Contrast of Zeena and Mattie in “Ethan Frome” Essay

Some decisions have an everlasting effect on one’s life. Ethan Frome, the protagonist in Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, is tormented by his passionate love for Mattie Silver, but is morally shackled to Zeena by the sacred bonds of marriage. After years of harsh life with his wife in the dreary town of Starkefield, Ethan comes to believe that his greatest chance at a happy life is with Mattie Silver, a cousin of Zeena, who has come to live with him. However, in the end Mattie’s other side, one which is extraordinarily similar to Zeena’s attitude, comes to light, after a thwarted suicide attempt. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton makes an ironic comment on the choices present in an impoverished world by presenting contrasting images to describe Zeena Frome and Mattie Silver, yet also presenting details which make them seem alike. Wharton suggests that Mattie’s cheerful attitude, her spirited activity, and her ability to inspire confidence in Ethan, prompts him to believe that Mattie could bring him bliss. One of the reasons why Ethan thinks that Mattie could turn his life around was because she usually overflowed with cheerfulness and energy. Ethan is often fascinated by â€Å"her gaiety [, which to him,] was a plain proof of indifference.† Her cheerful image contrasts sharply with that of Zeena who is selfish and melancholy, and brings some cheer into his otherwise dull life. Mattie again exhibits her ability to spread warmth while she learns her household duties. When Ethan sees her performing her household duties awkwardly, he bursts out laughing, and, to his surprise, Mattie also â€Å"burst[s] out laughing and this made them better friends.† This incident baffles Ethan who assumed that a woman would blush with embarrassment instead of laughing it away and charms him so that the idea comes to be implanted into him that Mattie would bring him a happy life. Mattie brings him further happiness by simply listening to him especially when he talks of subjects completely new to her. When he talked about stars on their way back from the dance, Ethan and Mattie stood â€Å"entranced† and gazed at the starry sky. Talking to Mattie of such subjects gives Ethan a considerable amount of pleasure because he could impart his knowledge to an eager, cheerful and somewhat ignorant listener. Mattie’s colorfulness and liveliness also helps Ethan to fall in love with her and strengthen his conviction that she could bring happiness into his life.  Mattie’s colorfulness and liveliness is seen in the church where Mattie is dancing. Ethan, who is seeing through the window, is entranced by her graceful figure as she danced, and when â€Å"scarf flew off her head and stood out behind her shoulders†¦[revealing her] laughing panting lips.† By just looking at her dance, Ethan seems to share the joy that Mattie feels as she dances. Her liveliness also differs with that of Zeena who is something of a cold, selfish introvert and seldom goes outside for the fear of her health. Another scene in which Mattie’s liveliness captivates Ethan is when they are alone in the living room while Zeena was in Bettsbridge. While Ethan was talking to Mattie, she changes her countenance frequently â€Å"like a wheat field under a summer breeze.† Ethan takes a secret pleasure in seeing how Mattie reacts to his remarks especially when they talk about Ruth Varnum and Ned Hale’s upcoming marriage and is overjoyed to see Mattie blush when he recounts what he saw Ruth and Ned do. Yet another scene in which Mattie’s activity strengthens his belief is when Mattie knits by the fireplace. As she knits, he watches in admiration as her fingers fly like â€Å"a pair of birds making short perpendicular flights† over their nest. This encourages his notion because she seems to be able to knit like his mother could in the happy days before the illness had taken her. He also shows his appreciation of her abilities by kissing the â€Å"stuff† she made. Mattie’s ability to inspire confidence in Ethan also leads him to believe that Mattie could guide him to a happier life. Mattie’s ability to inspire Ethan’s confidence is clearly shown when they are walking home from the dance. While walking home he talks to her about the â€Å"Orion,† â€Å"Aldebaran,† and the â€Å"Pleiades.† Mattie listens to Ethan eagerly, leading him to wonder how his dull talk could interest a carefree person who cared little about stars. Mattie also inspires confidence in Ethan when the cat breaks the pickle dish. Shocked and terrified she raises her eyes to him for a solution and â€Å"his courage was up.† He is able to free her mind of the broken dish and able to mend it enough so that it would look unbroken until he could obtain some glue to fix it. Mattie’s ability again inspires Ethan to gain self-confidence when Zeena orders Jotham Powell to take Mattie to the railway station. He gains self-confidence by looking at Mattie’s stricken face and responds by insisting to Zeena that he â€Å"would take Mattie over† to the railway station. This incident in which Ethan was able to muster enough self-confidence to  oppose Zeena shows how Mattie is able to directly or indirectly to encourage Ethan to have confidence in himself, thus corroborating his idea that he and Mattie could lead a happy life. Despite Mattie’s untiring gaiety, Wharton includes scenes in which she is closely related to Zeena to imply that Ethan’s choice is nothing but an illusion. One of such scenes in which Mattie closely resembles Zeena is when she prepares the table when Zeena is in Bettsbridge. While she prepares the table, she uses the pickle dish which Zeena â€Å"never meant [for it] to be used.† Mattie shamelessly using the pickle dish strongly resembles the character of Zeena because like her, Mattie uses the dish secretly and with deception, a quality of Zeena’s which Ethan abhors. Mattie again shows strong resemblance to Zeena when she and Ethan sit down in the living room to pass time. When she sits down to sew in Zeena’s chair, Ethan sees in Mattie’s face the face of â€Å"the superseded woman† who was then at Bettsbridge. This shows that Ethan’s choice is an illusion since Zeena haunts him even when she is not present and disproves the idea that Ethan would be happy with Mattie because even then Zeena’s face would haunt him. The character of Mattie after the coasting accident rudely reveals to Ethan that he had never had any choices all along. When he takes the narrator into his house, the narrator faces two women who look sickly; Zeena looks â€Å"old, and gray with†¦pale opaque eyes† while Mattie looks â€Å"bloodless† and â€Å"her eyes [have] a witch like stare.† The narrator also reveals that Mattie’s voice sounds querulous like Zeena’s voice. This shows how Mattie and Zeena are similar and the dependency of both the invalids on Ethan–contrary to the dreams of Ethan in which he and Mattie would have been free. Wharton depicts the sharp contrast between the morose Zeena and the gay Mattie to imply that Ethan’s choice is obvious. However, Wharton includes scenes that show the resemblance of Mattie to Zeena to warn the unsuspecting Ethan that Mattie has another personality, which is just as bad as that of Zeena. In the end, Ethan realizes that Mattie had just been a wolf in a sheep’s clothing and that from then on he had to carry burden to care for 2 invalids as well as himself.

Internet censorship Essay

INTERNET CENSORSHIP Internet censorship is subjected to governmental control to keep programmes inoffensive to the public. It controls the ideas and information in a society. The question is if government should be allowed full authority on the internet. Is it completely fine to allow the government to decide the information we access and does this infringe on the rights of freedom and speech? First of all, there are the people who side with internet censorship. There is certain vulgar and offensive material put on the internet which can cause divisions between the society and offend some of the people. For example, videos and articles against a religion or culture can cause problems between citizens within a nation and so such information has to be censored. Censoring material that insults a religion helps protect society from disputes and thus doesn’t qualify to be called stealing someone’s rights. Moreover, censorship is important to keep children from corrupting their minds. Inappropri ate videos and images put on the internet can be seen by the youth which is why this material should be removed by censoring. This act by the government ensures children don’t get to see vulgar material which can destroy their innocence. So, in a sense, government helps to protect children and in this case freedom of such information cannot count as it is too mature for children. Furthermore, some people argue that internet censorship is necessary to preserve national security. Without censorship, it is impossible to maintain secrecy of information and protect it from enemies that can use it against the nation. Adding on, other forms of illegal material being communicated are stopped by censorship. Illegal downloading of copyrighted content is a crime and internet censorship helps the government to catch criminals that indulge themselves in this act. As well, e-mail containing dangerous information like bomb plans have no right to be spread around the internet and so discarding them is the right thing to do. This shows that the government does not violate rights of freedom of speech by actually prote cting its public from threatening information. However, others think that internet censorship is a violation to rights of freedom of speech. It limits free access to information which causes the society to foster ignorance in its citizens. Through this ignorance, people would not have knowledge and awareness on issues that take place around their environment. this is not  fair as everyone should have the right to full access to information on the internet. Additionally, there is the history of censorship abuse. The government can remove certain material that gives a bad image of it to the public meaning people have no freedom to criticize the government or voice their opinions. In this corrupt information can also be spread around the internet by the government and this gives wrong information to the public. In China, for example, videos and articles on human rights violation are blocked by the government from the eyes of the world. If people cannot freely express their opinions on such critical subjects, then there is no use of the internet as it limits freedom of speech. Furthermore, some governments put strict rules on internet usage like blocking social sites from the network. These include facebook and twitter. For instance, in China, facebook is banned and this affects the citizens and people owning facebook. Facebook loses more users from China. Also this limits communication and thus transfer of information is narrowed to usage of phones and letters. People will also find it difficu lt to interact with people outside the nation. This is a serious act against freedom of speech and shows government uses censorship to restrict passing on of information which signifies they have something to hide. In conclusion, government should censor material to the extent where it becomes a threat for the community. Otherwise censorship of material that contains ‘offensive’ vocabulary like breast cancer is limiting freedom of speech as it is accessed by people for knowledge and it is not going to harm anyone. Besides, for child protection, there is already software that is available to block offensive sites. This shows that government has no right to censor the internet by removing material that can actually be helpful to the people. The government misuse its control over the internet to limit people’s ideas and thought capacities which violates freedom of speech and information.

