Nehemiah’s Leadership Skills

Nehemiah was the son of Hacaliah and he was also the cupbearer of the Persian king Artaxerxes. He was putting on a sad face and the king did not like that and asked him why he was sad, though afraid he answered that the city in which his fathers had been buried was a ruin so then he asked permission to go and rebuild the it. He played a decisive role in the rebuilding of Judah. In 444 B. C. the king appointed Nehemiah governor of Judah under the Persian Empire and permitted him to go to Jerusalem in order to help his fellow Jews. Upon his arrival Nehemiah secretly inspected the city walls which were still in ruins. This became known to his two arch-enemies, Sanballat and Tobiah, who repeatedly acted to foil his plans for rebuilding the walls (Neh 2:17-20); but despite their active opposition, Nehemiah succeeded in his building project, completing the work in 52 days (Neh chaps. 3-4), and stationed guards at the city gates and also enforced several of the laws, such as the payment due to the Levites, the observance of the Sabbath and the abolition of mixed marriages. He concluded his memoirs with a prayer to God to remember to his credit all of his efforts to strengthen divine law within Jerusalem . In order to repopulate Jerusalem, the number of whose inhabitants had dwindled greatly, he ordered that one out of every ten Jews should take up residence in the capital. He also instituted a series of religious and social reforms including the commitment to avoid intermarriage, the cancellation of debts owed by the poor, the support of the Temple cult, and the payment of tithes drawn up and sealed in a covenant (Neh chap. 10) and he then returned to Persia. After Nehemiah was given the permission to go and rebuild the city we see that he had some leadership qualities which helped him in the rebuilding process. Let us look at some few leadership skills which helped to navigate Nehemiah in the rebuilding of the city. Firstly and foremost, Nehemiah put God first and let Him lead him through prayer: The Book of Nehemiah starts and ends with prayer. And in between, Nehemiah often sends up quick prayers to heaven and asks for God’s help. â€Å"Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers,† said Phillips Brooks. â€Å"Pray for powers equal to your tasks. One mark of true spiritual leaders is their honest acknowledgment of their own inadequacy and their humble trust in the power of God He had courage: We can see that Nehemiah had courage firstly when he courageously told the king why he was sad and the king did not like to see sad faces and also he also took that opportunity to ask the king permission to go and rebuild the city and finally taking on the task of rebuilding the city shows that he had courage. Also . After the Israelites had begun rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, some opposition arose from other occupants within the Palestine area. Nehemiah remained steadfast and courageous and rallied his people to continue the work He was determined: Nehemiah was determined because the work he was doing was a great work and he was serving a great God. He was determined because the city was in great reproach, and he wanted it to bring great glory to God. He was determined because he was part of a great plan that God had for the world as He worked through the Jewish nation. So, the next time you feel like quitting, remember Nehemiah and stay on the job until the work is finished to the glory of God. He had vision and saw the greatness of the work: No matter what God has called you to do, it’s a great work because it’s part of the building of His church; and that’s the greatest work in the world. If you lose the greatness of a vision, you will begin to cut corners in your work, stop making sacrifices, and start looking for something else to challenge you. Nehemiah realized that what he was doing was far bigger than simply repairing gates and rebuilding walls. He was serving the Lord God of heaven and getting the holy city ready for the coming of the Messiah! He submitted to authority: The call of God is not an invitation to become independent and ignore authority. Nehemiah respected the king and submitted his plans to him for his approval before he went to Jerusalem. Even more, Nehemiah submitted to the authority of the Word of God. He invited Ezra to teach the Law to the people so that they too would obey the will of God. It is a basic rule of life that those who exercise authority must themselves be under authority. Nehemiah was a man who was dependable because he was accountable. He was organized in his work: He planned his work and worked his plan, and God blessed him. We can see this when the king asked him how he would do it, he asked the king if he could have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates so that he would be provided for protection. Also, he wanted the kings approval to go to Asaph (the keeper of the king’s forest) so that he would be given timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and the residence he would occupy, this shows that he had planned how he would start the building of the temple. He had passion: An important leadership principle displayed by Nehemiah was a deep passion for his God, his people, and his homeland. He heard of the destruction of the wall in Jerusalem and became overwhelmed with grief for the disgrace of God and his countrymen. This grief ignited a passion within Nehemiah to ask permission from his master to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall of the city. He was evaluative: Another important leadership principle shown by Nehemiah was that an effective leader evaluates a situation before acting. Nehemiah had received permission from his master to return to Jerusalem. When he arrived the first thing he did was to quietly take a private tour around the city wall to assess the damage and formulate a plan for rebuilding it. He enlisted others to work: An aspect of leadership principle displayed by Nehemiah was that effective leaders recruit and delegate responsibility to others. After Nehemiah had assessed the situation and formulated a plan of attack, he shared his plan with others and allowed them to help him with the work. Effective managers realize their need for others and that it takes many hands to accomplish a great task. He knew how to handle bad news: Life is full of bad news. It could be a small disappointment to a catastrophic occurrence, but when bad news comes your way, how do you respond? A strong leader is not only able to take the bad news, but wants to know it. Sticking your head in the sand is a sure sign of immaturity and lack of trust in God. He inspired camaraderie to people: One of the main leadership principles shown by Nehemiah was that effective leaders inspire camaraderie among his people. As mentioned above, Nehemiah led his people in the face of intense opposition; yet, by his leadership, the people did not run away, but continued the work until it was finished. They worked together with one person rebuilding his section of the wall, while his partner stood guard to protect him from attack. He shared what he had: Another leadership tenet displayed by Nehemiah was that top level managers share the rewards of success with their people. Effective leaders are kind and generous. Nehemiah demonstrated this trait by standing up for the poor against extortion and inviting large parties of people to eat at his table each meal. He stood fast on core values: We can see that Nehemiah stood fast in core values in that after the wall had been rebuilt, the Israelite people began to do things that were not pleasing to God. Nehemiah was deeply upset by this and called his people to account. References Henrietta C. Mears, What the bible is all about, Gospel Light Publications, U. S. A, 1998. Holy bible, New Revised Standard, U. S. A, 1989 The Holy Bible, New International Version, The Bible Society in Australia Inc Publishers, 1984. Richard H. Seume, Nehemiah, God’s Builder, Moody Press, Chicago, U. S. A, 1978 HOW I WOULD APPLY NEHEMIAH’S LEADRSHIP SKILLS IN MY OWN LIFE Firstly the most important leadership skill Nehemiah had according to me is that he put God first and let him lead him through prayer so I would use this skill by talking to God before facin g any situation and the reason I say this is an important leadership skill is because it is through this skill that we may get every other skill that follows. This way God will help you to do the task at hand. Also we see that also had something important and that was courage, so this helps me because I know courage is an important quality in a leader so I ask God for courage when tackling my tasks. Another thing is that I have to be determined to complete the task so that incase there as may occur any push back determination will lead you into completing the task and to do it well too. Something else that had was his vision we should also have vision in the work we are doing and we should like Nehemiah notice that the work we are doing has a higher purpose that what we look at directly, we can see that Nehemiah was not only rebuilding the walls but in depth was serving the lord and getting it ready for the messiah Jesus Christ. Another aspect in Nehemiah’s leadership qualities is his submitting to authority this shows we should respect and follow authority and not act like we are above it. We should also look at Nehemiah’s quality of self organization this shows me that in order for me to be a good leader or perform a task at my level best I should plan for my work as this will help you in accomplishing your goal. Another quality that Nehemiah displayed was passion, we should this to make us also have passion and this means we should have heart on what we do and do it with satisfaction. Again we see that Nehemiah was evaluative this means we should also follow this example by evaluating situation before jumping into conclusions and fully assessing them doing this will help you to perform the job effectively. Another thing is that like Nehemiah we should also entrust others with work this is done by delegating jobs to others tis shows that you trust them and this improves relation among workers. In many times there are always bad news so we need to know how to handle the bad news and we should talk to God to help us cope with them. As leaders we should inspire camaraderie among people this will strengthen our bonds and be able to look out for each other. To better ourselves using Nehemiah’s leadership quality of sharing what we have with others makes us better people and we should not look down upon people but treat them equally. In motivating others, we must always present the challenge and the benefit. I find that people really love to be challenged, to push the envelope and do what looks difficult or impossible. Presented in the right way, it will motivate people to join. And lastly as Nehemiah did, we should stand firm on core values and not be swayed to do the wrong things that would not please God but do God’s will.

