Green Building Technology Essay Example for Free

Green Building Technology Essay 1. Introduction Would there be a technology that can benefit nature and human beings at the same time? Conventional belief over the use of technology is that nature is sacrificed and used up for the sake of human beings. However, technology is not simply about efficiency anymore, and its associated grounds are expanding. Concern over environment is one of the most prominent ones, and ‘Green building technology’ falls under it. Green building technology aims to create environmentally responsible buildings or housings throughout its life span, while using the resources available efficiently. It involves the whole process of building certain structure, covering the processes of design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction (EPA). In short, it is construction technology that tries to optimize environmental sustainability and efficiency while not giving up the necessary qualities of living spaces. Idea of Green building arose as OPEC oil embargo occurred in year 1973 with an Initial goal of reducing its fossil fuel usage. This being a motive, further researches was done by different groups and green building came into housing trend (Marble Institute) After that, there had been increased attention and development of green building technology. People are more interested in looking for environmentally friendly housings and many governments are promoting it through different kinds of green construction standards. Yet, is this technology really giving us substantial benefit in our daily lives? What kind of benefits, in specific, is it providing? What would be the processes of achieving such impacts? Even though this technology does not have a long history, it is already causing changes in reducing energy and resource usages; economic and social benefits are in rise too. Green building has substantial positive effect in both environment and economy, with potential for better outcomes in the future. This can be supported by numerous facts and application of technology. Specific applications of controlling energy usage leads to outright reducing of resources used in construction, which in bigger ground, leads to overall change of human society. 2. Functions in Resource Conservation 2.1 Background The need to conserve natural resources arose from several natural changes in climate. First major change was the global increase of temperature, which also caused devastating natural disasters. (Figure 1) For example, this diagram from NASA’s investigation implies that until the point of 1990s, at least there were below-zero global temperature anomaly. But it has exceeded the point of 0 degrees Celsius since then, reaching higher points. This caused problems like shifting natural characteristics for some countries (i.e. gaining more tropical climate, while the area doesn’t fall under tropical area) and extreme weathers like heat waves leading to hundreds of casualties (IPCC). Stanford researchers predicts summers will keep getting hotter for the next 20 years (Rust,2011) Additional problems of high energy dependencies and its consequences are not negligible too. Oil prices have doubled since 10 years ago with annual increase of 25% between 2004 and 2008 (Bauer, 2010). For countries who import their energy resources, reducing the energy usage and saving money is a big concern. High dependency in energy usage often causes crisis in some special crisis situations. It could be financial, political, or literally natural disaster. While so, housing alone takes up major portion of total energy usage. According to United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it accounted for 38.9 percent of total U.S. energy consumption in 2005. In year 2006 it took 72 percent of total U.S. electricity consumption and this number will rise to 75% by 2025. So it can be seen how change in managing housings can lead to positive changes (EPA). Green building technology tackles against these problems with many different technologies, adopting them appropriately for each aspects of energy conservation. While so, 2 examples that directly fight against specific aspects are brought up here. 2.2 Heat Control Firstly, it has been said that the heating and cooling process of a household heavily uses electricity and causes substantial carbon emission. Following are statistics stated by EPA: †¢ The average household spends at least $2,000 a year on energy bills — over half of which goes to heating and cooling. †¢ Out of the total energy consumption in an average household, 50% goes to space heating, 27% to run appliances, 19% to heat water and 4% goes to air conditioning. The numbers are self-explanatory; heating and cooling alone is a big part of whole energy consumption. Temperature control technology for green building enables reducing such consumption and carbon emission. During summer the sun light directly enters through houses through windows or hits the surfaces of outer building and heats up the whole construction. Four factors affect heat accumulation in a home: solar heat gain, internal heat gain, air leakage, and temperature difference. To solve these problems, approaches such as using shades, changing color of outer building, change of roof structure, reducing internal heat generating sources (ex. Electronic equipment), and better use of spaces for air ventilation are used. Today’s buildings also use machine controlled ventilation system or, manual adjustment of ventilation openings to control the heat (Bauer, 2010). On the other hand, during winter it is important to keep and gain every possible heat. A simple method like building the houses facing towards south or optimizing use of sunlight would be the most well-known methods. Additionally, methods of ‘loading up’ the heat into the building are also used, which is using methods like using atria or double faà §ade- dual dimensioned surfaces like windows or wall surfaces- which can support the heat insulation by 20% (Bauer, 2010). As a particular example, window films are proven to be effective in solar radiation cut, reducing the heat level entering a house. The benefit of windows films is clear; it reflects the sun radiation that causes heat and let the room keep cool with less efforts, in terms of both cost and energy usage. This means less air conditioning is used and less energy is consumed. It is proposed by Solar Gard ®, that â€Å"Not only do Solar Gard’s architectural solar control window films help cut energy expenditures by up to 30%, its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) scientifically proves that Solar Gard and Panorama ® solar control window films have a net positive environmental impact worldwide (Solar Gard). These are specific effects of window film proposed by them; 1. One square meter of a low-e wood window, the type with the smallest carbon footprint, has a carbon cost of 253 kilograms. The carbon cost of Solar Gard window film is less than one kilogram per square meter. 