Alvin Ailey :: Biography Biographies

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931, in Rogers Texas. His family was a very religious family. He attended Sunday school and church at the Baptist Young Peoples Union. When he was in junior high school, his class went on a trip to the ballet, and that's what inspired him to dance. Seeing the ballet and having his dance teacher, Lester Horton, he was off to a good start. Watching and meeting dancers and actors like Martha Grahm, Doris Humphrey, Charles -Weidman, and Hanya Holm motivated him to pursue a career in dancing. Watching the actors helped him a lot because dancing is very similar to acting; you have to be in, and feel your character. After Lester Horton's death (Ailey's choreographer), Ailey became the director of Horton's dance studio, but in 1958, Ailey founded his own studio and named it, "The Alvin Ailey Dance Company." The purpose of this dance company is "to enrich American modern dance heritage and preserving the uniqueness of black cultural expression" (Willinger 1). The big break for Ailey's dance company was the dance Revalations. which people from all over loved. Since the start of the Dance Company "the Dance Theater has performed for and estimated 19,000,000 people in forty-eight countries and on six continents, earning the Company a reputation as one of the most popular international ambassadors of American Culture." ( Alvin Ailey Dance Company 7). Most African Americans and many races respected Ailey because he was "A leading figure in modern dance, whose dances reflected his black Southern Heritage and are set to jazz or gospel music." (The New Book of Knowledge 587). In Ailey's dance company, there was one dancer that Ailey admired. Her name was Judith Jamison. She provided the inspiration for Ailey to dance to a solo piece, named Cry. Cry was for Alieys mother; dedicated to" all Black women everywhere-mothers." (Alvin Ailey Dance Company 3). Alvin Ailey :: Biography Biographies Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931, in Rogers Texas. His family was a very religious family. He attended Sunday school and church at the Baptist Young Peoples Union. When he was in junior high school, his class went on a trip to the ballet, and that's what inspired him to dance. Seeing the ballet and having his dance teacher, Lester Horton, he was off to a good start. Watching and meeting dancers and actors like Martha Grahm, Doris Humphrey, Charles -Weidman, and Hanya Holm motivated him to pursue a career in dancing. Watching the actors helped him a lot because dancing is very similar to acting; you have to be in, and feel your character. After Lester Horton's death (Ailey's choreographer), Ailey became the director of Horton's dance studio, but in 1958, Ailey founded his own studio and named it, "The Alvin Ailey Dance Company." The purpose of this dance company is "to enrich American modern dance heritage and preserving the uniqueness of black cultural expression" (Willinger 1). The big break for Ailey's dance company was the dance Revalations. which people from all over loved. Since the start of the Dance Company "the Dance Theater has performed for and estimated 19,000,000 people in forty-eight countries and on six continents, earning the Company a reputation as one of the most popular international ambassadors of American Culture." ( Alvin Ailey Dance Company 7). Most African Americans and many races respected Ailey because he was "A leading figure in modern dance, whose dances reflected his black Southern Heritage and are set to jazz or gospel music." (The New Book of Knowledge 587). In Ailey's dance company, there was one dancer that Ailey admired. Her name was Judith Jamison. She provided the inspiration for Ailey to dance to a solo piece, named Cry. Cry was for Alieys mother; dedicated to" all Black women everywhere-mothers." (Alvin Ailey Dance Company 3).

Cloning: Has Science Created A Frankenstein? Essay -- Argumentative Pe

Cloning: Has Science Created A Frankenstein? In Shelley's " Frankenstein" the scientist Victor Frankenstein is out to create life by putting human parts along with electricity. His quest is to be able to create life in a way which has never been done or thought of before. Victor Frankenstein may have been motivated by the death of his family, hoping to find a reverse to death in an attempt to cheat death. He may have also been motivated by the power of creating life. Regardless of his motivation his desire to create life became so overwhelming that he eventually had no interest in anything but his work. This desire for scientific advancement which Shelley writes about must be similar to what motivates scientists even today. In the last century scientist have been attempting to find ways to create life by artificial means. Scientists have made in-vitro fertilization possible, allowing thousands of infertile couples to have biological children. When in-vitro fertilization was introduced it was seen as completely unnatural and going against all religions. I am sure there are still people who view in-virto fertilization as wrong, but the vast majority of the world can see it for its benefits at this point. Although it must be said that it did take a while for people on a whole to accept this method of conceiving a child. Today, we as a society world wide have a new issue to deal with. Science has discovered the means in which to clone animals, opening a whole new discussion. Many people are inclined to say why would science even wish to peruse this method of research. Lewis Thomas says in his essay "The Hazards of Science" It would seem to me a more unnatural thing and more of an offense against nat... ... effect all humanity, and therefore, need to not think on an individual level. J. Michael Bishop states that "The price of science seems large but to reject science is to deny future."(261). We can not undo what has been discovered and we must ensure that all countries involved with cloning form a committee to monitor the uses of this technology to ensure that it is used in the best interest of mankind. Works Cited Bishop, Michael J. "Enemies of Promise" The Presence of Others. C Comp. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins, 1997 255-263. Shelley, Mary "Frankenstein". The Presence of Others. Comp Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins, 1997 230-235. Thomas, Lewis "The Hazards of Science" The Presence of Others. Comp. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruskiewicz. New York: St. Martins, 1997 236-242.

