Strategic “Management in Digital Music Industry”

Strategic â€Å"Management in Digital Music Industry† Undeniably, significant changes have taken place in the music industry. Perhaps, these changes can be seen as a revolution, which has been propelled by advancement in technology. Even though the invention of the compact discs brought significant changes in the music business, the introduction of digital technology has given the music industry a new look. Unlike in the past, it is now possible distribute music through the internet, thanks to the invention of digital technology. It is also worth noting that, while this technology has contributed to loss of business opportunities to some organizations, it has also enhanced new opportunities to others. Perhaps, the negatively affected organizations include record stores, who have lost their business to online music distributing companies (Tschmuck, 2006). Consequently, for the losers to remain in business, undertaking strategic changes is inevitable. As an illustration, Sonicbids Corporation will be used in this analysis, to explain the importance of undertaking strategic change programme in the music industry in response to the invention of digital technology. Company Profile Sonicbids Corporation is one of the leading companies in digital music distribution industry. Particularly, it is considered a Social Music Marketing stage that brings together consumers brands, bands, promoters, as well as music fans. Sonicbids Corporation was established in 2001, in Massachusetts, Boston. Actually, it was among the first companies to be established, in reaction to the invention of digital technology. Possibly, this is one of the reasons behind the rapid growth of the Company, which now supports more than 360,000 bands and approximately 27,000 promoters from more than 100 countries in various parts of the world. In addition, currently the company has more than 100 million fans. The Company deals with various products, the most common being Internet Content Provider, Information Collection Delivery, Media, Sales Promotion Services, Advertising Marketing Services, as well as public Relations Services. Sonicbids Corporation initiated partnership with other companies , such as Red bull, Bonnroo Music and Arts Festival, Diesel Industry, and Marriott Hotels. However, since its incorporation, various companies have also ventured into the digital music industry; the most competitive being ARTST direct.com. Capital Sports Entertainment, LLC, and Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc (Sonicbids, 2012). Need for strategic change As mentioned above, significant changes have occurred in the music industry, particularly with the introduction of digital technology (Kilmer, 2010). Thus, to remain competitive, Sonicbids Corporations need to execute strategic changes, in reaction to the ever changing competitive business environment. Arguably, in this particular case, the need for implementation of strategic change programmes for Sonicbids Corporation could be best explained using porter’s five forces. Rivalry Although Sonicbids Corporation was among the first companies to venture into the Social Music Marketing business, the intensity of rivalry in this business has increased considerably. A number of companies have grown to be strong competitors to the Company, contributing to a decrease of its market share. Some of the strong competitors include ARTST direct.com. Capital Sports Entertainment, LLC, and Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc (Sonicbids, 2012). There is no doubt that venturing into social music marketing industry requires high investments, hence becoming a strong entry barrier. However, the high exiting costs has also contributed to the ever increasing competition for those companies already in this business. This implies that, the opportunity cost of companies already in this industry exiting from the industry is much higher than the opportunity cost of continuing operating in the industry. As such, for a company, like Sonicbids Corporation to enhance its survival in this industry, there is need to undertake strategic change in its operations. In order to increase or maintain its market share in this industry, there is need for the company to capitalize on its strengths in minimizing its weakness, in reaction to the increasing competitors. This does not imply that the company has failed completely in its competitive strategies. For instance, in the recent past, Sonicbids Corporation has established partnerships with other companies, both within and outside its line of operation, as a way of facilitating its grobal growth; hence improving its competitiveness (Tschmuck, 2006). However, with time, industry keeps on changing and there is need to cope with such changes. Threat of substitutes The products and services offered by Sonicbids Corporation face a considerably high degree of threat of substitutes. Since the beginning of the digital technology revolution, a number of companies have emerged in the music industry. In addition, those companies established long before this revolution, have also undertaken business process reengineering to cope with the changes taking place in their business environment (Mulligan, 2011). For instance, Sony, one of the leading companies in the entertainment industry, has undertaken strategic measures to ensure that its products and services embrace the growing digital technology. Based on this analysis, it is evident that Sonicbids has a lot to do regarding differentiation of its products. However, this does not imply that the company’s products are not differentiated. Actually, being among the first company to venture into the digital music technology industry, the Company has already established its reputation among the consum ers and other stakeholders, giving its brand an upper hand in the market. However, strategic changes are still needed, to differentiate its products and services further, in response to the ever increasing competition (Domingo, 2012). Threats to entry Digital music industry requires huge amount of investments. Nevertheless, due to the high opportunity cost of investing in this industry, more companies find it worth venturing into the industry. It is evident that lately, the internet has become one of the essential tools influencing strategic global expansion in most companies, given that digital technology and the internet go hand in hand, investing in this industry at whatever cost is viable in the long-run for any company. To some extent, this increases the threats of new entry to Sonicbids Corporation. However, Sonicbids has an upper hand in countering the impacts of the new entrants, given that