Alternative Energy Essay Example for Free

Alternative Energy Essay Alternative Energy whether used for transportation or utilities such as generating electricity for home or business is a very significant subject going on right now because of the benefits it would provide for us, such as environmental, economic, job security and energy security. I believe alternative energy would be beneficial to our society, especially if it is used in transport; there is many other better, leaner and reusable energy sources out there, for example fuel for vehicles pollutes the air and yet can be changed by using a more natural source that doesnt create as much pollution if not any If we were to experiment more with the usage of natural elements, without mentioning that it would be cheaper for all of us in the long run. Evidence Despoiling nature to get at the tiny trickle of oil we have left wont make any significant difference in what we pay at the pump not now and not ever. And it wont make our country any less dependent on foreign fuel. Our thirst for oil is bad for national security, bad for our economy and bad for the environment, America needs to say no to pumping up Big Oils profits and yes to forging a new clean energy economy. -Build the Clean Energy Economy, www.nrdc.org ?(accessed Feb. 25, 2009). The nation is finally realizing that the solutions to these twin crises are linked. That is because nearly everything that is good for the environment and practically everything that is good in the fight against global warming is a job. We can power America through this recession by repowering America with clean energy. We can create millions of jobs that will make our people wealthier and the Earth healthier. (Jones, 2008) The U.S. renewable energy resource base is vast and practically untapped. Available wind energy resources in 12 Midwestern and Rocky Mountain states equal about 2.5 times the entire electricity production of the United States, Complete elimination of CO2 could occur as early as 2040. Elimination of nuclear power could also occur in that time frame. (Makhijani, 2007) Biofuels can provide a number of environmental advantages over conventional fossil fuels-most notably a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Since the transportation sector accounts for about a third of total U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (an abundant GHG), cleaner transp ortation fuels can play an important role in addressing climate change. -Environmental Benefits of Biofuels, www.doe.gov ?(accessed July 8, 2008) Solar power is a prime choice in developing an affordable and feasible global power source that can substitute fossil fuels in all the worlds climate zones. The solar radiation reaching the earths surface in one year provides more than 10,000 times the worlds yearly energy needs, with the right product, therefore offering customers the type of added value they are looking for, coupled with innovative marketing technologies such as solar electricity should be able to compete with grid power in industrialized countries.- Solar Generation: Solar Electricity for Over One Billion People and Two Million Jobs by 2020, www.epia.org, ?Sep. 2006. Counterarguments It is estimated that there is enough oil and natural gas offshore and in non-wilderness and non-park lands in the United States but currently ruled off-limits for production by the federal government to fuel 50 million cars and heat nearly 100 million homes for the next 25 years. -â€Å"PuttingAmericasEnergyResourcesto Work, www.exxonmobil.com,?June 2008. Taking into account the EIAs [US Energy Information Agency] projected increases in electricity demand, the renewable sector would need to grow 19% per year for 22 years consecutively to meet U.S. demand by the year 2030. Clearly, these targets are overly ambitious and impractical The government cannot create wealth or jobs; all it can do is take from Peter to pay Paul, opening up a job in green industry A by eliminating one in fossil fuel industry B. (Murphy, 2008) We want to be very clear: solar cells, wind turbines, and biomass-for-energy plantations can never replace even a small fraction of the highly reliable nuclear, fossil and hydroelectric power stations. Claims to the contrary are popular, but irresponsible. (Patzek, Pimentel, 2005) The use of corn for ethanol has led to major increases in the price of U.S. beef, chicken, pork, eggs, breads, cereals, and milk a boon to agribusiness and bane to consumers, as global population soars to 8 or 9 billion toward mid-century, and a s we burn more grain as fuel, shortages and production costs could cause grain prices to skyrocket, taking food from the mouths of the worlds poorest people. (Pimentel, 2008). The suns energy is too widely dispersed and the land area required to collect it too vast for solar to become a large-scale power source. The suns energy is too widely dispersed and the land area required to collect it too vast for solar to become a large-scale power source, he solar problem is that no matter how you design the system it will always be inefficient and capture only a small, uneconomical amount of solar energy. (Leher, 2005) We can come to a conclusion that there are many viable alternate sources of energy that we can and should use to supply our energy needs other than fossil fuels and coal, but if we really want to change the energy we use, we need to make a dramatic change. Even if at a first impression we might think it is more expensive to switch to Alternate energy for transport, imagine how it would be like to have cars that don’t need gas to run, in the long run it would be beneficial not only to our wallets but also to our environment, if we really want a change we should start investing in alternative energy now.

Managing your professional performance Essay Example for Free

Managing your professional performance Essay 1.0 INTRODUCTION Personal development planning (PDP) is a process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own development in a purposeful way through learning and experience. (Jackson, 2001) Everyone has desires and aspirations in life. To go about achieving goals and success in one’s life, it is vital to jump start and implement a very own personal and professional development plan. Every individual will have their own interpretation of personal development. For me, it is a lifelong personal growth and learning progress not only in building on self awareness and enhancing on skills and professions but also to achieve spiritual growth. 2.0 ANALYSE PERCEIVED DEVELOPMENT NEEDS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MODULE 2.1 Personal Vision and Mission Vision Statement: â€Å"To become an effective and respected General Manager in the hospitality industry; helping to enhance the performance and continuous improvement within the business and extending excellence service to the customers.† Mission Statement: â€Å"I will strive hard to work my way up the ladder with continuous learning and development of knowledge, skills and experiences and at the same time, maintaining good work ethics and relationships with people around me.† MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Philosophy: I always believe that if one does not have the passion towards something, one won’t achieve success in it. We may be inspired to do something, but to be successful in what we are doing requires great effort and determination. Just like the saying from Thomas Alva Edison (1929 cited in Sommers 2012, p184) â€Å"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration†. If no effort is put in, there’s just no way that we can achieve success in life. 2.2 Status When I have chosen hospitality as my career, I knew it is a field that differs from the others which it requires not only basic hospitality knowledge and skills but also industry experience. Therefore, along with my studies I have held several part time positions as a waitress, promoter, sale executive and even a part time tuition teacher to gain career-related experience. As soon as I completed my diploma studies, I undergo my industrial training and continue on as a full time employee working as a guest experience executive with Le Meridien Hotel before I further my degree in order to gain broader knowledge and real-world experiences. Throughout these years so much has happened. Everyday I’m facing with new challenges and obstacles in work, with many ups and downs. I have learned to be patient; looking at things from different perspective and creatively dealing with different types of human being. All these working experiences have developed me a sense of competence and build up my self-esteem. Also, I’m more aware of the attitudes, skills and experiences that required for further career development and seizing the opportunity to gain insight and learn more about myself. MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 2.3 Self Assessment I have made an assessment of my own personality and capabilities in certain key skill areas in order to anlayse my strengths and weaknesses as well as to review on the gaps that I could further enhance for my long-term career prospects. (a) Personality Personality test is vital in helping me to understand my inner self and review on areas that could be improved for better self development to achieve future career success. I have taken the big five personality tests which could review on my level of sociability, friendliness, work ethic, calmness and creativity. (Please refer