Interpret Everyday Use by Alice Walker according to guidlines Essay

Interpret Everyday Use by Alice Walker according to guidlines - Essay Example Moreover, when she mentions the burning down of their previous house, she mentions Dee’s response to the mishap, â€Å"Why don't you do a dance around the ashes? I'd wanted to ask her. She had hated the house that much.† Thus, Dee comes across as rather reckless and selfish while Mama bears the consequences of her daughter’s nature. On the other hand, certain situations mentioned in the story tilt the scale in favor of Dee/Wangero. Mama, while thinking of Dee’s hatred for their house, remembers her response, â€Å"She wrote me once that no matter where we "choose" to live, she will manage to come see us.† Thus, although haughty and tweaked with vanity, Dee cared about her mother, understood her condition and in a way supported her by reassuring her of her support. Another instance shows that Dee, although has grown apart from her mother and sister, missed them and cherished their memories. This is proved by the following lines in the story in which Dee clicks their pictures to take with her. â€Å"She turns, showing white heels through her sandals, and goes back to the car. Out she peeks next with a Polaroid.† However, viewing both sides, the character of Mama is undoubtedly more ‘sympathetic’, and the one which I consider the ‘right one’. The reason for this is that, she comes across as a sad, unfulfilled woman whose dreams remained just that – dreams. ... Maggie and Dee were as far apart as two individuals sharing the same blood line can be. Dee was confident, successful and a vivacious extrovert leading an urban lifestyle. In contrast, Maggie was shy, unsure of her appearance, and didn’t know life outside the realms of her home. In spite of the contrasting nature of their lives, the two girls did care for each other. This is evident in the way Maggie, although angry at first, agrees to give Dee the quilts that were saved for her, â€Å"She can have them, Mama.† Moreover, Dee while going away gives Maggie some heartfelt ‘sisterly’ advice, â€Å"she turned to Maggie, kissed her, and said, you ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie.† Both girls were similar in the way they cared for their mother, in the ways they found suitable in accordance with their demeanor. Also, both had similar choices as both of them found the ancient quilts attractive. Although both saw their value differently, they shared the desire to own the quilts. A first person narrator refers to a person who is himself a character in the story. Such narration can be biased at times because the person is closely involved in the story and thus certain situations can alter his view, thereby altering the overall view of the narration. In this story, Mama is the first person narrator and although she lays down the facts and the events as they occurred, we cannot completely rely on her observance and conclusions, as, at some point of time, her narration is sure to be colored with her personal views, thus altering the course of realization of the reader. As she is the one who narrates, we get to see her side of story the best. Also, we get to know Maggie and Dee through her perspective and her judgment of good or bad is passed

BPMN advantages, disadvantages within system integration Essay

BPMN advantages, disadvantages within system integration - Essay Example Business Process Modeling Notation offers a common universal language thereby reducing the communication barriers that existed in designing the business process models. Business Process Modeling Notation also helps in bridging the gaps that existed in communication which affected the process of business modeling from the designing stage to the implementation stage.Since Business Process Modeling Notation uses the technique of flowcharting, the method has made information relaying simpler. This is because use of images assists users and designers in summarizing information. A single flowchart can be used to reflect many situations that would have required a lot of words in explaining and representing.Another significant advantage of using Business Process Modeling Notation is the fact that it is a simple model. The model embraces simplicity by converting information and representing it in a simple flowchart. This gives it an upper hand in the market since every business is after a sim ple model that will serve its purposes and at the same time it is easily applicable in every business environment provided that the firm maintains proper records and comprehensive data on its operations.Business Process Modeling Notation is an important model especially in firms that has adopted process automation. In the modern world, more and more companies have adopted a system that supports high levels of information technology since this makes operations in the company much smoother.

Employee Motivation Essay Example for Free

Employee Motivation Essay Abstract. Employee motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an employee to behave in a certain manner for accomplishing certain organizational goals. Individuals differ in motivation along three parameters viz. self-esteem, need for achievement, and intrinsic motivation. There has been a growing emphasis on employees needs rather than just organizational needs, and recognition of the strategic value of employees being developed to their best potential. Organizations have become increasingly aware that the effective development of their employees skills and knowledge has benefits for the whole organization. Performance appraisal can be a crucial factor in the setting of career goals and the perception of job satisfaction leading to increased motivation and productivity. The paper examines employee motivation at the workplace. What is Motivation? Motivation is based on emotions. It is the search for positive emotional experiences and the avoidance of negative emotional experiences. Motivation is involved in the performance of all learned responses. It is a behavior that will not occur unless it is triggered. In general, psychologists question whether motivation is a primary or secondary influence on behavior. For example, is the behavior stemmed from personality, emotion perception, and memory or if motivation stems from concepts that are unique. Each year, billions of dollars are spent on motivation courses by large companies. The course involves training in motivation, meetings to boost motivation, incentives to strengthen motivation, meetings to analyze problems in the workplace motivation, tools to measure motivation mission statements, etc. These training sessions also include how to cope with problems in recruitment, productivity and retention, problems of commitment to teams and corporate agendas. Motivation is extremely important to success and to reach personal and business goals that one has set. Ethics Employees must learn to work together towards common goals. Employees must have an understanding of the organization as a whole and how they fit into the organization. They will most likely need training to acquire the knowledge needed for organizational understanding. Once an understanding of the organization and their role in it has been established, the employee with act on the goals set forth. Management must show the employee the need for their being there and for their output and input. The top to bottom role should be fair and there must be a clear code of corporate ethics. There must be communication between all levels, top to bottom, bottom to top. No employee should be left out. Management should ensure that their employees feel secure and they can be trusted and are equals among their peers. Performance should be viewed as a learning experience, not a horrific experience. Appraisals The annual performance review is one of the most feared and fearful processes that leaves employees angry and depressed as opposed to motivated