Faith Evans :: essays research papers

In spite of the fact that Faith Evans carved out a recording career in her own right, her name will forever remain linked in the minds of many to her late husband the Notorious B.I.G. Evans was an active session singer and songwriter before signing her own solo deal and marrying Biggie, and while she never matched the level of his stardom, she continued to come into her own as a vocalist in the years after his untimely death. Faith Evans was born on June 10, 1973, and grew up in Newark, NJ, where she began singing in church at the mere age of two. A high school honor student, she sang in her school's musical productions before winning a full scholarship to Fordham University. After just one year, though, she left college to put her jazz and classical training to use in the field of contemporary RB. It didn't take her long to find work and over the next few years, she sang backup and wrote songs for artists like Hi-Five, Mary J. Blige, Pebbles, Al B. Sure, Usher, Tony Thompson, and Christopher Williams. Thanks to her work on Blige's 1994 sophomore effort, My Life, Evans met producer/impresario Sean "Puffy" Combs, who signed her to his Bad Boy label. In 1995, Evans released her debut album, Faith, which went platinum on the strength of the hit RB singles "You Used to Love Me" and "Soon as I Get Home." The same year, she met fellow Bad Boy artist the Notorious B.I.G. (some accou nts say at a photo shoot, others a phone conversation) and married him after a courtship of just nine days; shortly thereafter, she guested on a remix of his smash single "One More Chance." Over the next couple of years, Evans continued her behind-the-scenes work, performing and writing for records by the likes of Color Me Badd and LSG. She and Biggie also had a son, Christopher Wallace Jr., in late 1996; however, by that point, their marriage had already become strained. Biggie had publicly taken up with rapper Lil' Kim and rumors had been spreading about an Evans liaison with Biggie's rival 2Pac (alluded to on 2Pac's venomous "Hit Me Off"). The couple had unofficially separated when Biggie was shot and killed in March 1997. A grief-stricken Evans was prominently featured on the Puff Daddy tribute single "I'll Be Missing You," which with its cribbed Police hook zoomed to the top of the charts and became one of the year's biggest hits.