it is already established in the digital industry (Domingo, 2012). The Company already has an advantage when it comes to economies of scale. This could be of greater significance to the Company in the intended strategic changes; particularly, in facilitating constant innovation in the attempt to differentiate its products from those of its existing competitors and new entrants. As the digital music industry grows, so does government regulations. This also acts as another barrier for the new entrants. However, to Sonicbids Corporation, this could be an added advantage to its strategic change policies. Given that the Company has been operating in the industry for quite a long time, it is obvious that it has taken government regulations into consideration in its business strategies. Hence, not much is needed when it comes to new government regulations, hence minimal impact is felt when implementing such changes in its business operations (Tschmuck, 2006). Suppliers’ power Sonicbids has suppliers from various parts of the world, where its products and services are accessible. Thus, the bargaining power of the suppliers is considerably low, reducing chances of the company suffering from any limitation of supplies. Nevertheless, as rivalry and new entrants increase, the bargaining power of suppliers also increases. An increase in competition and new entrants give the suppliers alternatives, which gives them an advantage when it comes to negotiating for their supplies. Consequently, if nothing is done to preserve its suppliers, Sonicbids is likely to lose the suppliers to its competitors and new entrants; which could be the beginning of reduction of its market share. Possibly, one of the strategic changes that the Company should focus on in the attempt to maintaining and acquiring new suppliers is to create a mutual relationship with its suppliers. For instance, the Company should consider negotiating directly with its suppliers, which will in turn, in ad dition to improving their relationships, ensure high quality supplies at a relatively lower cost. In the long-run, the high quality supplies obtained at low prices will allow the Company to further differentiate its products, hence improving its competitiveness. Buyers’ power As compared to the bargaining power of the suppliers, the buyers’ bargaining power in digital music industry is high. It is important to note that there is no cost associated with switching from one product or service to another (Tschmuck, 2006). Thus, buyers are at liberty to change from one brand to another, depending on their tastes and preferences. Thus, it is up to the players in this industry to up their game in producing better products, so as to maintain and attract new buyers. Perhaps, the ability of the buyers to easily switch from one product to another has been the most challenging for the Company to handle. Ideally, the only tool that the Company can use to maintain its customers is to continuously differentiate and innovate its products. Yet, again Sonicbids Corporation is advantaged when it comes to maintaining customers, thanks to its strong brand. Buyers tend to be inclined towards a given brand, and Sonicbids has succeeded in building its brand over the years it has been in operation. Thus, it is already a step ahead of its competitors and new entrants. Hence, the Company should be focusing on building its brand continuously, as a strategic change in connection to increasing its customer base (Domingo, 2012). External Environment In addition to the above analysis of the need for Sonicbids’ needs for strategic change, there is also need for the company to implement various changes, so as to realign itself to the needs of the external environment. Undeniably, there are various tools that can be applied in evaluating the need for change in connection to the external environment of the Company. Nevertheless, in this case, P.E.S.T analysis will be the most appropriate. This particularly includes the analysis of factors that affect business operations, but which are beyond the control of the company. Political factors Ideally, the government has powers to regulate the economy in general, to achieve the desired economic performance. Thus, companies are affected in one way or the other, once any changes are made in government regulations in a given industry. For instance, in the recent past global financial crisis, the United States government took strategic measures for reviving its economy. Such measure included stern conditions on how large companies managed their finances. Although such regulations were not directly imposed on Sonicbids, their impacts were felt within the Company, which forced certain changes to accommodate such impacts. Nevertheless, the same impacts were also felt by Sonicbids’ competitors. This implies that Sonicbids must come up with ideas on how to outdo its competitors in order to survive in the industry. Some of the government policies likely to affect Sonicbids include minimum wage for the workforce, the amount of tax to be paid, as well as the amount of VAT to be remitted by companies. These factors must be evaluated regularly to determine how they are likely to affect the performance of the company in the future (Wikstsrom, 2010). Economic factors Economic factors are closely connected to political factors on how they influence strategic changes in an organization. However, economic factors tend to largely focus on the performance of the economy and how such performance affects the purchasing power of the consumers. For instance, in the recent global financial crisis the economy of, not only the United States, but also other countries in various parts of the world, shrunk. This brought significant changes, the most common being increase in interest rates. This in turn affected the purchasing power of the consumers, implying that the performance of Sonicbids’ products in the market declined. This also contributed to changes in terms of tax contributions to the government from companies. Consequently, Sonicbids must take into account such changes, in monitoring and managing its performance in general. In addition, given that the Company is now available in different countries all over the world, the impacts of such change s are likely to vary from one country to another. To some degree, this will influence on how the Company will price its products, and investment opportunities to be given priorities (Mulligan, 2011). Social factors To some extent, the general performance of any given company largely depends on how it is perceived in a sociological context. Arguably, Sonicbids has done relatively well socially, thanks to the high quality products and services it