Decorative Glow Stick Lanterns

Got a glow stick? Use it to make a bright and colorful decorative lantern to use around your home. These colorful glow in the dark lanterns can be used anywhere and made by anyone! Lantern Materials glow sticksscissorsclear glass or plastic containers Make Glowing Lanterns Snap a glow stick to activate it.Snip the end off of the glow stick.Shake the contents of the glow stick into a decorative container to make a glow in the dark lantern. Tips and Safety Info Be sure your containers are dry. Water interferes with the chemical reaction that makes glow sticks glow.While glow sticks typically are labeled as non-toxic, they are not edible. Dont drink the liquid; do wash any glassware used in this project before using it with food.Usually, you break a glass tube inside a glow stick in order to activate it. You will shake the glass out with the liquid. Be careful of the glass so that you dont accidentally cut yourself.This can be a messy project! Its a good idea to shake out the glow stick liquid over some newspapers or a kitchen counter. The glow stick liquid can stain carpets, clothing, etc.

Mr. Pilazzio and Mrs. Walden V. Encinitas Superior Court

Issue: Whether the fourth amendment search and seizure constitutional right was in violation in Encinitas, Ca. when Mike Pilazzio and his passenger, Mrs. Walden was pulled over after Mr. Pilazzio crossed a sold double yellow line, not giving him permission to search his belongings in result finding a purse full of crack cocaine without probable cause. Rule: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.(1) Exclusionary rule: There are thirteen†¦show more content†¦As to a consent search, automatically you give up your Fourth Amendment right for search and seizure. An exception to the Amendment is â€Å"Luggage, handbags, paper bags, and other containers are common safe places for ones personal effects and papers, and the protection of these items from state intrusion lies at the heart of the Fourth Amendment. U.S. Const., Amendment. 4. In other words, giving consent to an officer gives him/her permission to look through your personal possessions and what evidence he/she is allowed to take during the search and can be used against you in the court of law. Unless the consent is limited, they can search anywhere in the passenger compartment, including hidden places and containers. That means behind the door panels, speakers, or dash area. One example of probable cause is one of the major cases that I keep coming across is Carroll v. United States. The Federal prohibition agents, who were undercover working a case to purchase illegal liquor from Carroll, saw he and a coconspirator leave to buy liquor but due to the supplier being unavailable, the transaction failed. The undercover agents watched for the vehicle description of the car that Carroll had used to move the illegal liquor. A week after the agents observed Carroll and his coconspirator on a roadway that is notorious for smuggling the illegal liquor. When the

Free Macbeths Use of Images and Imagery Mac Essay Example For Students

Free Macbeths: Use of Images and Imagery Mac Essay beth essaysUse of Imagery in Macbeth As defined in the Websters Students Dictionary, imagery is a figurative term which reveals description by applying the five senses. William Shakespeares usage of the imagery of animals, the imagery of blood, the imageries of clothing and weather, are frequently shown throughout the play. Through examples of imageries of animals, Shakespeare uses literary elements such as symbolism. Before Suncans assassination, animals, such as the owl and the falcon, emerged from the night and acted unnatural, even like the deeds thats done. It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman, which gives the sternst good-night. In Act 2, scene 2, Lady Macbeth waits anxiously for Macbeth to return from killing Duncan, the King of Scotland. The step that Macbeth is leaping over goes against the rules of nature, and when thsi happens, animals and weather erupt. The owl is a bellman because, according to superstition, the hoot of the owl portends death. He is fatal, perhaps because he death and horror. thus, when the owls screamed and the crickets cried, it symbolized evil and ominous doings. In Act 2, scene 4, Ross and an old man exchange accounts of the disturbed night and the recent unnatural happenings. Hours seemed dreadful and things strange. The heavens and animals are troubled by mans presence on earths stage, where he performs his bloody acts. The night has been unruly, houses and chimneys were being destroyed by fierceful winds, and everything was filled with dire combustion. The indistinguishable bird of darkness, the owl, clamored the night. A falcon, towring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl, whose normal prey is a mouse. The night has become more powerful than the day or else the day is hiding its face in shame. Also, Macbeths horses, the choicest examples of their breed, turned feral, as they broke their stalls, and were said to have eaten each other. Horses do not each other. Bizarre events occured the night Duncan was murdered by Macbeth. These dreadful events took place at night, a symbolic reference to the evil doings of men. There is a sense of fear, wonderment, amazement, and mystery. An atmosphere of death is symbolized by the behavior of the animals of the night. The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements. In Act I, scene 5, Lady Macbeth has already planned the assassination. The raven, a symbol of death, announces the arrival of death for Macbeth with a voice hoarser than ususal. Duncans entrance is fatal, he will die under her battlements. The reader realizes the working of Lady Macbeths mind and how she plans to kill Duncan. King Duncan will not leave the castle alive. the words fatal entrance contradict Duncans lines as he enters the castle, this castle hath a pleasant seat. The raven, a bird of demise, represents Duncans doom. William Shakespeare wisely applies the imagery of animals throughout the play. Many of the images relate to symbolism. Thus, the owl and the raven are animals of the night, and symbolize doom.

