Minimalist Home Tour (Video) Joshua Fields Millburn

Minimalist Home Tour (Video) Joshua Fields Millburn When Bex, Ella, and I moved to Los Angeles, we didnt own much. We still dont. As a minimalist family, everything we own serves a purpose or brings us joyâ€"and everything else is out of the way. This video shows how we slowly populated our home with only the things that add value to our lives. How about youâ€"what adds value to your life? Feel free to comment on YouTube. Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.

An Introduction to Adult Learning

Same Sex Marriage Debate Over The Free Speech Clause And...

Judging from this article from Wall Street Journal, the major conflict that exists in this same-sex-marriage-legalization debate is between the free-speech clause and antidiscrimination law. Technically, the people who refused to offer their service to the homosexual people based on their religious belief were not legally wrong according to the first amendment. However, did the homosexual couples do anything wrong? No, they didn’t. They ordered the same services, and they were willing to pay the same amount of money. What they wanted was nothing illegal. Then here comes the dilemma, how can neither of them be â€Å"wrong† in a conflict? So, this paper will analyze the â€Å"rightness† and the â€Å"wrongness† in an ethical dilemma between civil rights†¦show more content†¦For Kantian ethics, the standard is based on if most people are acting the same way. Even though some people are still struggling on whether they should support the LGBT communit y, the statistics give us a clear trend of people’s change of their perspective on same-sex marriage. According to the national polling data, the number of people who support the same-sex marriage had risen from 37 percent in 2005 to 60 percent in 2015. Apparently, with the development of the modern society, more and more people are becoming open-minded and willing to show their support to the LGBT community. Moreover, while some religious people against the same-sex marriage, some of them choose to support it due to the different interpretation of the bible they are holding. â€Å"Jesus never said a single word about gays or lesbians or same-sex marriage, or any of the other social issues that so many people seem to be possessed with fighting today†, said Ducan(n.d),a Christian. Since the number of supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage has an increasing tendency, in this instance, same-sex marriage can be defined morally right standing on the popular belie f. For the principle of Rights, whether a business decision is defined ethical depends on how it affects the rights of stakeholders, including owners, consumers, employees, the community and the society. For the firms that rejected to do business with Gay couples, they

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Two Free Essays

string(193) " who he should call when he found something – and were about to leave when he asked, â€Å"Sage, why’d you pick me to be your partner in crime in this\?† I thought about it\." CLARENCE DIDN’T WANT to talk to us about what had happened. In fact, he adamantly denied anything was wrong, claiming he’d scratched his neck while shaving. â€Å"Mr. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now Donahue,† I said as gently as I could, â€Å"this was made by a surgical tool. And it didn’t happen until Keith visited.† â€Å"No, no,† Clarence managed in a weak voice. â€Å"It has nothing to do with him.† Dorothy stuck her head in just then, carrying a glass of juice. We’d called for her shortly after my arrival tonight. For blood loss, the remedies were the same for Moroi and human alike: sugar and fluids. She offered the glass to him with a straw, her lined face filled with concern. I continued my pleas as he drank. â€Å"Tell us what your deal is,† I begged. â€Å"What’s the arrangement? What’s he giving you for your blood?† When Clarence remained silent, I tried another tactic. â€Å"People are being hurt. He’s giving out your blood indiscriminately.† That got a reaction. â€Å"No,† said Clarence. â€Å"He’s using my blood and saliva to heal people. To heal sick humans.† Saliva? I nearly groaned. Of course. The mysterious clear liquid. Now I knew what gave the celestial tattoos their addictive high. Gross. Adrian and I exchanged glances. Healing certainly was a use for vampire blood. The tattoo I wore was proof of that, and the Alchemists had worked long trying to duplicate some of the blood’s properties for wider medicinal use. So far, there was no way to synthetically reproduce it, and using real blood simply wasn’t practical. â€Å"He lied,† I replied. â€Å"He’s selling it to rich teenagers to help them with sports. What did he promise you for it? A cut of the money?