2. Solar Gard window film saves 1001 times more GHG emissions from entering the atmosphere than is used and/or created during its manufacture. 3. Solar Gard window film installed between 2007 and 2008 saved 3.6 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere; this is equivalent to the carbon output of 16,350 American families (with four people). This particular products’ such effects can be expected from other window films too. In short, all these heat controlling technologies serve to reduce the electricity usage with additional energy conserving effects of reduced carbon emissions. 2.3 Emission Control Speaking of carbon emissions, there are specific uses of materials that combats them. In United States, housing alone takes 38 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions (EPA). Carbon dioxide emission is one of the well-known factors that are blamed for the global warming. The famous Kyoto Protocol was established in order to limit this and also to achieve better results with global warming around the world. Choice of materials for constructions is thus carefully chosen from the planning stage, since once used in the process of construction, it is hard to replace them afterwards. Different sorts of materials has different amount of carbon emissions, and in green building that is considered as major criteria. Other aspects of renewability and sustainability are also considered carefully when material is picked. One specific example of such effort would be use of wood for floorings. Wood has its advantage as a building material from its characteristics of low embodied energy, low carbon impact, low pollution emission, and sustainability. Low embodied energy means it takes less efforts and resources in order to get it. Wood, since it has minimal energy processing during harvesting, has relatively lower embodied energy than those like steels, concrete, aluminum, plastic. In terms of carbon impact, it has lower carbon emission than most of other construction materials. Compared to other artificial or metal types or materials, it shows significantly lower level of carbon emission just as shown in figure 2. Figure 2 Basically, this is the most important characteristic of wood usage for green building, and it is listed as the followings in the website of The Solid Wood Flooring Company: * For every tonne of CO2 a tree absorbs from the atmosphere nearly  ¾ of a tonne of oxygen is produced * Over 83% of the timber supplied in the UK is certified to be sustainable * Using wood instead of other building materials saves an average of 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per cubic metre. * An ‘EUR’ wooden pallet stores around 29kg of CO2 taken from the atmosphere during the growth of the tree While metals and other fossil-based materials are not renewable resources, wood can be maintained forever if carefully used. It has to be accompanied by careful forestry planning, but it is definitely one resource that can be continuously re-grown. 3. Impacts 3.1 Social Impacts With all the features that efficiently use the natural energy and resources, green building technology also supports well-being of tenants in the buildings. It typically contributes to improve employees’ and students’ health, comfort and productivity. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)—one of the criteria of the U.S Green Building Council’s LEED-H rating system—evaluates the subtle issue that influences people’s status of mind and body in a space. It has been scientifically proven by related study that people tend to be more productive and contribute better performance in environment with better ventilation and proper temperature control (Abdou, 2006). Figure 3 Just as shown in figure 3, improved working or living condition leads to better work performances. The study sponsored in part by commercial real estate giant Cushman Wakefield, reported 30 percent fewer sick days among one companys employees, and discovered a 10 percent increase in net revenue per employee in another company, after each office moved to LEED-certified buildings. Schools operating in green buildings also demonstrate higher test scores and heightened academic enthusiasm among students (Abdou, 2006) Plus, nature friendly methods and materials used in green buildings proved to ease sicknesses that could occur in daily lives of tenants. It is believed to contribute widely to respiratory problems, allergies, nausea, headaches, and skin rashes. With much emphasis on ventilation, non-toxic, low emitting materials and cutting use of air conditioning, green buildings indeed create healthier and more comfortable living environments, which keep people away from ‘Sick Building Syndromes’ (Fisk, 2002). In summary, all these benefits retrieved from applying green building technology can lead to wholesome social benefit of people, by promoting health initiatives and pleasurable living spaces. Hence it further goes on to the bigger scale of expanding economic ground, by improving productivity and economic activity of the users of this technology. 3.2 Economic Impacts Green buildings are so much more cost effective compared to conventional buildings. According to the USGBC’s LEED rating system, green buildings tend to be 25-30% more energy efficient and more likely to generate the renewable resource on-site. Due to its cost effectiveness, energy saving and easy maintenance, green buildings outperform non-green buildings in the resale market. Basically a newly–constructed green building will perform 10.9% better than its original construction value. Prospective buyers who realize the utility and maintenance cost and are more concerned about the sustainable design of the building will be attracted towards it. Though there is a common perception that green buildings cost a heavy premium over normal buildings, the cost of green design has dropped in the last few years as the number of green buildings has risen. Hence buildings both residential and commercial with sustainable design component continue retaining a high property value in th e retailing market (McGraw Hill Construction, 2010). By continuing to grow in different ground of constructions from the usual ones, green building technology is opening new opportunities for more economic activities with its prospects. As consumers and suppliers become more interested in such technology, it carries much potential for better outcomes. 