Changes in American Transportation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Changes in American Transportation - Essay Example Transportation includes transportation of people, goods, and even animals.There were various means of transportation in America during the 1800's, including Steam Boats, Horses and the use of Public Ferry. Nowadays, transportation and communication are usually treated in different contexts. However, during early 1800's, long distance communication was very much dependent upon transportation. During that period, transportation was synonymous to communication, and the growth of transportation directly affected the developments in communication to a great extent. During the 1800's the 'pony couriers', a means of transportation as well as communication, influenced the history of transportation in America.In order to appreciate the changes in transportation during that period, it is necessary to analyze the process under the then prevailing circumstances, and gain an understanding of transportation methods and processes back then. A careful analysis of the newspapers of this period in the history provides glimpses of the status of transportations prevailed in those times. In America, transportation in the sea and waterways was already quite developed between 1800 and 1810. The use of steam boats started between 1800 and 1810. ... Transportation of the agricultural and industrial commodities strengthened the economy of the country. Within few years steam boar services grown very fast, catering to the development of the economy, and a news article is given below. Natchiz, Jan 2: Important Arrival - Arrived here on Monday last, the Steam-Boat from Pittsburgh which had as a regular trader She was only 921 hours underway from Pittsburgh to this place a distance of near two thousand miles."1 Before then, only the inland methods of transportation, like horses, mules and asses which remained primitive because of their slow pace of technological development, that Americans relied upon. Animals like horses, mules and asses were the means of transportation before 1800.This change in the mode of transportation enabled Americans to move from place to place more conveniently than they could before 1800. During the 1800's it was normal to come across the advertisements in newspapers, a sample of which is given below, for trading in horses. "A Mare and Horse for Sale, Classified Ad 4"2 Another change in the mode of transportation between 1800 and 1810 was the commencement of the use of Public ferries. Adverts like the one below were to be regularly seen in the newspapers then. "Be it ordained by the Mayor, Aldermen, Common Council, and Freemen of the City of Hartford, That if any person shall willfully, or negligently, ride or drive any kind of Carriage, or Vehicle, or ride, lead, or drive any horse upon any Side Walk in laid City, now laid out, or hereafter to be laid out, unless for the purpose of necessarily... and to pay to such party just damages."3 "The port cities and ferry places were active with import and export of cargo of various types. Primitive types of

The film Boys Dont Cry Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The film Boys Dont Cry - Movie Review Example Since its inception, films are determined to encompass a plethora of complete human activities and are saturated with them. Human mind and its excellence at aesthetic paradigm evolve out with multiple hues at length while coming into the interface of any art medium. Films like any other art medium involve human mind in its creation, it displays human action and most importantly they are made to be comprehended and enjoyed by human minds as its audiences. Films are always considered as a wide form of art medium through which the manifestation of the striking moving images decorated with vibrant colors and sounds enables a connection between the film-makers and audience upon the matrix of celluloid and the senses enhanced through the pictorial description of emotions and actions. The intensity of the influence which a film leaves on the minds of its audiences cannot be undermined at any level. Therefore, the sociological aspect of the film, or myriad social psychologies depicted through the medium of the films holds a very important space in the minds of the modern audiences. With the growing complexities of life, the films began to develop with foreboding complexities. Skip Dine Young in his book, â€Å"Psychology at the Movies† mentioned rightly, â€Å"The psychology of film can be unified by thinking of movies as symbols. Movies are symbols that have meaning; these symbols are created by ways do they infuse aspects of themselves into their creations? While it is probable that everyone who works on a movie brings something of him or herself to the activity, I focus on those artists whose individuality is in the foreground- the directors (who make the final choices about how a movie looks and sounds) and the actors (whose visual likeness is so vividl y captured on the screen)† (Young, 2012). A latent symbolic framework does operate within the films upon which the complex social psychology depicted through various modern films gets manifested. â€Å"Boys Don’t Cry† as an independent American drama amazed the audiences in the year 1999 by depicting the story of Brandon Teena, a transsexual man and his predicament evoked the themes of desperation, insensitive attitude and the issues of empowerment and gender equality prevalent in the society of contemporary times. At the same time, the