Consumed with Sleep? Dormant Bodies in Consumer Culture

Abstract: This paper takes the neglected sociological matter of sleep and applies the insights contained therein to issues and debates within the sociology of consumption. Sleep, it is argued, is pursued if not consumed in a variety of ways in consumer culture, including its (lifestyle) associations with health and beauty, leisure and pleasure. It is also increasingly recognised if not contracted for in the workplace, construed as the 'ultimate performance enhancer' and the 'cheapest form of stress relief'. These and other insights are located in the context of a burgeoning 'sleep industry' and the consumer identities it spawns: one which is busy capitalising on this dormant third part of our lives through a range of products, from beds to bedding, night-wear to night-cream, pills to pillows. Sleep, it is concluded, is a crucial element of consumption, augmenting existing theoretical and empirical agendas in significant new ways. The broader sociological implications of sleep are also touched upon and addressed, as a stimulus to further research, discussion and debate.Beauty; Consumption; Health; Leisure; Sleep; Work

The effect of a cardiovascular risk factor education program on health behaviors of selected school age children

This study, using a quasi-experimental design, was conducted to explore the effect of a cardiovascular risk factor education program on the health behaviors of a group of fifth grade children. The following hypothesis was tested: There will be a statistically significant improvement in self-reported health behaviors of school age children who receive a cardiovascular risk factor education program as compared to the self-reported health behaviors of those school age children who do not receive a cardiovascular risk factor education program. One hundred and nineteen subjects, 63 in the experimental group and 56 in the control group, were tested using the researcher\u27s designed health behavior questionnaire, My Health Behaviors , before and after participation in the health education program. The program provided for the experimental group consisted of eight 45 minute sessions. The introductory and summary sessions were primarily concerned with administration of the pretest and post-test and sessions two through seven were informative sessions about high fat, high cholesterol diet, smoking and sedentary lifestyle. The program provided for the control group consisted of four 45 minute sessions; session one was concerned with introductory material and administration of the pre-test, sessions two and three were informative sessions related to general nutrition and foods high in salt and sugar, and session four was devoted to review of content as well as administration of the post—test. Data were statistically analyzed using the paired-sample student\u27s t-test. Results of the analysis revealed a significant difference between the two sample groups at p\u3c0.01 level. The hypothesis was accepted

The Distribution of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys kempi) Along the Texas Coast: An Atlas

Eight hundred sixty-five records of Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempi) reported from Texas between the late 1940's to April 1990 were compiled from six data bases and the literature, then plotted on a series of Texas maps. Four categories of Kemp's ridleys are identified throughout the atlas: head-started (turtles that are raised in captivity their first year of life), wild, historical (pre-1980), and nesters. Geographic, seasonal, and size distributions of the turtle categories are plotted by regions. Most Kemp's ridleys were reported from the northeast and central Texas coast. They were reported from both inshore (landward of barrier islands) and offshore (seaward of barrier islands). Scattered nestings occurred in the central to southern regions. Kemp's ridleys were found more often during the spring and summer. A total of 546 turtle records contained measurements; most were 20-59.9 cm curved carapace length and considered sub-adults. Comparison of distributions of head-started and wild Kemp's ridleys suggests head-started Kemp's ridleys inhabit the same areas as wild Kemp's ridleys. (PDF file contains 56 pages.

Public drum project : exploring designs for musical composition that enable participation and collaboration

This research project explores designs for musical composition that enable participation and collaboration. The importance of holistic participation to this study is contingent on the idea that the level of involvement in music is central to the experience of it, and that greater engagement offers the potential for a deeper and more satisfying experience. The significance of collaboration hinges on the idea that diverse “knowledges” and ways of thinking are valuable components of the creative process and they enable innovation. The study examines alternatives to the tripartite Western art music model, which customarily separates composers, performers and listeners, and focuses on enabling collective music making that is inclusive and nonhierarchical. This involves theoretical research grounded in concepts drawn primarily from the philosophies and practices of John Cage, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, and R. Buckminster Fuller. It also involves praxis, focused on collaborative participatory musical composition, which evolved into a participatory sound installation, involving one hundred drums hanging in a public space. The majority of those who took part in the installation trials were able to participate, and to collaborate, and the enthusiastic involvement of these participating individuals points to the efficacy of the evolving installation design. The research indicates musical composition may have the potential to function as an exemplar for participation and social collaboration in other arenas. The project could be described as both theory/concept-based and practice-based qualitative research that utilises an experimental rhizomatic methodology. The study utilises an assemblage of complex, interwoven and iterative processes and methods—at times characterised principally by practical creative work, and at other times more by theoretical research. In accord with the overall project’s rhizomatic approach, the thesis is divided into five main sections, which can be read in any order

Big hair, don\u27t care, brush mad.

https://scholarship.rollins.edu/six-word_memoirs/1016/thumbnail.jp