† Adrian glanced around the opulent room. â€Å"He doesn’t need money. The only thing he needs is what the guardians wouldn’t give him. Justice for Tamara, right?† Surprised, I turned back to Clarence and saw Adrian’s words confirmed on the old Moroi’s face. â€Å"He†¦ he’s been investigating the vampire hunters for me,† he said slowly. â€Å"He says he’s close. Close to finding them out.† I shook my head, wanting to kick myself for not having figured out sooner that Clarence was the blood source. It explained why Keith was always unexpectedly here – and why he got so upset when I showed up without warning. My â€Å"fraternizing with vampires† had had nothing to do with it. â€Å"Sir, I guarantee the only thing he’s investigating is how to spend the money he’s been making.† â€Å"No†¦ no†¦ he’s going to help me find the hunters who killed Tamara†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stood up. I couldn’t stand to hear any more. â€Å"Get him some real food, and see what he’ll eat,† I told Dorothy. â€Å"If he’s only weak from blood loss, he just needs time.† I nodded for Adrian to follow me out. As we walked toward the living room, I remarked, â€Å"Well, there are good and bad sides to this. At least we can be confident Keith’s got a fresh supply of blood for us to bust him with. I’m just sorry Clarence had to get hit so – â€Å" I froze as I entered the living room. I’d simply wanted to go there because it would be a familiar place to discuss our plans, one that was less creepy than Clarence’s bedroom. Considering how my imagination often ran wild while I was in this old house, I’d found that few things came as a surprise. But never in my wildest dreams had I imagined the living room would be transformed into an art gallery. Easels and canvas were set up all around the room. Even the pool table was covered by a big roll of paper. The pictures varied wildly in their content. Some simply had splashes of color thrown on them. Some possessed astonishingly realistic depictions of objects and people. An assortment of watercolors and oil paints sat around amidst the art. For a moment, all thoughts of Clarence and Keith disappeared from my head. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Homework,† Adrian said. â€Å"Didn’t you†¦ didn’t you just start your classes? How could they have assigned this much?† He walked over to a canvas showing a swirling red line traced over a black cloud and lightly tested to see if the paint was dry. Studying it, I tried to decide if I really was seeing a cloud. There was almost something anthropomorphic about it. â€Å"Of course they didn’t give us this much, Sage. But I had to make sure I nailed my first assignment. Takes a lot of tries before you hit perfection.† He paused to reconsider that. â€Å"Well, except for my parents. They got it on the first try.† I couldn’t help a smile. After watching Adrian’s moods oscillate so wildly in the last couple weeks, it was nice to see them on the upswing. â€Å"Well, this is kind of amazing,† I admitted. â€Å"What are they? I mean, I get that one.† I pointed to a painting of a woman’s eye, brown and long-lashed, and then to another one of roses. â€Å"But the others are open to, um, slightly more creative interpretation.† â€Å"Are they?† asked Adrian, turning back to the smoky painting with the red streak. â€Å"I figured it was obvious. This one is Love. Don’t you see it?† I shrugged. â€Å"Maybe I don’t have an artistic enough mind.† â€Å"Maybe,† he agreed. â€Å"Once we bust your buddy Keith, we’ll discuss my genius art all you want.† â€Å"Right,† I said, growing serious again. â€Å"We need to search his place for evidence. I figured the best way to do that is if I lure him out and you break in while he’s gone. To get through the lock – â€Å" Adrian waved me off. â€Å"I can pick a lock. How do you think I got into my parents’ liquor cabinet in middle school?† â€Å"Should’ve guessed,† I said dryly. â€Å"Make sure you look everywhere, not just in obvious places. He could have compartments hidden in the walls or in furniture. You want to find vials of blood or metallic liquid or even the tool that pierced Clarence.† â€Å"Got it.† We hashed out a few more details – including who he should call when he found something – and were about to leave when he asked, â€Å"Sage, why’d you pick me to be your partner in crime in this?† I thought about it. â€Å"Process of elimination, I guess. Jill’s supposed to be kept out of trouble. Eddie’d be a good asset, but he needed to go back with her and Lee. Besides, I already knew you didn’t have any moral qualms about breaking and entering.