The Raging Storm Essay Example

The Raging Storm Essay Example The Raging Storm Essay The Raging Storm Essay Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear. The rage of the storm moves closer, destroying everything in its path like a savage beast, relentless it moves closer to its target. The skies empty, as flocks of birds swiftly take refuge from the incoming terror. The wildlife escapes from the forthcoming violence with lightening speed, the sense of danger burning in their minds. Humans still oblivious to the danger continue with their work without the knowledge it will all be taken away from them in a fit of rage. An eerie silence hangs over the town, the calm before the storm, conning the inhabitants of our planet with the deadliest of consequences.  With a single flash of lightening the storm looms down on the small, unsuspecting town, like a general giving the signal for his troops to go into battle it marches past the weak defences of the Earth. With the force of ten thousand horses it rips its way through the countryside, cutting its way through power lines and trees like a knife through butter, effortlessly destroying the terrain. The rain begins to attack the ground as the storm descends. Within seconds, it engulfs the small community with devastating force. The torrential rain beats against the rickety window of a fragile house, trying to find a way into the fading security of a childs bedroom. Merciless the storm picks up, every minute its ferocity doubles, the disaster growing with the strength of the storm. Frightened onlookers gaze in awe as the storm tears through their once peaceful village, it seems like time stands still as a deafening explosion rocks the trembling Earth. A new weapon in the storms armament is used against the exposed inhabitants of the town, fire. The mighty force of the gale spreads the inferno faster than the escaping creatures can run. The storm that a small gust of wind has evolved into swallows the fleeing animals, they let out screams of pain that you can almost feel as they are thrown up into the gloomy sky. The code is cracked to get into the houses, what remains of the devastated community is finally worn down and reduced to piles of rubble. The terrified families flee into the ancient shelters, built by their ancestors after last time nature vented her fury. The rotting wooden door is torn apart by the malicious wind, slowly giving in to the onslaught from above. Inside the refuge the prisoners sit anxiously waiting for the storm to pass, every crack of thunder echoes around the room, reminding them of the danger lurking outside. The storm knocks against the door of the shelter, waiting patiently for the right opportunity to break in. Unsuccessful it moves on to the next target, undeterred by the resolute survivors of the tragedy. With the same flash of lightening that signalled the start of the storm it disappears, leaving behind a scene from a war zone. Houses demolished, trees uprooted, burnt-out cars and several bemused survivors helping the injured and trying to work out what just happened. A strange silence hangs over the town, sometimes interrupted by the screaming sirens of the emergency services. No dogs can be heard barking in the evening air, the sky is empty of all birds whose songs used to serenade the residents of the town, no children playing in the summers day, just the occasional call for help from the mountains of rubble. The calm after the storm, reflecting the tension in the air before the storm. Rescuers still wary of the Earth, now darkening with night fall, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear.

