Destruction of Jerusalem Predicted by Ashkelons Fall

Destruction of Jerusalem Predicted by Ashkelon's Fall The Destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. caused the period in Jewish history known as the Babylonian Exile. Ironically, as with the prophets warnings in the book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar also gave the Jews fair warning of what could happen, if they crossed him, in the way he devastated Ashkelon, the capital of their enemies, the Philistines. The Warning from Ashkelon New archaeological findings in the ruins of Ashkelon, Philistias main seaport, are providing evidence that Nebuchadnezzars conquest of his enemies was utterly merciless. If Judahs kings had heeded the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah about imitating Ashkelon and embracing Egypt, Jerusalems destruction might have been avoided. Instead, the Jews ignored both the religious rantings of Jeremiah and the unequivocal real-world implications of Ashkelons fall. In the late 7th century B. C., Philistia and Judah were battlegrounds for the power struggle between Egypt and a resurgent neo-Babylonia to take over the remnants of the late Assyrian Empire. In the mid-7th century B.C., Egypt made allies of both Philistia and Judah. In 605 B.C, Nebuchadnezzar led Babylonias army to a decisive victory over Egyptian forces at the Battle of Carchemish on the Euphrates River in what is now western Syria. His conquest is noted in Jeremiah 46:2-6. Nebuchadnezzar Fought Through the Winter After Carchemish, Nebuchadnezzar pursued an unusual battle strategy: he continued to wage war through the winter of 604 B.C., which is the rainy season in the Near East. By fighting through sometimes torrential rains despite the hazards posed to horses and chariots, Nebuchadnezzar proved to be an unorthodox, persistent general capable of unleashing terrifying devastation. In a 2009 article titled The Fury of Babylon for the Biblical Archaeology Societys e-book, Israel: An Archaeological Journey, Lawrence E. Stager cites a fragmentary cuneiform record called the Babylonian Chronicle: [Nebuchadnezzar] marched to the city of Ashkelon and captured it in the month of Kislev [November/December]. He captured its king and plundered it and carried off [spoil from it ...]. He turned the city into a mound (Akkadian ana tili, literally a tell) and heaps of ruins ...; Evidence Sheds Light on Religion and Economy Dr. Stager writes that the Levy Expedition uncovered hundreds of artifacts at Ashkelon that shed light on Philistine society. Among the items recovered were dozens of large, wide-mouth jars that could hold wine or olive oil. The climate of Philistia in the 7th century B.C. made it ideal to grow grapes for wine and olives for oil. Thus archaeologists now think its reasonable to propose that these two products were the Philistines principal industries. Wine and olive oil were priceless commodities in the late 7th century because they were the basis of food, medicines, cosmetics, and other preparations. A trade agreement with Egypt for these products would have been financially advantageous to Philistia and Judah. Such alliances also would pose a threat to Babylon, because those with wealth could better arm themselves against Nebuchadnezzar. In addition, the Levy researchers found signs that religion and commerce were closely intertwined in Ashkelon. On top of a pile of rubble in ​the main bazaar they found a rooftop altar where incense had been burned, usually a sign of seeking a gods favor for some human endeavor. The prophet Jeremiah also preached against this practice (Jeremiah 32:39), calling it one of the sure signs of the destruction of Jerusalem. Finding and dating the Ashkelon altar was the first time an artifact confirmed the existence of these altars mentioned in the Bible. Sobering Signs of Mass Destruction The archaeologists uncovered more evidence that Nebuchadnezzar was ruthless in conquering his enemies as he was in the destruction of Jerusalem. Historically when a city was besieged, the greatest damage could be found along its walls and fortified gates. In Ashkelons ruins, however, the greatest destruction lies at the center of the city, spreading outward from areas of commerce, government, and religion. Dr. Stager says this indicates that the invaders strategy was to cut off the centers of power and then pillage and destroy the city. This was precisely the way the destruction of Jerusalem proceeded, evidenced by the devastation of the First Temple. Dr. Stager acknowledges that archaeology cant precisely confirm Nebuchadnezzars conquest of Ashkelon in 604 B.C. However, it has proven clearly that the Philistine seaport was utterly destroyed around that time, and other sources confirm the Babylonian campaign of that same era. Warnings Unheeded in Judah The citizens of Judah may have rejoiced to learn of Nebuchadnezzars conquest of Ashkelon  since the Philistines had long been enemies of the Jews. Centuries earlier, David had mourned the death of his friend Jonathan and King Saul in 2 Samuel 1:20, Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice.... The Jews rejoicing at the Philistines misfortunes would have been short-lived. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in 599 B.C., conquering the city two years later. Nebuchadnezzar captured King Jeconiah and other Jewish elites  and installed his own choice, Zedekiah, as king. When Zedekiah rebelled 11 years later in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzars destruction of Jerusalem was as merciless as his Philistine campaign. Sources: Exile of the Jews - Babylonian Captvity, http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/israeljudaea/a/BabylonianExile_2.htmThe Fury of Babylon by Lawrence E. Stager, Israel: An Archaeological Journey (Biblical Archaeology Society, 2009). The Oxford Study Bible with the Apocrypha, New Revised Standard Version (1994 Oxford University Press). Comments? Please post in forum thread.

