Structure of the federal government Essay Example for Free

Structure of the federal government Essay Determine where each agency lies in the administrative structure of the federal government. Identify it as an executive department or an independent agency. The purpose of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is to protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. According to EPA website, Born in the wake of elevated concern about environmental pollution, EPA was established on December 2, 1970 to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. This agency, US Environment Protection Agency is run by its Administrator. The current Administrator is Lisa P. Jackson. The President appoints an administrator for U.S. Environment Protection Agency and Congress can approve or decline the person. The US Environmental Protection Agency is an independent agency. The agency has approximately 17,000 full-time employees and engages many more people on a contractual basis. The purpose of U.S. Army of Corps of Engineer is to provide vital public engineering services in peace and war to strengthen the nations security, energize the economy, and reduce risks from disasters. According to US Army of Corp Engineers website, the history of United States Army Corps of Engineers can be traced back to June 16, 1775, when the Continental Congress organized an army with a chief engineer and two assistants. Colonel Richard Gridley became General George Washingtons first chief engineer; however, it was not until 1779 that Congress created a separate Corps of Engineers. Army engineers, including several French officers, were instrumental in some of the hard-fought battles of the Revolutionary War including Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and the final victory at Yorktown. The US Army Corps of Engineer is a U.S. federal agency that is under the Department of Defense. It organization is made of Army command that is made up of 38,000 civilian and military personnel. It’s the world’s largest public engineering, design and construction management agency. It specializes in dams, canals and flood protection in the US. The purpose of the U.S. Coast Guard is to maritime homeland security, maritime law enforcement (MLE), search and rescue (SAR), marine environmental protection (MEP) and the maintenance of river, intra-coastal, and offshore navigation. According to http://www.uscg.mil/history/, the Coast Guards official history began on 4 August 1790 when President George Washington signed the Tariff Act that authorized the construction of ten vessels, referred to as cutters, to enforce federal tariff and trade laws and to prevent smuggling. Known variously through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the revenue cutters, the system of cutters, and finally the Revenue Cutter Service, it expanded in size and responsibilities as the nation grew. It operates under the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy by the President at any time or by Congress during time of war. As of August 2009 the Coast Guard had approximately 42,000 men and women on active duty, 7,500 reservists, 30,000 auxiliaries and 7,700 full-time civilian employees. The purpose of U.S Fish and Wildlife Services is for management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. In 1871, the U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries is created by Congress and charged with studying and recommending solutions to the decline in food fishes and to promote fish culture. Spencer Fullerton Baird is appointed as the first Commissioner. A year later, the Commissions Baird Station in northern California is used to collect, fertilize and ship salmon eggs by rail to the East Coast. According to http://www.fws.gov/director/dan-ashe/dan.cfm?reint=1, Daniel M. Ashe was confirmed on June 30, 2011 as the 16th Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the nations principal Federal agency dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats. His appointment by President Obama is the culmination of a lifetime spent within the Fish and Wildlife Service family. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is a federal government agency that is under US Department of the Interior. Today, the Service consists of a central administrative office with eight regional offices and nearly 700 field offices distributed throughout the United States. Determine which of the appropriation subcommittees has jurisdiction over agency’s budget request. According to http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/Committees_and_their_jurisdiction, subcommittee of Interior, Environment and Related Agencies has jurisdiction over US Environmental Protection Agency budget request. The subcommittee on Energy and Water has jurisdiction over US Army Corps of Engineers budget request. The subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation has jurisdiction over the US Coast Guard and Interior subcommittee has jurisdiction over US Fish and Wildlife Service. Determine where each agency’s operations fall in the functional classification of the federal budget. This portion was time consuming and was research this information for a long time. I look over and over on some many website until I got confuse. But after my break and according to http://budget.house.gov/budgetprocess/budgetfunctions.htm#function300, that U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with function 300: Natural Resources and Environment includes programs concerned with environmental protection and enhancement; recreation and wildlife areas; and the development and management of the nations land, water, and mineral resources. It includes programs within the following federal departments and agencies: Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, Transportation, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The U.S. Coast Guard operation’s fall in function 400: Transportation that’s consists mostly of the programs administered by the Department of Transportation, including programs for highways, mass transit, aviation, and maritime activities. This function also includes two components of the Department of Homeland Security: the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration. In addition, this function includes several small transportation-related agencies and the research program for civilian aviation at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Pick one (1) agency from the list and, for a recent budget year, determine: The budget authority and outlays proposed for the agency, and the actual outlays and budget authority for the agency in that year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be the agency from the list to determine the budget authority and outlays. Budget authority provided through appropriation, borrowing authority, or contract authority allows agencies to enter into commitment that will results in immediate or future spending (Mikesell, 2010). I choose Protect Our Nation’s Water Supply to compare EPA budget authority versus outlay. According to EPA website, the EPA’s FY 2010 