Compare and contrast Hamlet vs. Laertes Essay

No two individuals are alike, regardless of similar upbringing. It is reasonable to assume that even twins brought up in exactly the same environment, sharing the same daily activities, and living practically the same life, will act differently when faced with the same situation. Each individual evolves with his or her own uniqueness, style, and way of life. The audience witnesses this phenomenon in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Lord Hamlet and Laertes experienced similar childhoods, and shared similar family attributes. They were both born into royalty and throughout their lives were treated as such. Hamlet and Laertes were reared with the same forms of schooling, and were taught to abide by the same ethics and morals. Although Hamlet and Laertes seem to be â€Å"twined† with regard to family, royalty, and school, it is evident to the audience how such environmentally similar people can react so differently when faced with comparable situations. One such example arises when Ha mlet and Laertes are consumed by a very basic human characteristic, that of revenge. Hamlet and Laertes, although very similar in most respects, differ in that Laertes is driven by passion and Hamlet is driven by reason. Shakespeare exposes to his audience the similarities between Hamlet and Laertes in various instances throughout the play. It is known to the reader that Hamlet and Laertes are both sons of royalty, Hamlet being the son of the former true king of Denmark, King Hamlet, and Laertes being the son of the trusted counselor to the king, Polonius. The reader is able to deduce from the manner of both families, that although they differ, they live very similar lives, and their sons Hamlet and Laertes are quite alike. For example, Hamlet and Laertes have a unique similar respect for their fathers. In one instance, in Hamlet’s first soliloquy, he proclaims respect towards his father in saying that he was an excellent king, like the glorious sun god of classical mythology, and that he is so loving to his wife, Gertrude. â€Å"Hamlet: So excellent a king, that was to this Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother that he might not beteem the winds of heaven visit her face too roughly.† (Shakespeare 14) As well, although Laertes does not know who killed his father, out of respect for him, he swears he will have his vengeance regardless of what will happen to him in this world or the next. † Laertes: To this point I stand, that both the worlds I give to negligence,  let come what comes, only I’ll be reveng’d most thoroughly for my father.† (Shakespeare 118) From here, the audience observes how similarly Hamlet and Laertes each have great respect for their fathers. Another comparison to the seemingly similar manor of Hamlet and Laertes is that of the admirable mutual respect they have for each other, even throughout the twisted murders and losses of their loved ones. Hamlet and Laertes are on the verge of fighting a duel, a duel whose final purpose is hidden from Hamlet. Finally to Hamlets dismay he learns that the hidden purpose of the duel was for Laertes to exact revenge for the death of his father and sister. Yet, all the while Hamlet obliterates his antic disposition and publicly apologizes to Laertes for the deaths of Polonius and his sister, Ophelia. With that Laertes replies he has forgiven Hamlet but in order to save his honor and the honor of his house he must continue with the duel. Hamlet accepts graciously: Hamlet †¦Sir, in this audience, Let my disclaiming from a purpos’d evil Free me so far in your most generous thoughts That I have shot my arrow o’er the house And hurt my brother. Laertes I am satisfied in nature, Whose motive in this case should stir me most To my revenge; but in my terms of honour I stand aloof, and will no reconcilement Till by some elder masters of known honour I have a voice and precedent of peace To keep my name ungo’d. But till that time I do receive your offer’d love like love And will not wrong it. Hamlet I embrace it freely, And will this brothers’ wager frankly play.- Give us the foils. (Shakespeare 149) With all the similarities between Hamlet and Laertes displayed throughout the play there is an obvious dissimilarity between them; the way they react when they are faced with the uneasy task of revenge. It is evident that Hamlet’s character and nature, which leads to his action of revenge, is that based on reason, while Laertes’s form of revenge is that based on passion and impulse. When Hamlet’s father appeared to him in the form of a ghost claiming the current king, Claudius, Hamlets uncle, had murdered him; Hamlet did not heed the information and obtain his revenge right away. Hamlet’s reaction was that of a wise methodical individual. It took Hamlet some time to convince himself that the ghost truly was a good spirit of his father, relaying truthful words in order that his soul may rest in peace, and even then  Hamlet still wanted more proof. Only until Hamlet was certain and had confirmation of Claudius’s guilt was he ready to take action. The reader sees how Hamlet finds his final convincing piece of verification through a conversation Hamlet has with his good friend Horatio: Hamlet †¦There is a play tonight before the king: One scene of it comes near the circumstance Which I have told thee of my father’s death. I prithee, when thou seest that act afoot, Even with the very comment of thy soul Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt Do not itself unkennel in one speech, It is a dambed ghost that we have seen, And my imaginations are as foul As Vulcan’s stithy, give him heedful note; For I mine eyes will rivet to his face, And after we will both our judgements join In censure of his seeming. (Shakespeare 75) Throughout the scene Hamlet added in the play, which was re-enacting the death of his father, Hamlet and Horatio were able to confirm the truth relayed by ghost of his father and reveal the guilt of Claudius. Up until this point Hamlet was experiencing moral struggles and doubts. Hamlet wanted to be absolutely certain Claudius was the murderer of his dear father before any more blood was spilt. In order for Hamlet to be absolutely certain it took reason and evidence of Claudius’s guilt to allow himself to avenge his father. Conversely, Laertes did not need the degree of evidence in order to avenge his father and sisters death. Even without knowing the one responsible for either, Laertes is quick to promise revenge. â€Å"Laertes: And so have I a noble father lost, a sister driven into desp’rate terms, whose worth, if praises may go back again, stood challenger on mount of all the age for her perfections. But my revenge will come.† (Shakespeare 123) Despite Laertes limited knowledge of what truly happened to his father and sister, he, passionately, is quick to swear revenge regardless of the consequences. Shakespeare has revealed to the audience that the revenge they wish to exact is driven by passion in the case of Laertes and reason in the case of Hamlet. Shakespeare’s approach to this was to reveal to the audience how Hamlet and Laertes were similar. He accomplished this through discussing and illustrating the similarities between family, childhood, and royalty as well as showing the similar admiration and respect they had towards their fathers, seen through Hamlets kind admirable words towards the late King Hamlet, and Laertes’s hastiness to avenge his fathers death and sisters madness regardless of what he may suffer. Furthermore, Shakespeare expresses the mutual respect between Hamlet and Laertes as seen in the opening of the duel and the exchange of sincere heartfelt words. While Shakespeare made Hamlet and Laertes’s similarities known to the reader he also illustrated their differences when faced with a difficult situation. Shakespeare was able to do this through expressing to the reader how Hamlet was able to control his primal urge of revenge through rational, and Laertes’s uncontrollable desire to avenge motivated by passion and love. With life comes experience. Every moment one lives, is a lesson, a lesson on how to act and react in every situation. Individuals can be reared with similar parenting, family and school environment, and still react quite differently under the same set of circumstances. When one is faced with a situation so extreme as avenging a loved ones death, it is impossible and wrong to say that another would have done the same in that situation. The challenges of life are what guide one to the next level; no two challenges are ever the same, no matter how similar they may be.