subtle display of psychology operating in terms of dealing with these issues in society forms the crux of the film. Social Psychology and Boys Don’t Cry In October 1999, the American drama, â€Å"Boys Don’t Cry† was first premiered which was based on a real life story. Being the reflection of a true incident, the film mirrored many intricacies and complexities of modern society at length. Directed by Kimberly Peirce and co-written by Andy Bienen, the film stars Hilary Swank in the role of Brandon Teena whose powerful acting paved the way for her receiving Best Actress in the Academy Awards. Brandon Teena was a transsexual man who was allegedly beaten up brutally, raped and tortured by his male partners after they discovered that Teena had a female by body. Depiction of this incident through the medium of film was not a piece of cake. The film did not hint at only displaying the content as a crime thriller. On the contrary, a very strong social message was inherent within the film which evidently develops its social psychology. A strong notion and social perception towards body of a woman specially develops the pivot of the film’s aspect towards prevailing psychology of the society. When America was vouching on the propositions of same-sex marriages and gender equality, the film, â€Å"Boys Don’t Cry† reinstated the hollow pursuits involved with the concepts of gender equality and rights of transsexuals in the American society. If America with its teeming American dreams could not secure the rights of its citizen within a social structure which is so liberal and cosmopolitan in nature, it is quite evident that the future of the minor sexual entities such as transsexual men or women is in

What is the purpose of government in the United States Essay

What is the purpose of government in the United States - Essay Example Seeking to explore the purpose of the US government with respect to the roles that it plays in the modern 21st century, the following will argue that there are many roles for the government of the United States. These include the promotion and continuation of democratic governance, economic development, the provision of social services, promoting justice and securing the nation from outside threat. All of the functions are inherent to the purpose of the United States. We now turn to an exploration of the government of the United States of America and its role as the torchbearer of democracy (Almond et al, 101-102). . One of the most important functions of the government of the United States is the promotion of liberal democracy. In a liberal democratic society, power rests with the people. Liberal democracy can be characterized by free and fair elections, universal suffrage and a plural society in which power is transferred through peaceful political means. Accordingly, stability in much of the world is defined as the establishment of both democracy and democratic rules of governance. By giving everyone a voice at the ballot, the argument follows that the political regime which gains power will be perceived as being legitimate and the result will be political stability. Accordingly, the role of the United States government is to ensure that political power is transferred through peaceful means and that political contiguity is maintained through the democratic system. As an entrenched cultural value of the United States, the promotion of liberal democracy is an important task for the government o f the United States. The promotion of economic development is another responsibility for the government of the United States. As a society with a capitalist economic system, the government of the United manages the economic system while understanding the importance of free

Father Marin Mersenne and the New Mathematical Approach during the Assignment

Father Marin Mersenne and the New Mathematical Approach during the Scientific Revolution of the 17th Century - Assignment Example Father Marin Mersenne was himself very influential in the lives of many intellectuals, and instrumental in furthering the new mathematical approach and scientific thinking in general. However, it is precisely this scientific thinking that impelled him to promote it, and the need to defend his theology. Father Marin Mersenne was a contemporary of the mathematicians Thomas Harriot, Blaise Pascal and Isaac Newton, being older than the last two but died when Newton was a child. He was also a close friend of Descartes and Fermat. In fact, he was in touch with many other mathematicians as well such as Roberval, Torricelli, Desargues, and Huygens. This is because of his role for serving â€Å"as a clearinghouse for mathematical information† through correspondence and meetings. It was also his extensive travels that enabled him to act as the prominent channel of communication, which included Rome. It is said, â€Å"when Mersenne knew something, the whole of the ‘Republic of Letters’ was shortly informed about it†. Consequently, much of the unity in mathematical interests at the time is attributable to Mersenne. His own famous contribution to Mathematics was a development of the ‘Mercenne numbers’ that are primes of the form 2p-1 where p is itself a prime; important to number theory (Selkirk, 1992:34). In addition, he inspired the invention of the pendulum clock. However, Father Marin Mersenne was most influential in disseminating the mathematical ideas of others. For example, it was due to Mersenne that Galileo’s ideas on the path of a falling object on a rotating earth were widely discussed in France.

How Does Managed Care Affect Health Care Organizations Relationship Essay

How Does Managed Care Affect Health Care Organizations Relationship With Buyers, Sellers, Their Community In General, And the Government - Essay Example This essay declares that managed care plans are government provided health plans based on insurance. They engage in contracts with health care providers or professionals and medical institutions to provide a contracted service to the community. They are the main elements in the network of health care service provision under the federal and state governments system. The managed care plan has a system of rules to determine the amount of insurance money that each enrollee in the plan is entitled. When the service has been rendered by the physician as per agreement, he sends the bill to the insurance company which in turn has the right either to accept it on its face value or to ask for a revised bill. This is where the medical billing and coding companies come to play a role. Next health advocacy groups, i.e. groups of concerned citizens, play a pivotal role by advocating not only the least costly health care but also timely access to it. This paper makes a conclusion that the government’s involvement is seen in the connection between the acceptance and appointment of these insurance companies into the national health care plan, Medicare and Medicaid. While these links are obviously clearer, the relationship between the MHO and the patient is determined by the rules of the insurance plan. The former pays what the latter is entitled to under the plan, though there is no hard and fast rule to prevent a patient from seeking more expensive care outside the plan.

Play and Game Essay Example for Free

Play and Game Essay The title of this article kind of makes it seem like I’m about to encourage you to cheat, but that’s not what I’m here to do. I’m here to tell you what you can do when it comes to poker that allows you to get ahead of the game. While some of these tips might not be necessarily applicable to online poker, for poker where you are sitting around a table, these tips can tip the scales into your favor. Know the People If you find yourself at a table somewhere where you don’t know the other players, take a little time to know the tendencies of each player. One might only bet big if he has a good hand, one might be very hesitant no matter what card he has and the other might flick his hair when he is lying. Every single person at that table has a ‘tell’ for when they have something good or for when they are bluffing, especially in Poker, when you are all trying to beat each other. Take some time, get to know the people at the table and even get them talking. It could create a way in which you can win more money, just from being able to read the other players. Be conscious of your own tells If you have the chance, play a friendly game of Poker and have a friend watch you as you play. Have them after the game tell them what you are doing in the way of body movement depending on the hand you are on. It’s extremely important to know what you do, and be able to stop it. Especially if you know you touch your face when you might be able to use this to your advantage in ways I don’t even want to explain. While these two tips don’t work online, they can change the balance in your favor during an offline game of poker. Just Give Up If it is not your night, if you have been fighting with your significant other, just don’t play. Whether offline or online you might feel the urge to do so, but try to resist. While it might act as your stress reliever; your mind will not focus on the game and in a game where your money is on the line, this is a serious issue. From here you have to make sure to change any habit that you think is costing you money, whether that is staying up until 3 in the morning to play and feeling fatigued while playing or not drinking enough water. If you feel you aren’t in peak Physical condition, don’t bother playing. It’ll end up being a waste of time and money. Know the Rules; Know the Hands. In Poker, the best hand is a four of a kind and an ace combination. That is the best possible hand (figuratively) but the probability of getting it is very low. Know this when you go into a game and you will see your play improve dramatically. Know what you can have and what your opponents can have. Use probability and their reactions to make sure that if you are going into a hand that you can win, but going into a hand that is a calculated risk and has a chance of winning is better than hoping for the best. Just watch your play and keep everything in mind. Poker is as much a game of outwitting your opponent as staying mentally sharp yourself. You have to know what to do and when to do it. You have to make sure you are watching your own play as well as others. You have to know when to ‘hold’em’ and when to ‘fold’em’ Author Bio: Jeremy Henderson is an expert in all forms of poker and this is possibly because he is so passionate about the game. His expertise has helped him win at a number of tournaments and in turn he has made a comfortable living playing the game. He is also a voracious reader and an avid writer.

The rapid evolution of rock music

The rapid evolution of rock music Rock Music its Rapid Evolution Introduction Music has been with man since the dawn of time. Every beat or sound can some way be considered as a form of music. Dating back to early man music could have been something as simple as the soothing sound of a waterfall or a tree swaying with the wind or a wild animal running through a forest. Today music is so diversified and so engrained in our lives that practically every child or teenager even an adult has a vast list of songs that they might listen to on their mp3 players. There are many varied branches of music existing today. These branches have now expanded to encompass everything from the tribal beats to anything that comes out of a synthesizer. And although we find music in many forms today, Im sure the purists would disagree with what the youth of today call great music. Now-a-days it seems the search is on for the â€Å"in music†. Music thats making everybody feel good now and which is discarded in a heartbeat once something better comes along. So what is it that has made rock music go so steady all these years? The reason why I have chosen Rock music for my seminar paper topic is that, I truly am very passionate about this genre of music. Rock Music or Rock as it is so called is vastly misunderstood by people, most of whom simply associate it with negative stereotypes like drug addiction, alcoholism, violence, sexual abuse, demonic control and other vices. One cannot blame people for having such misconceptions about Rock since over the years many of the famous Rock artists have come to be known mainly for their drug addiction and other outrageous behaviour under the influence of alcohol and chemical substances. However it is important to understand that one must separate the artist from his music and not pass unnecessary judgment on the music just based on the vices of the artist. Another misconception is that rock is only drums and guitar, when that is only the public face of Rock. There is a host of other instruments that are key elements to rock music as a whole, other than just guitar and percussion. Rock Music History Origins I would now like to begin with the History of Rock music. Where did it originate? What are its roots? How has it evolved along the years? What is the scenario at present? There are several views as to where exactly the Rock genre got up and going. And many believe that Rock originated in the west with the dawn of Rock Roll by Elvis Presley. However that is far from the case. It all started off during the post-war urbanization of America. The popular music of the late 1940s included country music, folk music, the blues, rhythm and blues (known as RB), jazz and classical music. Basically rock music hails from a blend of various popular music genres at that time in the United States of America. Rock music started off in the late 1940s when people wanted to move out from the slow beat jazz music and the slow electrified blues music to a much faster beat rhythm filled tune at that time. The rock sound is believed to have primarily originated with the guitar. It is believed that the existing guitar tunes used in blues music was soon blending in with other forms of music like jazz, classical music, folk music and other popular forms of music existing back then. All this led to the birth of Rock music as a separate genre of music which back then came to be known as Rock n Roll towards the early 1950s. Around that time i.e. the late 1940s to the early 1950s Rhythm and Blues (RB) musicians mainly concentrated on the black audience. However later onwards musicians started playing for a multi-racial audience. These musicians also targeted the newer forms or blends of music towards this audience. Later on these same fast beat blends of RB and the blues etc came to be coined as ‘Rock n Roll. â€Å"It is believed that in 1951 in a town in Cleveland, Ohio in USA a musician by the name of Alan Freed is said to have began playing a new form of RB music for a multi-racial audience is believed to have first used the phrase ‘Rock ‘N Roll to describe his music.† Source: Icons of Rock Scott Schinder with Andy Schwartz Encyclopaedia Britannica Rock Music. Rock Music Evolution Rock music is believed to be one of those genres of music that has evolved very rapidly over the past 50 to 60 years. Its rapid evolution has been witnessed mainly over the last 50 years. It all started with good old Rock n Roll in the 1950s. This later evolved in the 1960s which was considered as a Golden Era for Rock music. Rock took a totally different turn with the British invasion of rock by the Beatles. This was later followed by what came to be known as Surf music in America which was a mix of the catchy rock n roll n the hip and happening Beatles music. The Beatles music also led to a new form of music that was called as the hippy and psychedelic rock music. In the 1970s which came to be known as the memorable years evolved different forms of rock music such as Hard Rock, Punk Rock also Pop Rock. The 1980s witnessed a change in the band members hair styles. This era also was famous for what was called as hair bands. It included styles of rock such as punk rock funk rock. It led to the evolution of Heavy Metal. Bands used to wear