The Hole In The Net Argumentative Essay Example For Students

The Hole In The Net Argumentative Essay Word Count: 2522Our social safety net has a hole in it. The fibers of the net aredecaying; the hole is getting bigger. More people are falling through,and the people with the least strength are holding the most of theweight. Three to four million Americans are homeless according to theU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 5.5% cannot find jobsaccording to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, and the figure is overtwice that in the 20-24 year old age group, according to the Departmentof Education. A very slim minority of these people are sucking off thesystem, but the vast majority just had a bad break. Such is the story of Peter and Megan, as told by author Jonathan Kozolin his Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Award winner Rachel and HerChildren: Homeless Families in America. Peter was a carpenter and shewas a homemaker who raised their five children. They lived in a neat,working class apartment building in New York City. Peter didconstruction for public housing projects, a nd had a vast array oftechnical skills and tools: I did carpentry. I painted. I could dowallpapering. I earned a living. We spent Sundays walking with ourchildren on the beach. It may sound like this was a happy family,living the American Dream. Perhaps they were they were selfsufficient for all of the 12 years that they had been married, they hada steady income, a close and loving family, a home, and a chance fortheir children to do even better than they had done. Then the firestruck. They came racing home after hearing the news, only to find thateverything had been destroyed. The children lost their pet dog and cat,Megan lost her grandmothers china, but Peter perhaps lost the most: histools. Since the fire, he has not had a job, because a carpenter withouttools might as well not have eyes. He explained that for every job hehad, he would add a new tool to his collection. But they all went up inthe blaze. When Kozol first met them, they were living in a welfarehotel in New York, wh ere they had been living for two years. They cantget out because federal assistance programs (better known as welfare)tell them that their family limit for an apartment is $366 a month this with seven family members living in New York City. (In comparison,thats about the rock bottom price for a week in a New York City oneroom motel.) In their two room apartment, the entire place is fallingapart, with crumbling walls, no working toilets, and a stench Kozoldescribes as overpowering. We will write a custom essay on The Hole In The Net Argumentative specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now A year later, Kozol meets Peter and Megan again. This time theyreliving on the street, and their children have been taken away, all todifferent foster homes, because, Peter says White children are indemand by the adoption agencies. The social safety net designed to helppeople who are down on their luck: where is it for Peter and Megan, notto mention their children? And without a safety net, how can we expectpeople to fulfill this American Dream? Evidently, we cant. Its asgood as dead. Peter and Megan are real people. This is a real story. For as long asanybody can remember, weve been pounded by success stories of theAmerican Dream. But for every Colin Powell, Lee Iacocca, Bob Dole, orArnold Schwartzenegger, there are dozens, if not hundreds of Peters andMegans. And as long as there are people who want jobs and cant getthem, as long as children live on the streets because of no fault oftheir own, as long as the value of a dollar for the worker keepsdeclining, we cant really say that the American Dream is a reality. The American Dream doesnt have a set definition. It used to meanhaving a husband who worked and provided for his family, a wife whoraised the children, and for every generation, a chance to do betterthan your parents and to have your children do even better than you. Buttoday a new definition of the dream is in order. It basically comes downtoday to the knowledge that if you, as President Clinton says, workhard and play by the rules, you will be able to provide food, clothing,shelter, medical care, education, and a few pleasures for your family. First, though, society needs to get its proverbial house in order. As asociety we need to make certain that some things are brought back to thetable if we want to restore the dream, specifically: · Job stability Without a steady source of income, its impossible tohave a budget on which to base how you allot your money, and obviously asteady cash flow is the only way to purchase the necessities.  · A superior pubic education system In order to get ahead, you have tohave an education. In order for people to allow their children to dobetter than they did, their children have to have more education. Someprograms like a voucher system that would jeopardize the publiceducation system are threats to the American way of life because theystrip public schools of their income base and direct it to private andparochial education, which should only be subsidized by parents, theprivate sector, and the countrys religious institutions that we give atax-exempt status to for this reason among others. Some would say thatthe public education system has failed, that the buildings resembleprisons more than schools, that there is incessant violence, and a wholehost of other complaints, but they can all be fixed as soon as we starttaking care of the underclass that we created. It has become aself-perpetuation situation and a self-fulfilling prophecy. Certainlynobody expects there to be an Ameri can Dream without a firm educationalbasis, and certainly nobody believes that our country would have beenbetter off if we has never had publicly subsidized education. .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d , .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .postImageUrl , .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d , .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d:hover , .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d:visited , .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d:active { border:0!important; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d:active , .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u89443e092685c5478a9f63466c606f4d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Mentor Graphics Essay · Dollar power for the worker Inflation must be low and the dollarmust remain strong in a world market. Almost all workers are now also incompetition with every other worker in the world. Purchasing power mustbe kept high for the working class, and the minimum wage must be enoughon which to support a family. According to Harvard economics professorLarry Katz, the budget would be balanced today if real wages had realincreased at the same rate over the last two decades as they had overthe two and a half before that, all other factors remaining the same. Inaddition, the dollar cannot remain strong without balanced internationaltrade and an internal st imulation of the economy. Tariffs are ahistorically useful tool for restoring trade imbalances. They add moneyto the federal budget while encouraging Americans to buy domesticallymade products and sending a strong message to companies that operatesweatshops in places like Haiti, Indonesia, El Salvador, and Sri Lanka,all places where popular brands like Nike, Reebok, Structure, TommyHilfiger, Guess, and Liz Claiborne have factories. These sweatshops bothdeprive their employees of basic human rights but cost Americans jobs.  · A message of hope from public officials The government must see theAmerican Dream as a viable possibility, or else they will plan forfailure and self-destruction.  · And finally, a net to fall onto as needed. Every time someone switchesjobs, has an illness, has an unforseeable disaster, or falls between thecracks, we cant expect him or her to start all over again. The wholepurpose behind this safety net is to allow people to tread water for afew minutes when they need it the most. Its seldom a way of life,except for people that fall through the gaping hole in the center. It will be impossible to attain these goals without some form ofgovernment intervention. Conservatives talk about the heavy hand ofsocialism like it was the Antichrist. This will not lead to governmentregulation of every facet of our lives; it will merely set up some newprograms, eliminate some old ones, and restructure the existing ones topatch the hole so that the net can catch people and help them rebound. * * * The Homeless Voices Project is a project sponsored by the NationalCoalition for the Homeless that gets the stories of the homeless to showthe more fortunate what theyre going through. The best way to expresshow the dream is failing is by telling the stories of those that it hasfailed for in their own words, the words of the men and women who feelthe pain of desertion by the country that promised to help make themstrong. (The actual voices of these people can be heard on the Internetat http://nch.ari.net/vocpage1.html using Netscape, MS-Explorer, or NCSAMosaic with the appr opriate helper applications.) Every one of thesepeople has been failed by one of the tenets of the dream. Mike, likePeter, is a construction worker. Im a construction worker, unemployed at the moment, and living at ashelter. Theres three or four guys who are on the same project with me,who live there. The situation here in Washington is that there areno.no strong unions or regulations for putting up these governmentbuildings and as a result, we just make enough to basically feedourselves. Andby then, the job is over. And then we have to look foranother one which may be a year from now, and its just notpossiblefor us to get into the the permanent world that most people are in. And most people are laying people off instead of hiring, theres just nopermanent jobs available. The best you can do is a temporary one. So, wego from one temporary situation to another, and never manage to getenough money together to to do anythingfor ourselves in apermanent way. So its kind of a self-perpetuating situation. I dont own a car The recreation, if you want to call it that, ismostly with the church I belong to. I go out to their activities. Wehave picnics retreatsevening activities tutoring, things likethat. And thats what I do in the evenings. Its good to get awayfromfrom the hopelessness that most people like myself have to dealwith twenty-four hours a day. .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 , .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .postImageUrl , .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 , .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58:hover , .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58:visited , .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58:active { border:0!important; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58:active , .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58 .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub1bac179bd6bc2f41b54e7992a23be58:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Walking Around By Pablo Neruda EssaySo, hopefully it wont always be like this, but I dont see anythinghappening to change it right now.Mike is one of the lucky ones. He can at least work from time to time,and make some money. But there is no way that he can move up in theworld when he cant even afford a place to live. The conventional wisdomis to sacrifice, but where is that sacrifice to come from? Withcorporate America restructuring (read: laying off and firing), it hasbecome impossible for people like Mike to enjoy the first part of thedream: job stability. And when he has a job, his dollar is worth theleast its been worth for the working class since the Eisenhoweradmini stration. Angela had a job, paid her taxes, and played by the rules. But a stringof unfortunate events put her living in a cardboard box in Manhattan. She is educated, hard-working, and thoughtful. But she, like so many,slipped a little bit and there was nothing to catch her. Hello everyone, my name is Angela Owens, and I am homeless. I want youto know that homelessness can happento anyone. It can happen toyou, it happened to me. I had three years of college. I worked two jobsfor four years, and things happen and that is one of the reasons whyI am homeless. Uh.., you dont necessarily have to be mentallyincompetent, you dont necessarily have to be handicapped. Things canhappen, whether you have a silver spoon in your mouth, or you are justbelow the poverty line. You can become homeless.Paul Deitrich is an African-American man who saw his minimum wage jobgo from one on which he could take care of himself to one where he couldbarely scrape by and have no real savings to speak of. Then that jobbottomed out on him, he got his two weeks notice, and he was on thestreet within a month. Both the lack of job stability and the lack ofdollar power contributed to his fall. And there is no net to help himget back up how can you apply for a job when you dont have a pho nenumber, address or even any clean clothes?Its a real tough jobto pay the high cost of renton minimum wage,or a small pension. Its really almost impossible. The economic bindthat people are in, who have real small incomes, or no incomes at all isunbelievable. I remember in the last years of Dr. Kings life, he movedaway from social commodation (sic) issues and concentrated more oneconomic issues in the Southin terms of supporting the organization ofhospitals and garbage workers to raise the minimum wage to help removethis bind. The bind got worse, because nowadays with computerization andautomation, the whole strata of lower level jobs has been completelyeliminated. And Dr. King, in the last years of his life, was not onlyinterested in that, he was organizing at that time a poor peoplesencampment to dramatize the terrible bind the lower levels of oursocieties are in. And in fact, he had begun to formulate a slogan, whichmight describe whats happening to hundreds of thousands of peo ple herein the United States. And that slogan waswritten: Unbridled Capitalism is Economic Terrorism And we have tolive with that. And it drives many of us to despairand behind thatdespair, we turn to those things that numb our despair Similar to the enclosure system at the end of feudalism, when the bigland owners realized they could make far more money by driving the serfsoff the land and growing sheep for the factories. And the cities inNorthern Europe filled up with many, many hundreds of thousands ofpeople who had a rural culture, and didnt know how to deal with theurban culture at all. And the despair got so great. That is when in thehistory of the world alcoholism became epidemicout of that despair. And it seems like were seeing a similar, similar situation now. And when youre homeless, where do you wash your clothes? When yourehomeless, where do you clean yourself? The good God-fearing women in thechurches provide us with food, which is a great blessing. When you lookfor a job, where do you tell them to call you back? When you make phonecalls at a public phone, you might lose at least one out of fourquartersWhere do you get a drink in this kind of weather?Society has truly abandoned the people who can be heard the least. Butif we ignoreany longer, the middle class will erodeinto poverty one family at a time, and then, and only then, America willnot be able to recover from what it will have become.

