Statement of qualification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Statement of qualification - Essay Example These and other financial vicissitudes instilled a strong desire in me to learn and understand the intricate theories of finance and its workings. I carried these aspirations into my university studies where I chose to undertake a degree course Economics. At every level, I strived to acquire the utmost possible insights about economy. I felt that taking Economics at the university level would gratify my interests in financial matters and act as a stepping-stone to my dream career. The enriching experience I received in my undergraduate enthused me to dig deep on financial matters. The academically rigorous program and the milieu that was full of intellectually engaging course mates molded me a great deal. My performance in my undergraduate studies never slacked for a moment given that the environment and lectures gave ensured I stayed on track academically. Often, I would wonder about the situation of the world economy. I also wanted to know about the best stocks, interest rates, and bonds. These studies in economics furthered my interest in finance greatly. Studying economics has widened my interests in finance, and I aspire to know a lot on areas such as security analysis, valuation, and portfolio management. With time, I have also developed a keen interest in investments, and I am stimulated by the diverse valuation techniques involved in relative valuation and contingent claim. Taking numerous internship opportunities over summer periods and after graduation has done a lot in shaping my passion in finance. The internships gave me an opportunity to have pragmatic experience in finance matters. The opportunities also opened up and deepened my interest in portfolio asset allocation and theory. This, coupled with a Master in Finance from Santa Clara University, will give me further insight in valuation techniques and other finance matters in global markets. MÃ ¼ller and Achleitner (217) regard an in-depth knowledge in

Heather Whitestone Essay Example for Free

Heather Whitestone Essay Introduction: Heather Whitestone is one of the most inspiring female figures of our time. She posses an excessive amount of dedication and devotion. She went deaf around 18 months and from then on was faced with a series of difficulties socially and educationally. She pummeled through all the angst and frustration and became very successful for she went to a regular school and passed in the high portion of her class and then further became Miss. America of 1995. She inspires people that they can accomplish so much because within her lifetime she has done so much more than and ordinary person who can hear. 1.Heather Whitestone is the first woman with a physical disability ever to win the coveted Miss America title. During her finale performance she memorized the musical beats to perform a ballet routine 2.As the naming of the new Miss America was only moments away, and the final two contestants- Heather and Miss Virginia, Culen Johnson awaited the announcement of which women will wear the crown, doubt shadowed Heather’s face, making it clear she was uncertain of whether she would be able to lip-read the announcement. Once they had shouted that Culen Johnson Miss Virginia is the first runner-up and Heather was the winner, Miss Virginia pointed her fingers at Heather and mouthed, â€Å"It’s you!† 3.Heather successfully promoted her platform, S.T.A.R.S (Success through Action and realization of your dreams) throughout her reign. 4.She was the first Miss America to be featured on a Barbara Walters’ television special 5.When her first son turned 2 and began to ask questions such as â€Å"What is this sound?† and â€Å"What does this mean?† she decided to get a cochlear implant to teach herself and her son 6.She had a cochlear implant in when she was 29 throughout the Miss America pageant, then got one when she was 32 and now relies mostly on lip-reading, which she claims is tiring. 7.Although she can’t hear herself currently speaking she still has a southern accent 8.All three of her children and hearing and are very supportive of her disability 9.Doctors told Heather’s parents that she would never read beyond the third grade level, nor learn to speak 10.She said she would like to assist children from all backgrounds to reach their fullest potential in life, to set high goals, and achieve them, as she has been doing for many years

Subaltern Realism Mohammed Ayoob Analysis

Subaltern Realism Mohammed Ayoob Analysis In the end of 1980s and beginning of the 1990s; Mohammad Ayoob, a scholar of international relations, proposed and developed the subaltern realism theory. Subaltern realism is a response to the neorealism of Kenneth Waltz and other scholars. The theory provides a critical tool for the root and main causes of current conflict and state behaviors in the Third World. It emphasizes the differences between conditions of the industrialized core states and the Third World. To include the third World in the mainstream theory of IR, Ayoob proposes different concepts of security with updated and innovative variables and new set of questions. Ayoob has proposed five variables, which describes the state building process, how a developing state should sustain its economical and political relations especially with its neighboring countries and with the rest of the world. The first option he proposes is strong security through which a state can assure its economic growth, better educational system, security, healthcare and peace. Mohammad Ayoobs subaltern realism theory with its five variables are applicable in Afghanistan considering the facts about weak or no security and corrupt state