicts scope. List of References Bercovitch, J., 1996. Resolving international conflicts: the theory and practice of mediation. NY: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Burchill, R., et al. 2005. International conflict and security law: essays in memory of Hilaire McCoubrey. NY: Cambridge University Press. Jacoby, T., 2008. Understanding conflict and violence: theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches. London: Taylor Francis. Ju ma, M, et al. 2002. Eroding local capacity: international humanitarian action in Africa. Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute. Kent G., 1993. Analyzing conflict and violence. Peace and change, Vol. 18, No 4. Council of peace research in History. Web. Available from:Â  http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kent/analyzing.pdf . Keenan, J and McDonagh, E., 1996. Instability, structural violence and vulnerability: A Christian response to the HIV pandemic. UK, Progression Unit 3. Web. Web. Lawler, P., 1995. A question of values: Johan Galtung’s peace research. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Likosky, M., 2002. Transnational legal processes. NY: Cambridge University Press. Lipsky, L., 2010. Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others. NY: https://www.readhowyouwant.com/ Mansfield, E. and Pollins, B., 2003. Economic interdependence and international conflict: new perspectives on an enduring debate. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. McEvoy, K. and Newbur n, K., 2003. Criminology, conflict resolution and restorative justice. New Delhi: Palgrave Macmillan. Ohlson, T. and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 1988. Arms transfer limitations and Third World security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Waart, P. J. et al. 2001. Reflections on international law from the Low Countries: in honour of Paul de Waart. Hague: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Westing, A., Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and United Nations Environment Programme. 1986. Global resources and international conflict: environmental factors in strategic policy and action. Oxford: Oxford University Press. This essay on The usefulness of the concept of structural violence in analyzing and understanding international conflicts was written and submitted by user Maleah Cox to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic essayEssay Writing Service

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic essayEssay Writing Service Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic essay Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic essayThis quotation is one of the famous Clarke’s three laws and appeared in his essay Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination, in  Profiles of the Future. I’ve chosen this quote because I think it is very interesting. It lets us think about a lot of things. As the technology changes so rapidly today, more and more inventions come to our life. For example, we can chat with people from any place in the world through the Internet. We can go shopping online. We can watch 3D movies in the cinema. When this technological invention had just appeared people were absolutely amazed by it. Due to the rapid progress of technology, there will be more and more unexpected inventions in the future. These inventions may be amazing and seem something magic.When I began designing this poster the first thing I considered was the typeface. Clarke’s essay was written in 1962, so I tried to find some typefa ces which did not look too modern. When we combine two typefaces the contrast is very important   and that is why I didn’t choose two similar typefaces. I tried some different matches and I hope they look harmonic. Then I thought about the image at the background. I asked one friend to stand with her hands open and made a nice picture. Next, I put an image of crystal ball in the hands using technologies of Photoshop. It is well-known that a crystal ball is one of the symbols of magic. Thus, this image symbolizes the magic. Then I used the picture with programming language as the background. This is a bright example of the modern technology. In addition, I also used an image with colorful dots. I put this image with the dots above the crystal ball – the idea was to imitate magic sparkles which are coming from the crystal ball. The meaning of this part is symbolic. These dots symbolize all good things, such as convenience, prosperity, and happiness, which modern means of technology bring us. I changed the mode and the opacity of all images so that they would harmonize with each other. In the end, I selected my favorite combination of typefaces and added them to the poster. I used the white color in the typefaces because white seems conspicuous on the dark background and it would be easier to read it and perceive the information.

Deciphering 7 Job Ad Phrases and What They Really Mean

Deciphering 7 Job Ad Phrases and What They Really Mean Sometimes reading a job description is a bit like trying to decipher The Matrix. While some phrases are literal, others are more cryptic, leaving you to wonder, â€Å"Is this really the right job for me?† This handy crib sheet can help you understand what employers really mean when they write job descriptions. 1. â€Å"Multitasking†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Multitasking† sounds like a great skill, right? Being recognized for your ability to do many things at once is, on the surface, a positive one. However, while the job description may simply mean that you will be expected to balance, prioritize, and complete work in order of importance, it can also have an underlying meaning: that your employer will expect you to do anything and everything - whether or not it actually falls under the roles and responsibilities of your job.If you like to have understanding of what your job will entail, and prefer to stay within those guidelines, then the â€Å"multitasking† keyword may set off alarm bells for you.2. â€Å"Team Player†In our increasing era of collaboration, the need for team players goes without saying. So what does it mean when a job description highlights this fact? Along the same lines as â€Å"multitasking,† this may cloak what employers are really looking for: someone to do the dirty work in the form of the department’s most untenable work. Or, you may be asked to put aside your own work to help a teammate who dropped the ball. Over time, this can become a major frustration.3. â€Å"Entrepreneurial†Entrepreneurial skills are highly prized in today’s business world. While some companies may be looking for movers and shakers, others may be cloaking an unclear or irregular job description.Rather than being given a firm set of responsibilities, you may be expected to intuit where you need to be and when, which can be a recipe for disaster in uncertain situations.4. â€Å"A Fast-Paced Job Environment†This one m ay sound like a thrilling opportunity. After all, who wants a job that’s slow and boring? But this description may be a hidden warning that you’ll be working in a pressure-packed environment. While this may work for you if tight deadlines and frenetic work hours help keep you motivated, if you prefer a more stable environment, think twice.5. â€Å"Must have a good sense of humor†A sense of humor is an addition to any office, but that goes without saying. However, if a good sense of humor is requisite for the job - and the job doesn’t involve working in comedy club - then more likely than not this may indicate that the company culture leans toward the off, unusual, inappropriate, or even alienating.It may also mean that they are looking for an employee who will laugh in the face of adversity†¦and thereby that adversity exists.6. â€Å"Perfect for stay-at-home moms and students.†Stay-at-home moms and students may be looking for flexible hours, so job descriptions which put these words front and center may be particularly appealing to them. However, this may also be a way of suggesting that both experience requirements and pay are minimal.Many people in need of part-time work are also willing to work for less so the competition may be surprisingly steep.7. â€Å"Passionate†It’s good to be committed to your job, but not if â€Å"passionate† means â€Å"willing to work for much less to do what you love.† It may also mean that an employer expects candidates to be willing to put their jobs above all other commitments.As the competition for the best candidates becomes fiercer, employers are getting savvy about crafting job descriptions that catch the attention of potential applicants. Savvy applicants, meanwhile, can be prepared to decode job description lingo and find a job description that matches their expectations when it comes to a real-world job.