The Bondage Breaker Book

The Bondage Breaker Book Introduction In most societies, religion plays an integral role in the spiritual growth and development of individuals. In times of tribulations, people tend to seek spiritual intervention for the alleviation of the problems inhibiting their progress in different endeavors. In this regard, religious leaders like those in Christian ministries have been on the forefront in fostering the application of religious perspectives in dealing with spiritual, social, and economic challenges.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Bondage Breaker Book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Dr. Neil T. Anderson, the founder of the Emeritus of Freedom in Christ Ministries (FICM), authored a masterpiece book, viz. â€Å"The bondage breaker: overcoming negative thoughts, irrational feelings, and habitual sins†, in a bid to make valid contributions to the alleviation of human suffering. This paper will provide a summary of A nderson’s book before an evaluation and critique are done to determine its application in the mitigation of human suffering from bondage. Summary Anderson wrote the book with the intention of providing readers with a perspective of seeking freedom from the religious point of view based on Christian teachings. He convinces the readers that everyone is entitled to the right to be free from any shackles that may inhibit his/her progress. In this light, behaviors that may be causing one’s tribulations require mitigation through spiritual intervention for the attainment of freedom. According to the author, Christians must challenge demonic powers in a confrontational manner in a bid to break the shackles that bind them. Additionally, the author affirms that Christians can break from their negative thought arrays by combating the temptations that derail them from conforming to the Christian values and expectations. Winning spiritual battles entails the affirmation of oneâ₠¬â„¢s identification with Christ, which fosters the escape from the bondage of sinful behavior (Anderson 2006, 140). Therefore, Anderson outlays a theoretical framework for overpowering irrational feelings, negative thoughts, and habitual sins.  The author explains human behavior by diverging from the old biological and psychological explanations. Christians are faced with slavery, which has been characterized by the emergence of occults and different forms of Satanism (Anderson 2006, 16). This aspect inhibits upright behavior that is expected from Christians since the modern world has embraced a substitute etiology of dysfunctional religious perspectives. The author regards maturity and freedom as the integral aspects of a successful Christian life. The two concepts have Biblical backing since the notions of sanctification and justification represent maturity and freedom respectively. He uses the Bible to show how Satan strives to interfere with the maturity of Christians by prev enting the knowledge of their identity and that of Christ.Advertising Looking for critical writing on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Theologically, Christian healing from detrimental behavior is curtailed by the maturity a continual process, and freedom, which is instantaneous after an individual accepts salvation. Individuals that have been saved by the Christ face Satan’s deception to take them back from their former behaviors, hence it is essential for Christians to embrace maturity. Apparently, â€Å"the kingdom of darkness† enhances its deception by subjecting Christians to sin, failure, and negative habits (Anderson (2006, 34). In this light, Christians combat their tribulations through the application of contemporary means instead of embracing spiritual solutions. Dysfunctional behavior among Christians follows a rational change that starts with the perspective that an act w ould deviate from religious standards that depict the holiness of God. Ultimately, temptations result in immoral conduct that repeats itself to form habits. The loss of one’s control is a gradual process that leads to three detrimental phases of bondage. Self-depreciating judgments and thoughts of guilt characterize the first level of captivity. The second level is manifested by â€Å"strange evil voices† that tend to overwhelm one’s senses. The third level of bondage is depicted by intense oppression by satanic powers that strive to control an individual’s personality over time (Anderson 2006, 106-111). The imposition of the Satan’s illegitimate authority over humanity through deceptive means is accountable for the dysfunctional human behavior (Anderson 2006, 189). Therefore, the healing process is a personal responsibility through the embracement of Biblical ideas and identifying ones personality with Christ. Breaking away from Satanic subjective bondage involves a process of seven steps. The initial step is the counterfeit versus real, which involves the identification and renouncement of the current or prior engagement in false religions or satanic practices. The second step is termed as the deception versus truth and it involves the identification of the Satan’s deceptive approaches as manifested in an individual’s thoughts before replacing them with the truth found in the Bible. Bitterness versus forgiveness is the third step in the process whereby individuals relinquish their privileges to demand impartiality for the injustices they have suffered. The fourth step is rebellion versus submission, which requires Christians to make decisions that would indicate the authority of the biblical teachings through the portrayal that God is the provider and protector. Pride versus humility is the fifth step whereby the continual intervention of God in people’s lives is acknowledged as the factor for an effici ent Christian life.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Bondage Breaker Book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The sixth phase of the process is bondage versus freedom, which involves the confession and renouncement of habitual sins. The final step is acquiescence versus renunciation whereby an individual is expected to renounce ancestral sins and curses for the attainment of liberation (Anderson 2006, 192-221). The author suggests that the inevitability of freedom from bondage would be achieved through the application of the healing process resulting in the alleviation of dysfunctional behaviors. In a bid to maintain freedom, the healing process may be repeated if necessary to foster the newly acquired freedom. Evaluation and Critique Anderson approaches the issue of human suffering from the spiritual warfare perspective. In this regard, the book is subject to evaluation to identify its strengths and weak nesses. Strengths of Anderson’s ideas I like the book’s focus on the truth based on faith rather than the application of power in the liberation of individuals from their suffering. It is believed that the truth would free an individual and the author utilizes the teachings of the scripture to influence people to stop entertaining dysfunctional behaviors. Since the attack by demons is viewed as a spiritual problem, battling it through the application of the truth found in the Bible addresses the situation in a logical manner, which is reciprocally balanced.  The author is justified to postulate that the spiritual battles that individuals engage in are struggles of the mind. Anderson suggests that Satan applies tactics that lead individuals to temptation, deception, and the accusation that tend to act as the truth. In this regard, the belief in a religious system exists in the mind and the evil spirit attacks the mind to drive its deceptive ideas. Therefore, an indivi dual is expected to use the same mind as a retaliation tool to combat the evil forces. In this sense, I like the idea that Christians are expected to employ their spiritual beliefs and attitudes in the spiritual battles that would overpower the dysfunctional behaviors induced by satanic forces.  Anderson’s book notes that religious groups including the church have depended on the scientific and psychological understanding of deviant behaviors for a long time.Advertising Looking for critical writing on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More I like Anderson’s approach to the issue of dysfunctional behavior and healing from a perspective that would be considered mythical or superstitious by scientists. Christians also tend to disregard â€Å"the kingdom of darkness† in the development of dysfunctional behavior that enslaves the multitudes (Anderson 2006, 34). Based on the foundations of supernatural circles, Anderson manages to explain how temporal family systems facilitate dysfunctional behavior and its physical manifestation. In addition, I like how Anderson facilitates a demonstration of the need for healing whereby the healing cycle is provided. The author illustrates a seven-step process through which individuals can break from the bondage and attain freedom. Furthermore, a demonstration of the healing process is enhanced by the acceptance of the occurrence of changes in an individual’s life before engaging the mind in the liberation process. The model provided by Anderson advocates the realignm ent of the thinking course from its deceptive attributes to the embracement and integration of biblical knowledge or truth that enhances the need for healing relationships. Weaknesses of Anderson’s Ideas Despite Anderson’s scriptural base to his arguments, criticism from fellow Christians and the scientific community that requires empirical evidence for validation is inevitable. In this light, identifying the weakness of his perspectives on human suffering is essential for the enhancement of the comprehensive understanding of the topic. According to Anderson, personal responsibility is directly subject to personal choices. This assertion implies that individuals may enslave themselves due to the individual choices that they make, and thus they are responsible for their thoughts, choices, and actions. However, the attribution of dysfunction behavior among Christians to â€Å"severe oppression† or â€Å"demonic influences† implies that every individual is r eligious and the issue of bondage is unavoidable. Therefore, I dislike this aspect of the book. Criticisms of the arguments of Anderson may also emerge from the Christian community of which he uses biblical postulations to support his ideas. Therefore, I question the extent to which salvation can be shaken by the efforts of satanic deception and temptations. It is perceived that a born again Christian should portray firm mental and spiritual strength, which is not tempted and deceived easily to engage in negative thoughts, habitual sins, and irrational feelings. Application in individual life and ministerial endeavors Anderson’s ideas on the walk towards freedom from irrational feelings, habitual sin, and negative thoughts can be applied to an individual’s life as a liberation strategy. In this regard, as a Christian, I welcome the arguments put forward by Anderson that demonic spiritual forces restrain us from acknowledging the freedom that is inherited by accepting C hrist through salvation. This assertion implies that I would identify myself in Christian beliefs that would enhance my identification in Christ. Identifying myself as a believer in Christ would entail commitment and belief in the spiritual teachings provided in the Bible. In this regard, my spiritual growth would be enhanced to curtail the demonic strengths that would result in behavioral dysfunctions. Since the author asserts that habitual sins cultivate satanic strongholds in our lives, which in the long-term takes one back to bondage, it would be essential to observe vigilance in my undertakings. In case I go through the healing process, fostering an upright character that upholds morality is essential to curb any possibilities of returning to old habits induced by Satan’s deceptive techniques. Additionally, a repeat of the steps involved in the healing process would be necessary for the attainment of maturity and freedom as a Christian.  Anderson suggests that demonic activities are not responsible for all spiritual battles encountered by Christians. In this regard, challenges faced in my daily endeavors would not be affiliated with demonic forces that have a bearing on the sins that I commit like lying and my strong emotional reactions. Therefore, engaging my mind in rational thoughts would facilitate the enhancement of responsible behavior that fosters morality. In this respect, discerning personal and spiritual factors that undermine my personality would facilitate a better understanding of the battles that I engage in and the response that I should adopt in a bid to triumph. In my evangelical endeavors as a minister, Anderson’s ideas can be used in demon possession teachings. It would be logical to accept that demons exist in the contemporary world and their activities shackle individuals into bondage. Conclusion Anderson provides a good religious approach to the issue of individual dysfunctions by embracing the spiritual battle perspe ctive. His book, â€Å"The bondage breaker: overcoming negative thoughts, irrational feelings, and habitual sins†, provides an in-depth view of the factors that lead to enslavement coupled with how faith can be used in the emancipation process. Evaluating the ideas of Anderson portrays issues like the mental perception of spiritual battles, explanation of human suffering from the religious angle, and the application of a healing process. Criticisms arise in areas of salvation when exerted to demonic energies and the inevitability of behavioral dysfunctions. The application of Anderson’s ideas in real life situations is also practical since the human race is subject to many challenges that may require spiritual intervention. Reference Anderson, Neil. 2006. The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming Negative Thoughts, Irrational Feelings, Habitual Sins. Sisters, OR: Harvest House Publishers.

Raccoon Facts (Procyon lotor)