4. Future Prospects Then would these outcomes continue to exist in the upcoming future too? Green building is getting on the line of popularity within the general public who are becoming more aware of environmental conservation. Governments are encouraging it with various policies and incentives with brandings. It does seem like there are some positive prospects for green building technology to continue to grow in the future. There are supple amounts of factors encouraging such potentials. Regarding the future upcoming green building designs, buildings such as Zero-Energy Buildings are being explored. Zero-energy building (ZEB) is the designation given to buildings that have zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. These buildings harvest energy produced on-site to meet their own energy needs. In addition to this, ideas of green schools are also being developed. Certified Green Schools are growing rapidly as part the LEED System. This trend will accelerate as understanding of the health and educational benefits of green schools grow (Yudelson, 2010). On the other hand, research efforts for further protection of environment are encouraging the future growth too. Awareness of the coming global crisis in fresh water supply leads building designers and managers to take further steps to reduce water consumption to increase sustainability. This will be done in buildings through the use of more conservation-oriented fixtures, rainwater recovery systems and innovative new water technologies. Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) examines the impact of materials and will allow architects to determine what products are more sustainable and what combination of products can produce the most environmentally friendly results (GEP, 2011). In 2011, the annual Image Power Global Green Brands Study polled more than 9,000 people in 8 countries (USA, UK, China, Brazil, India, Germany, France and Australia) to analyze consumers’ perception of green products. All participating countries, either developed or developing, indicated that they were quite willing to open up their wallets and pay a bit more for green options in real estate. Most of the informants showed great interest to the green buildings. To be precise, 60% of the surveyed consumers globally intend to extend their green choices more and more to items in the real estate, energy and technology sectors (Longsworth, 2011). By 2013 overall global green building market, both residential and commercial, may more than double in its scale from approximately $36-$49 billion to $96-$140 billion. When looking solely at the commercial and institutional real estate development markets, the green building market is projected to grow from its current occupation of 10-12% of the market to 20-25% (GreenBuildings.com). The future market trends are predicted to continue to grow with certain incentives and initiatives. One of them would be green building technology being encouraged to be used in government sectors. Government offices will need to be transformed into green buildings because of regulatory requirements in many countries. Such need will be the key growth area for green building market. Cash incentives for developers will play a major role in this too. Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan have developed strong support system and incentives for green building developers, designers and owners. Seeing benefits from such incentives, more experts will enter into green building area, stimulating its growth (FrostSullivan, 2009). 5. Conclusion Green building, regardless its short history, has achieved a lot in a short term. Its variety of technologies gave rise of new solutions for using less energy yet enjoying more nature friendly benefits, and as it get popular, economic and social benefits arose. Specific technologies that have been discussed were temperature control technologies and choice of building materials. Such direct outcomes lead green building’s positive impacts to be applied on overall human society and economy. From the current outcomes of green building technology and its rising popularity, it seems to have good prospects for the future growth too. There are different factors of future designs and economic incentives encouraging this trend, and so further growth followed by more positive impacts can be expected. These all consequently support the idea; green building has substantial positive effect in both environment and economy, with potential for even better outcomes in the future. Still, there are problems and limitations of green building technology that we have to consider about for the moment. It is a new born technology and yet to be fully developed. Hence full green buildings that incorporate much of the technology are prone to be accused for its high costs as mentioned before and also its insufficient development of efficiency are often pointed at as something unworthy of further developments. Nevertheless, its future potentials cannot be abandoned simply because of its current limitations. Since the initial goal of green building is to reduce human use of natural resources and promote sustainability, current green building technology should be pushed on for further developments that can solve problems at the moment and so forth move on to achieve its goal in an even better way. Besides, its potentials are sufficient to predict better efficiency and profound benefits for our society. Hence green building technology should be acknowledged for its supportive impacts on environment not only for the current moment, but also for the upcoming future that will aid human beings to continue to live on without exhausting the natural resources.

Wonder Woman Comics: History and Development

Wonder Woman Comics: History and Development Wonder Woman Costume For over 60 years, Wonder Woman has filled the pages of her magazine with adventures ranging from battling Nazis, to declawing human-like Cheetahs. Her exploits thrilled and inspired many young girls, including Gloria Steinem. Through all of this, she has had to pilot her invisible jet through territories that her male counterparts have never had to. She is constantly pulled in two directions; her stories must be entertaining and none threatening to the male status quo, while simultaneously furthering her as the original symbol of Girl Power. She is praised for being an icon of strength to women everywhere, but chastised for wearing a skimpy costume and tying men up, as if she were no more than a male fantasy. No comic book character has had to endure as much scrutiny as Wonder Woman. Thats because Wonder Woman represents an entire gender, at a time of important social flux. Although she was created by a man to influence a male audience, Wonder Woman has evolved into an important sym bol of the feminist movement. An Amazon is born Shortly after Superman made his appearance in 1939, a noted psychologist by the name of William Moulton Marston wrote an article in Family Circle magazine, praising comic books. According to Les Daniels in Wonder Woman: The Complete History (Chronicle Books, 2000, pp. 22-24), his article caught the eye of M.C. Gains of DC Comics. Gains was so impressed by the article, he hired Marston into a new position at DC Comics. Within a year, at the urging of his wife, Marston set out to create a female superhero. By February 1941, Marston handed in his first script for ‘Suprema: The Wonder Woman.’