Biography of Hans Hofmann, Abstract Expressionism Pioneer

Biography of Hans Hofmann, Abstract Expressionism Pioneer Hans Hofmann (March 21, 1880 - February 17, 1966) was an American painter born in Germany. He was one of the foremost pioneers of the abstract expressionist movement. As an art instructor for four decades, he influenced some of the greatest painters of the 20th century. Fast Facts: Hans Hofmann Occupation: Painter and art teacherBorn: March 21, 1880 in Weissenburg, BavariaDied: February 17, 1966 in New York, New YorkSpouses: Maria Wolfegg (died 1963), and Renate Schmitz (married 1965)Selected Works: The Wind (1942), Pompeii (1959), Song of the Nightingale, (1964)Key Accomplishment: 1963 New York Museum of Modern Art retrospective that toured three continents.Notable Quote: In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light. Early Life and Education Born to a German family in Bavaria, Hans Hofmann demonstrated a keen interest in science and mathematics from an early age. At age sixteen, he followed his fathers career path and took a job with the government. The younger Hofmann worked as an assistant to the director of Public Works. The position allowed him to indulge his love of mathematics while patenting a wide range of devices, including a portable freezer for military use and a radar system for sailing ships. During his government employment, Hans Hofmann began to study art. Between 1900 and 1904, while living in Munich, he met his future wife, Maria Miz Wolfegg. He also befriended Philipp Freudenberg, owner of the high-end department store Kaufhaus Gerson and a passionate art collector. Still Life. Geoffrey Clements / Getty Images Through Freudenbergs patronage over the next decade, Hans Hofmann was able to move to Paris with Miz. While in France, Hofmann immersed himself deeply in the avant-garde painting scene. He met Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and many others. As his reputation grew, Hofmanns painting Akt (Nude) appeared in the 1908 Berlin Secession show. Leaving Germany When World War I broke out in 1914, Hofmann and his wife were forced to leave Paris and return to Munich. The government disqualified him from military service due to a respiratory condition, and he opened an art school in 1915. In 1924, he married Miz. Hofmanns reputation as an art instructor reached overseas, and in 1930, a former student invited him to teach the 1930 summer art session at the University of California at Berkeley. After spending two years traveling between the U.S. and Germany to teach and work, he postponed a return trip to Germany for the foreseeable future. Hans Hofmann lived in the United States for most of the rest of his life, applying for U.S. citizenship in 1938 while Europe was barely a year away from the start of World War II. In 1934, Hans Hofmann opened his art school in New York and offered classes for the next 24 years. In the summer, he moved his instruction to Provincetown, Massachusetts. He earned tremendous respect as an instructor working as a mentor to Helen Frankenthaler, Ray Eames, and Lee Krasner, as well as becoming close friends with Jackson Pollock. Hans Hofmann (American, b. Germany, 1880-1966). Fantasia, 1943. Oil, duco, and casein on plywood. 