to appendix 1 – The Big Five Model of Personality) The result indicated that I am a person who is well organised, relatively social and tends to consider the feelings of others. However, weak in handling emotions and tend to be conventional. (b) Career Motivation According to Robbins (2001 cited in Tan and Amna 2011, pp73-94), motivation is a needs-satisfying process, which means individuals will strive to achieve goals when their needs are satisfied by certain factors. It is highly important for me to understand my career motivation in order to achieve a more fulfilling and productive career. And based on the career motivation test that I have taken, I realized for me to ensure a long term job satisfaction; my career motivational needs are recognition and long-term reward. (Please see appendix 2 – Career Motivation Test) This enables me to reflect and decide on the type of organisation My ex-manager exercises a range of leadership approaches as shown in the table above and deploys them appropriately according to different situations. Instead of practicing only one or few of the leadership approaches, her way of leading and levels of control towards the team is moving along the continuum which from being an autocratic leader to a democratic leader. MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 3.1.4 Different Styles and Different Stages When I first joined in the organisation, I was really not used to her way of managing as I was being ordered and instructed on things to do without having the freedom to do according to my way. Whenever I questioned on the task that I was performing, her reply is always the same â€Å"Just follow and do whatever I told you, soon you will understand why.† Until a period where I saw other teams were doing the same tasks as mine but different way of performing; and they ended up screwing up the tasks made me realized her intention was to train me on the right way of doing things. After gaining some period of working experience, she presented a list of suggestions and solutions; and allowed me decide on my own based on my analysis and past experience. And as soon as she had faith on me and the team and having confidence in our abilities, she allowed us to develop ideas and decide on action to be taken. As in overall, when the team is immature or new, she will practice the styles more towards to the left-hand side of the spectrum. By contrast, when the team is skilled and motivated, she will practice the styles that are more towards to the right-hand side of the spectrum. Her shifting in leadership styles from being autocratic to democratic at different stages has inspired me and made me understand that a great leadership is not necessary to be consistent with the forms of leadership, but being able to apply the right style at the right situation. ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE and influence followers’ perceptions, and eventually smooth the path in achieving common goals. 3.1.6 Conclusion I truly believe that there is no one â€Å"best† style of leadership. Different leaders will have their own interpretation of what is called a good leader and with different approaches to leadership. To me, to be a good leader, first is to become a good follower, which I truly agree with the saying from Mark Wagner (2010) â€Å"Great Followers make the Best Leaders†. In my opinion, a great leader needs to be developed through experience and learning; learned from observation, listening, hearing and doing. A leader may be is naturally born, but a great leader is definitely made. Page 21 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 3.2 COMMUNICATION (Activity 4) Communication is a simple yet complex activity in which can be defined as a twoway process of reaching mutual understanding through verbal or nonverbal means. (Business Dictionary, n.d.) It is an important facet of life which plays a vital role not only in personal interactions but also in business communication. 3.2.1 Importance of Effective Communication In the daily personal interactions, effective communication could help oneself to deliver the information along and get the desired respond or need. It could also help to build up good relationships with the people around through better understanding and avoiding from arguments and misunderstandings. Effective communication could also build up individual’s’ self-esteem as they are able to present themselves well and express their thoughts and feelings. Effective communication is also a key to success for every organisation, leader, manager, and employee. It is vital for an organisation to build or strengthen the relations with internal and external stakeholders and ultimately, achieving business goals and missions. Following table highlights the importance of effective communication in business: Consideration Understands human nature Emphasize positive pleasant facts, visualizing reader or listener’s problems, desires, emotions and responses. ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Courtesy Strengthen relations Not only thinks about receiver but also valuing his or her feelings. Use polite word and gestures, being appreciative, thoughtful, tactful, showing respect. Source: Managementstudyguide.com, 2012 3.2.3 Reflection Throughout this activity, I found out that it wasn’t easy to get everyone to be in the same level of understanding of the information that I have been delivered. Different people tend to have different interpretation and understanding towards my explanation of the visual ‘poster’. I was struggling in expressing my own thoughts and ideas effectively towards the entire class. Also, I realized the same scenario happened in my previous workplace when I was expressing or explaining something to different people. My words are often misinterpreted or misunderstood; and eventually lead to ineffective job performance. My weakness in delivering message is causing me great difficulty to communicate effectively especially in the workplace. Out of the 7C’s above, I realized I am somehow lack of the 2 C’s – completeness and concreteness. I often simplify my expressed thoughts and ideas without any further explanation and supporting facts. Perhaps this is the issue which leads to the misinterpretations due to having an unclear and ineffective communication. Therefore, it is essential for me to look into how I could craft effective communications and further develop on my communication skills. Page 24 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 3.2.4 Communication Skills The act of communicating involves verbal and nonverbal components. (Rod and Suzanne, n.d.) Both of these components are interrelated which are vital to deliver clear and concise messages; and receive correct and understand messages sent by the others. Therefore, these two aspects of communication skills should be enhanced as a whole to ensure effective communication. (a) Verbal Verbal communication includes both oral and written communications. (Rod and Suzanne, n.d.) There are numerous verbal communication skills such as speak with confidence, think before you speak, don’t talk too much and so on. And, I found it that there are certain verbal skills that I could enhance and worth mastering based on my communication weaknesses, which are: (i) Learn the art of listening Listening someone effectively enable us to gain valuable information and greater understanding of the others’ point of view. One of the key improvements that I would require is to stay focus or pay attention on the message delivered to gain a deeper understanding of another’s thoughts. Remain clearheaded is also another key area that I need to further enhance by truly listen to someone’s perception and controlling emotions when it comes to sensitive and emotional topic. (ii) Be clear and concise I should avoid wordy expressions and learn to choose my words; state out my point of views as clear as possible and as briefly and succinctly as possible. I Page 25 of ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE should train on this daily while communicating with family members, friends, colleagues and relatives; and gain feedbacks from them for better improvement. (b) Nonverbal Nonverbal communication can be described using body languages which involve facial expression, body movement, gestures, eye contact, voice, space and more. (Rod and Suzanne, n.d.) Following are the list of tips that could help me in enhancing my nonverbal communication skills: Always make eye contact while communicating with people. Exhibit appropriate facial expressions and affirmative head nods. Avoid distracting gestures and actions. Be mindful of personal space while communicating. Do not invade personal space by getting too close or confuse communication by being too far away. Source: IILM, 2012, p90 3.2.5 Conclusion Communication is not just a simple daily activity but it comes together with skills and techniques where individuals need to learn and acquire them in order to perform daily tasks and work effectively. To me, it is the most highly valued skill out of all professional skills as it plays a vital role in all aspects of personal and professional lives that would last for a lifetime. (Word Counts: 1436 Words) ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 4.0 DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT A personal action plan is a detailed schedule of key activities which set by an individual in order to accomplish personal goals. (Carnes, 2010) Based on my vision and mission statements as well as the identified development needs, I have set a list of goals to be achieved into short-medium terms in the next fifteen years; starting from year 2013 till 2027. 