Photography Research Paper

Area I A. Compose the names of all the photography and photography-related professions that you know about. †Wedding photography, Under-water photography, Sports photography, General photograph professions. B. At that point do a starter inquire about and compose the names of at any rate 5 more photography-related professions. Business photography Portrait and family photography Pet, Animal and untamed life photography Police, Law authorization and criminal scientific imaging photography Aerial photography C. Next, pick three of these professions and compose three inquiries you have about each. Picture and family photography-What makes an incredible family photo?What piece procedures are most significant while considering family photo's. Is Family photography a decent paying activity? is it well known? Submerged Photography-What gear is recomended for utilize submerged. What is your preferred article to take pictures of submerged. What difficulties are introduced when taking phot ographs submerged. Ethereal Photography-How would you take pictures from a flying perspective? what techniques are utilized to get higher up? What makes for a decent subject from a flying perspective? What amount of cash would an airborne picture taker make typically? Area II A. Marine Photographer: This activity involves taking pictures submerged. This activity incorporates taking pictures submerged utilizing either SCUBA or un-maned wanderers with camera's. - Education and preparing prerequisites would incorporate being SCUBA confirmed or guaranteed to do whatever sort of plunging expected to take the photos. - The compensation for a marine picture taker in California is somewhere in the range of 40, and 50,000$ - As a submerged photographic artist you are taking pictures of marine life for either research and overview purposes or essentially to catch the magnificence found in the sea. Elevated Photographer: Taking photographs from top perspectives, for example, pictures from a pl ane looking down. Preparing for this activity incorporates a Multi year degree, you should spend significant time in photography, Flight preparing is required just as hands on sky photography preparing. - Salary for this sort of picture taker ranges from 50,000 †200,000. - As an ethereal picture taker you may invest your energy expressly getting your work or taking pictures for a particular organization. These photographs might be utilized for Survey purposes or they might be per-demand by a solitary individual. This would be a troublesome activity to get into as it requires a lot of preparing and experience. Representation and family photography: These picture takers take pictures of individuals, families, spots, or occasions. photographic artists require a decent eye for an image and have astounding specialized and photographic abilities. They should have great correspondence and relationship building abilities. Picture takers must be acceptable with PC projects, for example, photoshop and be financially mindful and great at showcasing themselves. - Salaries for family picture takers go somewhere in the range of 12,000 and 50,000 every year or more. - These picture takers may fall under a particular kind of photography concentrating on family photographery or they might be general photographic artists taking a wide aray of pictures including representation and family photography. B.Marine Photographer: reaction from Robert Bailey Hi there, a debt of gratitude is in order for the caring words glad to help. To what extent have you been into photography? Since 1990, I've generally been keen on photography since the age of 10 and when I took up plunging there was no doubt that I would be taking a camera in the water to bring back the stunning scenes and show individuals my disclosures. How could you get your beginning in photography? As an adolescent I generally had the thought I might want to draw and was finished poop! I got a camera one day and acknowled ged I could communicate my masterful self through a camera.I've never thought back. I recollect the first occasion when somebody alluded to me as a craftsman as being huge. What are your key advantages inside the business? Despite the fact that I am not an expert my work has been distributed, and I have worked intermittantly on proficient tasks ashore and submerged. I partner with a many experts. I am constantly intrigued to perceive what sells in the market. You'd be shocked by what offers, contradicted to what individuals like to hold tight their dividers. Estimating yourself in the market is significant. Numerous geniuses whine individuals part with their pictures and degrade the market.I am constantly intrigued by what organizations are eager to pay for. I regularly talk with experts before I offer pictures to magazines. Where do you do the majority of your work? Most of my work is done in UK waters. I live and work in the UK so it bodes well to exploit all the zone brings to th e table. I accomplish work abroad intermittently, however I incline toward cooler atmospheres. One objective I have is to plunge under ocean ice in the Arctic, or Antarctic. What do you appreciate most about this kind of photography? Being submerged resembles no other condition, there's no interruption with cell phones, and individuals talking.I like the test of having the option to make a plunge brutal situations and show individuals the excellence, particularly in the UK, the same number of feel it's regularly dim and melancholy and there's no shading. What is the most significant thing to make sure to get a decent picture? The absolute most significant component in getting a decent submerged picture is to draw near to your subject, for the most part a limit of three feet for most subjects, once in a while inches away. It relies upon the size of the subject you are shooting. Clearly a 30 foot lolling shark is unique in relation to a one inch shrimp.The other thing is tied in with seeing light, regardless of whether you are utilizing counterfeit light,, or normal light, or adjusting the two. The following interesting point is the foundation and whether the subject is open or not. We make a decent attempt as submerged picture takers to not harm the earth for an image. What is your preferred photo of your own and why? I don't have one specific top pick. This progressions all the time as the fixation to continue making new material. I like the nearby pictures of Lemon sharks I have done clearly. There are such a large number of others, difficult to state really.Some the ones which has won national rivalries are not, at this point my top choices as I want to improve now. What kinds of gear would you suggest for use submerged? My significant other shoots with a Canon S95 and a straightforward lodging, and make extraordinary pictures. I utilize a Nikon D300, Inon Z240 Strobes, and an assortment of focal points. My most utilized focal points are the Nikkor 60 mm lar ge scale for close up and little subjects. For wide edge work I utilize a Tokina 10-17mm. I'd prefer to pressure great pictures are not about the hardware, it's everything about the photographic artist. Individuals frequently take a gander at a decent picture and state you should have a decent camera.This isn't the situation. The camera is a the device, the photogapher is the skilled worker. You don't need to go through a great deal of cash to get great pictures. You need to contribute the time, comprehend the neighborhood conditions, and know your subject. What is your preferred article to take pictures of submerged? There are beyond any reasonable amount to list. I like sharks, shrimps, seals, ocean slugs, fish, jumpers, wrecks when the perceivability licenses. What difficulties are introduced when taking photograph's submerged? Above all else, we aren't intended to be submerged. We are land animals. So the main test is you should be a gifted diver.All your hardware, bouyancy cont rol in the water, air the board should be right on the money, else you will never make a decent picture. At that point there's the flows, tide, perceivability, the cold, and the climate. At that point there's the subject, the vast majority of which are continually moving, and barely ever where you need them, when you need them. I can genuinely say making pictures submerged is most likely more testing than some other condition. I think this is the reason I am so over the top about doing it, it is difficult. I truly trust this causes you. Am glad to talk about further after work obviously. In the event that you need a few pictures I will get you out. Try not to spare a moment to call me.Regards, RB How I Found Robert Bailey: I discovered Robert Bailey on â€Å"UnderwaterPhotography. com† C. Submerged photography as a vocation in photography appears the most intriguing decision. I am presently a jumper and discover I am generally agreeable while in the water. The best thing abou t catching a picture of a jumper in clear water is the way that it looks just as the jumper is flying. This is an unnatural situation for people and can be perilous and to have the option to catch the magnificence in it is astonishing. Catalog URL (www. robertbaileyphotography. com). Robert Bailey, 11-27-12 Bailey, Robert. Submerged picture taker. 11-27-12

Characterization of Granny Weatherall from The Jilting of Granny Essay

How Much Do School Psychologists Earn

How Much Do School Psychologists Earn Student Resources Careers Print How Much Do School Psychologists Earn? By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on July 23, 2019 Michaela Begsteiger / Getty Images More in Student Resources Careers APA Style and Writing Study Guides and Tips School psychologists work in educational settings to help young people with academic, social, and emotional problems. Being a psychologist is often identified as a hot career due to expected growth in job demand in the coming years, thanks to an increased need within the educational system, as well as an expected increase in the number of psychologists retiring. In 2014, 25% of psychologists worked in schools. School Psychologist Ranks as a Top Career In 2017, U.S. News and World Report ranked school psychology as one of their 50 best careers of the year. School psychologists made their list thanks to good salaries for professionals in the field  and a strong projected job outlook. Of course, salary should never be your only consideration when selecting a career. Other factors such as quality of life, type of work, and job demand should also factor into your decision. That said, school psychology is expected to continue to grow in the coming years as the demand for psychological services in educational settings rises. According to projections by the U.S. Department of Labor, the demand for school psychologists is expected to grow by an estimated 20 percent from 2014 to 2024, which is considered much faster than the average for all other occupations. So just how much might you expect to earn each year as a school psychologist? Salaries The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, reports that in May 2016, psychologists employed in both private and public elementary and secondary schools earned a mean annual salary of $72,910. Specific salaries vary depending on a number of factors including geographic location and years of experience. Annual salaries tend to be higher in major  metropolitan areas, although its important to note that these areas also generally have a higher cost of living. How to Become a School Psychologist Youll need a doctorate or a specialist-level degree to become a school psychologist. After youve completed your graduate degree, youll need to become certified or licensed by the state in which you are working. Salaries Versus Other Education-Related Fields How do earnings for school psychologists compare to others employed in the field of education? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, school psychologists  average more per year than school counselors  ($54,560 average per year), elementary school teachers ($55,490 average per year), high school teachers ($58,030 average per year), and special education teachers ($57,910 average per year). Miscellaneous Statistics Other statistics regarding school psychologists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics report of May 2016: The best salaries for school psychologists were in New Jersey, South Dakota, California, New York, and Oregon.The states with the highest number of jobs for school psychologists were California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.