Editing Services for Graduate School Essays

Editing Services for Graduate School Essays There are several steps involved in the process of writing a quality graduate school essay. As previously covered, it is important to maintain a regimented work schedule in order to give yourself plenty of time to create a good outline as well as several written drafts of your paper. Once you have completed all of these steps and are satisfied with the content and structure of your paper, you can begin the final phase of editing. In my opinion, the most difficult part of writing a graduate school essay is having to edit it. As someone who has written several graduate school essays, I have found that after writing and rewriting a composition numerous times, it is very difficult to be impartial during the editing process. That is why I recommend that anyone working on a graduate school essay enlist the services of a processional editor to review his or her paper. There are many online editing services available to students working on graduate school essays. If you are interested in utilizing the services of a professional editor, I strongly recommend that you contact a reputable editing company. Make sure that the editor and/or editors reviewing your paper are well educated and highly trained in the editing process. Request to reveiw samples of previous work and dont hesitate to ask lots of questions. Hiring a professional editor to review my graduate school essay was one of the best decisions I ever made. If you are interested in learning more about editing services for graduate school essays or if you would like some tips on writing graduate school personal statements, please dont hesitate to click on the link provided. This link will direct you to an excellent online resource where you can find more info.

Internet Telephony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Internet Telephony - Essay Example History of 'Voice over Internet Protocol' (VoIP) can be dated back to 1973, when the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPAnet), the predecessor of today's 'Global Internet', used 'Packet Switching' for voice communication. By the late 1990s it evolved into a standard telephone hooked up to an internet connection. Today, with the introduction of 'Broadband Internet' and improvement in 'Quality of Service', traditional phone lines are slowly being phased out as businesses and households around the world embrace the benefits and features that VoIP technology has to offer. In existing telephone systems, which use 'circuit switching', when a call is made between two parties, the 'connection' between them is maintained for the duration of the call. This is the basic foundation of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Earlier, every call had to have a dedicated wire stretching from one end to the other for the duration of the call. So, if suppose you wanted to call from Washington DC to San Francisco, you actually owned a cable that long for the duration of the call. Later, with digitalization, your voice along with thousands of others was combined onto a single fiber optic cable for most of the distance, yet there was a dedicated copper wire going through each house. "For more than a hundred years, the PSTN was the only bearer network available for telephony." (PSTN, par.5) In VoIP, you do not maintain ... Each 'payload' is then packed in a 'packet' with an address on each one telling the network devices where to send them. The 'packet' is then 'routed' through the internet to the receiving computer, which retrieves the 'payload' and reassembles the 'data' in its original state, which is, in the last networking stage, converted back to 'voice'. Each 'packet' may follow an entirely different path to the destination computer. This makes VoIP very efficient since it lets the network route the packet along the least congested lines. Also, since there is no need for any continuous connection, "it minimizes the time that a connection is maintained between two systems, which reduces the load on the network." (HPSW, par.3) So, if given the liberty to define, we could call VoIP as the 'process of converting voice into data and then sending it via a network'. VoIP Requirements: The things you would need to get started are: A 'High Speed' Internet Connection: Depending upon availability, your budget and the amount of telephone traffic, you can choose between many different products. A VoIP Box: An adaptor that lets you connect your phone to the network. An Account with a VoIP Provider: That provides real-time two-way voice communication using the Internet Protocol. An Audio I/O Device OR A Stunning Gizmo: Although to use some of the basic services, you could just get away with your PC with a Speaker and a Microphone, most users are accustomed to a soft phone loaded on a laptop. Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones today provide additional features like multi-call conferencing, video conferencing, internet faxing, web browsing, etc. Advantages of Using VoIP: One major advantage of the 'Packet Switching' technology used in VoIP is that it allows multiple phone

