The Difficulty with Defining Emergency Essay -- Expository Definition

The Difficulty with Defining Emergency The word "emergency" has lost its meaning where cellular phones are concerned. Instead of calling to say, "Someone here is bleeding profusely," what you get is, "Should I wear my blue shirt or my red shirt tonight?" Since when is color scheme dubbed an emergency? One of the first lessons I ever learned from my father, a veteran police officer, was what an emergency was. "If the house is on fire," he would say, "that is an emergency." "If anyone in this house requires serious medical attention for any number of idiotic reasons, that is an emergency." (For the record, there were at least eight idiotic reasons, but that's another story for another time.) "If, however, you and your brothers are in a brawl or someone is doing something they shouldn't, that is NOT an emergency." After that conversation, there was never any question in my mind of what an actual emergency was. Time passed and the world was taken by storm with electronic pagers. The code for an emergency was "911". Of the five people who had my pager number, four of them cau...

Caribbean Music

Music of the Caribbean region differs from island to island. The Caribbean got its name from the term â€Å"Carib†, which is the name of an old Native American ethnic group. Today the region is divided into four different parts: Spanish, French, Dutch, and British Caribbean. The Spanish Caribbean consists of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic; the French Caribbean consists of Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana; the Dutch Caribbean contains Suriname, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Maarteen, and St.  Eustatius; and the British Caribbean is the largest and consists of Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, British Virgin Islands, U. S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Turks and Caicos Islands. (CLASS NOTES) The Caribbean has a variety of different instruments and genres that make up its music and dancing culture. Caribbean music has several distinctive characteristics to both its sound and its dancing styles. Their techniques are not predetermined and the musicians improvise as they make their music. Dancers typically do not have a lot of body contact and the waist and pelvic region are the main body of center of attention. Fast rhythmic dancing is a big part of Caribbean dancing. Both music and dancing are influenced from a variety of other worldwide cultures, including African, European, and later Asian. (CLASS NOTES) Caribbean music features complex short combinations of rhythmic patterns. This is demonstrated in video ML 3475 . J88 1995 Vol. 4 : The Caribbean.  One of the most prominent instruments within Caribbean music is the large array of drums, including Steel, Conga, Timbales and Bongo Drums. All these types of drums distribute very different kinds of sounds. The steel pan, also known as a steel drum, is made from oil drums heated and hammered into an instrument with multiple pitches played with rubber-headed mallets (Mahabir). Today, the steel drum is a very sophisticated musical instrument. It is a unique instrument with origins in colonial Trinidad. The steel drum was used as communication for African slaves (Idaho State University). Turns out the steel drum doesn’t only evoke images of beaches and pina coladas. The drums haunting and echoing sound means so much more. The Congo drum is a Cuban barrel-shaped, one-headed hand drum. This instrument is played in sets of two or four. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which mean each drum possesses its own unique sound. (Demonstrated on CD-2260, Drums defiance) The smallest Congo drum is called Nino and the largest tumba. This type of drum is played by striking the drumhead with one’s fingertips or palms instead of a mallet. The Bongo is a set of small one-headed drums that is held between the musician’s knees and is played by hand like the Congo drum. These drums are also important in Latin music, particularly music deriving from Cuba. (The Bongo Page) Bongo drums usually have a wooden or metal base, and can be tuned by tightening the skin over the drum. The sizes of these drums also vary according to the musician’s preferences. The drums are each named hembra for the larger drum and macho for the smaller drum. These are Spanish words meaning female and male, respectively. Hembra has a much lower tone then macho. The Bongo Page) However, both drums are significantly higher then the Congo drums. Reggae genre was first formed in Jamaica in the 1960’s. This genre of music is based on a rhythmic style, with spurs of off-beats. Typically it is a slower beat, with the guitar, and other instruments such as the drums influencing the sound. It is very similar to â€Å"rock steady† but the use of complex bass line and speed is what separates the two (Bradley). The reggae vocals are less dramatic then the influence from the instruments. It is very common to hear dialects, which could sound slang to some Americans. Something different from most singers is, reggae singers use tremolo (volume oscillation) instead of vibrato (pitch oscillation) (Bradley). The Calypso genre music was started on the Island of Trinidad (Dudley). This genre is also rooted in West African traditional music like Reggae. It was used for different aspects of life, such as communication and also for entertainment. Calypso is generally played on folk instruments such as the guitar, banjo, and other percussions. It is typically heavily rhythmic but still melodic. Since the genre was often used for communication the lyrics were often political in nature, but often masked.

