Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 20

20. Hunters TOMMY AND ABBY Somehow it had seemed to make sense that he follow Abby's interpretation of Madame Natasha's reading, but now, standing on the dock by the black ship, with the night almost gone, he wasn't so sure. â€Å"You think she's in there?† â€Å"She could be. I saw in the City Blog that this ship arrived-there was a picture, and it looked cool, and-oh, I don't know, I'm new at this. You can't expect me to be good at everything. Why don't you go all misty and sneak aboard?† They heard bare feet on teak and suddenly a gorgon of blond dreadlocks popped up over the top of the smooth black carbon fiber of the cockpit. â€Å"Irie bruddah. Irie sistah. Howzit?† A young man, very tan, heat coming off him, but with a thin black ring inside his life aura. Abby elbowed Tommy and he nodded to show he'd seen it. â€Å"What did he say?† Tommy asked. â€Å"I don't know,† Abby said. â€Å"It sounds Australian. If he goes off about going down under to have a go on his dirigity-doo I'm going to kick him in the kidneys with my forbidden love Chucks.† â€Å"Okey dokey,† Tommy said. The blond guy held up a pair of night-vision binoculars, looked quickly through them, then set them down again. â€Å"Shoots! You be deadies! Jah's love to ya, me deadies!† He vaulted up over the edge of the cockpit, landed on the deck eight feet below, then jumped over to the dock. He was very fit, very muscular, and smelled of fish blood and weed. â€Å"Pelekekona called Cap'n Kona, pirate of the briny science, lion of Zion, and dreadie to deadies of the first order, don't you know.† He extended his hand to Tommy, who shook it, tentatively. â€Å"Tommy Flood,† Tommy said, then, because he felt as if he should have a title, added, â€Å"writer.† Then the blond Rasta man took Abby in his arms, hugged her, and kissed her on both cheeks, then let his hands linger on her back and slide down. He let go when she bent one of his fingers back, driving him to his knees. â€Å"Back off, you fucking hemp Muppet! I am Countess Abigail Von Normal, emergency backup mistress of the Greater Bay Area darkness.† â€Å"Countess?† Tommy said out of the corner of his mouth. â€Å"And a slim and delicious deadie biscuit, too, as fine as a snowflake, yeah,† said Kona. â€Å"No harm, me deadies, I'n'I have grand Aloha for ya, but can't bring ya on the ship. That Raven ship will kill ya dead for good, don't cha know. But we can chant down Babylon right here, mon.† He produced a pipe and lighter out of the pocket of his baggies. Out of the other he pulled a sterile lancet, the kind diabetics use to poke their fingers for blood tests. â€Å"If one of me new deadie dreadies would donate to a mon's mystic. Jus' a drop two.† Abby looked at Tommy. â€Å"Renfield,† she said, rolling her eyes. Tommy nodded. She was talking about Renfield, the crazed blood slave of Dracula in the original Bram Stoker novel. The original â€Å"bug eater.† â€Å"Maybe we can help you with that,† Tommy said. Abby said, â€Å"You're not worthy of our aid, not worthy to be free, and we would surely both be tools, to help you, vampire fool.† She curtsied. â€Å"Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du Mal. I'm paraphrasing, of course.† â€Å"Nice,† Tommy said. She knew her romantic poetry, not very well, or accurately, but she knew it. â€Å"Ah, mon, I tried dat paraphrasing in Mexico one time. The boat, she stop too quick and dis brutha drop out da sky like one rock. No mon, Kona doan like de heights.† â€Å"Not parasailing, you imbecile, paraphrasing.† â€Å"Oh. Dat diffren.† â€Å"Ya think,† said Abby. Tommy said, â€Å"Kona, I will give you a drop of blood, but first, are you saying that this ship belongs to vampires?† â€Å"Ya mon. Me deadie masters, mon. Powerful old.† â€Å"Are they on the ship now?† â€Å"No, mon. They here to fix up this calamity. Vampire cats dat old one leave.† â€Å"Just the cats?† â€Å"No mon, dey clean it all up. All the peoples have seen them, or know about it. They cleaning house, brah.† Abby shook her head like she had water in her ears. Tommy knew how she felt. â€Å"So, these old vampires are here to take out witnesses and whatnot, and they left you in charge of this ship? Just you?† â€Å"Oh yeah, sistah. Kona ichiban top-rate pirate captain of briny science.† â€Å"Why would they do that? You're not even trying to keep a secret.† Kona let his good-time bravado slip, his shoulders slumped, and when he answered, the breezy island bullshit accent was gone, â€Å"Why would anyone believe a word I say?† â€Å"Good point,† Tommy said. â€Å"And besides, you two already knew about vampires. No heat in the night-vision goggles.† â€Å"Also a good point,† Tommy said. â€Å"So these are the vampires who came to get Elijah?† Abby had told Tommy that the Emperor had seen Elijah and the hooker, Blue, leaving with three vampires, taking a small boat out into the fog off the St. Francis Yacht Club. â€Å"Ya, mon. Dat old bloodsucka be locked up below now, air tight. Dat buggah stone crazy, him.