Credible and Reliable Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Credible and Reliable Sources - Essay Example Thus, those who have traditionally been university educated, were white males from privilaged backgrounds. This demographic has changed, and so to should the language conventions that reflect an era when only white males attended university – the very individuals or group that established past conventions. Thus, one important tip, is not to use 'gendered pronouns', rather, one ought to use 'gender neutral' pronouns like they, or their. One of the other elements that makes APA a desirable or optimal format, is the brevity of the style. With regard to the notion of APA Abbreviations, one of the important goals stressed, is that the style or format should do as little as possible to distract the reader from the content of what is being read. It is maintained by the APA that the less style formatting that is used, the better. The less there is formatting, the less attention a reader is going to spend paying attention to anything other than the basic text. So, for example, wherever possible, information is abbreviated. One good example of doing this, is with author's names. Author first names are not given either with 'in text' citations, which is normal for a lot of style conventions, or with bibliographical information.

Fulfilling our Potential Essay Example for Free

Fulfilling our Potential Essay The different Definitions of education are misinterpreted in different ways, but there are still ways that you can interpret what you think the definition is on education. Education is to be able to find your own path. To have a high school diploma or to have a college degree, education is to be successful in your life in whatever way that is. Trying to define education is like trying to define why the sky is the color it is or why the grass is green, there is no accurate definition of education to me. Education can mean more than one thing having a college degree but also can mean not having a college degree. Being educated to me means to be successful in your life, just because you do not have a college degree doesn’t mean you will not go far in your life or make a good amount of money. People make it seem as if you don’t have a decent degree you will just work at a fast food restaurant. If someone were to ask me what it meant to be educated I wouldn’t be able to give them an answer. My mother Julie, went to the University Of Arkansas were she had completed law school. After completing law school she got a job at JB Hunt being a contract attorney. My father Carlos, who only has a high school diploma but works for a company called South Western Energy and is a company man for two rigs out in Pennsylvania where he is very successful in what he does. I don’t think you have to have a college diploma to be the most educated person around. Do I think you would make more amount of money in certain professions? Yes. Society makes it out to be that you must be admitted to a college to be educated, but really how educated do you have to be, to be admitted into a college. Back in the day it was a lot harder to get into a college, now-a-days you can score a fourteen through a sixteen and easily get into a college and just have to do remediation classes. Being tested for an ACT, SAT, Standardized test to me doesn’t show how educated you really are. Teachers teach you for the chapter they are covering than they either expect you to continue to remember what they taught you or you forget it. On the standardized test or the A T or SAT there is information that you were taught in younger grades or that you haven’t been taught yet. So technically it really isn’t showing how educated a person may really be. Life its self-offers you an education. This lesson of education is more a hard learning education. ‘The best way to predict your future is to create It.’- Abraham Lincoln. You are not taught in school how to balance a check book, how to cook, how to pay taxes, or how to do major things in the real world. Sooner or later you will get to the point that you will graduate for high school, get your GED or even drop out, but there will come a time that you will leave your parents’ house, which then you will have to find your own path in the real world. Unless you were taught by your parents or other adults how to balance a check book, how to cook, how to pay taxes, or how to do things in the real world you won’t be an educated person on how to go about life. In life there will be times that you will come to points in life that will you will see how educated you are, or when there is times that you need to speak up or when you need to go ahead and back off from the situation. People are different and learn in many different ways some faster than others and some who remember everything easily or some who forget stuff by the time class is over. Being knowledgeable in one subject and not in the other is that consider too make someone less knowledgeable or less comprehensive than another person. When going through college to earn a degree depending on what we want to major in we aren’t taught certain subjects. When majoring in anything in the medical field you aren’t taught any type of histories because you don’t need to know it. When you want to become a history major you aren’t taught any sciences because you don’t and won’t need them. If someone was to walk up to someone and try and have a conversation with them about a certain subject or ask them for some type of help on a certain subject but the other person isn’t able to have a conversation back because they aren’t taught that subject or haven’t been taught that subject does that make them any less educated than the person asking for help. There will always be some one that is always smarter or believes to be smarter than you, but really how can you tell how smart someone is. Being successful to me is a huge part of being educated. When knowing people who have a good degree and do not do anything with their degree and make bad choices in their life and not care what anyone thinks isn’t a successful and well educated person. When you are living on the streets and have a good degree you could go and find a job even if it means starting at a fast food restaurant and working your way to the top to get a job for what your degree is. It may take time but no reason to just sit around and waste a well-educated mind as society would say. There may be as many definitions as there are defines, but it is important for people to have a clear understand of education in order to be able to define it to other people on what your beliefs are and what it means to be a well-educated person. Lincoln, Abraham. Education Quotes Edgalaxy. Edgalaxy. Techzoo, 2009-2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.