Predictive Policing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Predictive Policing - Research Paper Example Information technology to reduce crime Vs random patrols Reports indicate that the application of information technology greatly assists police departments to take proactive measures against future crimes and thereby reduce crime rates. The recidivism rate for parolees, probationers, and sex offenders is on the rise in the United States and this issue has generated intense public scrutiny. Currently, the US police departments widely use advancements in information technology to optimize their performance and thereby reduce crime rates. Application of Global positioning system or GPS is currently used as an effective way to reduce the rate of recidivism. As Navarro (2007) points out, in Florida, micro global positioning chips are implanted in the body of child sexual predators to monitor them continuously. In addition, micro GPS chips are also used to accurately map the location of parolees and probationers so as to prevent them from committing crimes in future. A network of databases containing historical crime data has been established in the US for enabling police departments to get faster access to past crime information. This system improves the communication between police departments across the country and this strong policing network reduces crimes rates to a great extent. Similarly, application of information technology is of great help for police departments to reduce random patrol of the streets. As discussed earlier, the development of GPS greatly benefited the police to reduce random patrolling.... The satellite based radar system and surveillance camera systems aid US police departments to monitor streets from control rooms. To illustrate, traffic rule violations including over speed and signal jumping are captured and recorded by radar and surveillance camera systems and hence the law violators are identified using their vehicles’ registration numbers. The radar systems are also helpful to observe gangsters and other problem makers. In short, IT assists police departments to prevent crimes effectively without random patrol of the streets. IS functions of COMPSTAT Input, processing, output, and feedback are the four basic IS functions of COMPSTAT, a law enforcement crime fighting strategy adopted by the New York City Police Department. Four IS functions Four COMPSTAT principles Input Accurate and timely intelligence Processing Effective tactics Output Rapid deployment Feedback Relentless follow-up and assessment (Source: Godown, 2009) As the input, computer generated an d other statistical data are collected and gathered timely to present in various formats such as charts, maps, and graphs at COMPSTAT meetings. The process is initiated by timely given accurate information and data. At the primary level, â€Å"information is gathered from an agency’s statistical archives on crimes and arrests† and which is produced to the U. S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting program (Godown, 2009). At the processing stage, effective tactics are developed to manage a particular situation. Once the staff officers are provided with timely and accurate information, they have to design, develop, and implement crime management policies and action plans

Summary Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 19

Summary - Article Example The Commission’s argument is that, Abercrombie practiced intentional discrimination for failing to accommodate Elauf’s religion practice. They also claim that Title VII favors all religious practices, and they should treat them fairly and not worse than others. Contrary Abercrombie argue that the claims against them must not be raised as a disparate-treatment claim but as a disparate-impact claim. Primarily, Abercrombie argues that the applicant cannot claim of disparate treatment without first revealing the employer’s actual knowledge of the applicant’s need for an accommodation (www.law.cornell.edu) The issues raised concerns violation of Title VII. The Commission claims that Abercrombie has increased conflicts among religious practices. According to Title VII, the law prohibits an employer from refusing to hire an individual because of religion affiliation, the difference in race or nationality (www.law.cornell.edu). Also, it is unlawful to segregate the applicants for employment. Therefore, such practice will limit their chances of getting employed, or it will affect their status as employees. The outcome of these issues is depicted when the court is urged to adopt the Tenth Circuit rule. Abercrombie claims that they have been allocated the burden of religious conflicts, and this led to the case being reversed. However, in the District Court, EEOC were victorious but the Tenth Circuit reversed the case. Therefore, the Tenth Circuit decided to award judgment to Abercrombie. The verdict stipulates that failure-to-accommodate liability add value only in cases where the employee provides knowledge of his or her need to be