provides. Nevertheless, the Company operates in a very volatile environment, given that technology keeps on changing. Thus, the Company should ensure that vital changes are incorporated in its business activities, for it to stay ahead of technology. Besides, the Company should ensure that all their activities are appealing to the society, because that will determine the future of the company. In this case, Sonicbids should ensure that it produces products that people will be proud to be associated with in the society. Although customers have various tastes and preferences, it is upon the Company to improve on their ideas on how the customers’ needs will be accommodated in their products and services (Wikstsrom, 2010). Technological factors Possibly, technological factors are the most significant for Sonicbids, given that all its activities surrounds the use of technology. Its productivity largely depends on productivity. In fact, almost all its operations are conducted through the internet, which is the main tool of connecting the buyers, sellers as well as other stakeholders. Therefore, investment in modern technology and updating the same from time to time accounts for a great percentage of its resources. The Company should make research a continuous process, as this will help it to update its technological requirements. As a way of differentiating its products, Sonicbids, should for instance ensure that customers can easily navigate through their websites in the process of window shopping. Besides, it should also ensure that the online payment system is easy and safe, to avoid financial losses. A continuous investment on new technology will be advantageous to the Company in various ways. First, it will contribute to reduction of costs. Lately, online marketing is among the most preferred methods of business marketing. It not only accesses a large number of potential customers, but it is also relatively cheaper as compared to other marketing alternatives. Secondly, technology leads to better quality products. This is as a result of the ongoing research on how the products can be produced at a lower cost, without compromising on the quality. Lastly, investment in technology is the key to innovation. With up-to-date technology, Sonicbids stands a better chance of producing new products within its line of operation (Kilmer, 2010). Outcome of the Strategic Change Programme The main objective of undertaking strategic changes as discussed above is to give Sonicbids a better chance of improving its competitiveness with the industry. In this case, the possible outcomes of the strategic change programme can be evaluated based on the SWOT analysis principle. This will particularly concentrate on how the Company is likely to capitalize on its strengths to improve on its weaknesses, as well as how the opportunities arising from the strategic change programme would help the Company in dealing with the threats it faces. Strengths One of the strengths of Sonicbids is an already established brand. As a result, the Company has established a fairly large customer base as compared to its competitors. This implies that, the impacts of the ever increasing competition would remain marginal as compared to the extent its competitors are affected. Therefore, focusing on building its brand will differentiate its products further within the market, hence enhancing its continued growth. The Company’s second strength is associated with its economies of scale. As such it has an advantage when it comes to investing in large projects, such as acquiring new technology, which would increase efficiency in the company. In fact, it is as a result of its economies of scale, that the Company has managed to venture into new market segments in various countries throughout the world. Last, the company has managed to attract high talented and innovative workforce, since its incorporation. Given that it was among the first companie s venturing into digital music industry, the management of the Company has managed to learn through experience on how to manage the operations of the Company for effective performances. Understanding the needs of the above discussed strategic changes will keep the Company at a better position of improving its strengths, hence high competitiveness (Kilmer, 2010). Weakness Despite the above mentioned strengths, Sonicbids has been facing a number of weaknesses. For instance, the Company offers a variety of products, as one of the strategies of diversifying its business. However, some of the products provided are not productive as such, contributing to a decline in its overall performance. In addition, as competition increases, sales of products tend to slow down. This is an indicator that strategic measures are needed to deal with this problem. Arguably, by focusing on implementing the above discussed strategic changes, the Company will be in a better position in dealing with these weaknesses. Opportunities One of the most significant opportunities for Sonicbids Corporation is venturing into new markets, which still remain untapped. There is no doubt that the digital music industry is yet to be flooded. There are various markets which remain untapped, and venturing into such market will be a great opportunity for this Company. In addition, the Company also has an opportunity of producing new products. It is well endowed in terms of resources, both human and financial, which could be invested in innovation projects. Lastly, the Company has a better chance of expanding its current market share, by investing and improving on its marketing strategies. All these opportunities are likely to be beneficial to the Company; it only focuses on implementing the above discussed strategic changes (Kilmer, 2010). Threats Competition is the main threat currently facing Sonicbids. Besides the previously mentioned competitors, within the context of digital music industry, Sonicbids also faces competition from such companies as: Bandcamp, RDIO, Soundloud, and Ticketley. However, based on the above discussed strategic change programme, Sonicbids will stand a better chance of remaining at the top of competition in the digital music industry. Conclusion As mentioned above, a revolution has occurred within the music industry, particularly with the introduction of digital technology. While the digital technology has opened new business opportunities, it has also been the main cause of business loss; particularly for the players who has failed to embrace this new technology. In this analysis, Sonicbids Corporation, one of the first companies to venture into digital music industry, has been used to†¦

Silicon Particles As Trojan Horses For Potential Cancer...