Report on the Analysis of Ineffective Communication in the Workplace Essay

This report will analyse and examine issues of interpersonal behaviour in the workplace. It will describe a scenario observed concerning communication and will include an analysis of the problems that occurred. A conclusion will be made which will lead to recommendations to prevent this situation from recurring. 2. 0 The scenario The main conflict in this scenario transpired between persons B and C (see appendix 1) on the shop floor of B & Q. Person B had previously spoken rudely about person C to person D. Persons D and C are good friends, therefore person D informed C about the incident. Person C then discussed the issue with Person A who had a one-to-one meeting with person B. The outcome of the meeting was that Person B should have an informal meeting with person C to resolve the issue. However, person B avoided holding this meeting and instead chose to speak to person C on the shop floor in the presence of customers. (See appendix 2 for the transcript of the scenario). 3. 0 Transactional Analysis and Effective Communication Transactional Analysis assists when evaluating this situation as the model is a popular way of explaining the dynamics of interpersonal communication. It was developed by Eric Berne in 1949 and has two fundamental assumptions; all the events and feelings people experience are stored within them and can be replayed, and that personality is made up of three ego states that manifest themselves in gesture, tone of voice and actions. The child ego state is described as the ‘feelings state’ and involves people behaving as they did when they were a child. This includes three sub-states which are the ‘free or natural child’, the ‘little professor’ and the ‘rebellious child’. The free or natural child state focuses on genuine feelings, acting on impulse and letting others know how we feel. The little professor state is creative, questioning and experimental. As the name suggests, the rebellious child state invokes rebellion, frustration and withdrawal. The adult ego state involves behaviour that concerns thought processes and can be defined as ‘the thoughtful’ state. This state focuses on data collection, reality testing and objectiveness. The parent state is described as the ‘taught’ state and consists of two sub-states; the nurturing and the critical parent. In this state, people take responsibility and tend to behave in ways learnt from parental figures. The nurturing parent state involves caring for other people, whereas in the critical or controlling parent state people have a tendency to lay down rules and boundaries and insist on their own method of getting the job done. Exclusions of ego states occur when someone is permanently using one ego state and cuts off the others (see appendix 7). There are three types of transactions in communication; complementary, crossed and ulterior (see appendix 3). When both parties’ ego states match, this is a complementary transaction and communication can continue. Crossed transactions occur when one party addresses a different ego state to the one the other party is currently in. The communication in crossed transactions disintegrates and can result in bad feelings. Ulterior transactions involve a crossed transaction on a psychological level, however on the surface the ego states seem to match leading to people playing games with one another. Strokes are units of recognition and are given and received via the five senses. Positive strokes are life and growth encouraging, whereas negative strokes are the opposite and cause the recipient to feel dejected. Transactional analysis assumes that our characteristic ways of feeling and behaving derive from the way we feel about ourselves in relation to other people. These are referred to as the four life positions and consist of â€Å"I’m not OK, You’re OK†, â€Å"I’m not OK, You’re not OK†, â€Å"I’m OK, You’re not OK† and â€Å"I’m OK, You’re OK† (see appendix 4). Body language is another method used to communicate and can assist when deciphering an underlying message that someone is trying to purvey. According to Pivcevic, â€Å"it is commonly agreed that 80 per cent of communication is non-verbal† (Mullins, L. J, 2010, pp 235). Effective communication is achieved by attending, reflecting and following (see appendix 5). This benefits both the listener and the speaker as it aids the listener in thoroughly understanding what the speaker is saying. Attending is non-verbal communication that signifies someone is paying careful attention to the person talking. Attending includes body posture, gestures, eye contact and an environment free of distractions. Following skills require the listener to offer openers and encouragements. Openers are non-coercive invitations for the speaker to talk and include judgemental, reassuring and advice statements. Opening questions and silence can be used as they encourage and concentrate on the concerns of the speaker rather than the listener. Reflecting skills avoid both speaker and listener problems. Words are perceived differently to people and listeners can often become distracted. Reflective responses are non-judgmental and help the listener to grasp the feelings of the speaker. Guirdham’s cycle of perception and behaviour can also aid in analysing communication as perceptions can alter the way in which we behave, thus having an effect on communication (see appendix 8). 4. 0 Analysis of the scenario By applying the Transactional analysis model, it is evident that when person B approached C, she was speaking from her critical parent ego state. This state is condescending and admonishing and can cause the addressee to feel discouraged. When replying, person C speaks from her adult ego state which is objective and rational, presenting a crossed transaction as B was addressing a different ego state to that of which C is currently in (see appendix 3). Person B should have shifted to an adult ego state to ensure that the states matched, amending it to a complementary transaction. However, B replies she has no time denoting that she is speaking from her critical parent ego state and sending out negative strokes. Her abrupt and loud tone insinuates she is defensive and angry. Her body language also gives an implication of her underlying message as she is walking away from the situation with her arms crossed, suggesting she is uninterested. Person C is rational and relaxed with her body language, making constant eye contact and positioning herself closely to person B, signifying she is listening intently. C’s ego state shifts to a rebellious child state when B’s body language and attitude is perceived as rude, abrupt and unconcerned. This subliminal communication causes an argument to break out and C begins to speak vociferously. The clenching of her fists and words spoken infer this shift in ego state. A change in behaviour occurs due to C’s perceptions of B’s behaviour (see appendix 8). Person A then interrupts the conversation and speaks from a nurturing parent ego state; this is presumed as he interjects with a question, â€Å"are you okay guys? † He places a hand on person C’s shoulder, signalling a display of power over her. At this point, person B begins to fiddle with her pen, suggesting a transition out of her comfort zone and showing she is uncomfortable in the situation. By this point, person C is very distressed and is deep in a rebellious child ego state. Her body language conveys feelings of anger and frustration as she is frantically waving her arms. Person B is reluctant to apologise or be sympathetic throughout the incident, indicating her ego state has not changed. This implies that she is currently in an arrogant life position as she feels she is not in the wrong (see appendix 4). She walks away, with her arms crossed expressing hostility and disregard to the situation. Person C reverts back to an adult ego state towards the end of the conversation and realises that she needs to calm down and clear her head. She also displays anxiety as she begins to bite her lip. Person A has maintained a nurturing parent ego state throughout as he is caring and tries to control and pacify the situation. 5. 0 Conclusion In conclusion, person B has inadequate communication skills. The crossed transaction, exclusion of other ego states and current life position (see appendix 4) of person B combine together to make her appear arrogant and uninterested, leading to conflict between the two parties. Attending, following and reflecting skills (see appendix 5) should have been applied to the conversation on B’s part to ensure effective communication took place. Person B’s disregard to instructions given to her by A could be due to the age gap between the two. According to Hart (Mullins, L. J, 2010, pp 101), age gaps can lead to conflict in the workplace as there is a dispute between age and experience. 6. 0 Recommendations To avoid this situation recurring, person B should receive training on interpersonal skills (see appendix 6), attending, following and listening (see appendix 5), enabling her to understand her own behaviour, other points of view and improve communication skills. Person A should hold an informal, one-to-one meeting with B and discuss possible outcomes of the meeting, such as training. Person A should identify whether B is in a constant ‘arrogant or cosmetic’ life position as she could have been having a bad day when the argument broke out. If it is found that her constant life position is ‘I’m OK, you’re not OK’ then an attempt should be made to modify this as it has a negative effect on communication. Person A should ensure this is carried out in a conscientious manner to prevent another conflicting situation from occurring. Person A should avoid singling out B as this could demotivate her from joining work shop training, so should offer the opportunity to every employee. This informal, fun atmosphere may help to improve person B’s opinions of others and alter her current life position. Another method of altering person B’s life position is to offer counselling but should be suggested at a later date if workshops fail.