building process since the very beginning. Subaltern realism theory can lead us to some answer regarding the troubled and turbulent Afghan history. Since very long time Afghans have been trying to bring security in Afghanistan but none of the Afghan presidents have achieved this goal. Failure for maintaining a lasting stability in Afghanistan is and may remain a big issue for the current and every government which will rule over the country. Lasting stability requires national political compromises and reconciliations, an accountable and functioning political system along with reliable government. Spoiled by cheating, Afghanistans parliamentary election was a clear example of a corrupt state with coercion left as the only means to consolidate their rule. History tells us that almost every government was based on coercion. Ahmad Shah Durrani the very first person who conquered and ruled over the whole country winning his way in by sword. Following him, especially in the late twentieth century when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, coercion was again used for consolidation of power. Even in current situations we have been noticing that president Karzai fails to convince people (Taliban) to join him and his government, which results in bringing the international community and the USA in to fight him against the corruption and help him with creating a better state. Indeed usage of political capacity as a means to build a functioning state has proved devastating for all those regimes. Discrimination and nepotism has been one of the major issues behind security, state failure and corruption in Afghanistan since very long ago. There are various ethnic groups in Afghanistan, which most of them are not united. Such disunities between ethnicities are much dangerous for security and stability of the country. We have seen throughout the history that these ethnical discriminations have given birth to numerous domestic wars. In Afghan politics, Pashtuns are never accepted by Tajiks and vice versa. In recent parliamentary elections, many Hazaras have been elected as representative of people in parliament, of course through cheating which affects the state building process. For a bright future, stable country, absolute security and prosperity we have to adjust to national identity and eliminate the discrimination and get to know each other as Afghans. Afghanistan and Pakistan have conflict on the Pak-Afghan border for over a century. Except Taliban, no government has had good relations with Pakistan over the Pashtunistan issue, which is now Pakistan after border demarcation by British in 1893. This demarcation has affected security and stability on both sides for decades. If situations in Pakistan (Pashtunistan) are threatened, it is clear that Afghanistan will not remain stable as well. The UN and the international community together have been working on the issue but no solution has been provided yet. Such demographic and border disputes indeed have slowed down the pace of state-building in Afghanistan. Great power rivalries have also contributed during the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Afghan Civil War and on the War on Terrorism. Using Afghanistan as an ideal transit state for gaining access to rich resourced central Asian markets, Pakistans Pashtun population showed empathy with Pashtuns (Sunni Muslims) on the other side of Durand Line, and mean while Iran started supporting non-Pashtun population of Afghanistan (Shitte Muslims). The emerging Iran-Pakistan rivalry contributed greatly to the Taliban takeover after the Afghan civil war. North West Frontier Province, Baluchistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas are placed in Pak-Afghan border, which have become key sources for weapon supplies and for recruitment of anti government militant groups in Afghanistan. The Irans nuclear program and the United States of Americas standoff over it has introduced and created difficulties in the Afghan-Iran political and economic relations. Iran is an important and key supporter of the Hamid Karzais government-backed by the West; but with the continued pressure on Iran from the US has forced Iran to carry on with their mission of destabilizing Afghanistans domestic situations and disrupting the Washington Afghan campaign. No doubt regional power rivalry has an input in the state-building process of Afghanistan. International norms have not been given any importance in Afghan-British wars, Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, under the Taliban and during the War on Terrorism-Afghanistan. Killing innocent lives and civilian causalities have been completely ignored in almost every disaster mentioned above. During the Soviet Invasion, millions of Afghans were killed, millions lost their shelters, and millions were displaced. Numerous genocides have taken place in the history of Afghanistan; Khalq political party, Percham political party, ISI, CIA and US Marines all have played an important role in it. In conclusion, five variable introduced by Mohammad Ayoob has been clearly used and noted in the history of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, each time this genocide was used as an effort for stabilized, secure, prosperous, developed and peaceful nation. Most generally the environmental security is concern with how much humans are liable to the natural resources. This theory focuses on the possible connections between scarcity of resources and conflicts. Traditionally across the 1980s, the issue of natural resources scarcity had arisen as security threat in the geopolitics and political science literature. Environmental degradation is in itself a sever threat to human security and all life on earth. Air