Barrier is something Essay Example for Free

Barrier is something Essay Unit 18 What is barrier? A barrier is something that gets into the way or stops another thing from happening. As we all know, communication is an extreme complex progress. And if one person finds it hard to understand subject or to write or even speak effectively about it, that person cannot be sure that his/her meaning has been received exactly. This loss of meaning which may block communication is often called Barrier. There are 3 main ways in which communication can be blocked: 1. If a person cannot see, hear, or receive the message 2. If a person cannot make sense of the message 3. If a person misunderstands the messages 1. Person cannot see, hear, or receive the message. Visual disability Hearing disability Environmental problems –(noise) Speaking from too far 2. Person cannot make sense of the message. Different language are being used, including sign language People using different terms, such as slang internet or text jargon One of the speakers has physical or intellect disability, such as memory loss or learning Dysfunction. 3. Person misunderstands the message. Cultural difference: different cultures interpret non-verbal and verbal and humour, in different ways Assumptions about people: assumptions about race, gender, disabilities etc. can lead to stereotyping and misunderstanding Emotional Difference, very angry or very happy people may misinterpret what is said think about sarcasm Social contest: conversation and non-verbal messages understood by close friend may not be understand by strangers. Physical barriers A physical barrier to communication Is something in the surrounding that stops the person from communicating with other. For example if the place where the conversation is held may be noisy. Impairmentsvc Some people will haveimpairments that can stop them from communication for example if they are unable to see,hear,or talk. Emotional factors Emotional factor can affect the way we communicate with others for example, lack of support /lack of trust, afraid,feeling happy,feeling sad,low self-estee/ or over/under confident. Different language Some people may not speak the same language as you and therefore you may have difficulty understanding each other Jargon Jargon is when people use technical words. The use of jargon can be confusing for other to understand.

Macbeth the Tragic Hero :: essays research papers

Macbeth the Tragic Hero The most tragic hero was Macbeth. A tragic hero is one who commits an act and suffers tremendously for it. Just as all tragic heroes, Macbeth made decisions that led him to his doom. His actions were influenced by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the Witches? prophecies. He was greatly haunted by his desire of being King and to remain King. His noble characteristic slowly downgraded to a violent and cruel individual as the story progresses. Macbeth once used to be a brave gentleman. He was well respected around Scotland and earned much trust from almost everyone. When the King said, ?For brave Macbeth ? (1.2.18),? we can interpret that even the King himself respected Macbeth. He goes out to war, defeat enemies, and save his country, his life was put on the line for the entire Scotland. He earned himself the titles Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis. In war, he is a well rounded warrior?he kills many on the battlefield without hesitation. But when he had to kill King Duncan, it took more than courage for him to commit the murder. It might be a cowardly act to murder a King in order to gain his throne, but the courage he mustered in order to actually kill King Duncan was bravery. Added to the fact that King Duncan is Macbeth?s own relative plays an important role on how much it took for Macbeth to kill. But unfortunately, Macbeth used his bravery for evil intents rather than for good. Guilt played a tragic role in Macbeth?s downfall. After killing Duncan, he was haunted by his actions and couldn?t move on without worrying that his murder was going to be exploited. From the quote, ?Will all great Neptune?s ocean wash this blood? (2.2.60),? we can assume that Macbeth was worried of whether or not his guilt will vanquish. There was no turning back for him. As the story progresses, the only solution for maintaining his reign of Scotland was to kill. His close friend, Banquo, was also murdered because Macbeth assumed doing so would be best in order to prevent losing his throne. But little did Macbeth know that he was actually being killed by his own mind and ambitions Another important factor that brought catastrophe to Macbeth was the Witches? prophecies. His superstition was noted by his susceptibility to the Witches? predictions. If the Witches never told Macbeth that he was going to be the King of Scotland, he would have been his ordinary self and not ponder upon those thoughts.