(We owe a debt of thanks to whoever dropped the Suprema.) Marston created a unique heroine, based loosely on Greek Mythology. Diana was the Princess of Paradise Island, a mystical place inhabited by Amazons. Her mother, Hippolyte (sometimes referred to as Hippolyta), Queen of the Amazons, wanted a child and petitioned the Goddesses of Olympus to give her one. She was instructed to sculpt a child from clay. When she was done, the goddesses imbued the statue with life. Diana was raised as the princess of her nation, until one day, an aircraft carrying one Steve Trevor crashed off the shores of the island. Diana rescued him and nursed him back to health. The Goddesses decreed a contest should be held to find an Amazon champion to return Trevor to the United States and also help with the war effort. As the princess, Diana was forbidden to enter the contest by her mother, the Queen. Diana disguised herself and won. Reluctantly, Hippolyte awarded Diana the costume of the champion and sent her on her way, and a legend was born. Marston had said his aim with Wonder Woman was to influence a male audience with the notion that females could be just as powerful as men, through the use of their own gifts. A reoccurring theme is the dominance of women over men, by teaching them loving submission. The reality is that the early issues of Wonder Woman almost always contained scenes of bondage. Wonder Womans one weakness was to have her bracelets chained together by a man. Many, many men took advantage of that. Because he was on the team that developed the first polygraph, Marston gave Wonder Woman a magic lasso that would enable her to extract the truth from its victim or make them susceptible to her suggestions. Of course, they had to be tied up. If Wonder Woman wasnt chained up, she was busy tying someone else up to do her bidding. When you combine that with a seductive costume, (The costume created such a ruckus, DC Comics editor, Dorothy Roubicek wrote a memo to Gains suggesting the costume be given a more Greek tunic look. (Daniels, pp. 62-63)) the early Wonder Woman comes off as a fetishistic fantasy. That may be one of the biggest reasons it was such huge success with a male audience. Artist H.G. Peter illustrated Wonder Woman for Marstons entire tenure on the book. Although he was required to delineate Wonder Woman in bondage motifs and other sundry escapades, his art was not overly sexual. This was one of the factors which helped establish Wonder Woman among female fans. She was strong and athletic, but without an unreal body image. Many of her adventures pitted her against a real life enemy, the Nazis. This was World War II, after all, and women were dong their part to help the war effort. Wonder Woman was a symbol of the emergence of women in active roles. But, even before the war was over, Marston began introducing costumed villains. Interestingly enough most were female. Dr. Poison, the very first costumed villain, was actually a Japanese princess, disguised as a man. As her Rogues Gallery grew, it became more populated with women, than men; The Cheetah, Queen Clea, and Giganta, just to name a few. It seemed that Wonder Woman would be relegated to fighting her own gender. It was another way that she could be interpreted as powerful, without upsetting the status quo. She was rarely seen as someone who could overpower a strong male villain. Wonder Woman did continue to be an important symbol in those early days. She was the only female superhero in the Justice Society of America (A forerunner of the Justice League of America), although she was relegated to the office of secretary. Again, it was a large stride while being subservient to the male heroes in the book. You can almost see her serving coffee at JSA meetings. Her magazine debuted a backup feature called Wonder Women of History in which an important female historical figure was profiled. It seemed that the intention of her being a symbol of feminism were there, while the actions of the stories painted a different, more sexual picture. This is a contradiction that survives even into today. The Silver Age After Marstons death, Robert Kanigher took over the duties on Wonder Woman. In a rare occurrence, Kanigher served as both writer and editor for over 20 years. Gone were the Nazis, and many of Wonder Womans original foes. In their place, Kanigher began writing stories centered on Wonder Womans romantic life. In Sensation Comics #97 (May-June 1950), Wonder Woman becomes the romance editor of a womens magazine. Instead of battling evil villains, Wonder Woman herself became the center of conflict, as characters like Bird-Man and Mer-Man vied for the affections of the Amazon Princess. Other times, she would have a whole story dedicated to explaining to poor Steve Trevor that they could not marry until her services as a hero were no longer required. It seemed that Wonder Woman had been relegated to the role of the maiden fending off numerous suitors, as if she were a southern belle. It is interesting to note that during this time, Wonder Women of History was replaced with a feature called Marriage a la Mode, celebrating the marriage customs of different cultures. Wonder Woman of the 1950s was in a flux, just like American women. They had been asked to do their part during the war, but when the men came home, it was time to go back into the kitchen. The problem was most women realized an untapped potential to be more than a wife and mother. This would show up in the form of modern feminism in the next decade. It must be pointed out that most of the supporting cast was made up of other women; (Hippolyte, other Amazons, and even a younger version of Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl) but the stories were still centered on marriage and boyfriends. The artistic team of Ross Andru and Mike Esposito hiked Wonder Womans star-spangled shorts a bit, but still the art was very respectful to the female body. No larger than life breasts or pencil thin waists. Wonder Woman had an athletic build and was considered statuesque. A Change Will Do You Good 1968 was an interesting year for our Amazing Amazon. After Kanighers departure, Editorial Director Carmine Infantino assigned writer Dennis ONeil and penciller Mike Sekowsky to the title. When a new writer is assigned to a title, the direction of the character usually shifts, but no one could predict the direction ONeil and team were about to take. What they were doing in Wonder Woman, I didnt see how a kid, male or female, could relate to it. It was so far removed from their world, recalled ONeil. (Daniels p. 125) His solution was to remove Wonder Womans powers, effectively putting a normal female