Raccoon Facts (Procyon lotor) The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. It is easily recognized by its pointed masked face and banded furry tail. The species name lotor is neo-Latin for washer, referring to the animals habit of foraging for underwater food and sometimes washing it before eating. Fast Facts: Raccoon Scientific Name: Procyon lotorCommon Names: Raccoon, coonBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 23 to 37 inchesWeight: 4 to 23 poundsLifespan: 2 to 3 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: North AmericaPopulation: MillionsConservation Status: Least Concern Description A raccoon is characterized by the black mask of fur around its eyes, alternating light and dark rings on its bushy tail, and pointed face. Except for the mask and tail, its fur is grayish in color. Raccoons are able to stand on their hind legs and manipulate objects with their dexterous fore paws. Males tend to be 15 to 20% heavier than females, but size and weight varies dramatically depending on habitat and time of year. An average raccoon is between 23 to 37 inches in length and weighs between 4 and 23 pounds. Raccoons weigh roughly twice as much in autumn compared to early spring because they store fat and conserve energy when temperatures are low and food is scarce. Habitat and Distribution Raccoons are native to North and Central America. They prefer wooded habitats near water, but have expanded to live in marshes, mountains, prairies, and urban areas. In the mid-20th century, raccoons were introduced into Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Belarus, and Azerbaijan. Raccoon natural range (red) and introduced range (blue). Roke, Creative Commons License Diet Raccoons are omnivores that feed on small invertebrates, nuts, fruit, fish, bird eggs, frogs, and snakes. They tend to avoid larger prey as long as their usual food source is available. Many raccoons are nocturnal, but it is not unusual for a healthy raccoon to seek food during the day, particularly near human habitation. Behavior While captive raccoons often douse their food in water before eating it, the behavior is less common in wild animals. Scientists hypothesize the dousing behavior stems from the species foraging pattern, which typically involves an aquatic habitat. Once thought to be solitary creatures, scientists now know raccoons engage in social behavior. While each raccoon lives within its home range, related females and unrelated males form social groups that often feed or rest together. Raccoons are highly intelligent. They can open complex locks, remember symbols and problem solutions for years, distinguish between different quantities, and understand abstract principles. Neuroscientists find neuron density in raccoon brains comparable to that in primate brains. Reproduction and Offspring Raccoon females are fertile for three or four days between late January and mid-March, depending on the duration of daylight and other factors. Females often mate with multiple males. If the female loses her kits, she may become fertile in another 80 to 140 days, but most females only have one litter each year. Females seek a protected area to serve as a den for raising young. Males separate from females after mating and are not involved in raising young. Gestation lasts from 54 to 70 days (usually 63 to 65 days), resulting in a litter of two to five kits or pups. Kits weigh between 2.1 and 2.6 ounces at birth. They have masked faces, but are born blind and deaf. Kits are weaned by 16 weeks of age and disperse to find new territories in autumn. Females are sexually mature in time for the next mating season, while males mature somewhat later and typically start breeding when they are two years old. In the wild, raccoons typically only live between 1.8 and 3.1 years. Only about half of a litter survive the first year. In captivity, raccoons may live 20 years. Baby raccoons resemble their parents. Janette Asche / Getty Images Conservation Status The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categorizes the raccoons conservation status as least concern. The population is stable and increasing in some areas. The raccoon occurs in some protected areas, plus it has adapted to live in close proximity to humans. While raccoons have natural predators, most deaths are from hunting and traffic accidents. Raccoons and Humans Raccoons have a long history of interaction with humans. They are hunted for their fur and killed as pests. Raccoons may be tamed and kept as pets, although keeping them is prohibited in some locations. Pet raccoons are best kept in pens to minimize property destruction and are usually neutered to reduce aggressive behavior. Orphaned unweaned kits may be fed cows milk. However, becoming accustomed to humans may make it difficult for them to adjust if the raccoons are later released into the wild. Sources Goldman, Edward A.; Jackson, Hartley H.T. Raccoons of North and Middle America. North American Fauna 60 Washington: U.S. Deptartment of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 1950.MacClintock, Dorcas. A Natural History of Raccoons. Caldwell, New Jersey: Blackburn Press, 1981. ISBN 978-1-930665-67-5.Reid, F. A. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico. Oxford University Press. p. 263, 2009. ISBN 0-19-534322-0Timm, R.; Cuarà ³n, A.D.; Reid, F.; Helgen, K.; Gonzlez-Maya, J.F. Procyon lotor. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41686A45216638. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41686A45216638.enZeveloff, Samuel I. Raccoons: A Natural History Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2002. ISBN 978-1-58834-033-7

Philosophical Thoughts and Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Philosophical Thoughts and Issues - Essay Example I am an existentialist, and I highly regard people’s choices and decisions. I listen to other people’s views and I am flexible when making decisions. I value my interests greatly. With regard to reality, I believe that it is subjective, and determined by an individual. Reality is the existence of things in a certain state. This does not involve imaginations, instead, real things are things which are there at the moment, or have been there in the past. They can be observable or not observable. Moreover, reality involves things that can be easily comprehended and those that are difficult to understand (Hay 41). Individuals must be free to make their own decisions and choices in life. As an individual, I do not live by the predetermined choices of other people. I make my own decisions depending on my conscious, subconscious and unconscious mind. Epistemology gives us a basis for discussing the nature as well as the scope of knowledge. It helps us to know how knowledge is acquired (Hay 5). We acquire knowledge through experience. As people grow up, they face many situations some of which are happy moments whereas others are sad moments. Results from these situations help people to uncover the knowledge presented by these situations. We cannot claim to know everything with absolute certainty, because we only believe some things to be true. We have no complete proof that they are true; for instance, we believe that we will die but we do not know our fate after death. We use our senses to make assumptions of what is certain, but we cannot claim to know everything. Ethics or moral principles that guide society, an organization or professionals, are essential in life. Ethics is mainly concerned with leading individuals towards doing good things for colleagues or peers. They are seen as universal, with acceptance from all the people governed by them. Ethics affect people’s behavior as well as judgments and decisions. Ethics guide people on  how to establish and lead good lives. They also teach us our rights and responsibilities as members of a certain community (Hay 57).  

Free Trade during the Rise of Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Free Trade during the Rise of Capitalism - Essay Example Witte introduced industrialized capitalism in Russia believing that it establishes competition and free trade which then results in development bringing prosperity to the individuals. The capitalists, Smith and Witte being on top of the list, strongly believed that competition and free-trade provides not only the earning opportunities to both the businessmen and the laborers but also the quality driven affordable products to the consumers. In their point of view a happier and successful individual will give rise to a happier and successful nation and country. The father of the free-market capitalism, Adam Smith further mentioned in his book, "The Wealth of Nation", that "It is not by gold or silver, but by labor, that all the wealth of the world was originally purchased" (Smith, 1776). The basic message expressed by Smith in "The Wealth of Nation" can be simplified as life is all about give and take. Somebody's necessities or luxuries fulfill other man's necessities or luxuries. This means that not only the laborer fulfills his demands by working for the business owner but also the business owner fulfills his demands by providing work to the laborer. This is how people are dependent on each other. Such collaborative efforts of the people of a nation bring harmony and success to them. The other very common concept explaine... This approach of monopoly can be restrained by having competition in the market. The business man will never lower its supply or production knowingly that it will benefit his competitor instead of him. The competition thus, reinforces the benefit of the consumer providing him better products within lesser prices. This approach of competition via capitalism by Smith inspired Sergei Witte who then implemented it in Russia and thereby, brought advancement and development in Russia. But in contrast to Smith, who emphasized over free market, Witte proposed protectionism in his capitalistic vision. In free market, government does not intervene in the market instead it just regulates the market against fraud or corruption. Only property rights are protected by the government with no regulation, subsidization, single monetary system, and governmental monopolies. Whereas Protectionism is the economic policy adopted by the government to impose barriers to trade. Protectionism is also referred as fair trade by it supporters. It is meant to protect the domestic industry from foreign competitors by imposing tariffs, subsidies, import quotas, or other restrictions or handicaps placed on the imports of foreign competitors. Capitalism was strongly condemned by Karl Marx a nineteenth century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary. He mentioned in his work, "The Communist Manifesto" that "Economic Competition and the pursuit of self-interest created only anguish, inequality, and the exploitation by the "haves" of the "have-nots"." (Marx, 1848) This argument was then perceived by many illustrating that capitalism limit the power and wealth in the hands of few people belonging to the elite

Jonathon Livingston Seagull Essay Example for Free

Jonathon Livingston Seagull Essay 1. The fictional book, Jonathon Livingston Seagull written by Richard Bach, sold over a million copies during its debut in 1970 and stayed on The New York Times Top Ten list for 38 weeks in a row. The story focuses on Jonathon the seagull’s passion for flying and his belief that there is more to life than scavenging for food. Bach explores the idea that there is more to this life than what meets the eye and the extreme satisfaction you receive when doing something you are great at and have a passion for. 2. The setting of this story takes place on some sea shore where thousands of seagulls live. The sea shore setting described in the book really helps to paint a picture of what Jonathon and this flock of seagulls experienced daily, â€Å"It was morning, and the new sun sparkled gold across the ripples of a gentle sea.†(Bach pg 3) 3. Jonathon Livingston Seagull is the protagonist in this story with his strong drive and persistence to be different from the flock and to be his own seagull. The antagonists in the story are the Elders of the flocks of seagulls because they are very closed mined leaders and they force Jonathon and other seagulls to be outcast from society and ban them to a life of isolation and despair. Chiang was an Elder Gull that taught Jonathon very specialized flying techniques and improved his skills and taught him things about life. When Jonathon was outcast from the gull community everyone in the community thought that Jonathon was a reckless and irresponsible seagull, so when Jonathon finally returned to the community and everyone saw how amazing his flying skills were they changed their minds and many of them asked to be taught by Jonathon himself which was breaking the gull community law, This is an example of foil characters. â€Å"His thought was triumph. Terminal velocity! A seagull at two hundred and fourteen miles per hours! It was a breakthrough, the greatest single moment in the history of the flock, and in that moment a new age opened for Jonathon Gull.† (pg 16-17) 4. The plot of this story is a traditional plot type. The story ends with the last words of his Jonathon’s teacher, Keep working on love. Through his teachings, Jonathan understands that the spirit cannot be really free without the ability to forgive, and that the way to progress leads for him, at least through becoming a teacher, not just through working hard as a student. So, if any seagull believes that it is free to do what it wants to, it becomes Jonathan the seagull, for whom, possibilities were endless. Every law is an illusion. Once we become conscious of this, our existence gets a new meaning. a. The biggest conflict was Jonathon going against the norm of the seagull community and ultimately getting expelled from the community for his irresponsible acts. â€Å"For his reckless irresponsibility†, â€Å"Violating the dignity and tradition of the Gull family.† (pg 24) b. The situation at the end where Jonathon returned to the breakfast seagull flock was sig nificant because it demonstrated forgiveness and compassion. These gulls hated Jonathon and wanted nothing to do with him and yet he still had the courage to forgive them and even teach them how to fly like he does. â€Å"You have to practice to see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and help them to see it in themselves.†(pg 89) 5. -This book was definitely one of the more inspiring books that made me think out of the box that I have read in quite some time. For example, I really liked one of the messages that implied that if you want to have a fulfilling happy meaningful life you need to stop following the crowd and make your own path even if there are consequences. If you find something that you are good at and enjoy doing stick with it and master it and watch how it will shape you life. -This story uplifted my spirits and motivated my behavior change in several ways. For example, Jonathon Livingston Seagull is a great example to me because not only does he go against the norm and try to learn everything about his passion in life, he also learns forgiveness and compassion for the other seagulls of the community and wants to teach them how to live a wonderful life. I have noticed in my life that I am most happy when I have found something that I love to do and also when I am helping others find that same thing or serving them in some manner and I think Jonathon mastered this aspect of true charity. â€Å"You have to practice to see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and help them to see it in themselves.†(pg 89) 6. In conclusions the book had both strong and weak contributing factors. The strong factors were that it had a very unique, interesting story line that kept the reader interested enough to keep reading. Bach also used implied messages of inspiration and important values in this life which in my opinion was very cool and had a strong plot. Some of the weak factors were that the book almost needed to be read straight through in one sitting to really get the message and make sense. It was not very challenging to read which could be good and bad. The setting was not very descriptive, it basically just took place either in the air or on the sea shore. I think the proper age group for this book would be late high school students and college students and even young adults. Richard Bach impacted me by creating a plot and story line that delivers a messages that anything is possible in life as long as you want it enough and practice at it thus, I am now interested in making some changes in my life. Works Cited Back, Richard. Jonathon Livingston Seagull. New York: Scribner, 1970.