Human Rights and Development Essay

Introduction The endless efforts by human beings in formulating perception to respect human dignity resulted the human rights discourse and so was case of development. The inherent intensity of searching ‘better’ for human being to respect the human dignity paves the way for new development concept by integrating human rights norms into development, and thereby making a paradigm shift from other development models. The transition from focusing on material to focusing on human in development reflects the deepening of people understanding about the relations between human rights and development. However, armed conflicts within and beyond the national boundaries have been seriously violating human rights and hampering development process. War around the globe had and still has the same result. People around the globe are reshuffling their thinking on development models to ensure human rights thereby getting a peaceful environment free from war and conflicts. The aim of this paper is to explore the negative relation, if any, between armed conflicts, war and human rights and development assuming as a development model. Linking human rights with development as a development model Human rights are those rights without which a human being cannot live as human being. These rights are indispensable and inviolable, no one is supposed to take away these rights from any individual or groups. These rights are so basic and fundamental that any man or woman gets that from his or her birth and which are founded on human dignity. On the other hand, Development has now become an inter-disciplinary subject or it can be attributed to different political or ideological viewpoints. Development is as much a prerogative of nations as of individuals within nations. Development as comprehensively would be meant†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free, and meaningful participation in development and in fair distribution of benefits resulting therefrom.† Human rights and development an integrated approach of development as comparatively a new development model generally known as ‘Rights based approach’. â€Å"A rights-based approach is a conceptual framework for the process of human development that is normatively based on international human rights standards and operationally directed to promoting and protecting human rights. The right-based approach integrates the norms, standards and principles of international human rights system into the plans, policies and processes of development.† Linking human rights with peace as antithesis of conflicts and war Journey towards protecting rights of the people and ensuring peace in this globe had an immemorial history. It was so strongly perceived and advocated from the World War I and during and after World War II, which resulted the concept of human rights as it understood today. Perhaps, it was President Wilson of U.S.A. who advocated for rights of the minority as global protection at Peace Conference in Versailles (1919). During World War II world had witnessed the massive violation of human rights and denial of peace. Consequently, international legal and political leaders committed to show respect human rights and to stop wars and conflicts which paved the way for establishing UN as global organization. â€Å"We the peoples of the United Nations determined†¦to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our life time has brought untold sorrow to mankind.† Human beings are in position from where they want to respect the dignity and to avoid the barbarous acts of conflicts and wars by proper understanding and realizing these rights. â€Å"†¦whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind.† But after acknowledging the human rights and making commitments through UN, does the world avoid conflicts and war that violate human rights. The answer would certainly be negative though there was no world war since 1946 to onwards. But the world is witnessed of massive human rights violation in Sudan, Congo, Ruanda, Iraq, Afghanistan and different parts of the world. These in the long run violate the human rights. War, conflicts external or internal and unrest are threat to peace and security everywhere which are the conditions precedent for realizing human rights. Thus, war is the antithesis of human rights and vice- versa. â€Å"It is widely believed that the denial of human rights is not only an individual and personal tragedy as it also creates conditions of social and political unrest, sowing the seeds of violence and conflict within and between the societies and nations.† Thus, there is a close relation in observance of human rights and maintenance of peace or vice versa. The Declaration of Principle of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among the states in Accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, which was adopted by the UNGA in resolution 2625(XXV) of 24 October 1970, that postulates â€Å"†¦maintaining and strengthening international peace founded upon freedom, justice and respect for human rights.† Respect, promotion and protection of human rights helps to reduce the conflicts, internal or external and thereby avoiding the war, because by respecting fundamental human rights no civilized nations can support and go for war. Linking development with peace as antithesis of conflicts and war In the context of 21st century, the concept of development has been drastically changed. Now development is perceived in much broader sense than that of previous. Notion of development equating with commodity or economic growth has been changed and now development is perceived as human development, meaning â€Å"the process of enlarging people’s choices.† Thus, there is a close relation between development and peace. An underdeveloped environment is not generally accepted that peace shall be prevailing. For this, to establish such environment, commitments are reflected in UN charter establishing conditions under which justice, respect to international law, to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, ensuring economic and social development for all would be prevailed. Peaceful environment is very much conducive for development and vice versa, Almost 20 years after the cold war our world is becoming less safe, industrialized countries are facing human insecurity by terrorism. Conflicts by internal groups are also visible in different developing and least developing countries. The world both developed and under-developed is suffering the common problem of insecurity which exposed by among the reasons †¦deprivation, violation of human rights and less development approach by the rulers. Insecurity linked to armed conflict remains one of the greatest obstacles to realize human rights and development. â€Å"Every civilian death linked to conflict is a violation of human rights.† The human security which is the essence of human rights and development has got larger attention across the globe in this era of globalization. The state centric security now turns into the human centric security. Promotion of security helps to ensure the development as well as human rights, and insecurity expose to unrest and under-development and massive violation of human rights. â€Å"Humanity cannot enjoy security without development or development without security, and neither without respect for human rights.† Human being can achieve complete fulfillment of its aspirations only within the just social order. For the stable, peaceful, non-violent environment are preconditions which are more often disturbed by the war and conflicts. â€Å"†¦international peace and security on the one hand, and social progress and economic development on the other, are closely interdependent and influence each other.† Furthermore, there is very close relationship between disarmament which exposes peace as well as development and also prevents armed conflicts and war. â€Å"†¦ [T]here is a close relationship between disarmament and development and that progress in the field of disarmament would considerably promote progress in the field of development.† The costs of wars and conflicts often are not clear to the world community, it just not the violating human rights at once but making many human persons disables for the long time which is contrary to the concept of development. â€Å"Violent conflicts claims lives not just through bullets but through the erosion of human security more broadly.† Armed conflicts and wars all over the world displaced many people which is ultimately a violation of human rights and also a serious impediment of development. â€Å"About 25 million people are internally displaced because of conflicts or human rights violations.† However, some developed nations go for war for resources but ultimately their development doesn’t become as sustainable one. Their internal development get interrupted by drugs, alcoholism, joblessness, economic unrest thereby produce instability, recent USA’s movement of ‘we are 99%’ the occupier of world street and UK’s unrest are glaring examples of non-sustainability of their development. Conclusion Human rights and development share some commonalities, for that reason they have justification to be applied in practical field which can be a very pragmatic way to solve problems that we are facing today. Thus, in the light of above discussion, it shall not be less than just to claim that, human rights and development both are the antithesis of armed conflicts and war, and vice-versa. The promotion and protection of formers discourages the latter, and happening of the latter severely violates and hampers the former. Thus, human rights and development are the contradictory to war and the war, armed conflicts are also opposite to the promotion and protection of human rights, and realization sustainable development. In this same point, the both human rights and development could used as to prevent armed conflicts and war. â€Å"In turn without development, long term enjoyment of human rights and development will prove illusory and war, of course is the antithesis of both.† ——————————————– [ 2 ]. The author completed LL.B. & LL.M. from University of Dhaka. And currently serving as Lecturer, Department of Law. Green University of Bangladesh. [ 3 ]. Preamble, Para-2, Declaration on the Right to Development, 1986, adopted by UNGA. [ 4 ]. Robinson, Mary, A voice for human rights, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006, p.303. [ 5 ]. Preamble, The UN charter.1945. [ 6 ]. Ibid. [ 7 ]. Bari, Dr.M.Ershadul, Human rights and World peace, The Dhaka University Studies Part-F, Vol.III(1):1-11June 1992,p.2 [ 8 ]. The third preambular paragraph. [ 9 ]. HDR, 1990, UNDP, New York, p. 10. [ 10 ]. Ibid. [ 11 ]. Ibid. [ 12 ]. See for more, Sen, Amartya, Human security now, Commission on human security, New York, 2003, pp. 2- 9. [ 13 ]. Anaan, kofi, Report of the secretary general, UN ,New York,2005,p.6. [ 14 ]. Preamble, Para-6, Declaration on Social Progress and Development,1969,adopted by UNGA. [ 15 ]. Preamble, Declaration on the Right to Development, 1986, adopted by UNGA. [ 16 ]. HDR, 2005, UNDP, New York, p.155. [ 17 ]. Ibid., p.151. [ 18 ]. Annan, Kofi, Official records of the UNGA, forty-seventh session, supplement no-1(A/47/1) para-109.