to perform better. Companies have started to look at the appraisal as a more developmental approach to performance evaluation, instead of making the employee feel more insecure about their job performance. By using this technique, it would emphasize on giving employees the skills they need to perform effectively. The goal of a plan such as this would be to achieve goals that have been set by the company and be appraised on how many of those goals they have reached. Goals should be clear and sufficient to motivate employees into action. Business performance will improve by using an effective appraisal system. By defining clear objectives, the employees will be able to focus on the specified task and company goals. Appraisals help the employees feel that their good work is recognized and that they are valued. It also provides an opportunity to discuss concerns and weaknesses that the employee may have and suggestions may be made to find a solution to the problem. Motivation Techniques In order to motivate employees, they must know what is expected of them. Employees must have a clear understanding of challenges and realistic goals that they must meet. Employees that are encouraged to healthy competition ensure that the criteria for successes are clear and do not encourage resentment or low morale. Tough approaches, like firing staff that are not working to their full potential, can motivate other employees to do work better and strive for those goals that have been set. There is no perfect way to motivate staff. Some psychologists hold that financial bonuses or perks will be enough to motivate employees to give their best effort. Competition between employees is also commonly used as a motivation strategy at times. However, the keys to effective employees are motivation strategies that provide a range of incentives that appeal to the different personalities of the employees. While one individual may be driven by money, another may find job satisfaction or creative opportunities more powerful factors. Some company employee motivation techniques suggest that most employees respond to the same incentives. Money is most commonly used to improve motivation, staff retention and ambition. Everyone is different and has their own view about what is important to their life. For this reason, there are steps that can be used to motivate employees by doing things that they value and mean doing the right thing. They are as follows: Find the right job for the right person Empower Employees Co-operation vs. Competition Involve employees in company development When staff feel secure and nurtured in their work environment they perform  better. These steps help employees feel secure in their environment: Praise and recognition of the employees successes as much as you constructively criticize them. Let employees be aware of their job security. Be a Leader to staff. Create a comfortable working environment. Treat employees fairly. Mangers are responsible for overseeing employees who are engaged in work or learning tasks. Managers must be aware that some employees participate more out of interest in the task than others are. Others gain their satisfaction principally out the way in which their performance on the task leads to rewards like pay or status. But typically there is a mixture of motives for which a range of different incentives is relevant. Most employees will find at least some satisfaction in simply doing the work. The balance of these intrinsic and extrinsic sources of satisfaction varies from one person to another and between different situations. Some people indeed are highly motivated by both intrinsic interest and extrinsic rewards. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation Most employees understand intrinsic satisfaction or intrinsic motivation, when an activity is satisfying or pleasurable in and of itself. These activities are things employees like and want to do. For most people, intrinsically enjoyable activities are things like eating, resting, laughing, playing games, winning, creating, seeing and hearing beautiful things and people, and so on. To do these things people do not need to be paid, applauded, cheered, thanked, respected, or anything. They do them for the good feelings that are automatically and naturally received from the activity. Intrinsic rewards also involve pleasurable internal feelings or  thoughts, like feeling proud or having a sense of mastery following studying hard and succeeding in a class. Many, maybe most, activities are not intrinsically satisfying enough to get most of people to do them consistently, so extrinsic motivation needs to be applied in the form of rewards, incentives, or as a way to avoid some unpleasant condition. There are many activities that are intrinsically satisfying to some people but not to other people. This diversity suggests that past experiences can have a powerful influence on determining what is intrinsically satisfying to an individual. In many activities, intrinsically satisfying aspects combine with extrinsic pay offs. For example, employees and people in general, intrinsically enjoy conversing and, at the same time, they get attention, praise, support and useful information. In this case where intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are mixed, one might suppose that over a period of time the accompanying extrinsic reinforcements gradually increase our intrinsic enjoyment of the activity and perhaps vice versa. Extrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation comes from without, such as money, titles, honors, trophies or a date. Extrinsic motivation has been found to destroy intrinsic motivation. Presently there is a movement to eliminate extrinsic motivation from schools, hospitals, and government. Extrinsic Motivation can be based on the phrase, Do this, and get this. Methods of Extrinsic Motivation are sometimes controversial. Some argue that employees view their work as a form of punishment and the paycheck is their reward. Extrinsic rewards tend to focus attention more narrowly and to shorten time perspectives, which may result in more efficient production of predefined or standardized products. Job satisfaction and long term commitment to a task may also be affected. Management first thinks about rewarding employees with money as an effective reward. Unfortunately, money will not always motivate employees to perform better or stay with the company longer. Not everyone thinks money makes the  world go round. Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation is the satisfaction in which the rewards come from carrying out an activity rather from a result of the activity. Employees that are intrinsically motivated tend to be more aware of a wide range of phenomena, while giving careful attention to complexities, inconsistencies, novel events and unexpected possibilities. They need time and freedom to make choices, to gather and process information, and have an appreciation of well finished and integrated products, all of which may lead to a greater depth of learning and more creative output. Intrinsic Motivation is the outcome of a work situation that employees enjoy. It comes from inside of the employee. Employees feel that they are in charge and that they have the opportunity to acquire new skills and abilities to match a different challenge. Employees also feel that they are a part of a successful team. When rewards, such as praise, are based on performance standards that imply one is doing well and performing competently, then the intrinsic interest increases. People like to be told they are doing well. Intrinsic Motivation is an emotional preference that gives pleasure and enjoyment. It stems from a strong emotional interest in an activity. It can be classified as a sense of freedom. Theories. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow is considered as the father of Humanistic Psychology. Humanistic Psychology incorporates both Behavioral and Psychoanalytical Psychology. Maslow, although he studied both types of Psychology, he rejected the idea that human behavior is controlled by only internal and external factor. Maslow, instead, based his Motivation Theory on the basis that mans behavior is controlled by both internal and external factors. (pp. ) He also emphasized that humans have the ability to make choices and  exercise free will. Maslow collected data for his theories by studying individuals with an outstanding presence. His studies led him to believe that certain people have needs which are unchanging and genetic. Some needs are more basic than others are and others are more powerful than others are. As these needs are satisfied, new needs are created and other needs emerge. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is as follows: Basic Needs: Physiological; The need for sleep and rest, food, drink, shelter, sex, and oxygen. Safety; The need to be safe from harm. The need for a predictable world with consistency. The need for fairness, routine, and a sense of stability and security. Growth Needs Love and Belonging: The need for love and affectionate relationships, belonging to a group, and caring. Esteem (two components): Self-respect: The desire for confidence, competence, adequacy, achievement, and mastery. Respect of others: The desire for acceptance, recognition, reputation, appreciation, status, and prestige. Understanding and Knowledge: The needs to satisfy curiosity, explore, discover, find solutions, look for relationships and meaning, and seek intellectual challenges. Aesthetics: The need for beauty in surroundings. Self-actualization: The need for growth, development and utilization of potential, becoming all that one can be; self-fulfillment. McGregors X and Y Theories Two theories of human behavior at work were developed by Douglas McGregor. Theory X and Theory Y. McGregor did not indicate that workers would be type X or type Y. He saw the two types as extremes, with various possible behaviors in between. Theory X workers would be described an individuals who dislike work and avoid work when possible. They also lack ambition and do not like responsibility and prefer to be followers instead of leaders. These individuals also have a desire for feeling secure. Theory Y workers are individuals that could be characterized as individuals who did not dislike work and are considered responsible. These workers consider work as play or a rest time. For Theory Y workers, management would need to challenge the individual and create a working environment where they can show and develop their creativity. With Theory X, receiving rewards motivates the individuals. Kellers ARCS Theory of Motivation John M. Keller designed four conditions for an employee to be motivated. Attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) are these conditions that when an employee uses them, they will become more motivated to do their tasks and reach goals set by themselves or others. Keller suggests that ARCS must happen in sequence. By following the ARCS order, it will keep the employee interested in the topic. If it were to lose its sequential order, then interest will be lost and motivation would not take  place. This motivation theory argues that events that fulfill personal needs or goals will enhance performance and effort put forth by the employee. Each of Kellers conditions build upon the next condition. The management should keep these conditions in mind when designing goals and assigning tasks. The Conditions set by Keller are as follows: Attention: The first and single most important aspect of the ARCS model. It is gaining and keeping the employees attention. Kellers strategies for attention include sensory stimuli, question provocation, and variability. Relevance: Attention and motivation will not be maintained unless the employee believes the training is relevant. The training program should answer the critical question, Whats in it for me? Benefits should be clearly stated. For a sales training program, the benefit might be to help representatives increase their sales and personal commissions. For a safety-training program, the benefit might be to reduce the number of workers getting hurt. For a software-training program, the benefit to users could be to make them more productive or reduce their frustration with an application. Confidence: The confidence aspect is required so that the employee feels that they should put a good faith effort into the organization. If they think they are incapable of achieving the objectives or that it will take too much time or effort, their motivation will decrease. In technology-based training programs, employees should be given estimates of the time required to complete the task or a measure of their progress through the program. Satisfaction: The last is Satisfaction. The employee must obtain some type of satisfaction or reward for achieving the goal or finishing a task. This can be in the form of praise from a supervisor, a raise, or a promotion. If managers are to use this Theory of Motivation, they must address adequate  examples and/or choices for their employees to be available to complete the task or reach a goal. Some employees may be active learners and enjoy experimentation. Some employees may be reflective learners and are more in tune with observing and lectures. These styles must be taken into consideration in order for the employee to feel motivated and be able to help the organization. There are currently thousands of articles on employee motivation research that has evolved from the early work of Maslow, Keller and McGregor. The application of these theories into new communication situations, like the Internet, will be an important contribution for generations to come. Benefits of Motivation Employees It is important that employees are motivated to work hard and increase productivity. Yet some workers are not reaching their full potential. Managers need to be proactive and start or improve existing motivation programs. Employees are aware of what their employers are or arent doing to recognize their efforts. The time it takes to set up a program is minimal, program administration is easy and efficient with automated program tracking and reporting. The end result is a program tailored specifically to the needs of the company. To develop a successful motivation program that benefits a company the following suggestions may be helpful: Specific goals that provide a strong sense of motivation and are expected to be obtained. Equity for all participants. Employees perceiving inequity may lower productivity. High perceived value so the participant becomes emotionally involved in obtaining the goal. Employee involvement during the development of the program and timely feedback to employees continuing throughout the program. Employee motivation is the responsibility of the company and its managers. The company must create a workplace that is full of culture and high achievers in order for the business to improve. Recognition, appreciation and rewards are crucial to employee motivation. A pat on the back or a mention of thanks can literally move mountains. Productivity rises for employees that are rewarded for the work they do. A companys reputation and productivity increases with employees that feel appreciated. Recognition keeps communication open. It is important to keep communication alive with staff. By opening the lines of communication and staying in touch with the employees it will keep you in touch with their needs and desires. Create an atmosphere of cooperation, and give credit where credit is due. In return, the company will have employees that will go the extra hundred miles, and the returns will be tenfold. When an employee is passionate about their involvement and contributions, there will be no limit to the success that can be achieved. Bibliography Pandy, Wayne. (2001) Safety Incentives Recognition. Creating an Achievement Based Safety Culture. Retrieved September 18, 2004 from http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/csseincentive/sld030.htm Captain Webb, Bob. (2001) Developing productive skills through self-discovery. Retrieved September 18, 2004 from http://www.motivation-tools.com/ Accel Team. (2004) Motivation. Retrieved from http://www.accel- team.com/motivation/index.html Accel Team. (2004) Theorists and their Theories. Retrieved from http://www.accel- team.com/motivation/theory_01.html Carnegie, Dale. (1981). How to Win Friends Influence People; Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment (pp. 205-243). New York, NY: Pocket Books. Faculty of Information Studies. (1995) Motivation Theories. University of Toronto Retrieved from http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/Courses/LIS1230/LIS1230sharma/motive1.htm