Anthem by Ayn Rand An Overview Essay

Anthem Essay Anthem by Ayn Rand is a most interesting novel filled with many different emotions, but one emotion Prometheus failed to encounter until later on in life was free will. He eventually learns the true meaning of freedom and how to cope with his stern intolerable society. Even though he is reprimanded unfairly for what is the best in him, Prometheus still has faith for what he is doing is right. Also change and progression might be an unnerving thing to the world council, but that won’t stop Prometheus from saving what’s left of his worlds past. Living and growing up in such a collectivist society, Prometheus never knew what it meant to truly feel free. Never knowing that his whole society had been deceived and doomed to corruption was a major disadvantage for Prometheus, but through it all he followed his heart and pulled through. He came to realize that he is free in almost all ways possible. Free to think, say, and feel what ever and whenever he wants. Ayn Rand writes â€Å"And we heard suddenly that we were laughing, laughing aloud, laughing as if there were no power left in us save laughter. † The theme in this quote is free will. Prometheus experiences free will after escaping to the uncharted forest, away from his unforgiving, unprogressive collectivist society. In this amazingly unique story Anthem a young man named Equality 7-2521, later known as Prometheus, has been neglected of the knowledge of his past and now lives in a never changing collectivist society in which he feels he does not belong. Being born too tall and too smart was no accident of fate, Equality I believe was born for a much bigger purpose. That purpose being to bring change to not just his small city but to the world, to bring something new into the spectrum of life. Equality believed he was cursed with having a mind much quicker than all his brothers and was reprimanded by his teachers for his actions. Rand says â€Å"It is not good to be different from out brothers, but it is evil to be superior to them. † Equality comes to learn that his transgression was really no transgression at all, but rather human nature, his way of freedom, and hos character. The one thing the world council fears the most is change and progression and this is exactly what Prometheus puts into play. All he wasn’t is to bring light to the world with his new invention, but the council fears what might happen if they let this change occur. The council can only see the bad in what he has done even though there is a profuse more amount of good in it. Fearing the suggestions of being lashed and burned until nothing was left; Prometheus runs to the uncharted forest for the council misread his good intentions as greed. Rand writes â€Å"How dare you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds of your brothers? † Prometheus only wants to better mankind and save it from its future corruption. Objectivism is the inimitable philosophic meaning of Ayn Rand in this novel. Metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics are the five predominant aspects to objectivism. Each and every one of these aspects was acknowledged in almost every chapter of this book. Rand writes â€Å"Man is a rational being. Reason, as man’s only means of knowledge, is his basic means of survival. † This quote is coming from the aspect of human nature and is explicating that what a man truly knows is his life and what he will come to be. As you can see Anthem is a very compelling story with ethics, reason, romance, and so much more. Prometheus now recognizes how wrong his society had been in depriving himself and his brothers of the knowledge of their past. Also Prometheus comes to conceive why the best in him had been deemed as his sins and his transgression. Though through the hard times in his society Prometheus was different he could never just simply follow the crowd, in the end his dissimilarity could be the one thing his society needs to redeem their own transgressions.