The ways in which Shakespeare portrays the themes of love in Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night is a comedy set in ‘Illyria,' a Mediterranean country. However, amongst the well-timed comical scenes, Shakespeare has other emotional predicaments intertwined with a variety of characters. Such predicaments are due to misleading identities and different love themes throughout the play; including love between grieving siblings, and the counts and countess' of Illyria. The main plot of the Twelfth Night revolves round the three main characters, Viola, Orsino and Olivia who speak in rhyming couplets. Each of the main characters form a ‘love triangle' which expresses the main love themes in the play including Elizabethan courtly love, real selfless love and overwhelming love. The love between each character that form the love triangle is such that the love and affection is directed one way around the triangle; Viola loves Orsino who believes he loves Olivia who also impetuously believes she loves Viola. Outside the love triangle are the minor characters who speak in pros and show a further variety of different love themes but expressed in a light-heartened manner. These include self love and love based on a mutual agreement. All the characters in the play are all connected through different love themes. Orsino's love for Olivia is also known as ‘Elizabethan courtly love' familiar to Shakespeare at the time the play was written. This type of love is described as a man of a high status courting an unattainable woman to be rejected, so the man can therefore wallow in self-pity and act melodramatic. Orsino explains the different ‘symptoms' of his infatuation for Olivia to Viola, explaining how a typical lover should behave and giving advice about love even though, ironically, he has had little success. Viola recognises Orsino's infatuation for Olivia and questions his love for her. Viola is correct to questions Orsino's obsession to be in love as he has little interaction with Olivia until the final scene, but still believes he loves her. Orsino show's fickle mood changes believed to be experienced when in love, which Feste describes clearly.Love Poem â€Å"I have unclasped to thee the book even of my secret soul.† â€Å"O, then unfold the passion of my love†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦ for thy mind is a very opal.† True, selfless devotion is another ‘side' to the love triangle in Twelfth Night. Viola expresses pure love and tremendous loyalty to Orsino, sacrificing her own happiness for Orsino's. Viola conveys her love with intense speaking and use of dramatic irony. Shakespeare allows the audience to witness Viola's distress so the play becomes more and more intense with the Viola and Orsino scenes. Viola tells Orsino of her love for him in an ambiguous manner, so he never suspects her feelings for him. â€Å"My father had a daughter loved a man, as it might be perhaps, were I woman, I should your lordship.† â€Å"I am all the daughters of my father's house, and all the brothers too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"A little, by your favour†¦ Of your complexion†¦ About your years, my lord.† Sebastian and Olivia both show impetuous emotions through the play. Olivia immediately falls in love with Viola, who is the identical twin to Sebastian. Once Sebastian enters the play he is mistaken for Viola which further shows evidence that both Sebastian and Olivia have impulsive emotions as Olivia still accepts she loves Sebastian although he is not Viola and Sebastian falls immediately falls in love with Olivia, which may be seen as blind love. Olivia's impulsive nature is not just expressed with her love for both Viola and Sebastian but also when she announces her seven-year morning for her brother. The audience sympathises with Olivia's painful rejection by Viola, and her difficulty to tell Viola her true feelings. It is also clear of Olivia's unfamiliarity with rejection as she desperately tells Viola she may change her feelings for Orsino if Viola returns. â€Å"I love thee so that, maugre all thy pride†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Love between siblings is also apparent in the play. Once Viola is rescued from drowning she immediately feels she has lost her brother, Sebastian. Her impulsive manner towards the sea captain, shows the strong bond her and her brother have. Shakespeare uses a dreamy, pensive quality when describing Viola's distress for her loss, and for her new independence and helplessness, which the audience can try and relate to. â€Å"For saying so, there's gold.† â€Å"And what should I do in Illyria? My brother he is in Elysium.† Antonio, who rescued Sebastian from drowning, develops a protective love for Sebastian, which could be interpreted as homosexual. Antonio expresses great respect, loyalty and selflessness when trying to help Sebastian. He offers his purse to Sebastian, which also shows great trust and friendship. â€Å"My kind Antonio, I can no other answer make but thanks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Haply your eye shall light upon some toy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"With viewing of the town; there shall you have me.† Another bond through friendships, apart from Feste, Maria, Fabian and Sir Toby who are all work colleagues, is between Viola and Orsino who are also work colleagues, but develop an trusting relationship. Viola is Orsino's confidant and this reveals his personality to her, only further enhancing her love for him. Sir Toby and Maria show flirtatious behaviour throughout the play, as well as playful behaviour at Malvolio and Sir Andrew's expense. It is clear they both enjoy each other's company and share the same sense of humour and feelings towards other characters. The love between these two characters maybe described as practical love for a mutual benefit. If Sir Toby were to marry Maria he would have a companion who looks after him and Maria would have a higher status, marrying a knight. The audience understands the relationship between these characters and accepts them as a couple. â€Å"MARIA: My name is Mary, sir. â€Å"SIR ANDREW: Good mistress Mary Accost- â€Å"SIR TOBY: You mistake, Knight: ‘accost' is front her, board her, woo her, assail her.† Malvolio, Olivia's servant, believes it is entirely possible for a countess to love a steward, so doesn't doubt the phoney letter conveniently placed in front of him by his vengeful work colleagues, who believe he has abused his power over them. In fact, the major reason Malvolio can so easily believe Olivia would and could love him is due to his obsession for power and to exercise that power over the other characters such as Sir Toby. He is described as having self-love by Olivia, which again allows him to so easily believe the letter is genuinely from Olivia although it instructs him to wear â€Å"yellow stockings† and â€Å"cross-gartered.† The letter refers to four letters â€Å"M, O, A, I† which Malvolio instinctively believes are reference to his name. â€Å"†¦ in yellow stockings, and cross-gartered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"O, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦ and perchance wind up my watch, or play with my – some rich jewel. Toby approaches; courtesies there to me-† Sir Andrew has the audience's pity and sympathy throughout the play due to his naive and innocent nature. Sir Andrew is encouraged by Sir Toby to be optimistic about Olivia's feelings towards him. Sir Andrew's hopeless love for Olivia is futile and at the end of the play he is still alone, which Shakespeare has used to further enhance the sympathetic attitude of the audience. â€Å"I was adored once too.† Shakespeare interconnects all the minor and major characters through misleading identities and a variety of love themes, which I have tried to outline. The major characters speak in rhyming couplets whereas the minor characters speak in pros, making a clear distinction between the two types of characters as well as the different range of love themes expressed by the different characters. â€Å"I music be the food of love, play on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come, sir, you peevishly threw it to her†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