Top Supergroups of the 80s

The 1992 Los Angeles Riots Essay - 1587 Words

Introduction This paper will cover the events that took place within the first five days in south central Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict . History In 1992 the city of Los Angeles was one of our nation’s largest cities. It had an estimated population of over 9 million.1 The city had been in a deteriorating state for several years. There also had been tension growing between the citizens and the police for nearly the last 30 years. This had a lot to do with riots that occurred in Los Angeles back in the 1960’s.2 In 1965 riots in L.A. occurred after a routine stop by the police involving drunk driving. This stop occurred very close the driver’s residence where massive crowd began to build. When it was all said and done†¦show more content†¦Over the course of the next year the tensions and suspense from this case continued to grow. The police knew that civil unrest was going to occur no matter how the outcome of this case, but knew it stood to be worse had the defendants be found not guilty. On April 29th the day of the verdict, there were reporters both inside and outside the court room. This would add to how wide spread the unrest would occur and how fast it would develop. The verdict had come out that all four police officers were found not guilty on all accounts except for one account on one officer in which it was ruled a mistrial on that account.4 With the large amount of media coverage and the anticipation of a guilty verdict by many of the local citizens, the disturbances and violence spread quickly . Execution/action The initial start point of the riots (caught on camera) was at the intersection of Florence and Normandie. There police were making an arrest where crowds quickly arose. 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You Suck A Love Story Chapter 16~17 Free Essays