Live Flesh by Pedro Almodovar: Scene Analysis :: essays research papers

Pedro Almodovar’s 1997 film Live Flesh (Carne Tremula), is rich in both visual and story elements, making in the perfect candidate for a scene analysis. Upon writing this paper, however, this was almost to my disadvantage. I watched it through and whittled it down to about five scenes I considered analyzing. This self-challenge is a testament to not only this film, but Almodovar’s whole body of work; he has created so many thoughtful, intricate, and all together entertaining films in his career, I had to somehow forgive myself for just choosing one short scene out of only one of his movies for analysis. So, without further ado, here is an analysis of a scene from Live Flesh. The scene I chose to analyze is the one in which David (Javier Bardem) returns home from a basketball game, only to find out his wife, Elena (Francesca Neri) has slept with another man. It occurs at roughly an hour and 17 minutes into the film, and is relatively short, but extremely powerful. The opening shot to the scene of Elena returning home from her tryst early in the morning. She enters the shower and begins to smell her naked body, seemingly bringing back memories from the previous night. Every time she inhales, she lets out an orgasmic sigh, which makes it clear to the audience exactly what she is recalling. With each sigh it seems that she not only had an amazing sexual experience, but that she also doesn’t regret it at all. This is until her last deep breathe. After this, she pauses for a beat, and in this moment, a look of full realization about the events of the past night washes over her face. This moment is fleeting, however, because right when she turns the shower on, she closes her eyes, as if she is recalling not only the scents of the night before, but even the sights and sounds. As soon as she stops moving and cracks a smile, the shot quickly changes to David’s cab pulling up. The cab symbolizes David’s dependence, in that all he can do is sit in the back and tell the driver where to go, showing that his disability has forced him to become dependent on so many different people. The fact that David’s cab was shown right as Elena began to smile shows that David’s dependence is preventing Elena from truly being happy, which I’m sure is a struggle in any relationship involving a handicapped person.