How does Deforestation effect Malaria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How does Deforestation effect Malaria - Essay Example These areas have a wide history of malaria infection due to the harsh climatic conditions and environmental degradation. According to Guerra et al., (2006), the estimated number of the population at risk of malaria in increasing and currently exceeding 3000 million people. There are more than 500million cases of malaria infection all over the world. According to health experts, various environmental, climatic and topographical conditions greatly influence the transmission and spread of malaria in various areas, in the world. Deforestation is one of the environmental factors that greatly influence and facilitate the widespread of mosquito breeding and malaria transmission. There are many publications that support this hypothesis. According to global geography, many forests are found within the tropic especially within the equator. They are dense and forested compared to forests in other areas. These areas have cool and wet climate that supports mosquito breeding and transmission of malaria. The forest cover is gradually decreasing day by day due to deforestation in various parts of the world. The malaria causing parasites that are common in deforested areas include A. philippinensis, Plasmodium falciparum, A. minimus, A. culicifacies, and A. nivipes. These parasites are harmful and malaria causing. The parasite is common in forested areas such as Amazon, Kenyan highlands, India Central Africa, Western Pacific and South-East Asia. These forested areas are always subjected to severe deforestation in various periods. For instance, the population of people at risk of malaria is 11.7 million in Amazon, 70.1 million people in South-East Asia, 35.1 million people in Western Pacific and 18.7 million people in Centra l Africa (Guerra, Snow & Hay, 2006). According to the study done Assam on the influence of deforestation in malaria, deforestation influences the rate at which mosquito parasites develop and spread malaria. Findings revealed that

Global Supply Chain Managment (A critical analysis of a retail Essay

Global Supply Chain Managment (A critical analysis of a retail businesses supply chains and their ability to weather the current economic climate) - Essay Example The company is also one of the largest exporters and has its branches in various parts in other countries where it has expanded its business successfully. The various products that the company have are like Lux, Wheel, Rin, Surf excel, Kwality Wall’s for ice cream section etc. and many more brands in the category of tea, coffee, soaps, personal care products, ice cream. To have such a good and wide network the company has a good supply chain management system. In this report the supply chain network of the company and its importance in the business process of the company is been seen using various theories and concepts of supply chain management. The effective use of supply chain and the process for implementation of efficient supply chain is been analysed in this essay. For such a huge company like Hindustan Unilever it needs to have an effective supply chain management and have a good control over the supply chain network. The company has a good supply chain network and different for villages and different for the urban cities. There are few issues related to the supply chain network of the company which can affect the company and also is affecting the company in a huge way. With the growing competition the company needs to have an error free supply chain network so that it can capture most of the market share (James, Rowland-Jones and O’Brien, 2004, pp. 56-64). The issues that are affecting the supply chain network of the company are been listed below. Order’s are not getting fulfilled properly as every retail shop is finding shortage of some or the other particular product in their stores. This unavailability of thee product does affects the company as the customers tend to buy other brand products and HUL looses customers in this way. This also makes the retailer to be less interested in selling other HUL products and he/she prefers

Why did the New Zealand government offer Warner Brothers incentives to Research Paper