string(26) " is strong with this one\." Chapter Sixteen Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Completely Fucked Servant of the Vampyre Flood OMFG-WOOT! I have failed, left my duty undone, like so much dog poop on the gloaming sidewalk of the tragedy that is my life. Even as I sit here at the Metreon Starbucks, writing this, the froth slaves seem to move like silver-eyed zombies and my nonfat, soy Amaretto Mochaccino has gone as bitter as snake bile. (Which is like the bitterest bile you can get. We will write a custom essay sample on You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 16~17 or any similar topic only for you Order Now ) If there wasn’t a totally hot guy two tables away, acting like he doesn’t notice me, I would weep – but real tears make your mascara run, so I’m staying chilly in my despair. Your loss, cute guy, for I have been chosen. Suffer, bitch! I had to leave Lord Flood to his own devices last night, but before I left, I confessed my undying love for him. I am a hopeless hose beast. All I had to do was say good-bye, but no, I just barked it out. It’s like he has this power over me – like I have an eating disorder and he’s a package of Oreo Double Stuff cookies. (I don’t have an eating disorder, I’m just skinny because I enjoy eating mass quantities and then yakking it back up. It’s not a body-image problem. I think my system has always wanted to live on a liquid diet, and until I’m brought into my Dark Lord’s loving embrace, then it’s Starbucks for me.) I have been trying to call my Dark Lord and the Countess all day on their cells, but I kept getting voice mail. Well, duh – they’re vampires. They won’t be answering the phone. I’m such a tard sometimes. So I went to the old loft early this morning, in fact even before dawn. I should be, like, made a Bronte sister for coming up with a story to get out of the house that early, but I wanted to talk to the master before his slumber. Thing was, the scary drunk guy and his huge cat were gone, but so were my master and the Countess. Everything had been moved except the statue of the turtle and the Countess. So I rolled out, headed for the new loft I rented, when I spotted two cops sitting in a POS brown car. I knew they were vampyre hunters right away. It must be the master’s dark powers rubbing off on me. There was a big fat gay cop and a sharp-faced Hispano-cop. So I was like, â€Å"Could you guys look any more like cops?† And they were like, â€Å"Move along, little lady.† So I was forced to point out to them that they were not the boss of me and then I proceeded to humiliate them by verbally bitch-slapping them until they cried. What is it about the crusties? Their minds work so slowly that you have to, like, prompt them to stand up so you can slap them again until they faint like the little wuss-bags that they are. I never want to be crusty. And I won’t be, because my Lord will bring me into the fold and I shall stalk the night for eternity, my beauty forever preserved as it is, except I’d like a little bigger boobs. Anyway, I wandered around on Market Street and up in Union Square to give the cops enough time to slink off to lick their wounds, then I returned to the master’s street to check the new loft. This time there was this Asian guy sitting across the street in a Honda, looking all Manga-cool, but it was obvious that he was watching the loft door. He didn’t look like a cop, but he was definitely watching, so I stopped and pretended to watch the sculptors work who have the space under the master’s old loft. They are these two crusty biker guys, but they do some amazing shit. They’d left the garage door open so I stepped in. They were putting dead chickens on wires and dipping them in silver paint, then hanging them on sticks by the wires. So I was all, â€Å"What the fuck, biker? What are you doing?† And one of them was like, â€Å"It’s almost the year of the cock.† And I was all), â€Å"Don’t be gross, you crustacious fuck. You pull that thing out and I’ll pepper-spray you until you fry.† (You have to be stern with weenie waggers – I’ve been exposed to on the bus over seventeen times, so I know.) And he was like, â€Å"No, it’s the year of the cock in the Chinese zodiac.† Which I knew, of course. â€Å"We’re making statues,† said the bigger biker, who was named Frank. (The other one’s name was Monk. He didn’t talk much, which might explain the name.) So they showed me how they took real dead roosters they bought in Chinatown, ran wires through them to pose them, then dipped them in a thin metallic paint, then put them in this big tank and attached electric clips to them. They pass some current through the clips and the current attracts bronze molecules or something to the metallic paint. It’s like instant bronze rooster. I thought about the statue of the Countess upstairs and got a little creeped out. So I’m all, â€Å"You ever do a person?† And they were like, â€Å"No way, that would be wrong. You’d better go now, because we’re behind and don’t you have school and stuff?† So walking out, I saw the Asian guy checking me out and I was like, â€Å"Hey, it’s almost the year of the cock. Shouldn’t you be out shopping for one?† He looked really nervous, but he kinda grinned. Then started his car and drove off, but he wants me, I can tell, so he’ll be back. I hope he wants me. He was so cute – in that Final Fantasy Thirty-Seven way. What I’m saying is, the Sex Fu is strong with this one. You read "You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 16~17" in category "Essay examples" So there was no sign of my Dark Lord or the Countess at the new place. I wonder if they have crawled under the earth in some park and satisfied their perverse desires with each other among the worms and the tree roots. Eww! Oh well, almost dark. I’d better go back to the loft and wait for them. Addendum: The lice shampoo didn’t work on my sister. Looks like we might have to shave her head. I’m going to try to talk her into getting a pentagram tattooed on her scalp. I know a guy in the Haight who will do it for free if you verbally abuse him while he’s tattooing. More later. Sundown. Jody awoke to pain and the smell of cooking meat. She rolled away from the source of the pain and went crashing through the acoustical ceiling tiles to land in a commercial sink full of dishes and soapy water. A Mexican guy was backing across the dish room crossing himself and invoking saints in Spanish as Jody climbed out of the sink and brushed suds off her jacket and jeans. When she touched the front of her thighs she nearly leapt back through the ceiling the pain was so sharp. â€Å"Mother-fuck-that-hurts!† she said, hopping around on one foot, because that will generally help all manner of pain, regardless of where it’s located on the body. Her boot heel clicking against the tiles sounded like a limping flamenco dancer. The dishwasher turned and bolted out of the dish room into the bakery. The bakery. When the alarm on her watch had threatened dawn she ran down the alley checking doors as she went, and the only one she found unlocked led into the stockroom of a bakery. She needed a place to hide where she’d be undisturbed while she slept, and although she considered hiding under a couple of the fifty-pound bags of flour, she had no way of knowing if the bakers would be using them today. She’d already awakened in a morgue once before (when Tommy had frozen her), and finding a rotund necrophiliac morgue attendant rubbing his hands and other bits over her seminaked body while she thawed had soured her to the whole morgue experience. No, she had to find someplace more secluded. One of the bakers had been coming into the stockroom, she could hear his voice and footfalls outside the door. She looked around for somewhere to hide, then spotted the grimy acoustic ceiling tiles suspended above. She leapt onto the pallet of flour, lifted a tile to see that the ceiling was suspended a full four feet below the structural ceiling. Bless old buildings. She grabbed a water pipe, pulled herself through the ceiling, jackknifed her legs up and around the pipe, then used her free hand to pull the ceiling tile back in place, all in less than two seconds. She listened as the man moved around below her, then scooped up one of the big bags of flour and left the room. That was a good call. She checked her watch. Less than a minute before she’d go out. She spotted four pipes running together parallel to the floor. They were slightly warm, which was why she could see them at all in the darkness, but each was two inches around and braced to the ceiling every few feet. They’d hold her. She scrambled over to the pipes, squirmed out of her leather jacket, and put it across the pipes, then lay facedown on top of it. This way, even if one of her legs slipped off, it wouldn’t pull her off the pipes. She was trying to wedge the toes of her boots into the gap between the pipes when she went out. The problem was that the pipes weren’t used that early in the morning. As the building awoke, hot water began coursing through them, and Jody had been subjected to the heat all day. Her jacket had protected her face and torso, but her thighs had been slow-cooked inside her jeans. She gritted her teeth and bolted through the dish room door into the back room of the bakery. So now it’s deserted. Of course, bakers work in the middle of the night and the early morning. At sundown the dishwasher would be the only guy still in the building. She found her way to the stockroom, then out into the alley. She could see the entries to both of their lofts from the end of the alley, and fortunately, no one appeared to be watching from the street. There were lights on in the new loft and she made her way to the door, her legs burning with every step. She listened at the door – did what she thought of as â€Å"reaching out.† If she focused she could almost hear shapes, depending on the ambient noise. There was someone in the loft – she could hear the heartbeat, industrial music playing in headphones, the shuffling of a body – a light body dancing. It was the kid, Abby Normal. Where in the hell was Tommy? He couldn’t be far from the loft – the sun had gone down only five minutes ago. Jody pounded on the door, but the shuffling sounds upstairs didn’t change rhythm, and she pounded again, this time leaving a dent in the metal door. Fuck, the kid has the headphones cranked and can’t hear a thing. Jody shivered, although not because of the cold, but because the hunger was rising in her. Her body telling her she needed to feed so she could heal. She’d only done it once before, and wasn’t sure she could pull it off again, but she needed to get into the loft and leave a lockable door intact. She concentrated as the old vampire had taught her, and gradually, she felt herself fading – going to mist. Monet was no longer dressed as the statue guy, no longer in character – not that character, anyway. Now he was the masta-blasta, gansta-rappa, full-ninja-badass and a bag of mothafuckin’ chips, bi-yatch – bent on revenge and whatnot. He’d given up midafternoon on making any money and had gone home to remove his makeup and lick his wounds. He’d taken a vicious ass-whuppin’ today, even if it was only to his ego. But now he was rolling with his homies, P.J. and Fly, they would put that bronze muthafucka down – if he was still around. If he didn’t run away like a little bitch. â€Å"You strapped?† Fly said, adjusting his do-rag as he drove his ten-year-old Honda Civic with rims worth more than the rest of the car. â€Å"Huh?† Monet inquired. â€Å"Do you have a weapon?† Fly said, enunciating all Royal Shakespeare Company precise. â€Å"Oh, yeah.† Monet pulled the Glock out of his waistband and showed it to Fly. â€Å"Nigga, put that shit down,† said P.J., who was in the backseat, wearing a Phat Pharm tracksuit that was four sizes too big for him. â€Å"Sorry,† Monet said, tucking the gun back into the waistband of his jeans. He’d borrowed the Glock – rented it, really – from a real gangsta in Hunter’s Point, who needed it back in two hours or he’d charge another twenty-five bucks. Before he gave Monet the gun, he made him swear that no one would be wearing gang colors, so nothing Monet did could come back on him. Monet had made the assurance, then, after P.J. did a Google search for gang colors, they settled on orange do-rags, since no gang seemed to claim that one. â€Å"Highway Safety Posse, yo,† Monet had said. â€Å"Yo, Stone Tangerine Thugs, yo,† suggested Fly. â€Å"Yo, yo, yo, check it out,† said P.J., with enough hand gestures that any deaf person watching would have thought he had ASL Tourette’s syndrome. â€Å"Cheesy Goldfish Crew.† â€Å"Yo, dog, that’s so stupid it’s not stupid,† Monet said. â€Å"Is that good?† asked Fly. â€Å"Yo, dog, get in character.† Fly was a bad actor. They were all in the same acting class. He should have just hired real gangsters to do this. P.J. was probably going to trip over the legs of his track pants and completely ruin their intimidation. â€Å"This is it,† Fly said, pulling off the street, right up onto the sidewalk of the Embarcadero by the Ferry Building. â€Å"That him?† â€Å"That’s him,† Monet said. There was no one around but the occasional passing car, but the new statue guy still stood there. â€Å"Remember,† Fly said. â€Å"Walk. Don’t run up. Just walk, like you got all the time in the world. Use your sense memories.† â€Å"Right, right, right,† Monet said. He and P.J. got out of the car and quickstepped across the bricks to where the statue guy was running his game. Damn, he was good, didn’t even flinch. As he reached the statue guy, Monet raised the Glock and the barrel connected with the statue’s forehead. â€Å"Bi-yatch!† There was a dull clank. â€Å"Whoa,† P.J. said. â€Å"Nigga really is a statue.† Monet tapped the statue, three dull clanks. â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"But he got all that money in his shoes,† P.J. said. â€Å"Well, take it, stupid,† Monet said. â€Å"Yo, step off, Monet. I’m not the one that got upstaged by a statue.† â€Å"Shut up,† Monet said. P.J. was grabbing handfuls of bills out of the Big Gulp cups at the statue’s feet and shoving them into his pockets. â€Å"Must be a G here, G.† â€Å"Yo,† Monet said. â€Å"Help me get the statue into the car.† P.J. stood and got one shoulder under the statue and tried to lift it, while Monet tucked the gun in his pants and got under the other. They dragged the statue only a couple of feet before they had to set it down and catch their breath. â€Å"Motherfucker heavy,† P.J. said. â€Å"Would you guys come on!† Fly screamed from the car, totally out of character now. â€Å"Fuck this,† Monet said. This whole thing was just too embarrassing. He’d paid rent on the gun, hadn’t he? He drew the Glock from his waistband and squeezed one off at the statue. â€Å"Shit,† P.J. said, ducking. â€Å"Are you crazy?† â€Å"Bi-atch need to learn a – † Monet’s comment was choked off. P.J. stood up and looked back. There was smoke streaming out of the bullet hole in the statue, and in the second he watched, it had formed into a hand and grabbed Monet by the throat. P.J. turned to run, but something caught the hood of his tracksuit and yanked him back off his feet. He could hear Monet gagging and choking. Then he felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck and he felt suddenly light-headed. The last thing he saw was Fly peeling away in the Honda. Chapter Seventeen Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Newly Baptized Minion of the Night Bow before me, skeezy mortals, for now I see you for the pathetic little rodents that you are. Scurry before my dazzling darkness, daysters, for I am your mistress, your queen, your goddess – I have been brought into the fold – I am Abigail Von Normal, NOSFERATU, bitches! Sort of. OMG. It was so fucking cool – like coming twice with Skittles and a Coke. I was in the loft, spacing into my jams on my MP3 player. I had downloaded the latest Dead Can Dub CD (Death Boots Badonka Mix) at the Starbucks and it was totally transcendent. I was transported to an ancient Romanian castle, where everyone had done X and was dancing totally chill and sensuous (with perfect hair). I was grinding a free-form booty dance on the armchair – perfecting my dance gestalt – when I saw some smoke coming in under the door. (I can’t wait to dance with Jared to this new CD. He’s so going to love this move I do. That’s what I love about dancing with gay guys. If they get wood during a booty dance, you can just take it as a compliment, not an agenda. Jared said that if I was a guy, he would totally suck my dick. He can be so sweet.) So I pulled out one of my headphones and I was like, â€Å"Whoa, fire in the staircase – sucks to be me.† There’s only one exit, so, you know, blackened Abby coming up. But the smoke formed into a pillar, and then it started growing arms and legs. When I saw it had eyes I ran into the bedroom and shut the door. I wasn’t trippin’ or anything, just totally calm. But it wasn’t like when your friends hold your hair while you puke and tell you it’s just the drugs and you’ll be okay – so I went for the safe thing of locking the door so I could assess the situation. Then the door just ‘splodes into splinters and there’s the Countess, totally naked, standing in the doorway with the knob in her hand. And she was totally hot, except that her legs were all fucked up, like they were burned or rotted or something. So I’m all, â€Å"You totally wrecked your deposit.† And the Countess like grabs my hair and pulls me to her and bites my neck, just like that. It didn’t really hurt – it was more surprising – like you woke up from getting a root canal to find your dentist going down on you. Well, not exactly like that – more mystical. But still, surprising. (Okay, it hurt, but not as much as the time Lily tried to pierce our nipples with a compass from geometry class and an ice cube. Youch!) She smelled like burning meat, and I tried to push her away, but it was like my limbs were paralyzed or there was a fat guy sitting on me – like I was buried alive or something, just watching it happen. And then I started to get lightheaded and I thought I was going to pass out. That’s when the ho dropped me. She goes, â€Å"Go downstairs and get my clothes off the sidewalk. And make coffee.† And I’m like, Wait a minute, I just lost my mortality virginity, shouldn’t I get a cigarette and a fucking towel or something? But I just said, â€Å"Okay,† because where the Countess was all burned was healing while I watched, and it was kind of freaking me out to be looking at her naked, burned-up thighs and her totally red pubes anyway. So I went downstairs and just outside the door there was a homeless guy digging through a pile of clothes. Well, really, he was sniffing her panties. And because I don’t feel we always do enough to help the homeless, I was like, â€Å"Take them, and tell no one what you witnessed here tonight.† (I was already feeling the superiority of my Nosferatitude, so it only seemed appropriate that I go all noblesse oblige on his ass.) So off he went to sniff the lacy crotch of the undead while I went back upstairs to find coffee filters. So when I get up there the Countess is dressed and hair brushed and she’s all, â€Å"Where is Tommy? Have you seen Tommy? Did you talk to those cops? And where’s Tommy?† And I was all, â€Å"Countess, begging your pardon and shit, but you need to chill. The vampyre Flood was gone when I got here this morning, and so was that bronze statue from the other side. I thought you guys went off to sleep in the damp womb of your native soil or something.† â€Å"Yuck!† goes the Countess. Then she tightens down all of sudden. â€Å"Make me a cup of coffee, two sugars, and squeeze one of those vials of blood into it – and call us a cab.† And I was like, â€Å"Hey, step off, Countess. I’m one of you and you are not the boss of me and – â€Å" And she said, â€Å"I said for us, didn’t I?† So I did her bidding – well, our bidding, really – and we took a cab over to the Marina Safeway, but why we didn’t transform into bats and fly is beyond me. Anyway, we were there in ten minutes. But as we start to pull in, the Countess tells the driver to keep going. She was all, â€Å"It’s Rivera and Cavuto. This is not good.† The POS brown cop car was parked in front of the store. I was all, â€Å"Cops? Their shit is weak.† She seemed surprised that I knew the cops, but I told her how I had owned them like the little wussy-boys that they are and I could tell that the Countess was feeling pretty good about bringing me into the dark fold of the coven. Then she was all, â€Å"Fucking Clint – he’s telling them about Tommy.† But I couldn’t even see what she was looking at beyond the big glass front of the Safeway. I guess my powers will develop as time goes on. Five hundred years is a long time to get your vampyre kung fu down. The Countess had the driver drop us at Fort Mason, so we could still see the front of the Safeway, and we stood in the fog like the creatures of the night that we were while we waited for the cops to leave. Then the Countess put her arm around my shoulders and she was all, â€Å"Abby, I’m sorry I, uh, attacked you like that. I was hurt really badly and to heal I needed fresh blood. I wasn’t really in control of myself. It won’t happen again.† â€Å"No worries,† I told her. â€Å"I’m honored to be promoted. Besides, it was kind of hot.† Which it was, you know, except for the smell of burning flesh and stuff. And she was all, â€Å"Well, thanks for looking out for us.† And I was all, â€Å"Pardon, Countess, but why are we at the Safeway?† Because it’s not like we needed groceries. And she was all, â€Å"These guys used to work with Tommy, and one of them knows that he is, uh, one of the children of the night. I think they might know something about where he is now.† Then, over at the Safeway, we saw this goofy-looking guy with frizzy hair and glasses unlock the front door and let the cops out. They got in their car and the frizzy guy locked the front door behind them. â€Å"Showtime,† said the Countess. She zipped up her leather jacket, took a pair of sunglasses out of her jacket pocket, and put them on. She goes, â€Å"Stay back, Abby. I’ll be right back.† Then she started across the parking lot toward the Safeway, taking big strides and looking all angel of vengeance, with her red hair flying out behind her, and the lights shining down on her through the fog. I was like, â€Å"Oh shit!† She didn’t even slow down. When she got about ten feet from the front window she snatched up one of the steel-reinforced trash cans like it was made of cardboard and flung it through the window. And she just kept walking! Little cubes of safety glass rained down on her and she just walked through the front of the store like she owned it and everyone in it – which she did. Before I even got in the store, she was coming back around the corner, dragging the frizzy-haired guy by the throat. She threw him up against a rack of wine bottles, which shattered, spilling red all over the floor and splattering the registers and stuff. I was all, â€Å"Oh, dog, Countess gonna crack open a forty of whup-ass on you now. Oh, you in the shit now, wigga!† (I am not inclined to use hip-hop vernacular often, but there are times when, like French, it just better expresses the sentiment of the moment.) Just then the whole crowd of guys I’d seen in the limo came running around the corner. The Countess snatched a wine bottle off the rack, and without a second of hesitation, she threw it and it hit the first guy, a tall, hippie-looking guy, right in the middle of the forehead and he went down like he was shot. She goes, â€Å"Back!† and they all headed back around the corner the way they came, except the hippie-looking guy, who was out cold. Then the Countess picked up the guy with glasses by the throat. And even though he was like a foot taller than her, she whipped him around like a rag doll until he was screaming stuff about Satan and Jesus and telling her to get behind him and shit. And the Countess was all, â€Å"Where is Tommy?† And he was all, â€Å"I don’t know. I don’t know.† And the Countess grabbed him by the hair and held his head steady against the wine rack. Real chilly, she says, â€Å"Clint, I’m going to take your right eye now. Then if you don’t tell me where Tommy is, I’m going to take your left. Ready. On three. One†¦ Two†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then he’s all, â€Å"I didn’t have anything to do with it. She’s the spawn of Satan, I told them that.† â€Å"Three!† goes the Countess. â€Å"He’s in Lash’s apartment on Northpoint. I don’t know the number.† And the Countess just yells â€Å"Number?† out to the whole store. And the black guy pops up from behind a display of Cheerios and is all, â€Å"Six ninety-three Northpoint, Apartment 301.† And one of the other guys pulls him back down. Then the Countess is all, â€Å"Thank you. If he’s hurt, I’ll be back.† And she throws the Clint guy through a rack of Doritos, which exploded their nacho cheesy goodness all over the place. Then she’s all, â€Å"Well, that’s a nice surprise.† And I’m all, â€Å"That Lord Flood is in an apartment on Northpoint?† â€Å"I didn’t think they would really know. I just didn’t know where else to start.† â€Å"Probably your senses attuned to Lord Flood’s presence over the eons,† I said, like a total tard. And she’s all, â€Å"Let’s go, Abby.† And I don’t know why, I guess because I had like low blood sugar or something from blood loss, but I was like, â€Å"Can I get some gum?† And she was all, â€Å"Sure. Grab some coffee, too. Whole beans. We’re almost out.† So I did. And when I caught up with her, she was halfway across the parking lot, headed back toward Ghirardelli Square, and little pieces of safety glass were still shining in her hair and she smiled at me when I caught up and I just couldn’t help myself, because that was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Ever! And I was all, â€Å"Countess, I love you.† And she put her arm around me and kissed me on the forehead and goes, â€Å"Let’s get Tommy.† I guess I’ll start feeling my vampyre powers tomorrow night, but right now I feel like a total fucking loser. But I am so going to rule when school starts again. How to cite You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 16~17, Essay examples