Geo Mapping and Small Industries Essay

1. Identify the key software applications used by The Tea Collection. The Tea Collection used information technologies very successfully to create their business and to make it one of the fastest growing private companies in the US. They do not only use software to design their clothes, they also use applications to sell their products. The executives use geographic data- mapping software to target new selling areas, where are not that many stores for children’s clothing but good demographic circumstances. The Tea Collection has also created a tool bag-in-tool for their retailers to make it easier for them to order new products over the internet. 2. How does the geo-mapping software help the company grow? Explain how sales reps use the results of the geo-mapping system. Tea Collection uses software to be able to sell their clothing line across the country. The executive of Tea Collection uses the software â€Å"geo-mapping† to find territories in the United States where there is not a lot of children’s clothing sold and they can expect to build up their company there because the area is not oversaturated with children’s clothing. It is a geographic data-mapping software, which he uses to find the best place to build up a new Tea Collection store. With the software he can find out the ZIP code of the area without many children’s clothe stores and see the area from closer to make out the landscape where they think a Tea Collection store would fit in best. A yellow dot in a green area shows the highest prospect and sales reps use this system to sell their line there.The geo-mapping software is insofar relevant to the material learned in the 3rd lecture, because it is an information system. In the Tea Collection it especially plays a role for ensuring their survival and to promote competitive advantage. The customer service is as well improved. Tea Collection invests one percent of the income into information systems to develop new services they can use in their company. 3. What is the main technology challenge identified in the video? How would you suggest this challenge should be addressed? The main technology challenge identified in this video is the integration of the different computer systems, according to Rawdon, one of the founders of this business †the biggest challenge is the technology’s integration† The Tea Collection uses â€Å"multiple computer systems which don`t integrate automatically† (Rawdon) and therefore the task of integrating those systems are accomplished by people. Firstly, I would suggest to address this challenge by investing money in in-house training of the people working on integrating these systems. So that everyone in the company has the same knowledge consequently it will be easier to work together Moreover, on communication specialized employees whose task is the communication between the people working with those computer systems could enhance the working atmosphere as well as lower the time needed. Finally, Rawdon also states that the Tea Collection couldn’t survive without technologies. In spite of this the company only invests one percent of sales in IT. It could be suggested to invest more money in technologies and also in research to figure out a better integration of the computer systems. This would result in less dependency on people and therefore in less time and less mistakes. 4. Do you believe this company can continue to grow rapidly with the existing software and hardware they have demonstrated in this video? Why or why not? According to the information provided and considering the development of information technologies, the smaller companies like The Tea Collection could expand and grow rapidly. Their business would not be realizable and successful without technology, because business owners know that time is money – and no business can afford to be days behind the competition. We do believe that with the software and the hardware demonstrated, the company will continue the steady growth shown in the past 10 years and spending only 1% of the sales on IT, seems to be the best investment in their flourishing business.

Dicussion 13 703 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dicussion 13 703 - Assignment Example I have discovered this from the fact that the framework I am using in studying my clinical problem has been and can be used in many other studies that will deal with different issues. Additionally, I have learnt that it is possible to harmonize knowledge from different disciplines in one compressed tool such as the one I am using my project. To continue growing in knowledge, I will endeavor to keep conducting scholarly research in order to acquire new insight into different nursing ideas. Additionally, I will seek to read and review scholarly studies conducted by other nurses. To apply the knowledge I shall acquire in a clinical setting, I shall use nursing guidance manuals and code of ethics in order to delimit the scope of the application. To evaluate the translation of that knowledge to see if it is effective, I shall try it on different clinical problems checking the ones in which it work and the ones it does not. Finally, I shall request my peers to help in reviewing its successes and shortcomings in order to uphold objectivity in evaluation (Marlaine,

Written Business Communication (Assignment #3A) Assignment

Written Business Communication ( #3A) - Assignment Example The reader might follow the instructions if things were forced on them, but they would not do it whole-heartedly. The employees should, therefore, be treated with the utmost respect, so as to uphold a mutually beneficial working environment. This message will be received with mixed emotions; some people may seize the opportunity to know their well-being while others may ignore the whole exercise all together. However, highlighting the benefits, the necessity and incentives for taking the blood test will move the doubters and cynics to take the blood tests. Some of the readers might not book appointments at first, but when they see their fellow colleagues making the appointments, they will definitely join in the exercise. The best pattern of organization of this message is that of an internal memo. This is because not all people look at their emails on time. The memo will be easily visible to all employees through the internal information systems. However, the best pattern of organization of the reader response is through email. This is because emails are faster, and convenient for the human resource since they constantly communicate through emails. It is a company’s attention that most, if not a few of the employees are reluctant with regards to the blood test exercises that the company seeks to carry out on its employees; It is evident that most of you find this exercise as an invasion of privacy, and probably an infringement of personal rights. Due to the above mentioned reason, company has decided to make this a voluntary exercise for you. However, it is important to bring out some facts and figures about the blood tests carried out by American Health ways; these tests are carried out not only for cost reduction purposes, but for the overall health benefit of the employees. Taking these blood tests ensures that the individual becomes aware of their overall well-being, and also acts as a precaution in the early phases of

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy - Assignment Example The diplomatic doctrine President Truman followed was that United States would provide political, economic, and military service to all democratic nations which were under the threat of external or internal authoritarian forces (Milestones: 1945-1952. In the initial years, America really protected the interests of its ally Turkey. It was the nature of America to manipulate its foreign policies for its own advantage. However, it never tried to take any undue advantage from the relation with Turkey unlike it did in Afghanistan. American policy after the Truman declaration was always in favor of Turkey. As America never wanted the Soviet Union to grow bigger than it and the communist party to spread to other parts of the world, it decided to support Turkey; both politically and financially. American foreign policy was thus aimed at promoting democracy in its friendly nations. As Carpenter (1999) points out, though Turkey faced some real threats from the Soviet Union like the overpowerin g of the current government with a communist government, Turkey overcame them with American support and moved to a democratic form of government from the single party government that existed. In return to the support and help rendered by the United States during Cold War, Turkey agreed to send its forces to take part in the Korean War. Also, America provided all support to Turkey to become a member of NATO. Turkey became a founding member of the Central Treaty Organization. After these initial years, the relation between the duo began to deteriorate gradually; though for a short period of time. According to Carpenter (1999), the main reason for the break up was the attack by Turkey on Cyprus on the pretext of saving the ruling government from the imminent coup by army. It was an evident breach of the international law and the UN charter. Moreover, it was against the American policy of opposition against aggression because Turkey was pointlessly attacking Cyprus. Though the United St ates was supposed to adopt stringent measures against its alley as the lack of such measures would invite widespread criticism, the American Congress managed to reduce the measures to a meager ban on arm sales to Turkey. Still, the step resulted in creating too much tension and mistrust in the relation between the duo. However, the action of the US can be justified on the ground that Turkey violated the agreements and international law (cited in ‘Turkish invasion and Cyprus occupation’, 2005). When all these tensions ended, the Turkish leaders once again felt the need to be closer to the US. For, an ally like the US was essential to ensure the future security of Turkey in the Middle East.

The Galapagos Island Tortoise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Galapagos Island Tortoise - Essay Example The Galapagos Tortoise are the largest living breed of tortoises in the world. They inhabit the nine islands of the Galapagos archipelago. While Charles Darwin was the first to research these animals, they were actually discovered by a Spanish explorer in the 1500’s. â€Å"Galapago† means tortoise in Spanish and most likely derives from the word saddle. The Galapagos turtles have a distinctive shell that is in the shape of a saddle. The size of these creatures is what sets them apart from other species. The adults can weigh over 660 lbs while they are approximately 4 feet long. Scientists have not figured out a maximum life expectancy for the tortoise however they are expected to live around 200 years. They are believed to belong to one species called Geochelone elephantopus, with approximately 14 different sub speciesThe arrival of the Galapagos tortoises is thought to be descended from a common ancestor that arrived from the mainland. They are capable floating quite e asily on the water. Scientists believe that the original colonist of tortoise washed aboard one island then its descendants were dispersed around the other islands-floating on the ocean currents. In the 1600’s buccaneers used the Galapagos Islands as a home port to repair their boats before attacking Spanish colonies on the South American mainland. They collected the tortoises and stored them aboard their ships because they lived for a long while. They were eaten as a source of food as well as killed for their turtle oil. The early settlers hunted them for their meat up through the 1800’s. ... If they feel threatened by another animal, they withdraw its head, neck and forelimbs into its shell for protection. Sometimes this is not enough as the top of their shell opening can leave a gap. Originally, this was never an issue because there were no native predators on the Galapagos Islands. It is only when settlers introduced domesticated animals that went wild that they became susceptible. And of course, they were hunted by the settlers for food. The conservation efforts of the tortoise populations still face challenges today. Rats, dogs, and pigs eat the eggs and young tortoises. Goats are in direct competition with them when acquiring food so many of them devastate the vegetation. Also, cattle, donkeys, and horses trample the ground squashing the tortoises nests. Efforts have been made to safeguard tortoises nests. One such example is that eggs are collected in the wild and incubated at the Charles Darwin Research Station. After they hatched, they would remain under vigil until they were large enough to fend off attacks from rats, dogs, and pigs. There have also been campaigns to eradicate the wild animals that pose a threat to the tortoise. These methods of preserving the giant tortoises have worked really well as it is predicted that only 120 turtles have been killed over the last 17 years. With all the work that has been put into the effort to keep the main attraction of the Galapagos islands from becoming extinct, there is still more work to be done. Many of the animals that are not native to the island should be removed in the effort to keep the these fascinating turtles alive and well. When Charles Darwin made a trip to the Galapagos Islands, he found a huge