51 1/2 x 36 5/8 in. (130.8 x 93 cm). Gift of the artist. Berkeley Art Museum, University of California. Photo: Benjamin Blackwell. Â © Renate, Hans Maria Hofmann Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Abstract Expressionism Hans Hofmann was the only painter of the group of New York-based artists given credit for popularizing abstract expressionism who was directly involved with the Paris avant-garde before World War I. With that connection, he bridged the gap between two of the most influential communities of artists in the 20th century and inspired a generation of painters. In his own work, Hofmann explored color and form. He claimed that art could be given its voice by distilling it to its basics and removing unnecessary material. Among his prominent pieces was The Wind. For years, many historians believed that seeing paintings like it was a key influence on Jackson Pollocks development of the drip painting technique. More recent examination has led art historians to believe that Hofmann and Pollock were experimenting with poured paint at the same time. The Wind (1942). University of California, Berkeley Art Museum In 1944, Hans Hofmann received his first solo gallery show in New York. Art critics celebrated it as a step forward in the exploration of the abstract expressionist style. His work during the 1940s ranged from playful self-portraits executed with bold strokes to colorful geometric shapes that echoed the work of European masters Hans Arp and Joan Miro. Later Work After a retrospective at the Whitney in New York in 1957, Hofmann experienced a late-career renaissance of interest in his work. He quit teaching in 1958 and focused on the creation of art for the final years of his life. Artists and critics alike celebrated his work around the world. In 1963, New Yorks Museum of Modern Art mounted an even more extensive retrospective that traveled across the U.S., South America, and Europe. During the 1960s, Hofmann endured significant sadness due to the passing of many of his artist friends. In response to the deaths of Franz Kline and Jackson Pollock as well as others, he dedicated new pieces to their memory. The most significant blow occurred in 1963 with the passing of Miz due to a heart attack. In the fall of 1965, Hofmann married Renate Schmitz, a woman 50 years his junior. They remained together until his death from a heart attack on February 17, 1966. Hans Hofmann (American, b. Germany, 1880-1966). Memoria in Aeternum, 1962. Oil on canvas. 84 x 72 1/8 in. (213.3 x 183.2 cm). Gift of the artist. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Â © 2010 Renate, Hans Maria Hofmann Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Educator Hans Hofmann was arguably the most influential art instructor of the 20th century. He influenced a generation of young European artists through his teaching in the first years after World War I. Later, particularly in the 1940s, his instruction inspired a generation of American artists. Hans Hofmanns School of Fine Art in Munich focused heavily on the ideas of Paul Cezanne, Wassily Kandinsky, and the Cubists. He offered regular one-on-one critiques, which were a rarity in art schools of the time. Some historians count Hofmanns Munich school as the first ever school of modern art. One of Hofmanns most lasting contributions to the understanding of art was his push/pull theory of spatial relations. He believed that contrasts of colors, forms, and textures created a push and pull in the mind of the viewer that must be balanced. Hofmann also believed that social propaganda or history lessons put an unnecessary burden on paintings and did not make them better works of art. The additional content worked against a vivid depiction of space and the pure magic of creating two-dimensional art on canvas. Legacy As an instructor and mentor, Hans Hofmann was at the center of some of the most significant movements in modern art from the turn of the 20th century to the 1960s. His avid interest in the colorful work of Henri Matisse took the young Hofmann away from a focus on cubism that ultimately led to his work with slabs of color in his mature abstract expressionist work of the 1950s and 1960s. Sources Dickey, Tina. Color Creates Light: Studies with Hans Hoffman. Trillistar Books, 2011.Goodman, Cynthia. Hans Hofmann. Prestel, 1990.