You Suck A Love Story Chapter 16~17 Free Essays

string(26) " is strong with this one\." Chapter Sixteen Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Completely Fucked Servant of the Vampyre Flood OMFG-WOOT! I have failed, left my duty undone, like so much dog poop on the gloaming sidewalk of the tragedy that is my life. Even as I sit here at the Metreon Starbucks, writing this, the froth slaves seem to move like silver-eyed zombies and my nonfat, soy Amaretto Mochaccino has gone as bitter as snake bile. (Which is like the bitterest bile you can get. We will write a custom essay sample on You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 16~17 or any similar topic only for you Order Now ) If there wasn’t a totally hot guy two tables away, acting like he doesn’t notice me, I would weep – but real tears make your mascara run, so I’m staying chilly in my despair. Your loss, cute guy, for I have been chosen. Suffer, bitch! I had to leave Lord Flood to his own devices last night, but before I left, I confessed my undying love for him. I am a hopeless hose beast. All I had to do was say good-bye, but no, I just barked it out. It’s like he has this power over me – like I have an eating disorder and he’s a package of Oreo Double Stuff cookies. (I don’t have an eating disorder, I’m just skinny because I enjoy eating mass quantities and then yakking it back up. It’s not a body-image problem. I think my system has always wanted to live on a liquid diet, and until I’m brought into my Dark Lord’s loving embrace, then it’s Starbucks for me.) I have been trying to call my Dark Lord and the Countess all day on their cells, but I kept getting voice mail. Well, duh – they’re vampires. They won’t be answering the phone. I’m such a tard sometimes. So I went to the old loft early this morning, in fact even before dawn. I should be, like, made a Bronte sister for coming up with a story to get out of the house that early, but I wanted to talk to the master before his slumber. Thing was, the scary drunk guy and his huge cat were gone, but so were my master and the Countess. Everything had been moved except the statue of the turtle and the Countess. So I rolled out, headed for the new loft I rented, when I spotted two cops sitting in a POS brown car. I knew they were vampyre hunters right away. It must be the master’s dark powers rubbing off on me. There was a big fat gay cop and a sharp-faced Hispano-cop. So I was like, â€Å"Could you guys look any more like cops?† And they were like, â€Å"Move along, little lady.† So I was forced to point out to them that they were not the boss of me and then I proceeded to humiliate them by verbally bitch-slapping them until they cried. What is it about the crusties? Their minds work so slowly that you have to, like, prompt them to stand up so you can slap them again until they faint like the little wuss-bags that they are. I never want to be crusty. And I won’t be, because my Lord will bring me into the fold and I shall stalk the night for eternity, my beauty forever preserved as it is, except I’d like a little bigger boobs. Anyway, I wandered around on Market Street and up in Union Square to give the cops enough time to slink off to lick their wounds, then I returned to the master’s street to check the new loft. This time there was this Asian guy sitting across the street in a Honda, looking all Manga-cool, but it was obvious that he was watching the loft door. He didn’t look like a cop, but he was definitely watching, so I stopped and pretended to watch the sculptors work who have the space under the master’s old loft. They are these two crusty biker guys, but they do some amazing shit. They’d left the garage door open so I stepped in. They were putting dead chickens on wires and dipping them in silver paint, then hanging them on sticks by the wires. So I was all, â€Å"What the fuck, biker? What are you doing?† And one of them was like, â€Å"It’s almost the year of the cock.† And I was all), â€Å"Don’t be gross, you crustacious fuck. You pull that thing out and I’ll pepper-spray you until you fry.† (You have to be stern with weenie waggers – I’ve been exposed to on the bus over seventeen times, so I know.) And he was like, â€Å"No, it’s the year of the cock in the Chinese zodiac.† Which I knew, of course. â€Å"We’re making statues,† said the bigger biker, who was named Frank. (The other one’s name was Monk. He didn’t talk much, which might explain the name.) So they showed me how they took real dead roosters they bought in Chinatown, ran wires through them to pose them, then dipped them in a thin metallic paint, then put them in this big tank and attached electric clips to them. They pass some current through the clips and the current attracts bronze molecules or something to the metallic paint. It’s like instant bronze rooster. I thought about the statue of the Countess upstairs and got a little creeped out. So I’m all, â€Å"You ever do a person?† And they were like, â€Å"No way, that would be wrong. You’d better go now, because we’re behind and don’t you have school and stuff?† So walking out, I saw the Asian guy checking me out and I was like, â€Å"Hey, it’s almost the year of the cock. Shouldn’t you be out shopping for one?† He looked really nervous, but he kinda grinned. Then started his car and drove off, but he wants me, I can tell, so he’ll be back. I hope he wants me. He was so cute – in that Final Fantasy Thirty-Seven way. What I’m saying is, the Sex Fu is strong with this one. You read "You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 16~17" in category "Essay examples" So there was no sign of my Dark Lord or the Countess at the new place. I wonder if they have crawled under the earth in some park and satisfied their perverse desires with each other among the worms and the tree roots. Eww! Oh well, almost dark. I’d better go back to the loft and wait for them. Addendum: The lice shampoo didn’t work on my sister. Looks like we might have to shave her head. I’m going to try to talk her into getting a pentagram tattooed on her scalp. I know a guy in the Haight who will do it for free if you verbally abuse him while he’s tattooing. More later. Sundown. Jody awoke to pain and the smell of cooking meat. She rolled away from the source of the pain and went crashing through the acoustical ceiling tiles to land in a commercial sink full of dishes and soapy water. A Mexican guy was backing across the dish room crossing himself and invoking saints in Spanish as Jody climbed out of the sink and brushed suds off her jacket and jeans. When she touched the front of her thighs she nearly leapt back through the ceiling the pain was so sharp. â€Å"Mother-fuck-that-hurts!† she said, hopping around on one foot, because that will generally help all manner of pain, regardless of where it’s located on the body. Her boot heel clicking against the tiles sounded like a limping flamenco dancer. The dishwasher turned and bolted out of the dish room into the bakery. The bakery. When the alarm on her watch had threatened dawn she ran down the alley checking doors as she went, and the only one she found unlocked led into the stockroom of a bakery. She needed a place to hide where she’d be undisturbed while she slept, and although she considered hiding under a couple of the fifty-pound bags of flour, she had no way of knowing if the bakers would be using them today. She’d already awakened in a morgue once before (when Tommy had frozen her), and finding a rotund necrophiliac morgue attendant rubbing his hands and other bits over her seminaked body while she thawed had soured her to the whole morgue experience. No, she had to find someplace more secluded. One of the bakers had been coming into the stockroom, she could hear his voice and footfalls outside the door. She looked around for somewhere to hide, then spotted the grimy acoustic ceiling tiles suspended above. She leapt onto the pallet of flour, lifted a tile to see that the ceiling was suspended a full four feet below the structural ceiling. Bless old buildings. She grabbed a water pipe, pulled herself through the ceiling, jackknifed her legs up and around the pipe, then used her free hand to pull the ceiling tile back in place, all in less than two seconds. She listened as the man moved around below her, then scooped up one of the big bags of flour and left the room. That was a good call. She checked her watch. Less than a minute before she’d go out. She spotted four pipes running together parallel to the floor. They were slightly warm, which was why she could see them at all in the darkness, but each was two inches around and braced to the ceiling every few feet. They’d hold her. She scrambled over to the pipes, squirmed out of her leather jacket, and put it across the pipes, then lay facedown on top of it. This way, even if one of her legs slipped off, it wouldn’t pull her off the pipes. She was trying to wedge the toes of her boots into the gap between the pipes when she went out. The problem was that the pipes weren’t used that early in the morning. As the building awoke, hot water began coursing through them, and Jody had been subjected to the heat all day. Her jacket had protected her face and torso, but her thighs had been slow-cooked inside her jeans. She gritted her teeth and bolted through the dish room door into the back room of the bakery. So now it’s deserted. Of course, bakers work in the middle of the night and the early morning. At sundown the dishwasher would be the only guy still in the building. She found her way to the stockroom, then out into the alley. She could see the entries to both of their lofts from the end of the alley, and fortunately, no one appeared to be watching from the street. There were lights on in the new loft and she made her way to the door, her legs burning with every step. She listened at the door – did what she thought of as â€Å"reaching out.† If she focused she could almost hear shapes, depending on the ambient noise. There was someone in the loft – she could hear the heartbeat, industrial music playing in headphones, the shuffling of a body – a light body dancing. It was the kid, Abby Normal. Where in the hell was Tommy? He couldn’t be far from the loft – the sun had gone down only five minutes ago. Jody pounded on the door, but the shuffling sounds upstairs didn’t change rhythm, and she pounded again, this time leaving a dent in the metal door. Fuck, the kid has the headphones cranked and can’t hear a thing. Jody shivered, although not because of the cold, but because the hunger was rising in her. Her body telling her she needed to feed so she could heal. She’d only done it once before, and wasn’t sure she could pull it off again, but she needed to get into the loft and leave a lockable door intact. She concentrated as the old vampire had taught her, and gradually, she felt herself fading – going to mist. Monet was no longer dressed as the statue guy, no longer in character – not that character, anyway. Now he was the masta-blasta, gansta-rappa, full-ninja-badass and a bag of mothafuckin’ chips, bi-yatch – bent on revenge and whatnot. He’d given up midafternoon on making any money and had gone home to remove his makeup and lick his wounds. He’d taken a vicious ass-whuppin’ today, even if it was only to his ego. But now he was rolling with his homies, P.J. and Fly, they would put that bronze muthafucka down – if he was still around. If he didn’t run away like a little bitch. â€Å"You strapped?† Fly said, adjusting his do-rag as he drove his ten-year-old Honda Civic with rims worth more than the rest of the car. â€Å"Huh?† Monet inquired. â€Å"Do you have a weapon?† Fly said, enunciating all Royal Shakespeare Company precise. â€Å"Oh, yeah.† Monet pulled the Glock out of his waistband and showed it to Fly. â€Å"Nigga, put that shit down,† said P.J., who was in the backseat, wearing a Phat Pharm tracksuit that was four sizes too big for him. â€Å"Sorry,† Monet said, tucking the gun back into the waistband of his jeans. He’d borrowed the Glock – rented it, really – from a real gangsta in Hunter’s Point, who needed it back in two hours or he’d charge another twenty-five bucks. Before he gave Monet the gun, he made him swear that no one would be wearing gang colors, so nothing Monet did could come back on him. Monet had made the assurance, then, after P.J. did a Google search for gang colors, they settled on orange do-rags, since no gang seemed to claim that one. â€Å"Highway Safety Posse, yo,† Monet had said. â€Å"Yo, Stone Tangerine Thugs, yo,† suggested Fly. â€Å"Yo, yo, yo, check it out,† said P.J., with enough hand gestures that any deaf person watching would have thought he had ASL Tourette’s syndrome. â€Å"Cheesy Goldfish Crew.† â€Å"Yo, dog, that’s so stupid it’s not stupid,† Monet said. â€Å"Is that good?† asked Fly. â€Å"Yo, dog, get in character.† Fly was a bad actor. They were all in the same acting class. He should have just hired real gangsters to do this. P.J. was probably going to trip over the legs of his track pants and completely ruin their intimidation. â€Å"This is it,† Fly said, pulling off the street, right up onto the sidewalk of the Embarcadero by the Ferry Building. â€Å"That him?