Financial Proposal Essay Example for Free

Financial Proposal Essay Looking at the need in place, the year 2010 and the future compels the cardiac specialists to step up their capabilities to meet the rising challenge of the cardiac problems. This is as Wenger (1999) says, â€Å"as a result, the current challenge for cardiac rehabilitation specialist is to assure that their practice meets established expectations and that their programs emerge into a new era recognized for the quality and value of the services they provide† (Wenger, 1999 pp 315). At the same time, we also organize for the rising challenges in cardiac field through focusing on developing a work force that is concerned, creating public awareness on cardiac issues research programs that will open up opportunities for new ways of solving the heart problems. Service description What distinguish cardiac rehabilitation are the services that go on over time, that entail assessment, prescribing appropriate exercise for the patients and giving them appropriate education. In addition to these long-term services, we also have counseling and interventions on patients’ behavior. From the above principles, specialists subdivide Cardiac rehabilitation into parts that engross exercises, guidance on nutritional, supporting patients emotionally, supporting and educating them about way of life that will help reduce the risks of heart issues. This will help patients regain strength, prevent the conditions from getting worse and finally reduce the dangers of heart troubles in future. The infrastructure and technology We plan to have infrastructure, which is at par with the modern and efficient technology. Our focus is to have suits for consultations. This will be for out patients. We also plan to have quality services for the inpatients. Cardio-thoracic theaters will support these. In addition to this, we will have units for giving intensive care to patients with serious cardiac problems and therapy units for them too. The infrastructure we want to put up will mirror the goal that we have for the new cardiac rehabilitation center. Within five years of its establishment, we plan to have a center that offers quality service, albeit many inpatients and outpatients that we anticipate to have started flocking in by that time. We plan to have theaters for cardio thoracic therapies that are set with technology that performs highly complex surgical actions. For those patients in serious conditions we will have â€Å"ICCU’s or intensive cardiac care units† (Srmc. edu,  ¶ 11), which will give an entire care for them. Not forgetting that we need the units to have a pool of experts, we plan to have cardiologist who will take care of the heart problems, nutritionists who will give best guidance on nutrition and help patients to learn safe eating habits. We also need physiotherapists with psychologists who will counsel patients and help them to have a positive attitude towards life. We also value time, and one other reason that drives us to establish a modern rehabilitation center is that patients should always recover quickly and get back to their daily routine in shortest period possible. The infrastructure will include different laboratories that will help in different diagnostic and treatment processes. Electrocardiography, which will mainly use electrical instruments, Echocardiography, which will involve echo technology and nuclear imaging which will use nuclear technology for cases that will require that. We will also have â€Å"The Cardiac Catheterization Electrophysiology Laboratories, Cardio Thoracic theatres, the Intensive Cardiac Care Units, Inpatient Facilities and Cardiac Rehabilitation Units (Srmc. edu,  ¶ 11). The people to serve As earlier mentioned, the need for cardiac rehabilitation centers are ever raising. It is for this reason that we want to establish this center in Atlanta Georgia to serve the people of this state and other neighboring states. We have seen that the heart related problems are still on the top of the list of all the diseases that are claiming America’s people (Lloyd-Jones et al, 2010). It is therefore of a thing of prime importance to come up with Cardiac Rehab and Care Center of Atlanta (CRCCA) to help reduce the deaths that are caused by heart problems in America. From the statistics collected by the American Heart association, we find that the cardiovascular problems are also on the top of the list of the American spending on health. Our goal is to provide a sustainable solution to the people who are suffering from heart problems. The opportunity we have is to serve them all who are suffering from heart problems. Industry This is completely a service industry that has the aim of providing the best to people suffering from cardiovascular problems. Other goals are to build and provide a sustainable service through equipping of a ream of human resource with the necessary know how. This is to be able to serve the future generations, and to protect them from heart related issues.