Woman Warrior Essay -- essays research papers

A Warrior’s Triumph   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston presents the story of a girl trapped between the cultures of her surrounding environment and that which her mother and family have forced upon her. Knowing only the Chinese way of life, this girl’s mother attempts to familiarize her daughter, whom is also the narrator, with the history of their family. The mother shares this heritage through the use of stories in hopes the narrator will be prepared for her ultimate return to China, which is a life completely foreign to her own. Through these stories and the strong influence of the surrounding American culture, the narrator’s life and imagination spin off in a new direction. She is confronted by many obstacles, which cause problems with not only her mother, but also with her attempt to discover her personal identity. Although the narrator’s assimilation to the American culture causes numerous conflicts with her mother, she is able to overcome adversity and come of age as a Chinese-American with the help of her mother’s stories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Kingston’s first story, â€Å"No Name Woman,† the reader is first introduced to the stories of the narrator’s mother. This particular tale involves an aunt that the narrator never knew, who was shunned from her family for having an affair. It was through this story that the narrator learned how careful a young woman must be when growing up in the Chinese culture. Years after hearing of her aunt’s misfortune, the narrator realizes that she has carried on this ostracism and is equally as guilty as the others who participated in this punishment of silence. However, the narrator feels an intense connection with the outcast of her family. â€Å"My aunt haunts me—her ghost drawn to me because now, after fifty years of neglect, I alone devote pages of paper to her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (16). Perhaps the narrator feels this bond because she herself feels completely alienated from the family and could never be fully connected to her Chinese h eritage. Although she is angry for the terrible punishment inflicted on her aunt, she feels remorse for â€Å"telling on her† (16). This shows that the narrator does not only disapprove of the Chinese culture, but also feels sorry for those who must suffer in an eternity of exile.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"White Tigers† brings readers into the creative imaginatio... ... seems to plague the narrator endlessly. She knows she can never break away from one culture without having to completely abandon the other. In the end, however, she realizes that she must leave home if she is ever to discover her purpose in the world, be it in China or America. The harsh criticisms and endless disapproval causes detrimental effects to the narrator, while at the same time giving her strength to overcome this lifelong struggle by facing her mother. Although the stories of her mother’s Chinese experiences and the insistence on her daughter living there push the narrator further away, it eventually causes an interest to discover what is really true. â€Å"Soon I want to go to China and find out who’s lying†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (205). Though some can constantly feel sorry for the narrator, we can also feel sorry for her mother not knowing any better. This is what ultimately caused the nonexistent relationship between the two. Through this complicated life, th e narrator gained the strength, intelligence, and experience that allowed her to overcome numerous obstacles. Contrary to the belief of some, I feel she has her mother to thank for these gains, and that may have made all the difference.

Vero Moda Marketing mix

VERO MODA was one of the first brands to launch within the Bestseller family. Today VERO MODA is one of the largest brands in the company. The vision of the brand was to fulfill a need for good quality, on-trend clothing at affordable prices. VERO MODA is the brand of choice for the fashion-conscious, independent young woman who wants to dress well and pay less. Today, VERO MODA has more than 1,000 stores in Europe, 1,600 stores in China, and experience rapid growth in both India and Canada. VERO MODA is represented in almost 45 countries. Vero moda has two in-house labels that specialize in a certain type of apparel that is-Y.A.S- The core collection is founded in our eternal passion for luxurious fabrics, contemporary shapes, modern lines, and refined silhouettes. Y.A.S stays true to its ethos, which is a design approach centered on well-crafted, feminine collections with a touch of edge and understated coolness. Noisy May is a team of passionate individuals bound together by their love for fashion and true denim.SEGMENT- Young adults, young independent women, fashion conscious women. Between the age group of 18-35TARGET- It targets the upper middle class and high class; with annual income of 5 lakhs and above.THE FOUR P’sPRODUCT Vero Moda has apparel, accessories and shoes.Women’s wearVero moda caters to the fashion loving populace.Vero Moda clothes follow the current fashion trends and patterns. The silhouettes are very feminine, stylish and semi-formal. It doesn’t give a casual look rather a very prim and proper feminine look and feel. Premium quality fabrics are used giving the products a very luxurious feel. The colours used by the brands are sober and sophisticated and then again they have a section with bright feminine colours. The colour pattern is also tweaked from time to time according to the season’s trends. It offers a wide range of sizes catering to all- from an XS to a XL.Accessories & shoes The accessories include w allets, scarfs, earrings, neck pieces and rings. The accessories are again quite feminine and complement their apparel range. Scarfs use a lot of trendy prints. The wallets and shoes use a lot of leather and sequins- Keeping the target audience in mind this is very apt as a young fashionable working women need both to go with their professional and social life.PRICEVero moda has placed itself has a affordable fashion brand for young independent women.The price ranges from Rs 400 to Rs 6000. Since the brand is providing good quality and follows current fashion trends , their customers don’t mind paying that extra bit. Vero Moda has a very niche and sophisticated feel to it which is also reflected through it clothes. But it’s pricing strategy is such that it should target the young independent women who are willing to look good but at affordable prices. Women today are smart and aware and look for the best deals. Thus Vero moda is giving them high quality fashion at an a ffordable price and service. The strategy is that the price should come as a pleasant surprise to its customers.The competitor brands are Zara, Mango, Chemistry. Zara and Chemistry are similarly priced whereas Mango is priced at a higher level.PLACEThe brand targets the fashion conscious independent women and the upper middle class and high class.By Place it means the distribution channel a company follows. Maximum distribution of its products is direct. The brand owns independent stores. Off late they have set up sections in other departmental store that share a similar design philosophy. The brand is placed in a mall or high street which is frequently visited by the target audience. Vero Moda has not restricted itself only to high street or exclusive malls as it talks about affordability and reaching the masses.PROMOTIONAbove the line- Vero Moda doesn’t have much of above the line promotion. It doesn’t have tv or radio commercials. Though it does promote itself quite a bit through print media; especially in fashion magazines. For new collection Vero Moda prints out catalogues which are circulated to frequent customers and given to any visitor who comes to the store..Below the Line-Vero Moda has its own active website which is regularly updated. It also conducts online competitions and other promotional activity. The brand sends out regular mails to its valued customers always keeping them in the loop. Thus maintaining a good customer base and trying to create a brand loyalty for itself.One of the most striking promotional activities is the window displays done by the brand. Its out of the box, trendy and very attractive. It speaks smartness, class, chic, sophistication.During sales they have special window displays and holdings. This makes more and more people aware about their ongoing sale.SWOT ANALYSIS:STRENGTH- Fashionable and trendy Affordable pricing Good quality Spacious stores Strong brand image Brand awareness WEEKNESS Not enough promot ion ( tv commercials, endorsements, ) Repetition and can get monotonous Narrow target audience ( only young women)OPPORTUNITIES To broaden target audience ( menswear, children) More commoditiesTHREATS Competitor brands Global brands Brands with better promotional strategies Better offers and pricing strategies.