Why did the New Zealand government offer Warner Brothers incentives to film The Hobbit in New Zealand - Research Paper Example The intent was also inclusive of changing the industry and society into a positive atmosphere, specifically with the expectation that the film would grow in popularity. This was combined with the noted changes in statistics of the society, which required alterations to offer more for those who were living in the region. The approach which was taken toward the filming as well as the expected economic stimulation led to the filming being a positive measure for growth in the economy while creating the destination as one that was branded through both landscape and the popularity of the filming. Moving into Economic Growth A main reason why New Zealand allowed Warner Brothers to film â€Å"The Hobbit† in New Zealand was because of the economic growth that was associated with the film. This was specific to the time frame, which is based on a global movement where each location is able to offer a unique element for the globe as a whole. To be a part of this movement is also the need to create a different understanding and highlight of various locations. The belief from the government was that this particular movie would highlight the best aspects of New Zealand, specifically with the nature shots and the elements of fantasy that were attributed to the landscape. This particular concept led to New Zealand opening into the global market and to push into free trade within the economy, specifically because it forced the barriers in the country to be removed. The intent was then partially based on changing global relationships and growth for a different approach to the economy (Gould, 2010). The concept of opening into free trade is one which was specific to the identification of businesses in New Zealand and the current state which they are in. It was believed that the trade unions and the businesses would be positively affected by highlighting the New Zealand territory, specifically because it would bring a sense of trust and popularity to the businesses in the re gion. This was combined with highlighting the advantages of New Zealand. For instance, the region is known as subsidy free in the free trade agreement; however, it has not opened to the global level of commerce in most regions. The highlights of different countries are also creating fair trade which occurs because of what is known as well as where the best deals are within the economy. By showing the main ideologies of New Zealand, those interested in business and other approaches to fair trade were able to investigate into global agreements while recognizing the strengths that were associated with the approach to partnering with a subsidy free region (Weyer, 2005). The approach which was taken with the economy was known to create a high stimulus and to open the free trade agreement to the region. The return was a $363 million amount of cash that went into the economy from tourism, trade with businesses in the region while filming and a high amount of tourism which began to grow aft er the popularity of the film. This was combined with a continuous range of additional economic activity from $119 to $227 million and indirect benefits of $10 million to $34 million. The concept was based on an international competition for the region to be highlighted as a global area for commerce, trade, environment and other concepts that were portrayed in the film. The scheme allowed the film producers to highlight the best of New Zealand, specifically to stimulate the economy and to force in levels of growth by the growing popularity of the region. The figures show that this particular tactic worked to stimulate the New Zealand economy (New Zealand Film Commission, 2011). Social Stimulus The concept of stimulating the economy not only worked

The role of religious thought and influence on the development of Term Paper

The role of religious thought and influence on the development of Western art and culture - Term Paper Example Other artists (or even the same artist at a different time) may even try to conceal their religious identity in their artwork, but at times it may still be evident and thus influential. As such, there are many examples of religious thought within the realm of Western art and culture, and these may come from less than obvious sources. The most populous religion in the Western world is Christianity, and it is true that this religion has had a large influence on Western art of all types. However, it would be wrong to assume that this is the only religion or religious movement that has exerted its effects on culture, as Islam and Eastern religions have travelled to the West and left their mark. Additionally, new religious movements can also be felt within some more contemporary examples of artistry, and these will be explored throughout this paper. The thesis is that art will prove to have been heavily influenced by several religious traditions throughout the ages and Christianity will p rove to be more influential than most within the context of Western art and culture. ... hristianity has had on Western culture (rather the opposite), rebelling against the religion is still an important effect and as such these works will be discussed also. One of the most famous artists of the Renaissance period was Leonardo da Vinci, and he produced a number of paintings that reflect Christian ideology. Some of the most famous of these are The Last Supper, Virgin of the Rocks and Baptism of Christ, all of which were painted at the latter end of the 15th century (Janson & Janson, 2004) These works continue to have an astounding presence within the culture of today, and Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most mysterious and intriguing artists of this time, not least because some of his Christian based works seem to mask areligious messages. Many artists have cited da Vinci as an inspiration, meaning that these works continue to have a message today. Another figure within the Renaissance art world was Machiavelli, who was a political philosopher who created numerous works o f poetry and literature. Interestingly, Machiavelli was a humanist and did not officially follow Christianity. However, given the religious climate at the time, Christianity indubitably affected the writing of Machiavelli, despite much of it being reactionary, and as such this can be classified as a lasting effect that Christianity has had on literature (Virolli, 1998). Although this was a time in which many pieces of art were for the Church or felt the need to appease the Church, there are other times in which Christianity has had an effect on art and culture in the West. For example, within modern times, a lot of work has been of an atheist nature, but many artists do still produce images in a religious vein. For example, Henri Matisse, a prolific French painter, produced a stained-glass