Budget requests 10.5 billion in discretionary budget authority and 17,384.3 Full Time Equivalents (FTE) to accomplish EPA’s efforts to build a greener economy, move into a clean energy future, and protect human health and the environment in communities across the nation. The FY 2010 Budget provides a substantial increase from FY2009, reflecting an enhanced focus in addressing public health and environment challenges. Increased funding will be targeted at vital areas including investing in water infrastructure, prote cting our freshwater resources, creating a foundation to address climate change and identifying research gaps as well as chemical management. The FY 2010 Budget provides 24 million to fully fund five Water Security Initiative (WSI) pilot cooperative agreements and the Water Alliance for Threat Reduction Activities. The WSI was launched in 2006 to demonstrate, test, and evaluate contamination warning system at drinking water utilities. Adoption of effective water security guidance on contamination systems will be issued upon completion of these projects. According to EPA website, EPA uses 18.6 million out of the 24 million that they requested. This projection was set up for 3 phases. Phases 1 consist of Conceptual Design, Phase 2 consists of pilots at drinking water utilities, and the final phase is Guidance and Outreach. The 2011 Water Security Imitative Pilot program budget was reducing from 24 million to 11.6 million. The budget outlays plans 24 million and most of the outlays are based on the proposal in the budget. References Mikesell, J,L (2010). Budgeting, Budget Structures, and Budget Reform, Fiscal Administration. Custon Edition, Cengage Learning, Mason, OH 45040 Ryan, P. (n.d). Committee on the Budget. House of Representatives. Retrieve on July 21, 2012, from http://budget.house.gov/budgetprocess/budgetfunctions.htm#function300 (n.d). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: A brief History. US Army Corps of Engineers Retrieve on July 21, 2012, from http://www.usace.army.mil/About/History/BriefHistoryoftheCorps/Beginnings.aspx (2009). Committee and their Jurisdiction. Open Congress for 112th United States Congress. Retrieve on July 21, 2012, from http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/Committees_and_their_jurisdiction 2012). Conserving the Nature of America. U.S. Fish Wildlife Service. Retrieve on July 21, 2012, from http://www.fws.gov/ (2012). EPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieve on July 21, 2012, from http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/ (2012). United States Coast Guard. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieve on July 21, 2012, from http://www.uscg.mil/history/

Lifestyle Factors And Disease Health And Social Care Essay

Lifestyle Factors And Disease Health And Social Care Essay In todays world, people are suffering from various diseases based on many lifestyle factors. Lifestyle diseases include diseases which occur based on regular habits of people. The onset of these lifestyle diseases is insidious, they take years to develop, and once encountered do not lend themselves easily to cure (John H, G. 2010). Such diseases are known as chronic diseases which are a major issue in this modern society. These are non-communicable diseases and are the major cause of death all over the world. Chronic diseases are now the major cause of death worldwide. Diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, migraine and stroke are the main cause of deaths in the world, representing around 60% of all the deaths. In 2005, 35 million people died from chronic disease out of which half of them were women and aged fewer than 70. Around 80% of people in low and middle income countries have suffered from chronic disease (World Health Organization, 2010).Lifestyle factors are respo nsible for chronic illnesses because of many health related factors such as smoking habit, improper time management which leads to sleep deprivation and by following a hectic schedule. Some chronic diseases are hereditary; it is not the case all the time that lifestyle factors are responsible for it.Although they play a major role in occurrence of these diseases. A hectic schedule can also affect peoples lifestyle. They are not able to maintain a healthy relationship because of this hectic schedule. Thus, the unhealthy relationships formed lead to problems in working place, argument with parents, misunderstandings between friends, which cause stress (Smith, M et al. 2010). Thus, a continuous exposure to stress disrupts the mental state and may lead to health problems. Chronic stress affects almost every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process (Headsup, n.d) .The quality of relationships maintained by people relates to the ability of tolerance to stress. There are several ways in which stress is dealt with. The best method is a change in lifestyle. Controlling and being in charge of thoughts, schedule, emotions and way of dealing with problems (Headsup, n.d). Also relaxation techniques such as meditation , physical exercises, listening to soothing music, deep breathing, are some of the most effective stress busters. Therefore, it is important to maintain a healthy relationship and taking out time for rest and relaxation (Lifepositive, 2010). Besides unhealthy relationships, emotional factors also lead to chronic illnesses. A hectic schedule can leave a person having negative emotions and thoughts. Disease can be a result of long lasting negative thoughts. Negative emotions such as stress, anger, anxiety or resentment, without realizing it, can cause the body to act in an unnatural way (Ellis, 2010). Excessive fear can affect a persons kidneys. For children, fear leads to nocturnal enuresis which means bedwetting. In adults, fear disturbs the working of the heart and tends to cause a deficiency in the kidneys (Smith, C. n.d).Too much anger and over reaction to certain situations affects blood circulation and sometimes leads to an excessive response by the nervous system. All of this regulates the body functions such as heart rate and blood pressure which could trigger strokes. People go through constant pensiveness (over thinking or excessive mental work) and worry because of the busy lifestyles they live. Discussing work matter while eating, studying continuously for a long time and many other kinds of multitasking involves a lot of mental work and thinking. All this sometimes affect the lungs which cause breathlessness, stiffness of shoulders and neck, headache, memory loss and absent-mindedness (Smith, C. n.d). Sadness sometimes also has effects on the heart and lungs. For example, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy which is also known as Broken-heart syndrome is a disease which causes temporary weakening of the heart muscles .The syndrome is triggered due to emotional stress like death of a loved one, a break-up or constant rejection by someone. This causes shortness of breath or chest pain and also sometimes leads to heart attack. (Rowan, K. 2009)Despite of the problems and situations faced in life, it is important