A Song is a Song

What’s in a song? Melody? Rhythm? Harmony? These three basic elements alone have countless possibilities in making a song. But as I saw in the news today, Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani has sued the band Coldplay for their supposed infringement of their song “Viva La Vida” on one of Satriani’s songs. Viva La Vida is also the title of their new album. The cover features a piece of artwork called “Lady Liberty Leading the People”. The subject is a woman carrying the French flag while leading soldiers. Did Coldplay run out of ideas about album art as well? I digress.

Upon first listen, Viva La Vida is a good song. In fact it has all the workings of a great song. It’s catchy simple and has nothing too out of place. Then when the Joe Satriani song started to play, it sounded almost the same. The beat was similar, the tempo, even the melody of the song sounded really really similar. It almost seems as though it was intentionally copied. This probably raised a red flag for Joe Satriani and motivated him to file a lawsuit against Coldplay.

However infinite the possibilities of music are, our minds don’t have access to the infinite. There bound to be some crossroads where two seemingly unrelated sounds converge. That being said, it would seem that no one has the right to copyright arrangements of notes. Music shouldn’t be a wargame of capture the flag. It should be free in a sense that people can play or listen to whatever they want, claim whatever they want, be as sloppy as they want, as long as its good and has passion.

Anarchy!

We see protests, riots and blogposts about a thing called anarchy. There are numerous symbols being used by anarchists: The circle-a, a raised fist in an art deco design and most commonly, the black flag. The black flag traces its origins with the white flag. The white flag is used to signify surrender or submission to a superior force. The black flag symbolizes the opposite of this. It represents defiance and a strong opposition to surrender.

Since the black flag has no design whatsoever, it may symbolize the rejection of representations. There are some flags that have colors other than black. These are the bisected anarchist flags. Black and red represent anarcho-communism. Black and yellow represent anarcho-capitalism. Other combinations include: Black with green, dark pink, light pink and white which represent anarcho-primitivism, anarcha-feminism, queer anarchism and pacifist anarchy respectively.

Another common flag is the Jolly Roger. This iconic flag was used by pirates at sea in olden days. Now the flag is being used again for internet anarchy and a support for piracy and defiance of copyright laws. Some internet activists now refer to themselves as pirates because of their free lifestyles in the technological world.

Lastly, there is the red flag. The red flag has been used to connote communism. Many states in America have passed laws banning the hoisting or flying of red flags. In Oklahoma, a statute states that flying “any red flag or other emblem or banner, indicating disloyalty to the Government of the United States or a belief in anarchy or other political doctrines or beliefs, whose objects are either the disruption or destruction of organized government, or the defiance of the laws of the United States or of the State of Oklahoma”. However, these conflicts with the usage of the red flag in motor sports and bullfighting as well as the USAF’s annual Operation Red Flag exercise.

Feeling by Color

When we open our eyes every morning, we immerse ourselves in this vivid world of color. It’s quite surprising that our brain is capable of handling all this information. When we see a tree, we think the leaves are green no matter how lighted or shaded they are. This is the reason why children draw landscapes using very few colors. As we mature, we learn to discern thousands of different shades. In fact, we don’t have enough words to name them all!

Colors make us feel certain ways depending on how some colors are used. White for example symbolizes purity, peace and tranquility. In olden days, people raise a white flag to signify surrender. On the other hand, Red, white and blue immediately conveys patriotism. Green has been associated with nature, money and ‘Go’ for racing flags. Opposite of that is ‘Red’ for stop. Red can also connote passion. Yellow is for joy and happiness although it can also mean cowardice when used to describe a person. Blue might also mean peace and calmness like the flag of the United Nations. Black can mean sophistication while it can also mean evil. Pirates have often used the color black in their Jolly Roger Flags

There are a lot more emotions that can be evoked with different combinations of colors. Contrasting colors like yellow and violet pop out at the viewer while analogous colors (adjacent colors on the color wheel) tend to be more refined and calming. It is best not to use bright colors for designs all the time since it can be quite irritating to look at for long periods of time.

Spicing Up Your Garage Sale

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure as the cliché goes. But more often than not, trash just looks like trash. Now, who would want to buy trash anyway? Garage sales are a way of clearing out your house of the things you no longer need, while actually having something to gain from it. Some people just put their stuff on the yard, stick a small message flag that says: “garage sale” expecting that the stuff will actually be sold. There are some creative ways to make your garage sale more interesting

Try putting up pennant streamers of different colors from your roof to a tree or put up a pole. Not only do they give your sale a festive mood, they also offer some protection from the sun. This is a great alternative to putting up a tent for your sale. Also, don’t limit yourself to your block. Advertise! Put up small flyers around your block. You can also have a customized banner for your sale which shouldn’t cost a lot but would give your sale some attention.