A physical description of an object. not emotional, imaginative or Essay

A physical description of an object. not emotional, imaginative or interpretive - Essay Example The outside cover can be hard bound or just a sturdy paper that extends from its cover to its back. Its purpose is to indicate the title of the book and its corresponding pictures and designs to make the book appealing to its readers. It also serves as a protection that would prevent the contents of the book from being damaged which are composed of thinner leaves of paper where the printed words are written. The physical description of a book are the following, its shape typically rectangle. There are however other variations of which could be square, sometimes oblong. Its inner leaves are made up of thin leaves of papers where the printed contents are written. Its contents can be made up of solely of words or pictures, charts, illustrations or any visual elements that would help the readers understand the book better. Its contents are also divided into chapters to organize the ideas of the book. The wonder of a book is in its contents. When used properly, a book is a very powerful tool that could expand the mind and horizon of an individual that would bring about great and revolutionary ideas. It can also be used as a tool to improve oneself and to convey ideas and instructions. A book maybe just a bound of paper with printed word on its pages but it is the one of the most important if not the most important thing that mankind has created because it has expanded his or her mind that help create other things that made the world a better

Animal testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Animal testing - Essay Example According to Matthew Scully in his work ‘Dominion’, it is clearly shown that people should employ the principles of mercy on all living things. This principle gives guidelines on why and how humans should not at any point inflict pain or suffering on them except for protection. This is because animals and humans cannot be compared because the animals are unequal and powerless when compared to men. For this reason, they should be treated with kindness and avoid inflicting pain on them. According to science, human beings evolved from other animals and should not claim to have dominion over them. It is not right because evolution forces have it clearly indicated that people lack an innate-historical claim to dominion. Therefore, the history of human beings cannot be considered innately superior since all humans evolved from different animals. In addition, it is essential to realize that animals have their lives that are independent and should not be used as servants of

Video Games Are Good Essay Example for Free

Video Games Are Good Essay Video games do not cause violence or aggression towards others, but may benefit you in various ways. Video games are an optional thing to play and can be beneficial to you with interacting with others. Video games also hold an age limit for certain types of games, if the game is gory then it will most likely be for kids eighteen and older. Video games may do not only stray away from violence, they teach these kids how to handle life or death situations, it is truly for the better. Teenagers most likely a will learn violence and aggression from home, or real life situations. When young men who don’t normally play a lot of video games are exposed to violent video games, changes occur in the way their brains function, new research shows. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the scientists conducted that document altered brain response time after playing these video games. A lot of these changes had affected them in the long term also. It is proven that video games do have an affect on your brain, but it is still not proven whether the affect is positive or negative. Video games may also cause long term damage, but in my opinion are worth it because they are a great experience to play. Some may say video games do promote violence and aggression and I’m here to say, you don’t know until you can prove it. Exposing children and adolescents to violent visual media increases the likelihood that they will engage in physical aggression against another person. A single brief exposure to violent media can increase aggression in the immediate situation. One short term affect is that general arousal increases, which tends to increase the dominant behavioral tendency. A long term affect is it decreases the cognitive accessibility of nonviolent ways to handle conflict. Some may also say that video games do not promote aggression and I know this because you cant prove that they do yet. When the people say that exposing children can cause them to think aggressively and violently, there is an easy solution to this problem, do not let them play or limit the hours played. Also when they say just a brief exposure may cause this is false. This is false because when playing for a brief moment you are limited to the exposure of gore and other various violent actions will not affect your decisions in life. The long term affects can honestly happen to anyone who watches tv too much or exposed to the t screen too often. I just think that people shouldn’t tell their kids or peers to not play video games, for me especially this would be heart wrenching, I happen to love video games and can say they are a part of my life. Playing video games is trying to be labeled as a crime when it obviously is not. Most kids I know love video games, and although they can be addictive they also have a purpose in educating young adults and adolescence into knowing real life situations. Video games should not be labeled in a bad way and I for one and completely against looking at them in a negative way. Video games are good.