Silicon Particles as Trojan Horses for Potential Cancer Therapy Published in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2014. Web link: http://www.jnanobiotechnology.com/content/12/1/35 Authors: Roberto Fenollosa; Eduardo Garcia-Rico; Susana Alvarez; Rosana Alvarez, Xiang Yu; Isabel Rodriguez; Susana Carregal-Romero; Carlos Villanueva; Manuel Garcia-Algar; Pilar Rivera-Gil; Angel R de Lera; Wolfgang J Parak; Francisco Meseguer; Ramà ³n A Alvarez-Puebla. Summary Cancer is a disease that involves abnormal growth of cells with a danger of spreading over other parts of the body. Modern biological researches being made to treat different forms of cancer have all been using one common material: nanoparticles. These particles have properties useful for the treatment of cancer like their stability in solvents, the adjustable surface chemistry for delivery, and the ideal size to deliver bio organic ligands to cells1. Even combining together nanoparticles with different functionality increases their potential use in cancer treatment. The common use of the particles in treatment is to direct them to target cells with antibodies attached to their surfaces. There is a monetary limitation to this method needing large and expensive machines. Some methods require the particles to be heated with a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine or an electromagnetic field which causes death of cells around the target cells. Porous silicon particles (PSiPs), because of their biodegradability and their

Storm Born Chapter Three Free Essays

string(109) " I fell into that gaze, feeling the response of nerves in my lower body that I’d thought were dormant\." I’d been people-watching for almost an hour, so I saw him as soon as he walked in. It was hard not to. The eyes of a few other women in the bar showed that I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. We will write a custom essay sample on Storm Born Chapter Three or any similar topic only for you Order Now He was tall and broad-shouldered, nicely muscled but not over the top in some crazy Arnold Schwarzenegger way. He wore khakis with a navy blue T-shirt tucked into them. His black hair was not quite to his chin, and he had it tucked behind his ears. His eyes were large and dark, set in a smoothly chiseled face with perfect, golden-tanned skin. There was some mix of ethnicities going on there, I suspected, but none I could discern. Whatever the combo, it worked. Extremely well. â€Å"Hey, is anyone sitting here?† He nodded at the chair beside me. It was the only empty one at the bar. I shook my head, and he sat down. He didn’t say anything else, and the only other time I heard him speak was to order a margarita. After that, he seemed content just to people-watch, like me. And honestly, it was a great place to do it. Alejandro’s was right next to a midlevel hotel and drew in patrons and tourists from all sides of the socioeconomic scale. TVs showed sporting events or news or whatever the bartender felt like putting on. A few trivia machines sat at the other end of the bar. Music – sometimes live, but not tonight – forced the TVs to have closed-captioning, and dancing people crowded the small space among the tables. It was humanity at its best. Teeming with life, alcohol, mindless entertainment, and bad pick-up lines. I liked to come here when I wanted to be alone without being alone. I liked it better when drunk, stupid guys left me alone. I wasn’t sure about articulate, good-looking ones. One nice thing I soon discovered was that with Tall, Dark, and Handsome sitting next to me, no losers dared approach. But he wasn’t talking to me either, and after a while, I realized I’d kind of like him to – not that I’d have any clue what to say back. With the glances he kept giving me, I think he felt the same way. I didn’t know. A sort of tension built up between us as I nursed my Corona, each of us waiting for something. When it finally came, he started it. â€Å"You’re edible.† Not the opening I’d been expecting. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"Your perfume. It’s like†¦like violets and sugar. And vanilla. I suppose it’s weird to think violets are edible, huh?† â€Å"Not so weird as a guy actually knowing what violets smell like.† It was also weird that he could even smell it. I’d put it on about twelve hours ago. With all the smoke and sweat around here, it was a surprise anyone’s olfactory senses could function. He shot me a crooked grin, favoring me with a look that could only be described as smoky. I felt my pulse quicken a little. â€Å"It’s good to know what flowers are what. Makes it easier to send them. And impress women.† I eyed him and then swirled the beer in my bottle. â€Å"Are you trying to impress me?† He shrugged. â€Å"Mostly I’m just trying to make conversation.† I pondered that, deciding if I wanted to play this game or not. Wondering if I could. I smiled a little. â€Å"What?