Arrange your stuff according to price. Lump all the cheap items in one place and group your larger items together. This can also be supplemented by putting price flags on each group of items tat say “$5 below”, “$5-$10” and so on. This will make it easier for people to browse the things that they could readily afford.

Lastly, don’t be afraid of bargainers. The point of the whole garage sale thing is to get rid of your unwanted belongings. Getting money from it would only be secondary. Think of it this way, the bargainer is already doing you a favor in getting rid of your things and is actually paying you for it!

What Makes a Good Football Game

Football is one of the most famous sports in the world. All of us have a couple of friends who follow football like it’s their life. The thing about football is that it’s more of a spectator sport, just like basketball, gymnastics and boxing. It is not just for physical activity, but it also has an undeniable entertainment factor. I mean, who screams and cheers and waves miniature flags for a dart player? Or, a chess match? You’re right, nobody.

Football, albeit a very enjoyable sport is not just about the players. Half of the fun also comes from the spectators, on how they behave towards the performances, the other spectators, the weather, everything. Pride flags are seen everywhere, the noise is almost unbearable and the heat is both literal and figurative. The bleachers always feel like they’re going to fall down anytime. NOW THAT, is what really makes a good football game.

Did you ever wanted to go to a “peaceful” football game? Where there is no howling, no cuss words, no sweat, no pesky hotdog sandwich vendors walking around? Can you really imagine yourself attending a football game that plays The Corrs in the background? Come on, this is not an art exhibit! It’s a testosterone-filled game!

So next time your man leaves to watch his favorite football team (even just on TV), let him be. And if you can, sit with him and try to love all the adrenaline. Trust me, it’s almost therapeutic.

Nursing Within the Health Care System

The health care industry has been on top of the most sought after services since the age of the baby boomers. With an increasing demand for health workers and service providers to meet with the increasing criteria of wellness, hospitals as well as other units of health care systems such as birthing homes, mental institutions, nursing homes, and the like have opened new job offers for those who are qualified.

Nursing as it is known has been on the forefront of providing most of the personal and up close care aside from doctors. It is the humanistic therapy aspect that complements the medical practice of physicians.

It is said that the wellness and achievement of any individual is characterized by the meeting of several criteria of health, wherein one of them is emotional and social well being. With a sound mind and heart, the body also has a greater chance of becoming better from an existing illness.

A lot of things have evolved from the mere medical aspect of health care. There came several sub-components of health care systems, all of which are incorporated by nursing. One of these is the National Red Cross, which is part of the rescue and emergency unit response team in several countries worldwide.

Another is the paramedic response team, usually part of the well known 911 response team. For those who are not familiar with the latter, it is the team who flies the star of life flag, denoted by the six sided cross and the caduceus in the middle.

The active involvement of the nursing profession in society has made it spring out from the indoor type of health care delivery system to the community, wherein it works hand in hand with the different available subunits in the immediate community. This venture still carries the same values and principles of delivering utmost humanistic care to patients and respondents.

Even the most advanced countries and towns have started including nurses to be a part of the actual medical scheme. Nurse anesthetists and IV nurses have already emerged to address the need to administer these medical procedures of delivering anesthesia during operations, medication and other intravenous procedures, both of which were only done by doctors.

Who knows where nursing may go next? Perhaps soon enough there would be other responsibilities and qualified tasks to be made available for this rapidly emerging industry.

Pre-Colonial Spanish Influence On The Present

There are many stories of treasure conquest and exploration by the Spanish during the 1400’s to the mid 1700’s. This was when the age of exploration came about and marked a new age of shift of power from the internal European strife during the crusades towards new land discovery.

The theory of the end of the crusades being caused by a move towards extended efforts of exercising power towards undiscovered land may see m like a plausible idea. It was validated with a vast increase in naval power as ships after ships were created to sail the open seas, a feat never before undertaken in such a grand scale.

The four superpowers spawned: Dutch, French, Spanish, and the English. The Dutch were able to found a place by Asia as well as other minor African places. The French were able to do the same along the African coastline. The English may be regarded as the most capable of the exploration powers as their means caused them to found Australia, Asian colonies such as Hong Kong, as well as the most popular being the present United States of America.

However, one of the more interesting facts about these colonizers was that the Spaniards were able to use their influence by combining the cross and the sword. No other superpower used such a tactic at a more distinct manner than the Spanish. This caused a series of founding of colonies in Northern America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

What makes the Spaniards have a unique explorative trait is that their influence may be seen in almost every part of Central and Latin America. Their active influence with the conquests for gold and riches that brought down the Mayan and Incan civilizations have made such an impact that their conquerors, or conquistadores have been romanticized along with their tales of conquests.