† Tommy expected a chill of sorts, but instead of alarm, he felt his senses and mental acuity almost tightening down. There was no flight response, only fight. That was new. He said, â€Å"So Elijah, the hooker, and how many others?† â€Å"Just the three, mon. No hooker. She second gen vamp, mon. They doan make it long. Curl up and die for good, she.† Abby stepped up and tried to grab Kona by the throat, but her hand was too small and she just ended up knocking him over on the dock. â€Å"What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck are you talking about, Medusa?† â€Å"Oh, dey doan tink Kona know, but only dem vamps Elijah make live long time. How 'bout a drop of Zion, now, brah?† Kona held the lancet out to Tommy. Tommy was stunned. â€Å"One more thing. Why would they bring the ship back here? They had to know that we blew up Elijah's yacht.† â€Å"Ya mon, but the Raven, she ain't like dat. She protect herself.† Kona held up his arm and Tommy noticed for the first time he was wearing something that looked like a dog's shock collar on his wrist. â€Å"If I doan have dis here on, da Raven kill Kona dead dead, too. She knows. She knows them three. Anyone else, she send to Davy Jones.† Tommy took the lancet from Kona, unwrapped it, and pricked his finger with it. â€Å"Not going to happen,† Abby said, catching Tommy's hand as he was holding his bleeding finger out to Kona. â€Å"You are not getting dirty hippie mouth on you. You might be dead but you can catch heinous hacky-sac rot from someone like him.† â€Å"Gentle down, biscuit, Kona has him feelings, too.† She reached into her messenger and came out with a retractable pen. She unscrewed it, squeezed Tommy's blood into the cap, then handed it to Kona. â€Å"There.† The Rasta man sucked at the pen so hard he nearly aspirated it, then sat back on the dock and dazzled a wide, white grin. â€Å"Ya mon, takin' the ship home to Zion.† Abby's cell trilled. She checked the screen, said, â€Å"It's Foo,† then answered and turned away. Tommy could hear Foo Dog on the phone, begging Abby to come back to the loft right away. He shifted his focus to Kona. â€Å"Why?† he asked. â€Å"Shoots, brah, a mon love his blood ganga, so jumpin' ship be powerful hard, but when I sign on the Raven ship she have a crew of twenny. Dey say dem boys leave, but they ain't jumpin' ship when we out to sea five days. Dat Makeda deadie, full on African biscuit, too, she eatin' me shipmats, Jah's mercy. Only Kona left now.† â€Å"You? You're the only crew on a ship this size?† â€Å"Ya mon. That Raven, she sail herself.† Abby turned around. â€Å"We have to go.† â€Å"What?† Tommy asked. â€Å"Foo said all the rats are dead. All of them.† Tommy didn't understand. He looked at the sky, which was starting to lighten. â€Å"We can't get over there now.† Abby checked her watch. â€Å"Fucksocks! Sunup in thirty.† RIVERA The sky was lightening behind the Oakland hills and the pink light reflected in the glass front of the Marina Safeway made it appear to be on fire. The Animals stood around their cars, unslinging the tanks and Super Soakers of Grandma Lee's tea. Clint had Barry's spear gun, and was holding it as if it were a holy relic. â€Å"We're out,† said Lash Jefferson. â€Å"What are we going to tell Barry's mom? We don't even have a body.† Rivera didn't know what to say. He hadn't thought of the Animals as people, really. It was wrong in so many ways he didn't have time to count them up. Not just endangering the public, but actively drawing citizens into a secret operation that got them killed. Amid all the unreal things that had happened, having Barry plucked out of their ranks was too real. Too wrong. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Rivera said. â€Å"I thought we were prepared for them. They're just cats.† â€Å"The Emperor told you that it wasn't just a cat,† said Jeff, the big ex-power forward. He was scratching Marvin's ears and the cadaver dog was smiling. Rivera shook his head. It was the Emperor. He was a loon. How could you know that that part of the story was true? â€Å"Did he have a wife, girlfriend?† asked Rivera. â€Å"We could put together some money for her.† â€Å"No, he didn't have a girlfriend,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"He worked graveyard shift like the rest of us. Got high in the morning, slept until time to go to work at eleven. Girls won't put up with that shit.† The other Animals nodded, sadly, for Barry and for themselves. â€Å"You can't quit now,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You don't even know if your spray works. Don't you want to see? Get revenge?† â€Å"What's the up side?† asked Lash. â€Å"You save the City.† Lash slammed the car door. â€Å"We have two hours to get our whole night's work done. You guys need to roll out of here.† Rivera said, â€Å"Can we have a couple of those sprayers, then? And you guys should keep them with you. We know that Chet retraces his territory. You might be territory now.