The 5 Conservative Women Most Likely to Become President

The 5 Conservative Women Most Likely to Become President Four women are early frontrunners to be part of a 2016 presidential ticket. As voters and the media continue to obsess over the next first in national electoral politics, these four Republican women make a strong case to be part of such a ticket. The Democrats will likely throw down with failed First Lady-turned-Failed-Senator-turned-failed-Secretary-of-State Hillary Clinton. But Republicans have a diverse group of candidates with compelling stories and strong records of success. Condoleezza Rice Many had hoped that the former Secretary of State and National Security adviser would have been Mitt Romneys pick in 2012. Though she was passed over for Paul Ryan, Condi Rice remains popular with Republican voters and the general public at-large. She was easily the most well-regarded figure in the George W. Bush administration. Rice would have seemed an unlikely selection prior to 2012 as many within the Republican Party stepped back and re-evaluated their foreign policy thinking. But after watching the isolationist, weak, indecisive and rogue foreign policy decisions of the Obama administration, a candidate Rice is starting to look quite appealing. With Russia, Iran, China, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and ISIS being a much bigger issue now than they were in 2008 and 2012, Rices experience and knowledge could not be matched by many others. And as almost none of the frontrunners for the Republican nomination have any in-depth foreign policy experience, she could provide that in a year where it will matter. And if Hillary were to be the Democratic nominee in 2016, who better to explain the world as it was left to Hillary, and the world Hillary let it become? Seeing Rice picked as Jeb Bushs running-mate is no stretch given her ties to the family. But she could also be a compelling pick for Rand Paul, someone who clearly has a different foreign policy perspective but who is a candidate who needs to satisfy the concerns of foreign policy conservatives. It would be an interesting and compelling ticket. It could be an unexpectedly brilliant ticket as well. [Potential: Vice-Presidential Nominee] Nikki Haley The Governor of South Carolina should cruise to second term in 2014.   By 2016, she will have 6 years of executive experience on her resume that includes a solid record of job creation and a drastic reduction in the unemployment rate. She has worked tirelessly to improve the business climate of the state and attract major businesses to relocate. Should she run for President, she would also have the clear upper-hand in the South Carolina primary, one of the 4 premier battlegrounds with a designation as the first-in-the-south contest. She is the daughter or Indian immigrants and her husband did a full-year tour in Afghanistan in 2013. She also appointed the popular Tim Scott to the US Senate seat vacated by Jim DeMint. [Potential: Presidential or Vice-Presidential Nominee] Susana Martinez The Governor of New Mexico makes sense as a Presidential of Vice-Presidential pick for many reasons. She is a female Latina Governor in a world obsessed with checking off boxes of firsts, and she would be a two-for-one deal. But beyond the identity politics, Martinez has proven a practical and tough figure. Her electoral accomplishments have come in New Mexico, a bluish-purple state that voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012 by double-digit margins, proving she has broad appeal. As the GOP struggles to convince minority and women voters to give the Republican Party a chance, Martinez is a pretty effective voice in that regard: Martinez was a Democrat who shifted to the Republican Party after being personally convinced that her states values were conservative ones. Its an argument that Republicans will need if they want to broaden their support base. [Potential: Presidential or Vice-Presidential Nominee] Carly Fiorina Fiorina has never held political office, but the first female CEO of a Fortune 50 company proved to be a very smart and disciplined politician in her 2016 run for President. Conservatives took to Fiorinas aggressive style, but she never had a base to draw from with a dozen other established candidates in the field. However, look for her to be a top option for US Senator Ted Cruz if he somehow upends Trump for the GOP nomination in 2016. Kelly Ayotte The US Senator from New Hampshire will be up for re-election in 2016. This presents a problem for her and many other Republicans from the 2010 Senate class such as Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Rob Portman, and Ron Johnson: to run for re-election in a tough state; quit and run for President; or do both. So far, only Rand Paul has indicated that he wants to both run for President and re-election to the US Senate. Unlike the other candidates, his Senate seat will likely not be competitive so it is less of an issue. For Ayotte, doing both is not practical and she would be a long-shot as a Presidential contender in such a crowded field. But as a VP prospect she brings a lot to the table. She is a fairly popular US Senator and the only female contender with Northeastern credentials, an geographic region of struggle for Republicans. However, she lacks the foreign policy experience of Dr. Rice and the executive experience of Haley and Martinez, so her selection could appear more optics than exper ience. [Potential: Presidential or Vice-Presidential Nominee]