4.1 FIVE-YEAR ACTION PLAN Plan period: From 2013 to 2017 (Age 22 to 26) Goals to be achieved: 1. To be a Front Office Manager I have got two years working experience as a guest experience executive in the hotel industry and several part time working experiences in the related fields. My next stage will be looking forward to be a front office supervisor; and then strive hard to work my way up to the next level which is to be a front office manager within these five years. 2. To travel every year Ever since I finished primary school, I have not been to anywhere out of the country, as I am committed to my study and work. And to be frank, I can’t really remember when is the last time I traveled, most probably is when I was in the age of 12. I want to turn this around; and I want to go on vacation or travel abroad every year to gain a different perspective of the world. Lifetime ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE ï‚ · From industry expertise, managers, supervisors and colleagues through sharing of industry knowledge and experiences. Personal Observations and Experiences ï‚ · The daily working experiences also known as the firsthand experiences enable me to gain awareness and up-todate hospitality-related service and knowledge. Year 1 – 2013 (Age 22) Basically my plan in 2013 is to return to my previous workplace right after I finished my degree course in between April to May. I have been offered a position by my ex-manager, working as a guest experience supervisor or called it as a front office supervisor starting in June. Throughout the whole year, I have planned to take different training programmes or courses to overcome my weaknesses, enhance my professional skills, gain additional knowledge, build up self esteem and develop self competencies. The examples of training programmes include the â€Å"360-Degree Leadership Skills† training course, â€Å"Creativity, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making† training course, and â€Å"Personal and Professional Effectiveness† training workshop. Also, I am seeking for work-life balance, and I will plan for at least an oversea trip probably in the year-end; which it is also one of my personal goals.ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Year 2 to 5 – 2014 2017 (Age 23 to 26 ) These four years are going to be hectic years as I will be striving hard to work my way up to the next position level. I will apply for Starwood Leadership Development Programme which is a hands-on-three-year training programme to prepare myself to be a future leader; enhancing every aspect of my personal and professional skills, knowledge and experiences. From time to time, I will also keep myself up-to-date of the hospitality or related industry knowledge through a wide variety of resources as listed in the action plan. I will also constantly look up for courses or training programmes to help me to further improving my professional skills and knowledge. And hopefully by 2017, I could achieve my first career goal which is to be a front office manager; utilizing my skills, knowledge and experiences gained to help the organisation in enhancing the performance and continuous improvement within the business. Page 31 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 4.2 TEN-YEAR ACTION PLAN Plan Period: From 2018 to 2027 (Age 27-36) Goals to be achieved: 1. To be a Director of Rooms Division (By Year 2022, Age 31) My next goal to be achieved after being a Front Office Manager is to be a Director of Rooms Division after five years. I planned to apply for cross training or internal transfer programme to the housekeeping department for at least two years to learn and get more exposure about the overall rooms operation. 2. To be a Hotel Manager (By Year 2027, 36) My next goal to be achieved after being a Director of Rooms Division is to be a Hotel Manager after five years; before moving forward to the next position level which is the General Manager. I planned to gain experience and exposure to all hotel departments and different functions to gain more in-depth knowledge and integrated experience of how the entire hotel operates. 3. To get a Master’s Degree (By Year 2019, Age 28) Also, one of my ten-year goals is to earn a Master’s Degree on a part-time basis to acquire broader knowledge and skills to keep myself a competitive edge over the others. Keeping me on the edge of developments with constant professional skills improvement and keeping industry knowledge up to date is also one of my life time plans. Personal Observations and Experiences The daily working experiences also known as the firsthand experiences enable me to gain awareness and up-todate hospitality-related service and knowledge. Cross Training Programme – Housekeeping Department ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Year 1 to 5 – 2018 2022 (Age 27 to 31) Basically my plan after achieving my first career goal is to get a Master’s Degree major in hospitality management on a part-time basis over two years duration. This enables me to stay competitive in the industry as there is a growing in demand for higher education qualifications in the hospitality industry especially for the higher level positions. Also, I will participate in certain soft skills training programmes or courses to further improve and enrich myself such as stress management and emotional intelligence training workshops. Constantly updating the industry knowledge through a variety of sources is also one of my to-do-lists to keep myself stay alert about the industry changes, spot threats and opportunities early on, and make better business decisions. After planning to work for two years as a front office manager, I plan to get myself involved in cross training programme in housekeeping department to gain integrated experience and knowledge on how the entire room division operates. This can be an important stepping stone for me to move onto the next career level. Besides, I will also take up the Certified Professional Coach (CPC) Programme to enhance my mentoring and coaching skills to elevate myself to become a better leader. This programme not only able to help me to become better coaches in my own professional and personal lives but at the same time also improving better cross functional interaction and efficiency in the organisation. And expecting by 2022; all the plans, efforts and determination that I have put in could help me in achieving my second career goal in life which is to be a Director of Rooms Division. Page 36 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Year 6 to 10 – 2023 2027 (Age 32 to 36) Gaining integrated experience in all hotel departments through cross training programme is going to be my next plan after being a Director of Rooms Division. This cross training is going to take about three years duration to six different departments with six months each which include food and beverage, security, engineering, sales and marketing, finance and revenue, and human resource departments. This programme is extremely important for me in achieving my next career goal as it enables me to expose, learn and gain an in-depth knowledge and experience on how the entire hotel runs. And expecting by 2027, I could achieve my third career goal in life which is to be a Hotel Manager. Other than just focusing on maximizing my career achievement, I also aim to buy a home latest by 2024 in the age of 33 and build up a happy and healthy family. Not to forget also to ensure a balance of my work life; go on vacation or travel abroad probably in every year-end to relax and gain a different perspective of the world. 4.3 Contingency Plan Reviewing on the action plans regularly is essential to keep track of my progress in achieving my personal and professional goals. However, situations may change at times due to sudden or unexpected circumstances or perhaps desires may change as time goes by. Therefore, adjusting goals and plans are necessary when the situation calls for it. Following are the contingency plans of the five and ten years development plans by identifying the possible breakdowns: Page 37 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 1. Extension of Timeframe An extension of time is essential when the goals are unable to be achieved within the timeframe perhaps due to unexpected circumstances. For example, my aim to purchase a house by the age of 33 might need to be extended in the case that I am facing financial difficulties at that moment. The cross training programme to all hotel departments might also need to be extended from three years to four years if I can’t gain my desired result and knowledge from all the departments within the targeted timeframe. 2. Seek consultation from industry expertise Seeking advice and consultation from industry expertise such as managers and directors is required if I don’t gain the desired or enough skills and knowledge from the training programmes and workshops. Often the view, opinion, experience and knowledge share by the expertise could help me to gain a better insight into the required skills development. 