out into the world to fend for her self. Gone were the magic lasso, bulletproof bracelets, and invisible jet. Wonder Woman was now outfitted in mod 60s clothes and partnered with an Asian mentor, I Ching. She relied on martial arts instead of Amazon strength. ONeil believed that by making her a normal person struggling in an extraordinary world, she would be a more viable feminist symbol. Many people agreed and sales skyrocketed. Wonder Woman was kept in this direction for almost two years before a very prominent feminist took a very anti-de-powered Wonder Woman stance: Gloria Steinem. In July of 1972, Steinems new magazine, Ms. hit the newsstands with a familiar face on the cover. Beneath a banner that read Wonder Woman for President was a rendering of Wonder Woman, in her traditional costume. Essayist Joanne Edgar took up two pages of the premier issue to denounce the changes made to Wonder Woman, and to assure readers that Wonder Woman would return to her roots in 1973. Steinem also wrote the forward to a hardcover collection of Marston-era Wonder Woman stories, and took the opportunity to denounce the changes herself. Steinem and others felt that by robbing Wonder Woman of her powers and tools, they had weakened an important symbol. She was no longer a unique person. It could also be suggested that because the idea came from a man, that it was an attempt by males to negate a woman as a powerful force. It seemed that Wonder Woman had been adopted by the feminist movement as a powerful symbol of what a woman could aspire to. It is probable that most women who inv oked Wonder Woman in their feminist rhetoric had not read some of the more outrageous of Marstons stories. Wonder Woman finally got her tiara back in Wonder Woman #204 (January-February 1973). Robert Kanigher was again the editor, if only for a few issues. The adoption of Wonder Woman by Steinem and company appeared to have an immediate influence, as Wonder Woman became a very active superhero, with all manner of villains. For the most part, stories did not center on romance or bondage, but rather on costumed villains and other action oriented heroics. Wonder Woman was finally getting the recognition of being a top notch Super Hero. It was at this time, Wonder Woman finally appeared on network TV. In the fall of 1975, The New, Original Wonder Woman aired on ABC. Starring Lynda Carter, the first episode dealt with Wonder Womans origin, sticking very closely to the comic book version. The ABC show was very tongue in cheek, but was a hit and aired on ABC and CBS, until 1977. Lynda Carter became the first woman to star in an action/adventure TV series, giving more credence to the ties between Wonder Woman and feminists. The comic book version continued in the same vein through the late 70s and early 80s. The only notable event was the change in her costume in 1982. In Wonder Woman #288 (February 1982), the eagle emblazoned on her bustier was traded in for a stylized double w. The change was to herald the creation of the Wonder Woman Foundation, created by DC Comics president Jenette Kahn. The purpose of the foundation was to honor (financially) women over 40 who have made a contribution to society. It was launched to coincide with Wonder Womans 40th anniversary. Rebirth In 1986, the entire DC Comics universe was given a makeover. Many characters, including Wonder Woman, had amassed a large and convoluted history, thanks to the ever revolving door of writers and editors. The solution was a 12 issue series entitled Crisis on Infinite Earths. Every character in the DC Universe (DCU) was rebooted, but none was as drastic as Wonder Woman. In Crisis #12, she was attacked and devolved into the clay from which she was formed. The clay then spread itself over the shores of Paradise Island. The stage was set for a comeback. George Perez took on the daunting task of breathing new life into the Amazon Princess. He was well aware of the fact that he was tinkering with an icon. Perez spent copious amounts of time researching Greek Mythology, and also feminism, discussing the project with his wife, editor Karen Berger, DC President Jennette Kahn, and of course, Gloria Steinem. Wonder Woman and feminism were about to become one and the same. Perez did not tinker with Wonder Womans origin too much. He did move her to present day, instead of World War II. She was still a princess, and was raised on an island of amazons. He did, however, give a very feminist slant to the creation of those amazons. In Wonder Woman #1, (February 1987), it was shown that the amazons were the re-incarnated souls of women whose lives had been cut short by the ignorance of man. As they migrated to Themyscira (Paradise Island) they became enlightened women, who spent their days learning and constructing. They were no longer the warrior race of mythology. As the champion of the contest that sent her to the Patriarchs World, Wonder Woman was an ambassador of her nation, charged with espousing the ideals of her Olympian Gods. This Wonder Woman needed no day job; she had an ambassadorial post at the United Nations. She was first a teacher, second, a hero. It is amazing that Perez was able to use Greek Mythology and give it a feminist slant. In the han ds of a lesser writer, the task would have failed. Greek Myth is rife with the subjugation and humiliation of women. Perez was able to center on the female contingent of Olympus, and keep the males as chauvinistic as before. Perez also handled the art chores, and made Wonder Woman look very real and very feminine, without resorting to objectifying art. Her physique was that of an athlete. She was tall, not too slender, and very muscular. It action sequences, you could see the muscles on her body strain as she attempted feats such as tossing tanks around. During Perezs run, Wonder Woman spent as much time on the lecture circuit as she did fighting off bad guys. The sales of the comic were strong, but DC was anxious to use their revamped character in more action oriented stories. William Messner-Loebs, took over as writer, but the major change was in the artist, Mike Deodato, Jr. To many people, all the work that was done to portray Wonder Woman as a strong, intelligent female hero flew out the door as Deodato brought his brand of art to the title. Wonder Woman now had very large breasts, a teeny tiny waist, and legs that went on for miles. Sales of the book were incredibly strong, but much of the attention was on the stylized, sexual appearance of the Amazon. Wonder Woman had never looked quite so slutty. Many claimed that Wonder Woman had become cheesecake, never the less, Deodato stayed on until issue #100. A Look To The Future Phil Jimenez took over the book and attempted to reconcile some of the continuity problems that had already surfaced on the series. Another talented writer/artist, Jimenez nurtured Wonder Woman through some very tough times. Like