A Report On Sky Diving

A Report On Sky Diving Sky Diving A New Era of Indian Adventure Skydiving is a very old and most popular sport. It is a diversion from the normal parachuting which was discovered some centuries ago. Basically sky diving is an adventure sport wherein the diver jumps from an aircraft from at least an altitude 1500 m. The participants experience a free fall and they even do different stunts in the air before they release their parachutes and are safely on the ground.   Sky diving requires average levels of fitness. If you are in doubt you can ask for medical clearance before setting out for this journey. The best things about sky diving is the advantage you have due to such high altitude. You do not feel any sort of motion sickness like you would experience if you were in a roller coaster ride. It is the closest experience humans can have to flying. Most popular Sky diving destinations in the world Today skydiving is a dear activity the world over. For some of the best sky diving experiences you will have to travel the corners of the world. Nevertheless here is a list of few places which give you that complete experience that you are looking for. The first destination is Guam which is one of the several pacific islands. The place is commendable for its coast to coast view and blue skies. The views of the islands are fantastic and incomparable. Next on the list of the best sites is the Swiss Alps. Being a few thousand meters high above the ground and surrounded by white snow everywhere, decked up in a warm winter jacket and jumping of an airplane to float in the air above the Alps is an unforgettable experience.   In summers the views get even lovelier with the glaciers melting and the summer sun peeking fro between the mountains.   So far the best sites are still owned by the country of kiwis-Australia and its neighbor New Zealand. They are an adventure lovers haven.   And why not, if you have aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef and the vast rainforests in the east or the profiles of Queensland or Mission beach in the west, Sky Diving in India Skydiving in India began way back in 1994 when Agni Aviation promoted sky diving as a recreational activity. At that time people were clueless about aero-sports in India. The first sky diving was carried out in Jakkur near Bangalore on a 900 meter tarred airstrip.   Ever since Sky diving has started at many other location in India. If we speak of sky diving and do not talk about Rachael Thomas then the discussions is incomplete. Rachael is the first and the only civilian sky diver of India. Her journey as a sky diver began in the year 1979 after she signed up for sky diving lessons with a French woman.   Since then she has had a record of more than 700 jumps in all. It has been more than 25 years now and she has won several accolades for her stints. She is the winner of Padma Shri for having a successful sky diving career of more than 25 years. She is also the first Indian to receive a national Adventure Award in 1994 which is an equivalent of Arjuna Award. She is doing her best to promote sky diving culture in India. She has also started Women Sky Divers of India league which promotes sky diving among women. This institute is on its way to turns it visions of being the first skydiving civilian school of India into reality.

Capital Punishment Essay -- Crime Jail Death Penalty Essays

Capital Punishment Throughout the history of man, the penalty of death was given to criminals who broke the law. Capital Punishment is the extreme penalty for crime (Compton's) and is still in use today in many countries. A criminal can be sentenced to death for various crimes. Even more were the methods used to execute, many being cruel and unusual. There have been many debates on whether or not to abolish the death penalty. There are many pros and cons to this complicated issue. Capital Punishment is in use for many reasons and has been enforced in numerous ways throughout the years. The condemned prisoner on death row may have broken the law, but does that give us the right to take the life of another human being?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why have we used the death penalty? The death sentence permanently removes law-breakers from our society and "prevents the executed criminal from continuing his criminal career (Hollywood Studio)." We kill in desperate hopes that these killers and rapists will not be able to strike again, murdering or raping more innocent victims. In many cases, the criminal has broken the law, but if he is let off easily and slips through the system, he may go out and commit the crime again and again. The death penalty is the ultimate punishment; it gets the point through and teaches the lesson that society will not put up with the people who break the law. It is a very real punishment and leaves no room for rehabilitation of the criminal. Repeat offenders must be kept from breaking the law once more. They have had their chances to repent and reform. The only other way to stop repeat offenders is to merely eliminate them (Electric Chair). Why not just sentence them to life impris onment? Life imprisonment just isn't as effective as the Death Penalty because it is not as severe and harsh (KSCOffices). Life imprisonment is soft and only succeeds in removing the criminal for a certain amount of time. Life imprisonment is also very expensive. The criminal who broke the law should not be allowed to mooch money off the system, receiving heating, clothing, in-door plumbing, and three meals a day, whilst a homeless person has nothing and has not harmed anyone. It costs roughly $30,000 each year to keep an inmate in jail, and many people do not feel it's worth their money to keep Capital offense criminals alive. We use the death penalty to teach a lesson t... ...Penalty and the Disadvantaged. Wisconsin: Gary E. McCuen Publications, Inc., 1997. McCuen, Gary E., and R.A. Baumgart. Reviving the Death Penalty. Wisconsin: Gary E. McCuen Publications, Inc., 1985. Isenberg, Irwin. The Reference Shelf: The Death Penalty. New York: H.W.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wilson Company, 1977. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. Compton's NewMedia, Inc., 1994. Webster's Concise Encyclopedia. Sofsource, Inc., 1996. Clark, Richard. "Some Thoughts on the Death Penalty." [Online] Available http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/capital_punishment- UK/homepage.html, May 14, 1998. No Author. "The Electric Chair." [Online] Available http://www.theelectricchair.com//index.htm. May 8, 1998. No Author. "Methods of Execution." [Online] Available http://www.dos.state.fl.us/fgils/agencies/fcc/reports/monitor/methmon.html/, May 8, 1998. Dieter, Richard C.. "Capital Punishments in the Past: Capital Punishments." [Online] Available http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/3015/cap.htm, July, 1998. McNamara, Colleen. "Capital Punishment" [Online] Available http://www.keene.edu/KSCoffices/upward/cappun.htm. Keene State College Upward Bound, 1997.