to develop the ability to deal with and take charge of our thoughts and emotions. This will help in remaining focused, flexible, healthy and positive at all circumstances. (Smith, M. 2010) Time management is a set of certain practices, skills principles and guidelines that helps an individual to manage time and accomplish what he/she wants. Time management is very important because time is a limited resource if not used wisely will never come back. Improved time management makes a person more productive thereby reducing time waste and effort. Also in todays age, some planning should be done to make smart choices. One of the most important ways to manage time is by eliminating the urge of doing things that distract oneself which ultimately disorganizes ones lifestyle (Nikitina,A. 2010).Laziness Is one of the key reasons for an unorganized lifestyle. If an individual is lazy he/she would have shortage of time to do productive things. There would be no time for thinking; thinking should actually be an individuals top priority action. There wouldnt be a definite finish time; laziness reduces work efficiency as an individual wouldnt find time for taking breaks. A lazy perso n wouldnt find time for exercise, no exercise reduces lifespan. Dr Weiller said Recent studies show that only one out every 20 people do the recommended exercise. Also a lazy individual would have no time for a personal life (Hindustan Times, 2010).Laziness also causes various diseases. One of them is avoliton which has an association with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder .A person faces avolition when he/she has trouble in motivating himself/herself to do things (Smoker,M. 2010). Laziness is also a symptom for depression. Being lazy leads to an improper routine and an improper routine leads to diseases. For example eating at irregular times especially during midnight when the body needs to rest influences gain in weight leading to obesity. Fred Turek, professor of neurobiology and physiology in the Weinberg College said that Proper timing of meals requires change in behavior which could be a critical element in slowing the incidence of obesity. (Fellman,M. 2 009).Sleep deprivation is dangerous and rampant. It affects the brain severely. It is mainly caused due to the current lifestyle which is high paced causing lack of time to get sleep needed (Sleepnet 2007). Excessive usage of gadgets leads to Sleep deprivation. For e.g. Watching television keeps oneself awake when he/she should be sleeping. Also falling asleep with the television on affects sleep not in a positive manner. Another good example is the usage of cell phones during sleep time .A recent study shows that people usually teens sleep while using their cell phones to text messages back and forth. They always keep their cell phones within vicinity (Naczelnik,S.2010). The I pad has also been declared dangerous to use before bed time. Staring at its screen before sleeping can lead to lying awake all night because the direct exposure to its light source inhibits secretion of melatonin from the body (Zibreg,C. 2010).Adverse sleep deprivation causes serious diseases like diabetes, o besity and heart disease (Cyprus,S.2010) . However hereditary could also be one of the reasons responsible for chronic illnesses other than various lifestyle factors. Many chronic diseases such as diabetes, migraine are passed on within families from one generation to another. Inherited genes are not possible to heal consciously or subconsciously, and this is why chronic diseases are very difficult to solve with genes repeated within the family (Mihaela,T. 2010). In some individuals genetic factors may predispose them, but environmental and lifestyle factors are what determines whether disease manifests itself or not (Richardson,K. 2010). In developing countries lifestyle factors are one of the major risk factors for chronic diseases than people inheriting hereditary factors. They last for a longer period of time, and leads to high proportion of diseases. All in all, in todays generation lifestyle factors as mentioned in the above arguments play a major role in people suffering from chronic illnesses. Other than lifestyle, genetic factors are also responsible for the number of deaths due to chronic disease. And in order to overcome this everyone should lead an organized and a healthy lifestyle by encouraging more physical activity,avoid smoking and managing time efficiently.

Analysis of the core competences of PepsiCo

Analysis of the core competences of PepsiCo PepsiCo is an organization that has been known for its marketing and distribution prowess. This section is dedicated to analyzing the core competences of PepsiCo and evaluating their effect on the strategy adopted by the organization. Tangible Resources In this section, we analyse in detail, the tangible resources of PepsiCo under the following heads: Financial Resources PepsiCo has a strong financial backbone to support its aggressive marketing strategies, promotional campaigns and social activities. It works in collaboration with various governments in the countries that it operates and has operational ties with various civic authorities. Its capacity to generate finances is showcased by the fact that it could raise 31.37 billion rubles from a Ukrainian juice manufacturer, WBD which it acquired last year  [i]   Organisational Resources- PepsiCo recently revamped its organizational structure in an effort to handle the double digit growth prospects. It has three broad units, each of which looks after a sizeable business. The CEO of the company Indra Nooyi is known to be a flamboyant leader. She is known to lead by delegation and empowerment. This increases the loyalty of the employees towards the organization  [ii]  . Physical Resources PepsiCo has state-of-the-art manufacturing plants at three locations in India  [iii]  . In addition to this, it has 37 bottling plants, of which 17 are owned by PepsiCo. These are spread all over India, which help in increasing the reach of its products and ensuring timely delivery. Technological Resources PepsiCo tries to keep itself abreast of the latest technological developments. In a recent step taken, it has added hydrogen injected trucks to its delivery fleet in Canada  [iv]  . This was done as an effort towards increasing the fuel efficiency of its fleet and reducing emissions. Intangible Resources We look at the various intangible resources held by PepsiCo under the following heads: Human Resources PepsiCo attracts some of the best minds in the industry. By providing them enough financial and non-financial motivation and handing them challenging tasks to perform, they keep their employees satisfied and loyal to the organization. Innovation Resources The pace of innovation in functional foods and beverages division in PepsiCo has picked up since 2002. PepsiCo is second, after Kraft in this industry with 101 innovations since then. Some competitors are outspending PepsiCo on RD investments by nearly two to one margin  [1]  . But PepsiCo has been making good use of every dime spent on the RD as is seen from the