Ethics: Religion vs. Abortion

Not every woman was meant to be a mother. Not every couple is meant to have a child. So what happens when an unprepared couple becomes pregnant? The first thoughts are not to carry a baby to full term for it to be adopted or to grant temporary custody. People look for the easiest way out which is to get rid of the baby. Our society has become so accustom to instant gratification that there are no thoughts that run through our minds when making such decisions. Our biggest concerns are how much it will cost and who will find out. At what point is the weight of this decision realized?When do we realize that we are taking a life? For this specific reason there are people who boldly stand against abortion. Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward (Psalm 127:3 KJV). There are many verses in the bible that explains how children are great gifts and should be cherished and welcomed into the world. The church has stepped in to remind us how gracious the gift o f life really is. The religious war on abortion cannot be easily defined. Although people are religious and may fear God, the issue is that there are no consequences during life.There is only a threat that people who have or perform abortions will go to hell in the after life. The churches only weapon is excommunication where they limit a person’s membership or exile them from the church. Originally Catholic Church’s position on excommunication was limited to the abortion of a formed fetus. The theory of a formed fetus came from Aristotle's concept of ensoulment which was adopted by Christian philosophers. Aristotle believed that fetuses were conceived in a vegetative or animalistic state and that between 40 and 90 days a fetus undergoes â€Å"ensoulment† in which the fetus actually received its human soul.So it was this concept that made abortion a homicide after the 90 period. Church councils usually grouped abortion earlier than the ensoulment with other sex crimes. After 1869 the Catholic Church agreed that ensoulment started at the time of conception, this now made abortion a homicide at anytime, in the eyes of the church. Abortion wasn’t always such a controversial issue in America; there was a time when it was taken lightly. In the early 1800s many mothers died during or after child labor. Lack of medical knowledge and equipment made delivery difficult and because of this aborting children was a norm.Although there seemed to be less death surrounding abortion, the procedure was reevaluated in the late 1800s and anti-abortion laws were put into place. By 1910 almost all of the states had declared abortion illegal due to its immorality; some believed that laws were put into place because the early settlers feared being over populated by the immigrants that were traveling to our country at the time. Others believed that Doctors led lawmakers to criminalize abortion. This was their way of taking control of the practice. Many abor tions were performed by female practitioners in women’s homes.To get those women to get back into doctor's offices they claimed that their main objective was to protect women from the dangerous abortion techniques practiced outside of the office. After these laws were put into place abortions were to be performed by doctors only after they determine if the pregnancy would endanger the mother or child. After six decades of illegal abortions throughout the United States they were convinced to give women back the rights to their bodies with Roe v. Wade in 1973. Legalizing abortion dropped the number of pregnancy related hospitalizations by 75 percent almost instantly.That number has continued to drop over the years and has reached less than 1 percent. Legalizing abortion has saved a lot of lives but there are still many obstacles that woman face when making this grave decision. When it comes down to which law is more relevant it is easy to say the law of the land prevails. Simpl y because in our times there is not much respect for religion. Many people don’t know what they believe in or would rather believe in nothing. When it comes to something to have faith in or look up to it is often monetary.These are the beliefs of the youths, that money will help them get through anything. Older generations know that you need to have faith in something that can make you feel loved. Money is not abundantly available to any of us, while God, Jesus and his word are readily available for us all. Many people do not attend church and don’t read the bible so to them there is no other law than what they see in front of them. The law of the land is gives direction to those who are seeking abortions. Protestors that harass and even use violence towards people seeking abortions will not enlighten them.The church must find a way to reach out to people so they may realize what kinds of options they have. The state offers counseling, adoption agencies, and welfare to those seeking assistance with children. When it comes to assistance it doesn’t seem that the church has much to offer but it does seem that they are quick to judge. Researching this paper has enlightened me on abortion. I didn’t know that there were so many deaths involved with illegal abortions. I mainly focused on what has happened in the United States. Digging deeper I found that there are still many countries that have not yet legalized abortion.Cuba and Guyana are the only countries in Central and South America that are allowed to practice abortion. In this area there are over four million illegal abortions done every year even though this region is the biggest Roman Catholic region in the world. Women who are well off are able to use large sums of money to get into professionals offices. While poor women take the risk of having abortions below medical standards. After already going through the trauma of an awful procedure when these women are taken to the hospit al they are questioned and then often thrown in jail awaiting trial or even convicted.There have even been convictions in the United States for performing late-term abortions. Most states prohibit abortions after viability or the point when a fetus can survive outside the womb. Viability is often around 28 weeks but at 21 weeks the fetus has already developed all its organs and body structures. I have never had an abortion and hope that it is never a decision I will have to struggle with. I am very safe and take the proper precautions that will save me and my unborn child. There is so much that is readily available for us, condoms, birth control, and abstinence plus many other ways to protect ourselves.Although I agree that the procedure should be available, I also believe that they should know and exhaust all options. Ultimately I cannot give a stern opinion on the matter. I have never been in a place where I have to choose to take someone’s life or dedicate my own. I do und erstand the state of our economy and that many people are not in the proper place to raise a child. If you don’t know where your next meal will come from or how you will be making your next mortgage payment, you may not want to bring a child into a world of stress and frustration.Bibliography â€Å"Abortion. † Methods of. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"National Abortion Federation: History of Abortion. † National Abortion Federation (NAF). Web. 09 Apr. 2012. . BBC News. BBC. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Your Baby's Developments in the Womb. † Askamum. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Baby's Development in the Womb. † – MyDr. com. au. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Major U. S. Laws concerning Abortion. † U. S. LAWS RESTRICTING ABORTION. Web. 08 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"The Bible and Abortion. † What the Bible Says about Abortion! Web. 08 Apr. 2012. .