3. Online Professional Development Taking up online development courses are my backup plan instead of attending training programmes or workshops during the case of having limited time in completing a thousand of tasks in daily life; causing me couldn’t fulfill my development plans within the targeted timeframe. This backup plan would be more flexible and convenient for me especially in a hectic working environment. However, I would still prefer participating in training workshops as I will get the chance to get involved in a variety of activities such as role plays, group Page 38 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE dynamics, games and more; which could help me in gaining a better understanding and insight of the professional skills development. 4.4 Future Plan My next career aim after being a Hotel Manager for about five years length of duration is looking forward to become an effective and respected General Manager in the hospitality industry which is also my vision in life. My career development will not just stop at this stage after achieving my vision; but will continue on to set another vision and goals to be accomplished in the rest of my life. I will continue to emphasize on maximizing my career potential and achievement through ongoing development of professional skills, knowledge and experience. Besides taking up different skills training courses and participating in training programmes to further enhance and enrich myself, I will also seek advice from the industry experts to achieve a better result in career achievement. Not to forget also to constantly reviewing and evaluating the action plan and self development; and look for ways to further enhance personal and professional performance. Besides, one of my future plans is also to contribute to the best of my ability towards the community not only on behalf of the organisation but also for my own sake. Example of contributions include participating or working with the local or international charities and adopting green approaches such as choosing more Page 39 of ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE environmentally viable alternative power supplies, integrating the consideration of environmental concerns into decision makings, promote environmental awareness, reducing waste through reuse and recycling activities and more. Conclusion To me, personal and professional development is a journey that never ends. It is a lifetime and ongoing process in developing professional skills, knowledge and experience as well as in achieving personal and spiritual growth. I truly believe that personal growth and development is completely within my hands which requires not only strong determination and self discipline but also having a positive, can-do attitude and thought that are vital in driving me to success. And based on my philosophy of success, I will definitely put in great effort and determination in everything I do; strive hard to achieve every single goal that I have set in life. (Word Counts: 1869 Words) (Total Word Counts: 4184 Words) Page 40 of 41

Fastest Finger First Project Report

Fastest Finger First Project Report Abstract In the buzzer round of quiz contests, the question is thrown open to all the teams. The person who knows the answer hits the buzzer first and then answers the question. Sometimes two or more players hit the buzzer almost simultaneously and it is very difficult to detect which of them has pressed the buzzer first. In television shows, where the whole event is recorded, the actions are replayed in slow motion to detect the first hit. Such slow motions are possible only where huge funds are available to conduct the show. For this reason buzzer rounds are avoided for quiz contests held in colleges. This project is an electronic quiz buzzer that is affordable by the colleges and even individuals. This project is useful for a 4-team quiz contest, although it can be modified for more number of teams. This system is sensitive. The circuit can detect and record the first hit contestant among all the contestants that may appear to be simultaneous Buzzer controllers for 4-team quizzes are readily available in the market. However, buzzer controller capable handling six or eight team are hard to find. The circuit presented here can be used for up to eight teams. It can be easily expanded to accommodated more teams through suitable cascading of latches and AND gates along with transistors, relays, etc. In the buzzer round of any quiz contest question are thrown open to all the participating teams. Each team has a push button switch to ring the buzzer. After hearing the question any member of a team who knows the answer and hits there switch first gets a chance to answer. In multiple cases who hit the switch first gets the opportunity to reply. For next round the quiz master reset the buzzer operation circuit by pressing the reset switch. For visual indication all teams have the lamp fitted on their desk. The lamps glow until the reset of buzzer controller indicating the eligible team for replying the question. For audio indication the buzzer rings and turns off automatically after a few second. The audio visual circuit is powered through actuation of relay contacts. Here 230v AC has been used. BLOCK DIAGRAM Figure:1 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM Figure:2 Figure:2 Working of Finger first indicator Fastest finger first indicators (FFFIs) are used to test the players reaction time. The players designated number is displayed with an audio alarm when the player presses his entry button. The circuit presented here determines as to which of the 8 contestants first pressed the button and locks out the remaining three entries. Simultaneously, an audio alarm and the correct decimal number display of the corresponding contestant are activated. When a contestant presses his switch, the corresponding output of latch IC1 (74373) changes its logic state from 1 to 0. The combinational circuitry comprising dual 4-input NAND gates of IC3 (7430) locks out subsequent entries by producing the appropriate latch-disable signal. Priority encoder IC2 (74147) encodes the active-low input condition into the corresponding binary coded decimal (BCD) number output. The outputs of IC4 after inversion by inverter gates inside hex inverter 74LS04 (IC5) are coupled to BCDto-7-segment decoder/display driver IC6 (7447). The output of IC6 drives common anode 7-segment LED display (DIS.1, FND507 or LT543). The audio alarm generator comprises clock oscillator (555), whose output drives a loudspeaker. The oscillator frequency can be varied with the help of Preset VR1. Logic 0 state at one of the outputs of IC2 produces logic 1 input condition at pin 4 of 555, thereby enabling the audio oscillator. 555 needs +12V DC supply for sufficient alarm level. The remaining circuit operates on regulated +5V DC supply, which is obtained using (7805).Once the organiser identifies the contestant who pressed the switch first, he disables the audio alarm and at the same time forces the digital display to 0 by pressing reset pushbutton S9 PCB FABRICATION PCB Designing is an important part of the project development, complexity size the PCB for our Project Buzzer Controller For 8-Team Quiz Contests is made by Photo chemical process on copper clad base materials the following steps are involved in Fabrication. Layout designing 1. Art work designing 2. Negative preparation 3. Eleclining 4. Cleaning 5. Coating of Protective layer 6. Drilling 7. Testing Figure:3LAYOUT DESIGNING:- First of all we have prepared the layout designing on graph paper according to the schematic diagram. To layout diagram shown in the tracks on PCB to join the components as per schematic diagram. Taking the consideration actual size (100%) of each components and pin to pin distance of the components. ART WORK DESIGNING:- Art work is the preparation after the layout Modification. Art work is prepared on clad shed by tracking the circuit. On it with tapes different width, circular pads, IC pads cutter 2. NEGATIVE PREPARETION:- For the preparation of Negative the photographic with feint is to cut to the six of the art work it is then place with film in the vertical photographic camera the developer used in the lithe developer. Which consist of A B developer mixed in same proportion. The film is then fixed through fixer which is the Sodium Thiosulphate solution the film then washed with the water and then dried. At least to clean the liquor thinner to protect the tracks from corrosion and moisture effects. Figure:4 4. ELECLINING:- It is the process in which extra copper is removed from copper clad sheet with heep Ferric Chloride(feels) solution. The copper clad sheet is dipped in the feels for about 3 hours. By this process we got the PCB with wanted tracks. 5. CLEANING:- Now remove the dye with help of thinner, wash it with water and dry it in sun light. 6. COATING OF PROTECTIVE LAYERS:- The PCB is now Coated with non-conducting solution. LAQUAR to prevent the tracks from environment hazards like corrosion and moisture effects. Figure:5 PCB LAYOUT FOR FINGER FIRST INDICATOR Figure:6 7. DRILLING:- Drilling is done to create the components lead holes Drill of 1mm.