Allen Ng
Taylor
English 68
February 9, 2010
Sweat, Tasks, for Money
2009 is the year I learned what hard-work really is. In the past I was always considered a slacker, from school to work. I always did my best to avoid the struggles of life. Things changed when I transferred positions from a white-collar sales co-worker to a blue-collar box-boy. This “promotion” was the total opposite of the easy going closing shift that I seldom would complain about now. Instead of helping customers with directions and information and taking care of “go-backs”, I now had to get up at 3 in the morning to begin my daily shift in the good old grind of the warehouse.
There are two classifications of workers in our society today, the laborers and the suits. From early on in our lives there has always been a contrast of characteristics between the sweat drenched, rough handed, laborers and the people in the air-conditioned offices, behind the desks, in cubicles, staring computer screens, with the only form of exercise, is a trip to the water fountain. There are fine distinguishing advantages and disadvantages between the two types of “collars” as well as the life lessons that can be learned from both.
There are many advantages of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Blue-collar jobs are focused on physical labor. Physical energy must be spent in order to fulfill the fast pace work environment of the warehouse. Just as working on a farm makes you stronger so does blue-collar work, one of the advantages of manual labor. Not only strength is increased so does speed and dexterity of the blue-collar worker. At the end of the day, it feels good to break a sweat. On the other hand, white-collar jobs are more focused on intellectual based tasks, such as communication. Instead of using their hands they use their minds to generate data papers, present new innovations, and persuade customers into purchasing product. White-collar workers have the advantages of being more social and less bodily drained than their counter parts. It is also easier to climb up the corporate latter as a white-collar as opposed to a blue-collar employee because of the skill required to complete tasks in the suit world. These are just some of the examples of advantages of the working world.
Just as there are many advantages to both working classes, there are many disadvantages as well. One of which is the physical strain that blue-collar workers go through day after day. Laborers break sweat and sometimes blood, because of the equipment operated with, day in and day out. This equipment can range from fork-lifts to box-cutters, while the only danger a white-collar worker has to deal with is a stapler (hypothetically). Low pay is also another factor that laborers ender, as they strive to keep up with the ridged work conditions. While working at an automotive plant, Andrew Braaksma learned first hand what the wages were of a part-time blue-collar worker, “After a particularly exhausting string of twelve-hour days at a plastics factory, I remember being shocked at how small my check seemed” (485). Along with smaller wages compared to their opposites, job security is another big disadvantage of blue-collar workers jobs in this technological age. In today’s society most typing and data entry is done virtually on computers, this correlates to excessive monitoring of monitors, not only strenuous to the eyes but also a disadvantages of white-collar work. Another dilemma that most suits face is the confinement to a desk; their cubicles are called offices, trapped to sit on their chairs for eight hours a day. All this sitting can lead to serious health problems, due to the lack of exercise. Every job has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Life lessons are the common ground between the two working classes. Both line of work value the aspect of hard work and perseverance. As it says so in the bible, “People can get many good things by the words they say; the work of their hands also gives them many benefits” (Proverbs 12:14). Even though the two classes have separate workings methods they both need to strive to make the honest pay for the day. Another common ground between these two types of workers is mental motivation, with the time always ticking and tasks always needing to be completed, positive thinking is a must in the work environment. It takes determination and insight to continue working hard. The value of education is another aspect that both blue-collar and white-collar workers would agree on. Degrees are needed in the white-collar field of work, where as most blue-collar workers would rather not have their children go through the hardship they face for the money to support their lives. There are many more lessons that can be learned in the trade.
Monday, February 8, 2010
I learned what hard-work is I switched postions from being a white-collarered sales worker to a Blue-collared boxboy this past year. Through this all, i have learned the important of education, motivation, and positive attidute, . THese three componatnts can hchange a boy into a man. Through this new job i have valued money that is earned more than before. And that time is always a constant enimany in the work feild. We re always racing against the clck because of the ...im just going to keep writing while listening to Led zZepllin./ =) - You SHook mMe all night lonngggggg. I know you really did babe. cool-ass gauitar and vocial sync. this is just a random post at the writing center, while writing a paper for English class. YES last week of sCHOOL>>>>>!!!!!!!!! woooohooooo. Im excited to see Delta tomorrow, but always nervous. ITs still kinda funny awkward between us. Which i kind of like. LIke a movie +)/ Next song.