Sport Tourism Essay Example for Free

Sport Tourism Essay Sports tourism presents an opportunity for the City of Kent, Kent State University and City of Kent schools to leverage existing sports and recreation facilities to create new economic and community value by hosting amateur sporting events at Kent venues. These events bring new dollars into the Kent economy, showcase Kent’s assets, and provide opportunities for Kent’s kids to compete against some of the best student athletes in the nation in their own home town. This report provides an overview of how other cities have combined local resources to create a competitive sports tourism strategy. July 17, 2006 Office of the City Manager 1 Table of Contents I. II. III. Sports Commission Missions Sports Commission Membership Sports Commission Practicing Models Big City 1. Cleveland, Ohio 2. Columbus, Ohio Small Cities with Universities 1. Cortland New York 2. Gainesville, Florida 3. Huntsville, Alabama 4. Lehigh, Pennsylvania 5. Southbend, Indiana 6. Yakima, Washington Small City without a University 1. Read more:  Wallace good people  essay Kingsport, Tennessee Greater Cleveland Sports Commission Greater Columbus Sports Commission page 3 page 4 page 5 page 5 page 8 Cortland Regional Sports Council Gainesville Sports Organizing Committee Huntsville Sports Commission Lehigh Valley Sports Commissio Southbend Regional Sports Commission Yakima Valley Sports Council page 13 page 25 page 27 page 30 page 34 page 36 Kingsport Convention and Visitors Bureau page 38 IV. National Association of Sports Commissions page 48 V. Economic Impact of Sports Events 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. A Review of Economic Impact Study on Sport Events Greater Chattanooga Sports Committees Estimated Economic Impact Surpasses $15 Million Kingsport Sports Tourism Dollars in 2005 Cortland Sports Tourism Dollars Economic Impact of Amateur Softball Events Cities Compete to Host Sporting Events Economic Impact Calculation Examples Comparative Economic Impact Analyses page 53 page 53 page 55 page 59 page 60 page 62 page 64 page 66 page 67 2 I. Missions Summary To make Greater Cleveland the nations foremost destination for sporting events and activities. The mission of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission is to provide leadership, guidance and marketing expertise in attracting regional, national and international sporting events and activities to benefit Greater Columbus economically and socially. The mission of CRSC is to promote Cortland County for sports related business, events, competition and education. CRSCs goal is to create a positive economic impact through sporting/recreational events within the Cortland community. Our mission is to be a leading voice of the sports and tourism industries in Alachua County; to foster economic development and add to our quality of life through sports utilizing public and private sector resources; to recruit and create sports, recreation and entertainment opportunities for the community that produce a positive economic impact; to build an understanding in the community of the importance of sports and tourism; and to do so with skill, while meeting all industry professional standards. By recruiting and retaining events, the organization seeks to increase tourism, create a significant economic impact and provide for an improved quality of life for Lehigh Valley residents. The mission of the Lehigh Valley Sports Commission is to attract sports events to the Lehigh Valley through effective marketing, bid coordination and hosting activities. The sports commission will develop a fundraising mechanism for bid fees, and foster relationships with national governing bodies, sponsors and local media. Our mission includes building a volunteer base to support amateur sports events throughout the Lehigh Valley. The South Bend Regional Sports Commission exists to attract and retain international, national, regional, state and local sports events to St. Joseph County and surrounding communities. To promote the South Bend region as a world-class sporting event destination and to pursue and assist sports-related activities which stimulate the local economy, enhance the area’s image, provide outstanding entertainment and participatory opportunities while contributing to the community’s quality of life. To advance the mission of the Yakima Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau by stimulating economic growth through sporting events that generate economic impact for the Yakima Valley. Emphasis is placed on promoting the Yakima Valley as a premiere sports destination to event planners, participants and spectators while providing exception customer service. 3 II. Membership Summary Columbus Board of Commissioners Brian Ellis, Chair Nationwide Realty Investors Nick Ashooh American Electric Power †¢Paul Astleford Experience Columbus Irwin Bain Schottenstein Stores Corporation †¢Butch Moore The Dispatch Printing Company †¢Michael Priest JMACRhett Ricart. Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority †¢Gene Smith The Ohio State University Gainesville Sports Organizing Committee Wende Blumberg, the 2006 GSOC President, leads the twenty-five member GSOC Board of Trustees. The Board comes from a broad cross section of Alachua County citizens. Trustees are area business people with an interest in sports and economic development. The board includes people from sports facilities including the Stephen C. OConnell Center, various Alachua County cities, Gainesville Raceway, local banks, insurance companies, and local print, radio and television companies. Huntsville Sports CommissionRonald Evans Von Braun CenterCharles Winters Huntsville Madison County Conventions and Visitors Bureau Greater Cleveland Sports Commission VISION To make Greater Cleveland the nations foremost destination for sporting events and activities WHY BOOK A VENUE WHEN YOU CAN BOOK A CITY? There are so many reasons why Cleveland is an outstanding place to host your sporting event. We can help make your event a success! The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is dedicated to making Cleveland the nations premier destination for amateur sports events and activities. The Sports Commission offers a wide array of services and assistance to not only attract events to Cleveland, but to ensure their success. Sponsorship Event Management Marketing Public Relations Facility and Site Selection Volunteers Hospitality Vendor Referrals Connections to the Cleveland Community If you would like to discuss bringing YOUR event to Cleveland, please call us at 216. 621. 0600 Host Commission of: 2004 International Children’s Games 2004 NBC Gravity Games 2007 NCAA Women’s Final Four Basketball Championships 2004 U. S. Short Track National Speedskating Championships U. S. Gymnastics Championships McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Game U. S. Olympic Trials Box-Offs. David E. Gilbert is President CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, whose goal is to make Greater Cleveland the nation’s foremost destination for amateur sporting events and activities. The organization is responsible for attracting, promoting and managing major amateur athletic events and to create sporting opportunities for youth and amateur athletes. Since its refounding in late 1999, the Sports Commission has already had significant success by securing more than 50 events for Cleveland including the NCAA Women’s Final Four, NBC Gravity Games, U. S. Gymnastics Championships, International Children’s Games, McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Game, and U. S. Olympic Trials Box-Offs. These events represent an economic impact of more than $160 million for Cleveland’s economy. Prior to this position, David served as Director of Community Affairs and Special Projects for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland where he was responsible for advancing Cleveland’s travel and tourism service standards and related developments. Highlights of his tenure with include funding and development of two new, full-service visitor information centers and spearheading the funding, creation and operations of the Spirit of Hospitality Career Training 5 Program, an innovative, new welfare-to-work initiative that received national recognition and acclaim. Prior to his work with the CVB, David served as executive director of North Coast Harbor, Inc. , a local development corporation responsible for the master planning and marketing of Cleveland’s downtown lakefront development district. He also held the position of director of corporate development for The Cleveland Play House. David Gilbert We are bringing people to town for reasons other than conventions, he said. Our mission is to make Cleveland a national capital for amateur sports. With the Commissions event schedule at 41 (one-third having already taken place, including the Gravity Games and the U. S. gymnastics and figure skating championships), Gilbert estimated the economic impact at $160-162 million. Without the capital to pay a $200,000 bid fee for a typical event, the non-profit Commission won the figure skating championships, for example, by paying only part of the bid fee but taking responsibility for hospitality, transportation, arena rental and other aspects off the shoulders of the event organizers. With creative tactics such as this, and the support of our partners, Gilbert said were beating the pants off other locations. 