† he asked. â€Å"I don’t know. Just thinking about flowers. And impressing people. I mean, how strange is that we bring plant sex organs to people we’re attracted to? What’s up with that? It’s a weird sign of affection.† His dark eyes lit up, like he’d just discovered something surprising and delightful. â€Å"Is it any weirder than giving chocolate, which is supposed to be an aphrodisiac? Or what about wine? A ‘romantic’ drink that really just succeeds in lowering the other person’s inhibitions.† â€Å"Hmm. It’s like people are trying to be both subtle and blatant at the same time. Like, they won’t actually go up and say, ‘Hey, I like you, let’s get together.’ Instead, they’re like, ‘Here, have some plant genitalia and aphrodisiacs.'† I took a drink of the beer and propped my chin in my hand, surprised to hear myself going on. â€Å"I mean, I don’t have a problem with men or relationships or sex, but sometimes I just get so frustrated with games of human attraction.† â€Å"How so?† â€Å"It’s all masked in posturing and ploys. There’s no honesty. People can’t just come up and express their attraction. It’s got to be cleverly obscured with some stupid pick-up line or not-so-subtle gift, and I don’t really know how to play those games so well. We’re taught that it’s wrong to be honest, like there’s some kind of social stigma with it.† â€Å"Well,† he considered, â€Å"it can come out pretty crass sometimes. And let’s not forget about rejection too. I think that adds to it. There’s a fear there.† â€Å"Yeah, I guess. But being turned down isn’t the worst thing in the world. And wouldn’t that be easier than wasting an evening or – God forbid – months of dating? We should state our feelings and intentions openly. If the other person says ‘fuck off,’ well, then, deal. Move on.† I suddenly eyed my beer bottle suspiciously. â€Å"What’s wrong?† â€Å"Just wondering if I’m drunk. This is my first beer, but I think I’m sounding a little unhinged. I don’t usually talk this much.† He laughed. â€Å"I don’t think you’re unhinged. I actually agree with you.† â€Å"Yeah?† He nodded and looked remarkably wise as he contemplated his answer. It made him even sexier. â€Å"I agree, but I don’t think most people take honesty well. They prefer the games. They want to believe the pretty lies.† I finished off the last of the Corona. â€Å"Not me. Give me honesty anytime.† â€Å"You mean that?† â€Å"Yes.† I set the bottle down and looked at him. He was watching me intently now, and his look was smoky again, all darkness and sex and heat. I fell into that gaze, feeling the response of nerves in my lower body that I’d thought were dormant. You read "Storm Born Chapter Three" in category "Essay examples" He leaned slightly forward. â€Å"Well, then, here’s honesty. I was really happy when I saw the empty seat by you. I think you’re beautiful. I think seeing the bra underneath your shirt is dead sexy. I like the shape of your neck and the way those strands of hair lay against it. I think you’re funny, and I think you’re smart too. After just five minutes, I already know you don’t let people screw around with you – which I also like. You’re pretty fun to talk to, and I think you’d be just as much fun to have sex with.† He sat back in his chair again. â€Å"Wow,† I said, now noticing I’d put on a white shirt over a black bra in my haste. Oops. â€Å"That’s a lot of honesty.† â€Å"Should I fuck off now?† I played with the rim of the bottle. I took a deep breath. â€Å"No. Not yet.† He smiled and ordered us another round. Introductions seemed like the next logical step, and when his turn came, he told me his name was Kiyo. â€Å"Kiyo,† I repeated. â€Å"Neat.† He watched me, and after a moment, a smile danced over his mouth. A really nice mouth too. â€Å"You’re trying to figure me out.† â€Å"Figure you out how?† â€Å"What I am. Race. Ethnic group. Whatever.† â€Å"Of course not,† I protested, even though I’d been trying to do exactly that. â€Å"My mother is Japanese, and my father is Latino. Kiyo is short for Kiyotaka.† I scrutinized him, now understanding the large dark eyes and the tanned skin. Human genes were exquisite. I loved the way they blended. How cool, I thought, to have such a solid grip on your ancestry. I knew my mother had a lot of Greek and Welsh, but there was a mix of all sorts of other things there too. And as for my deadbeat father†¦well, I knew no more about his heritage than I knew anything else about him. For all intents and purposes, I was very much the mongrel the keres had called me earlier. I realized then I’d been staring at Kiyo too long. â€Å"I like the results,† I finally said, which made him laugh again. He asked about my job, and I told him I worked in Web design. It wasn’t entirely a lie. I’d majored in it and in French. Both areas had turned out to be completely irrelevant to my job, though Lara swore having a Web site would drive up our business. We mostly relied on word of mouth now. When he told me he was a veterinarian, I said, â€Å"No, you aren’t.