† â€Å"That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,† he declared with a grin. We headed out to Keith’s after that. All the lights were on in the first floor of his building, dashing a last-minute hope I’d had that maybe I wouldn’t have to lure him out. I would’ve actually liked to help with the search. I dropped Adrian off and then drove to a twenty-four-hour restaurant that was outside the opposite side of town. I figured it would be perfect for keeping Keith away from his home. The driving time alone would provide Adrian with extra searching time, though it meant Adrian had to wait outside for a while until Keith left. Once I finally arrived, I got a table, ordered coffee, and dialed Keith’s number. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Keith, it’s me. I need to talk to you.† â€Å"So talk,† he said. He sounded smug and confident, no doubt happy at pulling off the last-minute tattoo sale. â€Å"Not on the phone. I need you to meet me.† â€Å"At Amberwood?† he asked in surprise. â€Å"Isn’t it after hours?† It was indeed, but that was a problem for later. â€Å"I’m not at school. I’m at Margaret’s Diner, that place out by the highway.† Long silence. Then: â€Å"Well, if you’re already out past curfew, then just come here.† â€Å"No,† I said firmly. â€Å"You come to me.† â€Å"Why should I?† I hesitated only briefly before playing the card I knew would get him, the one thing that would make him drive out here and not raise suspicions about the tattoos. â€Å"It’s about Carly.† â€Å"What about her?† he asked after a moment’s pause. â€Å"You know exactly what.† After a second’s pause, Keith relented and hung up. I noticed that I had a voice mail from earlier in the day that I hadn’t heard come in. I called and listened. â€Å"Sydney, this is Wes Regan from Carlton College. Just wanted to go over a couple things with you. First, I’m afraid I have some bad news. It doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to retroactively admit your brother from auditor status. I can enroll him next semester for sure if he stays in good standing, but the only way he can keep taking classes now is if he continues to do so as an auditor. He won’t be able to get financial aid as a result, and in fact, you’ll actually need to pay the auditing fee soon if he’s going to stay in the classes. If he wants to drop altogether, we can do that too. Just call me and let me know what you’d like to do.† I stared at the phone in dismay when the message was over. There went our dreams of sliding Adrian into fully enrolled student status, not to mention his dreams of getting financial aid and moving out of Clarence’s. The next semester probably started in January, so Adrian was facing four more months at Clarence’s. Adrian would also be facing four more months of bus-riding and taking classes without college credit. But were the credits and financial aid really the most important things here? I thought back to how excited Adrian had been after only a couple classes, how he’d thrown himself into the art. His face had been radiant when he stood in his â€Å"gallery.† Jill’s words also echoed through my mind, about how the art had given him something to channel his feelings into and made the bond easier for her to cope with. Those classes were good for both of them. How much was an auditing fee? I wasn’t sure but knew it wasn’t as much as tuition. It was also a onetime cost that I could probably slide into my expenses without raising the attention of the Alchemists. Adrian needed those classes, of that I was certain. If he knew financial aid wasn’t an option this semester, there was a good chance he’d just drop them altogether. I couldn’t allow that. He’d known there might be â€Å"a delay† while the financial aid came together. If I could keep him going to Carlton a little longer, then maybe he’d get invested enough in the art that he’d stay on, even when the truth came out. It was a sneaky thing to do, but it would benefit him – and Jill – in the end. I dialed back Wes Regan’s office, knowing I’d get his voice mail. I left him a message saying that I’d drop off a check for the auditing fee and that Adrian would stay on until he could be enrolled next semester. I hung up, saying a silent prayer that it would take a while for Adrian to find out any of this. The waitress kept giving me the evil eye over just having coffee, so I finally ordered a piece of pie to go. She had just set the carton down on my table when an irritated Keith entered the restaurant. He stood in the doorway, looking around impatiently until he saw me. â€Å"Okay, what’s going on?† he demanded, making a big show of sitting down. â€Å"What’s so important that you felt the need to break school rules and drag me halfway across town?