An Essay on Being Alone †Creative Writing

An Essay on Being Alone – Creative Writing Free Online Research Papers An Essay on Being Alone Creative Writing Once again I am lying here on my bed staring aimlessly up at the ceiling. My ears are focused on the air conditioner hum as they have been so many nights before. The covers are pulled tightly to my throat, cloaking my body as an armor. I wonder to myself why this is all of a sudden my life. Nobody ever told me, or at least I never thought living could be so lonely, joyless, and bland. It seems like only yesterday that I was growing up at home, playing, smiling, and basking in the love and adoration of my family and friends. I was always laughing, joking, and enjoying every detail of life. It seems there were no bad days back then. Sometimes I recall and dwell upon the ignorant happiness that youth dictated. I wish that I had seized my childhood memories more carefully instead of letting them flee from my mind like a thief in the night. Suddenly, I realize and am awaken to the fact that I am twenty-eight years old, alone and lonely. Sometimes I am overcome and fear the coming of tomorrow. â€Å"Is this all there is?† I quietly ask myself. I ask myself why this lifestyle has befallen me. Am I not a good person? Have I wronged someone? Have I maybe hurt someone and this is my punishment? Never in all my life have I felt like this. The harder I try to answer my questions, the more further away the answer seems to run and hide from me, like children playing catch me if you can, or hide and go seek. This lifestyle is not of my liking or my choosing. In the not too distant past, my life was that of a perfect picture, a flawless work of art. Mr. Joe Average All-American you would say. Let’s see, where to begin? There was the family, the house, and the entire fulfillment and responsibility of it all. Then like a lightning flash one cold and rainy November day it disappeared, disintegrating before my very eyes. A shattered life now replaces what was once a promising future for all concerned. Sorting out, picking up and piecemealing a new life together best describes my newfound existence. A glorious and jovial existence it is not. Being defeated and broken by this test of life is not an option I consider or give place to. There is a reason we as human beings face different trials in our lives. Quite possibly there is a master plan for all of us. We all face situations, circumstances, and events in our lives that are not to our liking, choosing, or understanding. In my situation, I am not to question why†¦. I am but to do or die. No, I didn’t coin that phrase. No applause please. I heard that phrase somewhere. It speaks volumes to be such a short order of words. There are many people I have found from all walks of life that share my circumstances; both men, women, young, and old alike. I do find some solace and comfort in knowing that I am not alone or indifferent in my struggle. Others do share the same burden. Research Papers on An Essay on Being Alone - Creative WritingThe Spring and AutumnComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoMind TravelCapital PunishmentStandardized TestingTrailblazing by Eric AndersonBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHip-Hop is ArtWhere Wild and West Meet