† Those smoldering eyes widened in surprise. â€Å"Why do you say that?† â€Å"Because†¦because you can’t be. I just can’t see it.† Nor could I imagine telling Lara tomorrow: So I was in a bar last night and met this sexy veterinarian†¦ No, those concepts somehow didn’t go together. Veterinarians looked like Wil Delaney. â€Å"It’s God’s truth,† Kiyo swore, stirring his margarita. â€Å"I even take my work home with me. I have five cats and two dogs.† â€Å"Oh, dear Lord.† â€Å"Hey, I like animals. It goes back to the honesty thing. Animals don’t lie about how they feel. They want to eat, fight, and reproduce. If they like you, they show it. If they don’t, they don’t. They don’t play games. Well, except maybe the cats. They’re tricky sometimes.† â€Å"Yeah? What’d you name all those cats?† â€Å"Death, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Mr. Whiskers.† â€Å"You named your cats after the riders of the apocal – wait. Mr. Whiskers?† â€Å"Well, there are only four horsemen.† We talked for a while after that about whatever else came to mind. Some was serious, some humorous. He told me he was in town from Phoenix, which kind of disappointed me. Not local. We also talked about the people around us, our jobs, life, the universe, etc., etc. All the while I kept wondering how this had happened. Hadn’t I just been noting how I lived outside of society? Yet, here I was, talking to a guy I’d just met like I’d known him for years. I barely recognized the words coming out of my own mouth. I didn’t even recognize my body language: leaning into him as we talked, legs touching. He wore no cologne but smelled like he looked: darkness and sex and heat. And promises. Promises that said, Oh, baby, I can give you everything you’ve ever wanted if you’ll just give me the chance†¦. At one point, I leaned toward the bar to slide an empty bottle across it. As I did, I suddenly felt Kiyo’s fingers brush my lower back where my shirt had ridden up. I flinched as electricity crackled through me at that slight, casual touch. â€Å"Here’s more honesty,† he said in a low voice. â€Å"I like this tattoo. A lot. Violets again?† I nodded and sat back in my chair, but he didn’t remove his hand. That tattoo was a chain of violets and leaves that spread across my lower back. A larger cluster of the flowers sat on my tailbone, and then smaller tendrils extended outward on both sides, almost to my hips. â€Å"Violets have sort have become my patron flower,† I explained, â€Å"because of my eyes.† He leaned forward, and I almost stopped breathing at how close his mouth was to mine. â€Å"Wow. You’re right. I’ve never seen eyes that color.† â€Å"I’ve got three more.† â€Å"Eyes?† â€Å"Tattoos.† This got his interest. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"They’re covered by the shirt.† I hesitated. â€Å"You know anything about Greek mythology?† He nodded. A cultured man. Cue swooning. I touched my upper right arm. My sleeve covered the skin. â€Å"This one’s a snake wrapped all the way around my arm. It’s for Hecate, the goddess of magic and the crescent moon.† What I didn’t add was that Hecate guarded the crossroads between worlds. It was she who governed transitions to the Otherworld and beyond. This tattoo was my link to her, to facilitate my own journeys and call on her for help when needed. I moved to my upper left arm. â€Å"This one’s a butterfly whose wings wrap around and touch behind my arm. It’s half black and half white.† â€Å"Psyche?† he asked. â€Å"Good guess.† He really was cultured. The goddess Psyche was synonymous with the soul, which the butterfly represented in myth. â€Å"Persephone.† He nodded. â€Å"Half black, half white. She lives half her life in this world and half in the Underworld.† Not unlike my own life. Persephone guided transitions to the world of death. I didn’t travel there myself, but I invoked her to send others across. â€Å"She governs the dark moon. And back here† – I tapped the spot behind me where my neck connected to my back – â€Å"is a moon with an abstract woman’s face in it. Selene, the full moon.† Kiyo’s dark eyes held intense interest. â€Å"Why not one of the more common moon goddesses, then? Like Diana?† I hesitated with my answer. In many ways, Diana would have served the same purpose. She, like Selene, was bound to the human world and could keep me grounded here when I needed it. â€Å"The others are†¦solitary goddesses. Even Persephone, who’s technically married. Diana’s a virgin – she’s alone too. But Selene†¦well, she doesn’t get a lot of press anymore, but she was a more social goddess. A sexual goddess. She opens herself up to other people. And experiences. So I went with her. I just didn’t think it’d be healthy to be marked with three goddesses who were all alone.† â€Å"What about you? Are you alone, Eugenie?† His voice was velvet against me, and I could have drowned in those eyes. They were like chocolate. Chocolate is an aphrodisiac. â€Å"Aren’t we all alone?