(Diameter) is used. 8. TESTING:- The copper tracks are tested with the digital multimeter if any track is open short can be repaired before mounting the components on PCB. Now PCB is ready for assembly. COMPONENTS LIST Semiconductors: IC1 -74LS373 IC2 -74LS147 IC3 -74LS30 IC4 -74LS00 IC5 74LS04 IC6 74LS47 IC7 -7805, 5V regulator IC8 NE555 timer T1 -BC547 NPN transistor 7- segment display- DIS.1, FND507 or LT543 Resistors (all1/4-watt, +/-5% carbons): R1-R8 -1kilo-ohm R9 -2.2 kilo-ohm R10 -R11 10-kilo-ohm R12-R18 560 ohm VR1 -2-mega-ohm preset Capacitors: C1 -0.01microF, 35V electrolytic C2 0.1microF, 16V electrolytic C3 0.01microF, ceramic disk Miscellaneous: X1 -230V AC primary to 12V, 500mA Secondary transformer S1-S8 -push-to-on switch S9 push-to-off switch BELL -230V AC electric bell Details of various components used Figure:71.74LS373 Figure:8 2.74LS147 Figure:9 Figure:10 3.74LS30 Figure:11 Internal description of 74LS30 Figure:12 Figure:13 5.74LS04 Figure:14 Figure:15 6.74LS00 Figure:16 Figure:18 Figure:17 Figure:19 Figure:20 7. IC7447 Figure:20 8 .Transformer Figure:21 Laminated steel core Transformers for use at power or audio frequencies typically have cores made of high Permeability (electromagnetism) permeabilitysilicon steel. permeability many times that of free space, and the core thus serves to greatly reduce the magnetizing current, and confine the flux to a path which closely couples the windings. Early transformer developers soon realized that cores constructed from solid iron resulted in prohibitive eddy-current losses, and their designs mitigated this effect with cores consisting of bundles of insulated iron wires. Later designs constructed the core by stacking layers of thin steel laminations, a principle that has remained in use. Each lamination is insulated from its neighbors by a thin non-conducting layer of insulation.indicates a minimum cross-sectional area for the core to avoid saturation. The effect of laminations is to confine eddy currents to highly elliptical paths that enclose little flux, and so reduce their magnitude. Thinner laminations reduce losses, Thin laminations are generally used on high frequency transformers, with some types of very thin steel laminations able to operate up to 10  kHz. One common design of laminated core is made from interleaved stacks of pieces, leading to its name of E-I transformer.Such a design tends to exhibit more losses, but is very economical to manufacture. The cut-core or C-core type is made by winding a steel strip around a rectangular form and then bonding the layers together. It is then cut in two, forming two C shapes, and the core assembled by binding the two C halves together with a steel strap. They have the advantage that the flux is always oriented parallel to the metal grains, reducing reluctance. A steel cores means that it retains a static magnetic field when power is removed. When power is then reapplied, the residual field will cause a high until the effect of the remaining magnetism is reduced, usually after a few cycles of the applied alternating current. Over current protection devices such as must be selected to allow this harmless inrush to pass. On transformers connected to long, overhead power transmission lines, induced currents due to during can cause saturation of the core and operation of transformer protection devices. The transformer converts the 220 V AC into 9 V AC. The Bridge wave rectifier converts the ( V AC into rippled DC. This rippled DC is given as input to the 7805/7809 Voltage regulator IC. A separate power supply is given for the Stepper Motor which has the same power supply setup for converting the 220 V AC into 9V DC. The DC Power Supply circuit is based around the 7805 voltage regulator. It has only 3 connections (input, output and ground) and it provides a fixed output. The last two digits of the part number specify the output voltage, eg. 05, 06, 08, 10, 12, 15, 18, or 24. The 7800 series provides up to 1 amp load current and has on-chip circuitry to shut down the regulator if any attempt is made to operate it outside its safe operating area. (If this happens to you, let the chip cool down attach the heatsink.) It can be seen that there are in fact two separate circuits in this power supply. One 7805 is directly connected as a fixed 5V regulator. The second 7805 has a resistor divider network on the output. A variable 500 ohm potentiometer is used to vary the output voltage from a minimum of 5V up to the maximum DC voltage depending on the input voltage. It will be about 2V below the input DC voltage.) The capacitor across the output improves transient response. The large capacitor across the input is a filter capacitor to help smooth out ripple in the rectified AC voltage. The larger the filter capacitor the lower the ripple IC-7805 One can get a constant high-voltage power supply using inexpensive 3-terminal voltage regulators through some simple techniques described below. Depending upon the current requirement, a reasonable load regulation can be achieved. Line regulation in all cases is equal to that of the voltage regulator used. Though high voltage can be obtained with suitable voltage boost circuitry using ICs like LM 723, some advantages of the circuits presented below are: simplicity, low cost, and practically reasonable regulation characteristics. For currents of the order of 1A or less, only one zener and some resistors and capacitors are needed. For higher currents, one pass transistor such as ECP055 is needed. Before developing the final circuits, let us first understand the 3-terminal type constant voltage regulators. Let us see the schematic in Fig. where 78XX is a 3-terminal voltage regulator. Schematic for obtaining low-voltage regulated output using 3-terminal Figure:22 voltage regulators. Rectified and filtered unregulated voltage is applied at VIN and a constant voltage appears between pins 2 and 2 of the voltage regulator. *The distribution of two currents in the circuit (IBIAS and ILOAD) is as shown. It is highly recommended to use the two capacitors as shown. Electrically regulator will be at a distance from the rectifier supply. Thus, a tantalum grade capacitor of 5mf and rated voltage is good. Electrolytic capacitor is not suitable for it is poor in response to load transients, which have high frequency components.At the output side a 0.22mf disc ceramic capacitor is useful to eliminate spurious oscillations, which the regulator might break into because of its internal high gain circuitry. Figure:23 These voltage regulators have a typical bias current of 5 mA, which is reasonably constant. By inserting a small resistor Rx between pin 2 and ground, the output voltage in many cases. By this method voltage increment of 5 to 10 per cent is practically feasible. However, if a high-value resistance is used to obtain a higher output voltage, a slight variation in bias current will result in wide variation of the output voltage. 8. BC547 Transistor In electronics, a transistor is a semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic signals. A transistor is made of a solid piece of a semiconductor material, with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistors terminals changes the current flowing through another pair of terminals. Because the controlled (output) power can be much larger than the controlling (input) power, the transistor provides amplification of a signal. The transistor is the fundamental building block of modern electronic devices, and is used in radio, telephone, computer and other electronic systems. Some transistors are packaged individually but most are found in integrated circuits. Figure:24 Features à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ NPN Silicon Epitaxial Planar Transistors à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ These transistors are subdivided into three groups A, B, and C according to their current gain. The type BC546 is available in groups A and B,n however, the types BC547 and BC548 can be supplied in all three groups. As complementary types the PNP transistors BC556BC558 are recommended. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ On special request, these transistors are also manufactured in the pin configuration TO-18. Mechanical Data Case: TO-92 Plastic Package Weight: approx. 0.18g Packaging Codes/Options: E6/Bulk 5K per container, 20K/box E7/4K per Ammo mag., 20K/box Figure:25 9.Ceramic capacitor: These are the disk-type ceramic capacitors. Because the high frequency characteristic is good, these are used as the coupling capacitors (It cuts the direct current but it lets through the alternating current. Figure:26 10.Electrolytic Capacitor: This capacitor is used as the ripple filter capacitor of the power circuit. There is polarity. So, be careful so as not to make a mistake when mounting it. Figure:27 Electrolyte Capacitor Figure:28 Metallised Polyester Film Capacitors With tolerance of 10%. Operating temperature -40oC to +85oC. Compact Size Non Inductive Design 11.RESISTANCE Resistance is the opposition of a material to the current. It is measured in Ohms ( -). All conductors represent a certain amount of resistance, since no conductor is 100% efficient. To control the electron flow (current) in a predictable manner, we use resistors. Electronic circuits use calibrated lumped resistance to control the flow of current. Broadly speaking, resistor can be divided into two groups viz. fixed adjustable (variable) resistors. In fixed resistors, the value is fixed cannot be varied. In variable resistors, the resistance value can be varied by an adjusteknob. It can be divided into (a) Carbon composition (b) Wire wound (c) Special type. The most common type of resistors used in our projects is carbon type. The resistance value is normally indicated by colour bands. Each resistance has four colours, one of the band on either side will be gold or silver, this is called fourth band and indicates the tolerance, others three band will give the value of resistance (see table). For example if a resistor has