Dazed and Confused.
just close your eyes, and let the music take over your senses.
few of them know
the soul of a women was created below. dang deep. haha no offense.
im lost right now
where was i?
ha
ha
h
a
(tempo rises)
(guitar solo)
(nvm guitar lick)
so, yeah being a box-boy made me learn the hard way of the value of education. Not to dis the important of a hardworking job but i feel that my time is worth more than 9.83 dollars its good pay for now but its just that im greedy? always wanting more.
im not going to deny it.
Wwhy is it that we are never satisfied with what we got?
cause time is always changing
our minds are always set on the next thing
we don't like to be in the same place fore too long
hmmmmm
okay enough music
time to crack down on this paper.
Dazed and Confused.
just close your eyes, and let the music take over your senses.
few of them know
the soul of a women was created below. dang deep. haha no offense.
im lost right now
where was i?
ha
ha
h
a
(tempo rises)
(guitar solo)
(nvm guitar lick)
so, yeah being a box-boy made me learn the hard way of the value of education. Not to dis the important of a hardworking job but i feel that my time is worth more than 9.83 dollars its good pay for now but its just that im greedy? always wanting more.
im not going to deny it.
Wwhy is it that we are never satisfied with what we got?
cause time is always changing
our minds are always set on the next thing
we don't like to be in the same place fore too long
hmmmmm
okay enough music
time to crack down on this paper.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
What really defines the harmonica is its sound and style that can be produced. This Ten-Holed Tin-can Tongue Twister is based on the diatonic scale, Do–Re–Mi–Fa–Sol–La–Si–Do. Within each hole of the diatonic harmonica there are multiple of notes that can be played by either drawing air or blowing air into the harmonica. “The most common diatonic harmonica is in the key of C major, with the blow reeds producing the C, E, and G notes of a C chord and the draw reeds producing the D, B, F and A notes.” (E-how) Yet the basic blowing and drawing will only get you two notes, to unlock the different pitches, one must learn how some “mouth voodoo” (Harmonica 101), commonly known as note bending.
Advanced players know that the shape of the throat, the movement of the tongue, and the pressure and angle at which breathe is applied all influence the quality of the notes. Furthermore, skilled harmonica players can achieve non-diatonic notes even on a diatonic harp by producing what are called overblow bends (E-How).
Advanced players know that the shape of the throat, the movement of the tongue, and the pressure and angle at which breathe is applied all influence the quality of the notes. Furthermore, skilled harmonica players can achieve non-diatonic notes even on a diatonic harp by producing what are called overblow bends (E-How).
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Harmonica History...
Allen Ng
Taylor
English 68
February 3, 2010
Harmony-ca
“There are only two responses you get when you say you play the harmonica. The first is, “My uncle plays the harmonica! He can play When the Saints go Marching in!” Or, you MUST LOVE Bob Dylan then!” (Tin Sandwich Anyone?)
Some may call it: The Ten-Holed Tin-can Tongue Twister, Tin Sandwich, Pocket Pal, Pocket Sax, Mississippi Saxophone, the Hand Reed, and the Harp, but we all know it as the harmonica. Although it maybe underestimated and seen as a toy, this bite-size instrument is at the heart of Blues music. The harmonica’s literal definition is the mouth organ. With its portability and soul-full sound it has been in music history for centuries. The harmonica is used in a variety of music, from folk to rock n roll; Muddy Waters to the Beatles. The harmonica is a great asset in music as can be seen and heard from its unique construction, history, and players.