† Clint reached into the back of his Volkswagen, grabbed a Super Soaker, and threw it to Cavuto. â€Å"Great,† said the big cop, â€Å"I'm going to save the friggin' world with an orange squirt gun.† â€Å"Okay, in the car, Marvin,† said Rivera. He opened the rear door of the Ford and Marvin leapt in. â€Å"Call us if you need us.† The two cops drove off. On the roof of the Safeway, the vampire Makeda checked her watch and squinted at the eastern sky, which was threatening sunrise. OKATA Okata had never been to the Levi's store on Union Square, yet that's what the burned-up girl had drawn on the map, so that is where he went. It appeared to be a good place to find blue jeans. He handed a young girl the list the burned-up girl had given him. He paid in cash and left fifteen minutes later with a pair of black jeans, a cotton chambray shirt, and black denim jacket. The next mark on his map was the Nike store, and he left there with a pair of women's running shoes and a pair of socks. Then, about a block along the way to his next marker, he turned, went back to the Nike store, and bought a pair of running shoes for himself. They were bouncy and light and on his way to the next mark, he started skipping, but then caught himself and returned to deliberately pacing out his steps with his sheathed sword. People might ignore a tiny Japanese man in an orange porkpie hat and socks, with a sword, but if you went around expressing unrestrained joy, they would have you in a straitjacket before you could belt out a verse of â€Å"Zippity Do-Dah.† Next Okata found himself in the very soft and satiny world of a Victoria ‘s Secret boutique. It was nearly Valentine's Day, and the entire store was festooned in pink and red, with very tall mannequins standing around in very small swaths of underwear. It smelled of gardenias. Young women moved back and forth, trailing bits of silk, not really talking, each entranced with her own decoration, in and out of fitting rooms, back to shelves, touching, feeling, stroking the lace, the satin, the combed cotton, then moving on to the next soft scene. He imagined that this must be what it was like in the control room for a vagina. He was an artist, and had never been in a control room, nor a vagina for nearly forty years, but he was sure he remembered it having a similar sensation. This was embarrassingly public, though, and he sat on a round red velvet settee to conceal the sudden memory rising in his trousers. He was approached by a petite Asian girl with a name tag. He gave her his list and said, â€Å"Please,† and was shocked out of his fuzzy, separate world when she answered him in Japanese. â€Å"Is this for your wife?† she asked. He didn't know what to say. She was there in the room with him, this young girl, in a vagina control room with him and his distant erotic memories. He could feel his face go hot. â€Å"A friend,† he said. â€Å"She is sick and sent me here.† The girl smiled. â€Å"She seems to know exactly what she wants, and her sizes are here, too. Do you know what color she likes?† â€Å"No. Whatever you think is best,† he said. â€Å"You wait here. I'll go get some samples and you can pick.† He wanted to stop her, or bolt out the door, or crawl under the cushion of the settee and hide his embarrassment, but gardenia was in the air like opium, and there was music playing with the rhythm of slow sex, and the young women moved like diaphanous ghosts around him, and his shoes were very, very comfortable, so he watched the young girl picking out pairs of bras and panties, gathering them like rose petals to be sprinkled over a snowy path to heaven. â€Å"Does she like basic black?† said the girl, noticing all the black denim peeking out of the Levi's bag. â€Å"Red,† Okata heard himself saying. â€Å"She likes red, like rose petals.† â€Å"I'll wrap these up for you,† she said. â€Å"Will this be cash or charge?† â€Å"Cash, please.† He handed her two hundred dollars. He waited on the settee, willing away his whereabouts, the smell and the music, the women moving, and thought about kendo exercises, training, and how tired-how really exhausted-he felt. By the time the girl returned to press the pink bag and his change into his hand, he was able to stand without embarrassment. He thanked her. â€Å"Come again,† she said. He started to leave, and then looked at the burned-up girl's map and saw the pictures of the pig, cow, and fish, and realized that it was going to be an ordeal to explain to a butcher what he needed, so he called to the salesgirl. â€Å"Excuse me. Could you do me a favor, please?