† â€Å"That’s him,† Monet said. There was no one around but the occasional passing car, but the new statue guy still stood there. â€Å"Remember,† Fly said. â€Å"Walk. Don’t run up. Just walk, like you got all the time in the world. Use your sense memories.† â€Å"Right, right, right,† Monet said. He and P.J. got out of the car and quickstepped across the bricks to where the statue guy was running his game. Damn, he was good, didn’t even flinch. As he reached the statue guy, Monet raised the Glock and the barrel connected with the statue’s forehead. â€Å"Bi-yatch!† There was a dull clank. â€Å"Whoa,† P.J. said. â€Å"Nigga really is a statue.† Monet tapped the statue, three dull clanks. â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"But he got all that money in his shoes,† P.J. said. â€Å"Well, take it, stupid,† Monet said. â€Å"Yo, step off, Monet. I’m not the one that got upstaged by a statue.† â€Å"Shut up,† Monet said. P.J. was grabbing handfuls of bills out of the Big Gulp cups at the statue’s feet and shoving them into his pockets. â€Å"Must be a G here, G.† â€Å"Yo,† Monet said. â€Å"Help me get the statue into the car.† P.J. stood and got one shoulder under the statue and tried to lift it, while Monet tucked the gun in his pants and got under the other. They dragged the statue only a couple of feet before they had to set it down and catch their breath. â€Å"Motherfucker heavy,† P.J. said. â€Å"Would you guys come on!† Fly screamed from the car, totally out of character now. â€Å"Fuck this,† Monet said. This whole thing was just too embarrassing. He’d paid rent on the gun, hadn’t he? He drew the Glock from his waistband and squeezed one off at the statue. â€Å"Shit,† P.J. said, ducking. â€Å"Are you crazy?† â€Å"Bi-atch need to learn a – † Monet’s comment was choked off. P.J. stood up and looked back. There was smoke streaming out of the bullet hole in the statue, and in the second he watched, it had formed into a hand and grabbed Monet by the throat. P.J. turned to run, but something caught the hood of his tracksuit and yanked him back off his feet. He could hear Monet gagging and choking. Then he felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck and he felt suddenly light-headed. The last thing he saw was Fly peeling away in the Honda. Chapter Seventeen Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Newly Baptized Minion of the Night Bow before me, skeezy mortals, for now I see you for the pathetic little rodents that you are. Scurry before my dazzling darkness, daysters, for I am your mistress, your queen, your goddess – I have been brought into the fold – I am Abigail Von Normal, NOSFERATU, bitches! Sort of. OMG. It was so fucking cool – like coming twice with Skittles and a Coke. I was in the loft, spacing into my jams on my MP3 player. I had downloaded the latest Dead Can Dub CD (Death Boots Badonka Mix) at the Starbucks and it was totally transcendent. I was transported to an ancient Romanian castle, where everyone had done X and was dancing totally chill and sensuous (with perfect hair). I was grinding a free-form booty dance on the armchair – perfecting my dance gestalt – when I saw some smoke coming in under the door. (I can’t wait to dance with Jared to this new CD. He’s so going to love this move I do. That’s what I love about dancing with gay guys. If they get wood during a booty dance, you can just take it as a compliment, not an agenda. Jared said that if I was a guy, he would totally suck my dick. He can be so sweet.) So I pulled out one of my headphones and I was like, â€Å"Whoa, fire in the staircase – sucks to be me.† There’s only one exit, so, you know, blackened Abby coming up. But the smoke formed into a pillar, and then it started growing arms and legs. When I saw it had eyes I ran into the bedroom and shut the door. I wasn’t trippin’ or anything, just totally calm. But it wasn’t like when your friends hold your hair while you puke and tell you it’s just the drugs and you’ll be okay – so I went for the safe thing of locking the door so I could assess the situation. Then the door just ‘splodes into splinters and there’s the Countess, totally naked, standing in the doorway with the knob in her hand. And she was totally hot, except that her legs were all fucked up, like they were burned or rotted or something. So I’m all, â€Å"You totally wrecked your deposit.† And the Countess like grabs my hair and pulls me to her and bites my neck, just like that. It didn’t really hurt – it was more surprising – like you woke up from getting a root canal to find your dentist going down on you. Well, not exactly like that – more mystical. But still, surprising. (Okay, it hurt, but not as much as the time Lily tried to pierce our nipples with a compass from geometry class and an ice cube. Youch!) She smelled like burning meat, and I tried to push her away, but it was like my limbs were paralyzed or there was a fat guy sitting on me – like I was buried alive or something, just watching it happen. And then I started to get lightheaded and I thought I was going to pass out. That’s when the ho dropped me. She goes, â€Å"Go downstairs and get my clothes off the sidewalk. And make coffee.† And I’m like, Wait a minute, I just lost my mortality virginity, shouldn’t I get a cigarette and a fucking towel or something? But I just said, â€Å"Okay,† because where the Countess was all burned was healing while I watched, and it was kind of freaking me out to be looking at her naked, burned-up thighs and her totally red pubes anyway. So I went downstairs and just outside the door there was a homeless guy digging through a pile of clothes. Well, really, he was sniffing her panties. And because I don’t feel we always do enough to help the homeless, I was like, â€Å"Take them, and tell no one what you witnessed here tonight.† (I was already feeling the superiority of my Nosferatitude, so it only seemed appropriate that I go all noblesse oblige on his ass.) So off he went to sniff the lacy crotch of the undead while I went back upstairs to find coffee filters. So when I get up there the Countess is dressed and hair brushed and she’s all, â€Å"Where is Tommy? Have you seen Tommy? Did you talk to those cops? And where’s Tommy?† And I was all, â€Å"Countess, begging your pardon and shit, but you need to chill. The vampyre Flood was gone when I got here this morning, and so was that bronze statue from the other side. I thought you guys went off to sleep in the damp womb of your native soil or something.† â€Å"Yuck!† goes the Countess. Then she tightens down all of sudden. â€Å"Make me a cup of coffee, two sugars, and squeeze one of those vials of blood into it – and call us a cab.† And I was like, â€Å"Hey, step off, Countess. I’m one of you and you are not the boss of me and – â€Å" And she said, â€Å"I said for us, didn’t I?† So I did her bidding – well, our bidding, really – and we took a cab over to the Marina Safeway, but why we didn’t transform into bats and fly is beyond me. Anyway, we were there in ten minutes. But as we start to pull in, the Countess tells the driver to keep going. She was all, â€Å"It’s Rivera and Cavuto. This is not good.† The POS brown cop car was parked in front of the store. I was all, â€Å"Cops? Their shit is weak.† She seemed surprised that I knew the cops, but I told her how I had owned them like the little wussy-boys that they are and I could tell that the Countess was feeling pretty good about bringing me into the dark fold of the coven. Then she was all, â€Å"Fucking Clint – he’s telling them about Tommy.† But I couldn’t even see what she was looking at beyond the big glass front of the Safeway. I guess my powers will develop as time goes on. Five hundred years is a long time to get your vampyre kung fu down. The Countess had the driver drop us at Fort Mason, so we could still see the front of the Safeway, and we stood in the fog like the creatures of the night that we were while we waited for the cops to leave. Then the Countess put her arm around my shoulders and she was all, â€Å"Abby, I’m sorry I, uh, attacked you like that. I was hurt really badly and to heal I needed fresh blood. I wasn’t really in control of myself. It won’t happen again.† â€Å"No worries,† I told her. â€Å"I’m honored to be promoted. Besides, it was kind of hot.† Which it was, you know, except for the smell of burning flesh and stuff. And she was all, â€Å"Well, thanks for looking out for us.† And I was all, â€Å"Pardon, Countess, but why are we at the Safeway?† Because it’s not like we needed groceries. And she was all, â€Å"These guys used to work with Tommy, and one of them knows that he is, uh, one of the children of the night. I think they might know something about where he is now.† Then, over at the Safeway, we saw this goofy-looking guy with frizzy hair and glasses unlock the front door and let the cops out. They got in their car and the frizzy guy locked the front door behind them. â€Å"Showtime,† said the Countess. She zipped up her leather jacket, took a pair of sunglasses out of her jacket pocket, and put them on. She goes, â€Å"Stay back, Abby. I’ll be right back.† Then she started across the parking lot toward the Safeway, taking big strides and looking all angel of vengeance, with her red hair flying out behind her, and the lights shining down on her through the fog. I was like, â€Å"Oh shit!† She didn’t even slow down. When she got about ten feet from the front window she snatched up one of the steel-reinforced trash cans like it was made of cardboard and flung it through the window. And she just kept walking! Little cubes of safety glass rained down on her and she just walked through the front of the store like she owned it and everyone in it – which she did. Before I even got in the store, she was coming back around the corner, dragging the frizzy-haired guy by the throat. She threw him up against a rack of wine bottles, which shattered, spilling red all over the floor and splattering the registers and stuff. I was all, â€Å"Oh, dog, Countess gonna crack open a forty of whup-ass on you now. Oh, you in the shit now, wigga!† (I am not inclined to use hip-hop vernacular often, but there are times when, like French, it just better expresses the sentiment of the moment.) Just then the whole crowd of guys I’d seen in the limo came running around the corner. The Countess snatched a wine bottle off the rack, and without a second of hesitation, she threw it and it hit the first guy, a tall, hippie-looking guy, right in the middle of the forehead and he went down like he was shot. She goes, â€Å"Back!† and they all headed back around the corner the way they came, except the hippie-looking guy, who was out cold. Then the Countess picked up the guy with glasses by the throat. And even though he was like a foot taller than her, she whipped him around like a rag doll until he was screaming stuff about Satan and Jesus and telling her to get behind him and shit. And the Countess was all, â€Å"Where is Tommy?† And he was all, â€Å"I don’t know. I don’t know.† And the Countess grabbed him by the hair and held his head steady against the wine rack. Real chilly, she says, â€Å"Clint, I’m going to take your right eye now. Then if you don’t tell me where Tommy is, I’m going to take your left. Ready. On three. One†¦ Two†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then he’s all, â€Å"I didn’t have anything to do with it. She’s the spawn of Satan, I told them that.† â€Å"Three!† goes the Countess. â€Å"He’s in Lash’s apartment on Northpoint. I don’t know the number.† And the Countess just yells â€Å"Number?† out to the whole store. And the black guy pops up from behind a display of Cheerios and is all, â€Å"Six ninety-three Northpoint, Apartment 301.† And one of the other guys pulls him back down. Then the Countess is all, â€Å"Thank you. If he’s hurt, I’ll be back.† And she throws the Clint guy through a rack of Doritos, which exploded their nacho cheesy goodness all over the place. Then she’s all, â€Å"Well, that’s a nice surprise.† And I’m all, â€Å"That Lord Flood is in an apartment on Northpoint?† â€Å"I didn’t think they would really know. I just didn’t know where else to start.† â€Å"Probably your senses attuned to Lord Flood’s presence over the eons,† I said, like a total tard. And she’s all, â€Å"Let’s go, Abby.† And I don’t know why, I guess because I had like low blood sugar or something from blood loss, but I was like, â€Å"Can I get some gum?† And she was all, â€Å"Sure. Grab some coffee, too. Whole beans. We’re almost out.† So I did. And when I caught up with her, she was halfway across the parking lot, headed back toward Ghirardelli Square, and little pieces of safety glass were still shining in her hair and she smiled at me when I caught up and I just couldn’t help myself, because that was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Ever! And I was all, â€Å"Countess, I love you.† And she put her arm around me and kissed me on the forehead and goes, â€Å"Let’s get Tommy.† I guess I’ll start feeling my vampyre powers tomorrow night, but right now I feel like a total fucking loser. But I am so going to rule when school starts again. How to cite You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 16~17, Essay examples