6 Red carpet treatment for skaters By MAYA R. PAYNE 2:21 pm, April 5, 2006. Cleveland is in the running to host the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, and area leaders are betting that a bit of North Coast hospitality will give the city an edge over two other cities hoping to host the event. The U. S. Figure Skating Association site selection committee visits Cleveland today and Thursday and is seeking information to help its members narrow the field of potential sites. The association’s representatives will appraise the ice rinks at Quicken Loans Arena and the Wolstein Center. They also will meet with Cleveland leaders and the local figure skating community, which includes a dozen separate skating organizations comprising the Greater Cleveland Council of Figure Skating Clubs. A U. S. Figure Skating Association spokeswoman declined to identify the two other finalist cities. She said the organization won’t comment on the selection process until mid-April, when it makes its recommendation to the International Skating Union, the sport’s governing body. But Spokane, Wash. , also is in the hunt, according to the Spokesman-Review in Spokane. The city’s business and community leaders had a red carpet rally along Post Street in Spokane to demonstrate their support of the event. Cleveland has its own plans for wooing the event that is expected to bring its host city $30 million. It begins with showing that Clevelanders will embrace the skating championship and not simply host it, said David Gilbert, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. The organization promotes amateur sports events and activities in the region. â€Å"When this event is here, it will mean everything to this community,† Mr. Gilbert said The sports commission and assorted community leaders, including Mayor Frank Jackson, will drive home this point with discussion of past successes such as the International Children’s Games and the U. S. Figure Skating Championships that Cleveland hosted in 2000, he said. The skating championship still holds the record for highest attendance in a non-Olympic year, Mr. Gilbert said. They can also list financial and in-kind support among Cleveland’s strengths. Mr. Gilbert said the commission has secured $900,000 in commitments already. He declined to name the donors. The International Skating Union will select the city and has already said the United States will host the 2009 event. 7 2. Greater Columbus Sports Commission Greater Columbus Sports Commission 45 Vine St. Columbus, OH 43215 614-221-6060, 800-331-0092 fax: 614-224-7301 www. ColumbusSports. org The mission of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission is to provide leadership, guidance and marketing expertise in attracting regional, national and international sporting events and activities to benefit Greater Columbus economically and socially. The Greater Columbus Sports Commission is a member of the National Association of Sports Commissions. Board of Commissioners Brian Ellis, Chair Nationwide Realty Investors Nick Ashooh American Electric Power Paul Astleford Experience Columbus Irwin Bain Schottenstein Stores Corporation Butch Moore The Dispatch Printing Company Michael Priest JMAC Rhett Ricart Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority Gene Smith The Ohio State University Interns needed to work with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. View the general job posting or one for a specific project with the National Softball Association. The Advisory Council, comprised of high-profile sports and community figures, is directly involved in sales and marketing efforts to attract regional, national and international sporting events to Greater Columbus. Bret Adams Blaugrund, Herbert Martin, Inc. Mark Bivenour Columbus Distributing Steve Germain Germain Motor Company Archie Griffin The Ohio State University Alumni Association John Hicks MVP Tours Stephanie Hightower Columbus Board of Education Jim Lorimer Arnold Fitness Weekend Mark McCullers Columbus Crew Clair Muscaro Ohio High School Athletic Association (retired) Mike Reynolds Thrifty Car Rental. 8 Wayne Roberts Columbus Recreation and Parks Department Jack Ruscilli Ruscilli Construction Co. , Inc. Ken Schnacke Columbus Clippers Todd Sharrock Columbus Blue Jackets Dan Sullivan HNS Sports Group, Inc. Rob Wallace Accor/Red Roof Inns Robert Werth Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP Visitors bureau plans launch of sports commission Business First of Columbus May 10, 2002 by Kathy Hoke Business First Forget the Olympics. Think youth soccer and basketball tournaments. Under a new marketing program to begin in late June, Columbus will go after youth athletic events as well as adult amateur matches such as the popular mens and womens NCAA Final Four basketball tournaments and USA Volleyball National Championship. The Columbus Sports Commission expects to add new power to ongoing efforts to attract sporting events, which can draw thousands of participants and fans and generate millions of dollars in spending for cities. The commission will begin operations June 28, a day after a planned fund-raiser at Nationwide Arena aimed at promoting the citys amateur sports history to a local crowd. Sponsored by the Greater Columbus Convention Visitors Bureau, the Columbus Celebrates Sports event will pay tribute to the history and future of sports in the area. Ballots for the greatest or most memorable sports moments in Columbus will appear beginning May 15 in newspapers and on a variety of Web sites. Our goal is not to determine who are the best athletes from Columbus, but rather to recognize the top sports moments that captivated our community and really put us on the map, said Paul Astleford, president and CEO of the bureau. Sports celebrities expected to attend are Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, OSU football coach Jim Tressel, U. S. national soccer team and Columbus Crew standout Brian McBride and former Buckeye greats Jim Jackson and Keith Byars. More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the event, to be emceed by Greg Gumbel of CBS Sports. 