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP - Assignment Example However major problem with ethical leadership is that it is difficult to define that what is right. Ethical leadership is based on two components, first is that ethical leaders must act and make decisions that are considered to be ethical and second is that they should lead the people based on the ethical standards (Anon., 2014). Leaders know that what exactly they value. They are aware of the importance of ethical behavior. The successful leaders are known for exhibiting both their ethics as well as their values in their leadership actions and style. The leadership ethics and values should be visible in the leader’s actions every single day (Anon., 2014). Lack of trust is considered to be a major problem in many work places. If the leaders are unable to identify the value and ethics required at workplace the mistrust can be understandable. People are not exactly aware of what they can exactly expect. Workplace ethics may take the same route if the leaders of the organization have ethical expectations and code of conduct, however it may become a joke for the organization if the leaders may fail to live up to the codes published by the organization (Heathfield, 2014). One of the effective examples of ethical leadership that can be extracted from the fashion industry is of H&M, which is the global fashion leaders and is enforcing its effort to fulfill its corporate social responsibility in recent years. The mission of H&M is to offer fashion as well as quality at its best price. Quality as defined by H&M is to manufacture its product in a way that is environmentally and socially sustainable. This is why the company works in close collaboration with its stakeholders and suppliers to effectively fulfill its long term goals achieve sustainable environmental and social standards in the factories that are manufacturing their products and also in the operation of their other business partners. The code of conduct of H&M specifies

Business Start Up Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Start Up - Assignment Example The person can also choose when to work and not to work when he is not highly motivated. This will give the person t produce high quality output. Working alone and being self-employed means being in control of all the decisions that has to make. The person gets to decide on his own business plan, his own quality assurance activities, pricing and marketing methods. At the sae time, there is a 100% job security; the person will never get fired. People usually do what they want to do unless they are otherwise motivated. They must be motivated by themselves or by an external stimulus. Motivation is, in effect, inducing others in a specific way towards goals specifically stated by the motivator. In an organization these goals, as the motivation system, must conform to the corporate policy of the organization. The motivational system must be tailored to fit the needs of the organization. Joining the world of the self-employed is very risky. Considering the freedom to choose how much time and when to work, who to work with, low operating cost, no hassle in beating the office hours, if everything goes well, earning more money is very possible without working for someone else, it is worth the risk. 2. Skills Required Entrepreneurship is a term in business that is always mistaken as something synonymous with small business. Basically, a businessman cannot be considered as an entrepreneur just by initiating the business, but rather by having a behaviour pattern that concentrates on opportunity rather than resources (Drucker, 2002). This behaviour can be applied in either small or corporate businesses, by any manager or leader. It can be said that referring entrepreneur as an individual who creates a business literally is incomplete, as the term also signifies most importantly a pattern of behaviour and attitude, and not just the tangible sole proprietor of the organization or the business. Churchill (1992) defined it "as the process of uncovering and developing opportunity to create value through innovation and seizing the opportunity without regard to either resources (human or capital) or the location of the entrepreneur - in a new or existing company" (p.586). Hofstede (1997) stated the definition of entrepreneurship in other terms, referring it as "a process that takes place in different environments and settings which causes changes in the economic system through innovations brought about by individuals who generate or respond to economic opportunities that create value for both those individuals and society" (p.352). In other words, it is considered as individual or organizational level phenomena, or the experience of continuously searching for growth through improvement and innovation. The entrepreneur must possess typical characteristics such as: the ability to take risks; innovativeness; knowledge on how the market functions; manufacturing know-how; marketing skills; business management skills; interpersonal skills, organizational skills (that I already have ) and the ability to cooperate (Buheiry, 1989). Possessed with such characteristics, entrepreneurs have shaped literally the economic condition of the world as we see it. They are the ones who are

How were World War I and World War II truly world wars Essay

How were World War I and World War II truly world wars - Essay Example These to countries had massive control in the affairs of different countries and they used their power to influence much of the political happenings in these countries. The major players of the wars put all their industrial, economic and person capabilities on the war. This impacted heavily on the economies of the countries involved in the wars (p.21). Most of these countries were major world powers and their economies affected the economic situations in other countries. When the economy slumped during the two wars, all countries in the world were affected in one way or another, even when they were not directly involved in the war. The two world wars also changed the face of social relations of different people from different countries (p.26). Each of the opposing sides had allies who fought against the allies of another opposing group, thus creating tension where there were not supposed to be tensions. Reference Dowswell, P., Brocklehurst, R. and Brook, H. 2007. The Two world Wars: An introduction to the first and second world wars. New York: Educational Publishers.