English Civil War and French Revolution Essay

The English Civil War and the French Revolution are characterized by a change in power that took place within their existing governments in a relatively short period of time. In addition, the English Civil War and the French Revolution were both initiated from the citizen’s unhappiness with the king’s rule. These were caused by a multitude of political, social, and economic problems residing in the English and French monarchies. In England, the civil war was a rebellion by parliament against the king. There was a direct conflict and struggle in determining each of their roles in governing the nation. After the Tudor dynasty ended with the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603; her cousin, King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England and thus began the Stuart lineage. Though he was influential in his homeland, he knew little about the English laws, institutions, and customs. James believed in divine right and consequently alienated the parliament who were accustomed to the Tudor’s â€Å"balanced polity†. Parliament did however manage to keep the power of the purse and expressed their unhappiness by refusing the king’s money requests. King James’ additional failure was stemmed from religious affiliations. The Puritans in the country wanted James to eliminate the Episcopal system of the church organization in which bishops or episcopos held a major role in the administration and replace it with the Presbyterian model. This model was used in Scotland, replicated after Calvin’s church in Geneva where ministers and elders played an important governing role. However, their pleas were pushed away by James’ refusal because he realized in the Anglican Church, the bishops were appointed by the crown. This gave the monarchy supreme authority over church and state. At this time there was a growing opposition of the king and now the Puritans joined in with other English gentry. Conditions continued to worsen under the reign of James’ son, Charles I. He went as far to dismiss parliament altogether from 1629 to 1640 after recanting his previous agreement to the Petition of Right. The document prohibited taxation without parliament consent, arbitrary imprisonment, quartering soldiers in private homes, and declaration of martial law in peacetime. Charles collected taxes for his excessive spending without Parliament’s consent. Alienating himself further, Charles’ marriage to Henrietta Maria aroused suspicions about the king’s faith. She was the Catholic sister of Louis XIII of France and this upset the English Puritans. Charles attempted to introduce more ritual practices with the archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. This struck Puritans as an effort to return to Catholicism. Charles’ fatal error was trying to impose the Anglican Book of Common Prayer to the Scottish Presbyterian Church, which caused many Scots to rebel. Without the financial backing needed to raise troops, Charles was forced to call the disbanded parliament. From November 1640 to September 1641, the new Long Parliament created a series of laws to limit royal authority such as abolishing arbitrary courts, repealing the taxes the king collected without their consent and the passage of the Triennial Act, which made sure Parliament met at least every three years. Some were satisfied with these reforms while radicals pushed for even more change. Charles tried to take advantage of this division by arresting some radicals including a large group led by John Pym. This final act made it clear that the king had gone too far which resulted in the English Civil War. Unlike the English Civil War, the French Revolution was closer to an uprising against the power of the monarchy and rich nobility by the peasants and middle class. Fifty years before the time the war broke out in 1789, France experienced a period of economic growth due to expansion of foreign trade and an increase in industrial production. France was broken up into three unbalanced estates. The first and second estates were made up of the clergy and nobles, which dominated society and led lavish lives and paid little taxes. The third estate was made up of peasants who were not included in the nation’s prosperity. The taxes necessary to maintain and pay for the first and second estate’s luxuries heavily burdened the peasants. They constituted 75-80% of the population but consequently only owned 35-40% of the land. Their discontent and struggle for survival played a vital role in the course of the revolution. The consumer prices rose faster than their wages, which resulted in urban groups unable to purchase necessities to live. A hardened resentment grew from both the lower and middle classes. Even the bourgeoisie were excluded from the social and political privileges dominated by nobles. At the same time, new critical ideas of the Enlightenment deemed attractive to groups aggravated by the monarchial system. The majority of French society was fed up with the old, rigid order based on estates and privileges and responded by taking drastic action against the regime. Crisis struck in 1787 and 1788 with bad harvests and the beginning of a manufacturing depression. This led to food shortages, rising prices and unemployment. One-third of the entire French population was poor. These people saw the lavish lives of the first and second estates, which led to increased criticism of their existing privileges. The parlements gained new strength and judges took on the role of â€Å"defenders of liberty† against the arbitrary power of monarchs. However, these efforts failed when they pushed their own interests and often blocked new taxes. The immediate cause of the revolution was the entire collapse of government finances. The court’s luxuries and costly wars took a toll and their expenditure grew to new heights. The government reacted by borrowing money, which created a huge interest on the debt they already owed. Charles de Calonne, controller general of finance, proposed a complete reconstruction of the fiscal and administrative system of the state. He convened an â€Å"assembly of notables† to gain support, but they refused to cooperate and once again their efforts at reform failed entirely. The French king, Louis XVI was forced to call a meeting of the French Parliamentary body, known as the Estates-General. At this point, the government was basically confessing that the consent of the nation was required to raise taxes. Louis initially thought this would be just a way to solve the immediate financial issues of the monarchy but actually ended up reforming the government completely and destroying the old regime. The revolution was officially initiated on July 14, 1789, when several starving, working people of Paris stormed into the castle of Bastille, demanding change. Despite their differences, the French Revolution and English Civil War stem from unrest of their citizens and their desire to transform and improve society. Clearly the main problem lay within the corruption and greed of people with authority. The powerful have influence over the political, social, and economic facets of society. However, in these instances, each monarchy failed to compromise by ignoring their own citizen’s frustrations and struggles. This left the civilians no other choice but to begin a revolution.