Leadership and Organizational Behavior

Breast Cancer Society of America Funds? Mary Clayborne [email  protected] com Leadership and Organizational Behavior MGMT -591-19138 Instructor: Jacci Christopher September 21, 2012 At one point in time, I’ve thought that every one including myself knew themselves whether it was their character, personality, what they like and do not like. I figured that once you knew of these things than that means that you were going to be just fine and that you now have the knowledge and tools needed to get by in life it self.After taking this life styles inventory test, I realized that what you have thought about in regards to ones own self may not always be true. While taking this inventory, my primary results were that I scored a 99 for being affiliate, needing approval, conventional, being dependent, and also avoidance. One word that I did not understand was affiliate. So when I did my research on the word the definition that came about was from businessdictionary. com states that an affiliate leader is one that promotes harmony among his or her followers and helps to solve any conflict.They also make it where their followers feel connected to each other. This sounds like me. I love to be in a place where there is peace, love, harmony, unity as well. This particular inventory amazes me even from the start of it. My backup personal thinking styles as shown in my circumplex are oppositional, self-actualizing, and humanistic-Encouraging. Its funny how one of my second highest percentiles was humanistic-encouraging. At my church, my talent and gift and being an encourager.So this thinking style I most certainly agree with due to the fact that I find myself encouraging people all the time on a regular basis. Even when I’m at work, at church, at school or just daily doing activities and it might perhaps cause me to interact with someone. Most times I catch myself asking that particular person if they are alright or if there is anything that I can do for them. I t feels like when I say those words it feels so natural to ask them that and not like any struggles as it may feel to others. In this case I totally agree with me being a humanistic-encourager.However, I would have thought that humanistic-encouraging would have been one of the styles that gotten a high percentage, so that kind-of puzzles me. In my mind being a dependent type of person means that you rely on people for certain things. Now that I think about it I guess it’s true to a certain extent. The style that I think might be reducing my over all effectiveness would be oppositional. I don’t think that I critic everything and seems to be a negative person. I try to be as positive as I can towards any situation. If an employer sees that one of my styles were oppositional, I don’t think they would want to hire me.However, I’m willing to be more open minded about the situation of course and to gain more knowledge and wisdom as to how to handle different si tuations that may come my way. One thing that I’ve noticed is that when you are a manager or a CEO of a particular company, hearing the voice from your staff should be very vital. At my job one of the biggest issues that everyone is having is with parking. I work literally right outside of down town and so the area in which everyone parks at is for free which means that everyone including the people you work with will get there as early as possible to get a park.However, there is a paid parking lot that located right behind our building where a lot of people do not park at because of the pricing. So us as a staff, we asked the owner of the company if he could rent the parking lot out for his staff and we all would pay a monthly fee. We all should have known what the response would be, (it was no). Due to this matter trying to get to work at 6:00am and do not have to see client’s until 9:30am is quite a bother. Some times it effects my work ethics and behavior because i m at work so early and don’t have to see anyone until hours later.So when the time come, I feel tired and drained because all of my energy was used so when I got to work. When you are working with a diverse group of people, you will notice that you have to be a multitasked and able to be opened minded with new ideas that might come about. My LSI style affects my personal and professional life style. I have 8 brothers and sister. Majority of them are girls, so there would always be some types of competitiveness going on in the house. Who has the longest hair, which can clean up the best for mother’s approval, who can dance better, who can do a lot of other things better than the other.My LSI style has contributed to my child hood. It makes you think and wonder, when we were children we started to develop into our character and personality not knowing it would create our own unique self. Being a perfectionist is a style that I thought I carried very strongly. I’m assuming that its not based on the LSI inventory. I could remember times where I would get highly upset if a particular task that I was to complete was not done the way that I wanted it to be. If so, I would stop completely and never return to it.Not knowing that that style is being a perfectionist person. Did this make me different from the other children or not was a question that I wondered for years. One of the things I would like to learn while being in MGMT591 is that I’m able to learn how to blend my primary and backup styles together or balance them out so that I can become emotionally stable while on the job or in my personal life. While doing so, this would improve who I am as an employee and as a person in general. Name:  Ã‚  D01595657 |Date Survey Taken:  Ã‚   | Your LSI Styles Profile The raw and percentile scores in the table below and the extensions on the circumplex shown below depict your perceptions of how you think and behave. The CONSTRUCTIVE Styles ( 11, 12, 1, and 2 o'clock positions) reflect self-enhancing thinking and behavior that contribute to one's level of satisfaction, ability to develop healthy relationships and work effectively with people, and proficiency at accomplishing tasks.The PASSIVE/DEFENSIVE Styles (3, 4, 5, and 6 o'clock positions) represent self-protecting thinking and behavior that promote the fulfillment of security needs through interaction with people. The AGGRESSIVE/DEFENSIVE Styles (7, 8, 9, and 10 o'clock positions) describe self-promoting thinking and behavior used to maintain status/position and fulfill security needs through task-related activities. |Position |Style Score |Percentile | |1 |Humanistic-Encouraging |39 |96 | |2 |Affiliative |40 |99 | |3 |Approval |33 |99 | |4 |Conventional |36 |99 | |5 |Dependent |36 |99 | |6 |Avoidance |21 |99 | |7 |Oppositional |9 |63 | |8 |Power |2 |10 | |9 |Competitive |7 |15 | |10 |Perfectionistic |15 |20 | |11 |Achievement |25 |25 | |12 |Self-Actualizing |32 |70 | The raw scores potentially range from 0 to 40. The percentile scores represent your results compared to those of 9,207 individuals who previously completed the Life Styles Inventory.For example, a percentile score of 75 means that you scored higher along a particular position than 75% of the other respondents in the sample and, in turn, indicates that the style represented by that position is strongly descriptive of you. In contrast, a score of 25 means that you scored higher than only about 25% of the other respondents and therefore indicates that the style represented by that position is not very descriptive of you. Your LSI Styles Circumplex For detailed descriptions of each of these 12 styles, click on the circumplex graphic in each of the 12 sections. [pic] Examining your Circumplex To accurately interpret your LSI results, it is important for you to consider your score on each style in terms of its range (high, medium, or low) on the profile. The three ranges correspond to the percentile points in the circumplex and in the table above. [pic] Leadership and Organizational Behavior Assignment 1, Briefing sheet, January 2013 Jeffrey P. Bezos : An entrepreneur leader Jeff Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and from an early age he showed his mechanical attitude developing intense and varied scientific interests. Considering this fact, his parents sent him to a special program for gifted children, where Jeff could develop his love for gadgets (Byers, 2006). When his family moved to Florida, he discovered his ‘great passion’, computers, so he abandoned his studies in Physics and got a degree on Computer science and Electrical engineering (Sherman, 2001).After his studies, Jeff Bezos started working for Bankers Trust, and at the age of 26 he became the youngest Vice President of the company (Byers, 2006). When he noticed in 1994 that internet usage was increasing by 2300% a year (Hamalainen & Saarinen, 2007), he started planning his next step, which was Amazon. com. Amazon made his appearance in 1995 with 3 micro stations in Bezos’ garage (Robinson, 2009) and its activity was to sell books. Today Amazon. com is one of the most preferable internet retail platform, where customers can find DVD’s, CD’s, MP3 downloads, books and toys. According to Economist (2000), Amazon. om is the most visited internet retail platform in USA and one of the top 3 in Germany, UK, France and Japan. The impact of Amazon. com Amazon. com is today the largest electronic retail worldwide (Anon. , 2012). According to J. Bezos (Wired Magazine, December, 2011), Amazon is a cultural pioneer which lives to disrupt even its own business. It is recognized by 55% of conscious population, and it is part of today’s Western culture (Spector, 2002). The company spends almost 40% of its income on brand building (Margolis, 1999), and that is why Amazon. com is a trustable and a well-known brand name (Economist, 2000, Marketing, 1999). 0,000 people work today for Amazon, and the company turnover is 48 billion a year (Warman, 2012). Amaz on. com launched in November 2007 Kindle E-book reader and as Bezos notes â€Å"Millions of people own now Kindles† (Gonsalves, 2010)). According to Gonsalves (2010), Amazon sells 6 Kindles titles for every 10 hard books, and this strategic move increased profits up to 71%. Jeff Bezos vision about Amazon. com is to be the most customer-centric company in the world (Mellahi & Johnson, 2000). According to Mellahi and Johnson (2000) the success key of the company is†¦ innovation-innovation & innovation. J.Bezos’ approach to leading Amazon and his key factors which have contributed to his success. He was named â€Å"Man of the year 1999† (Ramo, 2011) and â€Å"Business person of the year† (Fortune Magazine, 2012). Jeff Bezos is a visionary entrepreneur leader ( (Dyer, et al. , 2009)). According to Moment (2004) the essential traits of an effective entrepreneur are to be singular focus, self-driven, ambitious, achievement oriented, imaginative, independen t and versatile. According to Quittner (1999) â€Å"Bezos, naturally enough is unmoved by the nay saying†. He asserts some instinctive characteristics, which make him distinctive from other leaders.Can he be described as a â€Å"Great Man/ Great leader†? As Huczynski and Buchanan put it (2007) â€Å"Great man are born leaders and emerge to take power regardless of social, organizational or historical context†. Other researches on trait theories tried to specify the traits of a great leader and found hundreds of them. However, according to Kilpatrick and Locke (1991) the typical leadership traits are: drive to archive, motivation to lead, self-confidence, ability to withstand setbacks, honesty and integrity, standing firm, cognitive ability, knowledge of business, emotional resilient.When Bezos decided to quit from his work on Wall Street, he had a strong feeling that his new business plan for an internet based retail platform would be his chance to move his idea s one step further (Academy of achievement interview, 2001). According to Stogdill (1948, 1974) a great man is confident, and he has a strong ego. A great man also has traits as honesty and integrity (Kilpatrick and Locke, 1991) and Jeff Bezos believe that one of the principal key of a leader is the courage â€Å"to tell the hard truth†.His collaborators and people who spend time working with him, subscribe Bezos as â€Å"immensely likable man† (Eskenazi, 2005). All this shows to us his excellent social skills. Subordinates are surprised by his brainpower and the way he inspires and leads his subordinates . These are signs of his intelligence and his motivation to lead. Examine the style, approach and content of the leadership demonstrated by specific examples Daft (2009) subscribes Bezos as a strong charismatic and also a visionary entrepreneur leader (Dyer, et al. , 2009).According to Schlooser and Todorovic (2006) there are commonalities between entrepreneurs and ch arismatic leaders. Subordinates usually are attracted by the way an entrepreneur and charismatic leader shows his great passion on achieving goals, taking risks, adding value in the organization and the way to control the business (Schlooser and Todorovic, 2006). According to Daft (2009) in an organization like Amazon where growth increases and the leader (Bezos) provide his major goal for continued growth, subordinates are exited and fully committed.Bezos has also a great ability to adapt to changes. He believes that engaging only to practices which will surely be successful, will prevent from exploring new opportunities (The business journals, May, 2008) Amazon. com’s motto is â€Å"Work hard, have fun and write history†. According to Adair (1979) in order to increase the effectiveness of the group, leaders (managers) must find ways to cover three basic needs of their subordinates: task needs (work hard), individual needs (have fun) and team maintance needs (write hi story).This approach is called Action-Centred Leadership and is part of Functional Approach. According to this approach, attention is focused on the content of leadership and how the group of the subordinates is affected by the leaders’ behavior. Bezos is also a situational leader, when Amazon had 2,9 million dollars in loses, he changed his strategy from â€Å"getting Amazon bigger and faster† to â€Å"look inside the house† (Anon. , 2012). Situational approach (Hersey and Blanchard, 1979) focuses on the situation where characteristics of an effective leadership are depending on the situation.Furthermore, Bezos is a transformational leader. Researchers in leadership argue that visionary and charisma are some of the characteristics of a transformational leader (Mullins, 2010). A transformational leader inspires and gives vision for the next day of the organization and knows how to connect the achievements of the subordinates with the organization’s goals (Kark, et al. , 2003). Shares are offered for bonuses to Amazon. com employees, in order to motivate them to see the big picture of the business and to feel their participation within the organization’s vision.Evaluate whether Jeff Bezos could have been as effective in a different context or organization, giving a credible argument for this supported by referenced theory Jeff Bezos has showed he can lead Amazon. com through change via his ability to make it the most costumer centric company in the world (Sherman, 2001). His visionary entrepreneur leadership style (Dyer, et al. , 2009) offers the ability to fit in change. His transformational leadership style (Burns, 1978) also indicates his charismatic way on leading his organization under different situations.Also, Jeff Bezos and Amazon surprised by launching the new Kindle Fire HD tablets (Spencer, 2012). Kindle Fire Hd is now one of the most hi-tech tablet gadgets in the world and Apple’s iPad finally found a real c ompetitor. According to Charles(2012), Bezos and Amazon are preparing another big surprise for their competitors: The new Kindle phone. These show us that Bezos could be effective if the context of the company was different. Jeffrey Bezos is an entrepreneur, and like other entrepreneurs he is known for having started his own business. It is unknown whether he could lead an established organization.It can be said that he would not be effective leading companies which are out of his ’area’ (computing & internet), but he also founded ‘’Blue Origin’’, a human spaceflight company (Boyle, 2006). According to these transferable skills and his traits (charisma, creativity, energy-drive, strong ego, honesty and integrity, social sills) he could lead different context companies in various situations. Conclusion We showed that Jeff Bezos is a strong visionary and charismatic entrepreneur leader with the traits of a great man. He is also a situational an d transformational leader with a great ability to inspire his suborders.They admire his brainpower and his successful decision-making. He can easily adapt to change, and his transferable skills make him a great leader under any circumstances. References Anon. , 2006. Click to download. [Online] Available at: http://www. economist. com/node/7791530 [Accessed 28 December 2012]. Anon. , 2012. A Retail Revolution Turns 10. [Online] Available at: http://www. nytimes. com/2005/07/10/business/yourmoney/10amazon. html? pagewanted=all&_r=0 [Accessed 28 December 2012]. Boyle, A. , 2012. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spaceship company aces pad-escape test. [Online] Available at: http://cosmiclog. nbcnews. om/_news/2012/10/22/14623551-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-spaceship-company-aces-pad-escape-test? lite [Accessed 28 December 2012]. Byers, A. ; Byers, A. , 2006. Jeff Bezos: The Founder of Amazon. com. New York: Rosen Publishing Group . Dyer, J. H. , Gregersen, H. B. ; Clayton, M. , 2009. The Innovatorâ €™s DNA. [Online] Available at: http://hbr. org/2009/12/the-innovators-dna/sb2 [Accessed December 2012]. Edgecliffe-Johnson, A. , 2011. Amazon leads holiday online retailers poll. [Online] Available at: http://www. ft. com/intl/cms/s/0/65aef080-30a8-11e1-9436-00144feabdc0. html#axzz2JBnkxnU0 [Accessed 2 January 2013]. Gonsalves, A. , 2010.Amazon Kindle Sales Push Profits Up 71%. [Online] Available at: http://www. informationweek. com/telecom/business/amazon-kindle-sales-push-profits-up-71/222600622 [Accessed 28 December 2012]. Gonsalves, A. , 2010. Color Kindle Deep On Amazon Horizon. [Online] Available at: http://www. informationweek. com/storage/portable/color-kindle-deep-on-amazon-horizon/225200291 [Accessed 28 December 2012]. Halliday, J. ; Arthur, C. , 2012. New Kindle Fire set for launch following first version sales of 6m. [Online] Available at: http://www. guardian. co. uk/technology/2012/aug/31/kindle-fire-tablet-launch-amazon [Accessed 28 December 2012].Hamalainen, R. H. P. ; Saarinen, E. , 2007. Systems Intelligence in Leadership and Everyday Life. Helsinki: Systems Analysis Laboratory. Hersey, P. ; Blanchard, K. , 1996. Management of organizational behaviour. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Huczynski, A. ; Buchanan, D. , 2001. Organizational Behaviour. s. l. :Prentice Hall. Kark, R. , Shamir, B. ; Chen, G. , 2003. The two faces of transformational leadership: Empowerment and dependency. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(2), pp. 246-255. Levy, S. , 2011. Jeff Bezos Owns the Web in More Ways Than You Think. Wired Magazine, 13 November.Margolis, B. , 1999. An Amazon. com storey lessons learned. Direct Marketing, 62(761), p. 243. Mellahi, K. ; Johnson, M. , 2000. Does it pay to be a first mover in e. commerce? The case of Amazon. com. Management Decision, 38(7), pp. 445-452. Mullins, L. , 2009. Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Ramo, J. C. , 1999. Jeffrey Preston Bezos: 1999 Peson of the year. Time Magazi ne, 27 December. Robinson, T. , 2009. Jeff Bezos: Amazon. com Architect. Minneapolis: Abdo Publishing Company. Sherman, J. , 2001. Jeff Bezos:King Of Amazon. Com. New York: 21st Century.Spector, R. , 2002. Amazon. com: Get Big Fast. New York: Harper Collins Publishers . Todorovic, Z. W. ; Schlosser, F. K. , 2007. An entrepreneur and a leader! : A framework conceptualizing the influence of leader style on a firm's entrepreneurial orientation—Performance relationship. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2o(3), pp. 289-308. Warman, M. , 2012. Amazon: don't blame us for the revolution on the high street. [Online] Available at: http://www. telegraph. co. uk/technology/amazon/9604296/Amazon-dont-blame-us-for-the-revolution-on-the-high-street. html [Accessed 28 December 2012].