and water pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, etc., resulting from civilian and military activities can do change our living conditions dramatically. This is why many definition of environmental security have focused on sustainable utilization and protection of the human environment. Nature is no longer the opponent of society, against which humanity must struggle to survive: it is something that we must protect from the negative consequences of our own activities. Devastating Wars in Afghanistan has led to deforestation, water pollution, immigration, and soil infertility, wide and rapid spread of environmental diseases. Most of the forests of the country have been burnt during the war, various kinds of chemicals and heavy arms have been used on our lands. These chemicals polluted the air and water of Afghanistan at high level. However air pollution is not a major issue in Afghanistan, but reliance of air pollution on inexpensive energy surely has generated some issues. Most vehicles inside urban areas run on diesel fuel wood and coil burning which mostly relies on resources for household energy. During the winter season, most of the families burn woods in homemade heaters called Chari. Along with woods, they mix coil, diesel and other burning materials so the fire can warm up the room/house better. The smoke that comes out of these heaters mixes up and pollutes the air which poses health disease. Premature deaths and health problems such as ma laria, diarrhea and pneumonia are the most direct environmental problems in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, infants are the victims of these diseases for the most part. What could be done to protect our environment and people from such threats? To control the air pollution, the government has brought changes in the weekly off days and even has restricted the means of transportation within the Kabul city. Government employees are advised to stay off from their works on Thursdays, so the number of cars could be reduced during the day. Very few taxis are allowed to drive on Mondays, and those who are allowed once will not be allowed until their term reaches again. The process is little complicated but I believe it is a good initiative and good step towards controlling and decreasing air pollution. As per institutional liberalism, I suggest there should be institutions which should work on educating people and should let them know about the harms of misusing the natural resources. People wh o should be responsible for this, must be technical and skilled, should be aware of all environmental threats. The best and intelligent ways to regain the hope of our survival through these environmental crises is to address the environmental issues to people, which is not an easy task and might take decades. To protect and safeguard the environmental security, the whole human environment is considered including the assurance for a sustainable future and the resolution of environmental problems. States Balancing VS Bandwagon Bandwagon is the logic most frequently used by the American neoconservatives. They, Bushs team, believed that by threatening one sovereign state, we can simply make others around them ally with us as the only super power. This was the sole purpose for the US military intervention of IRAQ, where they wanted Iran and North Korea to extend the hand of friendship. But vice versa those countries started working even harder on their nuclear programs. State balance, a realist theory, however states that power and might should be dispersed and shared between the states. This way, the general good and international peace will be sustained. It also makes states less influenced and feared from other powerful ones, remarkably declining the possibility of armed rivalry and wars. Therefore, state balance is the more civilized and humane and therefore produces a set of policies which should be preferred.

Gender in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay -- Chinua Achebe Thi

This paper will look at the contradictions in the work of Chinua Achebe in relation to his placement of woman and femininity. Kristen Holst Petersen states that ‘the African discussion is between feminist emancipation versus the fight against neo-colonialism, particularly in its cultural aspect...which comes first, the fight for female equality or the fight against Western cultural imperialism’. This paper will attempt to highlight these contradictions in relation to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Above all the tribe values physical prowess, it places a great deal of importance on individual achievement, these attributes are in fact intended to ensure the security and permanence of the group. For like most early societies this is a society that is dominated by a passion for survival. Umofia therefore cultivates the notion of the heroic ideal based on physical prowess. The centrality of the yam in the novel highlights the tribe’s respect for physical strength. As a result of the intense muscular effort required for its cultivation the yam crop comes to represent an annual triumph wrested from nature, a signifier of the dialogue between the human world and the natural environment. However a reader soon realizes the contradictions between the constraints of the social ideal, that privileges the interests of the group, and the truths of individual human yearnings. Unoka, Okonwko’s father, embodies the counter-values that stand in opposition to the rigid social ideal of the tribe. His unorthodox style of living is, it may be argued, a conscious subversion of the manly ideal. His oppositional values are those of art, in tandem with a playful irony and an amorality that resounds with his relaxed disposition