Photograhs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Photograhs - Assignment Example This paper is a formal and iconographic analysis of Arbus photographs as compared with the works of Annie Leibovitz. Arbus is basically revered for bringing out a unique quality known as rough empathy in her photographs. Her works embody commonly gendered attributes of mystery and neurosis, which generally distort the primary intent of the photographs. As Annie Leibovitz concentrated in cool, common images of ordinary people and objects, various works in Arbus’ name reveal her penchant for the images of the sidelined, the surreal, and the impaired. Unlike Leibovitz works, Arbus’s works are ethically weakened by the vulnerability and flawed nature of the subjects. Artistically, most of her works seem to be pathetic, miserable and repulsive, rather than attractive as work of art should be. What strikes every audience who views Arbus’s works is the convincing feeling of the natural environment, and how uninterrupted her subjects existed in it. In light of her natural touch evidenced in the photos, reducing the artist to the â€Å"photographer of freaks† clearly reveals an industry where people are unwilling to come to terms with the otherness of the images (Sontag 1). When Arbus took photographs of people lacking clearly discernible flaws, she often found the off attribute, the odd edging, and the unusual lighting that projected her art as pervaded by flaws. Loser at a diaper derby, N. J. (1967), for example, is one of her iconic works showing a toddler close-up, crying bitterly. The baby’s fat fists are clenched as a sign of mourning, with the silhouette image of his mother showing her ignorance of the toddler. The photograph reveals a case of existential solitude that troubles the massive number of cute, happy baby photos by many artists such as Leibovitz. Leibovitz’s Leonardo Dicaprio with a Swan (1997) reveals a flawless work of photography. The most attractive attribute of this photo is the

Neo-liberal Critique of the Welfare State Essay Example for Free

Neo-liberal Critique of the Welfare State Essay The welfare state refers to the initiative of the government in a country to take care of the wellbeing of the public. Under the welfare state, the government undertakes the responsibility of protecting and promoting the economic and social welfare of its people (Kuhnle 2000). The welfare state is based on the equality of all. In a welfare state, the government is involved in the lives of its people on all levels. The burden of providing for the physical and social needs of the people is almost fully placed on the government. The main objective of the welfare state is the creation of economic equability and striving to improve the standards of living. The government ensures fair distribution of resources, provision of equal opportunities, and provision of public services to those who lack the means to acquire them. The government in this case takes the accountability for the wellbeing of its people (Gooden et al. 1999). Hypothetically, the responsibility is supposed to be inclusive given the fact that the welfare of the people is generally considered as a right. This is to say that citizens are entitled to the welfare state. This can also be taken to refer to the establishment of â€Å"social safety net† (Rice, Goodin and Parpo 2006). Neoliberals have attacked the welfare state from different angles with some advocating for its complete abolishment and others claiming that it should be partially eradicated (Barrow 1998). They have given very many reasons as to why the welfare state should be reviewed and necessary measures taken. They have provided a number of reasons as to why the welfare state should be reconsidered. Neo-liberals are the advocates of economic liberalization as the means by which social progress can be achieved (Niggle 2006). This paper evaluates the neo-liberal critique of the welfare state. The neo-liberals advocate for a free and liberal economy where every person is involved. It is from this perspective that the welfare state is criticized for failing to give the citizens a chance to participate in the liberal market economy (Rice, Goodin and Parpo 2006). It is argued that the welfare state makes people reliant on the government and thus fail to labor for their own needs. Most developed countries have established welfare states for providing for the needs of their people. As a result, most people do not see the need to toil when their needs can be met freely. Nevertheless, there have been studies that have provided the claim that there is no connection between the economic performance and appending on welfare in the world economies. This means that there is no proof of the fact that the welfare state hinders social progress (Niggle 2006). When the progress of some of the developed countries that provide welfare is analyzed, it is clear that some of the countries that spend less on welfare are doing worse than those that spend more. For example, the US performs worse than a country like Netherlands. This is despite the fact that the latter spends more on welfare state than the former. This therefore shows that the welfare state could contribute, but is not responsible for uneven social progress (Gooden et al. 1999). The opponents of the welfare state claim that it tends to put the