African American Culture 5 Essay Example for Free

African American Culture 5 Essay Question# 4: African cultures, by and large, bring a similar world view to the relationship between man and the spiritual realm, one that is marked by an extremely personal interaction. In the broader African spiritual world human beings are seen to be under the constant influence of other people, their ancestors, minor deities, the Creator, and various forces of nature. As a result the African spiritual world can be described as interactive since all things are endowed with life-force. How is this idea expressed in ritual approaches to morality, wrongdoing, and spiritual empowerment? African American religion has always been heavily involved and influenced by the notion of morality, wrong doing and spiritual empowerment since the slave days if not earlier, African Americans came to embrace Protestant Christianity and adapted their own version of it which is consistent with evidence in the 19th century and a little bit of the 18th, at the time Christianity had little effect on slave society through the efforts of Anglicans, but it was not because African Americans rejected the gospel but because whites seized Christian brotherhood from blacks. As blacks in the South and in the British Caribbean struggled to develop individual and collective identities from the ideas and ways of African culture and their new conditions of life, the series of efforts by evangelicals to convert slaves eventually gave rise to a distinct African-American form of Christian theology, worship style, and religious community. The importance of religion and having their own take on it is among African Americans, as among all people, rests on fulfilling the human need for an understanding of one’s place in both the spiritual and temporal world. Although it was difficult, African Americans discovered in evangelical conversion requirements an opportunity to reassert personal authority based on their ability to communicate directly with God and to bring others to recognize the need for personal repentance and acceptance of Jesus. A perfect example that supports the connection between religious involvement and a sense of personal identity, is found in a slave woman who, back then it was not common for them to tell missionaries that her people have come from across the sea and lost their father and mother, and therefore want to know the Father. The displacement of Africans, for whom locality was critical to interactions with the spiritual world, did not strip them of their religious identity, but required them to learn the spiritual landscape of their new home and reshape their practices accordingly. â€Å"Come Shouting to Zion† details the many religious rituals that Africans preserved in the new world, especially those surrounding fundamental life events such as the birth and naming of children, marriage, burial ceremonies, and ritual dancing and singing to communicate with ancestors and deities. The influence of Africans with many diverse but fundamentally similar cultures in a strange new land encouraged slaves to form new pan-African cultures, which grew increasingly popular as later generations of slaves were born into bondage in America, establishing a distinct African-American culture. The pidgin African-English is a prime example of Africans in American creating a system of communication that was not traceable to a particular African ethnic origin, nor was it a perfect imitation of American English, but was instead shared by blacks in America. As slaves first encountered a foreign language that whites wished them to learn well enough to be more productive but not well enough to pose a threat to the race-based socioeconomic hierarchy, so they became acquainted with Christianity at the will of whites, but when given the opportunity, appropriated it for their own purposes. In the early encounters between slaves and Christianity it is without question that African, and particularly American-born slaves, sought a spirituality that would explain or show their temporal condition. Some salves looked to a theology of liberation and equality among Christians, which they could glean from 18th century evangelicals, mostly Anglicans, who tried to downplay these aspects of biblical teaching. The early period of evangelism was restricted by the fears of slave-owners that slaves who converted to Christianity would feel empowered to revolt against their bondage. Several conspired rebellions and many smaller incidents of black assertion were linked to blacks who had heard enough preaching to identify themselves with the enslaved nation of Israel. This fed the fears of whites, and Anglicans continued to complain that the planters who prohibited them from educating slaves on religious matters were the largest hindrance to saving African American souls. While racism was strengthened and slaves were unable to improve their social status by conforming to white European-American values, very few blacks found the Christian message Anglicans shared with them appealing . Anglican churches maintained strict separation of rich and poor, white and black, during services and sacraments. The high-church emphasized that learned men alone were authorized to teach and that blacks would listen without questioning and to accept the extension of their temporal message and isolation from whites into the religious sphere. Under these terms, it is I am not surprised that Christianity failed to take root as a meaningful religion, a spiritual world that Africans wanted to live in. But it is essential to recognize the role of whites in shaping the message that Africans were allowed to hear, and the role specifically of slaveholders in excluding blacks from access to Christianity. That blacks expressed their agency in rejecting this early version of Christianity offered to them. . At the same time Anglicans were confused over their lack of success in the Southern mainland, Moravians made a significant impact on blacks in the Caribbean by bringing a different vision of a Christian community. Moravians, Methodists, Separate Baptists, and a few other missionaries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries who sought out African Americans stressed spiritual, if not always worldly, equality. Africans identified with and embraced images of a savior who had suffered like they did, and joined these Christian images with African musical modes of expression to create spirituals that reminded: â€Å"Jesus been down to de mire/ You must bow low to de mire† (Stuckey, 139). However, you must finally accept Christianity as an affirmation of their lowly place in society and a divine exhortation to obedience and docility, as many white slaveholders had hoped they would. Rather, blacks found opportunities at biracial revival meetings which were meetings held at locations most often church, in which slaves and blacks were black would interpret what they heard and to share their divinely inspired interpretations of Christian faith, even from pulpits. During this critical period when a significant portion of blacks in the Caribbean and American South were first offered Christianity, they clearly adopted it and transformed it into something that was their own. After the period of revivals that first sparked wide-scale conversions in the South, many African-Americans focused on building a community in which they could support one another and worship in their own African-influenced style. Local black congregations extended their religious community, most notably with the founding of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in1816. As an institution spanning several states, the A. M. E. Church allowed blacks to take part at different levels in a collective, hierarchical social system as had never before been possible under American slavery. blacks continued to participate as minorities in biracial congregations (still with segregated seating) in most parts of the south and the expanding frontier, but found fewer opportunities to become ordained preachers or lay leaders in mixed parishes, where they were likely only to be allowed to â€Å"exercise the gift, provided they teach sound Doctrine sic† under the approval of whites (Frey Wood, 166). In the creation of their own religious communities in which no whites were present to criticize â€Å"overemotional† black forms of religious expression and persisting practices, such as polygamy and dancing, African-Americans actively designed a spirituality that fulfilled their needs in the slave societies of the Americas. African-American religiosity was then, as it is now, â€Å"centered on extended and expanding families and households, the importance of self-determination and personal dignity, mutual aid, and shared responsibility for the progress of the race† (Hortons, xi). In my opinion, African agency is most clearly supported by evidence of Africans defining their faith, modes of worship, and religious ties as part of a larger emerging African-American culture. Change was a relentless fact of life for Africans in 18th and 19th century America, most tragically present in enslavement and removal from Africa and domestic trade within the Americas that broke up families as masters bought and sold property. Outside the personal struggles of individual slaves, the changes in ideology and society wrought by the era of the American Revolution exposed Africans and their descendents to evolving external ideas about their place within American society, their rights as humans, and their needs as spiritual beings. Religion was one of the few arenas in which African-Americans could control the changes in their individual lives and their culture as a whole. Evolving religious traditions provided individuals over generations with a source of spiritual renewal and a supportive community and prepared an institution that could serve future generations. The long and turbulent transition from African forms of religiosity to African-influenced forms of Protestantism shows that black Americans created, out of all religious ideas and structures available to them, a faith that was their own. Question#3 The musical selections in this section come from Africa and the Americas. Some are examples of the preservation of traditional musical styles; others are examples of the adaptation of traditional modes of expression to modern styles. Prevalent in each performance is the use of either percussion instruments such as drums or singing in groups or by soloists. How do these musical selections exemplify a common African musical aesthetic, i. e. rhythmic syncopation, call-and-response, melodic constructions, vocal colors, in both traditional and contemporary expressions? African dance has contributed many characteristics to dance in America. We see evidence of this in many aspects of dance today. Being such a diverse nation, America has the blessing of combining original dances from different cultures to create an amazing dance repertoire. American dance as we know would be completely different, if it weren’t for the Africans. African dance began with the different rhythms of the tribes. Its roots in America began with the slave trade. The American slave trade began in 1619, (However, Africans were imported as slaves to the West Indies staring almost a century before that) with the arrival of Dutch trading ships carrying a cargo of Africans to Virginia. They were first brought over by boat to places such as Brazil, Cuba, and Haiti. Eventually different countries end up taking over those nations and slaves fall under their rule. In Brazil, the Portuguese take over, in Cuba the Spanish take over, and in Haiti, the French take over. The retaining of African culture by those in slavery was stronger in the other nations than in America, as the Spanish and French rulers adhered to the more lenient view of dancing taken by the Catholic Church. In America, the Protestant church strongly disapproved of dance. Therefore, dances that occurred in the West Indies, Brazil, Haiti and Cuba retained more of the African dance structure, than those in America did. Those dances can be classified as recreational or sacred. An example of a recreational dance is the Juba, which was a competitive dance where opponents would outdo each other in feats of skill, sometimes while balancing something on their head. Sacred dances were based on the worship of religious gods. The goal of the dance was for the dancer to become possessed by the god so that it would speak through the dancer. Two examples are voodoo and Shango dances. Traces of the African religious practice of possession, or disengaging from reality through the combined effects of music and dance, can be detected in the appeal of some forms of jazz dance. In America, the dance movement of Africa was restrained mainly by two factors: the attitude of the church towards dancing as being immoral and the restricted use of the primary African instrument (the drum). Drumming was banned in 1739 following a slave insurrection. White plantation owners responded by banning all drums and that forced slaves to search for other percussion options. They substituted with banjos, clapping hands, stomping feet, and the fiddle. Dances that occurred on the Plantations were for recreation and religious reasons also. Because of the European influence in America, the movement gave a distinct American appearance, rather than a strictly African one. Many dances imitated animals. There were also circle dances and dances for celebrations. Another category that emerged was competitive dances. The most well known one was the cakewalk. The slaves had witnessed their owners’ dancing festivities and imitated their stiff upper bodies while contrasting it with loose leg movements. The owners enjoyed watching this and gave a cake to the best dancer. The observation of African dancing by the whites led to them stereotyping the dancing slave. They began to blacken their faces and imitate them using such indigenous movements as the ‘shuffle’. The imitation dances by whites started an era of American entertainment based on the stereotype on the dancing ‘Negro’. Before the Civil War, professional dancers were mostly white, with the exception of William Henry Lane. He was also known as Master Juba and was a freeborn slave thought to be the best dancer in the World. He had lived in Manhattan where the Irish immigrants also lived. His dancing was a combination of Irish jig dancing and African rhythm, just like the slaves who were forced to compete with the Irish migrant workers aboard the ships. Both his movements and the Nigerian slaves are said to be the start of tap dance. Minstrelsy was also a popular form of entertainment in America from 1845 –1900. The Minstrel show was a group of male performers that portrayed the Negro as either slow and shuffling or sharply dressed and quick moving. The minstrel show proved prominent in spreading vernacular dances like the cakewalk and jig dancing on a wide scale. The next major change after minstrelsy came with the birth of ragtime music and ballroom dancing after 1910. A bunch of animal dances were seen in white ballrooms. Examples were the Turkey Trot, and Chicken Scratch. The invasion of ballrooms with native inspired dances set the stage for the same process to occur on Broadway. Zeigfield borrowed some of these dances for his Follies. Social dance became introduced on the theatrical stage. The big aspect being borrowed wasn’t the actual dances, but their swinging qualities. In 1921, Shuffle Along featured a jazz inspired dance called the Charleston. It left the audience with a lot of energy and a new respect towards black dancing. Tap was now also brought to white audiences and the musical comedies took on a new, more rhythmic life. In the late 1920s, jazz inspired songs replaced the popular white standards and America accepted Jazz music as its own. Louis Armstrong was a big part of the creation of swing music. It was a style of jazz music that emphasized African influenced rhythm and was played by big bands. Faster and sharper footwork came about and the Lindy was the new dance craze. It incorporated the shuffle and glide and buck and wing movements from early African dances. The Lindy was significant for starting jazz dance styles used in later musicals. It also gave the opportunity for white choreographers to experience African swing. Jazz music and dancing slowed down in popularity after WWII. Technology and music were evolving. The beat became more complex and musicians like Charlie Parker and Dizie Gillespie explored more with improve. The overall result was, jazz music became something more to listen to rather than to dance socially. The advent of Television in the 1950s also kept people at home instead of on the dance floors. African American dance became more of an artistic expression than a social means. Professional companies and dancers restored early African rhythms and the beauty and emotion of their traditional songs, including Catherine Dunham’s Shango, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations and Bill T. Jones’ Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In the past 50 years, African American dance has been rich in innovations as well as connections with the past. The definition of professional dance has broadened beyond ballet, modern, and jazz. Popular and social dances, including the urban black dance forms of break dancing and hip-hop have been recognized for their artistry and expressiveness. Dance created and performed by African Americans has become a permanent part of American dance. Every dancer and almost every person in America, in one way or another has danced steps that resemble early African polyrhythmic movements. Personally, I think the dance World in America could no have flourished as well as it did without it’s African influences. since the slave trade the drum has been used all over the world as a means of communication and self expression. Its broad variety of users includes the early African tribes, using them for ceremonial purposes. The Africans brought drums with them to the Americas and helped to develop their popularity among American musicians. In the mid 1900’s drum sets were brought about. These revolutionary collaborations of percussive pieces started off with a pair of hi-hats, a bass and snare drum, and a couple of tom toms. Later as the music progressed, so did the drum kits, completely eliminating the need for an entire drum section. With the coming of the rock and roll movement the drum kits were changing, they needed to accommodate the new music styles. They became sonically diverse and even electronic drums were brought about; making them infinitely adjustable both ergonomically and musically. With every major drum manufacturer competing to have the best product on the market drums will always be evolving. African American musicians and early slaves choose to use drums as a common form of expression because of the deep bass that was used to duplicate heart beat and thunder. The sound waves for open ended and string instruments is fairly straight forward. However, for a closed end instrument, such as a drum, the sound waves are different. A lot of the energy is dissipated through the shell of the drum, which is the reason for the variance in drum construction these days. Many different kinds of wood are used to generate different sounds, or a different amount of energy absorption. For a warmer, deeper sound maple construction is used while birch is used to get a high, resonant tone full of vibration. The heaviest wood that dissipates the most amount of energy is oak, creating a lower, flat sound. Question#1 I believe that Egypt’s economic progress over the last decade is a great example of showing how They have come a long way and are still vastly improving. Egypt is the third-largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa region (after Saudi Arabia and Israel), as well as one of the strongest, with significant potential for future economic growth and diversification. With a real commitment to economic reform, which favors a large privatization program and the encouragement of private investment and growth. The improvement in Ghana is evident in how their country has such a diverse economy. The Gold Coast was renamed Ghana upon independence in 1957 because of indications that present-day inhabitants descended from migrants who moved south from the ancient kingdom of Ghana. By West African standards, Ghana has a relatively diverse and rich natural resource base Mineralsprincipally gold, diamonds, manganese ore, and bauxiteare produced and exported. Exploration for oil and gas resources is ongoing. Timber and marine resources are important but declining resources. Agriculture remains a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-third of GDP and about 55% of formal employment. Cash crops consist primarily of cocoa and cocoa products, which typically provide about one-third of export revenue, timber products, coconuts and other palm products, shear nuts , and coffee. Ghana also has established a successful program of nontraditional agricultural products for export including pineapples, cashews, and peppers. Cassava, yams, plantains, corn, rice, peanuts, millet, and sorghum are the basic foodstuffs. Fish, poultry, and meat also are important dietary staples. Ghanas industrial base is relatively advanced compared to many other African countries. Industries include textiles, apparel, steel (using scrap), tires, oil refining, flour milling, beverages, tobacco, simple consumer goods, and car, truck, and bus assembly. Industry, including mining, manufacturing, construction and electricity, accounts for about 25% of GDP. I strongly believe that since Ghana and Egypt have improved so vastly it is helping African Americans improve in general, the saying â€Å"We come from a long line of kings and queens is such a truthful statement if you look back on history. We have a lot of ancestry that lies within Ghana and Egypt. With the knowledge of the past it will help us to continue realize our past and bring us to terms with the future. We can reverse the process by not letting people hold us back and to not blame others. I also believe that strong knowledge of Ghana and Egypt and Mali, will also further our culture by being educated and not told how our past was. There are a lot of invention by many great African Americans that most people do not know that black inventors were behind the idea, not that is matters that a black or a white person constructed or came up with an idea for a patent, it is essential that we are have contributed just as many things if not more than any other culture. There have been so many contributions to society to western civilization and I feel it is so important that we surround our selves with knowledge of our ancestors because they worked hard to get us to the point today where we are able to vote and the possibility of a black president. The saying that we come from a long line kings and queens is so powerful because it shows you that black really is beautiful and if you retrace our ancestors you will find out that our people were just as important as kings and queens. Lewis Temple was the inventor of a whaling harpoon called the Temples Toggle and the Temples Iron. He was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1800 and arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1829. He worked as a blacksmith and had lots of friends that were whalers who bought harpoons and had lots of conversations with them. Granville T. Wood was known as the black Edison. Woods was born in Columbus, Ohio on April 23,1856. He never finished elementary school and he worked in a machine shop at a very young age. He moved to Missouri in 1872 at the age of sixteen. By 1881 he opened a factory in Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactured telephone, telegraph and electrical equipment. He filed for his first application for a patent in 1884 for an improved steam-boiler furnace. Woods patented the telographony , a combination of the telegraph and the telephone. He produced one of his most important inventions in 1887, it was called the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph. It enabled messages to be sent from moving trains and railways stations. In 1890 he set out to improve the lighting system by creating an efficient safe economical dimmer. It was safer and and resulted in 40% energy savings. Woods also created an overhead conducting system for electrical railways and the electrified third rail. By the time of his death in 1910 he had 150 patents awarded to him all together. Lewis H. L was a pioneer in the development of the electric light bulb. He was also the only black member of the Edison Pioneers, a group of inventors and scientists who worked with Thomas Edison. He was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts in 1848 and was raised in Boston. He enlisted in the Navy and served as a cabin boy on the U. S. S Massaoitta the age of sixteen. Latimer was given the assignment to draw plans for Alexander Graham Bells telephone patent . In 1879 Latimer went to work as a draftsman for Hiram Maxim, who invented the machine gun and headed the electric lighting company. Latimer worked on improving the quality of the carbon filament used in the light bulb. In 1882 he received a patent for an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments. Gerrett is best remembered for his invention of the gas mask and the three way traffic signal. Mogan was born on March 4,1875 in Paris, Kentucky. He left school after fifth grade at the age of fourteen. He left Kentucky and headed for Cincinnati, Ohio and got a job as a handy man in a sewing shop. Morgan directed his attention to the frequent instances of firemen being overcome by fumes and thick smoke when they went into burning buildings. He perfected breathing device which he patented in 1914. In 1923morgan patented an automatic traffic signal which he sold to the General Electric Company for four thousand dollars. In 1963 Garrett A. Morgan died at ht age of 88 in Cleveland, Ohio after he was ill for two years. Just to name a few ,those were a couple of major contributors to the African American culture and western civilization.