The diatonic harmonica’s unique yet simple structure is composed of three main parts, the cover plate, the comb, and the reed plates. The first main component is the cover plate, much like the bread of a sandwich; it holds shape and support of the harmonica together. It is divided into two pieces, top and bottom and is usually constructed of nickle. It is engraved with numbers from one through ten above each blowhole, to indicate the pitch of each note; from lowest to highest.
If the cover plates are the bread of this tin can sandwich, then the comb is the lettuce. The comb provides ten separated aligned holes which air is able to travel through into the reeds of the harmonica to produce its rich tone. But unlike the cover plates the material of the comb does determine the tone of the harmonica.
Materials used for the comb of the harmonica have their own tonal characteristics and unique quality (Music 2003). Now we get to the meat of the sandwich, the reeds. The reeds lay above and below the comb and are perfectly aligned to each hole. The top set of reeds is called blow reeds, which vibrates and produces sound when air is blown into the harmonica. While the bottom set is called draw reeds, similar to its brother, they produced notes when air is drawn between the reeds through the harmonica. “The pitch and resultant scale of the harmonica is directly related to two factors; the material that the reeds are made of and the length of the reed” (Music 2003). Screws are then fastened to hold the parts together.
The history of the harmonica dates back to 1821 in Germany, where Christian Friedrich Buschmann developed the first harmonica called the Aura, "An awkward design, it offered only blow notes arranged chromatically" (Euxton). As time progressed new innovations changed the structure of the aura.
A Bohemian instrument maker named Richter may have made the most important advancements in early harmonica design. Around 1826, he developed a variation that consisted of ten holes and twenty reeds, with separate blow and draw reed plates mounted on either side of a cedar comb. Richter's tuning, utilizing a diatonic scale, became the standard configuration of what Europeans referred to as the Mundharmonika or mouth organ (Euxton).
During 1857, German clock maker Matthias Hohner started manufacturing harmonicas full-time with the help from family and coworkers (Euxton). Hohner wanted to reach the world market with his product. "In 1865, he sent a small supply of his harmonicas to his cousins, who had emigrated to America a few years earlier, with the intent of establishing a market for his product" (Music 2003).
The harmonica practically sold itself due to its small design, distinctive sound, and cheap price. According to Richard Levine, "In the years between the two world wars-- a period called the "golden age of the mouth organ in America-- sales of the tiny, inexpensive instrument increased dramatically." During this time the price for a harp was only ten cents! This lead to the involvement of the harmonica in the Blues. “The reason why this got into the Blues the way it did is its inexpensiveness, which is a thing of the past” (Tin Sandwich Anyone?). Sometimes being cheap is a good thing.
There have been many famous harp players throughout history. One of the most influential Blues harmonica player was Sonny Boy William, the man that brought the harp to center stage. Sonny Boy Williams was proclaimed to the future of the Blues during the 1930's. The way he played sounded as if tears were dripping from every hole of the harmonica. "Sonny Boy made the harp the lead instrument in the blues and his first recordings were in country style. He is considered as one of most important and creative blues performers to emerge during the mid-to late 1930's" (Players: Pioneers in Blues). Lee Oskar is also another key player in harmonica culture, known by his jazzy playing style as the lead harmonica in the band War.
"There's no one in the pop music world quite like Lee Oskar. His unique role as a founding member and former lead harmonica player for the pioneer funk/jazz group, WAR, won him international renown for over two and a half decades (1969-1993). Oskar's signature harp solos helped to define the WAR sound from the band's beginning in 1969, adding dashes of color to their R&B/Jazz/Rock and Latin influences. (Players: Cross Category)
Lee Oskor is still big name in harmonica's today through his own brand of harmonicas.
Another great harmonica player is Sugar Blue. Raised in Harleem, the only Blues that Sugar Blue grew up as kid were the songs that aired on the radio stations. "Sugar Blue has used this background to his advantage, though, creating an ultra-modern blues style and sound that is instantly recognizable as his own" (Players: Blues). These are just three of the vast sea of harpists through history.