burden of providing for the citizens on some people while others sit back and enjoy. This is supported by the fact that the welfare state is financed through the taxpayers’ money (Kuhnle 2000). This is from the people who are employed and working hard to earn an income. Their income is taxed to provide for the people in the country who are not able to work through the welfare state. This can however be countered by the fact that there is a great income inequality in the society today. Inequality exists between executives and the average workers, between male workers and female workers and between people of different races. The welfare state is one way of ensuring that there is redistribution of resources and income for uniform development and also to take care of the marginalized groups in the society (Rice, Goodin and Parpo 2006). There has been criticism on the welfare state based on the dispensations made by the capitalists. This is done in the efforts to redirect the working class away from the need to follow an entirely socialist society and economy. This is what has been evident in a country like Germany. Additionally, the socialist class is a strong believer in patching up the inefficient capitalist economy and revealing the loopholes in the capitalist economy. They believe that the welfare system will not be necessary where government and ownership of the means of production is implemented (Kuhnle 2000). The critics also claim that the welfare state and the contemporary social democratic programs stifle the motivation of the market. This is so because of the provision of resources like unemployment insurance policies, minimum pay, profits on taxes, and reduction of the reserved labor. The result of this is that there is very little motivation to invest. Basically, the opponents claim that the welfare state demoralizes the capitalist economy and its incentive organization. There is no capitalist who will be motivated to invest his capital in order to feed the entire society (Itoh 1995). Another criticism views the welfare state as stealing of the wealth of slavery. This is based on the classical liberal fundamental right to obtaining and property ownership. From this point of view, it is a fundamental right of every person to be in ownership of his own body and thus be allowed to enjoy the fruit of the labor of that body (Cook 2001). This is where the transfer of money from one person to another by the state in the name of the welfare state is considered stealing. It is also a form of forced labor where some people have to work hard only for the benefit of others. Despite the fact that the welfare state is created by a democratically elected government, it infringes this fundamental right that every person is entitled to. This leads to less motivation to work, where one begins to view his or her labor as being for the benefit of others. The welfare state imposes what is referred to as Servile Law (Waarden and Lehmbruch 2003). This law shares the element of the ancient slavery. According to this law, positive law states that some individuals must toil for others, who in the same way must take care of them. This is unfair because one group of the public works for one that does not work. The group that is fed from the sweat of others is mostly comprised of people who have intentionally refused to work (Mendes 2003). Some other critics argue that the welfare state tends to offer its benefactors with the same rate of income as the minimum payment (Gould 1993). This has encouraged more people to sit back and wait for the welfare. The dependants of the welfare state do not find the need to work for minimum wage where even without working they will receive the same amount. This has led to the creation of a class of citizens that are fully dependant on the welfare state. This is despite the fact that the welfare is available only for the citizens who are not able to work. In the United Kingdom for example, the idea of the welfare state was aimed at poverty alleviation by offering certain individuals basic necessities (Niggle 2006). The state of affairs currently is that the welfare state has extended to provision of finances to a large number of individuals than the nation is able to afford. There is a feeling by some supporters that this argument is ideally untrue. They argue that in the United Kingdom, the welfare system offers people very little finances compared to the minimum wage in the country. However, the dependants of the social welfare in this country have the feeling that they need to access more benefits from the government. If the government bends to these demands, it is evident that the country could be in a very huge financial trouble. People have become so dependant on the welfare state until they feel that it is their right to make demands (Cook 2001). Neo-liberals criticize the welfare state for leading to increase in taxes. This criticism is logical because the finances for the welfare states come from taxes. Enough money has to be availed for the system to operate well and ensure that all the benefactors are covered. This can only be done through ensuring that enough money is obtained through taxation from those who are working. This leads to an increase in taxes. This is basically true from case studies like in Denmark, where the tax level went up to 48. 