9 Logan in charge The sports commission fulfills a plan laid out when Linda Logan joined the bureau in 1997 as its first sports marketing sales representative. Logans prediction that it would take five years to form a sports commission was accurate. She will head the two-member commission, which will be structured as a charitable nonprofit in which donations are tax deductible, rather than the not-for-profit association status of the bureau, whose downtown Columbus office will house the commission. Within two years, the commission is expected to grow to a staff of seven, about even in size with many sports commissions in other cities but far smaller than the sports commission in Indianapolis, which has a staff of 30 and has operated for more than two decades. Its a very competitive market, Logan said. Over 200 cities are going for the same events we are. Logan, secretary to the National Association of Sports Commissions, knows what other cities are doing to attract athletic events. The Columbus commission is long overdue, she said, and will allow her staff more opportunities and resources to attract sporting events. A staff of two compared to a staff of seven or a staff of 30 is not an even playing field, she said. About 80 percent of the commissions work is expected to focus on attracting youth, collegiate and amateur sporting events to Columbus. The commission also will work toward luring professional events, although contributions for that work will not be tax deductible. City can compete Your city should not have a concern about its ability to compete in this industry, said Don Schumacher, a sports marketing consultant who heads the national association and who once ran a now-defunct sports commission in Cincinnati. Schumacher cited Columbus central location for drive-in visitors and its sports and hotel facilities as key factors for drawing athletic events. Logan will need support from corporate donors to fulfill the commissions potential, Schumacher said. You cant do this without the proper funding, he said. You need sufficient operating money to find events and bid on them, and raise support behind the events. 2-21-2005 By: Joni Bentz Seal 10 OSU ATHLETICS CONTRIBUTE $100. 5 MILLION TO ECONOMY Each year, nearly 1,000 athletes clad in scarlet and gray tackle, shoot and swing more than $100 million into greater Columbus coffers by drawing millions of fans for matches in 36 varsity sports. Those fans contribute to  the economic vitality of central Ohio by driving radio and television ratings, purchasing Ohio State merchandise and game tickets, and patronizing area hotels and restaurants. One of the largest and most diverse athletics programs in the nation, Ohio State is among the first to measure its impact with a study conducted by a joint effort of the Department of Athletics, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, SportsImpact of St. Louis and local public relations firm Paul Werth Associates. Athletics Director Andy Geiger presented â€Å"An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Ohio State Athletics on the Greater Columbus Region† at the Feb. 2 Columbus Metropolitan Club forum on the topic. Geiger and President Karen Holbrook also introduced the department’s Good Sports community outreach initiative, which will serve as an umbrella program for the interaction student-athletes, coaches and staff have with the residents of central Ohio. â€Å"For the past 18 months we’ve been working on a way to tell a different sort of story about the Ohio State athletics program — about some of the many things we do that don’t make the headlines,† Geiger told forum attendees. â€Å"We want to share our ideas with you — and to get your reactions to — what we have in the works to share the accomplishments of our student-athletes and staff — off the field and in the community. † Applying an economic impact equation, the team studied the spending habits of event attendees and participants — which include visiting student-athletes, coaches, team officials, referees/umpires/officials, NCAA representatives and media — from outside greater Columbus during the 2002-03 academic year. The report also indicated that, of the revenue generated, 36 percent, or $36. 