number of innovations vis-à  -vis its competitors. Reputational Resources In a study conducted , it was seen that Pepsi as a brand enjoys a good reputation with the customers. They like it for its distinct taste. The study also pointed out that the brand name of Pepsi is certainly a force to reckon with. The quality perception of the product is generally high. However most of the customers see it as a drink second to Coke. One area wherein PepsiCo scores over its rivals is the social initiatives like contract farming and positive water balance. Due to this, it has a very strong reputation with its suppliers. Capabilities PepsiCo as an organization, has survived strong competition from its more established rivals like The Coca Cola Company , Nestle among others due to the following capabilities that it has:  [v]   Muscular Global Brands and Consumer Goodwill Over the years, PepsiCo, with its portfolio of global brands, has built platforms for growth. Its highly focused portfolio offers many of the worlds best-known foods and beverages-brands of enduring appeal. The portfolio includes 15 brands that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Thats more than any other food and beverage company. Pepsi leads the parade with $15.6 billion in annual sales. The company has been successful in entering into licensing ventures with other well-known names, such as Starbucks and Lipton, and has had huge success with global promotions by linking with globally recognized brands. Robust Technology/Manufacturing Platforms PepsiCos global brands are supported by sophisticated technology and manufacturing platforms. These platforms include the science of nutrition, food and beverages, process and manufacturing, and packaging. Each of PepsiCos divisions contributes to the knowledge and technology platforms, creating an institutional knowledge base that can be shared across divisions. Such sharing of best-practice knowledge creates a competitive advantage, because it allows PepsiCo to differentiate its products from competitors, and promotes innovation in products and processes. It is also a significant growth advantage: cross-fertilization between divisions allows for the creation of new products that can be brought to market. The various process and manufacturing platforms allow PepsiCo not only to improve existing products and packages, but also to create entirely new ones. Equally important, innovation gives retailers a great reason to feature products promin ently Global Footprint PepsiCo employs 137,000 people in 200 countries. Including the bottling system and other partners, it generates some $39 billion in revenues, of which 35% comes from outside North America. The company has nearly 700 manufacturing facilities worldwide, 2,100 distribution centers and 70,000 routes. In addition to its presence in North America, PepsiCo has leadership positions in Mexico, the U.K., and the Middle East. It is investing significantly in creating momentum in the critical emerging markets of China and India. In the Indian subcontinent, Pepsi Beverages International (PBI) has more than 45% market share of carbonated soft drinks (CSD). FLI also has a strong global presence, with sales in 44 countries supported by 71 manufacturing plants outside North America, as well as 62,000 associates and 22,000 routes outside North America. In many countries, it enjoys greater than 30% market share. While 61% of PepsiCos salty snack revenues come from North America, Latin America contributes 18% of revenues, Europe/Africa contributes 17%, and Asia contributes 4% Core Competencies PepsiCo enjoys the stature of the dominant force that it is in various segments of the food and beverage industry due to its famed distribution systems. PepsiCo goes to market through a distribution network of extraordinary strength and flexibility. This is a core competency as it satisfies all the four criteria of sustainable competitive advantage i.e., it is a valuable capability, rare, costly to imitate and non-substitutable. The reason why is it so is explained below. The goal of the distribution channel of PepsiCo is to put its products within easy reach of the consumer. Because practices and customs vary by market, and because retail customers have different needs, PepsiCo has several successful models for service that it uses around the world. Direct store delivery Direct store delivery (DSD) systems are at the heart of this network. Through these systems, PepsiCo takes its products directly to tens of thousands of distribution outlets, from the tiniest convenience stores to the largest warehouse outlets. Pepsi and its bottlers personally take products into stores and set them on the shelves, helping to ensure that products are fresh and that fragile items such as chips are handled with care. It also allows PepsiCo to merchandise its brands for maximum visibility and appeal. PepsiCos systems can move new products into national distribution quickly-sometimes as quickly as a week. And because representatives call on retail customers so frequently, they know very quickly how a new product is selling. At the same time, DSD provides financial benefits to retailers. Since Pepsi handles the products and merchandising, retailers save on labor. And because these products typically are sold and restocked every few days, while retailers pay for them on 30-day cycles, Pepsi adds to a stores cash flow. In fact, PepsiCo contributes more than any other manufacturer to the revenue growth, profit growth and cash flow of the big U.S. retailers. In international markets, PepsiCo is able to adapt its distribution to reap the benefits of traditional DSD-particularly the merchandising capabilities and the reach into many retail outlets-without the costs that would burden a young or subscale business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Broker-Warehouse Distribution- For some of PepsiCos products, traditional broker warehouse distribution is more economical and just as effective as DSD. According to this system, third-party distributors move PepsiCos products to stores, and store employees stock the shelves. This system works best for non-impulse products such as Gatorade, Quaker Oats, Tropicana Twister, or Capn Crunch cereal, which are neither fragile nor highly perishable. PepsiCos merger with Quaker dramatically expanded the companys broker-warehouse distribution capabilities, adding the large and efficient warehouse system used for Quaker and Gatorade products. To leverage that strength, PepsiCo has combined that system with Tropicanas. Additionally, the Quaker-Gatorade system is used for certain Frito-Lay snacks that are better suited to warehouse distribution. Vending and Foodservice-Every year, consumers buy more snacks and beverages from vending machines and the foodservice companies that serve stadiums, office buildings, colleges, and similar venues. By combining the capabilities of Frito-Lay, Tropicana, and Quaker, it has created one of the biggest vending and foodservice sales forces in North America, a 600-person team that already generates well over $1 billion in annual sales.