9 percent of the country’s GDP in the year 2007. Another similar case is Sweden where the tax level was as high as 48. 2 percent of the country’s GDP in the same year (Xu 2007). This however does not mean that there is a reduction in the income of the people in the countries in question. It is argued that this is so because the state taxes ideally return to the workers it is obtained from. This is from the fact that most of the money from tax is used in the provision of public amenities that are enjoyed by the same people who are the tax payers (Barr 2004). The opponents believe that the welfare benefits offered by the government are more costly and less effective than if the same were offered by the private sector. This is in line with a liberal economy where the private sector is offered an important part to play in the economy. In the year 2000, Louis Kaplow and Steven Shafell produced two articles with the argument that any social program founded on the elements of equality and impartiality would lead to an economical system that is Pareto inefficient (Barr 2004). It is obvious that every commodity that is offered free of charge at the consumption point would obviously be highly demanded. There would be efficient allocation of resources if stipulation reflects the charges (Mendes 2003). There have been arguments that the welfare system undermines the conventional family life. Dependence on welfare state encourages over-reliance on the government and increment of social evils. Single parenthood has been encouraged since people know that they will be taken care of by the state. It has been argued that the welfare state fails on moral, social and economic grounds. The welfare system has led many people to relax and wait for the free income. As a result, people have become reluctant to get education and employment. This has led to the increase of social evils as a result. This shows that the welfare state does the society more evil than good (Cook 2001). Conclusion The welfare state was established with the needs of the people who are not able to work in mind. It is a fact that most of the criticisms against the welfare state are true. The welfare state has led to over reliance on the government, making people less inclined to work. It is also true that they have tended to discourage capital investment where people will work to benefit those who are not working. The welfare state has also led to an increase in taxes, as more finances are needed to fund the welfare state. These are some of the neo-liberal criticisms of the welfare state. This does not mean that the welfare state should be completely abolished. As mentioned in the paper, there is great income disparity in the community today. This is not the fault of those who are unfortunate to have low income and those who are not able to access employment. There is dire need to redistribute resources and income in the society. There is no better way of doing this than taxation for provision through the welfare state. The welfare state was also created for a noble objective that is, benefiting those who are unfortunate and marginalized in the society. This group is still in the society and abolishment of the welfare state will be a problem to them. It is however undeniable that something needs to be done to make this system more effective and efficient for economical development. One of the ways forward is to restrict the spending on the welfare state. This will be achieved through restructuring of the policy and reviewing the benefactors. Neo-liberal critics agree that there is need for minimum provision for those in need. This means that the system cannot be entirely abolished, but there is need for serious changes on it. This way it will be able to meet its objectives to the society, while at the same time allowing for economical development. Studies need to be carried out to find the best way forward as far as the welfare state is concerned. Barr, N. 2004, Economics of the welfare state, Oxford University Press, New York. Barrow, C. 1998, State Theory and the Dependency Principle: An Institutionalist Critique of the Business Climate Concept, Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 32. Cook, P. 2001, Discrediting Neo-Liberalism: The Social Democratic Welfare State Of The Netherlands. Available on May 12, 2010 from http://www. wlu. edu/documents/shepherd/academics/cap_01_cook. pdf Gooden, R. et al. 1999, The Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Gould, A. 1993, Capitalist Welfare Systems, Longman, New York. Itoh, M. 1995, Political Economy for Socialism, St. Martins Press, New York. Kuhnle, S. 2000, Survival of the European Welfare State, Routledge, New York. Mendes, P. 2003, Australias Welfare Wars: the Players, the Politics and the Ideologies, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney. Niggle, C. 2006, â€Å"Neo-Liberal Economic Policy: Critical Essays,† Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 40. Rice, J. , Goodin, R. Parpo, A. 2006, â€Å"The Temporal Welfare State: A Cross-national Comparison,† Journal of Public Policy 26 (3): 195–228. Waarden, F. Lehmbruch, G. 2003, Renegotiating the Welfare State: Flexible Adjustment Through Corporatist Concertation, Routledge, New York. Xu, Q. 2007, â€Å"Globalization, Immigration and the Welfare State: A Cross-National Comparison,† Journal of Sociology Social Welfare, Vol. 34.