1 million, is retained long term as valueadded revenue to Columbus, meaning it boosts regional income, property-type income and local taxes in an amount sufficient to annually fund 989 full-time jobs paying market wages. But Geiger explained there is an impact made on the community that transcends dollars and cents: â€Å"It is the way we touch the lives of others. We have nearly 1,000 studentathletes and 300 associates of the department who are using the power of sports to touch people of all ages and in all corners of central Ohio and campus community,† he said. The Good Sports program endeavors to demonstrate the human impact Ohio State student-athletes and staff have on the community. For example, Geiger said studentathletes contribute thousands of volunteer hours to hundreds of community groups. Many on the athletic staff lead nonprofit boards in the community and serve as leaders of major charitable fundraisers. And throughout the year, Ohio State makes its world-class athletic venues available to youth organizations, providing children with the thrill of competing in the same facilities as their sports heroes. â€Å"Good Sports is our way of further institutionalizing our mission and values within our own staff, on campus and throughout our community,† Geiger said. â€Å"We operate our department based on six core values — and we want everyone to know them well — Education, Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Respect and Tradition. † 11 In her opening remarks, Holbrook reminded forum participants that many Ohio State student-athletes will settle in the Columbus area and continue to be contributors to the social fabric of the region long after their competitive days end. â€Å"We believe the many meaningful things our people are doing in the community will be energized and grow by placing them under the umbrella of the Good Sports program, where we can measure the impact more clearly and develop synergies between various outreach programs in our city,† she said. 12 1. Cortland Regional Sports Council About the Cortland Regional Sports Council More affectionately known as the CRSC, this agency was formed as a result of hosting sporting events in Cortland for the 2002 Empire State Games. The economic impact that these events had on the Cortland Community was tremendous and thanks to a partnership between SUNY Cortland, TC3 and local community members, a focus on attracting sporting events to our community was launched. The mission of CRSC is to promote Cortland County for sports related business, events, competition and education. The possibilities are endless! So far, three events have been associated with CRSC New York State Girls High School Lacrosse Championships, Section III High School Soccer Championships and the NYS Volleyball Tournament. Combined, these events have produced over $600,000 in revenue for the Cortland business community. CRSCs goal is to create a positive economic impact through sporting/recreational events within the Cortland community. We look forward to being the recognized clearinghouse for Cortland County Sporting and Recreational events via printed and electronic media. Over the next few months there are several CRSC events slated to take place in Cortland County. There will be opportunities for local businesses to participate in these events either as volunteer or as sponsors. If there is an event you are particularly interested in, please call 756-1864 for additional information or e-mail us at [emailprotected] org. 13 Current 2005 Events Section III Soccer SemiFinals (November 5, 6 2004) Site: SUNY Cortland Economic Impact: $209,438. 00 NYSPHS Volleyball (November 12, 13 2004) Site: SUNY Cortland Economic Impact: $137,060. 88 CNY Powersports SnoCross Race (February 5, 6 2005) Site: CNY Powersports Economic Impact: $207,130. 00 ATV Special Events 2004 Season Banquet (February 12, 2005) Site: Holiday Inn Economic Impact: $5,030. 30 AAU Basketball Tournament Cortland Shootout (March 25 26, 2005) Site: SUNY Cortland Park Center and Luske Field House Economic Impact: $42,373. 87 New York State YMCA Gymnastics Competition (April 15th 16th, 2005) Site: JM McDonald Sports Complex 14 Economic Impact: $19,727. 50 Crown City Soccer Friendlies (April 30 May 1, 2005) Site: SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex Economic Impact of $7,693. 55 Crown City Lumberjack Invitational (May 21, 2005) Site: JM McDonald Sports Complex Economic Impact of $14,795. 00 NYSPHSAA Girls Lacrosse Championships (June 4, 2005) Site: SUNY Cortland Economic Impact of $68,453. 05 North/South Lacrosse Game and Banquet Economic Impact of $73,976. 00 Bull League Lacrosse Opening Day Economic Impact of $321,939. 00 BonTon Roulet Bicycle Tour Economic Impact of $26,631. 00 NYS Junior American Legion Baseball Championships Economic Impact of $25,408. 88 Celtic Festival / Heavy Athletics Economic Impact of $184,464. 18 Southern Tier Bowhuners Championships Economic Impact of $8,877. 00 TOTAL = $1,352,998. 