Development of Digital Television Technology

Development of Digital Television Technology Digital TV broadcasting and HDTV Introduction While Gugliemo Marconi is known as the inventor of wireless telegraphy in 1897 (Winston, 1998, p. 70), the inventor of television becomes a little more complicated as it entailed an evolution of over ten years to move from its concept to an actual picture transmission and reception. The patent for the electronic scanning tube, termed iconoscope, was held by Vladimir Zworykin, an Russian born inventor who worked for Westinghouse in 1923, however, Westinghouse did not see the utility in his invention and ordered Zworykin onto other projects (Bogart, 1956, p. 8, 348). Philo Farnsworth (Horvitz, 2002. p. 9, 92) advanced the concept, and it was John Logie Baird who accomplished the first transmissions of face shapes in 1924, who is also credited with the first television broadcast in 1926 (Horvitz, 2002, p. 101). From there, the development of television escalated with analog broadcasting representing the transmission method utilized in television until 2000 began the age of digital telev ision and radio broadcasting (Huff, 2001, pp. 4,8,69). To understand digital television, one needs a basic understanding of the manner in with analog television works. In the analog system a video camera takes pictures at 30 frames per second, which are then rasterized into rows of individual dots, termed pixels that are assigned specific color and intensity (howstuffworks.com, 2007a). Next, these pixel rows are then combined with synchronization signals termed horizontal and vertical sync, which permits the receiving television set understand how these rows should be displayed (howstuffworks.com, 2007a). The final signal that contains the preceding represents the composite video signal, which is separate from the sound (howstuffworks.com, 2007a). The difference between analog television and digital is that the analog system as a 4:3 aspect ration, which means the television screen is four units wide by three units high, thus a 25 inch analog television measured diagonally is 15 inches in height by 20 inches in width, with the aspect rat io for a digital television is represented by a 16:9 aspect ratio (Metallinos, 1996, pp. 27, 206 207). Digital broadcasting, as is the case in all broadcast formats, including radio, utilize part of the electromagnetic spectrum (Montgomery and Powell, 1985, pp. 20, 237). Electromagnetic wave frequencies consist of radio, infrared, light that is visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma and then cosmic rays, in order of the lowest to the highest (Weber, 1961, pp. 105, 184). In reality, digital television broadcasting is a subset of digital radio broadcasting, under the ‘one-way digital radio standards’, which not only includes digital radio and television broadcasting, but digital terrestrial television, DVB-T, ISDB-t, ATSC, T-DMB, mobile TV, Satellite TV, radio pagers, as well as the Eureka 147 standard (DAB) to name a few (Levy, 2001, pp. 7,10,11,33). This examination shall delve into an understanding of digital television broadcasting, DAB, DVB-T, HDTV, and its deployment in Europe as well as the United States. Television’s New Age The advantages of digital television is that it offers a broader array of viewing options for both the consumer as well as broadcast stations in that it provides a clear picture and sharper sound, along with the ability of broadcasters to offer multiple sub-channels as a result of its formats (Levy, 2001, p. 71). The three formats, consisting of 1. 480i, which is 704X480 pixels that is broadcast at 60 interlaced frames a second representing 30 complete frames each second, and 480p which is 704X480 pixels that is broadcast at 60 complete frames each second, 2. 720p, whereby the picture is at 1280X720 pixels that is broadcast at 60 complete frames a second, and thirdly, 1080i where the picture is at 1920X1080 pixels that is sent at 60 interlaced frames each second representing 30 complete frames each second, and 1080p whereby the picture is broadcast at 1920X1080 pixels that is broadcast at 60 complete frames each second (howstuffworks.com, 2007b). Note: The above indicates the 525 horizontal line scans whereby each contains approximately 680 pixels. Each pixel represents one element of the picture and contains three areas of red, green and blue phosphor, which may be either rectangular or dots. The electron gun send out electron beams that strike the phosphors causing them to glow, with electromagnets located near the guns directing the beams in sequence to each pixel, with the broadcast signal providing information on how bright the phosphors should be made, at what time and in what sequence. As digital television broadcasting and digital audio broadcasting, DAB, are both based upon the electromagnetic wave principle, they work in the same manner, with DAB providing a broader range of digital channels that are not available on FM, as well as less hiss and interference, tuning to a station format or name and the support of scrolling radio text, MP3 playback and pause and rewind features (Scott, 1998, p. 9, 210). DVB-T represents the Euopean standard for broadcast of digital terrestrial television. DVB-T, or Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, is a new system whereby the digital audio and video data stream is compressed by use of a OFDM modulation that utilizes concatenated channel coding (Levy, 2001, pp. 3-21). Al-Askary et al (2005) advise that OFDM utilizes convolutional coding that does not have capability to adapt to variations of fading properties of individual sub-channels, thus providing clear distortion freer signals and reception. In the DVB-T method when utilized by broadcasters the signals transmitted are sent from one aerial antenna to another using a signal blaster to the home receivers (White, 2007). The broadcast is transmitted utilizing a digital audio-video stream that is compressed, based on the MPEG-2 standard, which is the result of the combination of one or more ‘Pactetised Elementary Streams’ (Chiariglione, 2000). Note: In summary, the source coding are multiplexed into programme streams, with one or more of these joined to create a MPEG-2 Transpot Stream that is transmitted to set top boxes in the home. It can accommodate six to eightMHz wide channels. Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), which is also termed ‘Eureka 147’ represents the technology employed for the broadcasting of audio through the use of digital radio transmmision (Huff, 2001, pp. 67-78). In order to achieve the sound reproduction quality attributable to DAB, the bit rate levels must be high enough for the audio codec in the MPEG Layer 2 to provide the quality inherent in the system, as well as high enough to enable the error correction coding (digitalradiotech.co.uk, 2007). Both the DAB as well as the DVB-T systems utilize ‘orthogonal frequency division multiplexing’ (OFDM) modulation, with each system being able to handle 1536 sub-carriers (digitalradiotech.co.uk, 2007). The DAB and DVB-T also use the QPSK singal constellation to modulate the subcarriers, and also use 2 bits per symbol which the signal constellations can transmit on each of the subcarriers (digitalradiotech.co.uk, 2007). DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) is particularly suited to utilization in multimedia transmission systems, such as sound, moving pictures and text along with data (Levy, 2001, p. 177). As a radio frequency signal, DAB’s ability in being picked up by radio receivers represents an advantage over DVB-T, whose mobile reception signal â€Å"†¦ is significantly affected by †¦Ã¢â‚¬  the fast changing nature of the transmission channel, thus it is needed to utilize two antennas on the received along with a more complex and â€Å"†¦ elaborate signal processing for †¦ channel tracking† (Lauterjung, 1999). And while DVB-T was developed orginally for stationary reception utilizing a roof-top directional antenna as well as a non-directional antenna contained on a portable receiver, it has been adapted for moble reception as indicated (Lauterjung, 1999). Recent developments in tests conducted in Germany as well as Singapore have shown that DBV-T can be utilized in mobile reception, however the drawback is battery life as a result of power consumption (dvb.org, 2004). HDTV, high-definition television, utilizes approximaetly ten times the amount of pixels as a standard analog television set, representing a high end 1920 X 1080 pixels, against an analog television set’s 704 X 480 pixels (Huf, 2001, pp. 140-141). The high resolution of HDTV requires greater bandwidth thus making broadcast operators make a major financial commitment to deploy the new standard (Brown and Picard, 2005, pp. 47-49). The deployment problem means that in order to make the system work with their current infrastructure, operators would have to reduce the number of channels being offered, a marketing and customer problem in that operators have built their competitive systems on offering a greater number of channel selections. Brown and Picard (2005, p. 336) advise â€Å"The significance of the SDTV/HDTV issue is that, because the transmission of HDTV requires much more spectrum than SDTV, a trade-off is involved for any DTV system between a greater number of SDTV channels and a smaller number of HDTV channels (currently 4 to 6 SDTV channels can be transmitted within the amount of spectrum required for one HDTV channel)†. In addition to the foregoing, there is a lack of uniform standards in â€Å"Standardization, compatibility, interoperability and application portability are essential pillars in the erection of a successful and competitive European digital television system† (Nolan, 1997, p. 610). The National Association of Broadcasters’ estimate that the cost of the new equipment to carry HDTV and retain the number of stations will be between $10 to $40 million based on the station size (Pommier, 1995). Deployment will represent a problem in that the wider TV format will be cut off on standard square type televisions thus necessitating consumers to switch to wide screen television receivers in addition to the special HDTV receiver need to watch high definition broadcasts which can be received over cable or satellite (Brown and Picard, 2005, pp. 110-115). The HD receiver being sold at  £299 by UK broadcaster BSkyB, along with an added  £10 for the service on top of the basic subscr iption charge are another example of the inhibiting factors in deployment O’Brien, 2006). HDTV basically represents what Dietrich Westerkamp who is the worldwide director of broadcast standards at the electronics giant Thomson, which is the largest European manufacturer of HD satellite receivers, calls â€Å"†¦ a chicken and egg situation† (O’Brien, 2006). The situation has been the case with HDTV in the United States as well as Europe, with broadcasters waiting to see enough purchasers of the new television sets before making the financial commitment concerning equipment changes, and consumers waiting to see stations available before making the financial commitment for the new HDTV sets. The answer could be coming from television manufacturers who are starting to turn out HD compatible sets. One such example is Samsung, who has announced that two-thirds of its flat panel production will be HD compatible (O’Brien, 2006). Something will be needed to help jump-start the HDTV situation as presently the size of the potential viewing audience is to sm all to justify the conversion expense, explains Rudi Kuffner, spokesperson for Germany’s largest broadcaster ARD (O’Brien, 2006). Conclusion Since the first television broadcast of face shapes by John Baird in 1924, and the first television broadcast in 1926 (Horvitz, 2002, p. 101) television has come a long way. The introduction of digital television and radio broadcasting in 2000 has increased the viewing experience in providing a broader array of channels, signal clarity and sound as well as giving broadcasters an expanded marketing option of more to offer consumers in a highly competitive market. The new flat panel television sets and digital broadcasting have expanded the ways in which consumers as well as broadcasters view the market. With mobile television systems and the new digital radio channels offering playback and other features, entertainment is getting another big boost. With the biggest new development, that has been around for over four years set to enhance broadcasting and viewing pleasure, when the financial justifications reach the investment levels. HDTV represents the next quantum leap in television despite all of its problems. Technology keeps improving the sphere of entertainment, and it is ultimately consumers who benefit. Bibliography Al-Askary, O., Sidiropoulos, L., Kunz, L., Vouzas, C., Nassif, C. (2005) Adaptive Coding for OFDM Based Systems using Generalized Concatenated Codes. Radio Communications Systems, Stockholm, Sweden Bogart, L. (1956) The Age of Television: A Study of Beijing Habits and the Impact of Television on American Life. Frederick Ugar Publishing. New York, United States Brown, A., Picard, R. (2005) Digital Terrestrial Television in Europe. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 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