† On a fresh piece of pink stationery with red and silver hearts on it, she wrote in English: 4 quarts, cow, pig, or fish blood. It would be much easier dealing with a new butcher with an order slip to hand them. He thanked her again, bowed, and left the store. It was no small irony that when he finally found a butcher who could sell him blood, it was a Mexican in the Mission who had to have Okata's one-item shopping list translated into Spanish. Of course, he had blood. What self-respecting Mexican butcher didn't save the blood for Spanish blood sausage? Okata didn't understand any of that. He only understood that after walking half the City carrying jeans, sneakers, and a pink bag of underwear, he finally had a gallon of fresh blood for his burned-up gaijin girl. After he left the shop the butcher went to the phone and dialed the number on the card the police inspector had left for him. Okata went against his normal discipline and took the F car instead of walking. He rode the antique streetcar all the way down Market Street, past the Ferry Building, and a few blocks up the Embarcadero, where he got off and took a moment looking at the extraordinary black sailing ship that was docked at Pier Nine, before dragging his gallon of pig's blood home. He was sitting beside the futon with a big grin and a tea cup full of pig's blood when she awoke. â€Å"Hello,† he said, with a great grin. â€Å"Hello,† said the burned-up girl, her fangs showing when she smiled. Her hair had grown through the day, and now hung down to her chest, but it was dry and crispy. Okata handed her the cup and steadied her hand while she gulped the blood. When she finished he gave her a paper napkin and refilled the tea cup, then sat down and drank tea from his own cup while she sipped the blood. He watched the color move over her skin like there was a pink light moving there, and she began to fill out, the flesh coming up on her bones as if she was being inflated. â€Å"Did you eat?† she said. She made the motion of chop-sticks scooping rice and pointed to him. No, he hadn't eaten. He'd forgotten to eat. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"You need to eat. Eat.† She made the motion and he nodded. While she drank her third cup of blood he retrieved a rice ball from his little refrigerator and nibbled it. She smiled at him and toasted his tea cup with her cup of blood. â€Å"There you go. Mazel tov!† â€Å"Mazel tov!† said Okata. They toasted and he ate and she drank blood, and he watched as her smile became full and her eyes bright. He showed her what he had found for her at the Levi's store and the Nike store, and at Victoria ‘s Secret, although he looked away and tried to hide a little-boy grin when he showed her the red satin bra and panties. She praised him and held the clothes up to her body, then laughed when they looked too big and took a big gulp of the blood, spilling it down the sides of her mouth and on the kimono. And she saw his new shoes, too, and pointed and winked. â€Å"Sexy,† she said. He felt himself blush and then grinned and did a little dance step, a universal Snoopy dance of ecstasy to show just how comfortable the shoes were. She laughed and ran her hand over them while rolling her eyes. After he had drank a whole pot of tea and she almost a whole gallon of blood, she sat up on the edge of the futon and threw her thick red hair back over her shoulders. She was no longer a charred skeleton, a burned-up wraith, a desiccated marble crone, but a voluptuous young woman, as pale as snow, as cool as the room, but as vibrant and alive as anyone he had ever seen. Her kimono fell open when she stretched and he looked away. â€Å"Okata,† she said. And he looked at her feet. â€Å"It's okay.† She closed her robe, then ran her hand over his cheek. Her palm was cool and smooth and he pressed into it. â€Å"I need a shower,† she said. â€Å"A shower?† She mimed washing, falling rain. â€Å"Yes,† he said. He brought her a towel and a bar of soap, then presented the shower, which stood open to the room next to a pedestal sink. The toilet was in a little closet on the other side. â€Å"Thank you,† she said. She stood and let the kimono slide off her shoulders, laid it carefully on the futon, then took the towel and soap and walked to the shower, throwing a smile over her shoulder at him as she stepped into the tray. Okata sat, dropped really, onto the little stool by the futon, and watched as she washed the last bit of ash from her skin, then let the water stream over her until the whole apartment was full of steam, weariness, and wonder. He picked up his sketch pad from the floor and began to draw. He watched her move like a spirit in the steam, drying herself and then combing her hair out with her fingers. She came out of the steam, dropped the towel on the floor by his workbench. He looked away as she approached and she knelt and raised his chin with her finger until he had to look at her. Her eyes were as green as a jade plant. â€Å"Okata,† she said. â€Å"Thank you.† Then she kissed him on the forehead, then on the lips, and ever so gently, she took away his sketch pad, and dropped it to the floor, then pushed him back on the futon and kissed him again as she unbuttoned his shirt. â€Å"Okay,† he said.