Brainstorming & Applied Imagination

Brainstorming has a long history that stretches back to almost 3000 years, although it owes its current popularity to efforts of Alex Osborn in 1950s through his seminal work Applied Imagination (Proctor, 1999, 114; Sutton and Hargaddon, 1996). Osborn used brainstorming with an objective to increase creativity within organizations. In his surmises, creativity in organizations was impeded by hostile environment to new ideas that discouraged people from coming forth with their views and opinions.Further development of brainstorming has been result of Osborn’s commitment to encourage employees to come out freely with their ideas (Paulus and Brown, 2003, 110). Brainstorming gained rapid popularity due to its simplicity, its fun elements, its therapeutic abilities and its proven effectiveness in stimulating creativity and emergence of new ideas (Davis, 1973, 90). In brainstorming participants are encouraged to come openly with their ideas of wildest sort, without being interfered, and criticized, that leads to combination and improvement of ideas (Sutton and Hargaddon, 1996).Techniques of Brainstorming Generally brainstorming techniques are divided into two main categories that are a) Unstructured; b) Structured (Proctor, 1999, 114). While the unstructured brainstorming doesn’t involve any established procedure, resulting in unproductive efforts, the structured brainstorming proceeds through some set rules that make it a very effective technique. These rules and principles, suggested by Osborn in the early 1950s are (ibid) 1. No criticism: Criticism is not permitted during brainstorming session to help in uninhibited flow of ideas2. Quantity is encouraged: Large number of ideas increases likelihood of effectiveness of session 3. Unrestrained ideas: Brainstorming sessions encourages participants to come out with any idea, no matter how wild it appears. This helps people in coming out of their fears and express their views openly 4. Improvement of ideas: Brainstorming also encourages people to suggest in improving ideas of other people and suggest ways by which various ideas can be combined in unison, for greater efficiency. Benefits of BrainstormingThese techniques of brainstorming have helped in reaching solutions to various kinds of problems within organizations. As reported by Proctor (1999, 116) brainstorming has proved very effective in coming out with solutions of problems that pertain to Issues of reducing time in production line, 1. finding ways to handle shop lifting 2. In marketing and sales segment where within a short time a large number of concepts, punch lines and creative names are required. However the same techniques of brainstorming do not yield desired result if problem is too technical or require special expertise that cannot be suggested by other people.Today brainstorming has become synonymous with creative thinking and infusion of imaginative solution to problems that come in organizational setups. The basic concept of brainstorming is to achieve a synergy of ideas that helps to break situation of deadlocks. It helps in generating ideas and then narrows down attention to their detail whereby from a number of available options the optimum course is selected. Thus it creates a sequence where participants themselves become proponents of ideas and their judge to weed out the ineffectual concepts and retain only those that carry sufficient potential with them (Proctor, 1999).The distinct advantage of brainstorming is that it helps in bringing forth a number of ideas through creating a light and interactive atmosphere where one idea is instigator of many other ideas, and even an absurd suggestion acting as a stimulant for relevant ideas. The other advantage of brainstorming is that it is a therapeutic procedure in overstressed atmospheres where people are given opportunities to speak up, present their views, receive feedback and share their ideas with others (Davis, 1973).There are numerous instances where brainstorming has successfully delivered the solution to problems that had flummoxed organizations. Effectiveness of Brainstorming Although the effectiveness of brainstorming is demonstrated through various experiments and test groups, there is a controversy whether group brainstorming is more effective than solitary brainstorming (Paulus and Brown, 2003). As mentioned by Sutton and Hargaddon (1996), a majority of experiments conducted on techniques of brainstorming have come out with different observation on the thesis of Osborn.Their findings revealed that although group brainstorming is a widely accepted method for inspiring creativity, revamping business operations and bringing improvement in industrial and manufacturing processes, controlled tests have shown that compared to individuals thinking alone, the productivity output of group brainstorming is lower. Further findings by Mullen, Johnson and Salas (1991) suggest that in some cases groups consisting of more than two members have shown comparatively lower productivity than that of individual thought process.However, on exploring the reasons of lower productivity, its found some of them result from improper application of Osborn’s fundamental rules. The three main reasons suggested for lower productivity in group brainstorming are 1. Fear among group members in freely expressing their ideas, anticipating negative feedback by their group partners 2. Lower level of accountability, where member tend to go reckless and literally get focused on coming out with only wild and impractical ideas 3. Sometimes over generation of ideas by some individuals block idea generation process of other individuals who loose the coherence of their thought process.Electronic Brainstorming Application of information technology and computer analysis methods to brainstorming has provided new tools in hands of researchers to measure the effectiveness of brainstorming and improve its outcome by balancing te chnological capabilities with the situational requirements. Meeting styles within groups, in the words of Dennis (1994) have largely resorted to electronic communication styles that offers benefits of â€Å"parallelism, direct access to meeting memories and anonymity offered by pure electronic communication†.Group brainstorming has seen emergence of new techniques such as Group Decision Support System, Electronic Meeting System, Groupware, and Group Support System. Some of these methods help the group members to interact with each other by help of networked computers that facilitate instant communication, messaging, sharing of ideas and joint coordination. In addition members can highlight key issues on discussion on common large electronic blackboard that is visible to every group member (Dennis, 1994).Apart from the benefits of parallelism, access to meeting memories and anonymity of individual, the electronic brainstorming session also provides the facility of media richne ss, i. e transmission of complex information. Studies have shown that a combination of electronic communication and verbal communication produces better media richness than what either of them are capable of achieving alone (Dennis, 1994). Electronic brainstorming has received great boos by application of EBT or Electronic Brainstorming Tool that has been designed to assist researchers who are interested in method of electronic brainstorming (Clapper, 1995).The tool provides users with a simple interface to help in sharing and developing ideas for effective communication, leading to greater media richness. Reeference Clapper DL, 1995, EBT: a Tool for Electronic Brainstorming Researchers. Journal of Organizational Computing. Volume: 5. Issue: 1, Page Number: 22 Davis, GA, 1973, Psychology of Problem Solving: Theory and Practice, Basic Books, New York Dennis AR, 1994, Electronic Support for Large Groups, Journal of Organizational Computing, Volume: 4. Issue: 2, Page Number: 177Hargado n A, Sutton RI, 1996, Brainstorming Groups in Context: Effectiveness in a Product Design Firm, Administrative Science Quarterly. Volume: 41. Issue: 4, 685 Mullen, Brian, Craig Johnson, and Eduardo Salas, 1991, Productivity loss in brainstorming groups: A meta-analytic integration, Basic and Applied Psychology, 12: 2-23 Paulus PB, Brown VR, 2003, Group Creativity: Innovation through Collaboration (edit),Bernard A. Nijstad, Paul B. Paulus, Oxford University Press. New York Proctor, T, 1999, Creative Problem Solving for Managers, Routledge London