What was left was an influence on modern day civilizations. Long gone were the days of fighting and quests for gold and raw gems as globalization became the means to express power. This included ideals, academics, as well as literature pertaining to language. Such influential power may be seen in some labels being used in a foreign land using another language.

Such is the effect of using Latin language in modern day scientific names and patterns of nomenclature. Places have been named after their country’s word use, even custom flags and banners which depict a simple saying as abierto which means open, accent pathways of some establishments.

Perhaps the colonial movement was beneficial for the widening of transcultural enrichment, but was paid at a very bloody and expensive price.

Miracles Do Happen

Sport events are common in many areas around the world. In the United States we have the NBA and the NFL. Every four years we hold the Olympics to celebrate goodwill amongst countries in the form of sports. Like car accidents on a free way, sports events are somewhat inevitable. It happens even to kids in the elementary.

With sport events comes accidents. It’s like a buy one take one package. We see the accidents and injuries as a normal part of sports but what if the things around the event cause the disaster and the victim, a 10 year old girl. It was a mini sports event for the inauguration of a school. Everything was new and fresh in that school. There was this girl carrying a custom crest flag about the age of ten. While running across the field a 25 feet commercial flagpole fell upon her hitting her on the head and sending her unconscious. If it wasn’t for a third grader who saw her she would have never been noticed. After the incident the event was cancelled. Miraculously, the girl didn’t have any wound, cracks on the head or concussions. It’s a rare occasion that a person who is hacked by a flagpole lives, not to mention having no injuries at all and to top it all up the victim is a 10 year old elementary student.

A sport or a sport event, however entertaining it is always has a downside. One cannot calculate or tell what accidents might happen or how big the damage could be. It’s one part of life we often don’t like, the fact that we don’t know what’s going to happen. It gives life colors, vague yet beautiful. Things happen and no one knows what it will be. In sports it is called the great news maker.

Common Notions About Custom Flags

A stereotypical conception or misconception about flags is their function to symbolize a country or a medieval king. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Today we have used flags for a wide variety of purpose. Some of the listed uses of flags are for symbolic royalties, promotional uses and simply for non-profit and aesthetic functions. What is the outstanding concept about flags in the past and even today is something that deals with a nation or a country.

Medieval times, is a time of kings and kingdoms. Flags are used to make strong statement that represents kingdoms. Flags often bear the emblem of the king; these flags are known as majestic crests. In contemporary times, flags are often custom flags used for promotional purposes. These promotional corporate flags target customers of many businesses.

Others custom flags are for non-profit and aesthetic functions. These kinds of custom flags have often been used for aesthetic function commonly to add accent for celebrations like parties, weddings and birthdays. Customs flags are at their best to give full expression of aesthetic skills and appreciation of aesthetic beauty.

We can never neglect the sense of nationalism we have. More often than not, we associate our nationalistic passions with a flag. One’s national flag is a direct representation of one’s identity. This is something that identifies us apart from other nationalities.

Today, we use flags not only for a monolithic function to represent our nationality but as we have observed, we can use flags with a diverse purposes.

The Pillars of Home

He opens up the can of beer every night. He drives to you to school on the first day. You play catch with him using the old pig leather or he teaches you how to drive a bike. Yes! Your hunch is right he’s the one we all call dad.

Every third Sunday of June we celebrate and appreciate our fathers. This is the day when we buy father’s day flags for them. Showing our love and appreciation to our fathers are sometimes hard. It’s hard to approach a dad sometimes as he is considered as the pillars of the household and the main disciplinarian as well. It’s hard to get a smile from him let alone a resounding laughter but like any other he is your best knight. For those who have lost their old man, wherever they are they just want you to be strong and happy.

Some dads never say “I love you” or say “Give me a hug” like moms. You often see them holding a can of beer on their right hand while enjoying NFL nights while holding a Jacksonville Jaguars flag on the other. More people think that there dads have no time for them. Some think that their dads can’t believe their children already grown ups. Some children are also burdened by the pressures they receive from their dads.

Although sometimes we only see the negative aspect, we can’t deny the fact that in times of loneliness and difficulties, dads are there sharing with our every tear. They remind us that in every failure, they are always there to give and wish us strength. Our fathers tell us that in every success we gain, they would be very happy to see happy.

For those who still have fathers, you are lucky and you should treasure every moment with him. Disregard the pressures for they only want the best.