4 Examples of Recommendation Letters You DONT Want From Counselors

4 Examples of Recommendation Letters You DON'T Want From Counselors SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Since school counselors support students through all four years of high school, they can write some of the best, most personal letters of recommendations. At the same time, they have the added challenge of writing lots, often hundreds, of letters for all the college-bound students on their caseload. While almost all counselor references will comment positively on a student, there can still be bad ones that don't offer a whole lot to a student's college application. Let's look at examples that demonstrate the four most common reasons a recommendation letter is bad: it's impersonal and generic, it's repetitive, it gives no specific examples, or it expresses serious reservations about a student. Bad Recommendation #1: The Generic Letter A generic recommendation letter is probably the most common problem for counselors with large caseloads of students. The following example illustrates animpersonal recommendation letter. Dear Admissions Committee, I'm writing to recommend June for admission to your undergraduate program. I've been her school counselor for the past four years. She is a strong honors student and always does well in her classes. I've heard nothing but good things about June from her teachers. June is a responsible and involved student. She's active in a number of clubs at the school and has contributed positively to our school community. June challenges herself in her classes and gets along well with her peers. She's a motivated, reliable, and driven student who applies herself to all her endeavors. June has earned a 3.71 GPA. Her dedication to her academics has impressed all of us at the high school, and I'm confident that she will continue to demonstrate the same commitment at college. June balances her time well among her many responsibilities and is curious about a diverse range of subjects. I look forward to seeing her continue to explore her interests and delve deeply into her passions. In closing, I highly recommend June for admission to your college. She's intelligent, active, and curious. For any further information, please contact me atgeneralinfo@gmail.com. Sincerely, Ms. Smith So what exactly makes this letter come off asgeneric, and why is that so bad for a rec letter? The Break Down This letter doesn't really say anything unique about June. In fact, if you just plugged in a different name, checked your pronouns, and adjusted the GPA, it could be a generic letter aboutany number of students. Admissions officers can tell pretty easily if a rec letter seems like a form letter with only the student's name and a few personalizing details plugged in. While a letter like this technically fulfills the recommendation requirement, it doesn't fulfill its role in the application, which is toreveal something insightful and personalabout the student and differentiate her from other applicants. This letter uses boring, tired language and doesn't go beyond cliches. June is "responsible, involved, and active," but so might be all the other competing applicants.What makes her unique?What specific examples can her counselor give to impart a meaningful assessment of June's academic and personal strengths? Finally, this letter does little to hone in on specific interests of June's. While it's not uncommon for students to go into college undecided, it's still important to talk about their particularinterests and goals.June is "curious about a diverse range of subjects," but what moves her? What has she exceled in or pursued? What does she enjoy doing? Since this letter lacks impactful language, specific examples, and insightful personal details, itstays on the surfaceand reads like a generic form letter. This kind of letter won't stand out to admissions officers, and it doesn't suggest that June and her counselor had a familiar relationship. Admissions officers may not pay much attention to this letter, which is a serious drawback compared to another student's application with a glowing counselor rec. Another type of bad recommendation letter that comes off as impersonal is one that predominantlyreports facts and figures.While it may use more positive language, like in the following example, it still comes off as distant and unsupported by anything beyond the student's resume. Bad Recommendation #2:The Resume-Repeating Letter This next example may be complimentary, but notice how it mostly justturns the bulletpoints on the student's resume into full sentences.This type of letter could be written by anyone with a copy of Ben's academic and extracurricular record. Dear Admissions Committee, It's my pleasure to recommend Ben for admission to your undergraduate program. I've gotten to know Ben over the past four years as his school counselor. Having earned a 3.8 GPA, he has risen to the top 20% of his class. His excellence in academics and involvement in a number of clubs and sports has made him an asset to our school community. As a member of the National Honors Society, Ben has achieved strong grades throughout high school in a range of classes, including AP classes in World History, Chemistry, and French. As part of his community service, Ben helps other students improve their grades and study skills with one on one tutoring after school in the library. While Ben's a strong, hard-working student, he also achieves outside of the classroom. Ben has played on the soccer team since freshman year, earning the title of Most Valuable Player in th grade. While practice and games keep him busy, he is also active in French Club. A self-described francophile, Ben has won the French language award two years in a row and practiced his language skills on the class trip to France in 2013. After returning from the trip, he presented photographs at a show at the local library and won 2nd place for Best Landscape. All this while working part-time as a cashier at a local bookstore sophomore and junior year. Ben impresses everyone he knows with his accomplishments. I'm confident that he will continue to excel in college. He has my strong recommendation. For any further information, please feel free to contact me atjustthefacts@gmail.com. Sincerely, Mr. Sencillo Overall, I would say this letter leaves a better impression than the first one. At least it can't be applied to almost any other student. But it still falls short on a number of fronts. Let's break down exactly how this letter misses the mark. The Break Down This letter leaves a better impression than the initial generic one, but it doesn't go beyond what Bendoesto reveal who Benis.Admissions officers want to get a deeper glimpse into thecharacterof each applicant. They already know what a student does based on his application. They're hoping the recommendation will illuminate why he's made the choices that he has. A recommender could shed light on this by discussing a student'svalues, motivations, goals, and strengths. In this letter, Ben seems to have a special affinity for French culture and language. He also enjoys photography. Tomake the letter more personal,the counselor could talk about how Ben became a "francophile" and what this may mean for his future study and profession. Does he consider himself an artist? Does he love landscape photography as a way to express his admiration of the great outdoors? Ben sounds like an interesting, dynamic individual, but this letterleaves the reader wanting more.It should fill in the blanks and give a more holistic vision of Ben as a student and person. Someone reading this letter should have a much clearer sense of who Ben is, even without meeting him in person. One easy way to see that a letter probably has too much data and not enough real, deep assessment is by looking for numbers. Ben's relatively short letter includes a lot of numbers: 3.8 GPA, top 20%, th grade, 2013, 2nd place, for instance. These come off as data points. While they're accurate, theyconvey technical informationrather than meaningful examples of Ben's character. To truly communicate a holistic assessment of an applicant, a letter shouldgo beyond the facts.This next example actually has the opposite problem. It describes the candidate with glowing adjectives, but offers little to no evidence to back up its complimentary assessment. This