Althussers Ideology :: Ideological State Apparatus, God

In the first half of his essay â€Å"Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses†, Althusser says that, â€Å"the resistances of the exploited classes is able to find means and occasions to express itself there† (99), by which he means in the Ideological State Apparatuses. In the second half of the essay, Althusser argues there are places that can be found in the ISA that allow expression of the exploited class, but this expression is an illusion as they can only express themselves in terms of being subjects. Althusser separates the State Apparatus into two sections, one being the Repressive State Apparatus (RSA) and the other being the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA). The RSA encompasses things like the military, police and government, whereas the ISA contains things like education, religion and family. The RSA is fundamentally different from the ISAs for two reasons, the first being that the RSA is strictly in the public domain whereas the ISAs can exist in both the public and private domain. The second difference is that, â€Å"the Repressive State Apparatus functions ‘by violence’, whereas the Ideological State Apparatus functions ‘by ideology’†(97). Althusser qualifies this statement by saying that the RSA truly functions by both violence as well as ideology since no apparatus can function by one alone. Therefore, conversely, the ISAs function primarily by ideology and secondarily by violence, although most of this violence is usually internal to t he apparatus. Althusser ends his discussion of the distinction between the RSA and ISA by saying that, â€Å"the Ideological State Apparatuses may be not only the stake, but also the site of class struggle, and often of bitter forms of class struggle† (99). By this, Althusser means that it is inherently difficult to take the ISA’s from the â€Å"formal† ruling class since they can retain their roles for a longer period of time than being thrown out of power in the RSA. This also leads us back to the question at hand; how do the resistances of the exploited classes find means and occasions to express themselves in the ISAs? The occasions for expression come from ideology. For Althusser, ideology is, â€Å"conceived as a pure illusion, a pure dream, i.e. as nothingness. All its reality is external to it† (108). Althusser differs from Marx on who controls this reality. Marx argues that this illusion is controlled by those who are in power and is used to control those who are not in power.

Opinion on Internet Privacy Essay

When thinking of internet security, my expectations change depending on where I am accessing the internet from. When I am accessing the web from home I feel some sort of safety because I have lots of different protection on my home computers as well as a secured network site key that cannot be accessed by my neighbors or anyone else unless my password is given to them by me. Although I have all these things that does not mean that hackers cannot get into my computer system so I am still very careful as to which sites I enter information onto. At work, I expect them to have some of the best internet security because if ever there is a problem they will have so much more too loose than an average person. Most businesses have things such as financial records and information that should not be accessed by outsiders. With there being a lot of business and organizations that compete they should be careful to make sure their private information cannot be stolen or viewed by anyone other than the people that the information is intended for. In a public setting, I will use my computer but I do understand that when doing so some of my information may be seen or accessed by others. Because of this, I am very careful of the sites that I visit. I do not enter personal information like Credit Card numbers, social security numbers, addresses or any information that I would not want to be in the eyes or hands of a stranger or a computer hacker. In my opinion, I would say that is it not legal or ethical to use your neighbor’s internet signal without their permission. Being a person who pays for internet service, I think that it is unfair to have someone else use your internet service at their convenience and not have to pay anything at all. Also because it is still unclear what information may be able to be seen or accessed by others I would say it is also unsafe to do so.

Attitude of the Filipino Essay

I was raised as a simple women and I seldom think of my â€Å"caprechos† even though I’m deprived with so many things. Although I’m earning my own money, I seldom think of my WANTS. That’s why I dont know how to react or feel on this kind of stories. But you know what I think? Some Filipinos who acts as if they’re filty rich have many debts! They show the fruit of their labor, oops! My mistake, the fruit of their â€Å"utang† (debt) You can’t measure sucess with what you have alone, but how many lives you’ve touched. hmm, i don’t think that a success story. for me, it really depends on the attitude formed and not on the nationality. Its sad to know that if someone sees for example a filipino nurse behaving against the norm set in their place, they would take it against most or all of the filipino nurses and stereotype them. every basket has a couple of rotten apples but the sad thing is the basket is known for having 2 rotten apples than having 98 good ones. what id like to read in this thread are the real success stories that they had after all those negativities they’ve encountered. there’s a lot of success stories about filipino nurses. but the recent post was very TRUE.. here’s another story†¦. – my mom is a CNA in chicago and she’s working in a nursing home. Im expecting to hear good values coz filipinos are very much known for good character. my mom was handling a 70 yr. old man and my mom maked sure that she took care of that patient and gave the old man a warm bath. she talked to the patient and asked if he wants to take his dinner. My mom lift the bed side rails and checked if its good enough to put the old man in bed. she endorsed the patient to her co-cna’s and her nurse buddy before taking her break.. job well done. but after 30 minutes during my mom’s break nurses on duty run to the old man’s room and found the patient lying on the floor and screaming for help. my mom maked sure that before her break bedside rails were lift but the filipino nurse didnt took care of the patient (my mom’s buddy and team for that shift) and instead of doing the rounce that nurse and her girlfriend sleep†¦. †¦ The incident was reported to the dna and both of the filipino nurse yelled that they didnt want that to happen.. and refused to talk w/ my mom.. duh..!!.. my mom is a good employee for 25 yrs. i dont know waht happened to the so called TLC is it only for the green bucks or tired of worked.. dont know†¦ i was really sad to hear that some filipino nurses were that arrogant and very iresponsible.

Identify the differences between Unitary, Confederal and Federal systems of government

A government is usually the central source of power in any country. There are different types of government with the main ones being unitary, federal and confederal. Each one of these governments has a unique of governing which is distinct making it different from others (Isawa. 1994).Unitary government is a form of government where power is centralized and the local authorities are in charge of all functions of the local government. In most cases unitary government governs cities or states that are big enough to operate independently (Isawa. 1994).Confederal government is where power is diffused and the regional governments have powers to come up with policies. Every state has its own way of operating although there may be a common currency to make trading between the states easier (Isawa. 1994).Federal government is where power is centered on one organ. Every state is governed by one government which is the federal government. It is the supreme center of power. A perfect example is that of the United States of America (Isawa. 1994).Define and give one example for each of the four policy areas: Distribution, Extraction, Regulation and Symbolic Output. Be clear in your definitionsThe policy of distribution refers to the manner in which governments ensure equitable distribution of resource in all areas without favoritism or discrimination. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that resources are distributed equally.When a government is in power it represents the interest of all people in the country. It is therefore the responsibility of the government to ensure that every citizen in the county has access to the resources available in the county without discrimination or favoritism (Isawa. 1994).The policy of extraction regulates the manner in which natural minerals are mined. In many countries, natural minerals tend to be exploited by those at whom the minerals at their disposal. For this reason, governments of various countries come up with extr action measures that regulate the manner in which the minerals are to be extracted. This is to ensure that the extraction is not overdone, thus causing harm to the environment.Minerals play a key role in promoting the economy of a country. This is because minerals are not common and once mined they are exported thus bringing great income to the country. Some citizens may want to take over the extraction process at the expense of the rest of the citizens (Isawa. 1994).The policy of regulation refers to the manner in which the government regulates the behavior of its citizens. This is mainly done through law enforcement agencies and it is meant to ensure that citizens abide by the laws that are set out by the government.A country that is unruly and disorderly has higher chances of low development and growth. It is for this reason that the government controls the manner in which its citizens behave (Isawa. 1994).They control the manner in which they move, they communicate and they carr y out their daily activities. All these activities contribute to a successful government and a successful country. They are all part and puzzle of every government regardless of the system of government.ReferencesJohn, Isawa. (1994). Systems of government: National Council on Intergovernmental Relations. New York: SAGE. Â  