the following marking on it say red, violet, gold. Comparing these coloured rings with the colour code, its value is 27000 ohms or 27 kilo ohms and its tolerance is  ±5%. Resistor comes in various sizes (Power rating). The bigger, the size, the more power rating of 1/4 watts. The four colour rings on its body tells us the value of resistor value as given below. COLOURS CODE Black 0 Brown 1 Red 2 Orange 3 Yellow 4 Green 5 Blue 6 Violet 7 Grey 8 White 9 Figure:29 The first rings give the first digit. The second ring gives the second digit. The third ring indicates the number of zeroes to be placed after the digits. The fourth ring gives tolerance (gold  ±5%, silver  ± 10%, No colour  ± 20%). In variable resistors, we have the dial type of resistance boxes. There is a knob with a metal pointer. This presses over brass pieces placed along a circle with some space b/w each of them. Resistance coils of different values are connected b/w the gaps. When the knob is rotated, the pointer also moves over the brass pieces. If a gap is skipped over, its resistance is included in the circuit. If two gaps are skipped over, the resistances of both together are included in the circuit and so on. 12.The 555 TIMER Description The LM555/NE555/SA555 is a highly stable controller capable of producing accurate timing pulses. With a monostable operation, the time delay is controlled by one external resistor and one capacitor. With an astable operation, the frequency and duty cycle are accurately controlled by two external resistors and one capacitor. Figure:30 Features à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ High Current Drive Capability (200mA) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Adjustable Duty Cycle à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Temperature Stability of 0.005%/ ½Ã‚ °C à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Timing FromÃŽÂ ¼Sec to Hours à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Turn off Time Less Than 2ÃŽÂ ¼Sec Applications à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Precision Timing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Pulse Generation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time Delay Generation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sequential Timing Pin Description of 555 Timer Figure:31 Power supply: Pin 8 is used to connect the positive power supply (Vs) to the 555. This can be any voltage between 3V and 15V DC, but is commonly 5V DC when working with digital ICs. Pin 1 is the 0V connection to the power supply. Trigger and Reset Inputs: Pin 2 is called the trigger input as it is this input that sets the output to the high state. Pin 4 is called the reset input as it is this input that resets the o/p to the low state. Both pins may be connected to push buttons to control the operation of the 555.Sometimes the reset input is not used in a circuit, in which case it is connected directly to Vs to that unwanted resetting cant occur. Threshold and discharge: Pins 6 and7 (and sometimes the Trigger i/p, pin2) are used to set up the timing aspect of the 555 IC. They are normally connected to a combination of resistors and a capacitor. Offset: Pin 5 can be used to alter the timing aspect of the 555 IC in applications such as frequency modulation. Output: Pin 3 is the digital output of the 555.It can be connected directly to the inputs of other digitaICs, or it can control other devices Figure:32 When the low signal input is applied to the reset terminal, the timer output remains low regardless of the threshold voltage or the trigger voltage. Only when the high signal is applied to the reset terminal, the timers output changes according to threshold voltage and trigger voltage. When the threshold voltage exceeds 2/3 of the supply voltage while the timer output is high, the timers internal discharge Tr. turns on, lowering the threshold voltage to below 1/3 of the supply voltage. During this time, the timer output is maintained low. Later, if a low signal is applied to the trigger voltage so that it becomes 1/3 of the supply voltage, the timers internal discharge Tr. turns off, increasing the threshold voltage and driving the timer output again at high. Fig 33 :Monostable Operation Figure:34 Figure 34. illustrates a monostable circuit. In this mode, the timer generates a fixed pulse whenever the trigger voltage falls below Vcc/3. When the trigger pulse voltage applied to the #2 pin falls below Vcc/3 while the timer output is low, the timers internal flip-flop turns the discharging Tr. off and causes the timer output to become high by charging the external capacitor C1 and setting the flip-flop output at the same time. The voltage across the external capacitor C1, VC1 increases exponentially with the time constant t=RA*C and reaches 2Vcc/3 at td=1.1RA*C. Hence, capacitor C1 is charged through resistor RA. The greater the time constant RAC, the longer it takes for the VC1 to reach 2Vcc/3. In other words, the time constant RAC controls the output pulse width. When the applied voltage to the capacitor C1 reaches 2Vcc/3, the comparator on the trigger terminal resets the flip-flop, turning the discharging Tr. on. At this time, C1 begins to discharge and the timer output conver ts to low. In this way, the timer operating in the monostablerepeats the above process. Figure 10 shows the general waveforms during the monostable operation. It must be noted that, for a normal operation, the trigger pulse voltage needs to maintain a minimum of Vcc/3 before the timer output turns low. That is, although the output remains unaffected even if a different trigger pulse is applied while the output is high, it may be affected and the waveform does not operate properly if the trigger pulse voltage at the end of the output pulse remains at below Vcc/3 Fig 35 :Astable operation An astable timer operation is achieved by adding resistor RB to Figure 1 and configuring as shown on Figure 5. In the astable operation, the trigger terminal and the threshold terminal are connected so that a self-trigger is formed, operating as a multi vibrator. When the timer output is high, its internal discharging Tr. turns off and the VC1 increases by exponential function with the time constant (RA+RB)*C. When the VC1, or the threshold voltage, reaches 2Vcc/3, the comparator output on the trigger terminal becomes high, resetting the F/F and causing the timer output to become low. This in turn turns on the discharging Tr. and the C1 discharges through the discharging channel formed by RB and the discharging Tr. When the VC1 falls below Vcc/3, the comparator output on the trigger terminal becomes high and the timer output becomes high again. The discharging Tr. turns off and the VC1 rises again. In the above process, the section where the timer output is high is the time it takes for the VC1 to rise from Vcc/3 to 2Vcc/3, and the section where the timer output is low is the time it takes for the VC1 to drop from 2Vcc/3 to Vcc/3. When timer output is high, the equivalent circuit for charging capacitor C1 is as follows Fig 36 :Astable operation Waveform 12.Diode The simplest semiconductor device is made up of a sandwich of P-type semiconducting material, with contacts provided to connect the p-and n-type layers to an external circuit. This is a junction Diode. If the positive terminal of the battery is connected to the p-type material (cathode) and the negative terminal to the N-type material (Anode), a large current will flow. This is called forward current or forward biased. If the connections are reversed, a very little current will flow. This is because under this condition, the p-type material will accept the electrons from the negative terminal of the battery and the N-type material will give up its free electrons to the battery, resulting in the state of electrical equilibrium since the N-type material has no more electrons. Thus there will be a small current to flow and the diode is called Reverse biased. Thus the Diode allows direct current to pass only in one direction while blocking it in the other direction. Power diodes are used in concerting AC into DC. In this, current will flow freely during the first half cycle (forward biased) and practically not at all during the other half cycle (reverse biased). This makes the diode an effective rectifier, which convert ac into pulsating dc. Signal diodes are used in radio circuits for detection. Zener diodes are used in the circuit to control the voltage. Figure:37 Some common diodes are:- 1. Zener diode. 2. Photo diode. 