to the world. ... ...cultural experience. Of course Things Fall Apart warrants a feminist reading, but to read it only in this manner would be reductive, and in my opinion, would miss the point of what Achebe was trying to do. In writing back to novels such as Heart of Darkness and Mister Johnson Achebe has presented us with a particularized African society to critique. To level the accusation as Petersen does that ‘the obvious inequality of the sexes seems to be the subject of mild amusement for Achebe’, is in my opinion unwarranted and unfair. Select Bibliography Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinnemann, 1962 Kabbani, Rana. Imperial Fictions: Europe's Myths of Origin. London: Pandora, 1986. Petersen, Kristen. "First Things First: Problems of a Feminist Approach to African Literature". In Griffith, Ashcroft, Tiffin Ed The Post-Colonial Studies Reader. Gender in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Essay -- Chinua Achebe Thi This paper will look at the contradictions in the work of Chinua Achebe in relation to his placement of woman and femininity. Kristen Holst Petersen states that ‘the African discussion is between feminist emancipation versus the fight against neo-colonialism, particularly in its cultural aspect...which comes first, the fight for female equality or the fight against Western cultural imperialism’. This paper will attempt to highlight these contradictions in relation to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Above all the tribe values physical prowess, it places a great deal of importance on individual achievement, these attributes are in fact intended to ensure the security and permanence of the group. For like most early societies this is a society that is dominated by a passion for survival. Umofia therefore cultivates the notion of the heroic ideal based on physical prowess. The centrality of the yam in the novel highlights the tribe’s respect for physical strength. As a result of the intense muscular effort required for its cultivation the yam crop comes to represent an annual triumph wrested from nature, a signifier of the dialogue between the human world and the natural environment. However a reader soon realizes the contradictions between the constraints of the social ideal, that privileges the interests of the group, and the truths of individual human yearnings. Unoka, Okonwko’s father, embodies the counter-values that stand in opposition to the rigid social ideal of the tribe. His unorthodox style of living is, it may be argued, a conscious subversion of the manly ideal. His oppositional values are those of art, in tandem with a playful irony and an amorality that resounds with his relaxed disposition to the world. ... ...cultural experience. Of course Things Fall Apart warrants a feminist reading, but to read it only in this manner would be reductive, and in my opinion, would miss the point of what Achebe was trying to do. In writing back to novels such as Heart of Darkness and Mister Johnson Achebe has presented us with a particularized African society to critique. To level the accusation as Petersen does that ‘the obvious inequality of the sexes seems to be the subject of mild amusement for Achebe’, is in my opinion unwarranted and unfair. Select Bibliography Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinnemann, 1962 Kabbani, Rana. Imperial Fictions: Europe's Myths of Origin. London: Pandora, 1986. Petersen, Kristen. "First Things First: Problems of a Feminist Approach to African Literature". In Griffith, Ashcroft, Tiffin Ed The Post-Colonial Studies Reader.

Given Danziger’s Claims Essay

Given Danziger’s claims about ‘methodomorphic theories’ and given what you know of quantitative and qualitative research methods and psychology in general, what do you think would be the obstacles to attempt to break free of the ‘methodological circle’? Research methods in modern psychology offer a variety of methodological options for researchers to utilise. However, there are issues associated with all methods. This essay will examine problems associated with the ‘methodological cycle’, such as the monopolisation of statistical methods in social sciences. These ‘issues’ continue to be common practice in psychological research and present obstacles to moving towards a less rigid, constrained method of working. This will be followed by exploring approaches that move forward, towards a more fluid and inclusive method of empirical psychology, such as Theoretical Sampling in Grounded Theory and Relational metatheory. Danziger coined the term ‘methodological circle’, asserting that many psychological researchers adopt methods based on certain assumptions about the subject matter, which in turn â€Å"only produce observations which must confirm these assumptions† (Danziger, 1998, p 1). These assumptions continue to be common practice in current psychological research, and pose as a barrier to moving away from the ‘methodological circle’. Psychology as Pure Science Kuhn (1962) described â€Å"ordinary science† as involving discussion of problematic truth claims and is carried out within the context of implicitly shared metatheoretical frameworks; on the other hand â€Å"paradigms† involve discussion that challenges these metatheoretical frameworks themselves. Psychology operates within both of these frameworks. ‘Ordinary science’, also known as Scientism, involves uncritically accepting that science is both highly distinct from, and superior to, ‘common sense’ and methods for identifying cultural patterns. However, factors that a social scientist may wish to study do involve facets that are not static and are defined by the context in which these facets operate. An example of this could be trauma. Trauma is