† I asked with a rueful smile. â€Å"Yes. I think in the end, we all are, no matter what the songs and happy stories say. I guess it’s just a matter of who we choose to be alone with.† â€Å"That’s why I come here, you know. To be alone with other people. There’s isolation in a crowd. You’re hidden. Safe.† He looked around at the buzzing, moving sea of people in the bar. They were like a wall surrounding us. There but not there. â€Å"Yes. Yes, I suppose that’s true.† â€Å"Isn’t that why you’re here too?† He glanced back down at me, his expression a little less sexual and a bit more pensive. â€Å"I don’t know. I’m not sure. I guess maybe I’m here because of you.† I didn’t have any quick retorts for that, so I started playing with the bottle again. The bartender asked if I wanted another, and I shook my head. Kiyo touched my shoulder. â€Å"You want to dance?† I was pretty sure I hadn’t danced since high school, but some force compelled me to agree. We stepped out into a crowd of very bad dancers. Most were just sort of floundering around to a fast song with a heavy beat that I’d never heard before. Kiyo and I weren’t much better. But when a slower song came on, he wrapped me to him, pressing us together as close as two people could be. Well, almost as close. I couldn’t ever remember anything like this happening with a guy I’d just met, a desire for someone I actually wanted and not just someone who was available. His body felt hard and perfect against mine, and my flesh kept concocting ways to touch his. I was already picturing him naked, imagining what it would be like to have his body move against and inside of mine. What was going on with me here? The images were so vivid and real, it was a wonder my feelings weren’t written across my face. So I didn’t really mind when he slid his hand up the back of my neck and brought his mouth down to kiss me. It wasn’t a tentative kiss either. No first-date kisses here. It was the kind of kiss that meant business, the kind of kiss that said, I want to consume every inch of you and hear you scream my name. I’d never really made out in a public place, but it seemed kind of a trivial concern as that kiss burned between us, our tongues and lips exploring the contours of each other’s mouths. But when his other hand slid up and cupped my breast, even I was surprised. â€Å"Hey,† I said, breaking off slightly. â€Å"There are people around.† Amusing, I thought a moment later, that I was less concerned about him doing it than being seen doing it. He kissed the side of my neck, just below my ear, and when he spoke, his words heated my skin. â€Å"People only notice if you make a big deal about it.† I let him kiss me again and didn’t say anything else about the hand that continued to stroke the curve of my breast and tease my nipple into hardness beneath the shirt. His other hand slid down to my ass and ground me closer to him, letting me feel exactly what was underneath his jeans. The fact that we were doing this in public suddenly made it a lot sexier. I let out a small, trembling sigh and then broke away from the kiss again. Only this time, it wasn’t because of any prudish feelings. It was from need. My body’s suddenly urgent and excruciating need. â€Å"Are you staying next door?† I asked, indicating the hotel adjacent to the bar. â€Å"No. Out at the Monteblanca.† I let surprise show on my face. That was in the region near where I lived, in the Santa Catalina foothills. â€Å"That’s not a hotel. That’s a resort. A really nice one. Veterinarians must make a lot.† He smiled and brushed his lips against my cheek. â€Å"You want to see it?† â€Å"Yes,† I told him. â€Å"I certainly do.† How to cite Storm Born Chapter Three, Essay examples

The Duality Of Existence And Essence Through free essay sample

St Augustine And St Thomas Essay, Research Paper Ancient, Medieval Modern and Contemporary Philosophy HUM-3551-01 Karim Saliba Teacher: Dr. Robert L. Shearer The dichotomy of Existence and Essence through St Augustine and St Thomas Submitted: 11/8/2000 We have been analyzing in the class of the category the development of idea in the Western Civilization. This survey has of class started with the Grecian minds and philosophers. Their manner of idea has had a great consequence on the manner the whole western civilisation approached life, and the cardinal constructs behind it. Plato is the philosopher that most likely had the most influence on the manner idea has evolved in western society. But his logical thinking put Essence above Existence, which is in contradiction with the religion that is promoted subsequently on by Aristotle at first, and so by the reaching of Christian idea into the western universe. Plato was the first philosopher that promoted a manner in which Essence was the Urstuff, or what he would name the Good ( he besides called this the universe of dateless thoughts ) . Plato # 8217 ; s division of world and his theory of signifiers have