Raul Leoni Essays - Third Portuguese Republic, Miguel Vargas

Raul Leoni Ra?l Leoni naci? en Utapa (estado Bol?var), en 1905 y muri? en Nueva York en 1972. Ra?l Leoni fue abogado y pol?tico venezolano, fue electo presidente de la Rep?blica de Venezuela en 1964 hasta 1969. A los 16 a?os estuvo preso en la c?rcel de Rotunda por participar en la lucha estudiantil. Curs? sus estudios de derecho en la Universidad Central donde alcanz? la presidencia de la Federaci?n de Estudiantes de Venezuela y encabez? las protestas de 1928 contra e r?gimen de Juan Vicente G?mez, por ?sta raz?n tuvo que irse en 1928 de Venezuela a Colombia para un largo exilio, hasta 1936. Una vez muerto G?mez, regres? Leoni a Venezuela, participando desde su llagada en las actividades de los sectores pol?ticos de izquierda. En 1937 fue expulsado del pa?s junto a otros dirigentes pol?ticos. Se dirigi? a Colombia, donde continu? sus estudios hasta graduarse en Derecho y Ciencias Sociales en la Universidad de Bogot?. En Junio de 1939 regres? a Venezuela para incorporarse a la actividad clandes tina del Partido Democr?tico Nacional (PDN). En 1941 particip? en la fundaci?n del partido centrista Acci?n Democr?tica, liderado por R?mulo Betancourt. Tras la revoluci?n de 1945 que derroc? a Isa?as Medina Angarita, a Leoni fue ministro de trabajo durante el gobierno de R?mulo Gallegos desde 1945 hasta 1948. En 1948 tuvo que exiliarse de nuevo por el golpe militar que derroc? a R?mulo Gallegos y no pudo volver hasta que termin? la dictadura de Marcos P?rez Jim?nez en 1958. El 1 de Diciembre de ese 1963 fue elegido presidente de la Rep?blica e inici? su mandato en Marzo de 1964, continuando con la pol?tica econ?mica y social de su predecesor y maestro R?mulo Betancourt. Durante su gobierno tuvo que hacer frente a la intensificaci?n de la actividad guerrillera del FALN (Fuerzas Armadas de Liberaci?n Nacional), por lo que firm? con el presidente colombiano Guillermo Le?n Valencia el pacto antiguerrillero de R?o Arauca en el a?o 1966. Al siguiente a?o en 1967 tuvo que suspender las ga rant?as constitucionales y su partido sufri? una divisi?n que dio origen a un nuevo partido llamado MEP (Movimiento Electoral del Pueblo). En las elecciones de 1968, el candidato de su partido, Gonzalo Barrios, fue derrotado. En 1969 Ra?l Leoni traspas? su poder al presidente electo Rafael Caldera.