3. Light Emitting diode. ZENER DIODE:- A zener diode is specially designed junction diode, which can operate continuously without being damaged in the region of reverse break down voltage. One of the most important applications of zener diode is the design of constant voltage power supply. The zener diode is joined in reverse bias to d.c. through a resistance R of suitable value. PHOTO DIODE:- A photo diode is a junction diode made from photo- sensitive semiconductor or material. In such a diode, there is a provision to allow the light of suitable frequency to fall on the p-n junction. It is reverse biased, but the voltage applied is less than the break down voltage. As the intensity of incident light is increased, current goes on increasing till it becomes maximum. The maximum current is called saturation current. LIGHT EMITTING DIODE (LED):- When a junction diode is forward biased, energy is released at the junction diode is forward biased, energy is released at the junction due to recombination of electrons and holes. In case of silicon and germanium diodes, the energy released is in infrared region. In the junction diode made of gallium arsenate or indium phosphide, the energy is released in visible region. Such a junction diode is called a light emitting diode or LED. LIST OF INSRUMENTS TOOLS TOOLS: Soldering Iron Tweezers Screw Driver Cutter De Soldering Pump INSTRUMENTS: Digital Multimeter OTHER MATERIALS: Solder Flux De Soldering Wick Soldering Iron Stand Image of project Figure:38 Applications: 1.Electronic Jam Is Commonly Used In Quiz Contests Figure:39 2.Finger First Is The Basic Principle 3.It Adds Beauty To Active Quiz Shows Contains Many Buzzer Rounds 4.Inputs Can Be Handle At A Time Figure:40 5.Uses Seven Segment Display Instead of LED/bulb For Visual Interface 6.This Electronic Jam Is Built With The View Of Making The Game Show Priority Less Advantages: Handy device Low power consumption More accurate Easy to use Visual interface adds its advantage Disadvantages: Input is limited to eight. Future scope: Instead of Seven Segment display LCD screens can be implemented Priority list of all inputs can be imparted in Output Conclusion: Project Aims the Implemenatation of Electonic Jam for making Quiz shows priority Less Seven Segment display included for more User nterface Cost of Project: S.No. Component Quantity Cost 1. IC74373 1 60 2. IC 555 1 30 3. IC 7430 1 60 4. IC 7447 1 35 5. IC 74147 1 65 6. IC7400 1 24 7. IC7404 1 20 8. Transistor 1 3 9. Diode 2 4 10. 7 segment display 1 20 11. Transformer 1 40 12. Ceramic Capacitor 2 4 13. Electrolytic Capacitors 1 5 14. Resistor 18 40 15. PCB designing 600 16. Misc(Solder wire, connecting wire, Connectors etc) 200 Total 1210

Canturberry Tales - The Nuns Priests Tale Essay -- Nun’s Priest’s T

Canturberry Tales  Ã‚  - The Nun's Priest's Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is a charming little fable cleverly disguised as a barnyard story.   In the first twenty-six lines, the setting of the story is described as a small farm, belonging to a very plain widow and her two daughters.   The widow is a simple woman of good heath, who has managed to make it despite her unfortunate circumstance of being slightly impoverished.   In lines twenty-seven through forty-four we are introduced to the story's main character, Chanticleer.   He was in fact an exceptional rooster who was blessed with an equally exceptional crow.   In lines forty-five through fifty-nine we learn that Chanticleer is the master of his domain.   However, as we read on it is found that the key to his heart belongs to the Lady Pertelote, indirectly characterized as the perfect woman.   The next two lines are a dead give away that the story is in fact, a fable, lending onomatopoetic devises to the barnyard members.   Line sixty-two finally brings us to the actual story.   One morning right before dawn, Chanticleer awoke in sheer terror.   Of course Lady Pertelote was considerably concerned, and questioned her true love as to what the problem was.   Chanticleer goes on to describe a very vivid, very disturbing dream.   In fact it was a premonition of his own untimely death.   Upon hearing the cause of Chanticleer's fright, Lady Pertelote becomes slightly upset.   Actually she downright enraged.   How, she wondered, could such an amazing animal be scarred of one little dream, especially since it was most likely caused by something he ate.   Basically, she told him he was a big cowar... ...indeed going to eat him, he'd better do it before the lynch mob caught him.   The fox readily agrees and as he is about to swallow Chanticleer, the clever little bird flies to the sanctuary of a nearby tree.   At the thought of loosing his meal, the fox tries in vain to trick Chanticleer again by suggesting he was merely excited at the prospect of hearing his wonderful voice, and accidentally grabbed him too hard.   Fortunately, our hero has learned his lesson, and is not to be deceived so easily ever again.   There is more than one lesson to be learned from Chanticleer's story.   One theory being that one should trust one's own intuition and let it be their guide.   Another lesson learned is that you should never let your pride interfere with your judgement.   So ends the first story of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.  Ã‚  

What Is Politics? :: Essays on Politics

What Is Politics On hearing the word politics, what usually springs to mind are images of government, politicians and their policies or more negatively the idea of corruption and dirty tricks. The actual definition seems to have been obscured and almost lost by such representations and clichà ©s that tend not to pinpoint the true essence, which defines this thing, called politics. In order to make an attempt at a definition of politics a systematic approach is required. To begin with, a brief historical overview will be considered, to understand the origins of politics. Following this, different core concepts, which are imperative to a definition of politics, will be discussed, in the hope to discover a true and fair interpretation of the word politics. The word politics comes from the Greek word "polis", meaning the state or community as a whole. The concept of the "polis" was an ideal state and came from the writings of great political thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. In his novel "The Republic", Plato describes the ideal state and the means to achieve it. Hence, the word politics originally has connotations in the ways in which to create the ideal society. An ideal society is in practice a rather difficult aim and even an impossible aim to achieve. Politics implies measures which could and should, in the views of their devisor, be implemented in the hope to create a better society, than that which is already present. The very fact that Plato and Aristotle saw imperfections in the societies in which they lived, prompted them to write their political philosophies. These philosophies provided the first written recognition of politics. In his writings his "The Politics", Aristotle states that "Man is by nature a political animal"(The Politics, 1) in another words, it lies deep within the instinct of man. It is almost primal. Due to his nature man should consider and realise his role within the "polis". So according to Aristotle Politics is not a dreamt up concept, but rather an inherent feature of mankind. To begin with, the basest premise that underpins the notion of politics should be considered in order to arrive at a fair definition. Man is self-preserving by nature. He thinks and acts, whether that is as an individual or as a group who share interests, with foremost regard to his own interests. Self-perpetuation is the number one rule. He therefore possesses his own interests, ideas and preferences, which may

African-americans In The South :: essays research papers

As a social and economic institution, slavery originated in the times when humans began farming instead of hunting and gathering. Slave labor became commonplace in ancient Greece and Rome. Slaves were created through the capture of enemies, the birth of children to slave parents, and means of punishment. Enslaved Africans represented many different peoples, each with distinct cultures, religions, and languages. Most originated from the coast or the interior of West Africa, between present-day Senegal and Angola. Other enslaved peoples originally came from Madagascar and Tanzania in East Africa. Slavery became of major economic importance after the sixteenth century with the European conquest of South and Central America. These slaves had a great impact on the sugar and tobacco industries. A triangular trade route was established with Europe for alcohol and firearms in exchange for slaves. The slaves were then traded with Americans for molasses and (later) cotton. In 1619 the first bl ack slave arrived in Virginia. The demands of European consumers for New World crops and goods helped fuel the slave trade. A strong family and community life helped sustain African Americans in slavery. People often chose their own partners, lived under the same roof, raised children together, and protected each other. Brutal treatment at the hands of slaveholders, however, threatened black family life. Enslaved women experienced sexual exploitation at the hands of slaveholders and overseers. Bondspeople lived with the constant fear of being sold away from their loved ones, with no chance of reunion. Historians estimate that most bondspeople were sold at least once in their lives. No event was more traumatic in the lives of enslaved individuals than that of forcible separation from their families. People sometimes fled when they heard of an impending sale. During the 17th and 18th century enslaved African Americans in the Upper South mostly raised tobacco. In coastal South Carolina and Georgia, they harvested indigo for dye and grew rice, using agricultural expertise brought with them from Africa. By the 1800s rice, sugar, and cotton became the South's leading cash crops. The patenting of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 made it possible for workers to gin separate the seeds from the fiber some 600 to 700 pounds daily, or ten times more cotton than permitted by hand. The Industrial Revolution, centered in Great Britain, quadrupled the demand for cotton, which soon became America's leading export. Planters' acute need for more cotton workers helped expand southern slavery.