From its construction, history, and musicians, the harmonica stands firm in music culture today. Just as the classical harp is brings pleasures to ears with its soft angle-like tone and pitch of its strings, the blues harp delivers a sense of relief from the emotional struggles we hold within. Randall E. Auxie describes it as, “The way we experience the music so that the sounds make sense, have a pattern and an order that we can understand” (Pink Floyd and Philosophy 204).
Work Sited
Auxie E. Randall. "It's All Dark: The Eclipse of the Damaged Brain." Pink Floyd and Philosophy, 2007. Ed. George A Reisch. Pueru, Illinois. 2007. Print.
Euxton. "The History of the Harmonica." Web. 1 Feb. 2010.
Levine Richard. "Harmonica Bands." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 2. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. pg 370-371.
Harmonica Links. "Players: Blues." AYM Music. Web. 3 Feb. 2010.
Harmonica Links. "Players: Cross Category." AYM Music. Web. 3 Feb. 2010
Harmonica Links. "Players: Pioneers in Blues." AYM Music. Web. 3 Feb. 2010.
Music Folk Features. "Harmonica History and Construction." 2003. Web. 2 Feb 2010.
Tin Sandwich Anyone? A History of the Harmonica. Perf. Rory McLeod, Will Galison, Paul Jones, Brendan Power and Charlie Leighton. BBC. Youtube.
Taylor
English 68
February 3, 2010
Harmony-ca
“There are only two responses you get when you say you play the harmonica. The first is, “My uncle plays the harmonica! He can play When the Saints go Marching in!” Or, you MUST LOVE Bob Dylan then!” (Tin Sandwich Anyone?)
Some may call it: The Ten-Holed Tin-can Tongue Twister, Tin Sandwich, Pocket Pal, Pocket Sax, Mississippi Saxophone, the Hand Reed, and the Harp, but we all know it as the harmonica. Although it maybe underestimated and seen as a toy, this bite-size instrument is at the heart of Blues music. The harmonica’s literal definition is the mouth organ. With its portability and soul-full sound it has been in music history for centuries. The harmonica is used in a variety of music, from folk to rock n roll; Muddy Waters to the Beatles. The harmonica is a great asset in music as can be seen and heard from its unique construction, history, and players.
The diatonic harmonica’s unique yet simple structure is composed of three main parts, the cover plate, the comb, and the reed plates. The first main component is the cover plate, much like the bread of a sandwich; it holds shape and support of the harmonica together. It is divided into two pieces, top and bottom and is usually constructed of nickle. It is engraved with numbers from one through ten above each blowhole, to indicate the pitch of each note; from lowest to highest.
If the cover plates are the bread of this tin can sandwich, then the comb is the lettuce. The comb provides ten separated aligned holes which air is able to travel through into the reeds of the harmonica to produce its rich tone. But unlike the cover plates the material of the comb does determine the tone of the harmonica.
Materials used for the comb of the harmonica have their own tonal characteristics and unique quality (Music 2003). Now we get to the meat of the sandwich, the reeds. The reeds lay above and below the comb and are perfectly aligned to each hole. The top set of reeds is called blow reeds, which vibrates and produces sound when air is blown into the harmonica. While the bottom set is called draw reeds, similar to its brother, they produced notes when air is drawn between the reeds through the harmonica. “The pitch and resultant scale of the harmonica is directly related to two factors; the material that the reeds are made of and the length of the reed” (Music 2003). Screws are then fastened to hold the parts together.
The history of the harmonica dates back to 1821 in Germany, where Christian Friedrich Buschmann developed the first harmonica called the Aura, "An awkward design, it offered only blow notes arranged chromatically" (Euxton). As time progressed new innovations changed the structure of the aura.
A Bohemian instrument maker named Richter may have made the most important advancements in early harmonica design. Around 1826, he developed a variation that consisted of ten holes and twenty reeds, with separate blow and draw reed plates mounted on either side of a cedar comb. Richter's tuning, utilizing a diatonic scale, became the standard configuration of what Europeans referred to as the Mundharmonika or mouth organ (Euxton).