tight leather pants and sported insane long hairdos. The 1990s showed a completely new and insane evolution of rock. It gave newer forms of rock such as Grunge Rock Alternative Rock. It gave the revolutionary guitar distortion feedback. Many of the genres from the 1950s onwards till the 1999s are still well known today. Most of the bands in those eras are still popular today. Many of todays bands still play the different styles of rock music. Some of them even make remakes of those songs using modern day styles and instruments. The later half of 2000 also witness something that very well came to be known as fusion music. It involved bringing together classical music (Western or Indian) and blending it in with modern day rock music. This style today is very popular especially in our country among our Indian youth that have blended the Indian classical instruments very smoothly with instruments like the guitar, keyboard, percussion, etc. The 1950s The 1950s gave rise to the Youth culture. It faced problems such as racial tensions the advent of the Cold War. This first saw the advent of Rock n Roll with great artists like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Shadows, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, Bill Haley the Comets, Gene Vincent, the Everly Brothers, and Carl Perkins, among many others. These were considered to be the first wave of Rock n Rollers. Rock and roll in its earliest stage could have been described as just blues with a few electric guitar tunes attached to it. In its purest form, Rock Roll was as simple as three chords, a strong yet insistent guitar back beat, and a catchy melody. Early rock roll was drawn from sources primarily including blues, RB, and country, but also gospel, traditional pop, jazz, and folk. These genres were combined together in a simple, blues-based song structure that was fast, danceable, and catchy. Rockabilly emerged in the mid1950s. It is simply a mix of rock and roll, country music, blues, and a little jazz too. It was a fundamental music genre of the 50s. The fathers or founders of Rock n Roll came t be known as Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard Chuck Berry. Their music revolutionized the music industry and later gave way to new forms of rock music in the decades to follow. Even in todays times their music is still very popular. Rockabilly was popularized by white singers like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins Jerry Lee Lewis who mainly concentrated on the country roots of the music. The Popular hits recorded around that time were Thats All Right (Mama) Elvis Presley, Heartbreak Hotel Elvis Presley, Rock Around the Clock Bill Haley the Comets, Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash, Blue Suede Shoes Carl Perkins. Another popular form of Rock n Roll in the 1950s was called the ‘Doo Wop. It emphasized on multi-part vocal harmonies and meaningless backing lyrics supported with light instrumentation. Its origins were African American vocal groups like the Inkspots the Mill Brothers. Famous bands of this form of music were The Orioles, The Ravens and The Clovers, that used a strong element of traditional gospel music in their songs. The great hits included â€Å"The Great Pretender† The Platters, â€Å"Yakety Yak† The Coasters â€Å"Yes Sir, Thats my Baby† The Clovers along with many others. Later on during the 1950s Elvis Presley came to be known as the King of Rock n Roll. Even today he is still remembered as ‘The King. The decline of Rock n Roll was witnessed during the early 1960s with the death of famous musicians like Buddy Holy and Richie Valens in a plane crash; the departure of Elvis Presley for the army, the retirement of Little Richard to become a preacher, prosecutions of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry and the breaking of the payola scandal. All of the above incidents gave a sensation that the rock and roll era has come to an end. However during its decline rock n roll witnessed a feminine side with an introduction of love ballads targeted to a female audience the rise of girl groups like The Crystals and The Shirelles. All the events that occurred in the 1950s eventually led to what came to be known as Surf Music, Garage Rock the Twist dance craze. However the major event that was a hit in the 1960s was that of the rise of British Rock n Roll with the emergence of The Beatles which was greatly influenced by the Americas 1950s Rock n Roll. The 1960s The 1960s witnessed many events like that of the Vietnam War, Civil Rights War, Surf Music, Hippie culture, The San Francisco Scene, The Music of Protests the birth of Heavy Metal. Similarly Rock n Roll in the 1960s went through 4 phases or parts. These parts are as follows: Part I The Beatles The British Invasion Part II Motown Music Part III Classic Rock: The Sounds of the 1960s Part IV Message Music Before 1963 i.e. 1961 onwards America witnessed the rise of Surf Music a form of Rock n Roll. This music was pioneered by Duane Eddy, Link Wray, and The Ventures that added distinctive wet reverb style rapid alternate picking to the music. One of the famous hits was Lets Go Trippin in 1961 and this launched the surf music craze. The all time favourite band of this era is The Beach Boys. Part I The Beatles The British Invasion During this decade i.e. post 1963 America along with the rest of the world witnessed what came to be known only as ‘The British Invasion. During the 1960s the most well know and world renowned band of the British invasion was the one and only Beatles. The Beatles till today are considered to be the all time success stories of the 1960s. The main reason why the Beatles are considered one of the best and most influential rock bands of all time is the because they took what Elvis and other Rock n Roll artists created in the 1950s and transformed it into a whole new different thing. Hence this era is known as one that gave birth to a new age of Rock. The Beatlemania had begun with its first single hit song in 1962 â€Å"Love Me Do† in Great Britain. Along with the Rock n Roll of the 1950s the Beatles popularized new genres of rock music ranging from ranging from folk rock to psychedelic pop. The Beatles were so influential during the 1960s that their progressive ideals were considered to be social cultural revolutions. Other great hits of the Beatles include â€Å"I Wanna Hold Your Hand† which sold 2.6 million copies in the United States in just two weeks. The Beatles came out with many hits during this era such as â€Å"She Loves You†, â€Å"Please Please Me†, etc. Other emerging bands in this era included The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones greatest hit during this period was â€Å"Honky Tonk Woman† Part II Motown Music Motown was a Detroit based record company that was founded by Berry Gordy who was a one-time assembly line worker at Ford Motors. It became the most successful black owned record company by 1963. Motown had a number of vocal groups, songwriters musicians. The music recorded was known for its tight orchestrations and catchy lyrics. The music was based on the injustice to the black community during the Civil War. The Motown greats were The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves the Vandellas and Diana Ross The Supremes. Part III Classic Rock: The Sounds of the 1960s This era witnessed what was known as the Hippe culture. Their main chant was ‘Make Love Not War. Peace was their underlying theme. The Beatles is one of the famous bands that transitioned during this phase in terms of their look and music. Other artist that came to existence were Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, Steppenwolf, Simon Garfunkel, Mamas and the Pappas and Lovin Spoonful. The famous concert of this era was The Woodstock. This was a concert for promoting peace, love brotherhood. Artists like Jimi Hendrix rocked the concert. Part IV Message Music Most themes found in rock and roll during this era dealt with love and relationships gone wrong. It followed the war on Vietnam the various protests being undertaken. The music was an attempt to reflect upon the events occurring at that time like the civil rights movement, the growing unrest over the war in Vietnam, and the rise of feminism. The message within the song focused on peace. Many songs received substantial airplay and became anthems at concerts, rallies, and demonstrations. The Message through Folk Music The Message through Rock Music The most well known artists to emerge from the folk tradition include Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, and the trio known as Peter, Paul, and Mary. In 1965, an artist, Barry McGuire hit the charts with a song that reflected the growing turmoil in the world. Other popular hippy and psychedelic bands such as Pink Floyd, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and others began to rule the world. These bands gave rise to the counterculture movement, trendsetters, with their drug induced lyrics and hypnotic melodies. Other genres of rock began to emerge such as progressive rock which is experimenting with other instruments other than guitar, bass and drums. This was popularized by Pink Floyd. Folk rock was popularized by Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin. The 1960s ultimately gave birth to heavy metal which is a thick, heavy, and highly amplified genre of rock mainly popularized by Black Sabbath. The world was just now beginning to witness the tremendous power impact rock really had on society. The 1970s In the 1970s the Vietnam War had ended, the protests stopped people began to settle down. Along with that, the music too did settle down. The world witnessed the split of the Beatles also the death of John Lennon. The 70s rock music brought different cultures and audiences closer together than ever before. Rock music began to branch out into new genres like Hard Rock, Heavy Metal Punk Rock. Led Zeppelin became extremely popular with its perfect blend of Hard Rock Blues music that they could call its own. In this era bands and artists such as David Bowie, Yes, The Eagles, and Queen became very influential. Towards the late 70s the world also witnessed the rise of Punk Rock. The founding fathers of punk were The Ramones. They combined anarchism and teenage rage with rock and roll and this came to be known as Punk Rock. Other bands such as The Sex Pistols and The Clash helped popularize and redefine punk rock. This new, powerful and intense genre of music influenced many bands of the future. The 1980s And then came the 1980s. Rock Music revolutionized itself in a way that everyone