History of the Bahamas Essay -- Essays Papers

History of the Bahamas The Bahama Islands were discovered on October 12, 1942 by Christopher Columbus. Columbus and his Spanish crew stumbled upon the archipelago while looking for a trade route to the wealth of the West Indies and named is San Salvador. (Craton, pg. 30) The Spanish settlers encountered the native Bahamians, the Lucayans upon thier arrival. The Lucayans were a primitive race of farmers and fisherman that had migrated north from Venezuela to escape the cannibalistic Caribs.(Bothwell, pg. 27) The hospitality of the natives was not returned by the Europeans and since the lucayans themselves were the only valuable commodity to the Spanish they were all enslaved and sent to Hispaniola to work and die in the mines or sent to dive in the pearl fisheries of Trinidad. (Craton, pg. 187) The name of the Islands originated from the explorer Jaun Ponce de Leon in 1513 who searched the archipelago for the "fountain of youth." After sailing through the islands he named them "Bajamar", the Spanish word for Shallow Waters.(Craton & Saunders, Vol. I, pg. 5) The first English Settlers of the Bahamas were puritans that fled Bermuda after Anglican and Puritan Conflicts arose. The Puritans formed the â€Å"Company of Elutherian Adventures† led by Captain William Sayle and escaped the religious persecution of Bermuda. The Puritans faced times of trouble when their ship was wrecked upon reaching the Islands. They called for aid from their Puritan friends in Massachusetts who undoubtedly saved their lives by sending them a shipment of goods. (Bothwell, 117) Many of the Puritan settlers found life to difficult in the Bahamas and by 1657 most of them returned to Bermuda. In 1670, Charles II granted the proprietors from the Carolinas the right to take over New Providence Island. A population close to five hundred settled the islands and grew cotton, tobacco and sugar cane. (Craton & Saunders, 194) GRAFICAS The lackadaisical approach of governing that consisted of heavy drinking and neglecting crops resulted in an open invitation for pirates. Pirates such as Black Beard ran amuck the throughout the islands for a quarter of a century until order was restored under the first royal governor, Captain Woodes Rogers. (Craton, pg. 251) ... ...of the German U-boat. American investment led to the development of airports and after the war the Bahamas became a popular tourist destination. (Craton and Saunders, 300) On January 7, 1964 the Bahamas attained internal self-government through a new constitution. The rise of the Progressive Liberal party created a dual party system along with the long dominant United Bahamian Party. The first leader of the Progressive Liberal Party and the first Negro premiere was Lynden O. Pindling. On July 10, 1973 under Pindling, the Bahamas was granted complete independence from Great Britain. His policies brought prosperity and stability to the Bahamas and the education system dramatically improved under his rule. He has faced controversy over his deliberate ignorance or possible role in the drug crime wave of the 1970’s and 80’s. (Craton & Saunders, Vol. II, pg. 378) He was outvoted in 1992 and replaced by the current Prime Minister, Hubert Ingraham, a member of the Free National Movement party. Under Ingraham, the country has expanded its economy and foreign industry creating a stronger sense of national identity and preserving peace and prosperity throughout the islands.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 21~22

Chapter Twenty-one Ladies and Gentlemen, Presenting the Disappointments He was the best one-handed free-throw shooter in the Bay Area, and that Christmas night he had sunk sixty-four in a row in his driveway hoop, shooting the new leather Spauldingball his dad had left under the tree for him. Sixty-seven in a row, without ever setting down or spilling his beer. His record was seventy-two, and he would have broken it, had he not been dragged off into the bushes to be slaughtered. Jeff Murray was not the smartest of the Animals, nor the most well-born, but when it came to squandering potential, he was the hands-down winner. Jeff had been a star power forward through his sophomore, junior, and senior years in high school, and he had been offered a full-boat ride to Cal, Berkeley – there had even been talk of his going pro after a couple of years in college, but Jeff had decided to impress his prom date by showing her he had enough vertical leap to clear a moving car. It was a minor misjudgment, and he would have cleared the car had he not drunk most of a case of beer before the attempt, and had the car's height not been eight inches enhanced by the light bar on the roof. The light bar just caught Jeff's left sneaker, and somersaulted him four times in the air before he landed upright in a James Brown split on the tarmac. He was pretty sure that his knee wasn't supposed to bend that way, and a team of doctors would later agree. He'd wear a brace forever and he'd never play competitive basketball again. Although he was a smokin' one-handed H.O.R.S.E. player, and he might have even been a champion if it weren't for that slaughtered-in-the-bushes thing. He liked the new leather ball, and he knew he shouldn't be using it on the asphalt, and especially this late at night, when the sound of his dribbling might disturb his neighbors. He lived in a garage apartment in Cow Hollow, and the fog was blowing in damp streams up his street, making the basketball sound lonely and ominous, so no one complained. It was Christmas – if all some poor bastard had was some hoops, then you'd have to be a special kind of heartless to call the cops on him. A car turned at the end of the street; blue halogens swept through the fog like sabers, then went out. Jeff squinted into the fog, but couldn't make out what kind of car it was, only that it had stopped a couple of doors down and it was a dark color. He turned to take his record-breaking shot, but distracted, he put a little too much backspin on the ball and it jumped out of the hoop. He ran it down at the junipers by the garage, but was only able to tip it, so that it went into the bushes. He set his beer down on the driveway and went in after it, and – well, you know†¦ Francis Evelyn Stroud answered the phone on the second ring, as she always did, as it was proper to do. â€Å"Hello.† â€Å"Hi, Mom, It's Jody. Merry Christmas.† â€Å"And to you, darling. You're calling rather late.† â€Å"I know, Mom. I was going to call earlier, but had a thing.† I was a thing, Jody thought. â€Å"A thing? Of course. Did you get the package I sent?