International Hospitality Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International Hospitality Industry - Essay Example The data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and a review of archival data (Web sites, employee handbooks, newsletters, departmental forms) during 1998, 1999, and 2001. Key contacts included Gord Ahrens, former Director Employee Experience (1998, 1999) and his successor, Kirby Brown (2001). Understanding Human Resource Management: A Framework Within this section four distinct conceptions of HRM are presented: traditional HRM; integrative HRM; strategic HRM; and universal HRM. While empirical support for each of these perspectives exists, due in large measure to their degree of inter-relatedness, emerging research provides compelling support for the universal perspective. Storey (1992) explains that the concept of human resource management has attracted enormous attention and stimulated significant debate among academics and practitioners. (McGunnigle P., Jameson S., 2000, pp.403-421) Traditional HRM Traditional HRM (THRM) has its roots in personnel management. Its focus is on worker productivity through discrete HR practices such as selection, job design, and incentive pay practices (Bamberger and Meshoulam, 2000). Empirical THRM research has tended to focus on the link between these practices and various human behaviour and productivity variables (e.g. turnover, job satisfaction, labour costs). Support for this perspective has been found (see for example, Hackman and Oldham, 1980; Guzzo et al., 1985; McEvoy and Cascio, 1985; Weitzman and Kruse, 1990; Cutcher-Gershenfeld, 1991). It is also not always clear what effect first level outcomes (i.e. reduced labour costs) have on second level outcomes (e.g. product quality, sales, profits). Integrative HRM Integrative human resource... Within this section four distinct conceptions of HRM are presented: traditional HRM; integrative HRM; strategic HRM; and universal HRM. While empirical support for each of these perspectives exists, due in large measure to their degree of inter-relatedness, emerging research provides compelling support for the universal perspective. Storey (1992) explains that the concept of   human resource management has attracted enormous attention and stimulated significant debate among academics and practitioners.   (McGunnigle P., Jameson S., 2000, pp.403-421)Traditional HRM Traditional HRM (THRM) has its roots in personnel management. Its focus is on worker productivity through discrete HR practices such as selection, job design, and incentive pay practices (Bamberger and Meshoulam, 2000). Empirical THRM research has tended to focus on the link between these practices and various human behaviour and productivity variables (e.g. turnover, job satisfaction, labour costs). Support for this pe rspective has been found (see for example, Hackman and Oldham, 1980; Guzzo et al., 1985; McEvoy and Cascio, 1985; Weitzman and Kruse, 1990; Cutcher-Gershenfeld, 1991). It is also not always clear what effect first level outcomes (i.e. reduced labour costs) have on second level outcomes (e.g. product quality, sales, profits).Integrative HRM Integrative human resource management (IHRM) is also interested in the impact of various human resource practices, but focuses on their â€Å"congruency† (Beer et al., 1985).