Lord of the Flies - Darkness of a Mans Heart Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies Darkness of a Mans Heart Essay Originally published in 1954, William Goldings _Lord of the Flies_ has become one of the classics of contemporary literature. The novel is about a group of young boys stranded alone on an island and left to fend for themselves. In an attempt to model their previous world without the influence of adults, the order that had once existed soon decays and is replaced by the chaos that destroys their ordered and civilised cultures. Though fictional, _Lord of the Flies_ deals with deep moral questions of how humans are essentially barbaric in their most primitive state. Golding conveys his idea of the darkness of a mans heart successfully through effective use of allegory, symbolism, and his perception of a dystopian society. _Lord of the Flies_ can be viewed as a political allegory of the Cold War. Golding served in the Royal Navy and recalling later his war experiences, he remarked that man produces evil, as a bee produces honey. The Cold War was a struggle between two super power ideologies Democracy and Communism, signified by Ralph and Jack respectively. Near the close of the novel, the boys are rescued by a naval commander who came ashore in his boat whilst the boys were playing savages. The irony is that after he brings the boys home, the naval commander will return to sea and engage in a far larger game of violence called war. Thus, Golding makes a point that the island is a microcosmic representation of the conflict between democracy and communism in the war. When the boys are first deserted on the island, they behave like children, alternating between enjoying their freedom and expressing profound homesickness and fear. By the end of the novel, however, they mirror the warlike behaviour of the Home Counties, attacking, torturing and murdering one another without hesitation or regret due to the lack of government and order. Ralph weeps for the end of innocence and the darkness of a mans heart (p 248) upon reunification with the real world and realisation that evil lurks within all human beings. Symbolism plays a major role in _Lord of the Flies_. Through the rich use of symbolism, Golding reveals that humans detached from societys rules allow themselves to be dominated by the evil within them. The Lord of the Flies and the Beast are two major symbols that enforce the Goldings idea of the darkness in a mans heart. They are not really physical characters, but rather the evil in every human being.Simon is the first one on the island to realise and thus makes a proposal. What I mean is†¦maybe its only us. (p 111)Simon speaks these words in Chapter 5, during the meeting in which the boys discuss the existence of the beast. Although the other boys laugh off Simons suggestion that the beast may be only us, Simons words are central to Goldings point that innate human evil exists. Simons idea of the darkness of a mans heart is reinforced in Chapter 8, when he confronts the Lord of the Flies. There isnt anyone to help you. Only me. And Im he Beast. (p 177) These words spoken by the Lord of the Flies confirm Simons speculation that perhaps the beast is only the boys themselves and acknowledges that it exists in all human beings. This is backed up further with The Lord of the Flies adoption of the boys rather colloquial language, Im the reason why its no go? (p 177) As the story progresses, the boys begin to worship the beast and make offerings to it. The appreciation for the beast is paralleled by the amount of savagery in the group. Through the use of symbolism, Golding successfully illustrates his theme of natural savagery within humans. The concept of a dystopian society can be seen clearly through _Lord of the Flies._ Golding sees moral behaviour as something that civilisation forces upon the individual rather than being a natural element. The novel implies that the instinct of savagery is far more primal and fundamental to human beings than the instinct of civilisation.The impression of a dystopian society within _Lord of the Flies_ is enhanced by Goldings rich and dark writing style. During the early chapters of the novel, the setting was depicted as almost a utopia, Ralph stood, one hand against a grey trunk, and screwed up his eyes against the shimmering water (p 14), yet however is juxtaposed with dystopian qualities, Behind this was the darkness of the forest proper and the open space of the scar. This creates a sense of  foreshadowing which eventually leads on to the corruption and deterioration of the boys civilisation. With the absence of civilisation, the boys are left to fend on their own with minimal resources andtherefore naturally reverting cruelty, savagery, and barbarism. _Lord of the Flies_ still holds relevance to readers in this day as it addresses issues regarding the human condition and society. These issues will be as relevant today as they were hundreds of years ago and will still be relevant in the future. As for allegory, the novel represents the differences in political systems, systems that are still part of our lives today. If we scrape off the cover of civilisation, we are all beasts within.Through use of allegory, symbolism and a concept of dystopia, Golding conveys that the absence of a civilisation is able to reduce humanity to a natural state of barbarism.In conclusion, _Lord of the Flies_ thoroughly explores the darkness of a mans heart.