† For a moment, I froze up. Looking into Keith’s eyes – real and artificial – triggered all the conflicting feelings I’d had about him this last year. Fear and anxiety over what I was trying to pull off warred with the deep hate I’d long carried. Baser instincts wanted me to make him suffer, to throw something at him. Like the pie. Or a chair. Or a baseball bat. â€Å"I – â€Å" Before I could say another word, my phone chimed. I looked down and read a text message from Adrian: GOT IT. CALL MADE. ONE HOUR. I slipped the phone into my purse and exhaled. It had taken Keith twenty minutes to get here, and during that time, Adrian had been dutifully searching the apartment. He’d apparently been successful. Now it was up to me to delay Keith until reinforcements showed up. One hour was actually a lot less time than I’d expected. I’d given Adrian Stanton’s phone number, and she would’ve dispatched whatever Alchemists were closest. I’d figured that would mean Los Angeles, but it was hard to say with the scope of our jobs. If there were Alchemists on the east side of the city, they’d get here very quickly. It was also possible they could cut time by simply flying a private jet in. â€Å"What’s that?† asked Keith irritably. â€Å"A text from one of your vampire friends?† â€Å"You can stop the act,† I said. â€Å"I know you don’t really care about me ‘getting too close’ to them.† I hadn’t intended this to be the topic that distracted him, but I’d take it. â€Å"Of course I do. I worry about your soul.† â€Å"Is that why you called my dad?† I asked. â€Å"Is that the reason you wanted me out of Palm Springs?† â€Å"It’s for your own good,† he said, putting on that holier-than-thou air. â€Å"Do you know how wrong it was that you even wanted this job in the first place? No Alchemist would. But you, you practically begged for it.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said, feeling my anger rise. â€Å"So Zoe wouldn’t have to do it.† â€Å"Tell yourself that if you want. I know the truth. You like these creatures.† â€Å"Why does it have to be so cut-and-dried? In your view, I either have to hate them or be in league with them. There’s a middle ground, you know. I can still be loyal to the Alchemists and on friendly terms with vampires and dhampirs.† Keith looked at me like I was ten years old. â€Å"Sydney, you’re such an innocent. You don’t understand the ways of the world like I do.† I knew all about his â€Å"ways of the world† and would’ve said as much if the waitress hadn’t come by to take his drink order just then. When she was gone, Keith continued his spiel. â€Å"I mean, how do you even know you’re feeling the way you do? Vampires can compel, you know. They use mind control. Spirit users like Adrian are really good at it. For all we know, he’s been using his powers to endear himself to you.† I thought of all the times I’d wanted to shake some sense into Adrian. â€Å"He’s not doing a very good job, then.† We bickered back and forth about this, and for once, I was glad of Keith’s obstinacy and refusal to see reason. The longer he argued with me, the more time the Alchemists had to get to his apartment. If Stanton had told Adrian one hour, she probably meant it. Still, it was best to be safe. My breaking point came when Keith said, â€Å"You should be glad I’m looking out for you like this. This is about more than vampires, you know. I’m teaching you life lessons. You memorize books but don’t understand people. You don’t know how to connect to them. You’re going to carry this same naive attitude with you into the real world, thinking everyone means well, and someone – some guy, probably – will just take advantage of you.† â€Å"Well,† I snapped, â€Å"you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?† Keith snorted. â€Å"I have no interest in you, rest easy.† â€Å"I’m not talking about me! I’m talking about Carly.† So. Here it was. The original purpose of our meeting. â€Å"What’s she have to do with anything?† Keith kept his tone steady, but I saw it. The slightest flicker of anxiety in his eye. â€Å"I know what happened between you guys. I know what you did to her.† He became very interested in stirring ice around with his straw. â€Å"I didn’t do anything to her. I have no idea what you’re talking about.† â€Å"You know exactly what I’m talking about! She told me. She came to me afterward.† I leaned forward, feeling confident. â€Å"What do you think my dad would do if he found out? What would yours do?† Keith looked up sharply. â€Å"If you’re so certain something terrible happened, then why doesn’t your dad already know? Huh? Maybe because Carly knows there’s nothing to tattle on. Anything we did, she wanted to, believe me.† â€Å"You are such a liar,† I hissed. â€Å"I know what you did. You raped her. And you will never suffer enough for it. You should’ve lost both of your eyes.† He stiffened at the reference to his eyes. â€Å"That’s harsh. And has nothing to do with any of this. What the hell’s happened to you, Sydney? How’d you turn into such a bitch? Maybe making you associate with vampires and dhampirs has caused more damage than we realized. First thing tomorrow, I’m going to call Stanton and ask that they pull you now. No waiting until the end of the week. You need to be away from this dark influence.† He shook his head and gave me a look both condescending and pitying. â€Å"No, you need to be re-educated, period. It should’ve happened a long time ago, as soon as they caught you busting out that murderer.† â€Å"Don’t change the topic.† I spoke haughtily, though he’d again woken a sliver of fear in me. What if Adrian and I failed? What if the Alchemists listened to Keith and hauled me away? He’d never have to worry about me again in a re-education center. â€Å"This isn’t about me. We were talking about Carly.† Keith rolled his eyes in annoyance. â€Å"I’m done talking about your slutty sister.† That was when my earlier impulse to throw something at him won out. Lucky for him, it was only my coffee and not a chair. Also lucky for him: the coffee had cooled considerably. There was still a lot of it left, and it managed to splash everywhere, drenching his unfortunate choice of a white shirt. He stared at me in astonishment, sputtering to get his words out. â€Å"You bitch!† he said, standing up. As he started moving toward the door, I realized that my temper might have just blown the plan. I hurried over and caught hold of his arm. â€Å"Wait, Keith. I-I’m sorry. Don’t go.† He jerked his arm away and glared at me. â€Å"It’s too late for you. You had your chance and blew it.† I grabbed him again. â€Å"No, no. Wait. There’s still lots we have to talk about.† He opened his mouth with some snippy remark and then promptly shut it. He studied me for several seconds, his face growing serious. â€Å"Are you trying to keep me here? What’s going on?† When I couldn’t muster a response, he pulled away and stormed out the door. I quickly ran back to the table and tossed a twenty on it. I grabbed the pie and told the bewildered waitress to keep the change. The clock in my car told me I had twenty minutes until the Alchemists were supposed to show up at Keith’s. That was also the time it would take to get back there. I drove right behind him, making no effort to hide my presence. It was no secret now that something was going on, something I’d lured him away from home for. I blessed every red light that stopped us, praying he wouldn’t arrive too early. If he did, Adrian and I were going to have to delay him. It wouldn’t be impossible, but it also wasn’t something I wanted to do. We finally made it back. Keith pulled into his building’s tiny lot, and I parked uncaringly in a fire zone out front. I was only steps behind him as he ran to the door, but he hardly seemed to notice. His attention was on the lit-up windows of his building and the dark silhouettes barely discernible beyond the heavy drapes. He burst in through the door, and I followed a moment later, nearly running into him as he came to a complete standstill. I didn’t know the three suited men there with Adrian, but I knew they were Alchemists. They had that cold, polished feel that we all strove for, and their cheeks were emblazoned with gold lilies. One was going through Keith’s kitchen cupboards. Another had a notepad and was talking to Adrian, who was leaning against the wall and smoking. He smiled when he saw me. The third Alchemist was kneeling on the floor in the living room near a small storage cupboard in the wall. A tacky painting of a shirtless woman’s back lay nearby, which apparently had been used to hide the compartment. Its wooden door had clearly been forcibly opened, and various contents were strewn haphazardly around – with a few exceptions. The Alchemist was going to great pains to sort one pile of objects: metal tubes and needles used to drain blood, along with vials of blood and small packets of silvery powder. He looked up at our sudden entrance and fixed Keith with a cool smile. â€Å"Ah, so glad you’re here, Mr. Darnell. We were hoping we could take you with us for some questioning.† Keith’s face fell. How to cite Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Two, Essay examples

Homer Winslow And Jules Breton Essay Example For Students

Homer Winslow And Jules Breton Essay Homer Winslow and Jules Breton, two men painting the canvas of the nineteenth century. Comparing their art gives birth to numerous differences and unique qualities hidden within their work and lives. Dressing For The Carnival, Homer 1877, and The Weeders, Breton 1868, are fine examples of their careers as artists. Beyond the aesthetic merits of his work, Breton is significant as the painter whose vision of French rural life best embodies a set of late nineteenth- century ideals: the charm and wholesomeness of rustic ways, the nobility of living close to the soil, the beauty of preindustrial landscape, and the social harmony of the agrarian community. Sturges Bretons work was unique in content, painting for himself, impressing his personal values to the viewer. Although he did not fit the mold, by producing classical and historical works, there were other artists struggling with expression and values of a newer mind, artists like Winslow Homer. While he was at work in