21 15 Cortland Venues JM McDonald Sports Complex The Cortland Sports Complex is a 80,000 square foot facility with the following components. Indoor NHL size ice rink (200 x 85) with seating capacity of 700 Large indoor soccer field (210 x 110) with seating capacity of 200 Smaller indoor soccer field (110 x 50) with bleachers Raised observation area Full service concession stand Indoor walking track Five locker rooms and two changing rooms Meeting rooms including a Party Room Paved parking for over 200 cars Space to provide additional overflow parking for large events Floor seating for special events like graduations and concerts will allow significant additional capacity. SUNY Cortland – Outdoor Venues For more information you can visit http://www.cortland. edu. Stadium Complex . Stadium Field Sprinturf surface with 6,5 00 seating capacity Auxiliary Field Sprinturf surface with 1,500 seating capacity with 8 Lane Track with long jump, high jump, pole vault, hammer throw, discus and shot put areas 5 Additional Natural grass fields available All fields suitable for Field Hockey, Football, Lacrosse and Soccer Wallace Field †¢ Natural Grass Baseball Field 800 seating capacity Holloway Field †¢ Natural Grass Soccer Field 1000 seating capacity Dragon Field †¢ Tennis Natural Grass Softball Field 150 seating capacity †¢ 22 Newly resurfaced Tennis courts. SUNY Cortland – Indoor Venues 16 For more information you can visit http://www. cortland. edu. Corey Gymnasium †¢ †¢ Maple Hardwood Flooring with the option of one full size, 18,000 sq. ft. and 3,500 seating capacity OR 3 separate smaller gyms Suitable for Basketball, Volleyball and Badminton Holstein Pool †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 6 Lane 50 meter pool with removable bulkhead State of the art timing system 15 Diving area with 2 one-meter diving boards, 1 three-meter diving board water agitation system underwater viewing deck Alumni Arena †¢ †¢ 15,275 sq. ft. facility with 2,000 seating capacity Suitable for Ice Hockey and Skating. Gymnastics Arena †¢ Fully equipped gymnastics gym with seating capacity of 500 in the balcony Auxiliary Gym †¢ †¢ †¢ 5,158 sq. ft. which houses 1 Basketball or Volleyball Court 4 Badminton Courts Project Adventure with High Ropes Course and Climbing Wall Wrestling Room †¢ 3,200 sq. feet of padded space Racquetball †¢ Squash 10 Regulation size Courts †¢ 8 Regulation size Courts Lusk Field House †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 40,000 sq. ft. 6 lane indoor track with long jump pit and pole vault area Netting to allow for Baseball, Softball and Lacrosse practice Space can be used as 3 Basketball courts, 6 Volleyball courts or 24 Badminton Courts. 17 City of Cortland Recreation Facilities Park Beaudry Location Scammell St. Basketball 2 Courts Soccer 4 Fields #1 U12 #2 U12 #3 U10 Tennis Softball/Baseball 3 Fields Beaudry 1 Youth Adult Softball Youth Baseball Beaudry 2 Youth Adult Softball Park Randall Location Elm St. Basketball 1 Court Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 1 Field Field #1 Regulation Tennis 2 Courts Softball/Baseball 1 Field Softball Field with lights Park Armory Location Randall St. Basketball 1/2 Court Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 1 Field Field #1 Regulation. Tennis 4 Courts Lights Softball/Baseball 1 Field Meldrim Field with lights Park Barry School Location Wheeler Ave Basketball Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 1 Field Field #1 Youth Tennis Softball/Baseball 1 Field Youth Baseball/Softball Location Raymond Ave. Basketball Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 2 Fields Field #1 Tennis Softball/Baseball 2 Fields Field #1 Jr. Sr. Baseball Field #2 Jr. Sr. Baseball Park Suggett Regulation Field #2 Regulation Location Homer Ave Basketball 2 Courts Mult-Field (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey) 2 Fields Field #1 Tennis. Softball/Baseball 2 Fields Williamson Youth Softball/Baseball Suggett Youth Adult Softball/Baseball Park Yaman Youth Field #2 Youth Location Basketball Soccer Tennis Skate Park 1 Park Open to Skateboards, rollerblades and 20 inch bikes. Kennedy Pkwy 1/2 Court 18 Cortland University Department of Sports Management CORTLAND, N. Y. For over 20 years, Cortland Sport Management professor Dr. Ted Fay built many solid relationships as an Olympic coach and administrator. This year, he brought one of the relationships home with him. Thanks in great part to Fays connections and tireless efforts, U. S. and international team handball officials visited the State University of New York at Cortland campus on Tuesday May 11 to announce their intentions to locate a USA Women’s Team Handball National Training Center at the Central New York campus. This is an extremely significant announcement, not just for the college, but for the entire Cortland community, Fay said. A lot of hard work went into this, and there will be a lot more in the future to grow the sport to where it needs to be on an international level. Dr. Hassan Moustafa of Egypt, the president of International Handball Federation (IHF) Federation, and Michael Cavanaugh, executive director of USA Team Handball, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of team handball, spoke at a press conference coordinated by SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex. SUNY Chancellor Robert King and Cortland Regional Sports Council Chair Joseph Reagan, a local businessman, also addressed the media. â€Å"It is my pleasure to announ.