Double Skin Facades In High Rise Building Engineering Essay

Double Skin Facades In High Rise Building Engineering Essay Abstract: Double skin faà §ade systems are increasingly used in High rise buildings across the world. It is more commonly use in high-end architecture of European and Pacific Rim countries. The growing architectural trend is driven mostly by (Poirazis,2004)1: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The reduction of energy use during the occupation stage of a building à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The aesthetic desire for a fully glazed faà §ade that leads to increased transparency à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The practical need for improved indoor environment, lesser reliance on artificial plant à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The need for improving the acoustic performance of buildings located in noise polluted areas 1. Poirazis, Harris. (2004). Double Skin Facades for Office Buildings, Literature Review, Lund Institute of Technology Web address: http://www.ebd.lth.se/avd%20ebd/main/personal/Project%20home%20page/main/publications/LITERATURE.pdf This essay attempts to study the Classification of Double Skin Facades, its advantages and disadvantages, and discuss on its application in high rise building and evaluate the benefits and limitations. Introduction The Double Skin Faà §ade is an envelope construction covering one or multiple storey, which consists of two pieces transparent glass layers separated by a intermediate cavity. Air ventilation strategy can be take place through the intake and air outlet on the external glazing. In the cavity, sun-shading louvers and thermal insulation devices are sometime installed to control the solar heat gain to improve the indoor environment. The BBRI, (BBRI, 2002) includes in the Source book a satisfactory description of the structure of a Double Skin Faà §ade System.The layers of the faà §ade are described below2: 2. Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI) (2002). Source book for a better understanding of conceptual and operational aspects of active facades. Department of Building Physics, Indoor Climate and Building Services, Belgian Building Research Institute. Version no 1. Web address: http://www.bbri.be/activefacades/index2.html à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exterior Glazing: Usually it is a hardened single glazing. This exterior faà §ade can be fully glazed. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Interior glazing: Insulating double glazing unit (clear, low E coating, solar control glazing, etc can be used). Almost always this layer is not completely glazed. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The air cavity between the two panes. It can be totally natural, fan supported or mechanically ventilated. The width of the cavity can vary between 200 mm to more than 2m according to the function of the applied concept. This width influence the way that the faà §ade is maintained. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The interior window can be opened by the user. This may allow natural ventilation of the offices. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Automatically controlled solar shading is integrated inside the air cavity. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ As a function of the faà §ade concept and of the glazing type, heating radiators can be installed next to the faà §ade. History of the Double Skin Faà §ade The history of Double Skin Facades can be trace back to end of 19th century. According to Saelens (2002), the early version of a mechanically ventilated multiple skin faà §ade was created around 1849. Jean-Baptiste Jobard at that time director of the industrial Museum in Brussels, mentioned how in winter hot air should be circulated between two glazing, while in summer it should be cold air. Crespo claims that a double skin curtain wall appears in 1903 in the Steiff Factory in Giengen, Germany. It is possibly the prototype of, at least, is more close to the modern double skin faà §ade system. She describes that: The priorities were to maximize daylighting while taking into account the cold weather and the strong winds of the region. The solution was a three storey structure with a ground floor for storage space and two upper floors used for work areas. The building was a success and two additions were built in 1904 and 1908 with the same Double Skin system, but using timber instead of steel in the structure for budget reasons. All buildings are still in use. Moving to the 20th century, with improved technology meant that the size and number of openings were no longer limited by structural considerations of the past. large glazed facade are able to construct but it is still very much limited by building physics and experiencing thermal comfort. At that time, fully glazed buildings have problem of summer overheating and heat losses and problematic condensation, lots of energy is used by mechanical plant in the operation state of the building. The outbreak of oil crises in 1973 1979 bring greater awareness on energy consumption. Innovative improvements on insulating glazing such as the addition of low-emissivity coatings and inert gas filled cavities were made. In the1990s a further breakthrough on insulation glazing was achieved with the development of spectrally selective glazing, electro-chromic and photo-chromic glazing. However, these products are unlikely available in short run as they are expensive. In contrast, double skin facades offer us a cheaper and more flexible way of achieving comfortable internal environment through a combined system of components, allowing the regulation of heat, cold, light noise with low energy consumption. Classification of Double Skin Facades There are numerous way of classification on Double Skin Faà §ade due to the variation in type of construction, the origin, destination and type of the air flow in the cavity, etc. Battle McCarthy, the Environmental Engineering firm in Great Britain created a categorization of five primary types (plus sub-classifications) based on commonalities of faà §ade configuration and the manner of operation. 3 These are: 3. Battle McCarthy website. http://www.battlemccarthy.demon.co.uk/research/doubleskin/doubleskinhomepage.htm Category A: Sealed Inner Skin: subdivided into mechanically ventilated cavity with controlled flue intake versus a ventilated and serviced thermal flue. Category B: Openable Inner and Outer Skins: subdivided into single story cavity height versus full building cavity height. Category C: Openable Inner Skin with mechanically ventilated cavity with controlled flue intake Category D: Sealed Cavity, either zoned floor by floor or with a full height cavity. Category E: Acoustic Barrier with either a massive exterior envelope or a lightweight exterior envelope. Belgian Building Research Institute Study (BBRI, 2002) investigate the potential of active facades, the related problems and risks in order to devise guidance in standardisation and technical approvals. They developed a classification system to describe different double-skin faà §ade configurations based on a database of case-studies2. 2. Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI) (2002). Source book for a better understanding of conceptual and operational aspects of active facades. Department of Building Physics, Indoor Climate and Building Services, Belgian Building Research Institute. Version no 1. Web address: http://www.bbri.be/activefacades/index2.html One storey height facade The air cavity is divided horizontally and vertically into small and independent facade modules. Naturally ventilated double facades with one storey height facade modules are also known as a Box window type. Corridor facade Corridor facade is divided at every storey, the cavity is going horizontally along the building. Partition is used for acoustical, fire security or ventilation reasons. Multiple storey facades Multiple storey facades are not divided vertically or horizontally. The air cavity continues throughout the whole facade with maintenance grids at the every level to allowing circulation. The air cavity ventilation is realised via large openings near the floor and the roof of the building. Shaft-box facades Shaft box facades are very similar in nature to the one-storey height module. A series of box type window modules in the facade which are connected via vertical shafts. Air are being drawn from the box windows by stack effect into the vertical shafts and emitted from top. Advantages of the Double Skin Faà §ade The passive design strategies of double skin faà §ade bring natural ventilation, day lighting and solar heat gain into the fabric of the high-rise building, thus bringing energy efficiency and comfort to the inhabitant. Natural Ventilation: One of the main advantages of the Double Skin Faà §ade system is that it allows the inhabitant access to natural ventilation with protection against the weather and burglar. The cavity is a key component in the system as it allows natural fresh air to enter into the building to cool and ventilate the space. Natural ventilation is make possible even in the higher levels of a high-rise building due to the addition of extra layer of glass which helps to reduce the wind pressure. Natural ventilation of fresh air is much more preferable than air from mechanical sources as it will help to reduce the energy cost. During the hot summer nights, Double Skin Facades can also provide natural night ventilation, thus making the indoor temperatures lower during the early morning hours providing thermal comfort and improved air quality for the office occupants. In this way lesser energy is use in air-conditioning thus reducing the CO2 output of the building. Day lighting: Day lighting is important element in the design of High rise building as it reduces the energy consumption of electrical lightings. Moreover, the quality of natural lighting is preferable to electrical lighting. The large area of glazing coverage in double skin faà §ade maximises the daylighting into the space. Good lighting of the workplace is one of the main factors of indoor comfort that can positively influence health and productivity of office personnel. Natural light, its variations and its spectral composition are of great importance for well-being and mental health. Natural light is a fundamental component of our life, helping our body to produce vitamin D, an important anticancer element. 5 5. http://www.buildingenvelopes.org Harvard University Massachusetts Institution of Technology However, The increased coverage of glazed faà §ade brings excessive glare and heat during the hotter times. Solar shading devices are require to decrease solar heat gain and reduce the amount of glare. Thermal Insulation and Solar Heat Gain: Double Skin Faà §ade System can provide greater thermal insulation to the high rise building over the year with its outer skin. Solar heat gain is controlled through the use of shading devices and the air in cavity also help to absorb some of the incoming solar radiation. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ During the winter the external layer of glass reduce the external heat transfer rate to provide improved insulation. Heat transfer rate is further reduced due to the increse in temperature when cavity is partially or completely closed. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ During the summer the warm air inside the cavity can be extracted by naturally or mechanically ventilation. The airflow of the air inside the cavity is very much depend on the size of opening and temperature of the cavity. A carefully selection on the combination of the type of the glass panes and the shading devices types is very important as it prevents overheat in the cavity and the interior space and also to achieve good ventilation. In a highly glazed building, external Shading devices are use to reducing solar heat gain and heat entering into the interior. Shading devices can be fixed or operable. Operable units allow the occupant to control environment to meet their desire. They are normally installed in the outer half of Double Skin Faà §ade, typically horizontal blinds. The horizontal blind allows day lighting penetration and maintaining some of the view of outside. Acoustic insulation: Double skin faà §ade provides acoustic insulation to the building from external sources. The cavity act as air barrier to reduce the external noise pollution. A reduction of 20dB by double skin faà §ade at mid frequencies was reported by Chiang et al. (2004) 6 However, the number of openings and the type of Double Skin Faà §ade will also determine the effectiveness of the sound insulation. Chiang, W-H., Chao, Y-N. Wu, C-J., 2004, Sound Insulation of Double Skin Faà §ade http://www.ncree.org.tw/2004tcworkshop/pdf/16.pdf Transparency: Double skin facades fully glazed faà §ade bring more transparency to the building with more natural day lighting and views of exterior. For years, the Architects and the developer has always wanted a transparent building. but in the same time energy efficient. Energy savings: Double Skin Faà §ades can save energy significantly. The system minimises solar loading at the perimeter of buildings, thus less electricity costs is used to cool the building. Natural ventilation also further reduces the energy used in mechanical air supply. Disadvantages of the Double Skin Faà §ade There are always debates on the benefits of the double skin system. The Pro camp claims the systems to be environmentally responsible as double skin system help to save energy cost. However the Con camp states that areas such as maintenance, life-cycle/durability of the system, mechanical costs and operation cost also need to take into account. The disadvantages of Double Skin Faà §ade are described below: Higher construction and additional maintenance costs: Comparing the Double Skin facade and the conventional cladding systems. Double Skin facade has higher construction costs due to the additional construction cost of the outer layer, mechanical and supporting structure. It also require higher skill workman. With the additional layer of skin, the weight of the buildings structure loading is also increase, so as the construction cost of the building. Double Skin type also has higher cost during the operation of the building. More costs will be added in maintenance such as cleaning, servicing. Reduction of rentable office space: As the width of the intermediate cavity of Double Skin Faà §ade can vary from 20 cm to several meters (Uuttu, 2001), this results to the loss of useful space and rental. It is quite important to find the optimum depth of the faà §ade so as not to lose valuable space. Overheating problems: If the Double Skin Faà §ade system is not properly designed. The temperature of air in the cavity will likely to be increased in the hot summer days and resulting in overheating of the interior space. To avoid overheating, the minimum width between the internal and external pane should not be less than 200 mm (Jager,2003) Double Skin Faà §ades in High-Rise Buildings: High-rise office tower with fully glaze facade is a major consumer of energy. However, double skin faà §ades passive energy concepts and design strategies have increased the potential of high-rise building to come closer with sustainable architecture. In terms of climatic control, double skin faà §ades allow the occupants to take better control of internal environment. The heating and lighting requirements could be adjusted according to occupants needs by controlling the operable windows for natural ventilation and the shading device to modify the incoming solar radiation. The GSW Headquarters building is a good example of architecture that uses double skin faà §ade to achieve sustainability (Note: Plan image north is down) Image from Flickr: Uploaded by  runningforasthma The plan demonstrates how the new 515,000 sf connects to the existing  building with the new core leaving a 36 foot clear lease span. This depth with the large glass area results in excellent daylighting characteristics. Building Name GSW Headquarters Architect Sauerbruch Hutton Location Berlin GSW Headquarters consists of existing tower, three-story street-oriented bar, and new 22-storey, 11-m wide office tower building, which is the most important aspect to present the sustainable concept. In response to urban and functional conditions, the major axis of the building faces east and west, a double skin is provided on the west faà §ade: a single-glazed weather screen suspended 1m from the internal double pane windows, which acts a thermal buffer to protect heat loss and a thermal flue drawing air through the building. The second layer of automation is the colourful, perforated aluminium shading panels within the west double skin cavity manage solar heat gain and day lighting. The louvers also can be manually adjustable by the occupants but protects against the direct sunlight in the afternoon. On the east faà §ade, automatically and manually-operated triple-glazed windows with between-pane blinds allows fresh air enter into the building to create cross ventilation. Fresh air is also admitted independently from the window with the exterior louvered metal panels provided on the east faà §ade. In hot summer season, the operable window of the double skin facade is closed resulting in increasing of temperature inside the cavity. warm air is being channel to central plant via riser for heat recovery. Arup  who engineered the building claims the goal to achieve energy savings of 30-40% in comparison to an ordinary building. And because of the cross ventilation created by the flue effect, mechanical ventilation is no longer required 70% the year. http://www.ecorussia.info/en/ecopedia/double-skin-glass-facades Conclusions Double Skin Faà §ades are increasing incorporate into high rise building to achieving greater transparency, acceptable indoor environment as well as reducing energy consumption. Double Skin Faà §ades is the by far the only system at present that offers a range of natural ventilation strategies to the occupants. From economical point of view, Double Skin Faà §ades does not score well due to its high construction cost and additional maintenance and operational costs. However, Double Skin Faà §ades fair better when we look at social and environmental aspect. Double Skin Faà §ades provide better day lighting, solar control and access to natural ventilation, creating better working environment for the employee and increase the productivity. However Double Skin Facades are not suitable in every part of the world. They are highly depending on the outdoor conditions such as solar radiation, outdoor temperature, etc as the outside conditions have great influence on the indoor environment. Thus, each Double Skin Faà §ade has to be designed according to different constraints such as: climate condition (solar radiation, outdoor temperature, etc), site conditions (latitude, local daylight availability, atmospheric conditions, exterior obstructions, ground reflectance, etc), building usage (operating hours, occupants tasks, etc). A thorough investigates and ability to control these environmental aspects inevitably leads to increased energy efficiency.