Article on “Coke Blinks” Essay

Mark Bittman’s article â€Å"Coke Blinks† discusses how the famous soda company, Coca-Cola, recently released a video where it addresses the growing problem in our nation of obesity. In the video Coca-Cola attempts to claim that it is not their fault people are obese; it’s the consumers fault because the company offers low calorie beverages and now has smaller proportioned drinks. They are basically saying that every calorie counts and not just the ones in their products. Bittman describes this video as, â€Å"Sheer manipulation, calculated to confuse, obscure and deny.† Bittman beliefs sugar, â€Å"Especially in liquid form† is extremely harmful and not just because it leads to obesity. He thinks Coca-Cola is more focused on making money than it is trying to help the nation deal with obesity. He goes on to compare soda to nicotine saying, â€Å"Soda is a fructose delivery system as tobacco is a nicotine delivery system.† He is stating that Coca-Cola is doing the same thing tobacco companies once did, ignore the fact that their product was extremely harmful and they didn’t want the consumers to know because it would lead to a loss in product sales. This article focuses on the negative effects that sugar based beverages have on the body. Bittman states, â€Å"There is virtual consensus that drinking too much soda is bad for you, and it’s not hard to understand the evidence.† In the end Coca-Cola is simply trying to lessen its bad reputation for causing health problems such as diabetes and chubbiness by releasing a video which talks about obesity. Bittman is implicating the irony in Coca-Cola’s video and he simply trying to warm people not to drink soda because it’s not healthy.   

Does the nuclear family benefit the bourgoisie?