Gettysburg Battle essays

Gettysburg Battle essays Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. This is the most famous and important Civil War Battle that occurred over three hot summer days, July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. More importantly Gettysburg was the clash between the two major American Cultures of their time: the North and the South. The causes of the Civil War, and the Battle of Gettysburg, one must understand the differences between these two cultures. The Confederacy had an agricultural economy producing tobacco, corn, and cotton, with many large plantations owned by a few very rich white males. These owners lived off the labor of sharecroppers and slaves, charging high dues for use of their land. The Southern or Confederate Army was made up of a group of white males fighting for their independence from federal northern dictates (The History Place Battle of Gettysburg 1). The Union economy was based on manufacturing, and even the minorities in the North were better off than those in the South most of the time. The Northern politicians wanted tariffs, and a large army. The Southern plantation owners wanted the exact opposite. The South was fighting against a government that they thought was treating them unfairly. They believed the Federal Government was overtaxing them, with tariffs and property taxes making their life styles even more expensive than they already had been. The North was fighting the Civil War for two reasons, first to keep the Nation unified, and second to abolish slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the commander and chief of the Union or Northern forces along with many other Northerners believed that slavery was not only completely wrong, but it was a great humiliation to America. Once can see that with these differences a conflict would surely occur, but not many had predicted that a full-blown war would breakout. One did and after three bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of Jul...