Shakespeares Childhood :: essays research papers

Life as a Child in the Renaissance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There have been many classic rag-to-riches stories, and while they may seem almost clichà ©, there are so few that are overlooked. For example, many musicians in the rock era who we know today grew up in lesser homes, and they struggled to earn a dime. Elton John, as well known and wealthy as he is today, spent the greater part of 10 years fighting diligently to fill small clubs to make a living off of his wonderful musical talent. While it may be hard for many people to believe, not all quintessential icons in our day were bathed from golden faucets in oversized mansions; quite the contrary, rather. The famous William Shakespeare is a thriving example of this theory; however, there is a main difference between Shakespeare’s fame from the normal rag-to-riches story, and his eminence is most comparable to Van Gogh. During the time when he was alive, his literature was not taken seriously. It was merely viewed as a form of writing not meant to be explored, and much less, praised. Aside from this, he came from an extremely poverty-stricken family, where most of them died from diseases. Also, the quality of education in those days was determined by how much money families could lay down to have their children accepted into pristine schools, which was not possible for the great William Shakespeare. In Shakespeares’ days of inadequate education, he must have had a very strong ambition to become a world-reknown writer and poet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As mentioned, Shakespeare’s family was plagued with much sickness, and it spread like wildfire since they were such a large family crammed into a small, musty English cottage. Third-born William was accompanied by his 6 siblings, Joan, Margaret, Gilbert, Amney, Richard, and Edmund. According to â€Å"In the Days of Shakespeare’s Childhood,† most of his siblings lived only into their teen years due to diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. Because of so many child deaths, the exact number of children is debatable, because many died before coming out of infanthood. In fact, when William was born to his parents, John and Mary, he was the first surviving infant. To give an idea of just how many people were affected by various diseases of the time, as stated by John F. Andrews, in 1592, there were 15,000 deaths. This number was significant enough to have the globe theater close down! The home they grew up on was in Stratford-Upon-Avon on Henley Street, a small village that now houses his home as a

The Evolution of the American Dream Essay -- Essays on the American Dr

Comparing the perspective of the American dream in the 1920’s to the American Dream in the 1940’s and present day seems to be a repeating cycle. The American dream is always evolving and changing. The American dream for present day is similar to the dream of the 1920’s. An Ideal of the American life is to conform to what our society has determined is success. Money, materialism and status had replaced the teachings of our founding fathers in the 1920’s. A return to family values and hard work found its way back into American’s lives in the 1940’s. The same pursuit of that indulgent lifestyle that was popular in the roaring twenty’s has returned today for most Americans, many Americans are living on credit and thinking that money and the accumulation of material items can solve all problems. Through film, literature, art and music, an idealized version of what it means to be an American has changed from money, materia lism, and status of the 1920s to hard work and family values of the forties. â€Å"Money is the root of all evil†(Levit). Man and his love of money has destroyed lives since the beginning of time. Men have fought in wars over money, given up family relationships for money and done things they would have never thought that they would be capable of doing because of money. In the movie, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the author demonstrates how the love and worship of money and all of the trappings that come with it can destroy lives. In the novel Jay Gatsby has lavish parties, wears expensive gaudy clothes, drives fancy cars and tries to show his former love how important and wealthy he has become. He believes a lie, that by achieving the status that most Americans, in th... ...the 1920’s hopefully in the next decade we will repeat the American dream of the 1940’s. Works Cited "Ain’t We Got Fun - Lyrics - International Lyrics Playground." International Lyrics Playground - Songs From Europe, North America and Around The World. Foreign Language Lyrics, Christmas and Holiday Lyrics! Web. 20 May 2010. . Applebee, Arthur N. The Language of Literature. Evanston, Ill.: McDougal Littell, 2006. Print. "New International Version." Bible Gateway. Web. 19 May 2010. Rockwall, Norman. Freedom From Want. About.com. Web. 19 May 2010. . The Great Gatsby. Dir. Jack Clayton. Perf. Robert Redford, Mia Farrow. Paramount Pictures, 1974. DVD.