Gay Relationship in the Wedding Banquet Movie Review

Gay Relationship in the Wedding Banquet - Movie Review Example The movie is an intense comedy in the first half, and then it reveals the complexities of the relationship burdened on each other. The character Winston Chao, and Simon his lover were living a convenient lifestyle until his parents demand a marriage in an expectation of an offspring. This movie displays very intense emotional sequences as well as riotously funny movements every audience will expect in a movie.   The movie being the debut of actor Winston Chao, does not depict any flaws or chinks in his acting skill. â€Å"The Wedding Banquet never becomes bogged down by its own seriousness. Lee manages to keep the production buoyant by including scenes that are often riotously funny† (Berardinelli.1993). Interestingly, in this movie all the characters possess their own unique worthiness, which gives the audience a splendid visual treat. The plot of the movie The plot of the movie is the life of a Taiwanese immigrant Winston Chao who is a gay. He is in a stable relationship w ith an American man Simon, and defers his parents about his sexuality and agrees to marry Wei – Wei a Chinese woman. ... e in the initial stage looks like a full-blown comedy but later comes out different when the perception of the sexual and cultural choices of the young generation is portrayed dominantly. This movie seems like a romantic comedy in the beginning, but there is a strong dramatic undertone surrounding this movie which the audience finds out towards the other half unravels. The main highlight of the deceptive marriage is the sumptuous banquet after which the Wei - Wei seduces the intoxicated Winston and get herself pregnant. On a finding of pregnancy, Simon gets upset and fights with Winston, and eventually, their relationship starts to deteriorate. In the moment of tension and rage, Winston let his mother know about his sexual identity and his mother knowing this request her son to hide this from his father. Later in the movie, Winston’s father finds out about his son’s relationship with Simon and with half mind go forward to have an amicable relationship with Simon. In the end the father and mother of Winston leave for their homeland leaving Winston, Wei – Wei and Simon to sort out things by themselves. Background and theme of the story The movie â€Å"The Wedding Banquet† is written by three writers namely; Ang Lee, Neil Peng and James Schamus. Ang Lee is the writer and director of the movie and is a Taiwanese American movie director with versatility and dynamic talent. He has directed this movie with a varied nature for which has won Academy Award and lot of acclamation worldwide. Neil Peng is another writer who contributed efficiently to the movie as a screenplay writer. James Schamus is also a screenwriter with numerous acclamations and awards and is also a producer and CEO of Motion Picture Company called Focus Features.  

Vision statement, Core Values statement, Mission statement, Goals & Personal Statement

Vision , Core Values , Mission , Goals & Objectives, and Strategies - Personal Statement Example t working towards a safe, crime and terror free future by pushing for incorporation of intelligent, scientific and technological aspects in service delivery and promoting a healthy and cooperative relationship with the citizens and between the law enforcement agents. My mission is to serve, safeguard and defend the rights of all, promote fairness and public safety. I am committed to promoting peace, demoralizing crime and terrorism acts, protecting property and enforcing laws for economic growth, social cohesion and democratic rights in any manner I deem appropriate without jeopardizing the afore mentioned duties, constitutional rights, ethical and moral concerns. 2. Change people’s negative attitude towards the law enforcement agents through commitment to my duties, respecting the agency’s regulations and ethical standards and using personal judgment and my moral uprightness in the first two years of my service. 3. In my first year of service I will work towards enhancing the relationship between fellow officers and other law enforcement agencies by instilling in them the spirit of team work, togetherness and sharing of ideas. 5. Create a tradition where there will be a change in approach to solving crimes to use of appropriate technology and educated analysis of a situation to reduce chances accusing the innocent in my first two years of service. Staircase to strategic planning comprises of a vision statement, values, mission, goals, objectives and strategies. A vision is blueprint for long term planning. It is a pathway from the present to the future. It comprises of the intended future state of an individual in terms of fundamental and strategic direction. Values are the beliefs which drive an individual’s culture and priorities (Jeanette et al, n.d). The third element in strategic planning is a mission. A mission statement defines the fundamental purpose; reason for existence. Fourthly, is the goals. These are the projected outcomes of what is