viewed by individuals in Western society as a concept which individuals or a collective may suffer after a disrupting or distressing event. However, in less developed societies, such as in Rwanda which suffered mass genocide, no instances of trauma are reported (Alexander et al, 2004). Such examples highlight the problems presented by adopting a purely scientific (positivist) approach to a social phenomenon. In addition to this, it must be remembered that even though research will always endeavour to be as objective as possible they will, ultimately, use their common-sense knowledge of how social phenomena operate in order to define and measure these variables for precise investigation (Silverman, 1993). Psychologists who work purely in line with Scientism make the error to totally remove itself from common sense, rather than acknowledging and working with it, adopting, say, a more constructivist approach e.g. Conversation Analysis. Kock (1973) sums this up assumption beautifully by saying â€Å"The entire subsequent history of psychology can be seen as a ritualistic endeavor to emulate the forms of science in order to sustain the delusion that it already is a science† (Kock, 1973, p. 66). Dependence on statistics The use of statistical methods in psychology can be said to have become â€Å"institutionalized† (Danziger, 1998, p. 4). According to Danziger, such institutionalization presents 3 main problems: 1. It assumes that statistical conclusions are the only means of providing reliable and valid results for interpreting and developing theory; 2. It asserts that certain rules and models are constant, and cannot be amended or updated by new evidence; 3. it postulates that methodology must lead theory formation, and not the other way round. Such facets create a rigid environment, which restricts ways in which the social scientist can explore social phenomena which focuses on interactions between figures rather than meanings of interactions. The importance of the meaning behind words was acknowledged as far back as Freud, who stated â€Å"In medics you are accustomed to see things†¦in psychoanalysis, alas, everything is different†¦Words were originally magic and to this day words have retained much of their ancient power†¦Words provoke affects and are in general the means of mutual influence among men† (Freud, 1918, p.12). This statement emphasises the importance in not just, say, overt behaviour in the amount of words one uses (i.e. numerical data) in an interview, but also what one says and the meaning behind those words (i.e. qualitative data). Artificial settings to measure real life Psychology is the science of the real life, cannot be manipulated in artificial models. In its attempt to become a ‘pure’ science, psychological research methods tend to prefer to use controlled, experimental procedures, where one variable is directly manipulated by another variable, controlling for any other influencing factors. While such methods offer detailed and reliable statistical information, details of social, political, economic, and historical contexts can be overlooked (Waitzkin, 1990). The variety within psychology Psychology is a broad discipline with a variety of approaches such as Social and Cognitive Psychology. Social Psychology looks at qualitative interactions in the real world between people, whereas Cognitive Psychology examines the thought processes involved in individual reasoning. The former cannot be effectively manipulated in a controlled laboratory experiment, whereas the latter can be. If one attempts to artificially create and conduct a social experiment which uses solely statistics as a method of obtaining and interpreting results, one will miss the rich data that can be gained through qualitative measurement, looking at meanings and interpretations. A degree of flexibility is required in theory construction and method development, taking care to acknowledge how applied the science is and the vast array of methodological procedures to adopt. Top down vs. bottom up When conducting empirical investigation in psychology, the research question should lead the methodology, not the other way round. However, with the dominant quantitative method, researchers tend impose theories on data and see whether or not the data supports the theory. Upon these results, the researchers either accept or reject their hypotheses, rather than further exploring any discrepancies. Alternatively, researchers who adopt a qualitative method allow the data drive the theory and design models and theory from data. This is unpopular with many as it can oversimplifying complex social phenomena. As we can see, both designs appear to be poloarised, with little or no room for convergence. Deductive vs. Inductive Another assumption that perpetuates the ‘methodological circle’ is the belief that quantitative methods always must use a hypothetico-deductive approach and qualitative methods an inductive approach. Again, this restricts the way in which researchers can work with their subject matter, and rather than adopting an antithetical approach, researchers should endeavor to focus on the rationale of the study and the research question. Realism vs. Idealism In a similar vain to the short discussion above, there is the determinist assumption that all quantitative researchers are realists and qualitative researchers are idealist in their approach. This assumption enforces more restrictions on the way research would be carried out. Indeed quantitative research could do well to accept more subjective and individual attitudes, as qualitative methods could with more objective, measurable approaches. Moving forward Acknowledging the obstacles above, I will now explore ways in which psychology can move forward, away from the ‘methodological circle’ towards an approach that recognises and embraces both ‘quantitative’ and ‘qualitative’ virtues. Such an approach should not be concerned with paradigmatic purism but more concerned with identifying effective ways of conceptualising and discovering answers to the research questions. Grounded Theory -Theoretical saturation and sampling When using Grounded Theory, researchers use Theoretical sampling until they reach ‘Theoretical saturation’, where researchers collect data â€Å"until (a) no new or relevant data seem to emerge regarding a category, (b) the category is well developed in terms of its properties and dimensions demonstrating variation, and (c) the relations among categories are well established and validated.