Still Be Neat | Delight in Disorder | Analysis

Still Be Neat | Delight in Disorder | Analysis Ben Jonsons poem, Still to Be Neat, and Robert Herricks poem, Delight in Disorder, both argue the themes of naturalness. While both poems have similar themes, their approach to the subject of art are opposite. Jonson uses a discreet approach, while Herrick is more up front and lighthearted. The structure, word choice, and diction of each poem helps further their argument of natural beauty. This is significant in showing how Jonson and Herricks poems both discuss the beauty in nature and art, and thus showing that being natural and carefree is preferable to meticulous concealment. The syntax of Still to Be Neat and Delight in Disorder aid in getting the theme across to the reader. Both poems are in the meter of iambic tetrameter. Stresses on the syllables in the words dress and the o in disorder show, in Herricks poem, that the order of the dress is the main argument of the poem. The syllables in the words neat and dressed are stressed to show the central subject of the poem. Jonsons poem is two stanzas while Herricks poem is only one stanza. In the first stanza of Jonsons poem, the speaker describes a woman with her makeup on and the second stanza describes a vision of the woman without her makeup. The single stanza of Herricks poem is a continuous thought that cannot be broken up. This shows that the speaker cannot think about anything else except the woman of the poem. Herricks one stanza consists of 14 lines that describe the sweet disorder the speaker mentions in line 1. The first 12 lines are very stretched rhymes that are a little chaotic. These lines r epresent the chaos of the clothes. Jonsons poem is 12 lines that has a weird rhyme at the beginning of the poem. The words dressed and feast do not rhyme as well as the rest of the rhymes in the poem. This could be stressing that the attention to details, in writing or in dressing, is not always important. Each poem consists of rhyming pairs throughout the whole poem. The consistent pairs represent the perfection women believe they must achieve. The playfulness of the rhymes present to the reader how Herrick and Jonson prefer that the attention to getting dressed should not be so serious. This is significant in showing that the structure of the poem adds to the themes of natural and carefree beauty. Herricks approach to the theme is more mischievous when being compared to Jonsons poem. Delight in Disorder is a cavalier poem, which justifies the use of playful alliteration such as winning wave (line 9). Line nine states Ribbons to flow confusedly; / A winning wave, deserving note. The alliteration gives the poem a lighthearted tone. The word winning means to conquer and wave means to sway to and fro (winning, wave, Oxford English Dictionary). The ribbons are waving in a neglectful manner that the speaker enjoys. This carefree manner can be seen throughout the whole poem. Words such as distraction, neglectful, confusedly, careless, and wild, describe the disorder of the clothes within the poem (lines 4, 7, 8, 11, 12). The words sweet, fine, winning, deserving, and tempestuous, describe the delight the speaker views within all the disorder (lines 1, 4, 9, 10). The whole poem is a sweet disorder due to its silly rhymes and its perfect rhyme at the end of the poem (line 1 and PJ Eme ry). The chaotic rhymes represent the disorder and the last couplet represents the sweetness of the disarray. Herricks playfulness reveals itself in the lines that describe pieces of clothing. The clothing brings the readers attention to body parts. For example, the speaker states A lawn about the shoulders thrown/ Into a fine distractioÃÅ'à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬n (lines 3-4). The piece of linen attracts the speaker to stare at the womans shoulders. The linen is not carefully put in place on the shoulders of the woman, but rather thrown about in a carefree manner. This use of heedlessness attracts the speaker the most because it is not precise. The word distractioÃÅ'à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬n is a distraction itself due to its spelling. It is a play with words that give the poem its good-humored tone. The speakers association with clothes and body parts give the poem a sexual tone. The speaker states A careless shoestring/Do more bewitch me than when art/ Is too precise in every part (lines 11, 13-14). Carelessly placed pieces of clothing attract the speaker to the woman. He would rather see a chaotic mes s of clothes thrown on rather than a neatly placed outfit. The negligence of the outfit is what attracts the speaker. This is significant in showing that the speaker feels the disorder in dressing is what makes the woman beautiful. Jonsons approach to the theme is less upfront. The speaker urges his love to show him her natural beauty rather than the facade she puts on every second of the day. The word still is throughout the whole first stanza. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word still means always and continuously without change. The speaker uses this word when saying Still to neat, still to dressed/ As you were going to a feast (lines 1-2). Being over-dressed all the time is not what attracts the speaker. The speaker states Give me a look, give me a face/ That makes simplicity a grace, which urges the speakers love to reveal her true beauty. He prefers the less complicated face over the one with makeup that hides the truth. Phrases and words such as simplicity, loosely flowing, free and sweet neglect are what attract the speaker the most (lines 8, 9, 10). These words describe a carefree approach to life that the speaker would favor his woman to live. Thus, showing that simplicity is preferab le than forced beauty. The speaker of Still to Be Neat does appreciate the physical appearance of a woman. In the last three lines of the poem the speaker says Such sweet neglect more taketh me/ Than all adulteries of art./ They strike mine eyes, but not my heart (lines 10-12). Although the makeup is appealing feature on the surface it does not affect the speakers heart, which really matters. The speaker is not satisfied with arts hid causes because they do not reveal the true nature of the woman (line 5). Physical beauty is not what the speaker seeks but seeks a deeper connection. This is significant in showing that beauty is not all it takes to win a mans heart. Both poems discuss art. Herrick refers to the art of dressing. Jonson refers to the art of dressing as well as the art of adultery. Jonson poems for a sexual tone in line 11 when the speaker states that the negligence of the clothes attract him more than the adulteries of art (line 11). This line shows how much power the art of dressing has on the speaker. Dressing playfully can prevent the speaker from cheating. Herrick finds a simple piece of clothing tempestuous due to its confusing manner (line 10). Both poets display the themes of nature and art are in association with clothing throughout each poem. The art of dressing should not be scrupulous order but a relaxed mess. Both Herrick and Jonson show in their poems that art is better when it is natural rather than concealing it to look perfect. Herrick takes a more mischievous route, while Jonson is more discreet but still shows a lighthearted side. Each poets approach varies but the message of natural beauty is consistent in both poems.