Puritanism in the scarlet letter essays

Puritanism in the scarlet letter essays Puritanism was the religion practiced by the people of colonial Boston, the setting for Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, utilizes imagery to convey that Arthur Dimmesdale, a Puritan minister of the town, does indeed represent the Puritan society and not only the round character that can be viewed on the surface level. This is seen through the imagery and symbolism of hypocrisy, Dimmesdale as a Christ leader, and the scarlet letter. Hawthorne parallels the hypocrisy of Dimmesdale to that of Puritan society. Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale as, "a viler companion of the vilest, the worst of sinners," even though Dimmesdale is seen as the most holy man in the Puritan community. Puritan society was supposed to be a utopian society and do away with their English traditions, but instead was very strict and highly religious. Similarly, as Dimmesdale was supposed to be holy, yet they both were hypocritical. Dimmesdale also portrays the hypocrisy of Puritan society by not initially taking his place on the scaffold, "Ye have both been here before, but I was not with you... and we will stand all three together." While Dimmesdale hid his sin at the first scaffold scene, so did the Puritans when they colonized America. The Puritans faults were not initially that obvious, but as time grew on they appeared on their own scaffold just as Dimmesdale does. Hawthorne writes about one of Dimmesdale's sermons that are, "address ed to the multitude a discourse on sin, in all its branches." In Dimmesdale's sermons, he speaks out against sin while at the same time he commits his own sins of adultery and deceit, just as the Puritans committed sins. Dimmesdale's character models Puritan society in the way they treat religious persecution. The Puritans left England to flee from religious intolerance, but when they settled in the colonies, they had no religious tolerance for people with different religious beliefs...

The Difference Between Macro and Micro Sociology

The Difference Between Macro and Micro Sociology Though they are often framed as opposing approaches, macro- and microsociology are actually complementary approaches to studying society, and necessarily so. Macrosociology refers to sociological approaches and methods that examine large-scale patterns and trends within the overall social structure, system, and population. Often macrosociology is theoretical in nature too. On the other hand, microsociology focuses on smaller groups, patterns, and trends, typically at the community level and in the context of the everyday lives and experiences of people. These are complementary approaches because at its core, sociology is about understanding the way large-scale patterns and trends shape the lives and experiences of groups and individuals, and vice versa. Between macro- and microsociology are differences like which research questions can be addressed at each level, what methods one can use to pursue these questions, what it means practically speaking to do the research, and what kinds of conclusions can be reached with either. Lets examine these differences to learn more about each and how they fit together. Research Questions Macrosociologists will ask the big questions that often result in both research conclusions and new theories, like these, for example. In what ways has race shaped the character, structure, and development of U.S. society? Sociologist Joe Feagin poses this question at the beginning of his book,  Systemic Racism.Why do most Americans feel an undeniable urge to shop, even though we have so much stuff already, and are cash-strapped despite working long hours? Sociologist Juliet Schor examines this question in her classic book of economic and consumer sociology, The Overspent American. Microsociologist s  tend to ask more localized, focused questions that examine the lives of smaller groups of people. For example: What effect does the presence of police in schools and communities have on the personal development and life paths of Black and Latino boys who grow up in inner-city neighborhoods? Sociologist Victor Rios addresses this question in his celebrated book,  Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys.How do sexuality and gender intersect in the development of identity among boys in the context of high school? This question is at the center of sociologist C.J. Pascoes widely popular book,  Dude,Youre a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. Research Methods Macrosociologists Feagin and Schor, among many others, use a combination of historical and archival research, and analysis of statistics that span long time periods in order to construct data sets that show how the social system and the relationships within it have evolved over time to produce the society we know today. In addition, Schor employs interviews and focus groups, more commonly used in microsociological research, to make smart connections between historical trends, social theory, and the way people experience their everyday lives. Microsociologists, Rios, and Pascoe included, typically use research methods that involve direct interaction with research participants, like one-on-one interviews, ethnographic observation, focus groups, as well as smaller-scale statistical and historical analyses. To address their research questions, both Rios and Pascoe embedded in the communities they studied and became parts of the lives of their participants, spending a year or more living among them, seeing their lives and interactions with others firsthand, and speaking with them about their experiences. Research Conclusions Conclusions born of macrosociology often demonstrate correlation or causation between different elements or phenomena within society. For example, Feagins research, which also produced the theory of systemic racism, demonstrates how white people in the U.S., both knowingly and otherwise, constructed and have maintained over centuries a racist social system by keeping control of core social institutions like politics, law, education, and media, and by controlling economic resources and limiting their distribution among people of color. Feagin concludes that all of these things working together have produced the racist social system that characterizes the U.S. today. Microsociological research, due to its smaller-scale, is more likely to yield the suggestion of correlation or causation between certain things, rather than prove it outright. What it does yield, and quite effectively, is proof of how social systems affect the lives and experiences of people who live within them. Though her research is limited to one high school in one place for a fixed amount of time, Pascoes work compellingly demonstrates how certain social forces, including mass media, pornography, parents, school administrators, teachers, and peers come together to produce messages to boys that the right way to be masculine is to be strong, dominant, and compulsively heterosexual. Summation Though they take very different approaches to studying society, social problems, and people, macro- and micro sociology both yield deeply valuable research conclusions that aid our ability to understand our social world, the problems that course through it, and the potential solutions to them.

Text analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Text analysis - Article Example Even though the writer knows that balancing the job requirements and family attention can be challenging, she instinctively insists upon going on with the dream of making a positive impact on the society as a whole. She even vows to be role model to her daughter and that explains how dedicated and passionate she is towards dream of making positive impact on people’s life. Although the writer is the central character in the story and we can learn more about her, the introduction of Lana (the patient) seems to gives much in depth information about the whole scenario (Ehrenhaft and George, 56). The writer gives a brief description about herself and that is critical in giving insight into her inspirations to become a nurse. The writer seems to be motivated more by the events that happen in her life. She quotes â€Å"That statement solidified my purpose of positively contributing to society, positively influencing people’s life, and being the best nurse I can be. I know that I need to take my career to the next level†.This essay is so appealing to the audience. The setting is such that it is easy to understand the main theme of the essay (Ehrenhaft and George, 78). From the essay, a person can be easily convinced that social responsibility is something that needs to be implemented for the wellbeing of the society. The transition from one point of argument to the other in the essay is splendid. The writer offers her argument in a more open and detailed manner. She first, describes herself then she talks about the family and finally she talks about her job and he r relationship with the patients. She also talks about how that relationship has helped her make a positive impact in somebody’s life. The most interesting part of the essay is the fact that the writer acknowledges that you can make an impact on somebody’s life despite your economic,

Principles of Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principles of Finance - Essay Example Together, they help promote stability and balance in the behavior of governments and financial institutions through surveillance, financial, and technical assistance. Based on the summary in Table 1, $282.978 trillion was raised in Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. from 2001 to 2006 from IPOs, debt offerings, and mergers and acquisition activities throughout the world. Of this, the U.S. accounted for 26%, while the U.K. had 9.7% and Japan only 2.3%. The declines from 2001 to 2003 resulted from the dotcom bubble explosion and corporate scandals in the late 1990s until 2001, affecting investor confidence and the ability of firms to raise funds. However, the increasing amounts since then signify a steady recovery that continues to hold. The U.K. issues more equity than either the U.S. or Japan, the U.S. issues more debt securities than the other two countries and that in these three countries debt issues are greater than equity issues by an overwhelming factor of almost 280-to-1. What could explain these findings Figures 1 and 2 (IMF, 2006; BIS, 2006) show that most debt issues are from corporations, and that Japanese (101.7% debt-to-equity) and European (69.6% debt-to-equity) corporations have more debt than U.S. companies (43.1% debt-to-equity). This explains why Japan and the U.K. issued lower amounts of debt compared to the U.S. during the period. Second, debt yields are lower in Japan compared to the U.S. and the U.K., and while equity yields are higher in the U.S. than in the U.K. and Japan, debt returns (5 to 11%) are higher than equity returns (-33% to almost 0%) in all three countries, and interest rates are declining. This means debt is more attractive to issuers and investors than equities. For investors, debt returns are higher, so they would rather lend their funds. For companies, debt is also cheaper since the trend for interest rates is flat to declining. Therefore, investors and corporations both prefer debt over equity. Q2: Vodafone plc Case Analysis Vodafone plc (2006: 2-3) is a London-based telecommunications company with total turnover of 29.4 billion, assets of 127 billion, and over 170 million customers worldwide, making it the biggest telecoms firm in the world. With debt of 20.1 billion and stockholders' equity of 86.9 billion, it has a debt-to-equity ratio of 23%. Net debt is 17.3 billion after taking out cash and cash equivalents. Vodafone raises funds in various currencies by issuing debt securities because it has a good financial network in London, the world's financial center. The company's policy (Vodafone, 2006: 41) is to maintain the currency of debt and interest charges in proportion with expected future principal multi-currency cashflows, which explains why 113% of its net debt is in currencies other than sterling: 73% of debt is in Euro, 21% in Yen, 14% in US Dollars, and 5% in other