a mirror to actual world events, 2001 was a very difficult year for Wonder Woman. Themyscira was embroiled in a heated civil war, which resulted in the abolishment of the matriarchy and the loss of the title of princess for her. In a staggering galactic war, Hippolyta her mother and supporting character since the beginning of the book, was killed. Wonder Woman was shown as a woman who had very human problems to cope with. Her battles were not always with super villains or natural disasters. Jimenez showed a hero who had to deal with mother/daughter issues in a way that had rarely been shown in the series. Wonder Woman and her mother did not always get along! In one of his best issues (Wonder Woman #172) Jimenez weaved a tale of jealousy and forgiveness, as a protective mother (Hippolyta) gave her life to protect her seemingly ungrateful daughter. Jimenez was not afraid to show Wonder Woman in an unflattering light. She was jealous of her mother donning similar armor and leaving the shores of Themyscira to become a hero in her own right. Stories such as these brought some very female oriented issues to the forefront. Wonder Woman had never had to deal with issues of her royal status, her relationship with her mother, and the grief of losing a parent. Of course, she came through all of this on top, and ready to fight the good fight, but it was a difficult and interesting journey. As 2003 begins, writer Walter Simonson has revisited the non-powered concept of the 60s. With only 2 issues out, only time will tell if it will be as radical a change as it was before. In the new millennium of Xena, Lara Croft and other female action heroes, is Wonder Woman still relevant to the feminist movement Without her example, many of these franchises would not have had the inspiration to become a reality. Those choppy territories Wonder Woman covered have paved the way. Many writers and artists can use Wonder Womans history as a blueprint for what works, and also what doesnt. Wonder Woman continues to mirror the complexities of feminism; strong and assertive, yet caring and nurturing. All the while balancing family issues and fighting against stereotypes. As her comic book moves ahead, Wonder Woman will continue to tackle issues relating to every woman, and even, every human. Works Cited: Daniels, Les. Wonder Woman: The Complete History. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2001. Edgar, Joanna Wonder Woman Revisited: Ms. Warner Communications: (July 1972) 28-29 Jimenez, Phil. Wonder Woman #172. (Second Series) DC Comics: (August 2001) Kanigher, Robert. Sensation Comics #97. DC Comics: (May-June 1950) Kanigher, Robert. Wonder Woman #204. DC Comics: (January-February 1973) Marston, William Moulten. Wonder Woman Archives, Vol. One. New York: DC Comics 1998, 8-16 The New, Original Wonder Woman Wonder Woman, ABC: November 7, 1975 ONeil, Dennis. Wonder Woman #177. DC Comics: (July-August 1968) Perez, George. Wonder Woman #1 (Second Series) DC Comics: (February 1987) Thomas, Roy. Wonder Woman #288 DC Comics: (February 1982) Wolfman, Marv. Crisis On Infinite Earths #12 DC Comics: (December 1986)

Uncertain Reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people o

Reconciliation between Aboriginal People and Non-Aboriginal people to some extent is important towards Australia’s future. Given the past injustices involving land rights, the stolen generation and Government Policies, it illustrates that Australia has some way to go ahead of the full reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians and that without reconciliation our future is uncertain. The Aboriginals were denied their land rights when European settlement occurred in Australia. As the Aboriginals were nomadic, the land that they lived on and moved around on soon became occupied by the Europeans. This disenabled the Aboriginals to sustain their ceremonial and cultural links with the land. Efforts to win Indigenous land back involved government policies and court acts. In 1976 Gough Whitlam introduced a Land Rights Act which made governments more aware of the issues of Aboriginal Cultural Land. With the aid of this policy Eddie Mabo was able to lead a case that was known as the Native Title. This was one of the most famous cases, the Mabo v Commonwealth, and it wa...

Hitlers Rise To Power :: essays research papers

How Hitler got into Power At the end of the war Germany underwent a rapid political restructuring. Following this transition from authoritarian monarchy to democratic republic, Weimar Germany immediately began to display weaknesses that it would ultimately never fix. Germany had to create a government that the Allies would be prepared to negotiate with, so Hindenburg ordered a government which had the support of the Reichstag. When Kaiser William II fled the country, Germany could still have remained a monarchy, as William's son was eligible for the throne. The Weimar Republic was not based on strong public convictions, which must, in part, explain its weakness. There were many flaws in thew Weimar Republic. Weimar had great problems gaining acceptance throughout Germany, too. The terribly harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles angered Germans, especially the military everywhere and many directed their resentment at the Weimar government who signed the Treaty. Defeat in a large-scale war always signals the beginning of a difficult period for a nation. Following World War I, Germany was virtually crushed by the harsh demands of the Treaty of Versailles. The German economy was weighed down heavily by the enormous reparations bill. Weimar governments struggled to meet the huge reparations payments and their failure to do so was the basis of further problems. One such event was the additional humiliation of the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr in 1923. The French took control of the coal mines and factories of the region, so the workers, following a policy of passive resistance, went on strike. The French employed their own men to work the area, whilst the German government committed to paying the wages of the striking workers. This was a very expensive exercise and, on top of that, Germany lost profits from industry in the Ruhr and actually had to spend money importing coal. These massive drains on the German economy caused inflation to soar to incredible levels, paralleling the dramatic drops in the value of the reichsmark. It is true that the Reichsbank printed more and more money to the point where over 44 trillion marks was in circulation. Some historians argue that the Weimar government did this deliberately, to devalue their currency, making it cheaper to pay reparations. The downside of this was that middle and working class Germans lost their savings and the value of their wages. For instance in November 1923, the cost of a loaf of bread in Berlin was about 201 billion marks!