Dead Souls essays

Dead Souls essays Dead Souls by Nickolai Gogol, was released March 25, 1997. This novel was first published in 1842. Dead Souls is many things. Not only is it a fictional novel of Russian life but an epic, a series of charachter portrayals of the various good and bad members of Russian society. The main characters in this novel include Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a dismissed civil servant and the protagonist of the novel,Nozdrev the gambler, drunk and compulsive liar, the overly affectionate Manolive, and the miserly and paranoid Plewskin. Dead Souls takes place in Russia in the late 1800s, where, unlike in America, one must be born into a prosperous family in order to have opportunities. The main character, Chichikov, is clever enough to develop a scheme in which he can rise from being a petty clerk to a respected landowner. In order to do this, Chichikov moves into crime." In the end of Dead Souls, Chichikov is stabbed in the back by the people he does business with, and does not get away with his i ngenious plan. Nickolai Gogol effectively utilizes the components of his work. This novel includes a series of character portrayals of the various good and bad members of the Russian society. Gogol tackles his themes with wit and humor. His writing intersperses the narrative with social reflection and thoughts on human nature, never boring or pretentious, but always funny and satirical. In fact, Gogol's irony, and cynicism are probably the most valuable assets of this particular novel. Nickolai Gogol shines in satirical characters. Each landholder Chichikov visits is a miniature masterpiece of eccentricities reflecting aspects of Russian character. The suspicious old woman, the unrealistically stubborn bargainer, and the bluff calling drunkard. Chichikov cunningly adapts to each, concincing all sorts to sell him dead serfs. Those familiar with Gogol's short work will already relish his incisive wit. He uses the plot of the novel to paint an exhilarating p...