† It would be expensive and completely inappropriate, a cashmere business suit, or something in a houndstooth or a herringbone, something worn only by matronly academics or matronly spies with stout poison-dart shoes. And Mother Stroud would have sent it to the old address. â€Å"Yes, I got it. It's lovely. I can't wait to wear it.† â€Å"I sent a leather-bound set of the complete works of Wallace Stegner,† Mother Stroud said. Fuck! Jody kicked at Tommy for making her call. He skipped out of range, waving a scolding finger at her. Of course. Stegner, the Stanford paragon. Mother was one of the first coeds to graduate from Stanford and she never missed an opportunity to point out that Jody hadn't gone there. Jody's father had also gone to Stanford. She was born to Stanford, and yet she had disgraced them by going to San Francisco State, and not finishing. â€Å"Yeah, those will be great, too. I guess they just haven't caught up with me yet.† â€Å"You've moved again?† Mrs. Stroud had lived in the same house in Carmel for thirty years. Carpet and draperies never survived more than two years, but she'd been in the same house. â€Å"Yeah, we needed a little more space. Tommy's working at home now.† â€Å"We? Then you're still with that writer boy?† Mom said ;writer; like it was a fungus. Jody scribbled on a Post-it at the counter: Note: Break Tommy's arms off. Beat him with them. â€Å"Yes. I'm still with Tommy. He's been nominated for a Fulbright. So, did you have a nice Christmas?† â€Å"It was fine. Your sister brought that man.† â€Å"Her husband, Bob, you mean?† Mother Stroud did not care for men since Jody's father had left her for a younger woman. â€Å"Well, whatever his name is.† â€Å"It's Bob, Mom. He went to school with us. You've known him since he was nine.† â€Å"Well, I had a smoked turkey delivered, and a lovely foie-gras-and-wild-mushroom appetizer.† â€Å"You had Christmas catered?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"Of course.† Of course. Of course. It would never occur to her that by having Christmas dinner catered, she was making other people work on Christmas. â€Å"Well, I put my present in the mail, Mom. I'd better go. Tommy's being honored at a dinner tonight because of his massive intellect.† â€Å"On Christmas?† Oh, what the fuck. â€Å"He's Jewish.† She could hear the intake of breath on the other end of the phone. This is the light version, Mom, imagine how scandalized you be if I told you he was dead and that I killed him. â€Å"You didn't tell me that.† â€Å"Sure I did. You must be losing details. Gotta go, Mom. I gotta help Tommy get his penis piercing in before the dinner. Bye.† She hung up. Tommy had been dancing naked in front of her for most of the phone call. When she hung up he stopped. â€Å"Did I mention that I worry about your ethical equilibrium?† â€Å"Said the guy who was just playing buff the scrotum with my red scarf while I was making the merry Christmas call to my mother?† â€Å"Admit it. You're a little turned on.† Dr. Drew – Drew McComber, the Ohm-budsman, the resident pharmacist and medical adviser to the Animals, was afraid of the dark. The fear had crept up on him, like a hash brownie, and coldcocked him with an inescapable paranoia after four years on the night crew at the Marina Safeway. Thing was, he awoke in the evening, to the pervasive grow lights in his garage apartment in the Marina, then drove four blocks under the streetlights to the brightly lit Safeway, then got off work in the morning when the sun was well off the horizon, to return to his grow-lit apartment, to sleep with a satin mask in place. He encountered darkness so infrequently that it seemed like a menacing stranger when he did. On Christmas night, round midnight, Drew sat among a jungle of five-foot-tall pot plants in his living room, wearing sunglasses and watching a movie on cable about the special relationship between the lady of an English manor and her chimney sweep. (Because of his work schedule, and the constant demand to stay wasted, Drew found it difficult to keep a girlfriend. Until the Animals found Blue, his sex life had been a largely solitary affair, and (sigh) apparently had become so once again.) Each time the chimney sweep's sooty hand smacked the powdered bottom of the lady of the manor, Drew grieved a little – that dusky handprint on alabaster flank falling like a shadow on his erotic soul. There was arousal, but no joy. Sad and lonely wood did tent his hemp-fiber cargo pants. Then, as if scripted by Erecto, the Generously Endowed Pizza Delivery God of Improbable Trysts, there was a knock at Drew's door. Rather than answer the door directly, Drew adjusted himself and ambled through the ganja forest to a small video screen in his kitchenette – a video peephole. He'd installed it in the days before his doctor had given him the prescription that made him a quasilegal medical marijuana grower (patient complains that reality harshes his mellow – prescribe 2 grams cannabis every three hours by inhalation, ingestion, or suppository). Sure enough, as if he had called in an order, the video screen revealed a pale but pretty blonde standing on his doorstep in a conservative blue cocktail dress and heels. She might have just come from a party or a dinner out – her hair was pinned up with tiny blue bows. She might have shown up to audition for the role of the lady of the manor. Drew keyed the intercom. â€Å"Hi. Are you sure you have the right house?† â€Å"I think so,† said the girl. â€Å"I'm looking for Drew.† She smiled into the camera. Perfect teeth. â€Å"Jeez,† Drew said, then realizing that he had said it allowed, he cleared his throat and said, â€Å"I'll be right there.† He smoothed his erection down, pushed his hair behind his ears, and in five long strides he was through the forest and at the front door. At the last second he remembered the sunglasses, pushed them up on his head, smiled broadly, and threw open the door, releasing a wide beam of ultraviolet light into the night fog. The pretty blonde dropped her smile, then screamed as she burst into flames and leapt out of the light. Drew ran out into the dark to save her. Chapter Twenty-two Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Pathetic Nosferatu Noobsicle Well, except for the murder, Christmas was like a slow drag over broken glass – I now truly know the ennui of passing eternity in total boredom – eating and hurling to-furky all day, stuck with Ronnie and Mom until like six, when Jared came over. His father has a fresh family with little crumb-snatcher stepsisters, so they like forget about him as soon as the squealing and presents start in the morning. He spent the whole day rewatching The Nightmare Before Christmas disc in his room and smoking cloves. His room is totally sacrosanct since he told his ‘rents that he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be masturbating to gay porn if anyone came in. (He's so lucky sometimes – I could stand on my head and flick the bean right there at the dinner table and my mom would be all, â€Å"Honey, Christmas is family time, we should be together† and make me finish in front of everyone.) So, we like watched The Nightmare Before Christmas disc with Mom and Ronnie until they fell asleep on the couch – then Jared and I drew some really cool tribal tattoos on Ronnie's shaved head with Magic Marker, but only like in red and black, so they look real. Then he was all, â€Å"We should go get some coffee – my aunt gave me a hundred-dollar Starbucks gift card for Christmas.