Petersburg, it became known to a group of fine young fire-eaters that he was consorting with the blacks, and they resolved to drive him out of town as a d-d nigger-painter. Word had come to him that the place was to be made too hot for him, but he paid no attention to the warning. Hendricks Both Breton and Homer were leaders for impressionism, however, the two works mentioned above vary greatly. Both artists focused on similar subject matter, figures in a scene or landscape. However a closer observation of specific images, narrative, symbols, sources, and process divide the two pieces to separate sides of late eighteen hundreds paintings. Physical elements such as composition, position of figures in space, brush work, color, viewpoint, and surface treatment all contribute to this separation of similar subject matter. The composition of The Weeders is un cropped, fairly balanced and symmetrical. The foreground is bold, the middle ground is expansive and the back ground strong and deep. Our view is that of perhaps a weeder on the field. Homers Carnival is cropped and less symmetrical with figures emerging from off the canvas. Less emphasis is placed on use of foreground, in turn creating less depth. Bretons figures hold much movement and expression, women working the field are crouched close to the viewer. Farther back a woman stands alone, basket full, gaze and body positioned toward the setting sun. The women weeding are bent and tired. Homers figures hold much more static energy, their gestures are held firmly with out a potential for further movement, like a snapshot. They are mimicking and playful with much variation of size, adults and various aged children. This is easily observed because of the placement of the figures all standing in a line, all the same distance from the viewer. The figure is the focus of the viewer, with the background less important. The figures feet almost meet the bottom of the canvas, out view eye level. This horizontal linear figure focus creates a flow and path of the viewers eye from right to left. The The Weeders flow moves from foreground figures to middle ground left and finally the expansive deep horizon. Front to back as opposed to side to side. Bretons backward recession is also created using the crop lines in the dirt which carry us off into the distance. Bretons brush work is painterly and general compared to his classic roots, though his figures are quite detailed. The texture of the canvas can be seen because of his thin application of smooth layers of oil paint. Homers application and use of the brush is notably different. It is rougher, thicker, and much much more suggestive. Both artists use of color plays an important role in the overall effect of the painting on the viewer. Murals Wall Paintings And Frescoes EssayAt the age of four his mother died and he was placed under the care of nurses and some extended family. His early childhood was carefree and joyous, and though much of his time was spent playing in the gardens and fields with companions of inferior social position, he was not raised as a peasant. This open-minded up bringing perhaps influenced his attitudes of lower class laborers expressed in his work. He received a fine education at a Catholic seminary school and attended college of Douai. It is here that he discovered his talent and passion for art. He later studied at the Royal Academy and was guided by artists like Vigne, Haert, and Rude. He also studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Soon the Revolution was an impact on his life. At twenty years old he witnessed much violence but did not have a passion for Politics. Running from this turmoil, he returned home and found comfort there. This began his works based in Courrieres. Homer and Breton came from different backgrounds and financial situations. Homer was educated by his mother at a very young age whereas Breton was sent to the finest schools , only discovering his love for at at the age of twenty. These facts too explain the severe differences between these two works, and their works throughout their careers. However different their surroundings and subject matter, their works do share an extremely important quality, the type of message conveyed. Breton and Homer both looked passed what others accepted as everyday life. To these men life is more than the class you have been born into. There is an infostructure and roots to every society. And though these people may not be closely examined and accepted, these artists show those who do not stop to catch a glimpse of someone elses life that there is beauty and quality elsewhere. That is the goal of any good artist I believe, to educate the mind and stretch and stimulate the senses. Whether viewers reacted with appreciation or disgust, they were effected which is nothing but praise to an artist trying to show truth.

Salvador Dali - Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second before Awakening Analysis free essay sample

Salvador Dalà ­ was born May 11, 1904 in Figueres, Spain. He was a writer, filmmaker and painter. From a young age, he was encouraged to paint, despite the weak relationship between him and his father due to domestic violence caused by his own fits. At 16, his mother passed away from Breast Cancer, and his father married Dalà ­Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s aunt. Salvador Dalà ­ went to the art school Academia de San Fernando in Spain, and rather than taking it seriously, he dressed oddly and preferred to daydream during classes. He was expelled. The rise of Franco in Spain led to Dalà ­s expulsion from the Surrealist movement, but that did not prevent him from painting. He later married Elena Dmitrievna Diakonova, or simply known as Gala, which became his muse and inspiration. When Dalà ­ was still in school, he studied many artist movements in which one was Dada, a post-World War I anti-establishment cultural movement. We will write a custom essay sample on Salvador Dali Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second before Awakening Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although apolitical, it philosophically influenced his paintings. He also travelled to Paris, France and met up with Pablo Picasso, whom he highly respected. He also met Joan Miro, Paul Eluard and Rene Magritte, who introduced Dalà ­ to Surrealism. Dalà ­s paintings became associated with three general themes: depicting a measure of mans universe and his sensations, the use of collage; and objects charged with sexual symbolism, and ideographic imagery. Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second before Awakening, or Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee for short, shows quite a few of his themes, including sexual symbolism depicted by Gala Dalà ­ his wife, his idea of the degree of universe in a dream and also collages of images from his dream. Andrà © Breton, whose manifesto the Surrealist movement was based off, first formed surrealist art: â€Å"Pure psychic automatism, by which one proposes to express, either  verbally, in writing, or by any other manner, the real functioning of thought. Dictation of thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation.† Surrealism was illogical, unexpected juxtapositions of disparate elements in collages, and at first, it was a highly controversial movement, often insisted to be referred to as ‘revolutionary†. The group’s works consisted of unreal and or dreamlike images of everyday objects, twisted and distorted into paintings and writings of ‘art’. In Dream Caused by a Flight of a Bee, it is extremely perverse for a fish to burst out of a pomegranate, then to spew out a tiger, which in turn spews out another one tiger and a bayonet – only to sting Gala in the arm. It is clear that this is an image that was generated by the mind, and shown on canvas. Although it seems exceedingly impossible, the style of art is intended to be generally surreal. Dalà ­ chose to paint Gala as his subject because he loved her so much; she was his motivation and source of his creativity. Due to his desolate past, he had probably not been as close to anyone as much as Gala to use her as his subject in many of his paintings, including Dream Caused by a Flight of a Bee. It shows us as viewers a glimpse of his personal life, his choice of thought to put his subjects in a certain composition. Dream Caused by a Flight of a Bee was composed very well, as it has a clear meaning, as well as it showing through in the title of the piece. Formal Analytical Framework Dream Caused by a Flight of a Bee was painted with oil paints on canvas, which allows for the realistic finish of unrealistic matter. The fine details were rendered by brush, which creates the smooth appearance. Salvador Dalà ­ has used many elements and principles, which are incorporated to make Dream Caused by a Flight of a Bee. One of the main elements shown is colour; the vibrant colours exaggerate the current occurrence. The bright yellows used to paint the tigers are false to the real colour of tigers, which brings out the focal point of the artwork. The contrast of colours also helps separate the background from the objects. The colour of the background has more white blended into it, forming a hazy effect, as  compared to the tigers, the fish and the pomegranate, where the colours are more pure with fewer colours mixed in. Gala, atop the rock slab, is more a neutral colour to balance out the painting. Dalà ­ has also used colour as a way of representing something, for example the yellow and black stripe on the tiger to represent a bee’s body. Although not as obvious, tone has also been used to highlight the three-dimensional feel. The overall mood created by these elements has produced a dreamlike texture, with the soft background, and the surrealisticallity of the objects. The composition of this Dream Caused by a Flight of a Bee also plays a considerably large part in forming this piece. The first thing a viewer might see is Gala and the tigers, followed by the strange elephant in the background, then followed by all the smaller details. By putting the tigers close to center, it emphasizes the meaning of the piece, as the viewer slowly starts to out the story together. There is also a certain rhythm of the arrangement, especially of the pomegranates, and the overall composition of the tigers and bayonet coming out of the fish, out of the larger pomegranate. This certain arrangement forms a bee, which is repeated towards center bottom, under Gala. In Dream Caused by a Flight of a Bee, â€Å"A typical dream with a long theme, the consequences of a sudden accident that causes the awakening†, Salvador Dalà ­ has used many symbols, in which some include a bee, an insect that traditionally symbolizes the Virgin. The pomegranate with the two droplets of suspended water can be used as a Christian symbol of fertility and resurrection, or it could also represent Venus because of the heart-shaped shadow it casts. The fish, two tigers and bayonet supposedly make up the body of a bee, showing the two sides of the bee’s symbolism. The elephant carrying an obelisk is allegedly a distorted version of Pulcino Della Minerva sculpture in Rome. Dalà ­ has explored to some extent his idea of the world of dreams in a dreamscape, and has shown the events in which a dream can occur, and the split second a person (Gala) could be awoken by just a small provocation. The main subject of the painting is Gala, whom he loved so much, and that perhaps the bee sting in form of a bayonet she dreamt of could violently wake her. References BIO. 2013. Salvador Dalà ­ Biography. [online] Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/salvador-dal%C3%AD-40389 [Accessed: 21 Oct  2013]. Learner.org. 2013. Art Through Time: A Global View Dream, Caused by the Flight of a Bee (Around a Pomegranate, a Second Before Waking Up). [online] Available at: http://www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/59/index.html [Accessed: 21 Oct 2013]. Studymode.com. 2013. Art Analysis Salvador Dahli Essay. [online] Available at: http://www.studymode.com/essays/Art-Analysis-Salvador-Dahli-194785.html [Accessed: 21 Oct 2013]. wikipedia.org. 2013. Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Caused_by_the_Flight_of_a_Bee_Around_a_Pomegranate_a_Second_Before_Awakening [Accessed: 21 Oct 2013].