Why Are Recommendations Important to YourCollegeApplication

Why Are Recommendations Important to YourCollegeApplication SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many colleges use a holistic process to evaluate applicants, seeking to understand the "whole person" and not solely rely on grades and test scores. One way they accomplish thisis by readingrecommendation letters from teachers and counselors. This guide will discuss what exactly admissions officers are looking for in your recommendation letters, and why they’re so important to your overall candidacy. By understanding the purpose of rec letters, you’ll be in a better position to gather strong ones for your application. To begin, let’s take a closer look at what admissions officers mean when they talk about using a holistic admissions process. What’s a Holistic Application Process? More and more students apply to college each year. At many schools, especially selective ones, there’s a surplus of qualified students for a limited number of available spots. Because so many students are qualified in terms of their grades and test scores, admissions officers can’t rely entirely on this objective criteria. Instead, they use a holistic process to get to know the whole student, including her personality, values, and goals. This awareness helps them determine who to accept, plus it allows them to build a diverse class of students with a variety of interests, experiences, and goals. For these reasons, admissions officers seek to get to know each student, from what motivates her to what role she might play on a college campus. They gain insight from the student directly, but they also learn a lot from what school authoritieshave to say - specifically, from teachers and counselors in their letters of recommendation. Your recommendation letters can (and should) reveal a number of things about you. They should speak to your academic strengths and interests, your personal qualities, your role in your school community, and your potential direction in the future. Whether your recommenders talk about it explicitly or not, a positive letter also suggests your ability to get along with your teachers and others in your school. For admissions officers seeking to learn more about you, these letters offer a great deal of insight into who you are and how you’ll fit in and work with others at college. Plus, they lend support to the idea that you’ll contribute and add value to your college campus and society in the future. Let’s take a closer look at what specifically colleges look for in letters of rec and why, starting with your academics. Your Intellectual Strengths and Interests Recommendations serve as important testaments to your ability to do college-level work. Your teacher recommendations, especially, speak to your attitude towards learning, your accountability, and your academic interests. Admissions officers want to find students who will excel in the classroom. As institutions of scholarship and intellectualism, they seekengaged students who are eager to entertain new ideas and contribute to lively discussions. Beyond the classroom, professors and higher ed faculty look for students who will go on to create value in society. They want to train the next generation ofresearchers, writers, inventors, engineers, or entrepreneurs. They're looking for students who will make the world a better place and utilize their education to contribute to the world around them. Finding students with a strong stakein education, therefore, is an essential objective of admissions officers when they sit down to review recommendations. As Harvard’s dean William Fitzsimmons says, recommendation letters are â€Å"extremely important† and admissions officers are looking for letters that revealâ€Å"intellectual curiosity, creativity, and love of learning.† Sinceadmissions officers want to learn about your academic performance and goals in your rec letters, what can you do to get a good letter that speaks to these qualities? What This Means for You As you probably know, you should ask a teacher who you impressed in class with your commitment, effort, or interest in a subject. If you know what you plan to study, then it’s a good idea to ask a teacher in that field. Even if you just have a vague idea, like you’re drawn to the humanities or the sciences, then you may ask the relevant teacher to corroborate your affinity for that area. Most students ask their junior year teachers, since those teachers had you in class recently and for a whole year. Make sure the teacher you ask is happy to provide you with a recommendation, and let her know about any specific plans you have for study. Since admissions officers want to find students with a love of learning and commitment to their education, then ideally you have a teacher who recognizes those qualities in you and can express them in her letter. Having your teachers write about your academic prowess in your letter may be a no-brainer. It may be less obvious, though, that admissions officers want to learn about other innerqualities, like character and personality. They want to know what you're like and how you express yourself in your community. Why is gaining insight into your personal side important on your college application? Your Personal Qualities and Role In YourCommunity Why do admissions officers want to learn about your personal qualities? Isn’t it enough to know your grades and test scores? Well, no. I touched on some reasons why admissions officers want to get to know you above and will go into more detail about them here. For one thing, they want to get to know you to add depth to your application. There’s often a surplus of students with high grades and scores for a limited number of spots. Admissions officers need to use other factors to determine eligibility for admission. Additionally, they want to build a class of students with diverse personalities and experiences. Colleges are their own communities, and admissions officers want to admit students who will live, work, and play together harmoniously. They want students with strongcharacter, creativity, and/or leadership qualities who will contribute positively to the community. To refer to Dean Fitzsimmons again, he says, "Recommendations can help us to see well beyond test scores and grades and other credentials and can illuminate such personal qualities as character and leadership." Students may lead volunteer trips, organize community service, or provide social-emotional support for one another. They'll build friendships that will help them grow and mature. By selecting for strength of character and social skills like caring and compassion, admissions officers can create an environment that will function smoothly and maximize student learning and development. College is a busy and transformative time in your life, and admissions officers are seeking to build a community of students who will contribute meaningfully, take advantage of opportunities, and build positive relationships with one another. Knowing the importance of sharing your personal side in your rec letters, is there anything you can do to help out your recommenders as they write your letters? What This Means for You Just as you want to choose a recommender who you impressed in class, you also want to ask someone who knows you well. The only way your teachers and counselors can add depth to your application and write about you in a revealing and meaningful way is if they’ve gotten to know you. This doesn’t mean that they’ll know you as well or in the same way as your best friend, but they should have a goodsense of your personality and what’s important to you. If you're just going into junior year, then you should keep your future rec letters in mind. Push yourself to participate in class and share your personality with your teachers. If you haven't gotten to know your counselor, make an appointment to meet with her and talk about your college plans. You may also share a lot on your "brag sheet," but ideally your recommenders already know you well before reading your ideas. Apart from your day to day personality, how can you show others around you what's important to you? As the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Think about what you value most - whether it's cleaning up the environment, working to reduce bullying, or creative expression. Then come up with steps to connect those values to your daily actions. Show your recommenders what's important to you by what you do and how you do it on a daily basis. Not only will this help them get to know you better, but they'll gatherplenty of stories and observations to share in their recommendation letters. Beyond promoting positive relationships among peers, admissions officers also want students who can work well with faculty and other higher ed administrators. Your rec letters can speak to how you work with others. Why is this important to admissions officers? How You Interact with Faculty and Others As you read above, recommendation letters can go a long way toward describing your academic and personal qualities. These features are important in your college application, as admissions officers are looking to build a motivated, successful class of students who will seize opportunities and go on to contribute to society during college and beyond. Since college is a highly collaborative and interactive environment, admissions officers also care about your relationships with others. Simply obtaining a strong rec letter stands by itself as a testament to your ability to get along well with faculty. Your recommenders will write about their impressions of and relationship with you. Admissions officers will gain a sense of how you actin classroom settings. They can try to ensurethat you'll establish productive relationships with professors and make the most of their teaching. Apart from the considerations talked about above, is there anything else you can do to ensure your letter talks about your ability to work well with faculty? What This Means for You Just as you want to ask a recommender who's gotten to know you well, you want someone with whom you had a positive and meaningful working relationship in class. Did your teacher see you as accountable and reliable? Did she consider you a pleasure to teach and see you as someone who appreciated her time? Just as these expectations are present in the high school setting, they're also important in the college setting. Keep in mind how you interacted with faculty when asking for letters of recommendation. It's important that admissions officers see you as a student worthy of investment who will establish productive relationships with professors and make the most of their valuable time. Admissions officers want to learn about you to gain a sense of the student that could arrive on campus. All of these elements add up to a vision of you in the future.Plus, your recommenders might explicitly write about what they see you accomplishing at college and beyond. Let's take a look at this last important feature of rec letters and why it matters to admissions officers. A Vision of You In the Future Taken collectively, all of these elements of rec letters provide a vision of your future direction. If your teacher writes about your love ofwriting, work on the school paper, and interest in international events, then admissions officers get the sense that you might work on the paper at college and perhaps, pursue a career in journalism. Further, if your teacher talks about your thoughtful and caring personality and engagement in class, then the admissions committee can feel confident that you'll get along well with your peers and professors. Why is this important? Again, admissions officers want to build a community of students who get along well and create an environment full of learning and opportunity. They want to make the most ofthe professors' time. They want to educate the next generation of leaders who will contribute meaningful ideas, innovations, and solutions to the world. As you can tell, your recommendation letters serve a very important purpose in your application. They can communicate a great deal about who you are as a student, colleague, and person. In closing, let's review the significant role of recommendations in your application and what you can do to help your teachers and counselors produce strong ones that will impress the college officials who read them. To Sum Up... Recommendation letters are an important part of your application. They communicate a lot of revealinginformation about you to admissions officers, who are looking for students with impressive academic, personal, and social skills who will succeed in college and beyond, in whatever way that's authentic to them. You may bethinking that a lot of this keypart of your application is out of your hands. However, you actually can have a lot of control over what your teachers and counselors write in your rec letters. For one thing, you can push yourself to participate and get to know your faculty throughout high school and especially junior year. Consider how you interact with teachers and communicate your personality and values to them, as all of this is important material for your letters. Once you actually ask for your letters, you can also talk to themabout what you plan to study and what qualities you'd like them to emphasize. If you're applying to study engineering, ask your physics teacher to highlight your skill in the subject. Finally, you can provide a detailed and thoughtful brag sheet in which you reflect on your identity and the significant experiences that have shaped who you are today. This brag sheet will help clarify both your thoughts and that of your recommenders. Plus, it will remind them of stories and examples they can include in their letters to make them stand out. Above all, your takeaway should be that recommendation letters are an important part of your application that can go a long way toward endorsing you to admissions officers. With that in mind, treat your letters of recommendation with as much care and thought as you willall the other parts of your college application! What's Next? Even though you can contribute your thoughts to what should go into your recommendation letters, you probably won't be able to read the final versions. Why? Because FERPA. Read here about why it's in your best interest to waive FERPA and your right to view your recommendation letters. Now that you have a sense of what admissions officers are looking for in recommendation letters, check out theseexamples of strong teacher letters of recommendation. Are you applying to a selective school, like Harvard? This guide goes over what makes for an outstanding letters of recommendation for the Ivy League. 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: