Duke Ellington Essays - Duke Ellington, Harlem Renaissance

Duke Ellington Duke Ellington Duke Ellington By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world's greatest composers and musicians. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his fifty-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. He was the Duke, Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy Ellington was born into the world on April 28, 1899 in Washington, D.C. Duke's parents Daisy Kennedy Ellington and James Edward Ellington served as ideal role models for young Duke and taught him everything from proper table manners to an understanding of the emotional power of music. Duke's first piano lessons came around the age of seven or eight and appeared to not have that much lasting effect upon him. It seemed as if young Duke was more inclined to baseball at a youn g age. Duke got his first job selling peanuts at Washington Senator's baseball games. This was the first time Duke was placed as a "performer" for a crowd and had to first get over his stage fright. At the age of fourteen, Duke began sneaking into Frank Holliday's poolroom. His experiences from the poolroom taught him to appreciate the value in mixing with a wide range of people. As Duke's piano lessons faded into the past, Duke began to show a flare for the artistic. Duke attended Armstrong Manual Training School to study commercial art instead of an academically-oriented school. Duke began to seek out and listen to ragtime pianists in Washington and during the summers, where he and his mother vacationed in Philadelphia or Atlantic City. While vacationing in Asbury Park, Duke heard of a hot pianist named Harvey Brooks. At the end of his vacation Duke sought Harvey out in Philadelphia where Harvey showed Duke some pianistic tricks and shortcuts. Duke later recounted that, "When I go t home I had a real yearning to play. I hadn't been able to get off the ground before, but after hearing him I said to myself, 'Man you're going to have to do it.'" Thus the music career of Duke Ellington was born. Duke was taken under the wings of Oliver "Doc" Perry and Louis Brown who taught Duke how to read music and helped improve his overall piano playing skills. Duke found piano playing jobs at clubs and cafes throughout the Washington area. Three months shy of graduation, Duke dropped out of school and began his professional music career. In late 1917, Duke formed his first group: The Duke's Serenaders. Between 1918 and 1919, Duke made three significant steps towards independence. First, he moved out of his parents' home and into a home he bought for himself. Second, Duke became his own booking agent for his band. By doing so, Ellington's band was able to play throughout the Washington area and into Virginia for private society balls and embassy parties. Finally, Duke married Edna Thompson and on March 11, 1919, Mercer Kennedy Ellington was born. In 1923, Duke left the security that Washington offered him and moved to New York. Through the power of radio, listeners throughout New York had heard of Duke Ellington, making him quite a popular musician. It is also in that year that Duke made his first recording. Ellington and his renamed band, The Washingtonians, established themselves during the prohibition era by playing at places like the Exclusive Club, Connie's Inn, the Hollywood Club (Club Kentucky), Ciro's, the Plantation Club, and most importantly the Cotton Club. Thanks to the rise in radio receivers and the industry itself, Duke's band was broadcast across the nation live on "From the Cotton Club." The band's music along with their popularity spread rapidly. In 1928, Ellington and Irving Mills signed an agreement in which Mills produced and published Ellington's music. Recording companies like Brunswick, Columbia, and Victor came calling. Duke's b and became the most sought after band in the United States and even throughout the world. Some of Ellington's greatest works include, Rockin' in Rhythm, Satin Doll, New Orleans, A Drum is