writer seems to want admissions officers to just take her word for it. We're going to need to see some examples of your work. Bad Recommendation #3:The "Just Take My Word for It" Letter This letter uses more specific, powerful language than the first two to endorse the student. However, itgives few examplesto illustrate its points. Just as students need to dig below the surface in their personal essays, recommenders should give meaningful examples in their letters. This letter merely describes, when it also needs to demonstrate. Dear Admissions Committee, It is my pleasure to recommend Gina for admission to your college. As her school counselor for the past four years, I've watched Gina grow into a mature, compassionate, and dynamic young woman. I'm happy to give her my highest recommendation for this exciting next chapter in her life. Gina is an intelligent and hard-working student who has impressed her teachers with her curiosity and dedication. She's especially interested in literature and poetry and contributes her writing to the school literary magazine. Gina is interested in majoring in English next year and continuing to hone her craft. In addition to being a motivated student, Gina gets along well with others and is a caring friend. She has a kind nature and genuinely cares for those around her. She never has a bad word to say about anyone and is the first to lend a helping hand in a tough situation. Gina's open-minded, amiable personality makes her an asset to classroom discussions. She works and gets along well with others and has impressive interpersonal and social skills. In closing, Gina is a caring, motivated student and friend, and she has my highest recommendation. I'm confident that she will be a great success in her college community. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Sincerely, Ms. Honey Ms. Honey seems to think very highly of Gina. Unfortunately, her letter might not go too far in boosting Gina's chances of admission. Let's go over why it's not so effective. The Break Down This letter represents the flip side of the "resume-repeating letter" in that it'sall assessment and few facts or examples.The writer calls Gina caring, compassionate, mature, curious, and open-minded, but she gives few examples to support her characterization. The only concrete piece of information that the writer gives is that Gina likes literature and writes for the school literary magazine. The writer should provide specific stories about Gina thatillustrateher compassion, maturity, or curiosity. When was she "the first to lend a helping hand"? What does she write about for the magazine? How has she shown her counselor her impressive interpersonal skills? This letter would be a lot more memorable, not to mention believable, if it described circumstances or observations in which Ginademonstrated these personal qualities.Without them, it loses impact and meaning and pales in comparison to more specific, supported recommendation letters. Finally, this last example suggests that the counselor had a lot of reservations about recommending her student. While recommenders should present a balanced assessment, focusing on the reservations without presenting sufficient strengths wouldn't be helpful for a student's application. Bad Recommendation #4:Recommended, with Reservations Admissions officers have a lot of experience reading hundreds or thousands of recommendation letters. They can read between the lines and pick up on subtleties. If a counselor usesa lot of loaded phrases that express hesitationabout a student, without balancing them out with a student's strengths, then the letter could come off as negative overall, like in the following example: Dear Admissions Committee, I am writing to recommend Charlie for admission to your college. As his school counselor for the past four years, I've watched Charlie come a long way after a rocky freshman year. I'm confident in his potential to apply himself at college and to continue to grow as a student. Charlie is motivated to continue his education next year. He's especially interested in the sciences and is considering majoring in Biology. His th grade biology teacher noted Charlie's effort and improvement over the year. Charlie is drawn to cellular biology and has expressed interest in working in a research lab. Charlie played drums in the school band in junior year. He enjoyed performing at school concerts. This year he's recommitted himself to focusing on his academics and sharpening his study skills to prepare for the demands of college. I'm impressed with Charlie's hard work and am confident that he will continue to grow and mature in the years to come. I recommend Charlie for admission to your program. He's a hard-working student with a tremendous amount of potential. Please be in touch with any questions. Sincerely, Ms. Collins It's not necessarily a bad thing to speak to a student's potential and room to grow in a recommendation letter, but where does this example fall short? The Break Down This letter focuses almost entirely on Charlie's growth in the future, without saying very much about what he's done so far. It does suggest growth and progress on his part, but theoverall emphasisis on how much further Charlie still has to improve. Ms. Collins talks about his potential so many times without presenting much that's positive about hiscurrent strengths.Even if he has struggled academically, she could talk about his personal qualities, character, relationships with others, or involvement at the school. Because she seems like she's grasping for things to say about Charlie, this letter barely fulfills its role as arecommendation. Instead, it comes off more like a word of caution. These four examples illustrate the most common reasons why a counselor letter of recommendation could miss the mark. Besides being generic, data driven, unspecific, or full of reservations, what other features can weaken letters of recommendation for college? What Else Makes a Recommendation Letter Bad? Some other features that would drag down a recommendation letter include, It's too short.Letters should be a full page. Any shorter than this wouldn't convey enough information, and it would suggest that the recommender wasn't motivated to put much time or thought into it. It's not proofread.Errors of grammar or spelling give that same impression of carelessness and lack of investment in helping the student. It's not customized to the college or program.Actually, a lot of teachers and counselors upload the same letter to the Common Application for students to send to all their colleges. However, if a student is set on a particular program or an especially selective college, like Harvard, then the recommendation letter could be strengthened by speaking specifically to the student's fit with that program or school. Some of these issues are easy to avoid. Proofread your letters to make sure there are no grammatical errors or inaccuracies. Brainstorm before writing to make sure you have enough material to provide a full portrait of the student. Rather than listing every accomplishment a student has ever made, a stronger letterhighlights a few key interests and goalsof the student's. That way it's focused and specific. Students should share detailed "brag sheets" and talk to their counselors to make sure their counselors have all the information. They shouldshare what would go into their ideal letter, like if they want their counselor to highlight their passion for community service, poetry, or engineering. As long as both counselors and students take the time toplan,reflect, and communicate, then bad letters like the ones above can be avoided. Instead, students will get memorable, outstanding, and insightful letters of recommendation for their college applications. What's Next? Are you working with students as a school counselor or college counselor?This in depth guide goes over the steps counselors should take to produce a high quality, outstanding letter of recommendation. Do teacher recs differ from counselor recs at all?Read about what teachers should include in their reference letters for their students. Now that you've read all these examples of bad letters, take time toread the good ones.Here are examples of strong recommendation letters written by counselors and teachers (coming soon). Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: