Torsional Pendulum Preliminary Experiment Essay Example for Free

Torsional Pendulum Preliminary Experiment Essay Research and equations: As we are working in circular motion, rather than linear motion, the equations that will help me investigate the Torsional pendulum will have to be derived. Here is how it is derived. Using Force= Mass x Acceleration which is what you use for linear motion, this becomes Torque=Moment of Inertia x Angular acceleration. Using Force= -kx from a simple pendulum, this becomes Force=- Torsional Constant x Angular displacement Therefore This can definitely be compared to a=-?2x and becomes However therefore I then found out the exact expression which allowed me to directly work out I and K. The moment of inertia was simply mL2 However for the Torsional constant I first found the formula for the polar moment of inertia which was Ip=?d4/32 and the angle of twist ?=TL/GIp this was rearranged to T= GIp/L where T is the Torsional constant, then substituting in Ip I got Torsional constant= Using the equation I can now substitute in expressions for I and K to get an overall equation which came out to be: T=2? T=Time Period I=Moment of Inertia of the bar L=Length of wire G= Shear Modulus of material d= diameter of wire The following web pages were used to help me derive these equations: http://www.engin.umich.edu/students/ELRC/me211/me211/flash/tors_derivation15.swf http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/301/lectures/node139.html Preliminary Experiment: Aim: To investigate the relationship between Time period and the length of the wire on a Torsional pendulum. Factors to vary and control To ensure a fair test I must make sure that only factors that want to vary will change, therefore as I am investigating the effect of changing the length of wire on the time period I will only vary the length of wire. This means that the following must stay the same: * Mass of the metal bar, including same diameter and length each time, these are all related to the moment of inertia. * Type of wire (material) and its diameter, these are related to the Torsional constant. Diagram: Equipment: * Retort Stand with clamp to hold the wire and bar when oscillating. * Bung cut into two halves so I can change length of string easily. * Metal Bar. * Approximately a meter long wire. * Stopwatch to record the Time periods. * Micrometer to measure diameter of the wire and the metal bar * Meter long ruler to measure out correct lengths of wire and measure length of the bar. Method: * Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram above. * Ensure the wire is fixed firmly around the centre of the bar, so that when left freely it rests in its equilibrium position. * Using 0.1 meters as the starting point, make the length 0.1m using a meter rule, measuring from the base of the bung to the top of the bar at the knot. * Turn the bar 90 degrees anticlockwise and release it, start the stopwatch at the same time of release. * The time period for one complete oscillation is; for the end of the bar to go around clockwise once and changes direction then anticlockwise until it changes again, the moment it stops just before changing direction for a second time is one oscillation. Allow 5 complete oscillations for once length and divide the end time by five. * Record the time period on a suitable table. * Loosen the clamp and increase the length by 0.1m and repeat above steps until approximately 8 results are complete. * Now measure the length of the bar using a meter ruler, and the diameter of the bar using a micrometer. Also measure the length of the wire using a meter ruler and its diameter using a micrometer. Record all these results. To ensure that the experiment is carried out in safe environment I will make sure that I have plenty of space around me, with any obstacles removed to ensure the experiment can run smoothly. Theory: If simple harmonic motion applies, which I am assuming it does as shown in the equations above, also there is a clear similarity between the time period for a Torsional pendulum and for a mass spring system which is simple harmonic motion, as shown in these 2 equations. and Simple harmonic motion is defined as; an oscillation in which the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to its displacement from equilibrium and has a restoring force directed back towards equilibrium. I am investigating for the preliminary experiment the effect on time period when the length of wire is changed. From the equation derived T=2? I can see that theoretically the relationship between time period and length should be T?L0.5. Therefore an increase in length will increase the time period. Results: Length (mm) Time Period (s) Log l log T 100 6.16 -1.00 0.79 200 8.18 -0.70 0.91 300 9.59 -0.52 0.98 400 11.00 -0.40 1.04 500 12.18 -0.30 1.09 600 13.45 -0.22 1.13 700 14.22 -0.16 1.15 800 15.32 -0.10 1.19 Extra Results: Measurement Diameter of wire 0.42mm mass of bar 201.1grams length of bar 204mm Conclusion: From the graph I can come to a simple conclusion that as the length increases the time period increases. However it is obvious that this is not a linear relationship, therefore I need to use log log graphs to help me get the relationship. As I originally worked out that there is a relationship between time period and length for the Torsional pendulum, I can therefore say that T is proportional to l (T? l). However I can change this to T=alb where a and b are constants to be determined. I can determine these using a log log graph where logT=blogl+logA which is in the form y=mx+c Using the values of logT and logl in the results table above, I produced the log log graph below. From the graph you can see that the gradient which is b = 0.4375 And that logA=1.225, therefore to get A I would unlog it, 101.225= 16.788 (3.d.p) So if A= 16.788 and b=0.4283 then the relationship becomes T=16.788 x l0.4375 Evaluation: There are clearly difficulties and problems with this method which will cause inaccuracies in the results. I will now outline the problems and estimate a percentage error for each one. * Measurement of the length of the wire. The meter ruler is accurate to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.5mm, as the smallest division is 1cm. The measurements I made were 10cm to 80cm, therefore maximum error is (0.5mm/100mm) x100= 0.5%, and the minimum error is (0.5mm/800mm) x100= 0.0625% error. Therefore average error is approximately (0.5+0.0625)/2=0.28125%. * There is also error in the time periods as its difficult to know exactly when to stop the stopwatch. You must stop it when it stops and is just about to change direction. However I may stop to early or too late, this causes random error, and therefore time period will be higher or lower than the true value. I predict that this will cause a maximum error of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.5 seconds, this includes the error for a human reaction time, which can only react as fast as 0.1 seconds. Max error for the results I obtained would be (0.5/6.162)x100=8.114% and minimum error (0.5/15.318)x100=3.264%. These errors are very significant and will definitely cause inaccuracies in my results. The time I recorded was accurate to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.05seconds, therefore maximum reading error was (0.005/6.162)x100=0.081%, this is however a lot less significant than experimental error. * The scale is accurate to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.05 grams. Therefore maximum error is (0.05/201.1) x 100 = 0.0249%, therefore this error was not so significant. * The micrometer is accurate to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.005mm, as smallest division is 0.01mm, therefore error for my reading was (0.005/0.41) x 100 = 1.219%, this error was quite significant and a lot larger than I expected. The value for the gradient I obtained was 0.4375, however I was expecting 0.5, therefore there is clearly errors in the time period and length, which is what determined the gradient, with reasons for these errors stated above. The error for the gradient will be the total error of the time and length, therefore approximately 6% error, when adding average most significant error of the time period and length. Using the Equation T=2? I can work out the overall error of my experiment. As 2? x =T and as I found out that T=16.788 x l0.4375 Therefore 2? should be equal to 16.788 if my experiment had no errors. I will now work out how close to this value I actually got. =2? = 14.12 Therefore the total error from what the true value should be is [(16.788-14.12)/16.788] x 100= 15.89% From all the percentage errors above I can see that there are clearly issues with this preliminary experiment and that changes will have to be made for the final experiment to increase accuracy and reduce errors.

a suitable function of construction industry

a suitable function of construction industry Introduction Until 1958 when the construction industry began to be formulated following rules, construction businesses had suffered a poor reputation due to wrong practices of the past. The construction industry was known as an area of illegality and corruption. Accordingly, it is no exaggeration to say that for Korea’s construction industry, the past six decades were characterized by a war against illegality and corruption. Ironically, the response to this was the introduction of the American type of construction system. In addition, it is notable that competition has been introduced for construction project bidding. To be sure, there were limitations in rooting out illegality and corruption. Through these efforts, however, the nation could establish a modernized delivering system for construction projects over the year. Additionally, it is not too much to say that policy and system were formulated. In meanwhile, large-scale construction accidents frequently occurred due to dishonest work , which will happen in the process of industrialization. In April 2002, the South Korea government announced that it will work more closely with non-governmental actors in the fight against corruption. The government procurement agency announced the introduction of an ombudsman system and a clean procurement committee in an effort to break ties between the government and its contractors. The corruption law also established an anti corruption commission, with a specific mandate to investigate cases involving high rank officials. Before the commission was launched in January 2002, however, its first chairman resigned because of his suspected involvement in a major corruption. Like this, corruption is occurring by human selfishness. There were many accidents through human errors and misdeeds. Sampoong Department Store is one of the examples. On 29 June 1995, a department store building in Seoul suddenly collapsed. It was only five years old and killed 502 people and injured 937 people. The structural collapse of the Sampoong Department Store was not an isolated deviation but a clear omen of deeper problems within society. In the Sampoong collapse, bribery of inspectors was rampant. No one raised any alarm when a huge, unauthorized air-conditioner was erected on the roof of the building which caused enormous cracks in the walls. A probe revealed that the building’s owners sacked contractors who had complained that planned design changes were unsafe. The new contractor, a subsidiary of the store, had no objections. In this accident, at the same time, South Korea’s construction industry had been attacked by man-made disasters even before the Sampoong Department Store tragedy. In this paper, the main reasons of the collapse and evaluation of this collapse will be briefly described. Background The Sampoong building had two wings, with one housing the department store and the other sports and leisure facilities. The wing that collapsed was the one housing the department store. It was built by Sampoong Construction and Industry Company and completed in November 1989. An addition to the building was completed in October 1994. The building housed 556 departments with 681 employees. It stood 27.6 meters high and sat on a 29,008-square-meter.The four underground floors consisted of a parking place and an electricity control room. Three of the collapsed building’s floors which comprised the department store was operated by Sampoong Construction Company whose engineering ranks 858th among the nation’s construction firms. If it was careful, the warning signs that could have prevented the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store came as early as 15days before the accident. At that time, a restaurateur on the fifth floor reported a crack on the ceiling of the building to management. But, management’s response was lukewarm, and management took no action. Then, 5 days before, a customer who had entered the same restaurant to get something to eat after some routine weekend shopping, was showered with a water leak from the ceiling of the restaurant. Three days before the collapse, a report of a gas leak again went unheeded by the department store management. On the day of the collapse, June 29, the signs that should have set off alarm bells appeared before opening hours in the restaurants on the fifth floor. Around 9:30 a.m., the floor of the restaurant cracked open slightly. An environmental technician reported the incident to the management. Top executives of the department store stopped by an hour later, mumbling something about seeking professional assessment. Between 11a.m to 12p.m, neighbouring restaurants were experiencing water leaks from ceilings and cracks in the floors. Only at this point did the management close off the fifth floor, while the other floors continued with business as usual. Sometimes after 1 p.m., a breakdown of air conditioning and gas services as well as a power failure occurred throughout the department store. The management met around 3 p.m. for an emergency meeting without notifying the employees and shoppers of the situation. When things were at their worst, the executives of the department management lef t the building, consequently leaving many employees and shoppers still inside. At 6p.m. on 29 June, the centre of the building collapsed, similar to a controlled implosion, in 20 seconds. Customers were concentrated in the basement and in the fifth floor restaurant. The customers and employees had no time to escape. Some survivors were found in the wreckage, and one was brought out 17 days after the collapse. The overall death toll was 502. Corruption The main issues addressed in this paper are corruption, frequent design change and maintenance repair in South Korea. The first section of this paper will examine corruption in the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store. This report was delivered by Seoul District Prosecutors Office, entitled The Final White Book of Finding out the Real Truth of the Collapse of the Sampoong Department Store. The public was outraged. In particular, the news that the senior executives had fled the building without warning others was disturbing. The report on the collapse, as well as earlier structural and construction failures, suggested a widespread pattern of corruption in the country’s construction business. A government survey of high-rise structures found 14% were unsafe and needed to be rebuilt, 84% required repairs, and only 2% met standards. Joon Lee, the chairman of Sampoong, and his son Han-Sang Lee, were convicted and sent to prison for 10 and half years and 7 years, respectively. Twelve local building officials were found guilty of taking bribes of as much as $17,000 for approving changes and providing a provisional use certificate. The cause of the Sampoong collapse, then, was not a technical issue as much as outright fraud. The Korean construction industry, protected by government regulation from outside competition, had become complacent. Bribes were used to get around the usual government checks and balances that serve to protect public safety. Relationship problem between the architects and builders In the design planning process, relationship and communication between architectural designers and structural designers are important. Generally, if their relationship and communication are in discord some construction works, it can bring out accidents such as Sampoong Department Store collapse. This paragraph begins by laying out the theoretical dimensions of the research and looks at how design problems occurred in this collapse. In recent years, the subject of the design quality has become one of the important issues in the domestic construction industry. However, important design processes are made by judgement of the architect without the rational communication and information sharing among the related participants. Therefore, the objective of this research suggests the constitution plan of design error management system not only for systematizing types about the design error in construction projects but also for analyzing the primary factors of design error to embody the actual condition of trouble between architects and builders. Normally, in South Korea, builders think know-how is more important but architects think that beauty of art and quality what contractor ordered, are more important so that there were lack of communication of information and a narrow sense between architects and builders. Relationship and communication problem between architectural designers and Structural designers Generally, design drawings are distributed, such as architectural design drawing, structural design drawing, mechanical facility design drawing, electric facility design drawing and engineering design drawing. Structural calculations need to be correct in order to ensure the safety of the building and structural design drawing with structural calculations need to be written exactly and used on-site. Mechanical facility and electric facility design drafts are written considering the calculations which were reviewed in advance about facility capacity or standards according to the structure calculations in the structure design drawings which include the safety of a building and standards. In the process of structural design planning which