The nuclear family can be taken to be two parents and their children. Is the nuclear family primarily to benefit the powerful rather than society as a whole can be perceived to be true. This point of view is associated with Marxism and the powerful are the ruling class or bourgeoisie. They own the means of production such as land, factories, machines and so on. Marxism is based on an exploitative and unequal relationship between two classes. The proletariats who are the workers are the majority and this is were the family comes in. The family is controlled by those who control the economy and they control the family and manipulate the family into benefiting them. In any society the economic aspect (that is, the productive process involving the creation of goods and services for distribution and exchange) is always the most basic, fundamental and ultimately most significant aspect because it is only through economic activity that people can produce the things they need for their physical survival. Marxists tend to see institutions like the family in terms of what they do to support the overall structure of capitalist society, their function within the limit of a particular form of economic production. Unlike Functionalist sociology, Conflict sociology tends to view these functions from more than one angle (for example, the family as an institution may serve useful purposes for upper class men, but not for working class women). Eli Zaretsky (â€Å"Capitalism, the Family and Personal Life†, 1976) a Marxists believes that the family is a prop to the capitalist society. The capitalist system is based upon the domestic labour of housewives who reproduce future generations of workers. He also believes that family has become a vital unit of consumption. The family consumes the products of capitalism and this allows the bourgeoisie to continue producing surplus value. In this respect, people are not simply being socialised into â€Å"society†, the socialisation process is directed towards the integration of people into a specific form of social relationship, one that reflects the fundamental, structural, inequalities of Capitalism. The ruling class ideology makes the family as an institution help to maintain and reproduce basic social inequalities by presenting them as â€Å"normal† and â€Å"natural† within the socialisation process. This creates a false class consciousness as they are not aware of their true identity as exploited workers. The family is a safety valve for people's frustrations whereas the vast majority of males are relatively powerless in Capitalist industry, the family structure serves the purpose of disguising this powerless condition. Males within the family have traditionally been powerful figures in relation the females. Marxists contend that this â€Å"illusion of power† within the family serves as a safety value for the build-up of tension and frustration at work. The feminist perspective on the family has tended to stress the following ideas. Men oppress women within the family, just as they oppress women within all other institutions in Capitalist society. Feminist have tended to dismiss ides of gender differences based upon supposed biological / genetic differences between males and females that serve to legitimate male domination over women. Women have a role forced upon them within the family. Women act as â€Å"unpaid servants† within the home. This idea is linked, by Marxist feminists, to the economic relationship between Capital and labour, in the sense that labour is exploited by Capital in the economic aspect just as women are exploited by men within the family. They see family benefiting the powerful who are the men, this is patriarchy. Functionalist sociology has tended to look towards the family as the cornerstone of social integration in any society by which is meant the idea that ways have to be found to make people feel that they belong to the society into which they were born – to feel and believe that they have something in common with the people around them. The family group represents the primary institution, in any society, for the initial socialisation of children. In this respect, any institution charged with this responsibility is going to play a significant part in the reproduction of cultural norms and values, therefore family benefits society as a whole. The family as a unit of stability, of equal importance to this socialisation function, the family also represents an institution that acts as a stabilising force in society. In this respect, the family is seen to be an institution that is charged with ensuring the maintenance of social order. The basic relationship of the family institution to the whole social structure in society that is proposed by Functionalists is the family is a vital social institution responsible with the basic functions of socialisation and system maintenance. Fletcher a functionalist thinker, identifies the main functions of the family as being: Procreation and Child-Rearing: The family structure provides a legitimate arena for the bearing and raising of children. Given the relative helplessness of children at birth, parental nurture and care is seen as vital – and the family provides a solid basis for such care and support in the early years of a child's social development. Regulation of Sexual Behaviour: In this respect, the family structure serves to limit and contain sexual jealousies and by defining the limits of sexual freedom, the family structure limits the chances of potentially damaging sexual relationships developing. Additionally, the family is a primary institution for the provision of love, care and emotional support for both children and adults. In short, it provides a sense of belonging and serves to clearly-define role relationships between men and women. Provision of a Home: This idea expresses the assumption that people find comfort and security within primary social and sexual relationships. The â€Å"home† not only provides physical shelter, it also serves as the focal point of family existence. I recognise that the family group serves some kind of purpose in any society. Where Marxists tend to disagree with thinkers working in other perspectives, however, is in relation to the nature of that purpose and, for Marxists, the relationship between the family and the social structure of any society is one of unequal dependence. Functionalists argue that social institutions develop out of the need to satisfy, fulfil and organise various human social needs. However I feel that the primary role of the family is not to benefit the powerful but in some societies it does to an extent conform to this idea. There are other functions of the family such as the socialisation of children also providing love and support for its members which does not always benefit the powerful.

The Strategic Role of Global Information Systems Essay

The Strategic Role of Global Information Systems - Essay Example Introduction The relationship between corporate strategy and information systems functions was not a central interest for the top management of organizations for some time. Information systems were primarily synonymous with corporate data processing and regarded as back-room operations to support the day-to-day operations (Ezingeard, McFadzean, and Birchal, 2007:99). However, the 80s and the 90s saw a growing realization of strategizing information systems for the organization. Interestingly, information systems have been present since the beginning of time, but the integration with information technology is a newcomer to the field. The functions of IT-based information systems have had significant impacts to organizations and people such that only a few (if any) company can afford the risk of ignoring these functions despite the fear and frustrations they evoke sometimes (Currie and Galliers, 2002:76). Some organizations regard information systems as unavoidable to remain in busines s, while others perceive the systems as a strategic opportunity that may proactively identify strategies to gain a competitive edge against competitors. Regardless of an organization’s stance, embarking of investment on information systems proves to be a non-reversible decision. Information technology has become powerful and cheap, and its use in organizations has spread at a rapid rate. Different management levels are using IT-based information systems in contrast to the earlier application at the operational level only. However, more organizations are focusing on improving efficiency and maintaining business effectiveness, as well as strategically manage organizations (Irani, Love, and Hides, 2000:23). The increasing complexity of managerial tasks translated to the complex nature of information systems required: from routine, structured support to unstructured, complex, ad hoc enquiries at the peak level of management. Information systems has the potential to change the way organizations work and the very nature of their business. In the information technology world, there has been introduction of electronic markets, where buying and selling occurs in a matter of seconds, disrupting the conventional distribution and marketing channels (Lacity and Willcocks, 2000:31). The advent of Electronic Data Interchange has not only increased transaction speed but also ensures subscribers of accuracy of information they receive from buyers and suppliers and perhaps reap cost reduction benefits using automated reordering processes. On higher strategic level, an organization may pass information to its customers or suppliers to provide or gain better service. Providing higher quality services to the customers than the competitors may result to the differentiation required to gain a competitive edge on a short term. However, continual improvement to the quality of services offered may enhance the competitiveness of an organization on a long-term basis (Magdaleno et al., 2008:305). However, the unprecedented and rapid change in information technology has profound impacts on IT-based informat

Whole Foods case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Whole Foods - Case Study Example Tri-component model which is expressed through sequence cognitive-affective-conative can be utelised by Whole Foods Market towards this effect. This denotes that Whole Foods Market should first engage in informing the potential customers of the importance of the organic food and then work towards lowering the prices. This can be achieved by packaging its foods into different sizes that would enable such customers afford to buy. When this is done, the feeling of affordability will be created to the customers and they will be eventually buy Whole Foods Market foods. At the end, customers would buy the recommended products and succeeed in weakening any misconception that bar them from buying the products. In fact, when a few of them get the experience of the products, they would recommend the products to other customers. However, this has to be accompanied by other complementing strategies. The company should produce high quality products and offer good customer service. Customers are c onsidered to be rational in consumption. Therefore, they tend to purchase from stores that meet their current needs. If Whole Foods Market is unable to meet different customer needs, there is a high possibility of the customers would shift to other companies offering similar products. For Whole Foods Market to be able to change some of the negative attitude of customers that bars them from buying the organic food, the company should concentrate on changing the motivation function. This can be achieved by offering cheap organic foods that would negate the customers’ misconception that organic foods are expensive. Additionally, this can be done strategically by focusing on the group that has such misconceptions with the intent of proving that Whole Foods Market foods are of high quality and affordable to all. Additionally, if the customers have a different belief that seems to

Seneca, On the Shortness of Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seneca, On the Shortness of Time - Essay Example We understand the value of life through living. Those who delay and linger will always waste their time thinking about the future and not the present. In life, many people start living when their end is near. Long life is not guaranteed by chronological age. This only reminds us that one exists for a very long time. This is compared to the man whose ship has failed to sink but hit in a storm and later tossed by waves in circles. Such kind of a man usually thinks that he has traveled for a long way while in the real sense he has just been going in waves. These kinds of people realize how time passes quickly during their mortal danger. During this dangerous moment, they try their level best to use money to lengthen their lives. In other situations such kind of people uses their time as if it is a commodity which can be easily replaced any moment. Due to the fast movement of time, many people have been mistaken by thinking that it is very easy to postpone the preparations for the coming old age. This is why most people arrive as children at old age. According to the Seneca, life comprises three parts: â€Å"what will be, what is now and what has been†. The past is the only secure part as it is outside control of fate and it cannot be easily hurt. Furthermore, Seneca implies that, ‘what is’ means that the present is short and passing. Thus, if a man occupies himself he will actually have no extra time for mental tranquility. Life is desperate for those who kept piling more riches, power and earthly pleasures and those who wasted time on superfluous matters. These people cheat time through lies and harmful behaviors and always cling towards illusionary youthful images. Thereafter, they wail because they claim their unaccomplished life as they lacked time to enjoy the fruits from their efforts and enjoy their dreams. In contrary, the wise time users are ever willing to march towards the end of their life. They live more years in religious creation,