The Science Behind Glow-in-the-Dark Products

The Science Behind Glow-in-the-Dark Products Glow-in-the-dark powders, glow sticks, ropes, etc., are all fun examples of products using luminescence, but do you know the science behind how it works? The Science Behind Glow-in-the-Dark Glow-in-the-dark falls under several different sciences including: Photoluminescence by definition is the emission of light from a molecule or atom that has absorbed electromagnetic energy. Examples include fluorescence and phosphorescence materials. The glow-in-the-dark plastic constellation kits that you stick on your wall or ceiling are an example of a photoluminescence-based product.Bioluminescence is the light emitted by living organisms using an internal chemical reaction (think deep sea creatures).Chemiluminescence is the emission of light without the emission of heat as the result of a chemical reaction (e.g., glowsticks),Radioluminescence is created by the bombardment of ionizing radiation. Chemiluminescence and photoluminescence are behind the majority of glow-in-the-dark products. According to Alfred University professors, the distinct difference between chemical luminescence and photoluminescence is that for light to work via chemical luminescence, a chemical reaction has to occur. However, during photoluminescence, light is released without a chemical reaction. The History of Glow-in-the-Dark Phosphorus and its various compounds are phosphorescents or materials that glow-in-the-dark. Before knowing about phosphorus, its glowing properties were reported in ancient writings. The oldest known written observations were made in China, dating back to 1000 BCE regarding fireflies and glow-worms. In 1602, Vincenzo Casciarolo discovered the phosphorus-glowing Bolognian Stones just outside of Bologna, Italy. This discovery started the first scientific study of photoluminescence. Phosphorus was first isolated in 1669 by German physician Hennig Brand. He was an alchemist who was attempting to change metals into gold when he isolated phosphorus. All photoluminescence glow-in-the-dark products contain phosphor. To make a glow-in-the-dark toy, toymakers use a phosphor that is energized by normal light and that has a very long persistence (the length of time it glows). Zinc Sulfide and Strontium Aluminate are the two most commonly used phosphors. Glowsticks Several patents were issued for Chemiluminescent Signal Devices during the early seventies that were used for naval signaling. Inventors Clarence Gilliam and Thomas Hall patented the first Chemical Lighting Device in October 1973 (Patent 3,764,796). However, it is not clear who patented the very first glowstick designed for play. In December 1977, a patent was issued for a Chemical Light Device to inventor Richard Taylor Van Zandt (U.S. Patent 4,064,428). Zandts design was the first to add a steel ball inside the plastic tube that when shook would break the glass ampoule and start the chemical reaction. Many toy glowsticks were built based on this design. Modern Glow-in-the-Dark Science Photoluminescence spectroscopy is a contactless, nondestructive method of probing the electronic structure of materials. This is from a patent-pending technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that uses small organic molecule materials to create organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and other electronics. Scientists in Taiwan say they have bred three pigs that glow-in-the-dark.

Research Proposal week 4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Week 4 - Research Proposal Example Basically, Employee Engagement Index (EEI) is the ratio of satisfied employees to the total number of employees in an organization, expressed as a percentage (Stevenson, 2009). As such, the research will need to examine how well this index operates to show the realities of human resource performance in an organization. The research must therefore examine the relationship between EEI and actual performance in organizations. The research can be conducted through an inferential research and study of quantitative information relating to performance and the EEI to examine the relationship that exists between them. Quantitative research refers to the measure of data and information about a given topic (Young, 2004). In this case, the phenomena are actual performance and the reported EEI. In order to examine this closely, there is the need to examine some empirical information relating to some real organizations which will given an overview of how the two concepts interact and how well EEI interprets performance in an organization. In doing this, it will be appropriate to use a null hypothesis. A hypothesis is a tentative statement that is tested for its truthfulness or falsity in a research (Kothari, 2005 p22). In this case, the hypothesis is that â€Å"the performance of an employees in an organization has a direct correlation with the employee engagement index (EEI)†. As such, the purpose of the research will be to prove whether there is a direct relationship between EEI and performance or not. If there is a direct relationship, then it will be inferred that EEI is very relevant as a performance measure and indicator in institutions. In order to prove or disprove this hypothesis, there will be the need to conduct an empirical study which will involve the collection of data from various sources in a number of organizations to enable

Figurative Language versus Literal Language Essay - 24

Figurative Language versus Literal Language - Essay Example An analogy is used to compare two things, and its function is to explain or clarify. An example of an analogy is your brain is like a sponge. An ideal circumstance to use this example would be when explaining how one’s brain is capable of absorbing information - much like a sponge soaks up water. This particular analogy may be misconstrued if the individual hearing this phrase is unaware of the similar functions between a brain and a sponge and that they are both capable of holding a large quantity. A metaphor is when two completely different objects, concepts, or actions are compared. The purpose of a metaphor is to provide a greater comprehension of what is being described. An example of a metaphor is time is money. Time is nothing like money, but this phrase can be appropriately used when the speaker is trying to instill into workers, for example, the importance of not wasting time, which could lead to wasting time. This phrase could be misunderstood if the listener is unable to see how time and money are associated. A simile is a figure of speech that allows two dissimilar things to be directly compared using words â€Å"like† or â€Å"as† to connect them to each other. The purpose of a simile is to reveal the relationship between two completely unlike things. An example of a simile is as busy as a bee. This example best describes how quickly and efficiently that someone is working, comparing them to the energetic work ethics of a bee as it keeps its hive operative. This phrase might lead to misunderstanding if the listener is unfamiliar with the workings and importance of a bee to the success of its hive. A cliche is a phrase that is overused and lacking original thought, often causing the phrase to lose its original meaning. The function of a cliche is to explain a concept with more accuracy than a metaphor or original description. One of the most common cliches is time heals all wounds. This phrase is best used when comforting someone after