Motorcycle Safety

About 3,000 people die everyday on roads around the world with another 30,000 more surviving but are severely disabled.   At this rate, road traffic accidents may become the third leading cause of death worldwide by the year 2010 (Wells, Mullin, Norton, Langley, Connor, Lay-Yee, R. & Jackson, 2004).   Because of the severity of this issue, the authors have conducted a study to determine the causes of road traffic accidents among motorcycle drivers.   The study was focused to determine if the ability of motorcyclists to be seen on the road to be a vital cause for motorcycle accidents on the road (Wells, et al., 2004). The study was conducted over a period of three years in Auckland, New Zealand where the authors selected 150 survey sites on major motorways.   The study was conducted on random times between six in the morning and midnight on different days of the week and different directions of travel. The participants of the survey were randomly selected on the road and were interviewed as to whether they use their headlights during the daytime, if the driver uses reflective or fluorescent clothing materials while on the road, the color of the motorcycle vehicle, the color of the clothing of the driver and the helmet color used by the driver.   Based on their findings, they were able to conclude that the use of headlights during the daytime, reflective or fluorescent clothing and light color helmets greatly reduced the chances of the driver from being involved in a motorcycle accident that may result to severe injuries or death (Wells, et al., 2004). Although the article was informative as to what precautions a motorcycle driver can take in order to avoid getting involved into a major road accident that could kill the driver or leave the driver permanently disabled, the study is very limited in that they only concentrated on how the visibility of the motorcycle driver is on the road.   It did not take into consideration other factors such as alcohol consumption on the part of the motorcycle driver or other motor vehicles, speeding and drowsiness. References Wells, S., Mullin, B., Norton, R., Langley, J., Connor, J., Lay-Yee, R. & Jackson, R.   (2004, February 2).   Motorcycle rider conspicuity and crash related injury: case-control study. BMJ. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.      

How Social Media Has Changed Politics

Psychology and the Media Essay - 1735 Words

The Image of Psychology through the Eyes of the Media Abstract Psychology can be presented by the media in forms such as magazine or newspaper articles, and the most popular today is through commercials watched on TV. Psychology is presented in a form of science today compared to what it was viewed as in the late 1800s and onto the 1900s. It is more of a science nature because viewers have to think about the meaning of the article or commercial to understand the message that is being presented. Then, psychology was viewed as a form or common sense. Psychology was never really looked at as a science but rather as philosophy in the 1980s. The public was often confused with the subject of psychology because it was always†¦show more content†¦In the 1980s the federal government doubted psychology as a science and a profession†¦ The government stated that it was a way of â€Å"promoting human welfare† (Ludy, 1986, p. 941). 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Louis Armstrong Essay - 850 Words

Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901 to Mayanne and William Armstrong. His father abandoned his family during Louis infancy. Louis spent the first years of his life with his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong. After age five, Louis moved back with his mother and his sister, Mama Lucy. The family was forced to live in stark poverty. Louis got into some trouble when he was just 12 years old and was placed in the Waifs Home for Boys. It was there that he first received musical instruction and learned to play the coronet. He was released from the Waifs Home in June of 1914. He worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. Joe Oliver, one of the finest†¦show more content†¦The band never played live, but continued recorded until 1928. While working at the Sunset, Louis met his future manager Joe Glasner. Glasner managed the Sunset at the same time. Armstrong continued to play in Carrol Dickesons Orchestra until 1929. He also lead his own band on them same venue under the name of Louis Armstrong and his Strompers. For the next two years Armstrong played with Carroll Dickersons Savory Orchestra and with Clarence Jones Orchestra in Chicago. By 1929 Louis Armstrong was becoming a very big star. He toured with the show Hot Chocolates and appeared occasionally with Luis Russell Orchestra, with Dave Peyton, and with the Fletcher Henderson. Armstrong moved to Los Angeles in 1930 and where he fronted a band called Louis Armstrong and his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra. In 1931, he returned to Chicago ad assembled his own band for touring purposes. In June of that year he returned to New Orleans for the first time since he had left in 1922 to join King Olivers Creole Jazz Band. Armstrong was greeted as a hero, but racism