David Burns Feeling Good: Depression :: essays research papers

David Burn's Feeling Good: Depression In the book Feeling Good , David Burns, MD, the author, outlines certain cognitive techniques an individual suffering from depression could use in combating the disorder. He begins the book by briefly describing the pertinence and the prevalence of depression. The author captures the audience's attention in the first paragraph: " In fact depression is so widespread it is considered the common cold of psychiatric disturbances" (Burns, 1992) p. 9. Burns(1992), continues to suggest that the difference between the common cold and depression lies in the fact that depression is lethal. Irwing and Barbara Serason (1996) suggest that at least 90 percent of all suicide victims suffer from a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death. Irwing and Barbara Serason (1996) also state that one of the risk factors in committing suicide is the presence of mood disorder. Silverman (1993) states that suicide among young people 15 to 19 years of age has increased by 30 percent from the years 1980 to 1990. In my opinion David Burns brings up a valid issue in addressing the pertinence of depression as it pertains to peoples tendencies of committing a suicide; other academics have agreed with the same findings. However these academics have not specifically stated that depression is the only risk factor of committing a suicide. They did not even suggest that depression is the heighest weighted risk factor in committing a suicide. The impression the reader gets after reading the introductory paragraph of the Feeling Good book is that severe depression will inevitably result in suicide unless it is cured. Implying that if a person has a depressive disorder, it will lead to a suicide can be dangerous and counterproductive for a person who already feels hopeless; this may reaffirm their belief of hopelessness and the inevitability of the disorder. Once the first paragraph is passed the author indicates that there is hope in curing depression, giving the reader an encouragement to continue with the book. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-IV), mood disorders are classified into two broad categories, bipolar and unipolar depressive disorders. The book Feeling Good only talks about the unipolar depressive disorders, thus, I will only concentrate on that one category. Unipolar mood disorders are classified under axis I of the DSM-IV. Unipolar depressive disorders are further classified into two categories: dysthymic, and major depressive disorder. Even though both of the disorders are mood disorders they have some fundamental differences and similarities. According to DSM-IV people experiencing major depression must have depressed moods and/or diminished interest for at least two weeks, for most of the day,

Ghost Story

It was a cold starlit sky when a couple decided to steal a pawn shop which had many jewellery from different type of countries. It was located in an unusual part of the town where people do not often visit as it has a very strange atmosphere in the air. ‘Quick, Quick' said the man grabbing his woman by her wrist and dragging her behind. ‘He's coming, we must disappear before he sees us'. The man held his girl girlfriend very tightly by her arm, who was struggling to run with a heavy load on her back. As the couple hurried along the cold chilling street they slipped into an ally and began to catch there breath. Then came a rather large grotesque looking man charging from his shop, looking from left to right. The man was around six foot tall, rather heavy eyebrows, with many scars across his neck and a right eye which had an irregular white colour inside. As he looked into the dark misty sky he gave an almighty roar which sent vibrations through the heart of the couple. His face turned from one colour to another and as he clenched his fist he then swore to take revenge on the thieves. At this moment of time his humanity was questioned as he looked like he was indestructible. The couple in the alleyway stared at one another in the face, heart beating to the second regretting they even stepped outside the shop. As they were in a cul-de-sac they were too afraid to leave the ally and make an escape. The couple muttered words under there breaths as if they were planning an escape. The man then went back inside the shop and slammed the door which then sent a shudder through the couples body. As the couple went into the streets, they heard a little tap of footsteps in the alley which they were hiding in. The woman stopped and turned towards the alley where there was a dark shadowed figure in the mysteriously gloomy corner filled with a thick dark mist as if she was attracted to it. As the woman curiously stared in the corner, the man held hand and gradually pulled her away from it. As she exited the alleyway she heard a deep, slow trembling voice ‘Where do you think you are going'. As she heard this voice it started to make her think she was hearing something in her head but soon she and the man realised something was in the corner. You aren't going to escape' and then in a slightly decrepit voice ‘It is yours to keep forever'. The woman who then looked in her bag to see what it meant, as she scurried through her bag there she found a black box which began to glow as soon as she picked it up. As soon as she picked it up the creature laughed in a creepy way and all that was heard was a screeching hissing noise. The woman immediately dropped the beautiful black box which then opened, containing a necklace with a dark mist filled black stone hanging from it. This is when the man decided he had enough, grabbed the bag containing the rest of the jewellery and prompted the woman to leave. As they decided to leave she couldn't help but pick up the gold necklace and put in safely in the box. ‘I'm going to throw this back, we don't need it' As she dumped the necklace in the gutter, the couple left the scene of the robbery and they decided to take a taxi. As the car arrived the woman was adamant on taking a taxi but nevertheless decided to go in. As the man entered the taxi he was too occupied in the jewellery but when the woman sat down she looked in disbelief what was on the seat in front of her. The glowing black box was shining like a star and as she opened it, it contained a note ‘Get Rich Or Die Trying. ‘ As soon as she finished reading the note the taxi driver who was the shop owner then turned back and cackled in a callous, cold-blooded way ‘REMEMBER ME' and drove the car down into the banks of a countryside where a low, lurid lake awaited the coming of the notorious thieves.