Radio And Television Advertising Tourism Essay

Radio And Television Advertising Tourism Essay Jamaica is the most complete, diverse and unique warm weather destination in the world that delivers the best vacation value available. Jamaica delivers a distinct vacation experience that competitors cannot match. (JTB Marketing Presentation to Joint Meeting of Board 1995) The vibrant culture which includes fine and performing arts, literature music and history. Not to mention the exquisite cuisine, the food, coffee rum and beer. The warm, hospitable and accomplish people such as the athletes, entrepreneurs, political leaders, artists and educators are the main factors which enhances tourism development. These factors combined creatively could be used to in an innovative manner during a destination marketing process. Destination Marketing is the process of communicating with potential visitors to influence their destination preference, intention to travel and ultimately their final destination and product choices. Destination marketing is a major part of the Implementation process; it is the articulation and communication of the values; vision and competitive attributes of the destination. The actions implemented in the destination marketing phase should be uncertain should be underpinned by the findings of the Destination Planning, process and the subsequent Destination Development activities. (Destination Marketing Sustainable Tourism) Marketing strategies are designed as the vehicle to achieve marketing objectives.. (Phillip Kotler, p. 690) The Jamaica Tourist Board is to ensure Brand Jamaica destination is managed and marketed effectively. Marketing tools or techniques will have to be implemented. Tools or Techniques that Jamaica Tourist Board could use are: Radio and Television Advertising This technique is commonly used most business places. It creates awareness more rapidly when compared to news papers on a daily basis. First you must target your audience, implement creativity and unique style that will grab and attract the audience attention. Even though its cost effective, the advertisement must be able to convince people and they will relate to what is being advertised. At the end of the day, there should be some reward and profitability deriving from this tool. SWOT ANALYSIS RADIO TELEVISION Strength Creates awareness to a wide audience on a daily basis Weaknesses Very Expensive Not unique and has no style Opportunities: Develop Tourism Grab peoples attention rapidly Threat: People getting the wrong message Message not clear and concise Print Advertising Digital Printing is a very effective as well as a common marketing tool. Sometimes persons dont have time to watch television due to the increasing changes in their lifestyle on a daily basis. Brochures, Bill Boards and other innovative ideas can be used. Although this could be expensive, installing Bill Boards in a few countries and placing brochures at travel agencies, airports and other designated areas that will educate and inform persons will be an asset to assist in utilizing this marketing tool. SWOT ANALYSIS PRINT ADVERTISING Strength Bill Boards and brochures can be placed all over the world Weaknesses Very Expensive Might not reach to the audience targeted Opportunity Create awareness and interest of the destination Threat Natural disasters such as hurricane can damage bill boards Branding Branding is perhaps the most powerful marketing tool available to destination marketers confronted by product similarity where tourism products appear equal or lack differentiations to consumer and competitions. Today many destinations can offer five-star resorts, hotels and attractions, claim a unique culture and heritage and describe themselves as having the friendliest people and the most customer-focused tourism industry. Therefore, there is a critical need for destinations to create a unique identity and to differentiate themselves from their competitors. (TO 490, Destination Marketing) SWOT ANALYSIS BRANDING Strengths Jamaicas greatest strength is its name Brand Jamaica Jamaica has a very diverse culture, warm hospitality, attractions Weaknesses Persons such as our athletes and other celebrities must represent and maintain creativity and uniqueness of the brand. Opportunities Development of the Tourism Sector Investments Threats Competition High Crime Rates Social Media Social Media has become very dominant in our lives today. It is very user friendly and it does send your messages in one way or the other. Travelers today who are very skeptic and they also crave information and feedback as it relates to booking a vacation. Most travelers utilize social media for travel packages, booking vacation online, quiz social networks for eg. Facebook etc to obtain feedbacks and ideas. Social media marketing is inexpensive to travelers and the destination. It is also a good business sense, where the leaders who are responsible for managing the marketing tools, could implement a website that will showcase and advertise the destination, thus making it more simple and easy for visitors who are interested in booking their vacation. SWOT ANALYSIS SOCIAL MEDIA Strengths Excellent for customers communication Daily Updates Feedbacks Weaknesses Websites pops up and fades away People writing bad comments Opportunities Large advertising Making marketing more efficient. Threats Not able to target the right audience Fearing the unknown Keeping up with the latest trends in social media Special Events Jamaica has a very rich cultural heritage which is covered by the love of sports, music, food and other types of entertainment. Reggae music is dominant in Jamaica as well as most countries in the world. Thanks to Bob Marley for putting us on the Map. Not to mention our Athletes who have represented us on the local and international scene and continuing to do great things. Therefore, hosting sporting events will bring investors and tourist to our destination and this will develop the infrastructural aspect of the country. Entertainment Events such as Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues, Reggae Sumfest, just to name a few, have accounted for most of the receipts of tourists to our shores. Putting on more shows like these will definitely continue to promote Jamaica worldwide. SWOT ANALYSIS SPECIAL EVENTS Strengths Develop Tourism Increase Revenue for the country Infrastructural Development Weaknesses Crowded Situations Insufficient Airlifts Opportunities Sports Tourism Development of emerging markets Threats Natural Disaster Crime and Violence Tourism Marketing Plan Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. Marketing is more selling than advertising. The aim is identify customers needs and to meet those needs so well that the product almost sells itself. (www.tourismcenter.msu.edu/publications) A Tourism Marketing Plan is responsible for the guidance of the marketing decisions made. These include assigning tasks, choosing markets and generating funds to promote the destination. It assists in enticing potential visitors to the destination. In order to gain success there are certain information that must be outlined about the destination. Therefore should be specific information about the people who travel to your destination and what they desire during stay. It also set the standard and provides means for all marketing activities for any destination which includes market research, brand development and management, advertising and promoting, sales, distribution and cooperative marketing opportunities. Three processes involved in such a plan are; Analysis The first stage in developing a market plan is analyzing the market. It is important that you understand the market. The resources needed, competitors involved and the structure of the business environment. The analysis sets the foundation for developing ways or strategies to detect threats, challenges, barriers, opportunities and competitions. Strategy This step which is the second stage assists in the decision making and choices in market segmentation, targeting the sectors and audience and planning the position of your product. Below is a list of steps to consider in developing a marketing strategy. Build Critical Mass Increase consumer demand Leverage the supply chain Motivate businesses to become certified Incorporate health, safety, and quality standards into green certification programs Understand international trade agreements to avoid conflicts Promote a global accreditation body (Practical Steps for Marketing Tourism) Marketing Mix The last stage is determining the general set of activities of the marketing plan. This includes determining the Marketing Mix or the or the 4Ps: Product, Pricing, Promotion and Placement. (Practical Steps for Marketing Tourism) Product: This involves the management and marketing of the product. Price: Setting a price and marketing the cost for the product and services is important. Promotion: This includes advertising, sales promotion, publicizing the destination and ensuring the word is spread across effectively and efficiently. Placement: Placement is the channels or means by which the destination is marketed. External Players assisting Jamaica Tourist Board The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is an agency of the Minister of Tourism. As a result it is affiliated with a number of other agencies under the Ministry, for example the Tourist Product Development Company (TPDCO) and the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). The JTB also work closely with other organizations such as The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and Jamaica Trade Invest (JTI) in the marketing of the Destination Jamaica. (www.jtbonline.org) In order for a sustainable tourism in Jamaica, there are external organizations that could assist the Jamaica Tourist Board with their responsibilities. Ministry of Tourism (MOT) The main responsibility for the Ministry of Tourism is to develop policies that will aid to the needs within the Portfolio areas. Excess emphasis is placed on getting the all the stakeholders involved, including the private sector. As it relates to Tourism the Ministry aims to: Develop policies and pilot legislation which facilitates sustainable development of the tourism product and investment in the industry as a whole. Develop policies and pilot legislation which would ensure the maximization of the social and economic benefits of tourism for the Jamaica People. (www.jtbonline.org) Tourism Product Development (TPDCO) The Tourism Product Development Company Limited is responsible for developing and improving the Jamaicas Tourism Product. Its main responsibilities are: Returning the national budget to a surplus position Implementing innovative ideas and plans in order to improve the resort areas Seek to identify areas with potential that could be developed and enhance Jamaicas Tourism Product, develop strategies to and market the destination by reducing the level of competition, thus making the destination more marketable. Ensuring co-operation from all parties involved to protect the culture, architectural sites, wider environment and economic contributions. Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) The Tourism Enhancement Fund Act, 2004 was passed by Parliament in December 2004. This act provides the legal basis for the Ministry of Tourism to establish a mechanism for the collection of a small fee from incoming airline and cruise passengers. Specifically, the Act allows for: A Tourism Enhancement Fee of US$10.00 to be charged to incoming airline passengers and US$2.00 to be charged to Cruise Passengers. The monies collected are paid into a dedicated Tourism Enhancement Fund. The Fund was established on May 1, 2005 for the sole purpose of implementing the recommendations emanating from the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development, 2002. (www.jtbonline.org) The economic significances the Tourism Enhancement Fund provides are: Assists in promoting growth and development Enhancing the visitors experience Makes provision for a sustainable development Encouraging a better environmental management The Fund is managed by a Board of thirteen Directors who are experienced in matters relating to Toutism and Finance. (www.jtbonline.org) Jamaica Trade Invest (JTI) Jamaica Trade Invest guides the economic and financial development of Jamaica. Their job is to implement programmes and policies that will assist them in the development of plans. In order to achieve this mandate JTI provides a wide range of services, which includes conducting research on national development issues and the provision of technical support to the cabinet. JTI also undertakes consultancy activities for government entities; manage external cooperation agreements and interfaces with funding agencies, while maintaining national socio-economic library. (www.jtbonline.org) Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association(JHTA) Established in 1961, the Jamaica Hotel Tourist Association is the Organisation, which represents hotels, other visitor accommodations as well as the most suppliers of goods and services to the Tourism Industry. The main aim is to promote the development of Jamaicas hospitality industry and to represent the interests of its members in all flora, locally, regionally and internationally. (www.jtbonline.org) References