wanted to be part of the upcoming scene. The music took a different turn, more in terms of punk rock, new wave, heartland rock and alternative rock. Most people would think of the 80s as all about big hairdos and androgyny. The gay activists took to in a big way in this decade. People started embracing the opposite sex and everyone had colour in everything they did or wore. This inspired the rock music scene greatly. The eighties saw everything from enthusiasm to neon pink socks, worn by men. Creativity was expressed so greatly in the 1980s and artists wore their individuality with pride. The 1980s music scene is possibly considered as one of the strangest times in the evolution of rock music. Music artists were doing everything, a mix of bubblegum pop, sentimental forever ballads to thumping electric beats and even the hardest rock metal. This decade practically saw it all. Artist such as Bruce Springsteen, Guns and Roses, Van Halen, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Bon Jovi, and Motley Crue can best be remembered for their power ballads and great guitar solos. A new genre of music called as ‘New wave also emerged from punk, funk, and disco. It was made popular by artists such as Divo, The B-52s, Talking Heads, and Blondie. Indie rock or Alternative rock as it is well known began to emerge in the late 1980s with artists such as U2, R.E.M., The Cure, The Smiths, and Sonic Youth were very popular with college students. Punk also became more popular with bands such as Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys. This was also the time of producers. Theyre importance grew and artists took notice that a good producer could take their records to the market. Then came the advent of having soundtracks in movies. Record companies realized the economics in placing a song in a movie, the response was tremendous. Regardless of the variety, the music is the eighties was a big hit, it still is. And thats because the music spoke the minds of the people, it made no apologies, one could identify with a slow ballad by Phil Collins in the afternoon and put up their black leather jacket, rocking to Iron Maiden by night time, you dint have to apologize to anyone. Freedom of expression, experimenting and lyrics became an integral part of the eighties. And that is precisely the reason why the eighties they say will never die. The 1990s The early 90s was known as the era of grunge and alternative rock. Nirvana came to be known as the most popular grunge band of the 90s. Grunge music can be described as dirty guitar, strong guitar riffs with distortion and feedback. It consisted of dark lyrics and expressed teenage angst. Popular grunge and alternative bands were Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Janes Addiction and Alice in Chains. A more iconic scene was that of the emergence of female artists. Women were becoming much less dependent on men, and less oriented towards having a family-based future. They were daughters of women who fought for equal rights and they expressed it- in the form of words and notes. The magazine, Billboard brought about the commercial success of the music industry. It changed the way it ranked singles and albums of artists by tallying actual sales at retail stores instead of using the industry-manipulated word of mouth. Rock suddenly beat pop in terms of sales, and minority genres such as country and hip-hop began to enter the charts. This led the industry to invest more in these minority genres. The 1990s proved that music was for the listener and that the idea behind music was to view the artist as a whole, his production, his team, his lyrics, his image, his music video and his personality. Everyone had a favorite type of music and a favorite genre, a favorite artist and a favorite album. You couldnt help it- there were so many choices by this time. 2000 Present Alternative rock even today is one of the popular and broadest genre of rock music. Emo, is a new sub genre of rock that consists of intense emotional lyrics with hardcore punk roots. It was popularized by bands like From First to Last, The Used, Brand New and softer bands such as Dashboard Confessional and Bright Eyes which can also be described as indie. The word indie actually stands for independent and refers to bands that are part of an independent record label. However, today indie has a whole new meaning. Indie can be described as mainly underground and softer version of alternative rock. Popular indie bands include Death Cab for Cutie, The Strokes, Elliott Smith, The Decemberists, The Arcade Fire, The Postal Service a few others. Heavy metal has now reached an extremely new level. Sub-genres of heavy metal like black metal, death metal and thrash metal which is very loud, aggressive and fast entered the industry. Popular hardcore metal bands include Slipknot, As I Lay Dying, Korn, Norma Jean and Cannibal Corpse. Alternative rock has now become an all time hit with bands such as Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chevelle, Coldplay, and the Foo Fighters. Pop rock is another popular genre. It is rock mixed with a more mainstream approach and popular lyrics. Pop rock bands include Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects, Ashlee Simpson, Avril Lavigne, and others. Another form of music