affected the most important reason of the collapse, architectural designer and structural designers decided the scale of a building, stories, appearance and use in the early architecture plan and then on a basic structure plan like pitch of columns or structure style. The architectural designer writes the architectural design draft first, and the structure designer carries out structure calculations according to all conditions given in the architecture blueprint which the architectural designer wrote. In many cases, however, architectural designers distribute structural design drafts which are calculations made by structural designers. As the result, structural designers are different with structural draft authors, so that structural designers’ design can be changed by authors who may make fatal errors. In this accident, it the relationship and communication between architectural designers (architect) and structural designers (structural experts) was not adequate, and their communication was only call and memoranda, so that they had not exchanged information. Thus, structural calculations, structural drafts and construction drafts were different. Design problems There were many structural and architectural problems in the Sampoong Department Store collapse. This paragraph will describe problems of use change and flat slab systems in the problems. Firstly, construction of the Sampoong Department Store was a flat slab system. The flat slab system can be defined as a construction method that builds safely several columns established in the upper part inside of the building. However, the weak point of this system is many columns. So, this flat slab system is insufficient to department store buildings because if there are lots of columns in the building, the space will be narrow. So, structural designers removed block walls for the purpose of making wide clearances to sell products and punched a passage for an escalator. Also, size and shape of uplift column was changed. In flat slab system, the column is very important but structural designers of Sampoong Department Store had neglected design load calculus. Moreover, even though the fifth floor was made, column size was lessened 25% (79cm to 58cm) for appearance and even columns located near the escalator were lessened more. Secondly, the use of the Sampoong Department Store was four stories office building at first and this building was approved as a four stories building. However, owners of the building wanted to change to a department store building and the owners referred it to Woosung Construction Company. Constructors and managers of Woosung Co. opposed that because it needed more columns and thicker columns. Thereupon, the head of the Sampoong group changed Construction Company to own Sampoong Construction Company. Lastly, the five stories Sampoong Department Store were built without reinforcement of uplift columns by the company. The most serious problem was the fifth floor. The fifth floor was the restaurant area and the interior was composed of a Korean floor heater for a luxury Korean traditional restaurant so that, 30cm concrete was added for the Korean floor heater. Also, heavy kitchen equipment was needed. As the result, the whole building collapsed when these added loads affected columns. Maintenance problems This paragraph explains the maintenance of collapse of this Sampoong Department store. Sampoong made significant changes to the structure. The most important was the conversion of the original use as an office block to that of a department store. Other changes included changing the upper floor from a roller-skating rink to a traditional Korean restaurant. Stricter standards had to be met for fire, air conditioning and evacuation. Although the structure apparently met all building code requirements, the revised design was radically different from the original. This accident was a man-made disaster that the government official allowed haughty businessman who brought out blind money as a result and the building company built it. Conclusion The construction work of Sampoong Department store was started on July 1987 and opened on December 1st 1989 with Temporary Use Permit and operated for 5 years. Unlike a normal building framework using beam and column, its structure system uses Flat Slab structure so that the floor slab supports the column by itself without any beam. In a flat Slab structure, one column can stand the same amount of stress so that the collapse of one column can cause progressive collapse which can be them the entire building. Investigating the present state of collapse was analyzed minutely and based on this analysis, the design, construction work, and maintenance of this building was discovered as the direct and indirect cause of collapse. As a result, the collapse of this building was brought from a flaw in design, unreliable construction work, and maintenance problems interacting with each other for long term. A brief summary is the following. Firstly, the one that influenced collapse the most is the maintenance problem. Changing design and use, without any approval, causing additional overweight to be added and also cutting structures left the whole building structure with low durability. Secondly, in the process of construction work, managing the work and superintendence was negligent which caused part of the collapse. Thirdly, inappropriate construction and structure plan caused progressive collapse. Moreover, neglecting safety diagnosis on the long term cracks and sinking process and insufficient managing of crucial moments like right before the collapse brought about a disastrous accident. Finally, those causes, which continued for 5 years, gave no security and safety, and at the end, around the fifth floor, the roof slab was destroyed and the adjoining slab destroyed, which caused progressive collapse. A building can maintain safe conditions through fine design, construction work/supervision and appropriate maintenance. However, if a domestic construction system does not include a structure expert who puts safety first anywhere in the process of design, construction work/supervision and maintenance, there will be major problems. According to the law for architect, article 4 clause 1 and clause 2, designing and supervision of construction can only be done by an architect, and blocks the structure expert from designing and supervising the construction from the beginning. In addition, the law for architect article 2 clause 2 states that structure expert has subordinate relationship with architect, so that structure expert is not at the position where he can take responsible for the safety. Such a system cannot be found in developed countries except in Korea. For example, America does not limit the construction right to either architect or structure expert and Germany gives right to design structure only to structure expert. Also, Japan and Singapore structure expert takes care of structure design. Especially in Germany and other EU, client or representative picks ‘safety coordinator’ who takes charge of every process from beginning to the end, such as consulting and superintendence. To look at design, construction work/supervision and maintenance of Sampoong department store closely, structure expert was never in the responsible position so that he did not finish his work with responsibility. Moreover, the current domestic system had no coordinator who could point out faulty structure design and construction so that an architect who was responsible for construction asked the structure expert only for structural calculations and used them on the structure layout. When use and design were changed, the architect only asked the structure expert orally or in memo form and not with any official document. It seemed that structure expert was legally only in an assistant position which made it harder to ask for formal documents and the structural expert also did not have any obligation to be responsible for the structure problem since they are only an assistant. Recently constructions with size over fixed standard or for special needs are required to have affixing a seal of structure expert on the structure layout. However this is only the action of affixing a seal from the structural expert, it does not mean that they are responsible for construction like in other developed countries. In Korea, the current system does not have any way to prove the faulty safe the issues from in the process of design, approval, and construction/supervision like Germany or EU. In the deliberation for a Construction Permit, structure field is handled but it’s only 10 or 20 minutes which is impossible time to point out any problem in the structure and examine an entire complex design perfectly so that the Construction Permit is only a formal document to avoid responsibility. In conclusion, although common administrative regulations should be softened in order to solve inconvenience of the people and the vitalization of market, strengthening the regulations to protect the nation and their property is a global trend. To take this into consideration, experts who can take care of their work with responsibility and specialty is essential and needed on every step in the process of design, construction/supervision, and maintenance in order to prevent the reappearance of such a disaster like the collapse of the Sampoong department store.

Cultural Imperialism Theory Analysis

Cultural Imperialism Theory Analysis What is the ‘cultural imperialism’ thesis and how valid is it today? Discuss with reference to relevant theory and examples. The best way to understand what cultural imperialism is, is by analysing its difference from the traditional modes of imperialism. This theory has been developed through a long line of historical events, especially ones that developed around the relationship of the west with the rest of the world and led to our contemporary society and whether or not this society is a big global culture due to cultural imperialism. In this essay I intend to explain the difference between imperialism and cultural imperialism, present the multiple forms it can be discussed and understood based upon and go through some historical events, important to define its concept. The second part of the essay will be more focused on the global perception of western media within non-western countries and several globalization and cultural globalization developments, in order to understand whether or not cultural imperialism is valid in our modern society, as far as these globalization developments are concerned. Imperialism, as a concept we have come across through history, is the policy of expansion of control or authority exercised in foreign entities as a means of obtaining and/or maintaining an empire (Hopper,2007, Ritzer,2011). This term is usually used to describe the political domination of one, usually stronger, nation to other countries, whether that domination is practised with direct territorial conquest or indirect methods of political and economic controlling. This political or traditional imperialism though is quite different from cultural imperialism, although the lines of distinction are usually blurred (Harvey,2003). Even though imperialism is usually used in conversations about politics or wars, cultural imperialism thesis describes the process within which a dominant culture penetrates the modern world system and how its dominating stratum, values and attitudes are spread to foreign cultures, creating unequal relationships between them, favouring the more developed and pow erful one (Hopper,2007, Schiller,1976). In other words, it is the concept within which certain dominant cultures, mainly western ones, threaten to overcome other more vulnerable ones (Tomlinson,1993). This term therefore is usually associated with globalization processes and deterritorialization, where culture seems to not necessarily be related only to geographical and social territories (Ritzer,2011). The fact that some cultures appear to be subordinate to others, within the concept of cultural imperialism is a natural social phenomenon which occurs at a later stage of a long historical chain of colonialism (Hopper,2007), that allowed western cultures to force their beliefs and values on areas, such as Africa or Asia, that were not traditionally inhabited by populations same as the metropolitan authority that conquered them. Since at some point in history West Europe controlled most of the world, they had easily penetrated societies for centuries, introducing the western civilisation to them and undermining their local heritages. All those undermined localities and cultures resulted to a modern world system, where West Europe does not rule most of the world anymore but has left its fundamental characteristics there, only to be re-enforced by the contemporary Trojan horse ‘for penetrating foreign cultures’, the media. After the Second World War and the end of the tradi tional European colonization, the two superpowers that emerged, the USA and the USSR, realised early enough their benefits from cultural imperialism and, more specifically, media imperialism to promote their authority along with their ideals. Media imperialism is the theory which suggests that smaller nations are in risk of losing their traditional cultural identities due to western mass media dominance (Ritzer, 2011). The USA’s use of cultural imperialism and the mass media then, empowered their position as the most powerful and, consequently influential, country in the world, enabling them to lead the way in terms of food or drink ( McDonalds, KFC, Coca Cola) or film and entertainment industry (Hollywood cinema). The promotion of American culture therefore has become another layer of cultural imperialism and the mere exposure of western media to other nations has created a sense of American superiority in the world, resulting to individual and traditional cultural identitie s to risk being forsaken forever (Hopper, 2007). Debates on media imperialism as a sub-category of cultural imperialism appeared first during the 1970’s when unequal media flows and absolute control over them by dominant nations increased over developing countries. By the time new and more powerful media appeared, during the 1980’s-1990’s, it became much more difficult for smaller nations to resist them and for local media outlets to survive (Boyd-Barret, 1998). This new form of imperialism did not only affect developing countries’ media but also the shaping of their local cultures, receiving also a lot of criticism over the years, since according to Ritzer, ‘it undermines the existence of alternate global media from developing countries, as well as their influence of the local and regional media’ (2011). Also, it considers the audience to be passive and ready to accept and interpret the same medium exactly the same way as everyone else in the world. This is problematic since audiences aroun d the world have many, big or small, differences between them which cause them to interpret things their own way. For example, The Simpsons is a very popular show throughout the world, translated in several languages and shown in many countries. However it contains various references of drugs, sex and drinking which make it difficult for the show to be shown as it is in every country, since references like that may cause offence in certain places, like Pakistan for example. That is why it is edited to be suitable for its target audience, which proves that audiences can interpret the same medium in lots of different ways. Another reason why media imperialism is criticised, is the fact that most media flows from developed countries to developing ones are controlled entirely by one company or owner, who decides what gets to be shown or gets censored. Those media therefore, could be very biased and untrustworthy and since they create a type of cultural dependency between the developed a nd developing countries, being biased means that the smaller nations would be completely controlled and exploited. Moreover, capitalism came to re-enforce media imperialism and the contemporary, capitalist driven system it creates as ‘the primary driving force behind cultural globalization’ (Ritzer, 2011). Despite the debates and arguments against media imperialism though, the existence of new global media which subsequently allowed several cultural characteristics to flow easily all over the world, creating a more global culture, is a fact. Culture, as in the shared sense of habits, traditions and beliefs of a country, society or a group of people (Cambridge Learner’s Dictionaries) is usually associated and defined within specific geographical barriers. For example, there is Cypriot culture in Cyprus, French culture in France and so on. The possibility though, that cultural and media imperialism create for a globalized culture to exist is mostly based on the deterritorialization theory. Based on this concept, the growing presence of social forms of control and involvement goes beyond the limits of a specific territory (Giddens, 1990). Deterritorialization therefore, is the transformation that occurs on local cultures from the impact the media and communications have on them, ca using them to no longer be as defined with local geography as they once were (Tomlinson, 2007). Deterritorialization then has become a general cultural condition, re-enforcing the idea that more and more cultures throughout the world are the same. Examples of instantaneous global communications, such as television or the internet, support the formation of a globalized culture, along with the English language considered to be the world’s global and information language. Another example of how traditional cultures can easily be derived from globalization and deterritorialization concepts, is how the residents of Fiji, particularly women, changed their traditional preferences of robust, full figure bodies and started dieting for the first time, resulting in health problems like anorexia or bulimia, after being introduced to television and western media in 1995 (BBC News). This influence of the USA or other western countries on smaller nations, as far cuisine, technology, busines s practises, political techniques, entertainment, fashion or food are concerned is known as Americanization or Westernization and is one of the effects of cultural imperialism (Hopper, 2007). Another theory is the cultural hybridization theory, which emphasizes on how the world seems to have become a smaller place and also on the interaction between the global and the local that has created new types of unique hybrid cultures that are neither global or local (Hopper,2007, Ritzer, 2011). In other words, it describes the ways in which different cultures create new forms and connections with each other, developing new types of cultures from the blending of their individual characteristics. A specific term about cultural hybridization came out of Roland Robertson’s (2011) work on the interaction of the global and the local and how the first, instead of eliminating the second, combines itself with it resulting to new forms of localities, based on the global. This term is glocalization and an example of it could be how internationally known companies slightly alter some of their products based on their locations and audiences. More specifically, Pringles’s flavour s in the USA range between original, salt or vinegar while in Asia you can find flavours such as seaweed or peppered beef. Due to phenomena like this and according to Ritzer (2011) ‘globalization leads to increasing sameness throughout the world’, resulting in cultural convergence, with the McDonaldization theory as a main example of it. McDonaldization theory was first introduced by George Ritzer in 1993 and uses the principles of the fast-food restaurant company as its model, to prove how some specific principles ‘are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society, as well as the rest of the world’ (Rtizer, 2011). With five principles, McDonaldization theory shows how the world can become more globalized, exactly the same way the fast-food restaurant became globally known and successful, with restaurants built in almost every country in the globe. The five dimensions, according to Ritzer, are efficiency, as in the way of finding the best possible method for accomplishing a task, calculability, which means emphasizing on the quantity rather than the quality of products, so that customers get more amounts of product in less period of time; predictability, as in the stereotypical way in which employees and customers are expected to behave in everywhere in the world and control, as in the con trolling or even replacement of employees by technology. The fifth dimension, is the so-called irrationality of rationality, which refers to when something that is normally considered to be rational is in fact exactly the opposite and sometimes can also be described as dehumanization, for the employees and/or the customers. These principles have Mcdonaldized many aspects of contemporary society, emphasizing the convergence even more. The modern trend of ‘speed-dating’ for example, is a McDonaldized way of the traditionally time-consuming process of meeting new people, since in this case potential partners gather up for short face-to-face meetings with each other. Also, the use of the Internet as the standard tool for the process of getting and exchanging information, making libraries more and more obsolescence is another example. Based on the aforementioned aspects of globalization and global culture in relation to cultural imperialism, there appears to be a general view that one cannot adequately grasp the relevance of globalized culture through the cultural imperialism thesis alone. That is because it oversimplifies the process of information flow, which is normally complex and unpredictable, by suggesting there is only a one-way flow of imperialism, from stronger nations to less powerful ones. Such a suggestion could not possibly be absolutely valid, especially nowadays, when more non-western countries, such as India, have started to grow into powerful, out-sourcing exporters, e.g. Bollywood movies (Hopper, 2007). It also overlooks the importance of the international relations between developed and developing countries, since the influence of the western media on non-western societies is somehow bound to them. Where those relations are not as good, then it is obviously unlikely that the influence of the me dia will affect the local population. This, in addition, is proven by the national media systems and protectionism applied by some European countries, like Canada and France as a form of rejection and protest against the American domination in the European film market. This form of resistance to Americanization is overlooked by the cultural imperialism thesis, as well as Stuart Hall’s (1973) encoding and decoding theory, which suggests that there are various different ways in which audiences can decode the same media text. To conclude, it is understandable that cultural imperialism is a very vague concept which can be understood in specific forms regarding specific contexts of imperialism, media and globalization processes. It establishes connections between developed and developing countries for print media, television, radio, film or consumer goods, creating a new form of imperialism in its core, the media imperialism, which allows western media and therefore culture to easily spread the information they want to convey the world and continue being a superpower. That makes cultural imperialism an expansion of cultural values re-enforcing a dominating ‘global’ culture through products or commodities diffused with cultural values that are strengthened by media imperialism. The media are after all a very important part of people’s daily lives. The cultural imperialism thesis though has created several debates and arguments over the years, about whether or not it is the right thesis to describe and evaluate our contemporary culture, as far as globalization processes are concerned. Due to all the critiques about how it overlooks important aspects of society, information flow and media theories in general, it is mostly considered to be a negative way of understanding media globalization and global culture and therefore it is not as valid as it seems to be in our contemporary society. Bibliography CAMBRIDGE Learners Dictionary 2007 Giddens, Anthony. The Consequences Of Modernity. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1990. Hall, Stuart. Encoding and Decoding In The Television Discourse. Birmingham [England]: Centre for Cultural Studies, University of Birmingham, 1973. Harvey, David. The New Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Hopper, Paul. Understanding Cultural Globalization. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2007. Lenin, Vladimir IlÊÂ ¹ich. Imperialism, The Highest Stage Of Capitalism. New York: International Publishers, 1982. News.bbc.co.uk,. BBC News | Health | TV Brings Eating Disorders To Fiji. N.p., 1999. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. Robertson, Roland. Globalization. London: Sage, 1992. Schiller, Herbert. Communication and Cultural Domination. New York: International Arts and Sciences Press, 1973. Oliver Boyd-Barret, Media and imperialism reformulated In Thussu, Daya Kishan(ed.) Electronic Empires: Global Media and Local Resistance. London: Arnold, 1998. Tomlinson, John. Cultural Imperialism. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991. Tomlinson, John. Cultural Imperialism: A Critical Introduction. The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX: Continuum, 1991. Tomlinson, John. Internationalism, Globalization And Cultural Imperialism In K. Thompson(Ed.) Media And Cultural Regulation. London: Open University/Sage, 1997. Tomlinson, John. The Culture Of Speed. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2007.

Botticelli Essay example -- Biography

He used his paintbrush like a pen or a pencil to outline. He was more interested in making his paintings beautiful in a fantasy type of way. He died a lonely man having done little or no more painting in the last ten years. Who was this famous artist? Botticelli. Thoughtful and clever, Botticelli painted many famous masterpieces. Botticelli’s real name was: Alessandro Filipepi. He was born in 1445 in Florence, Italy. This was the time of the Renaissance. Botticelli was the youngest of five children. He got his nickname when working with a goldsmith. The goldsmith named him Botticelli, meaning, â€Å"Little barrel†. Many other people of the Renaissance said he had a deep-set of eyes and flowing locks. But they also said he was a jokester and a prankster to his friends (â€Å"WebMuseum† par 2). By the time he was 15, he had his own workshop to show off his work. (â€Å"Historylink† par 2). In addition, when he was 15 years old he already was training with a very popular painter from the Renaissance. His name was Fra Filippo Lippi (Historylink). Fra Filippo Lippi taught him how to mix colors and how to paint pictures. In 1465 Botticelli made his own studio (â€Å"WebMuseum† par 3). In comparison Botticelli and Fra Filippo Lippi are very similar. They both painted a picture beginning with: The Adoration of the†¦ Botticelli’s picture: The Adoration of the Maji is a painting of the birth of Christ. Lippi’s picture: The Adoration of the Kings is a picture of the Kings. (â€Å"FactMonster† par 1). Botticelli spent most of his life in Florence. He painted many pictures of mythology. His most famous masterpiece was the Birth of Venus (â€Å"Artchive† par 2.). He was devoted to only paint pictures of mythological beings instead of religious subjects. That’s what he was... ...elli made a big difference in Florence, Italy. He worked for the famous Medici family. The Medici family was very important in the Renaissance. They controlled the Florence city and they were very wealthy. They valued him very much. Since Botticelli’s paintings were known for their poetic feeling, they either told a story or showed a famous scene from a mythological or religious subject. The masterpieces never had anything to do with science or nature. Not all of the characters were real they just had to stand for a purpose in the painting. Botticelli’s master Fra Filippo Lippi impacted his life by getting him to start to paint pictures. Without his assistance he would have never learned to paint any of the famous masterpieces in the Renaissance. He learned about mythological subjects and how to use decorative details. Lippi got him to be the gifted artist he was.

The Evolution of the Human Brain :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Evolution of the Human Brain Although my previous two papers concerned the interplay between neurobiology and genetics, I have not quite worked the issue out to my satisfaction nor to the depth which I think the topic warrants. Therefore, I will again tackle this complex set of biological questions pertaining to the ways in which our genes shape our brains. My first paper dealt with the nature-nurture debate and its relation to the brain-behavior problem raised in class. Then, in the second paper, I moved on to a narrower issue in neurogenetics; I wrote about Fragile X Syndrome and the ways in which a specific genetic mutation can drastically change behavioral output. I would now like to enlarge the scope of this outlook on genes and the brain to encompass the topic of the evolution of the human brain. Throughout the semester, as we covered sensory input and motor output, a single neuron and complex motor symphonies, car sickness and dreaming, I have left class wondering: how are these behaviors, from the micro- actions of a neuron to the macro-actions of a human being, adaptive? How did large brains and extensive nervous systems come to be selected for? And why have humans, alone, acquired them? Some aspects of these questions seem to reside in the realm of the paleontologists, others, in the realm of the neurogeneticists. They do, however, seem to me to be central to neurobiology. For it is drilled into us that form connotes function, and, perhaps, if we come to understand how and why the human nervous system was formed, we will have a richer understanding of how and why it functions as it does. The work and thoughts of Richard Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene, have been useful to me in working out the issues of my previous papers, and I will again employ his theory that people are merely survival machines for the genes they carry. This is, I think, a logical argument with which to begin a discussion of the evolution of the brain, as it reduces evolutionary processes down to the bare bones of living things, that essential material: human genes and the DNA comprising them. This viewpoint excludes the complicated semi-philosophical questions pertaining to consciousness, higher thought, and the Self experienced by human beings via their neural processing; it primarily addresses the usefulness to human beings of the inordinately large organ contained within the skull.

Grant, Hero of A Lesson Before Dying Essay

How we act or react in difficult situations defines our persona. Sometimes these situations provide opportunities to be a hero. After reading Grant Wiggins’s own definition of a hero, it is apparent that Grant becomes a hero. Grant states, â€Å"A hero is someone who does something for other people. He does something that other men don’t and cant to. He is different from other men. He is above other men. No matter who those other men are, the hero, no matter who he is, is above them.† Grant becomes a hero by earning an education to become a teacher, undergoing psychological changes, and counseling Jefferson to die with dignity. A hero is different from others and does something others cannot. Grant’s drive to defy stereo type, become a teacher, and contribute to the community demonstrates that he is a hero. Grant is an African American son of cane-cutters who worked on a Louisiana plantation. He grew up working a labor job and was expected by society to continue as a laborer. Through determination he was able to escape his surroundings to earn a college education. He returns as an educated university man hoping to make a positive impact on society, but is still looked down upon. College gave him a new perspective and educated way of speaking and thinking, but he was still not equal to the whites. Grant continued to persevere through segregation and unfair treatment. He maintained his goal of making a difference by teaching in a church without desks or other supplies. Grants ability to escape his environment and stereotyping, earn an education, and return to his community to make changes, makes him different from others in his community. Grant was different from others and taught in conditions that most could not. Grant is a hero. Grant proved himself a hero, not only by overcoming struggles with racism, but with overcoming struggles within his own mind. A hero is above all other men. Many times a change must take place for man to become a hero above all other men. Throughout the novel, Grant undergoes psychological changes that allow him to become a hero. Grant’s life is filled with rage for the way he is treated by whites. Eventually this rage becomes self-loathing and cynicism, because he feels he is taking the unjust treatment from whites lying down. This downward spiral causes him to alienate himself from people he loves and feel that the community is helpless. During a conversation with Vivian, Grant says, he cannot face Jefferson because he cannot face himself and his own life. Vivian helps Grant realize that he has left the South in the past, has returned, and still has not left. This helps him realize that he is there for a reason. Another change happens when he accepts the task of helping Jefferson. At first Grant is angry and believes that Miss Emma wants him to perform a difficult and maybe impossible task of convincing Jefferson to die with defiance and character. After accepting this task and dealings with Jefferson, Grant realizes what a hero is and he can have an impact on the community. Finally when Grant breaks down in front of his students he realizes that he is ready to connect with the children that he has been so strict with. Many heroes have to overcome an inner struggle to realize their potential for greatness. Eventually through his interactions with his family, Vivian, Jefferson, and students he realizes to view everyone positively which gives him the strength and courage to make an impact in his community. Grant’s actions with Jefferson embody the heroic effort of doing something for someone else. Jefferson is thought of as an animal, and even compared to a â€Å"hog†. Grant wants Jefferson to believe that he is more than convict and just a black man. Grant wants Jefferson to believe that he can change society. Grant visits Jefferson regularly, councils him, gives him a radio, and hope. Before Jefferson’s death, Grant confides in him and says, â€Å"My faith is in you, Jefferson.† Through his efforts and faith, Jefferson completes his transformation into a dignified human being. Grant’s perspectives change throughout the novel as a result of his interactions with his family, Vivian, Jefferson, and his students. When given the opportunity to be a hero, he accepts and becomes a hero. His escaping his environment and stereotyping to become a teacher, overcoming psychological struggles, and helping Jefferson die with dignity proves that he is a hero in the novel.

Storm Born Chapter Nineteen

Dorian wasn't nearly as impressed as he should have been by the storm. â€Å"You couldn't control it,† he told me. â€Å"It did you no good. Until you master the small things, you'll never control the large ones. They'll control you.† He didn't seem upset; he simply showed that infinite patience and good-natured attitude he always had. Still enchanted by human stuff, he wanted us to take him into the city and show him entertaining things – particularly the aforementioned women with low inhibitions. Considering the car ride would have literally killed him, we ordered pizza instead. You could tell it was sort of a letdown for him, but he still enjoyed it. He found delight in everything, I realized. Well – except for those extreme moments of boredom that seemed to plague him, although even in those he still managed to find some sort of joke. I didn't know many people like that. I saw him once more that week, this time at his place. He made me repeat the boring water experiment five times, but it only yielded the exact same results. At least this time I didn't conjure any storms. When I asked if we could do something else next time, he laughed and sent me home. The day before Dorian's ball, I mustered up the courage to do something I'd been thinking about for a long time now: visit Wil Delaney. He still left messages with Lara almost every other day, but that wasn't what finally made me go see him again. Ever since my mom's visit, I hadn't been able to shake the idea of her locked away, miserable and alone, in Storm King's castle. The pain of that image transferred to my impressions of Jasmine, and no matter how reluctant the girl had been to leave, I knew she was still a victim. I wanted to do something – anything – to help her but had no idea where to start or even how to do it, considering last time's disaster. Talking to Wil again seemed like a semireasonable beginning. Kiyo went with me, driving us in his rental car since his poor Spider was out of commission. This car was a brand-new Toyota Camry that seemed pretty nice to me, though it obviously caused him considerable distress. When we knocked on the door, Wil didn't answer right away. â€Å"You sure he's here?† Kiyo asked. â€Å"Yeah. I don't think he ever leaves. We're probably being thermal-scanned or something.† Kiyo gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"Just wait,† I warned. A minute later, I heard the legion of locks and bolts being undone, and Wil's face appeared. â€Å"Oh, my God,† he gasped, face lighting up. â€Å"You're back. Wait. Who's that?† â€Å"A friend. Now let us in.† Wil gave Kiyo a hesitant look and finally opened the door wider. As we walked in, I could tell from Kiyo's expression that he was having exactly the same reaction I'd had to the weirdness of Wil's lair. In particular he paused in front of a magazine lying open on a coffee table. An article's large headline read: THEY'RE USING YOUR DNA TO TRACK YOU! WEAR A HAIRNET WHEN LEAVING THE HOUSE! â€Å"I knew you'd come around,† Wil burbled out, leading us into the kitchen. â€Å"When are we going back?† â€Å"I don't know that we are, Wil.† â€Å"Then why – â€Å" I held up a hand to silence him. â€Å"I just want to talk right now, that's all.† His face fell, but he nodded and walked to the refrigerator. â€Å"You want something to drink?† â€Å"Sure. What do you have?† He opened the refrigerator. Inside were about ten jugs of water whose labels guaranteed ultra-ultra-ultra purification and refinement against impurities. â€Å"Water,† he said. â€Å"Most soft drinks are laden with – â€Å" â€Å"Water's fine.† He poured three glasses and sat down with us, watching me expectantly. â€Å"I want to know more about Jasmine,† I explained. â€Å"If we're ever able to go back†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Again, that pale face loomed in my mind. I swallowed. â€Å"It might not do us any good if she doesn't want to go. Is there anything about her†¦anything you can tell us that might sort of explain that?† The fanatical gleam left his eyes, replaced by something sober and sad. â€Å"I don't know. I mean, I guess half of it's being fourteen, you know? Not that she ever seemed all that impressionable. I guess she could have been brainwashed. There's lots of documentation on that; the government does it all the time. I imagine even fairies have conditioning techniques†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He started going off on that, and I felt Kiyo's hand rest on my thigh under the table and give a slight squeeze. It was less of a sexual thing and more of a What the hell have you gotten us into? Keeping my expression blank, I finally interrupted Wil's lecture. â€Å"Can you give us any information about her? Like†¦what she was into? Likes? Dislikes? If we could just get some idea about that, it might help us understand her better.† â€Å"Well,† he said doubtfully, â€Å"I could show you her room.† He took us farther into the house, which was just as dark as the kitchen, and into a small room that smelled of dust and disuse. Probably making a great sacrifice to his values, he flipped on the lights. For half a second, I was relieved that Jasmine's room did not mirror the rest of Wil's crazed existence. It looked like a normal teenage girl's room. At first. Then I saw the fairy posters. They were interspersed with other airbrushed fantasy pictures – unicorns and dreamscapes – but fairies definitely made up the dominant theme splashed against the room's rose-pink walls. These images weren't accurate representations of the very humanlike gentry but depicted more of what pop culture perceived fairies to be like: small and winged, playing with flowers and fireflies. Those sorts of beings did exist in the Otherworld, though technically they were pixies. â€Å"You didn't think this was relevant?† I breathed, gazing around. â€Å"This is fluff,† said Wil dismissively. â€Å"Stuff girls are into. She's liked this stuff since she was little.† I walked farther into the room and knelt in front of a small bookcase. J. R. R. Tolkien. C. S. Lewis. J. K. Rowling. More and more fantasy titles. A shrine to escapism. Glancing around, Kiyo seemed to be thinking along the same lines I was. â€Å"Are there any photos? Any friends of hers?† Wil shook his head. â€Å"She didn't have a lot of friends.† He sat down on the ruffled pink bed and found a small album on the floor. â€Å"Here are a few pictures.† Kiyo and I sat next to him. The album was sort of a record of Jasmine's childhood. There were some baby pictures and some shots of her as a little girl. Wil figured into a lot of the pictures, but we saw little of their parents. I recalled his bitter comments about their chronic absence. We did find a few pictures of her with other children, but as she grew older, those became more rare. Mostly these seemed to be candid shots that someone – Wil, most likely – had snapped while she was busy with something. One showed her curled up with a book, another found her lying in a backyard hammock while bright sunshine lit up her strawberry-blond hair. She had noticed the photographer in that latter one and regarded the camera with a sad, sweet smile. â€Å"What did she do for fun?† I asked when Wil closed the album. â€Å"Hobbies? Sports?† He gestured to the shelves. â€Å"She liked to read, obviously. And she liked being outside. She went for walks, sometimes planted flowers. Wasn't really into sports or anything like that.† â€Å"She must have hung out with some people,† I pointed out. â€Å"Didn't you say she was at a party when she was taken?† â€Å"Yeah†¦kind of surprising, actually. But she went to things like that once in awhile. Not often. But sometimes. I mean, she did things with me sometimes too. We went to Disneyland once. Saw movies. But mostly she was alone.† â€Å"Do you know why?† â€Å"No. I think†¦I think she just had trouble relating to kids her age. She was smart, always sort of ahead of her time.† His voice was wistful, and I realized no matter how unstable he might be in some ways, he did truly love and miss his sister. â€Å"Was she this reclusive before your parents died?† asked Kiyo gently. â€Å"Yeah. She was always kind of this way.† After a bit more investigating around the room, we finally left. Wil pushed me hard on what I was going to do about Jasmine, but I had no answers to give him. â€Å"Well,† Kiyo said after a few quiet minutes on the road, â€Å"that was depressing.† I didn't answer right away as I stared off at the road ahead of us. â€Å"Eugenie? You all right?† â€Å"No. Not really.† I sighed. â€Å"That poor girl.† â€Å"Starts to make more sense, though, doesn't it?† â€Å"Yeah. Isolated from the real world, she starts living in a fantasy one. Then suddenly Aeson gives her the chance to actually live in that one.† He nodded his agreement. â€Å"Of course, abduction and rape probably weren't the ways she envisioned escaping off to fairyland.† I stared off again for a while. â€Å"She reminds me of me.† The glance he gave me was wry. â€Å"You dissociated into a make-believe world that you hoped would become real?† â€Å"No. But I was kind of a loner too. I think I had more friends than her, admittedly, but I always had trouble relating to others. It got worse once Roland made me his apprentice. Hard to get excited about boy bands when you're learning to exorcise ghosts.† â€Å"I don't think you missed anything there.† I rewarded him with a smile as I continued thinking. â€Å"Even though I didn't have many friends, I always wanted them, wanted to be noticed. If Jasmine's the same, then she probably likes being Aeson's mistress, as sickening as it is. He probably showers her with attention.† â€Å"You're right†¦though I wonder if there's more to it.† â€Å"How so?† â€Å"I think a lot of teens feel disconnected sometimes, like no one understands them. I mean, I felt that way lots of times. Not sure I would have welcomed what happened to her as some sort of salvation.† â€Å"Me either. But I suppose everyone copes in different ways. I took up solitary things. Running. Swimming.† â€Å"Puzzles?† â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"How'd you know about that?† â€Å"Because you have about a hundred of them in your closet.† I laughed, then reconsidered something he'd just said. â€Å"What was it like for you, growing up? You knew from the beginning what you were, right?† â€Å"Yeah. My parents never made that a secret. They accepted that they were from different worlds – literally – and didn't fight that. Growing up with that duality sort of became second nature. Like I said before, I like both worlds, which is why I certainly don't want to see some conquest of this one. Of course, I had plenty of times in my life, particularly when I was young and moody, when I'd get mad at one of my parents. Then I'd swear I'd be all kitsune or all human, depending on who'd pissed me off.† â€Å"Your teenage angst must have been a terrible thing,† I teased. â€Å"You have no idea.† â€Å"Are your parents still together?† â€Å"No. Still amicable. My mom finally stayed in the Otherworld for good once I got older. I see her from time to time. It broke my dad's heart – he was crazy about her – but he remarried and seems to be better off.† I leaned back against the seat. â€Å"Now that I know what I am†¦I kind of wish I'd known sooner. I would have liked to get a head start on my magic and go blow Aeson's castle apart and get Jasmine back.† â€Å"You don't know that you can actually do that,† he warned. â€Å"You're half-human. You may not have gotten all his power.† â€Å"Did you get everything your mom has?† He hesitated. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I can't leave Jasmine there. Not knowing what I know. But I don't know how to get her back.† Kiyo reached over and squeezed my hand. â€Å"We'll think of something. Don't worry.† It was a little comforting, but I think we both knew it was the sort of empty, kind statement you say to make someone feel better. I doubted he had any better ideas than I had on how to get Jasmine back. Kiyo didn't have to work until the next morning, so we decided to go hiking at Sabino Canyon. Physical exertion seemed like a good way to forget about abducted girls, and it was. The temperature pushed into triple digits, and we were exhausted and sweaty as we finally made the return trip down, both of us greedily drinking from water bottles. I saw him watching me at one point while we stopped to take a break. There was a content and admiring expression on his face, not purely sexual, for a change. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Your hair. I never realized how red it is. The sun lights it up like a flame.† â€Å"Is that a good thing?† â€Å"Very good.† The comfortable look on his face shifted, and I saw the familiar glint of need surface. We didn't say much after that. The rest of our hike and subsequent ride home proceeded in silence, but the air burned between us, hotter than anything we'd felt outside. Tim was nowhere to be found when we arrived home. Just as well. I turned on the shower, eager to remove the sweat and grime, and Kiyo hopped in with me. â€Å"We're here to get clean,† I warned. â€Å"Sure,† he said, pushing me up against the wall. Water poured down on us as we kissed and touched and attempted some semblance of washing ourselves. I don't know how good a job we did. I think some parts got significantly soaped down more than others. I wouldn't have minded sex in the shower, but we had no condoms in there. Sometimes I thought the double birth control was overkill; in eight years, I'd never had problems with the pill. But we both knew how high the stakes were. A condom was a small thing to ask. We fell onto my bed, still kind of slick and soapy. He slipped the condom on in like two seconds, and I moved on top of him. Foreplay apparently wasn't going to play a big role in our relationship. His hands grasped my hips, halting me for a moment. â€Å"You took your pill today?