Jourody Free Essay Journey of Odysseus in Homers Odyssey :: Homer, Odyssey Essays

The Journey of Odysseus In Homer's epic The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus attempts to complete his journey home from Troy. On his way home, however, he angers the sea god, Posiedon, who curses him to travel for ten years on the sea, to loose all his men, and to return on a stranger's ship. During the ten years, Odysseus overcomes many hardships, and visits unique destinations in the world along the way. Each place has several symbolic meanings and themes that are found even in today's society. During his journey, Odysseus will attempt to find his place in the world and make a name for himself, make difficult leadership decisions pertaining to his men, and tries to overcome the natural curiosity and greed that is in man's mental makeup. Although the lure of home drives many of Odysseus' reactions to the obstacles and challenges that are placed in his path, he also follows the calling of a more subtle force. This force is what makes him go to Troy in the first place, and is what dictates his actions on his journey home. The force is Odysseus' own desire to make a name for himself in the world, and to become one of its heroes, forever remembered in song. When his men had reached the Land of the Lotus, he was careful not to eat of the food there. The fruit of the Lotus would cause the consumer to forget who he was, and his quest in life, replacing all impulses that had existed before with only one desire: to eat of he plant (Timeless Myths). Odysseus, however, did not wish to submit to the "passive peace of the Lotus Lands" for two reasons: one more obvious [the desire to return home to his family], and the other hidden but just as strong [the antipathy he possessed about his name diminishing to nothingness on an islan d] (Steiner 112). In fact, this pride is what spurred his outburst when leaving the land of the Cyclops. He had outwitted and injured the monstrous beast, and yet, it was not enough. When he deemed that he was far enough away, he shouted his true name back to the Cyclops, making sure that the Cyclops knew that it had been he, Odysseus, who had put out his eye (Timeless Myths). Although this action may seem to have been rash and stupid to outsiders, Odysseus was actually insuring that he would not be thought of as Outis [nobody] (Steiner 120).

Plastics Bags: A Devil To Be Banned

Plastics Bags- A Devil To Be Banned Plastic bags are normally given to customers by vendors when buying. It is a very convenient method for transporting goods. Moreover, it is highly popular to the customers and retailers because of its light weight. But, ultimately this much usage of the plastic bags leads to the many serious problems. Plastic bags should be banned in Canada because it have a critical environment problems, health problems and also because of its cost of production and recycling. Plastic bags should be banned because it creates very harmful environment problems.Throwing plastic bags could make the soil pollution. It also creates marine pollution. As per the research â€Å"over 13 billion plastic bags are handed to consumers each year, representing a substantial proportion of all floating marine litter (http://www. guardian. co. uk/ environment/2007/nov/13/plasticbags. pollution). Plastic bags wastes block the drainage and also it is dangerous to marine life. Every y ear thousands of seals and whales are dying because of eating plastic bags. For making a plastic bags earth’s precious natural resources are being used.Burning plastics produce much polluted gases which cause air pollution (http://debatewise. org/debates/ 1011-should-plastic-bags-be-banned/#yes9). All of this pollution in combine produces a Green House Effect. Moreover, during the production of the plastics many harmful waste chemical is produce which also contribute in the pollution and ultimately environment problems. So, plastic bags should be banned in Canada as it has dangerous environmental issues. Another, reason for banning of the plastic bags is because of its effect on the health.Air produce after burning of plastics can lead to an asthma or can worse the asthma. When a plastics break down it release many harmful chemicals and by drinking this type of water it enter into a human body and can produce a disease like diabetes, heart problems, cancer (Copperkitten). The se all health problems are serious and they cost much for treatment also. â€Å"Toxic emission produces daring an extraction of plastic bags, their manufacturing, and their transportation contribute to acid rain and smog† (Environmental Literacy Council).Moreover, some people put their foods in plastic bags for a long time and during that many toxic chemicals enter into a food and that may degrade food and also have an adverse effect on a health. Sometimes animals eat plastics bags with other food and in the body plastics not get metabolized and cause the serious problems. Many times it happen like birds eat a part of plastic bags and that stick to their neck and