During 1857, German clock maker Matthias Hohner started manufacturing harmonicas full-time with the help from family and coworkers (Euxton). Hohner wanted to reach the world market with his product. "In 1865, he sent a small supply of his harmonicas to his cousins, who had emigrated to America a few years earlier, with the intent of establishing a market for his product" (Music 2003).
The harmonica practically sold itself due to its small design, distinctive sound, and cheap price. According to Richard Levine, "In the years between the two world wars-- a period called the "golden age of the mouth organ in America-- sales of the tiny, inexpensive instrument increased dramatically." During this time the price for a harp was only ten cents! This lead to the involvement of the harmonica in the Blues. “The reason why this got into the Blues the way it did is its inexpensiveness, which is a thing of the past” (Tin Sandwich Anyone?). Sometimes being cheap is a good thing.
There have been many famous harp players throughout history. One of the most influential Blues harmonica player was Sonny Boy William, the man that brought the harp to center stage. Sonny Boy Williams was proclaimed to the future of the Blues during the 1930's. The way he played sounded as if tears were dripping from every hole of the harmonica. "Sonny Boy made the harp the lead instrument in the blues and his first recordings were in country style. He is considered as one of most important and creative blues performers to emerge during the mid-to late 1930's" (Players: Pioneers in Blues). Lee Oskar is also another key player in harmonica culture, known by his jazzy playing style as the lead harmonica in the band War.
"There's no one in the pop music world quite like Lee Oskar. His unique role as a founding member and former lead harmonica player for the pioneer funk/jazz group, WAR, won him international renown for over two and a half decades (1969-1993). Oskar's signature harp solos helped to define the WAR sound from the band's beginning in 1969, adding dashes of color to their R&B/Jazz/Rock and Latin influences. (Players: Cross Category)
Lee Oskor is still big name in harmonica's today through his own brand of harmonicas.
Another great harmonica player is Sugar Blue. Raised in Harleem, the only Blues that Sugar Blue grew up as kid were the songs that aired on the radio stations. "Sugar Blue has used this background to his advantage, though, creating an ultra-modern blues style and sound that is instantly recognizable as his own" (Players: Blues). These are just three of the vast sea of harpists through history.
From its construction, history, and musicians, the harmonica stands firm in music culture today. Just as the classical harp is brings pleasures to ears with its soft angle-like tone and pitch of its strings, the blues harp delivers a sense of relief from the emotional struggles we hold within. Randall E. Auxie describes it as, “The way we experience the music so that the sounds make sense, have a pattern and an order that we can understand” (Pink Floyd and Philosophy 204).
Work Sited
Auxie E. Randall. "It's All Dark: The Eclipse of the Damaged Brain." Pink Floyd and Philosophy, 2007. Ed. George A Reisch. Pueru, Illinois. 2007. Print.
Euxton. "The History of the Harmonica." Web. 1 Feb. 2010.
Levine Richard. "Harmonica Bands." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 2. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. pg 370-371.
Harmonica Links. "Players: Blues." AYM Music. Web. 3 Feb. 2010.
Harmonica Links. "Players: Cross Category." AYM Music. Web. 3 Feb. 2010
Harmonica Links. "Players: Pioneers in Blues." AYM Music. Web. 3 Feb. 2010.
Music Folk Features. "Harmonica History and Construction." 2003. Web. 2 Feb 2010.
Tin Sandwich Anyone? A History of the Harmonica. Perf. Rory McLeod, Will Galison, Paul Jones, Brendan Power and Charlie Leighton. BBC. Youtube.
Conclusion.
Saw II one of the pinnacles of horror films in today's standards with it's setting, conflict, and mutilation based plot. It is a escape into a dark paradox world, where we get off on the pure rush of fear. It makes us feel alive, that our life isn't just a little bubble of work and school. Both mind and body are captured into one catastrophic moment, the outside world is nonexistent while this realm of creativity is real, just until the lights come on.
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