mared his return when a white radio announcer refused to announce Armstrong on the air and a free concert that Louis was going to give to the citys African American po pulation was cancelled at the last minute. Louis and Lil separated in 1931 also. In 1932 he returned to California, before leaving for England where he was a great success. Armstrong toured the United States, England,Show MoreRelatedLouis Armstrong Essay634 Words   |  3 PagesLouis Armstrong Louis Satchmo Armstrong was one of the most popular musicians of his time. Upon initiating my research, I was surprised to find conflicting dates as to when he was born. Encarta Africa said he was born in 1901, 1001 things to know about African American history-1898, regular Encarta --1900, Little Louis and the jazz band by Angela Shelf Medearis says his date of birth is August 4, 1901. 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So much that this paperRead MoreLouis Armstrong Essay1388 Words   |  6 PagesThe Life and Music of Louis Armstrong Among the most popular and appreciated musicians of our time, Louis Satchmo Armostrong brought a musical presence, technical mastery, and imaginative genius that so overwhelmed musicians of his day that he became their principle model, leaving an indelible imprint on the music (Kernfield 27). When reviewing Armstrongs life work, his years with us can be divided into two aspects, his personal life and his music. While giving significant background ofRead MoreThe Legacy Of Louis Armstrong Essay1401 Words   |  6 PagesLouis Armstrong, one of the most influential figures in jazz music, enjoyed a career that spans across 50 years, and through different eras of jazz. Nicknamed† Satchmo†, â€Å"Pops†, and† Ambassador Satch†, Armstrong could do it all, he sang, occasionally acted, composed music, but was most famous for his cornet and trumpet playing. Although Armstrong is well known for his amazing trumpet play, he also influenced the direction that jazz m usic during his time was headed. Over the course of this paper IRead MoreJazz, By Louis Armstrong2718 Words   |  11 PagesJazz midterm 1. Louis Armstrong is credited in the book titled Jazz as the â€Å"single most important figure in the development of jazz.† He is known as the only major figure in Western musical history to have a profound influence as a singer and an instrumentalist. His defining qualities as a performer were the emotion, beauty, and technical mastery he brought to each performance, and he knew how to please an audience. Performing jazz was a personal and powerful experience to him, and it was communicatedRead MoreLouis Armstrong : The Era Of Jazz1449 Words   |  6 PagesLouis Armstrong once said â€Å"If you ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.† Armstrong was conveying the message that jazz is whatever the performer makes of it, for there are no rules or restrictions on what the performer can do. Louis Armstrong was a famous jazz trumpeter from New Orleans who influenced the era of jazz tremendously throughout the years with his unique style, which included bringing in imp rovisation to pieces. The quote stated earlier can be applied to life, showing that in order toRead MoreLouis Armstrong And The Harlem Renaissance950 Words   |  4 Pagesartists arose. Louis Armstrong was one of the most well known jazz artist of his time. Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloist, film star, and comedian. He was considered one of the most influential artists in jazz history. 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Increasing Shareholder Wealth Essay Example For Students

Increasing Shareholder Wealth Essay Increasing Shareholder WealthINTRODUCTIONThe goal of all corporations is to increase shareholder wealth. Shareholder wealth is increased is by increasing the corporations profit. In acorporation involved in manufacturing, reducing the cost of the factors ofproduction is essential for growth. One of the major components of production costs is labor. When in comesto labor costs, the corporation and the worker usually have very different goals. The corporation wants to pay the worker as little as possible, whilemaintaining the productivity and quality required by its customers. The worker,on the other hand, seeks to increase his or her personal wealth by demanding thehighest possible wages and benefits. Because of this somewhat adversarial relationship, corporations andlabor have developed strategies to strengthen their positions. One of Laborsmain defenses is to organize in unions. The existence of unions can be aneffective method of gaining a position of strength, especially when dealing withpower corporations. Depending on the size of the corporation, they might havethe power to employ methods which are difficult for the workers to prevent orcounteract. One tactic used by corporations to reduce labor costs is the utilizationof sweatshop labor. A sweatshop is a manufacturing facility that operatesbelow minimum standards of safety and/or wages and benefits. Sweatshopsflourished in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This paper will examine the re-emergence of sweatshop manufacturing inthe U.S. and abroad, and its impact on how manufacturers do business. Two U.S. corporations will