because of that they are unable to take a breath, and die. That’s why the usage of plastic bags should be banned in Canada due to its health risk.Production as well as recycling of plastic bags is very costly. During a production many natural sources of energy are used and that increase the production cost. Mo reover, this will leads to a decrease of these types of an energy sources. The price of oil used to produce petrochemicals for making recycled plastics is so high (Miller, 2005). One could drive their car for a few meters in production cost of one plastic bag. Also, the plastics are non-biodegradable so recycling is very complicated and it will cost too much money.After the recycling another big problems is of removal of the waste. Overall, production and recycling of plastics bags affect the economy of the country. For recycling there are a separate bins required to put in each street and also special vehicles are required for collection of that bins, and these all ultimately increase a cost of recycling. For a disposal of non-biodegradable plastic bags separate farmyard is required and day by day more and more space required storing plastic wastes. Therefore, it is better to ban a usage of plastic bags and it must be banned.Some people give a counter argument that plastic bags sho uld not be banned in Canada. They give a reason like plastic bags are convenient, cheaper and also not harm the environment too much. Some says, it is better to add a tax on production and usage of plastic bags than banning it. But it is not necessary that all convenient things are good for environment and economy. Moreover, the plastics are never degraded into a harmless ingredient, it always produce a toxic substances. Another way to reduce the environmental problems is to use a bio degradable plastics bags.But, the production cost is too high for making bio degradable plastics bags. Some says to reduce the use of plastics bags rather than banning it. But, nobody can control the usage of plastics if it is not banned. And it is proven that the plastic leads to critical environmental problems. It also reduces the other sources of energy and that will affects lot in future. And there is no need to use plastic bags as paper bags already available at the same cost in a market. Also, su ch types of paper bags are bio degradable as well as safe for a environment.So, plastic bags must be banned in Canada. In a nut shell, due to the high risk associated with the usage of plastic bags, it should be banned in Canada. Nobody have a right to damage a environment of a earth. So for a environment and for other living creatures usage of plastic bags must be stop and that is only possible by banning of a usage as well as production. In such types of issues awareness is not much useful. Government must have to take a firm steps for it. And, banning of plastic bags is only a solution.Work cited Copperkitten: Sustainable Living, June 2010 http://copperkitten. wordpress. com/2010/06/22/the-health-hazards-of-plastic-bags/ Environmental Literacy Council. 2005. â€Å"Paper or Plastic? † November 20, 2005. http://www. enviroliteracy. org/article. php/1268. html Miller, G. T. 2005. Sustaining the Earth: An Integrated Approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. http://www. guardian. co. uk/ environment/2007/nov/13/plasticbags. pollution http://debatewise. org/debates/ 1011-should-plastic-bags-be-banned/#yes9

A Night at Alpine Restaraunt on Thursday.

A Night at Alpine Restaraunt on Thursday. It is 6:30 p.m. and I have just arrived at home. Rushing to ready myself as fast as I can for several hours of line dancing, carousing and a scrumptious meal at the Alpine Restaurant in Torrance, CA. Now it is 7:00 p.m., and I have my mind set on a beef dip sandwich and a bowl of the best potato soup. My dad gives me a ride and drops me off at the front entrance of the restaurant at the Alpine Village.I kiss my dad good-bye and walk through the front doors. I pick up a schedule from the maitre'd and start walking across the restaurant to my favorite table. The schedule has a monthly listing of band performances that are also used as place mats at the dinner tables. To me, there is nothing like a Thursday night of dancing at the Alpine Restaurant with my friends.English: Line dancing at a Country Western Dance H...Of coarse, I do not make it all the way to my awaiting table. I see familiar faces along the way as most of my friends begin to surround me with their questions about colleg e and life. My friends are the "regulars", like myself. I give them all hugs as they compliment me on my dancing outfit. I love my friends, as they are like family to me. Most of them are old enough to be my grandparents, but I enjoy their company.I finally make it to my table where my closest friends are waiting for the music to begin. We are a combination of many different age groups and have never lost the art of knowing how to talk about life in real terms of endearment. Casey is 15; Lyno is 30; Tracy is 25; Roselyn is 19: Travis is 70; and my mom well...