Aron Copland essays

Aron Copland essays Aaron Copland wrote a ballet about one of the most famous western gangsters in history: Billy the Kid. The work was written in 1938 and remained popular for over a decade. Unfortunately, his works are no longer heard or performed often enough today. In my opinion, Copland is one of the greatest American performers in music history, but he is not given the recognition he deserves by todays society. By looking at Coplands works and analyzing his Billy the Kid, the necessary proof of his greatness will, without question, show the fact that he is one of the greatest American composers of all time. Aaron Copland, whose family name was changed from Kapland by immigration officials in New York, was born on November 14, 1900 and died December 2, 1990. His parents were of Lithuanian Jewish descent. His parents emigrated from Russia to the United States. His father owned a department store and they did not live lavishly. As he explained, I was born on November 14, 1900 on a street in Brooklyn that can only be described as drab. It had none of the garish color of the ghetto, none of the charm of an old New England thoroughfare, or even a pioneer street....i He began to take piano lessons at the age of fourteen under the tutelage of his sister Laurine. Soon he wanted more professional lessons. Despite the fact that his four elder siblings had taken lessons with no success, he convinced his parents to pay for lessons. I distinctly remember with what fear and trembling I knocked on the door of Mr. Leopold Wolfsohns piano studio on Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn, and-once again all by myself-arranged for piano lessons.i The idea of composing music was not connected...with my family or with my street.iii By the age of 18 he had graduated high school and decided to devote all his time and energy to music. Under the direction of Rubin Goldmark he studied t...

Fala - Franklin D. Roosevelts Favorite Dog

Fala - Franklin D. Roosevelt's Favorite Dog Fala, a cute, black Scottish terrier, was President Franklin D. Roosevelts  favorite dog and constant companion in the last years of FDRs life. Where Did Fala Come From? Fala was born on April 7, 1940, and given as a present to FDR by Mrs. Augustus G. Kellog of Westport, Connecticut. After a short stay with FDRs cousin, Margaret Daisy Suckley, for obedience training, Fala arrived at the White House on November 10, 1940. Falas Name As a puppy, Fala had been originally named Big Boy, but FDR soon changed that. Using the name of his own 15th century Scottish ancestor (John Murray), FDR renamed the dog Murray the Outlaw of Falahill, which quickly became shortened to Fala. Constant Companions Roosevelt doted on the little dog. Fala slept in a special bed near the Presidents feet and was given a bone in the morning and dinner at night by the President himself. Fala wore a leather collar with a silver plate that read, Fala, the White House. Fala traveled everywhere with Roosevelt, accompanying him in the car, on trains, in airplanes, and even on ships. Since Fala had to be walked during long train rides, Falas presence often revealed that President Roosevelt was on board. This led the Secret Service to codename Fala as the informer. While in the White House and while traveling with Roosevelt, Fala met many dignitaries including British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Mexican President Manuel Camacho. Fala entertained Roosevelt and his important visitors with tricks, including being able to sit up, rolling over, jump up, and curl his lip into a smile. Becoming Famous and a Scandal Fala became a celebrity in his own right. He had appeared in numerous photographs with the Roosevelts, was seen at major events of the day, and even had a movie made about him in 1942. Fala had become so popular that thousands of people wrote him letters, causing Fala to need his own secretary to respond to them. With all this publicity surrounding Fala, Republicans decided to use Fala to slander President Roosevelt. A rumor was spread that President Roosevelt had accidentally left Fala in the Aleutian Islands during a trip there and had then spent millions of taxpayer dollars to send a destroyer back to fetch him. FDR answered these allegations in his famous Fala Speech. In his speech to the Teamsters Union in 1944, FDR said that both he and his family somewhat expected malicious statements to be made about themselves, but that he had to object when such statements were made about his dog. FDRs Death After being President Roosevelts companion for five years, Fala was devastated when Roosevelt passed away on April 12, 1945. Fala rode on the Presidents funeral train from Warm Springs to Washington and then attended President Roosevelts funeral. Fala spent his remaining years living with Eleanor Roosevelt at Val-Kill. Although he had lots of room to run and play with his canine grandson, Tamas McFala, Fala, however, never quite got over the loss of his beloved master. Fala passed away on April 5, 1952, and was buried near President Roosevelt in the rose garden at Hyde Park.

Business Environment 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Environment 1 - Essay Example At this juncture, strategic management is the only way in which a company can grow in the long run in this competitive field. The decisions should be undertaken by the firms only after analyzing the changes and conditions in the external business environment. It is true that without the help of efficient strategies, the firms cannot frame ways for further business development (Johnson and Scholes, 1993). This paper will explain the ways in which adoption of new strategies in the business of Oman Oil Company can help in mobilizing new resources and augmenting the overall level of its performance in the market. New strategies adopted in a firm would help it to improve its resource allocations, thereby reducing its cost of operations. It would facilitate the enhancement of the brand value of the company and improve its relations with its stakeholders. New innovations and creativities providing competitive advantages to the firm can also be introduced through implementation of new busine ss strategies. All of these advantages would help to forecast directions and also, increase the scope of business for an organization (Oxford Business Group, 2008). Formation of Strategies in the Company The business strategies of the company have helped in generating competitive advantages in the market. ... The mid-year rises in the prices of oil have significantly helped in the economic growth of Oman from 1999. The country had associated with the World Trade Organization in 2000 and since then, it has been promoting privatization in the economy. The Oman Oil Company has taken his opportunity to increase its business revenue and utilize the accumulated finances in various types of new private investment projects (making equity investments in new private companies). When the demand for oil in the world market had been increasing, the company had actively augmented its resources in business and expanded its scale of operations. The country of Oman also has plenty of natural oil reserves, thereby making extracting and producing oil more convenient. Any company engaging in the production of oil would not need to outsource it from any other economy. Thus, considering the external environment, the company has correctly selected its business investment segment. Competitive Advantages due to t he Strategies The competitive advantages gained by the company are the special features of its business that makes it unique in the whole market. Oman Oil Company with its effective business strategies has become successful in providing a greater value to the customers in the market. It is true that the price of different forms of energy manufactured by the company is high as their levels are regulated by the free forces of the market equilibrium (Porter, 1998). However, the higher prices are justified when the different beneficial services of the company are recognized (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2009). Figure 2: Investments made by the Company (Source: Oman-Oil, 2012) With its effective business strategies, the company