Strategy Analysis Essay examples

Strategy Analysis Essay examples Strategy Analysis Essay examples Strategy analysis of Dell 1. Introduction. Since the PC industry has developed rapidly over the past decade, corporations in this industry face strong worldwide competitions and challenges. Dell, as one of the most successful enterprise in PC industry, offers a wide rage of products, the principal products includes desktop PCs, notebook computers, workstations,and servers. (Datamonitor Plc., 2011). From 1998 to 2006, Dell had strong financial performance and became the biggest seller of personal computers globally(Schwießelmann, 2010), However, recently, Dell start to lose its competitive edge in PC marketplace. (The Economists, 2006). The purpose of this report is to analyse what challenge the company faces, what internal and external factors that influences Dell's business, what is the current strategy of Dell, the advantages and disadvantages of its business strategy. Further recommendations will be made to develop a suitable strategy to help Dell beats its competitors and survive in the low- margin, highly competition industry. In this report, several tools and theories like SWOT, Value Chain and Corporate Social Responsibility will be used to analyse the strategy of this company. 2. Background. Michael Dell established his PC company with 1000 US dollars in 1984 when he was a student at the University of Texas.( Sabri and Shaikh, 2009). Michael founded this company with a simple vision that computers could be assemble to order and sold directly to customers(The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2002). In 1987, Dell's first international office was founded and Sale to government agencies started to make serious profit in 1988 and soon it become Dell's major business (ibid.). In 1996, Dell founded its own website and started to sell computers directly trough internet.( Sabri and Shaikh, 2009) which totally changed the PC selling market. Dell now have become the world second largest PC makers and its success mainly because of its unique supply chain(ibid.). The core competence of Dell is the build-to-order process, it makes Dell assemble computers in a very short time and deliver and order directly to its customers(Giachetti, 2010). This order fulfillment process gives Dell competitive advantages of costs in the low-margin IT industry and it cannot be easily replicated by its competitors(ibid.).The mission statement of Dell is 'to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve ' (Walker, 2003, pp. 264). In order to achieve the mission, Dell need to meet customers demands with high quality, low price, leading innovation, individual and corporate responsibility, best services, flexible customization ability and stability in finance situation (Walker, 2003). The key stakeholders of Dell is its customers, employees, shareholders,suppliers, communities and the environment (Dell,2011).The major competitors in enterprise PC and server markets are HP, Apple, Acer, IBM and Toshiba (Dataminitor Plc., 2011). Main competitors in retail marketplace are Asus , Acer, HP, Sony, Lenovo and Apple(ibid.). What is more, since Dell has entered into smartphone market in 2010, Apple, HTC and RIM are the main competitors in mobile business(ibid.). Strong competition exists in all of its segments. Analysis of Strategy. 3.1 Current strategy of Dell Before 2007, Dell did not sell PCs through retail outlets(The Economics,2006) Products of Dell was only sold directly through web site or phone-centers, and then assemble to order, this model was regarded as one of the most efficient business model(The Economist,2006) Distributors and retailers are excluded in its supply chain(ibid.). The just-in-time inventories and online sales cut the costs thus Dell could provide lower prices. However, since 2007, Dell started to sell PC products through retail stores or their own kiosks (Hoffman, 2007).However, Dell does not have many inventory in these stores. Customer only tests