Difference between the Jurisdiction of State of California and the Assignment

Difference between the Jurisdiction of State of California and the Federal Court System - Assignment Example National security policy revolves around the major national security issues and concerns of the United States. This also emphasizes on how well the administration can implement the policy and how well they can plan out to deal with the issues addressing national security of the United States. In short, National Security is a legal document that deals with the strategies and policies; reviewed periodically by the executive bodies of the United States Government in order to preserve the national peace, security, and defense of the country. In recent years after the incident of 9/11, the United States’ National security Policy has faced many changes due to different reasons such as the rise and threats of terrorism that has struck the security of the entire nation, emergence of new allies in the war against terrorism, dealing with political and economic security. The main objective of the national security policy of the United States is to safeguard the rights, security and to maintain the legitimate interests of its citizens against any threat either affected by the internal factors or the external ones. The idea of national security became an official imperative point of the United States foreign policy when U. S president Harry S. Truman signed on National Security Act of 1947 on July 26th, 1947. The key elements of national security policy are military, politics, economics, energy, natural resources, society and diplomacy that are believed to be the core of the policy (Davis: 2010). Executive bodies play an important role in structuring the basics of US foreign policy but at the same time there are some other players are also involved, those who affect directly the policy besides the power of US President.  Ã‚  

Organisational Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Organisational Change Management - Essay Example Organization structure shows the expressed allocation of responsibilities for different functions and processes to different entities like branches, its departments, workgroups and individuals. There are two most common organization structures known as vertical and horizontal structures. In case study there is vertical organizational structure as everyone has to be accountable to upper management for their doings and they have to obey all policies and rules made by them no matter they are favorable for them or not. Key issues that organization is facing: This case study is about a French car component manufacturing that has two plants operating in France, Spain and UK. D2’s focuses is on having perfect return on investment and have growth in shareholders’ value. But over recent years D2 is facing a lot of problems and issue that hinders its growth. Recent economic downturn has a bad impact on demand and D2 has to struggle a lot for its survival. This is because of reces sion in business cycle, which represents a general slowdown in activities related to economy. D2 is facing problems in capacity utilization and generation of profits as it need investments and has to cut down its cost to certain level. There is widespread drop in spending of the industry that is called as an adverse demand shock. D2 has decided to stop producing some components and to concentrate the production of other components at fewer sites in order to benefit from economies of scale. D2 will face so many problems when this decision would be announced because its plant’s workers are expecting D2 to invest highly in manufacturing departments of the D2 as many of the plants of French car component manufacturing are out-dated. Another problem is that D2 is not working to utilize its capacity up to the mark. Production expansion by the D2 is not up to the standards. D2 cannot produce as much as it needs to produce because of its outdated plants. UK plant has to face closure because of its outdated technology. Production expansion is required through Blois in France because Blois has the most advanced technology in it and provides the opportunity to the D2 to have expansion in production and survive and grow. The new strategy will involve expanding production at the D2’s main factory at Blois in France. Production is to be expanded in Blois because Blois has the most advanced manufacturing technology and the factory is not yet working to capacity. It is anticipated that increasing production at Blois will lead to a significant reduction in costs. Product development is needed in didcot (UK). D2 would be facing redundancy when it would announce these strategy and framework for product development and production expansion because these workers have no idea of using latest technology as they were playing with outdated version of technology and these employees and workers would be having no way to switch to other plants as other plants are operating in advanced technology. D2 is expecting another problem that many of the D2 product developme

The Operating Principles for a Community to which I Belong to Essay

The Operating Principles for a Community to which I Belong to - Essay Example In a detailed analysis of these activities and interactions, I can definitely prove that our communities provide us with a sense of stability, serve our needs and, more importantly, accept us for who we are. In my community setting, I have often realized that my family accepts me for what and who I am. Thus, I share my activities and interactions with my daughter and we protect each other, which has always helped me in my family life as a single mother. One of the important operating principles of my community has been to be faithful and frank to the members of the community and we share our activities and interactions. Thus, my daughter and I enjoy great fun in our system of instant messaging or texting family and friends. Many often, I introduce my daughter to my chat friends and she has no online friends whom I don't know. Most of the friends of my daughter in her Facebook account came through my contacts and she never retreats an illegitimate relationship through her online activities. Another significant operating principle of my community life is not to blame or to indict others with or without strong reasons for their actions. Instead, every member of my community strongly supports each other and understands each other completely.

Should the EU be involved in a battle against the piracy problem in Essay

Should the EU be involved in a battle against the piracy problem in Somalia - Essay Example Even though only a political settlement in Somalia can bring a long-term resolution to this issue, the measures taken by the international community can significantly improve the situation (Middleton 10). The European Union Naval Force Somalia-Operation ATALANTA, launched by the European Council on the 8 of December 2008, aims to deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast, and is a part of the global action conducted by the EU to deal with the Somali crisis (â€Å"Mission† 1). This operation has several benefits both for Somalia and for international entities affected by the issue of piracy. To start with, operation ATALANTA helps to protect vessels of the World Food Programme (WFP), which deliver food aid to displaced people in Somalia. Since the EU naval escorts for WFP ships began in November 2007, not a single pirate attack on a ship carrying WFP food has been reported. Under the operation ATALANTA, WFP has managed to deliver over 267. 000 metric tons of food to ports in Somalia. Given the increasing need for humanitarian assistance in Somalia, the EU operation contributes significantly to support for numerous victims of the Somali crisis (â€Å"Mission† 3). Moreover, operation ATALANTA protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali cost. All shipping companies and operators that transit in this region have to register in advance of the website of the Maritime Security Center-Horn of Africa (MSC-HOA). This website facilitates the coordination of maritime traffic as it enables all vessels that observe EU NAVFOR recommendations to be aware of the arrangements taken. MSC-HOA also identifies particularly vulnerable vessels and provides them with close military protection, either from EU NAVOR, or other forces in the region (â€Å"Mschoa† 1). These arrangements significantly reduce the risks of pirate attacks or