10 Things HR Notices About Your Resume and 10 Things they Ignore. by Lauren Gartner

10 Things HR Notices About Your Resume and 10 Things they Ignore. 10 Things HR Notices About Your Resume and 10 Things they Ignore HR directors and their staff members spend a significant amount of time reviewing resumes. Have you ever wondered what they are looking for? Better yet, have you ever wondered what they ignore, or what they would simply prefer not to see at all? Do you think your resume includes the right information? First, let's take a look at the 10 things HR directors look for when they receive your resume. 1. Companies You've Worked for in the Past This is a big one for many reasons. First, it lets them know if you've worked for or with some major players in your industry. It's also an indication of the type of work environments you've experienced 2. The Title of Your Last Position This is an indication of your most recent experience, which is huge. It is also an indication of how long you have held that position 3. Keywords Most HR staff hits CTRL F the minute the open up a resume. What they are looking for are keywords that are relevant to the position they are seeking to fill. 4. Gaps in Employment These won't result in immediate disqualification, but HR does find them concerning if there is not explanation. 5. Spelling and Grammar If you cannot take the time to use spelling and grammar check or proofread your resume, this is a big red flag. 6. Location HR staff looks at this for several reasons. Will they have to offer you a relocation package? Will they have to help you secure a VISA? 7. Your Internet Presence If you have a personal website, Twitter, or other social media account that you believe has content that is relevant to your skills and qualifications, by all means include this information. 8. Career Progression Has your career been on an upward trajectory, or have you been making lateral moves for the last few years? If you have worked in the same industry for years, but have not moved up the ladder, this can be a concern. 9. Resume Delivery Method This is more about the ability to follow instructions than content. If your resume arrives via the appropriate channel, addressed to the appropriate person, with the requested subject line, HR staff is going to love you just a little bit even before they read your resume. 10. Sequence and Organization Is your resume organized in a way that makes sense for the position you are seeking and the qualifications that you have? HR staff doesn't want to spend a lot of time backtracking to find relevant information.    Now, let's look at ten things that HR ignores or finds problematic when reviewing a resume. 1. Personal Details HR staff doesn't want to know if you are divorced, disabled, have children, how tall you are, or how much   you weigh. These details are awkward at best, and at worse can put HR in a precarious legal position. 2. Education You should include this information. After all, if a degree is required to qualify for a position, you definitely want to include yours in your resume. However, don't overestimate the importance of the section. Unless you went to an Ivy league school, HR isn't going to spend more than a few seconds on this. 3. Resume Templates Using a Word template that is publicly available and that has been downloaded by thousands of people is not going to make your resume stand out. 4. Objective You can omit this altogether. Also, unless you are recognizable in a few industries such as marketing and design, calling it a 'Branding Statement' doesn't make it anything other than an objective. 5. Writing in the First Person This can make resumes awkward to read. It is almost always better to stick to the third person. 6. Sending an Infographic Instead of a Resume Linking to an infographic in your resume, on the other hand, is great. 7. Linking to Irrelevant Social Media Websites HR loves to click on links when they lead to websites that represent you as a professional. They don't need to see your 'friends and family' account. 8. Overblown Titles If the title you put on your resume doesn't match the duties you performed, HR will note that. If you've lied about a title altogether, HR will find out when they do their initial background screening. 9. Irrelevant Work Experience If you are pursuing an entry level position, by all means include whatever work and volunteer experience that you have. If you have a few years experience, on the other hand, leave off the job you had in high school bagging groceries. 10. Dubious Awards If you are going to include this in your resume, stick to awards that are directly related to the industry that you are in, educational awards, and community service awards.

Palestine israeli conflict for international relations class Research Paper

Palestine israeli conflict for international relations class - Research Paper Example The common thing in both perspectives of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict is that the main reason is on the issue of land and there are serious consequences that accompany the conflict. There has been loss of land, loss of lives and immigration of the people from their ancestral lands in order to obtain safety in other countries. The research on international relations relate to the Palestinian Israeli conflict. The research paper examines the conflict from a Palestinian perspective. The research will conduct an analysis of the cause of the conflict, which constitute the factors that led to the start of the fight. The history of the conflict helps in understanding the causes, effects, interventions, and future of the conflict. The two parties could just have easily settled their conflicts amicably, but this has not been the case. Both territories have seen the need for continuing to fight a war that started way before they existed. The help from outside parties in trying to arbitrate the conflict have further pushed the countries into further and more serious measures of dealing with the conflict. There are several impacts that have resulted from the conflict. Israel, for example, has become a highly militarized country, with every gender from the teenage years becoming full soldiers. It is a rite of passage for the children to become soldiers when they reach a certain age. For the Palestinians, the oppression they have suffered at the hands of the Israelis has made them have a lot of hate and distrust for the Israelites. The Palestinians also do not have trust in the external parties who have had a history of favoring the Israelites over them when it came to the conflict. The Palestinians further blame outside forces for heavily contributing to the fight. From the Palestinian perspective, the Palestinians are the wronged party, and they would not concede to the Israelites. They want revenge and