be discussed in detail. And the issue of utilizing low costlabor domestically and offshore, including arguments for against this practice,will be discussed. ISSUE BACKGROUNDSince, by definition, sweatshops violate the basic rights of workers, abrief discussion of the history of the labor movement is a necessary element inunderstanding the use of sweatshops. This section is intended to give a briefoutline of some of the events leading to workers rights laws. The followinginformation was excerpted from NBC News Online. June 3, 1900Garment workers form the International Ladies Garment Workers Union to protestlow pay, fifteen-hour workdays, no benefits, and unsafe working conditions. While weak at the onset, the ILGWU struggles to help all workers fight forbetter conditions and higher pay. 1909November 22,1909-February 15, 1910 Organized by the ILGWU, 20,000 shirtwaistmakers, mostly women and children, stage the first garment workers strike. Manypicketers are beaten or fired. In the end, the garment workers win a pay raiseand a work reduction to 52 hours of work per week. July October, 1910ILGWU organizes a second large strike which featured 50,000 cloak-makers. Takingtheir lead from the women, this mostly male strike won uniform wages, a shorterwork week, and paid holidays. A Joint Boardof Sanitary Control is set up, as well as an arbitration board. As a result ofthe strikes in 1909 and 1910, the ILGWU swells in membership. March 25, 1911One of the worst fires in U.S. history breaks out at the Triangle ShirtwaistCompany in Manhattans Lower East Side, killing 146 garment workers. TheTriangle fire prompts the government to take action and establish regulatorycontrol over the industry. Days after the tragedy, 80,000 people participate ina funeral procession up Fifth Avenue. June 25, 1938President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) alsoknown as the federal wage and hour law guaranteeing a minimum hourly wage of25 cents. The law is enforced by the Department of Labors Wage and HourDivision and sets the federal minimum wageand overtime requirements. It also prohibits child labor and requires employersto keep adequate time and payroll records. In 1996, the FLSA covers more than110 million workers. .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f , .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .postImageUrl , .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f , .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f:hover , .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f:visited , .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f:active { border:0!important; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f:active , .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u287a72739cb8ec684361b739cb72616f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Problems And Challenges Facing The Construction Industry Construction Essay1958The largest nationwide ILGWU strike in union history occurs, with 100,000 unionmembers walking out of factories. They win new concessions, including moreholidays and higher wages. 1960s-1980sThis three-decade period is marked by rapid globalization which hits the garmentindustry. In the 1960s, faced with increased unionization, higher wages, andbetter benefits in the Northeast, companiesbegin moving factories South. However, by the late-1970s, the Southhad all but caught up in terms of Union activity. In the1980s, many manufacturers and retailers begin outsourcing their production tosubcontractors in Central America and Asia. Countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Malaysia, Indonesia, andSingapore provide free-trade zones andlaborers who would work, according to the National LaborCommittee, for as cheap as 9 cents per hour. By the late 1980s andearly 1990s, under increased competitionfrom foreign subcontractors, sweatshopsstart to flourish once again in

Strengths Essay Essay Example

Strengths Essay Paper Student Name Professor Name Course Title Due Date (D/MonthN) What Makes Me, Me: My Strengths, Behaviors, and Natural Talents Having completed the Gallup StrengthFinder test I feel that I gained more insight in my personal specific strengths and character traits. While my top five strengths came as no surprise to me I nonetheless feel a heightened consciousness of my natural talents. My strongest asset, according to StrengthFinder is an accepting awareness of others paired with the ability to include them. This strength goes hand in hand with the developer theme, my next talent on the list, which describes the apability to recognize and cultivate potential in others. Discipline, consistency, and responsibility, my last three items on the top five list are strengths that indicate routine, structure, and adherence to stable values and commitments. As a freshman at CSUN I believe a clear understanding of my natural abilities can help me focus on my strengths and assist in the selection of a customized career plan, thus aiding my successful education and career. Including and developing others, will help me socially, while discipline, consistency, and responsibility can serve me academically, nd culturally at CSUN and in my future. It would seem that my includer talent enables me to help others