influenced all farther western thought, and have besides found a manner to act upon Saint Augustine. Saint Augustine was seeking to happen a manner of idea that would be in agreement with his moral thoughts and still would be somehow rational. He found that thought in Plato # 8217 ; s thoughts, and most particularly in Plotinus # 8217 ; reading of those thoughts in his Enneads. Saint Augustine so converted to Christianity Plato # 8217 ; s thought, since this idea put a higher being ( that Saint Augustine identified as God ) as the foundation of the existence, and therefore this tantrum in the Christian tenet really easy. This is where Saint Augustine became someway contradictory with himself, since his uninterrupted efforts to do everything a theodicy, a justification of God # 8217 ; s being. Where Saint Augustine # 8217 ; s accounts and justification failed, Saint Thomas saw a cardinal defect, and sought for an account, non in more efforts at theodicy, but in a wholly different attack of the Christian tenet through the reading of Aristotle # 8217 ; s works. Indeed, Aristotle, even though he was Plato # 8217 ; s pupil and his rational follower, diverged on the building of his existence. Aristotle believed in a more Experiential point of position, in which # 8220 ; he could detect no decisive ground for denying that the universe ever existed alternatively of being created at a point in time. # 8221 ; ( S. Stumpf, 1994, p. 179 ) . This is really contradictory with Saint Augustine # 8217 ; s Essentialist position, and besides contradictory with the church # 8217 ; s tenet. Saint Thomas didn # 8217 ; t contradict the church on many things though, since his reading of Aristotle retains the thought of the Unmoved Mover as God, and the fact that everything is hence cause d by God. Still, even though he himself didn # 8217 ; t recognize it, Saint Thomas was pro moting an Existentialist position that was adhered to in portion by the church. So what precisely are Essentialism and Existentialism? # 8220 ; The kernel of a thing is what the thing is ; being refers instead to the sheer fact that the thing is. Therefore when I say? I am a adult male, ? the? I am? denotes the fact that I exist, while the predicate? adult male? denotes what sort of existent I am, viz. a man. # 8221 ; ( W. Barrett, 1958, p. 102 ) . Essentialism is a extremely religious manner of sing in which you think that Essence is the urstuff. Essentialism has been a ruling doctrine in western thought through the Christian tenet and besides in some Eastern doctrines, in which the psyche is normally precursor to the flesh, and reincarnation is possible. But throughout the ages, the people who have supported the Essentialist thought of the universe have tried to give their theory a foundation that would do sense, in both the existent universe ( what Plato would name the universe of visual aspect ) and the definition in relation to the construct of God/the Go od. This justification started with Plato, and continued with Augustine, and through all the other Essentialists. Existentialism on the other manus has an attack in which the being of the thing precedes its kernel. For Saint Thomas, the basic premiss that leads him into his peculiar position of Christianity is the followers: # 8220 ; Man is a rational animate being # 8221 ; . This thought of seting ground above all is common to both the Grecian philosophers and those who have picked up the thoughts of these Grecian philosophers. Reason has been a driving force, and has mingled with Faith in the Christian faith. But where Essentialism promotes the mingling of Faith and Reason, or Faith through Reason, since essentialist positions have to utilize some sort of justification to explicate the separation between thoughts and signifiers. Existentialism promotes Reason before anything else. We can therefore see that Essentialism and Existentialism, even though they are but two sides of the same coin, are two wholly different and detached views/constructions of world. Saint Augustine was the first Christian mind to dig into the Grecian doctrine and integrate it and accommodate it to the Christian tenet. He chose Plato # 8217 ; s position, which is an essentialist position, and therefore influenced Christian tenet. On the other manus, subsequently on in clip, when the church was confronted to a rise of the plants of Aristotle in the West, and that Reason was going an of import factor, Saint Thomas adapted Aristotle # 8217 ; s position to Christianity. These two ways of sing life are still really much nowadays today, and even though, through Sartre and other Existentialists, it seems that Existentialist thought is today more popular, both ways are still present and will stay because of their built-in dichotomy. Bibliography Mentions ? Stumpf, Samuel Enoch. Doctrine: History A ; Problems. McGraw-Hill, Inc, 1971 ? Barrett, William. Irrational Man. Anchor Books Editions, 1958