† (Strauss & Corbin, 1998, p. 212). Such a fluid and flexible approach provides a useful means in theory construction because it builds the theory as it evolves from incoming data, offering an alternate perspective on how the results are interpreted than the restrictive positivist, deductive approaches. Relational metatheory Relational metatheory offers a relational dialectical perspective in which interpretation (a more quantitative, positivist approach) and observation (a more qualitative, construstivist approach) are both acknowledged and used (Overton, 1998; 2003). Relationism metatheory acknowledges that there is interconnection between the person, culture and biology (Hase, 2000), which is a much more fluid and explorative method then a split metatheory (using only quantitative or qualitative). This results in more complex, self creating, self organising, self regulating and adaptive systems that function and develop in relation with sociocultural constructs. In conclusion, there is a range of obstacles researchers encounter when attempting to break free of the ‘methodological circle’. These include both theoretical considerations such as theory construction and practical considerations such as the dependence on statistics. In order to move away from these imposed restrictions, researchers should consider adopting a more inclusive, flexible approach such as Grounded Theory and Relational Metatheory. As Danzgier concludes we must overcome these problems associated with the ‘methodological circle’ in psychological research; if not â€Å"theory testing in psychology will be a matter of choosing among different versions of a theoretical position, the fundamental features of which are in fact beyond dispute.† (Danziger, 1985, p.13). References Alexander, J. C., Eyerman, R., Giesen, B., Smelser, N. J., Sztompka, P. (2004) Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity, University of California Press, CA Danziger, K. (1985) The methodological imperative in psychology. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 15, 1-13 Freud, S. (1918) The Complete Introductionary Lectures on Psychoanalsis, Alden Press, Oxford Hase, S. (2000) ‘Mixing methodologies in research’, NCVER conference, Coffs Harbour, April. Koch, S. (1963) Psychology: A Study Of a Science, (Koch, S. (Ed.). (1959-1963), McGraw-Hill, New York Kuhn, T. S. (1962) The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago Overton, W. F. (2012) Paradigms in Theory Construction, (Eds L’Abate, L.) Springer; US. Silverman, D. (1993) â€Å"Beginning Research†. Interpreting Qualitative Data. Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction, Sage Publications, Londres Strauss, A. L. & Corbin, J. M. (1998) Basics of qualitative research: techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory, Sage Publications, US Waitzkin, H. (1990) On Studying the Discourse of Medical Encounters, Medical Care. 28:6, 473-487

Discrepancy vs. Disparity

Discrepancy vs. Disparity Discrepancy vs. Disparity Discrepancy vs. Disparity By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between discrepancy and disparity and other similar words beginning with the prefix dis-? The meanings are often the same or closely related, but some distinctions apply: Discrepancy, the noun form of the rarely used adjective discrepant, stems from the Latin term discrepare, which means â€Å"to sound discordantly.† A discrepancy is a variance from or disagreement with something, as in the discrepancy between inventory figures and actual stock, or between a statement on a certain issue and a record of a previous comment about the same topic. Disparity is a noun form of the adjective disparate. (Disparateness is its more unwieldy synonym.) The root of these words is the Latin term parare, which means â€Å"to prepare.† Although disparate means â€Å"different† or â€Å"distinct,† disparity has a more precise connotation, one of inequality. Meanwhile, a dissimilarity or dissimilitude (the root of these terms is the Latin word similis, the basis of same, similar, simulate, and resemblance) is a lack, respectively, of commonality and resemblance. Distinctness and distinctiveness (both, like distinguish, from the Latin word distinguere, meaning â€Å"to separate, to prick apart†) have similar rather than distinct meanings: Distinctness refers to notability, an unmistakable quality or phenomenon, or a separateness; distinctiveness, meanwhile, also refers to a markedly singular trait but may alternatively apply to a stylishness or other state that sets something apart. In an bygone era of unregulated spelling, discreet and discrete were originally alternate spellings for the word meaning â€Å"separate, distinct,† but the former form eventually took on a specialized sense, one of â€Å"careful, prudent.† The latter form is often erroneously used in place of the well-established variant spelling for that meaning. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?Does "Mr" Take a Period?One "L" or Two?