that came about was the rap rock. They symbolized the fusion of the raw, street music and hard rock pelting beats. It was an instant hit with the fans of both the genres. Examples of such were Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Faith no More, Rage Against the Machine, etc Rock Music in the Indian Scenario Rock music caught on in India during the mid 70s. I remember hearing stories of my father and his brothers in small time bands playing the good oldies like Elvis Presley, The Carpenters, The Beatles, The Shadows, Bob Dylan and other artists on their guitars. These were many such small groups which were mainly Catholics that played all the dance numbers mainly for weddings the Christmas dance. These were the jive the twist numbers that people used to love to dance to back in the day. Towards the 80s artists like Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits Jethro Tull became quiet popular. People used to purchase these music cassettes and listen to this kind of music on their audio cassette players Sony Walkman. That however was a very long time ago. Things soon changed with the Gulf War of 1991 opening the gates to media in India. MTV was one of the channels that were beamed, along with CNN. Apart from Pop music what caught on quickly was rock. However, as an audience, the numbers in India were still minimal. It was only bands like Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and U2 that caught the fancy of many people. To a large extent, rock began and ended with Deep Purples Highway Star. The love for rock only meant name-dropping and wanting to sound fashionably rebellious. All that changed quickly changed to from the year 2000 onwards. Hard rock quickly caught on along with its counterpart Heavy Metal and is literally worshipped in many engineering colleges all over India. Many groups have been formed in various areas where the rock scene is still alive. These include Goa, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune Delhi. Many popular India bands hail from these areas and have composed pretty famous hits that are well known to the Indian Rockers. Many engineering colleges still pay tribute to Rock by hosting Rock shows where fans from various parts of the country rush to gather head bang in harmony. The first rock band in India to become famous was Indus Creed. Famous Indian rock bands of today include bands like Zero, Pentagram, Parikrama, Them Clones and various others. One happening rock shows of Mumbai used to be the Independence Rock gig at Rang Bhavan popularly known as I-Rock which used to be packed and crowded as it was very popular and had bands playing from all over the country. Off late the popularity of i-rock has died down due to the change in date and venue due to certain restrictions. Another new genre of rock music that has probably evolved in India is Fusion rock which involves blending Indian classical instruments with that of the electric guitar, keyboard drums. This is something that is definitely coming up in the country with rock songs in Hindi rather than English and even in Hinglish. I still feel that there is very poor liberalization for Rock music in our country but as time passes by things will definitely seem to be getting better. One evident fact is Channel Vs ‘Launch Pad that takes place every year that hunts to find the Countries most popular and best Rock band. Along with Channel V, MTV has also started something called as Rock on Desi Beats that hunts for fusion rock bands of the country and popularizes the best. Another evident fact that rock music is catching up quickly was the launch of the movie ‘Rock On directed by starring Farhan Akhtar. Conclusion Hence I strongly believe that Rock music with its legendary History can never die out. It will always be a part of culture and will always be know as that which shapes culture strongly affects society. It is finally meant for people to understand that Rock is just about the music and the passion it drives in the youth. It should not be stereotyped with drug abuse alcoholism other vices. For this to happen it is the people that must change their ways and also it is essential for the famous artists to set a better example as they owe it to their fans as much as they owe it to the music. Another important factor is that although opportunities in the country for Rock music are very low it is extremely tough to become big, society must encourage the youngsters that have a passion for this music. Bibliography Internet References * http://www.warr.org/roots.html (Wilson and Alroys Record Reviews) * http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade60.html (American Culture History) * http://www.spinner.com/2009/09/30/70s-music/ * http://www.cracked.com/article_15636_the-10-most-terrifyingly-inspirational-80s-songs.html * http://www.scaruffi.com/ (Rock Music Resources) * http://www.allmusic.com/ (Articles on various Artists) * http://www.britannica.com/ (Encyclopedia Britannica) * http://www.encyclopedia.com/ * http://www.mid-day.com/ (Articles on Indian Rock bands) Book Journal References * Icons of Rock (An Encyclopedia of the Legends who changed Music Forever) Scott Schinder with Andy Schwartz * Why 1955? Explaining the Advent of Rock Music Richard A. Peterson * Inside Rock Music Vance Ferrell