† â€Å"Yes, yes,† I assured him. He relaxed and released me, letting me move down and take him into me. A soft sound, half-groan and half-sigh, escaped his lips. He opened his eyes and smiled at me. â€Å"You are†¦the most right thing in my world.† I smiled back, knowing exactly what he meant. We felt good and right together, like the last month's tension hadn't existed. We were where we should be, picking right up after our first night together. His hands clenched my sides, his nails touching my back as my body shifted up and down. A tingle of apprehension ran through me whenever those fingers came near my back, but he continued to show restraint. The scratches were finally healing, albeit slowly. He let me stay on top only about a minute or so before he flipped me onto my stomach and took me from that position, all aggression and furious passion. I slyly tried shifting us once, and he playfully returned me back. Maybe it was the fox thing, or maybe it was just his own human nature, but something in him liked being the dominant one. I decided not to fight it, far too busy swimming in the bliss and fire of him moving inside of me. When he finished, he rolled off and pulled me to him. Happy, I buried my face against his body, drinking in his scent and feel like an intoxicant. Clinging to each other, we listened to our ragged breathing calm down. For the first time in awhile, I felt safe and at peace. Things were exactly as they were supposed to be. He stayed with me that night, and our bodies wrapped around each other in the darkness. My body fell into its old bad habits, and I found myself lying awake long after he'd fallen asleep. I twisted and turned, counting stars on my ceiling and attempting to force my mind into calmness. I tried too hard, apparently, because my mind slipped into trance, one off from wakeful consciousness but not really asleep either. Recognizing this, I started to shift out of it until an image appeared in my mind, a familiar one of a barren area I didn't recognize and a dark, crowned figure standing over me. The memory I'd half-started in the sauna returned, flooding my mind's eye. I suddenly found myself looking up at Storm King. The fear was there, the fear that I couldn't escape him and that he would take me away. Then, just as before, I reached for something both within and without. Power surged through me, and the air grew thick. Dark clouds formed out of nothing, covering the sky. Soft thunder echoed around us. I still couldn't see his face in this memory, but I could sense his amusement. â€Å"Are you going to try to fight me, little one?† A different power built up around us as he gathered his own magic. â€Å"I like your attitude – though you're fighting a losing battle. For now, at least. Come with me, and I'll show you how to really use your gifts.† He gently nudged his power toward me, attempting to quell mine. I sucked in more of my magic, letting it course through me. It burned, but it was wonderful. Amazing. Like nothing I had ever felt before or could have conceived of. I was more than a human in that moment, more than Eugenie Markham, more than a god. It filled me, but even then, I could not control it. Not yet. Lightning flared above us, followed immediately by thunder. Storm King was still pushing against me. I don't think I was really more than a match for him, but he hadn't quite expected this much of a fight. I tried to focus my power, to get ahold of it and use it against him. It was slippery, though; I couldn't keep a hold. Lightning blazed again, and I reached out with my mind to seize it, willing it to strike him down. Only my aim was off. It hit me instead. I screamed, pain ripping through me as I became the lightning's conduit, its means of grounding itself. It couldn't kill me, however; it couldn't even really hurt me – that much. I was one with the storm, and the magic I'd summoned was my own. It shot into my body, terrible and magnificent, a burning pain laced with pleasure, an ecstasy I didn't ever want to let go of†¦. I jerked upright in bed, gasping for air. Immediately, Kiyo was beside me, asking what was wrong. I couldn't answer right away. That fiery, exultant power was emblazoned in my memory. Yet, even as I sat there, I could feel the memory fading, the remembered sensation going with it. Some part of me cried out for it, willing it to stay. But it was going. â€Å"Eugenie?† I think it was the hundredth time he'd spoken my name. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"A dream,† I murmured, closing my eyes. Even with that magic gone – gone for years, really – my body shivered with delight. I felt alive, my flesh tingling with an awareness of both itself and the world around me. I opened my eyes and turned to Kiyo, resting my hands on his arms, curling my fingers into his skin. â€Å"What's the – mmm.† His words were swallowed by my kiss. My mouth fed so ferociously at his that I tasted blood from where I'd bitten his lip. In an instant, I felt his animal lust answer my own as his hands gripped my hips and tried to pull me down. But I was already pushing him down, moving myself on top of him. â€Å"Don't fight me on this,† I growled, digging my nails against him. He smiled. I think he thought I was joking, little knowing the power and aggression suddenly churning through me. His hands slid over to my wrists. Gripping them tightly, he rolled me over, pressing his full weight down on my body. â€Å"A little fighting's not bad,† he teased. â€Å"No.† My words were fierce. Unchallengeable. Still wrapped up in the dream's fleeting power, I surprised both of us and flipped him over. It was a lot like when we'd had sex earlier today, only now the roles were reversed. My own strength astonished me. â€Å"Don't fight me,† I repeated, voice low and dangerous. His eyes widened in the near-darkness. There was only a heartbeat's pause. â€Å"Anything you want.† Ostensibly, he sounded excited and amused, but there was an undercurrent of nervousness there too. Burning and exultant, I moved my mouth and hips down. We both gasped as I took him inside me. No condom, nothing between us. I shuddered at the contact, growing aroused at the thought of him directly feeling me and all my wetness. Skin to skin. Maybe I should have moved slowly, letting him savor the new sensations, but my body was too impatient. I rode him as fiercely as he had me earlier, something within me needing to assert my dominance and claim him as mine. My nails drew blood, and he cried out each time our hips slammed together. I felt powerful, in control. Like I could do anything and conquer anyone. The warmth and bliss of orgasm started building up inside of me, and some very small part of me wondered if I was getting off on thrusting him inside of me or simply on the thrill of domination. And if it was the latter, whom was I exerting my control over? Kiyo? Storm King? The ecstasy in my lower body grew more intense, more urgent. I pushed aside the nagging speculation and gave myself up to my own selfish wants. I stared down at Kiyo; he looked back as though he scarcely recognized me. â€Å"Mine,† I gasped, holding back my release. â€Å"Right now, right in this moment, you're mine.† Kiyo made a strangled noise of pleasure, head tipped back. I was on the edge; I couldn't hold my body back much longer. I didn't want to hold back much longer. I was the powerful one here. I was taking what I wanted. But first, I needed to make sure he knew that. â€Å"Say it,† I told him between heavy breaths. â€Å"Tell me you're mine. Tell me, and I'll let you come. I'll let you come in me. I'll let you explode in me.† â€Å"Eugenie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he moaned when I started to slow my pace. â€Å"You're mine,† I told him again. The lovely agony between my thighs was almost too much to bear. I was going to lose it. But Kiyo lost control first. â€Å"Yes†¦yes. Oh, God, Eugenie. I'm yours.† The power of that admission set me off, both physically and mentally. Crying out, I threw back my own head as I came. I didn't need to see his face to know he was coming too. I could feel it, feel it in the way his body spasmed inside of mine. Squeezing him tighter, I earned another moan of pleasure from him and another orgasm for me. It was glorious. We both shook from the force of our own reactions. When we finally collapsed apart, sweating and panting, neither of us could say a word. Finally Kiyo rested his head on my chest as though seeking comfort or protection. â€Å"Yours,† he murmured at last, just before falling asleep.