Essay --

Mina Loy's feminism in her poetry 1882-1946 Mina Gertrude Lowy, [Mina Loy] was born in 1882 in London. Her foremost interest was art, and she studied painting in Munich for two years after leaving school at 17. On her return to London, she continued art classes, Loy moved from Victorian England to impressionist Paris, to futurist Florence, to bohemian Greenwich Village and back to expatriate Paris during her long career. Painter, poet, actress, playwright, feminist, mother, designer, conceptual artist - her array of talent and experience make it difficult to place her exactly in any one artistic group. Literary Modernism was one of the few eras in the history of American literature in which writers and artists openly sought, through their own inventive projects, to produce social and economic commotion. Mina Loy, whose work is now being rediscovered with the recent republication of The Last Lunar Baedeker and recent publication of a biography was one of the more radical intellectua l and writers of her time. Mina's first published work appeared in 1914 as the result of her New York acquaintances, in Alfred Steiglitz's magazine Camera Work and in Carl Van Vechten's Trend. "Aphorisms on Futurism" and her poems roused great responsiveness in New York bohemian elite, and when a group of poets, disaffected with the editorial policy of Harriet Monroe's Poetry magazine--decided to set up a new academic journal, Mina Loy was their rallying point. The new magazine, Others, appeared in 1915, with Mina Loy's "Love Songs" significantly exhibited. The poems were much talked about in New York avant-garde circles. The text used intimate material from her personal life and was blunt to the point of being scandalous. Three Moments in Paris ... ...depicting them spiritual, ethereal or dominant. What is amazing about Loy and her writings is her persistence on openly enjoining the political with the creative and the creative with the political. Loy understands art as an influence spot in which social change and commotion could be performed. It is Loy’s aim to familiarize her readers with her revolutionary poetics, particularly her theories on the coercive nature of language and to study a historical instant in which artists and literary theorists like Loy still believed peaceful revolution could be achieved through artistic expression. References http://www.poetrypreviews.com/poets/poet-loy2.html http://www.cwru.edu/artsci/engl/VSALM/mod/wolkowski/paper.html http://jacketmagazine.com/05/mina-iv.html http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/loy/bio.htm http://www.ags.uci.edu/~clcwegsa/revolutions/Buchanan.htm

Tax Dollars Should Fund Religious Schools Essay -- Argumentative Persu

Tax Dollars Should Fund Religious Schools The issue of whether or not to use tax dollars to provide private schools with vouchers has been controversial for many years now.   Many people feel that it is our governments obligation to provide private institutions with the proper funds, while others believe that if private schools inherit our tax dollars then it is violation of our constitution as it promotes a particular religion.   I think it is our government's responsibility to provide each and every school with tax dollars, regardless of its orientation.   Many reasons, especially popularity and success rates provide substantial evidence that private schools should be funded by government vouchers. The main concern of those who oppose the use of government money for private schools is whether or not it would be constitutional.   In the past, many Supreme Court cases have proven that school vouchers for private schools are constitutional.   For example in Board of Education vs. Allen it was established that providing funds for private schools does not violate the Establishment C...

The Extraordinary Olive Essay -- Botany

The Extraordinary Olive The several uses of the olive tree, Olea europaea L., have long been recognized and celebrated by human civilization. Olive trees have been cultivated since prehistoric times in Asia Minor, and introduced with human migration and trade throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, into Africa, and eventually into New Zealand and North America. Thomas (1995) lists the beginning of olive cultivation as aproximately 3000 B.C. Olives appear in one of the first cookbooks ever discovered. As long ago as the 17th century B.C., the olive was considered sacred. In Greek mythology, Athena is said to have placed an olive tree on the Acropolis in order to win over the denizens of Attica, a favor for which the city became her namesake, Athens (Anonymous 1997). The champion at the Olympic Games was crowned with its leaves. "Offering an olive branch" is synonymous with peaceful intentions. The oil was burned in the lamps of sacred temples, as well as being the "eternal flame" of the Olympic games. There are many references to the olive in the Bible. One of the most significant is in the tale of Noah and the Flood. The dove, sent out to search for a sign of land and life, returned with none other than an olive branch. Moses proclaimed that all men who worked to cultivate olives were exempt from military service (Grieve 1995). The olive is often referred to as a symbol of goodness, purity, and life. The miracle of Hanukkah was the olive oil which burned for eight nights when there was only enough to last for one day (Prero 1996). It is clear that the olive was an important part of life in the Mediterranean, as is the world over today. Description Olive trees are graceful in appearance, with elegant lanceolate silv... ... shallow. The "mission olive" of California derives its name from the Franciscan missionaries who originally planted them near San Diego around 1759 (Anonymous 1997). Olive production has also recently spread to New Zealand and Australia, but these continue to be incidental yields in comparison to the Mediterranean region. References Anonymous. 1997. Olives. Grieve, M. 1995. Botanical.com; A Modern Herbal. Olive. Electric Newt. Neff, R. and D. ResSeguie. 1995. Oil of Olives, An Ancient Wonder. Sundance Natural Foods. Prero, Y. 1996. Chanukah and Olive Oil: Lessons in Devotion. YomTov, vol.II#22. Thomas, J. Dec, 1995. Olive Fact Sheet. Tous, J. and L. Ferguson. 1996. Mediterranean Fruits. From J. Janick (ed.) Progress in New Crops. ASHS Press, Arlington, VA. p.416-430. U.S.D.A. 1995. An Economic Assessment of Olives. (Executive Summary).