Hip Hop Essay

Music has been around since the beginning of civilization. Music was used to tell myths, religious stories, and warrior tales. Since the beginning of civilization music has greatly progressed. Music still tells a story, we know just have many genres to satisfy the cultural and social tastes of our modern society. Hip Hop is a genre of music that has significantly grown the last couple of decades. It’s increased popularity has brought it to the forefront of globalization. Technological advances has made it easy for Hip Hop to spread out globally. This occurrence of globalization is a key example that as our cultural borders are broken down by technology, our own cultural and social practices become fluid. Although there are many positive and negative comments about the globalization of Hip Hop, it is a reflection of the growing phenomenon occurring all over the world. Hip hop originated in the South Bronx of New York City in the 1970s. The term rap is often used synonymously with hip hop, but hip hop can also be described as an entire subculture (â€Å"Hip Hop†, 2004). The term Hip Hop is said to have come from a joke between Keith Cowboy, rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and their friends (â€Å"Hip Hop†, 2004). Although Hip Hop was created on American soil, it’s influences are global. It can be said that Hip Hop might be a result of ethnic globalization. Hip Hop has roots in African, Caribbean, and Latino culture (â€Å"Hip Hop Globalization and Youth Culture†, 2005). Spoken word, which is still popular today is also an influence in Hip Hop music and culture. Spoken word is a style of poetry spoken in a rhythmic fashion. Hip Hop ranges from rap music, to B-boy dance. It was a platform to empower ethnic youth without violence. Hip Hop in the beginning was essentially still an underground subculture. It was popular with many ethnic communities but it was not popular in the mainstream music industry. This all changed with the band Blondie and their song â€Å"Rapture†. â€Å"Rapture† is one of the first rap song’s to reach the top of the charts in mainstream pop music. Although Blondie is a punk/rock band, they were the proper catalyst to give Hip Hop the mainstream attention it deserved. Hip Hop has changed since it’s birth in the 1970’s. Hip Hop is now apart of the mainstream music scene. It is not uncommon to see artist from different genres collaborating with Hip Hop artists. It is also not uncommon to see Hip Hop music and culture in movies, television shows, and commercials. In the past you would only see people from ethnic communities wearing Hip Hop clothing, now all races including Asian, Caucasian, etc have accepted the Hip Hop style. The subject matter has also changed. In the past Hip Hop lyrics focused on political and societal frustrations, now Hip Hop lyrics steer more toward provocative content. Hip Hop subject matter consists mostly of the aspirations of wealth, sex, drug use, and criminal activity. During the beginning years the age of the Hip Hop listener was wide spread. It ranged from teens to even adults in their 50’s. Although Hip Hop still has an adult audience, it is now more geared toward younger audiences. Younger listeners are more likely to purchase Hip Hop music and paraphernalia, than the older audience. As Blondie helped Hip Hop garner increased exposure in the United States, The internet and other advancements in technology helped Hip Hop gain global exposure. Technological changes in the late twentieth century and early twenty-first have enabled access to the social spaces previously bounded by time and geographic borders; a process identified by John Thompson as mediazation—a flow of images across time and space (â€Å"Hip Hop Globalization and Youth Culture†, 2005). The internet has created a world without barriers and borders. The internet helps connect people from Hong Kong, to people in Bellevue, Washington. Without the internet we would not have social networking. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, exposes us to different ideas, cultures, and music. MySpace is the leading social networking site when it comes to music. MySpace allows musicians from all over the globe to share their music with a diverse audience. User can find international music that they would not have been exposed to if MySpace was not created. Because of these connections to international music outlets Hip Hop has been able to spread to many countries. Many Countries have acquired Hip Hop into their own music scene. Many of these countries have mixed Hip Hop with their own popular music to form a new kind of Hip Hop. As more music driven social networking sites are created blending of different music cultures will be the norm. Japan has been one of the top countries for globalization of music. You can find reggae, dance hall, death metal, or Hip Hop blaring from clubs. Hip Hop has been the most popular type of music to globalize into the Japanese music market. Japan was introduced to hip hop in the fall of 1983 in the movie Wild Style (â€Å"Japanese Hip Hop, 2010). This movie created an underground buzz. Soon Hip Hop in Japan began to be embraced by the Japanese youth. They ere inspired by the popular B-boy style of the western Hip Hop Culture. In the 21st Hip Hop’s popularity has become mainstream. Young Japanese listeners have also adopt the dress culture as well, wearing baggy clothes, and backward caps. Because Hip Hop in America focuses on the hard life living in the ghetto, some think that Japanese Hip Hop is not authentic. With a lack of ghettos, Japanese youth consider hip hop to be more about fashion–baggy jeans, medallions, dread locks. Actual Japanese rap lyrics have a tendency to refer to mundane subjects such as food, cell phones, and shopping (â€Å"Japanese Hip Hop†, 2010). The Japanese subculture of â€Å"blackfacers† may also challenge Japanese Hip Hop authenticity. The Japanese pop group, the Gosperats, has been known to wear black face makeup during performances (â€Å"Japanese Hip Hop, 2010). This example of imitation will most likely not be embraced by western â€Å"Hip Hop Heads† (Avid Hip Hop Listeners). Many would think that instead of taking Hip Hop into their own hands and constructing something different and new for the genre, they just ride on the backs of western Hip Hop creativity. Brazil is another country that has adopted Hip Hop culture into their own culture. Brazilian Hip Hop was born in the barrios (ghettos) of Brazil. The Brazilian youth were drawn to the western Hip Hop culture. Hip Hop gave them a platform to voice the political and economic turmoil of living in the barrio. To escape their impoverished lives, break dancers, DJs, graffiti artists, and rappers would meet at the Largo de Sao Bento and in the center of Sao Paulo on weekends, where Brazilian rap’s distinctive sound (often incorporating roots, samba, and reggae) and lyrics began to be developed (â€Å"Popular Music†, 2005). This integration of Hip Hop and Brazilian based music birthed Baile Funk. Baile Funk can be described as Hip Hop as it might sound in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Mad Max (Edlund, 2005). This wild sound of