that might be new in a situation or place. When I first came to CSUN I didnt know anybody. I had met with Jeff Stork, the Womens Volleyball coach once, and had been introduced to the girls on the team. I felt insecure and intimidated at first, but overcame these feelings quickly and bonded with all my team mates. We will write a custom essay sample on Strengths Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Strengths Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Strengths Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A few weeks ago, Coach Stork informed us that three recruits were coming to visit campus and check out the Matador Volleyball program. I volunteered to guide the prospective new players, and truly enjoyed being able to share my experiences with them. It came naturally to me to try to include the girls, and make them familiar with everything that I had experienced as new, scary and strange. Furthermore I enjoyed introducing them to my current team, take them around campus, and generally make them feel accepted and welcome. After learning about my natural talent of including others, I feel drawn to situations where I can utilize this strength. There may be a welcome committee hat I could Join, to help newcomers transitions into our college as smooth as possible by getting them introduced and involved in existing groups, after-curricular activities or sports programs. I feel I could be a true asset in that aspect. Another one of my strengths is the talent of developing, which would also aide in recognizing and cultivating potential in others in situations where they might feel new, unfamiliar or even excluded. I really enjoyed meeting with my career counsellor because she not only advised me about my talents, but also assisted in planning my lasses, I believe I would appreciate being able to give sound advice to other, new students. One of my strong suits has always been tuning into the emotions and needs of other people, therefore I trust that a sort of mentorship would suit me perfect, and allow me to utilize my character strength best. My senior high school year I was able to coach a middle school co-ed volleyball team in my home town. Not only was this experience one of my fondest memories, as I enjoyed encouraging and nurturing the youngsters, it also opened my eyes to a coaching or possibly teaching areer, which I find very intriguing. Discipline, consistency, and responsibility are traits that imply structure, adherence to clear rules, and commitment to values. These strengths can certainly benefit me in academically, here at CSUN. The discipline theme for example comes into play in detail orientation. Even as a child I have always pursued meticulous detail and perfection, and to this day precision is a core part of who I am. An important strength that applied in a time of challenge is consistency. I have played volleyball since I was in third grade. During my freshman year in high school I played JV until the varsity team made the playoffs, at which time I was moved up to varsity by their coach. Since sophomore year I was then on varsity. The problem I experienced was with the varsity coach, who had a daughter on the team, and did everything in her power to pad the stats in her daughters favor. The setters were even instructed to only set to the daughter so she could get all the kills. It was painfully obvious that there was no equal opportunity on the team, nor was playing time based on capability and performance. All that mattered to the coach was to push her daughter n the foreground, while slighting everybody else, including myself. It was very difficult for me to accept the fact that the whole team suffered under the favoritism displayed by our coach. My conviction of equality, especially on a team-sport team, made it challenging for me to stay on the team. I was frequently approached by strangers from the audience and even opponents coaches inquiring about the reason behind my sitting on the bench. Quite honestly, I had no good response to these questions, as I personally agreed with them. While the coachs daughter has lways been a good player, I felt that the coach was trying to bend the rules, and tip the scales in favor of her own daughter, which was unacceptable to me. My own mother begged me to quit the team, but I stuck it out. After all, I had committed to playing the whole season, and was not about to quit half way through. It is difficult for me to explain the pain this preferential treatment caused me. Today, I can easily see that my StrengthFinder character trait of consistency was what drove me back then. I value equality, and have little tolerance for individuals who bend the rules to it their situation, or benefit themselves. It was also the strength of consistency that helped me coach my own team. Having been on a team that was ruled by unequal treatment made me more aware of equality, and I applied my personal experiences when I coached my own team. In the future I would like to continue coaching, as I feel very strongly that my high school dealings with that coach made me a stronger person and athlete. Only now I realize that consistency is one of my top five character strengths, and therefore part of what makes me, me.