Nick Hornby: a Long Way Down

His first book Fever Pitch was released in 1992. It’s an autobiographical story about his fanatical support for Arsenal Football Club. High Fidelity — his second book and first novel — was published in 1995. The novel was adapted into a film in 2000 and a Broadway musical in 2006. For his second novel About a Boy (1998) Hornby received the E. M. Forster Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult starred in the 2002 film version. A Long Way Down was published in 2005 in the UK. The book received mixed reviews from critics. Johnny Depp bought the rights to the book before it was even published and has since hired writer D. V. DeVincentis, who previously wrote the script for the film High Fidelity, to write the screenplay. The story takes place in London sometime these days. Martin Sharp – Martin Sharp is a former celebrity. We don't know his exact age but he is in his 40-s. Martin's life was perfect: he had a wife and two little daughters, a well-paid job and was successful. He was host of a famous show but Martin made the mistake of sleeping with a 15 years old girl, for which he spent three months in prison. This made him even more popular as his case was stripped in the yellow press. When he is released from prison he discovers that his marriage is ruined. From that point he works for a cable TV channel with low popularity and has an affair with Penny, his former colleague. He does not make an effort to see his daughters or to clarify the tense situation with his wife. He's very unhappy about his situation and feels that he has â€Å"pissed his life away† and that's why he wants to end his life. Maureen – Maureen is a 51-year-old single mother of a disabled son named Matty. Her whole life is turning around Matty. She believes that it is her cross she must bear for her mistake (Matty was born out of wedlock). She has led a completely closed-in life for two decades raising him. Before she got Matty she was employed and outgoing. This has changed because she has to care for Matty the whole day. She has no freedom and free time except the services at church she attends every Sunday. She wants to get rid of her problems, which seems impossible to her. That is why she wants to commit suicide. Jess Crichton – Jess is an eighteen-year-old girl. She does not have real friends. Jess is a person who pisses people off very quickly with her direct and rude character because she says everything that comes to her mind. Jess's father is a local politician and the family is completed by her mother. Her sister Jen, who is really important to her, left the family a few years ago and is thought to have committed suicide. The whole family, especially the mother and Jess, are still very upset about it. She wants to commit suicide by jumping from the tower block because of her family problems and losing her ex-boyfriend though it's also slightly impulsive. JJ – JJ is an American who came to London with his girlfriend Lizzy. He used to play in a band called â€Å"Big Yellow† and toured across the whole UK. For Lizzy he gave up his dream of becoming a rock star, the band broke up and Lizzy dumped him. Now he earns money by delivering pizza, a fact that he is really unhappy with. He compares his own ambition for suicide with the ambitions of well-known musicians These four strangers happen to meet on the roof of a high building called Topper's House in London on New Year's Eve, each with the intent of committing suicide. Their plans for death in solitude, however, are ruined when they meet. After telling their individual stories to the others, they decide to hold off on jumping and to protect themselves. Thus a group of four unfortunate and very individual people forms. Jess' condition not to jump is that they help her to find her ex-boyfriend Chas. So they take a taxi and drive to the party they suppose Chas to be at. After finding and talking to Chas they decide to go to Martin's place where they find Penny, who has obviously been crying. After this event the press begins to chase them. The newspapers claim that Martin has slept with Jess and that they concluded a suicidal-pact. Jess suggests that they can try to profit from the suicidal-report in the newspaper. Jess tells a reporter that they saw an angel that looked like Matt Damon, who saved them from jumping. Because of this silly lie their lives get worse. They go on vacation together and then plan next meeting for Saint Valentine's Day. They meet at 8 o'clock on the roof of Topper's House on Saint Valentine's Day. While they have a conversation, they detect a young man who is planning to jump from the roof. They try to stop him from committing suicide but he jumps. They are really taken aback. They decide to go home and to meet the following afternoon. Martin tells them about a newspaper article he read according to which people who want to commit suicide need 90 days to overcome their ambition. So they decide to wait with their decision until the 31st of March. A lot of event happens during these three months. Things improve a bit. Maureen, JJ and Martin have new jobs now. Martin teaches pupils and wants to start a new life, JJ is a busker and is happy to make music again and Maureen works in a newspaper-store. Jess’s relationships with her family come to normal. The ninety days have passed and they meet in front of the Topper's House again. They decide to go on the roof. On top, while watching the London Eye they realize that their lives are not so bad. They decide to wait with killing themselves for another six months. The book is divided into 3 big parts. And every big part consists of many small ones, each is written in the first-person narration from the points of view of each character. The language differs significantly from one character to another. Jess and JJ use a lot of slang, rude words. It’s interesting to compare British and American languages, thus JJ is an American. Though this is a book about four suicidal people, it is written in rather humorous and witty way. There are a number of laugh-out-loud passages, but also moments of real heartbreak (scenes with Maureen and her son, the suicide of a young man) Ideas Jess, Martin, and Maureen can be seen to represent Freud’s concepts of the Id, Ego, and Superego. The person’s change and development, overcoming difficulties and love for life are the main ideas of the book. Though the changes in the characters appear slight, Hornby shows that such changes are often the ones that lead to real progress in the right direction