Baile Funk screams the pain of the Brazilian slums. Brazilian Hip Hop has garnered much respect world wide. It’s authentic sound, and unapologetic, infectious beats have inspired artist everywhere. Because the Brazilian youth choose to hybridize the Brazilian and hip hop sound, they are respected for their originality. Latin Hip Hop is significant because of the close proximity that Latino countries such as Mexico and Cuba are to America. Latino Hip Hop developed within the youth community. The Latino youth could relate to the hard life Hip Hop artist had in the ghetto. Many Latino Hip Hop acts were created by youth frustration in substandard living conditions. Because of the border between Mexico and the United States, Mexican Hip Hop was greatly influenced by western Hip Hop. The mixture of Spanish lyrics with American ones created a â€Å"Spanglish† sound. Control Machete, founded in 1995, is most accurately classified as hip-hop, blended with the distinctive sounds of traditional Mexican guitar harmonies and the rhythms of danzon (â€Å"Popular Music†, 2005). This mix was used to target the Mexican youth to seek change of political and social problems amongst the Mexican community. These Mexican Hip Hop bands have also garnered a substantial following in the United States; because of the close proximity to the U. S. music flowing in both directions increase the influence of the Mexican music scene (â€Å"Popular Music†, 2005). Cuba is another Latin country affected by Hip Hop music. Even though trade and travel between the United States and Cuba is restricted ,Hip Hop has still been able to influence their music. Cuban citizens were suppressed in many ways including free speech in journalism. Music was the only outlet to air political, economic, and social grievances. Songs about prostitution, street life, poverty, domestic violence, obsession with money, class differences, and the lack of spiritual and ethical values abound, and their biting, poetic criticism is a refreshing antidote to the island’s lifeless press (â€Å"Cuban Hip Hop†, 2008). Lastly, Europe has not been able to dodge the influence of Hip Hop culture. The British Hip Hop scene is still forming an audience in the United States, while it has wide spread popularity in it’s native U. K. British grime is the fusion of cockney slang with hard beats, and Hip Hop flavor. The style grew out of London’s mostly black projects, called council estates, sometime around 2002, and spread via pirate radio, which functions in Britain essentially as mix tapes do here (Edlund, 2005). French Hip Hop is also alive in Europe. This is an incredible feat because French culture is usually very resistant to American influences. Although French Hip Hop is mainstream in Europe, it has not garnered much success in the states. Throughout the past twenty years, the French hip-hop community has cultivated its own style and sensibilities while staying closely connected to American artists via music videos, concerts, radio, and other media (Hip Hop Music and Culture, 2005). There are many questions about the true authenticity of these forms of Hip Hop. With the exception of the Japanese Hip Hop Movement, it can be said with confidence that authenticity has been achieved. While the Japanese Hip Hop movement stays true to the old school rap values and mentality, it does not go further than that. It does not seek to mix cultural influences with it’s music like the other countries. The European, Latino, and Brazilian Hip Hop movement have all mixed their culture, old and new to build something that is truly their own. By adding each countries unique social, economic, and political turmoil, each international Hip Hop genre speaks a song of oppression, pain, and hope for the future that their own culture can relate to and value. Besides the Japanese Hip Hop community all other Hip Hop communities chose to hybridize their cultures with Hip Hop. The Japanese Hip Hop culture sought to homogenize itself. They seem to be more focus on imitating American Hip Hop life instead of building their own experiences. The adaptation of Hip Hop internationally is not really different in each country. Although there problems may be different, they have the common denominator of being powered by the youth. Each Culture’s youth has grabbed hold of the Western Hip Hop ideals to create their own individuality in their own country. Also, Hip Hop seems to flourish is poor societies. These artist have more heart felt words to speak and genuine creativity because when you are brought up in such poor societal conditions that is sometimes all you have to hold on to. Hip Hop proves to be the voice of the people that may not be able to speak for themselves in conventional ways. Globalization has allowed many people who would not have the means to speak up, to be able to take center stage. Many believe that globalization will be the end of individuality and creativity. This has been a theory that seems to fail when put up against Hip Hop globalization. Hip Hop Globalization has proven to hybridize communities and music,that in the end forms something that has never been seen before. Globalization may prove that instead of making the world â€Å"flat†, it will create new mountains and craters of creativity that were never imagined.

The Bluest Eye-Theme of Vision

Toni Morrison’s highly acclaimed debut work, The Bluest Eye, is one of unquestionable beauty and intricately woven prose. As a fictional writer, Morrison avails herself of her literary faculties, using her mastery of description in order to convey an unusually lucid picture to the reader. The five senses seem to envelop a great deal of description in the novel, most notably that of sight. As has been discovered by virtue of studying the brain’s neural and cognitive machinery, vision occupies large regions of the brain.Although in a more abstract sense, vision’s disproportionate influence on the narrative and the story’s characters is greatly manifested in The Bluest Eye. One powerful way in which vision dictates many aspects of the novel is through the concept of aesthetic beauty. Throughout the novel, Morrison paints a detailed depiction of how African-Americans, especially young, amenable girls, are subject to the conventional indoctrination of beauty.So ciety has taught them to equate white with beautiful, and to go to considerable lengths to â€Å"whiten† themselves, such as in the case of women like Geraldine, who is described as sugar-brown in skin tone: â€Å"†¦they never cover the entire mouth for fear of lips too thick, and they worry, worry, worry about the edges of their hair† (83). Geraldine even goes as far as to inculcate this physical selfloathing in her own son, Junior: â€Å"†¦his hair was cut as close to his scalp as possible to avoid any suggestion of wool, the part was etched into his hair by the barber† (87).Any manifestations of stereotypical racial features, such as full lips and â€Å"wool-textured† hair are carefully concealed in an effort to adhere to the white ideal of what is beautiful. In the town of Lorain, Ohio, subliminal and implicit messages emphasizing whiteness as superior are found everywhere, and seemingly