† And I hate it when people brag about their Christmas presents, because it's completely shallow and materialistic. So, I was all, â€Å"Yeah, well, I'd love to, but I am now one of the chosen, so I have duties.† And he was all, â€Å"No way, you're Jewish?† And I was all, â€Å"No, I am nosferatu.† And he was all, â€Å"You are not.† And I was all, â€Å"Remember that sexylicious guy from Walgreens. It was him. Well, actually it's the Countess who brought me into the sacred circle of sanguinity.† And he was all, â€Å"You didn't even call me?† â€Å"I'm sorry, Jared, but you are of an inferior species now.† So he goes, â€Å"I know, I totally suck.† And I know he's going to go all tragico-emo on me. So I say, â€Å"Buy me a Mochaccino and I'll reveal to you our dark ways and stuff.† We leave a note saying that Jared has impregnated me and we're running off together to join a satanic cult, so my mother won't panic when she wakes up, because she's totalitarian about leaving notes. Then we head to the SOMA. But apparently, the entire fucking country shuts down on Christmas, slammed under the oppressive iron fist of the baby Jesus, so out of nine Starbucks we try, all are closed. And Jared is all, â€Å"Take me to meet them. I want to be in the dark fold, too.† And I was all, â€Å"No way, loser, your hair is totally flat.† Which it was. He only had the one spike in front, and his sculpting gel had like failed hours ago, so in his PVC raincoat, he kinda looked like a black lacquer coatrack like you see in Chinatown, but that wasn't why I couldn't take him to see the Countess and my Dark Lord. I just couldn't. I knew the Countess would freak out if she saw I was exploiting her exquisite gift to show off for a friend, so I was all, â€Å"It's very secret.† But Jared started to pout and brood at the same time, which he can totally pull off because he practices, so I started to feel like a malodorous soupà §on of mashed assholes, as Lautramont so aptly put it. (Shut up, Lily says it sounds more romantic in French.) So I let him come, but I told him he had to say outside across the street. But when we came around the corner of the Dark Lord's block, there was a guy in a yellow tracksuit standing in the middle of the street. Just standing there, with his hood up and his head down, looking like he was going to stand there forever. And he turned really slow in our direction. Jared was all, â€Å"Wanksta rappa,† in my ear, and he giggled that high-pitched little-girl giggle he does sometimes that's like violence catnip to other guys. (Which is why Jared has to carry a foot-long double-edged dagger in his boot, which he calls his Wolf-fang. Fortunately it doesn't give him any false confidence and he is still a total puss, but he likes the attention he gets when doormen take it away from him at clubs.) Anyway, I think my vampyre senses were, like, on edge, because I could just tell that this wasn't your normal hip-hop guy standing in the middle of a deserted street in a three-hundred-dollar tracksuit at midnight on Christmas night, so I grabbed Jared's arm and pulled him back around the corner. And I'm all, â€Å"Dude. Shields up. Creep. Stealth. Lowest profile.† So we peek around the corner, totally cloaked this time, and the tracksuit guy is like over by the door of the loft, and someone is coming out. It's the crusty old drunk guy with the huge shaved cat, and he has his unit out, like he's going to take a leak, which I could have gone another sixteen years without seeing. And Tracksuit grabs him like he's a rag doll and pulls his head back by the hair, and bites him on the neck. And when he does, I can see that it's not a hip-hop guy at all, but some crusty white vampyre, his fangs were like visible from space. So the huge cat guy is thrashing and screaming and spraying whiz all over the place and I can hear the huge cat hissing behind the door, and Jared grabs me by my messenger bag and starts pulling me away, down the street. So that's all I saw. And Jared was all, â€Å"Whoa.† And I was all, â€Å"Yeah.† And as soon as we got a few blocks away, I pulled out my cell and called the Countess's cell, but it went right to voice mail. So now we're at a special midnight showing of The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Metreon, drinking a huge Diet Coke to calm our nerves while we wait for a return call from my vampyre coven. (Jared forgot his inhaler and has been gasping since we saw the attack. It's so embarrassing. People are like looking, and I've moved a couple of seats over so they won't think I'm giving him a hand job or something.) I am totally overcome with dread and foreboding, and the time passes like a seeping infection on a bad eyebrow piercing. So we wait. I wish we had some pot. More later. Oh yeah, and Mom got me a green Care Bear for Christmas! I totally love it. â€Å"You're sure this is where you left it?† Jody was looking up and down the Embarcadero. There were no people out on the street – the performers and hustlers were long gone. She could hear the Bay Bridge humming in the distance, a foghorn started to low over in Alameda. A BART train burped out of a tunnel onto the street a block away, headed toward the ballpark, empty. A police cruiser turning out of Market Street strafed them with its headlights before heading past the Ferry Building toward Fisherman's Wharf. Tommy waved to the cops. â€Å"Yeah. I was right here and my watch went off. He weighed a ton. It would have taken a bunch of guys to move him.† Jody saw something shining on the bricks near her feet and crouched down to touch the source. Metal filings of some sort. She licked her finger and came up with a coating of yellowish metallic particles on her fingertip. â€Å"Unless someone cut it up.† â€Å"Who would do that? Who would cut a statue up and steal the pieces?† â€Å"Doesn't matter. Maybe thieves, maybe city workers. If someone cut that bronze shell, one of two things happened. If it was daytime, Elijah fried out here in the sun. If it was dark, he's free.† â€Å"It wasn't light, was it?† Jody shook her head. â€Å"I'm guessing no.