Growth Rates Essay

What factors might contribute to a low or high growth rates in a country? There are three categories of factors that contribute to a low or high growth rates. These categories are the demand factor, the efficiency factor, and supply factors. Government spending or exports can lead to a higher to aggregate demand and higher economic growth. â€Å"Economic growth requires increases in total spending to realize the output gain made available by increased production capacity† (McConnell, 2012, p. 513). One way to accomplish this is by lowering interest rates. Lower interest rates make borrowing cheaper. This encourages consumers to spend more money. Efficiency is attained when resources are used â€Å"†¦in the least costly way to produce the specific mix of goods and services that maximizes people’s well-being† (McConnell, 2012, p. 513). For example, when human resources are not being used to their full potential unemployment will increase. As unemployment increases, total spending will decrease. This will lower growth rates. Supply factors such as increases in natural resources, increases in human resources, increases in the supply of capital goods, and improvements in technology create a higher economic growth rate (McConnell, 2012, p. 512). Why do some poor countries experience higher growth rates than others when all face the same challenges? Some poor countries experience higher growth rates than others because of its population, its infrastructure, its natural resources, or a combination of these. One example of government infrastructure are the policies related to patents and copyrights. Additionally, poorer countries tend to adopt more advanced technology from richer countries. Leader countries are constrained by technological process. Why resources are no longer the most important indicators of economic growth disparity among countries? Which other economic and non-economic factors do you think explain the reasons behind growth disparities among countries? As technology improves, resources are no longer the most important indicators of economic growth disparity among countries. Other economic and non-economic factors that help explain growth disparities are greater education and training, improved resource allocation, increases in the quantity of capital, and economies of scale. This means that firms can  produce each output with fewer resources. How can sustainable long-run economic growth be realized? What are the roles of the government in achieving sustainable long-run economic growth? Sustainable long-run economic growth can be realized through institutional structures such as strong property rights, patents and copyrights, efficient financial institutions, literacy and widespread education, free trade, and a competitive market system (McConnell, 2012, pp. 511-512). Government can help achieve long-run economics growth by reinforcing these institutional structures. The government may need to invest in their infrastructure or create policies that help promote growth. China is a great example of long-term economic growth. China’s real output has grown over the past 25 years at a rate of nearly 9 percent per year, quadrupling real output over that period (McConnell, 2012, p. 522). Rising income has led to more saving, greater capital investment, and more direct foreign investment, which has helped fuel growth. Per capita income has increased at an annual rate of 8 percent since 1980, despite China’s population expanding by 14 million people per year (McConnell, 2012, p. 522). Increased use of capital, better technology, labor reallocation from agriculture, and increased privatization has all contributed to greater productivity. China’s growth has been supported by a dramatic increase in exports ($5 billion in 1978 to $1.2 trillion in 2007) (McConnell, 2012, p. 522). McConnell, C. Brue, S. & Flynn, S. (2012). Economics:Principles, Problems, and Policies (19 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. What are the limitations of the GDP in measuring total output and national welfare? What products (services) are excluded from the GDP computation? Gross domestic product(GDP) is defined as â€Å"the total market value of all final goods and services produced annually within the boundaries of the United States, whether by U.S. or foreign-supplied resources† (McConnell, 2012, p. G11). GDP has limitations when measuring total output and national welfare because it is a monetary value. GDP only counts final goods and ignores intermediate goods. If intermediate goods were allowed, multiple counting would occur. GDP is not necessarily a good measure of social  welfare because it doesn’t adjust production for negative externalities. The reason that GDP is an imperfect measure of social welfare is that it does not measure many goods and services that have real economic value. The most obvious case is leisure. Leisure is a normal good. GDP excludes non production transactions â€Å"because they have nothing to do with the generation of final goods† (McConnell, 2012, p. 487).There are two types financial transactions and secondhand sales. Financial transactions include public transfer payments, private transfer payments, and stock market transactions (McConnell, 2012, pp. 487-488). Also illegal goods and resource depletion are excluded. GDP is not reduced by pollution that is produced in processes. Is the GDP measure underestimating or overestimating national production and total income in the economy? Why? GDP is in fact underestimating national production and total national income because there are exclusions. For example, if someone gets paid â€Å"under the table†, this illegal act is not included in the calculation. The same can be said regarding secondhand sales. These sales are happening even though they do not contribute to current production (McConnell, 2012, p. 488). Also, GDP does not take into account inflation. This reduces the actual increase in income. What are the impacts of the shortcomings of the GDP as a measure of the national product and national welfare? As stated earlier, GDP has limitations. It is because of these limitations that a true economic picture cannot be seen. Nonmarket activities are the transactions outside the market, and hence there is no reliable price information about them. Unpaid work or â€Å"under the table† is not included. Leisure is ignored understating well-being. Improved product quality due to technological advances tends to improve welfare because they lower prices. This element is usually excluded from GDP. Finally, the underground economy understates GDP because this income is not included. If included, these activities would show a more accurate picture. Currently, the exclusion of the activities gives consumers as well as other countries a false sense of economic stability. GDP is portrayed to be higher than what it actually is. Reference McConnell, C. B. (2012). Economics:Principles, Problems, and Policies (19 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.