impossible to ignore. The quintessential white baby do ll given to Claudia as a present, romanticism of Shirley Temple, the exaltation of the light-skinned Maureen, idealization of white female actresses in movies, and Pauline’s nurturing of the little white girl are a few examples of the ways in which hese hypnotic images invade the vulnerable consciousness’ of the African-American women and young girls in the story. Adult women, having matured into consummate self-loathers, detesting the bodies in which they were born, express their hatred by taking it out on their own children: Mrs. Breedlove adopts the conviction that her daughter is ugly, and Geraldine curses Pecola’s blackness. The idea that ugliness is in fact a state of mind is presented early on in the book when illustrating the Breedlove family: â€Å"Mrs. Breedlove, Sammy Breedlove, and Pecola Breedlove—wore their ugliness† (38).This sentence provides an implication that the Breedlove’s ugliness was a result of deliberate choice. The narrator then continues on, observing, â€Å"You looked at them and wondered why they were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source† (39). In saying this, one can elicit that the members of the Breedlove family are not inherently ugly, rather they are driven to believe that they are and that they deserve to be, convincing those that look upon them that they are ugly. The Breedlove’s sense of physical insecurity emanates outwardly, and causes others to see them in the way they want to be seen.For one reason or another, being viewed with contempt for their appearance benefits them in some way. For Mrs. Breedlove, her ugliness is used for purposes of â€Å"martyrdom,† for Sammy, it is used to inflict â€Å"pain,† and for Pecola, it is used as a â€Å"mask† to hide behind. In the vein of vision, a recurring motif that is discernable in The Bluest Eye is seeing versus being seen. Many characters in the novel, most frequently, Pecola, ex press feelings of being disregarded and invisible when interacting or in the vicinity of white people.In the passage about the Breedlove’s living situation, they are described as living in â€Å"anonymous† misery. The fact that they paradoxically live in anonymity despite being exposed to passersby on the street, introduces this prevailing theme. Conceivably one of the most memorable scenes that addresses this subject is when Mrs. Breedlove recounts giving birth. In referring to the doctors, she says, â€Å"They never said nothing to me. Only one looked at me. Looked at my face, I mean. I looked right back at him. He dropped his eyes and turned red. He knowed, I reckon, that maybe I weren’t no horse foaling† (125).By refusing to make eye contact with her and acknowledge her, the doctors, in a way, dehumanize her. She sees them, but they do not see her. They treat her as though she is an animal, rather than a sentient human being, and although uneducated, Mrs. Breedlove is perceptive enough to notice this. She believes that if they were to lock eyes with her, they would realize something unpleasant: that she is no different from the white patients. With regard to invisibility, the early scene with Pecola in the candy shop also seems to be particularly telling.In speaking of Mr. Yacobowski, it says, â€Å"†¦he senses that he need not waste the effort of a glance. He does not see her, because for him there is nothing to see. How can a fifty-two-year-old white immigrant store-keeper†¦ see a little black girl? (48). What can be gathered from this is that the man, to some degree, has made a conscious choice not to look at her, not because he is physically incapable of doing so, but because he considers someone of her skin color insignificant, and not worth the energy necessary for acknowledgment.This theme underscores the difference between how one sees and how one is seen, also differentiates between superficial sight and real insight. Pecola’s desire for blue eyes is undoubtedly essential to examine when considering the power and impact of vision in the novel. Pecola is consumed with the thought of having blue eyes because she believes that they would be the simple panacea for everything that is unpleasant in her life. She is convinced that they will alter the way she is seen by others, and therefore the way that she sees the world around her.To Pecola, blue eyes and happiness, are inextricably linked. In a way, too, they represent her own blindness, since she attains them at the expense of her sanity. In addition, she has the understanding that if she had â€Å"beautiful† eyes, people would not think it right to do ugly things in front of her or to her: â€Å"Maybe they’d say, ‘Why, look at pretty-eyed Pecola. We mustn’t do bad things in front of those pretty eyes’† (46). She believes that the cruelty she is exposed to is somehow intertwined with how she is seen.Her insight is confirmed when Maureen steps in while being teased by the boys at school. Upon arrival, it seems that Maureen’s beautiful gaze causes the boys not to want to act badly. One character in The Bluest Eye that stands out against the rest as being one of the few individuals who can see clearly, and through an unadulterated lens is Claudia. Her clarity of vision is in part due to the fact that it is not marred by pain, like Pecola’s is. In the beginning of her narrative, she talks about how she has not yet reached the stage in adolescence where love turns to self-hatred.She is different from others girls her age because she does not strive to emulate them, at the loss of her well-being. When she receives the doll, she describes her impulse to dismember it: â€Å"I had only one desire: to dismember it. To see what it was made, to discover the dearness, to find the beauty, the desirability that had escaped me, but apparently only me† (20). In her childlike naiveness, she does not realize that the beauty everyone praises the dolls for does not come from within, but instead, is on the surface. She wants to take apart the doll in the hopes that she will unearth the inner secret to its beauty.At least at this point, she is unaware of what society has narrow-mindedly deemed beautiful. Near the end of the story, when she and her sister are talking about Pecola’s pregnancy, she imagines the unborn baby as beautiful in its blackness, indicating that she does not embody the impressionable mindset typical of other women in the book. The Bluest Eye is one of the most profound examples in modern literature that attests to the ability of vision in impacting the way in which people perceive the world and are perceived by others.The novel repeatedly brings to attention the malleability of human sight, and its vulnerability to distortion through the lens of hatred, love, bigotry, and racism. Even in the title of Morrison’s wor k, one can learn a substantial amount about the intrinsic role vision plays in the story. The word ‘eye’ in the title is singular rather than plural, suggesting the negative implications on the individual by society’s white tunnel vision in relation to concepts of beauty and approval. In addition, the double meaning of ‘eye’ and ‘I’ strongly emphasizes the significance of vision in the grand scheme of the novel.