† She saw a light pattern among the bricks a few steps away and crouched down again. There was a fine, grayish powder between the bricks. She pinched some between her fingers and shook her head. â€Å"For sure no.† â€Å"What? What is that?† She brushed her finger off on her jeans and dug into her jacket pocket. â€Å"Tommy, remember I told you that you didn't drink the whore dry because she wouldn't have been there if you had?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Well, that's because when a vampire drains someone – when we drain someone, they turn to a fine gray powder. I can't explain why, but it looks like that. Feels like that.† She pointed to the mortar lines between the bricks. Tommy knelt down and touched the powder, looked up. â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"You know how I know that?† â€Å"You've killed people.† She shrugged. â€Å"Just a couple. And they were sick. Terminal. They were asking for it, sort of.† â€Å"So that's why you weren't upset about the hooker?† She pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket, then held it behind her back and twisted back and forth looking at her feet, like a little girl being interrogated about how Mommy's lamp got broken. â€Å"Are you mad?† â€Å"I'm a little disappointed.† â€Å"Really? I'm really sorry. You would have done the same thing if you'd been there.† â€Å"I'm just disappointed that you didn't feel that you could trust me.† â€Å"You were having a hard time with your change. I didn't want to bother you.† â€Å"But it wasn't sexual or anything, right?† â€Å"Absolutely not. Purely nutritional.† She didn't think it necessary to tell him about kissing the old man. It would just confuse things. â€Å"Well, I guess it's okay, then. I guess if you had to.† He stood and she ran to him and kissed him. â€Å"I can't tell you how glad I am to have that off my chest.† â€Å"Yeah, well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hang on.† She held up a finger and hit the power button on her phone. â€Å"Calling your mom to tell her she was right about your being a tramp?† â€Å"I'm calling the kid.† â€Å"Abby?† â€Å"Yeah. I need to tell her to stay away from our place. Elijah is going to start messing with us like before.† Jody watched as the little icons on her phone showed that it was searching for a signal. â€Å"But she said she wasn't coming by tonight. It's Christmas.† â€Å"I know she said that, but I think she may come by anyway.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Well, she has a thing for me, I think. I bit her last night.† â€Å"You bit Abby?† â€Å"Yeah. I told you, I was hurt. I needed – â€Å" â€Å"God, you're such a blood slut.† â€Å"I knew you'd be mad.† â€Å"Well, it's Abby, for fuck's sake. I'm her dark lord.† â€Å"Look, a voice mail.† Elijah Ben Sapir cast the twitching, pee-spraying alcoholic across the street, where he bounced off the metal garage door of the foundry and back out to the curb, where his head knocked the side mirror off an illegally parked Mazda. Then the vampire walked with exaggerated steps, his arms held out from his sides like a bad stage monster to try to keep the urine-sotted velour fabric of his tracksuit from contacting his skin. Although he had experienced all manner of filth and gore in his eight hundred years, and had, in fact, spent whole days hiding naked under loamy soil to escape the sun, he didn't remember being quite so put off as he was at being pissed on by his lunch. Perhaps it was that he only had one set of clothes now, and there was no luxurious yacht with a full wardrobe to retire to, or perhaps it was that he had spent the day between two urine-stained mattresses under an unconscious junkie while police searched the hotel around him. He'd just hit his limit, that's all. He'd known the desk clerk would give him up to the police, so as soon as he had gone to his room, the vampire had hidden his tracksuit in the corner of the closet, gone to mist, then slipped under the door into the next room and in between the mattress and box springs of a semiconscious junkie. He'd gone back to solid just as sunrise put him out for the day. At sundown, he was surprised at how elated he was to find the tracksuit still in the closet, after he fed off the junkie (just a sip) and snapped his neck. (Leaving more or less a greeting card to the homicide inspectors who had attacked him with the others at the yacht club.) Now his precious tracksuit was all covered in whiz and he was furious. He stalked over to where he'd thrown the bum and snatched him up by the ankle. Elijah was not tall by modern standards, but he found that if he held the bum's ankle high above his head, he could shake him sufficiently to get the job done. â€Å"You're not even her minion, are you?† Elijah banged the bum's head against the sidewalk to punctuate his question. â€Å"Please,† said the bum. â€Å"My huge cat – â€Å" Thud, thud, thud on the sidewalk. A little shake. Change, a few bills, a lighter, and a bottle of Johnny Walker rained out of the bum's pockets. â€Å"You're just her little moo cow, aren't you? I tasted her on you.† â€Å"There's a kid,† said the moo cow. â€Å"A spooky little girl. She takes care of them.† â€Å"Them?† Elijah flung the bum against the garage and proceeded to pick up the change and the bills on the sidewalk. The steel door next to the garage door opened and a burly bald man in overalls stepped out on the sidewalk, smacking a lead-tipped tire thumper on his palm. â€Å"You motherfuckers making enough noise out here?† Elijah bared his fangs and hissed at the biker, then leapt to the wall over the garage door and clung there, facedown, above the biker's head. The biker looked up at the vampire, down at the prostrate bum, then at the damaged Mazda. â€Å"Well, okay then,† he said. â€Å"I can see you fellas still have some shit to work out.† He slipped back into the foundry and slammed the door. Elijah dropped to his feet and headed up the street, not even bothering to stop to snap the moo cow's neck. How could he have been so stupid? He wasn't going to terrorize her by killing a food source. He needed to threaten her minion, just as he had with the boy. How could he have known that she'd actually betray him and choose the boy? Turn the boy? It wouldn't happen again. Amid all the anger, the hunger, and the excitement at having a purpose, Elijah Ben Sapir felt a twinge of heartache. He had begun this adventure thinking himself the puppet master; now he was all entangled in the strings. Making mistakes. No worry. He cocked his head and focused. Past the rasping breath of the moo cow, the buildings settling, the Bay Bridge humming, and a thousand hearts beating in the lofts around him, he could hear the retreating steps of the little girl and her friend.