An Export-Led Growth Strategy: Pakistan Essay

This essay makes no pretence to offer a novel concept or a new development strategy and most economists reading it will probably stifle a yawn and turn the page. Yet it is a subject worth talking about. Many countries round the world, most notably the former Asian Tigers, China, Brazil, Turkey and more recently India have followed such a strategy with great success. Pakistan has not and it is well to ask why and what we can do about it. Pakistan has never had a consistent, coherent and well-articulated export-led growth strategy. Indeed, exports are often treated as a residual, an after-thought, once the domestic market has been filled. This is inexplicable given our persistently large trade deficit which has not been reduced over time and we have difficulty financing it (filling the gap) each year. Economic growth has at various times been driven by either the public or private sector or more recently – and most disastrously in the previous government – by consumption which created dangerous asset- price bubbles in the domestic economy, led to overheating pressures and a surge in inflation and imports. Economic growth has never been driven by exports nor has building a dynamic export sector been at the forefront of any government’s economic strategy. While the large-scale manufacturing sector in Pakistan is the focus of policy attention not least because it has a powerful lobby, it is the tip of the manufacturing (and export) sector ice-berg. It is the small and medium-enterprise manufacturing (SME) sector in Pakistan that generates four-fifths of our manufacturing output, employment and exports. Sustained and focused policy-driven growth in this sector with its strong forward and backward inter-industry linkages is the kind of -inclusive- growth that Pakistan urgently needs. With labor-input a large component of capital and output, rapid SME growth has important positive implications for wages, employment, living standards and the goal of poverty alleviation. Why Pakistan has shied away from adopting such a strategy is not clear. Of course every now and then there is much bluff and bluster about boosting exports and grand plans to contain our external deficit and debt. Since the government is busy giving â€Å"top priority† to everything, the priority that should be given to exports is drowned amid the â€Å"noise† of the many – and often contradictory – pronouncements. Perhaps the first reason for not paying sufficient attention to the SME sector – and an incredible one at that – is that we don’t know much about the SME sector despite its size and importance in the economy. We have large bureaucracies dealing with SME in all provinces but it is unclear what they do. Surveys of activity this sector are taken in -frequently, sometimes as far apart as 15 years, and a inter-survey growth rate is calculated which is then put into the National Income Accounts and repeated year-after-year until the next survey. The real growth rate of the SME sector has been fixed at as low a figure as 2. 5% per annum. The present fixed rate is 7. 5% per annum. But what is really happening in the SME sector in the inter-survey years no one knows except through crude methods of linear interpolation. If there is no information and just a fixed assumed growth rate with fixed and outdated coefficients for employment and capital, there can be no meaningful strategy of export- led growth in the SME sector to begin with. The second reason could be that we don’t like to talk about exchange rate policy except in whispered conspiratorial terms. Maintaining a -stable† exchange rate is always thought to be a reflection of how well economic policies are being managed. Governments frequently interfere with exchange rate management issues and demand that the exchange rate is kept -stable. † An appreciating exchange rate is greeted with applause. Devaluation is always bad. Nominal â€Å"exchange rate stability† was one of the highly –touted achievements of the Musharraf years even though no one was noticing that Pakistan’s export to GDP ratio was falling (along with our notoriously under-performing and falling tax-to-GDP ratio). This presented prima facie evidence that export profitability was most probably being compressed and the authorities should have done something about it. But given that we were in an era of plentiful aid and other capital inflows there was no pressure on government to do much either on the export or the tax front. Added to the conspiracy theories, there is a widespread view that exchange rate devaluation which for exporters means more rupees earned per dollar exported, has no effect on export performance. The reality is more nuanced and worthy of some elaboration. There are fairly long lags between exchange rate depreciation and the response of exports. It takes time to gear up production to the new level of export profitability. Furthermore, for devaluation to impact exports in a positive way, the exchange rate must depreciate in â€Å"real,† rather than only â€Å"nominal,† terms, that is, the extent of depreciation (or increase in nominal export profitability), of say 10 percent, must exceed the going rate of domestic inflation, say 7 percent. Exports respond to increases in real profitability (in the above example the real increase in export profitability is 10 percent minus 7 percent = 3 percent, not just the nominal change in profitability, 10 percent). If the extent of devaluation is offset, or more than offset, by higher inflation because macro policies are insufficiently tight and there is cost-push inflation, there will be no stimulus to exports because there is no, or perhaps even a negative, change in real export profitability. Importantly, any increase in real export profitability needs to be sustained if the stimulus to exports is to be lasting. If exporters see that the improvement in real export profitability is likely to be fleeting and will dissipate through future inflation, or a change in government policy, they will have little incentive to export and would prefer to sell in the domestic market. Given the concentrated, oligopolistic structure of industry in Pakistan and the high-levels of protection afforded to producers in the domestic market from foreign import competition, real profitability in the domestic market can be very high, often a multiple of what can be earned in the export sector. In Pakistan this has been a strong disincentive to produce for exports. This brings to the foreground a â€Å"second-order condition† for a successful export drive. Even if there is a real increase in export profitability, the much higher real profitability levels, or â€Å"monopoly rents,† that can be earned in the domestic market will induce firms to sell domestically, eschewing exports. Worse, firms may actually switch back to selling in the domestic market and cease exporting altogether as the differential between domestic profitability and exports rises. Of course, a judicious application of trade, tax and tariff policies and other incentives can help countries achieve an incentive structure more favorable to exports. Many countries that are more aggressive with their export drive actually tilt profitability sharply towards the export sector and ensure it is sustained. The importance of establishing an incentive structure favorable to exports is underscored by the fact that exporting, per se, is a challenging task. Not only are quality requirements higher, strict adherences to, for example, packaging, labeling, and hygienic standards is essential. One often hears of Pakistani exports being banned in foreign markets because of our failure to adhere to high standards. Competition from other countries selling in the same market is intense; price wars and dumping can be ruinous, and there are tariff and non-tariff barriers and complex procedural regulations in the importing country that have to be negotiated and complied with. These â€Å"non-price† determinants of exports can be of significant importance. While price and non-price factors interact to determine competitiveness, exports also respond to export market income growth. The magnitude of the response of exports to income growth is the â€Å"income elasticity of demand for exports† which generally reflects the country’s export mix. Given the commodity composition of Pakistan’s exports, dominated by low-value textiles such as yarn and cloth, the income elasticity of our exports is not large, perhaps even less than unity (or less than one). This means that for every one percent increase in export market income growth, our exports respond by less than one percent. This less than â€Å"unitary income elasticity† of our exports explains why Pakistan’s export market share has lagged behind the growth in global income and trade. By contrast, in the more dynamic exporting countries, the income elasticity of exports of their higher-value added products can be as high as four or six and these countries have made impressive strides in expanding their global market share. Many countries use the exchange rate as a weapon of export competitiveness, most prominently China, where the exchange rate is kept artificially depreciated (by some calculations by as much as 42% but now down to 24%), when China’s massive trade surpluses with other countries, most notably the US, and even more massive foreign exchange reserves (presently $2. trillion) would point towards a policy of gradual appreciation of the currency that would slow down the torrid pace of China’s exports and pull in more imports driven by domestic demand. In doing so, China’s massive trade surpluses would start to diminish, and with other surplus countries adjusting in a similar manner, the global economy would be better balanced. According to a recent estimate a 20% appreciation of the Chinese currency would cut $150 billion off the US trade deficit with China and create 1 million US jobs by making US exports more competitive. Pakistan needs to change the commodity composition of its exports, add new higher value products for export and look for new export markets. After 62 years we still export the same products of largely unchanged quality to the same markets as reflected in the estimated â€Å"Commodity Concentration Index† of our exports which has remained broadly unchanged. We have made little progress in moving up the -value-added chain† and getting better unit prices for our exports. One study showed that the unit price our exports can be as low as one-third of the unit price other developing exporting countries earn for the same product. The unit price of our exports of garments, for example, was lower than the unit price received by exporters in Bangladesh for the same garments selling to the same market. This is a distressing fact since it shows the Is there any empirical econometric support to the view that the real exchange rate matters? There have been a surprisingly few studies done in Pakistan given the importance of the subject (most of the studies have been done by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the IMF using Pakistani data). These studies do point to a strong and fairly robust relationship between the real exchange rate and exports. Of course, other factors too contribute as explanatory variables such as world income growth. The lags between real exchange rate changes and real exports mentioned earlier need to be carefully specified to get a better â€Å"fit† of the predictions of the econometric model to the actual data. Other than these models which are probably out-of-date, the projections that are made each year in the context of our export targets are based on what can be termed â€Å"casual empiricism. The government iterates to a target figure for each export commodity based on discussions with trade bodies and simply extrapolates by using an agreed compound growth rate from a given base-year figure. There is no rigorous forecasting model which specifies explanatory variables that underlies the export targets. To sum up, Pakistan needs more information and better information on what is going on in the SME sector from which most of our exports emanate. It will be costly since the SME sector is widely dispersed but the benefits would more than justify the cost of more frequent surveys of the full population of the SME sector, say every three years with smaller sample surveys taken each year so as to build-up a time-series profile of the dynamics of the SME sector. External donors would be more than willing to finance such a survey (s) with grant (non-debt-creating) funds if Pakistan can present a credible plan. The decision by the US to give $100 million to the SME sector could portend a new beginning for the sector but one has misgivings about the administrative and technical capacity of the SME establishment and whether they can or will deliver meaningful results. Discussion of the appropriateness of the exchange rate and how domestic inflation and relative inflation affects export profitability, the difference between nominal and real exchange rate, the overall conduct of exchange rate policy, and different exchange rate regimes followed by more successful exporting countries, needs to be more transparent, up-front and better understood. The point to drive home is that the real exchange rate does matter and is an important – albeit not exclusive – determinant of lasting export success. It is the most important price signal in any economy. The incentive structure needs to tilt towards exports versus selling in the domestic market through judicious adjustment in trade, tax, finance and tariff policies. Special, selective incentives should be given to exporters, especially new exports which should not be available to producers selling in the domestic market within of course the ambit of WTO rules. To prevent abuse of these incentives they should be tied to performance and withdrawn if performance is not forthcoming as measured by, say, actual exports in the previous three years. If this â€Å"tilt† is sustained, new exports will emerge of products and from sectors previously un-thought of A look at the rag-bag category of â€Å"Miscellaneous Exports† in the export data turns up some surprising high-value items that Pakistan exports (some to very sophisticated markets in Europe) but the amounts are small and their year-on-year growth is erratic. Since there is little targeted encouragement given to these new exports, they usually fade out of the export picture altogether. If there is no domestic market that they can turn to, these firms shut down. In both cases, Pakistan has lost a potential export item and valuable foreign exchange something that we can ill-afford. Focusing on fostering growth in these high-value exports which emanate from the SME sector would improve the export mix, diversify the export base, reduce the commodity concentration of our exports and increase the income elasticity of demand for our exports in world markets. The non-price determinants of exports need to be strengthened through emulating â€Å"best-practice† techniques employed by the leading exporters of the world. This is not rocket-science since most of the â€Å"best-practice† techniques can be gleaned from the internet. Furthermore, domestic investors and FDI proposals that are aimed at exports should be given the highest priority and placed on a fast-track of approval. FDI inflows offer the best route to securing structural shifts in the technological progress function in the SME sector while at the same time bringing in better managerial and marketing skills which are so critical in exporting. Enhancing productive efficiency in the SME sectors means being able to offer higher wages in line with productivity improvements which would lead to higher living standards and poverty levels dropping to the teens as demonstrated by the remarkable success of other exporting countries. As productivity growth responds to output growth (as in the P.  J. Verdoon and Kaldor models which inverts the causality of neo-classical models of Solow and Swan) with output growth being driven mainly by net exports as would be the case in an export-led development strategy, static and dynamic economies of scale can be reaped through the process of â€Å"Learning-by-Doing† as espoused by the US economist Kenneth Arrow in his path-breaking work. Such dynamic economies of scale and increasing returns can generate positive cumulative circular causation effects that impact costs, prices and profitability in the export sector.