African Americans in the Civil War Essay

The role African Americans played in the outcome, and the road to the outcome of the Civil War was immense. The fact that the south had slaves and the north did not played an enormous role in the issues. The north wanted to abolish slavery, and the south did not and after the war started this became one of the main reasons for the Civil War. Since most African Americans could not read or write, this made them an easy target, for slavery, against the dominant white man. Once the slaves got to America they started to realize how much trouble they were actually in. The north and the south had a problem brewing, and that was due to the slave uprisings and the run a ways. African Americans played an enormous role in the outcome of the Civil War because of the part they took in it. The civil war, which took place from 1861 to the 1920s, the African American community made tremendous strides toward them becoming apart of America and equals in America. Since they had been controlled by the power of the whites for so long, their independence was extremely unfamiliar to them, with their new emancipation. Since they were so uncertain, they debated about the most effect way to go about actually receiving the rights they deserved. They did not just want to be inferior Negros. Some African Americans thought the actual approach would be to go along with the submissive status the whites held them to, so they could earn their respect until fairness pervaded. Others were more wishful with their thinking and thought the military would make whites surrender and give blacks their basic rights. Those who were still they are thought that no progress would ever come. These blacks decided that it was essential to escape the shackles and cruel attitudes toward blacks. The civil war initially began to save the Union. At the start of the war slave masters were terribly scared that the slaves would run to join the Union and help the war efforts. To subsidize the problem, most owner enforced harsh restrictions on their slaves. Some owners even moved their whole plantations inland to avoid any contact with the outside northerners. This did not stop the slaves one bit though, this just caused more slave to flee to the north. The slaves that did decide to stay just demanded more freedom from their masters. Some would say the ones that stayed even gained more power; this forced their masters to give them offerings in exchange for work. The issues of emancipation and military service were intertwined from almost the beginning of the war. News from Fort Sumter made African Americans rush to enlist in military units. They were all turned away since there was a law dating from 1792 that kept African Americans from joining the U. S. army. In Boston disappointed African Americans met and passed a resolution that requested the Government to modify its laws to permit them to enlist. Then Lincoln’s Second Confiscation Act was passed. The act stated that, Confederates who did not surrender with in sixty days of the acts passage were to be punished by having their slaves freed. The Militia Act was also passed. This act stated African Americans were allowed to fight in the war. These two acts together thoroughly punished rebel slaveholders. The African Americans that enlisted both fought in the front lines and worked behind the scenes labor jobs. All these rights that the African Americans were receiving inspired them to return home and free their families and friends. Some of them even started living in the plantations that they used to be slaves of. They took them over and began their own cropping. Some of the other plantations had been left to older disabled white woman, when the men had left for the Confederate army. All of this led to the separation of slave labor in the south After trying terribly hard to keep the issue of slavery out of the war, the North decided to start enlisting African Americans to help them fight in the war. The Fifty-Fourth regiment was created by the Union Army, and was the only all black unit. This Union in particular contributed to the war efforts of the North and showed a new found power among blacks. The regiment started when John Andrew sent a request to the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, to create a volunteer regiment of African Americans (3). African Americans from all over the country joined. To help recruit even further they called for help from African American leaders like, Frederick Douglas and William Wells Brown. In just two months over one thousand African Americans, one from at least every state, had enlisted in the regiment. The leader of the regiment would not be black though, they wanted the superior officer to have some certain credentials. The job description posted read: â€Å"Young Man of Military Experience Of firm antislavery principles, ambitious, Superior to the vulgar contempt of color Having Faith in the capacity of colored men for military purpose† (2) The man picked for the job was Robert Shaw. The African American regiment and their captain set off for Beaufort, South Carolina on May 28, 1863 (1). They were to attack Fort Wagner, which was a vital key to Charleston. They only way to storm the fort was to go through loads and loads of Confederates. The sheer size of the Confederates to the Fifty- Fourth regiment was an obstacle in itself. The regiment knew the amount of obstacles they would have to overcome to achieve a victory and yet they kept marching. Shaw and a few men marched to the top of the parapet, and there Shaw was shot and killed. Though this was almost a complete disaster for the regiment they had set a path for future African American soldiers. Frederick Douglas said, â€Å"Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U. S. , let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship. † One thousand seventy-nine African Americans had served in the Civil War. They served in both the U. S. Army and about two thousand served in the Navy. By the time the war was over, forty thousand had died in battle and thirty thousand had died of disease and infection. African American soldiers performed all the jobs needed to run an army. They also served as carpenters, chaplains, cooks, guards, laborers, nurses, scouts, spies, steamboat pilots, surgeons, and teamsters (4). There were nearly 80 black commissioned officers (4). Harriet Tubman was the most famous spy; she served for the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers. Tubman decided to help the Union Army because she wanted freedom for all of the people who were forced into slavery, not just the few she could help by herself. And she convinced many other brave African Americans to join her as spies, even at the risk of being hanged if they were caught (4). Among Harriet Tubman were many other African American women who served as nurses, spies and scouts. Although, no women were allowed to formally join the army. When black troops were captured by the confederate soldiers, they faced harsher punishments than the white troops. In 1863 the Confederate Congress threatened to punish officers of African American troops and enslave the African Americans, if they were captured. As a result of this, President Lincoln issued General Order 233, which threatened payback on Confederate prisoners of war, if they mistreated African American troops. This order did scare the Confederates a little, but African American soldiers were still treated harsher than whites. In one of the worst examples of this abuse, Confederate soldiers shot to death black Union soldiers, captures at Fort Pillow, TN, in 1864(). Confederate General Nathan B. Forrest witnessed it all and did nothing to stop it. The President, Abraham Lincoln, issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. This proclamation eventually led to the freedom of all slaves. The document officially made free all bondsmen in the areas of the Confederacy that were still in rebellion. Slavery although was not abolished in the Border States, Tennessee, or the Union occupied areas of Louisiana and Virginia. The proclamation only affected the states in rebellion, so after the efforts it didn’t actually free any slaves. On the other hand, it did strengthen the Northern war efforts, because they knew they were fighting for a cause. Over five hundred thousand slaves had escaped to the North by the end of the civil war. Many of the escapees joined the Union Army, which tremendously increased its power. As a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, the thirteenth Amendment was created. The Amendment created on December 18, 1865, legally freed all slaves still in bondage. The final step the Emancipation Proclamation was to depress England and France from arriving to the war on the side of the South. England and France wanted to enter the war on the South side, because the South had supplied them both with cotton and tobacco. England and Frances stance changed when they heard that the war had changed to a fight over slavery. Both nations were opposed to slavery, so ended up giving their support to the Union. That led to the winning of the fight for freedom. Juneteenth was the day created to celebrate the emancipation, when the slaves heard about it that midsummer. The holiday is still celebrated today. Abraham Lincoln said, â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved. I do not expect the house to fall, but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. â€Å"(3) African Americans along with the rest of the Union were fighting for this freedom and equality that Abraham Lincoln, was talking about. African American contributions were not limited to the role of working the fields in the south or supplying labor for industry in the north. Many African Americans in both south and north participated in either direct or supporting roles in the military. The War Between the States proved to be a war fought for democracy. The liberation that the slaves had been waiting for, recovered the ideas that founded the United States of America. All men were equal under the law. Since, the African Americans made such a persistent effort the changes were made more quickly. Africans pushed for their own emancipation by resisting their masters and other labor tasks. Although a formal Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment freed blacks in America, it would be a long time before they received all the rights they deserved. The minds of Americans had been so engrained with racism only decades of hard work would lessen this. Works Cited 1) Freeman, Elsie, Wynell Burroughs Schamel, and Jean West. â€Å"The Fight for Equal Rights: A Recruiting Poster for Black Soldiers in the Civil War. † Social Education 56, 2 (February 1992): 118-120. 2) â€Å"Blacks in the Civil War. †. Colorado College. Web. 3 Mar 2013.