Conscription Campaigns in Australia: WW1

Conscription Campaigns in Australia: WW1 Can the Australia governments conscription during World War I be considered a public relations campaign? Why or why not? What specific â€Å"strategies† were used to encourage the Australian community to support (or not) conscription? Refer to relevant public relations theories in your response. In your response you will need to consider the notion of a public relations campaign. Compare your understanding of a public relations campaign to similar events. Compare this in terms of the historical development of public relations at that time. Public relation and the is the art of winning people’s hearts so it is very important for us to fully understanding it by using the relevant examples from the past because it is much easier for us to analyze these samples’ challenges , achievements and methods in order to apply into the current situation. By this action we can minimize not only the costs which can be incurred but also the risks of failure which we might dealing with. So let’s moving on to the question about the Australian Government’s conscription during the World War I. Personally, I think it is a public relation campaign because the definition of an campaign is an â€Å" organized activity or operation designed to attain a political, social or commercial goal†(Bobbit and Sullivan, 2005, p.32). Hence, a public relations campaign, according to Kendall, are considered as a â€Å"â€Å"concerted effort of an organization to build socially responsible relationships by achieving research-based goals through the application of communication strategies and the measurement of outcomes†. Let’s take a closer look at some keywords such as : â€Å"organized activity†, â€Å"political goal†, â€Å"build socially responsible relationship†, â€Å"application of communication strategies â€Å" and â€Å"the measurement of outcomes† and think about conscription of Australian Government’s in World War I or more specifically under the lead of Billy Hughes- The Prime Minister. First of all, we can see here this conscription is and â€Å"organized activity† which require a lot of preparation for Yes vote and in more particularly, Mark Sheehan( 2007) states that:† the campaign to persuade voters went beyond the methods used in recruiting†. In addition, this campaign served a â€Å"political goal â€Å"which is the need to win the war or in other word to extend conscription so that men could be sent to reinforce the front line in Europe to serve for the World War I. Thirdly, this campaign is trying to â€Å"build socially responsible relationship† by called ‘shirkers’ and ‘traitors’ to many eligible men over the age of 21 by using posters and speeches in order to persuade targeted men ‘eligible’ to enlist. Finally, it is the â€Å"application of communication strategies† because of using â€Å"theatr es, cinema, town halls, sporting events and even beaches† in the campaign in 1917 and this is noted by Carlyon (p.525) and it also failed in two referendums-which is a â€Å"measurement of outcome†. These are the proofs that the conscription occurred in World War I is a public relations campaign. But the question here is why it is failed in considered about the strategies of Yes- voters, the length of campaign, the target public and so on†¦ To answer this question we need to go through a bit about history Let’s first start with the definition of conscription which â€Å"is compulsory enlistment in the armed forces†. This means that it is compulsory with every men in the age bracket. In 1916, Australia had that conscription but it maintain inside Australian territory and that’s why Billy Hughes’ public relation campaign start in order to extend conscription so that men could be sent to reinforce the front line in Europe. And this is where the battle of voting started for overseas military service that split the community. Secondly, I want to talk briefly about the anti- conscription with we might call the No campaign of the labor movement and the member was in the Labor Party due to the threat to the white Australian working man. And Hughes’ pro-war enthusiasm made him into deep conflict with the Queensland Australian Labor Party Premier, T. J. Ryan. Therefore, Ryan did everything in his abilities to defeat conscription. Thirdly, let’s moving on the for- conscription which we called the Yes vote, in this part we will discuss the strategies and also some of important points of this campaign. About the member, this campaign was strongly supported by the business community who were the benefiter substantially from the introduction of conscription as suppliers of arms, uniforms and equipment, and by those who saw loyalty to God and Empire as paramount. By using not only propaganda and dissemination of information but also the sophisticated two-way asymmetric activity of opinion leaders- Billy Hughes was successful in create public opinion in the conscription in World War I. Cameron et al (2007, p.175) stated that opinion leaders frequently act as catalysts in the formation of public opinion by using mass media to make opinion flows from these leaders to the public. The theory in this campaign is media- dependency theory which is people who know little about the subject need to depend on mass media for their source of information and opinions. In addition, there are two ways of thinking ( yes and no for conscription) which is framing theory because of journalists and public relation personnel support a specific feature of a issue. The strategies of this campaign can be summaries as followed: Creating Government supported grass-root groups in each state (Robson 1970, p.99) in order to make it easier for opinion leaders to persuade the voters of the value of offering up their sons or husbands in what they thought â€Å"the most noble of fights†. Prime Minister Billy Hughes indicated in 1916 â€Å"cabled all mayors and shire presidents throughout the Commonwealth asking to take immediate steps to develop vigorous local organizations† (Robson 1970, p.106). And Hughes a strong network with the Premier of New South Wales, a former Prime Minister, and the Anglican Primate of Australia and the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney (Carlyon 2006, p.268). In addition, Dame Nellie Melba sang at events organized to support for the Yes vote and influence women (Robson 1970, p.107). The â€Å"mainstream press, city and country† (Carlyon 2006, p258) also supported under Hughes’s call for Yes –vote in conscription campaign. Understood that soldiers at the front were a vital vote for this campaign, Hughes developed a Soldier’s Manifesto and sought wide distribution a month before the referendum. For this task he relied on war correspondent Keith Murdoch. Through his network in the military Murdoch arranged delivery of the Manifesto for each soldier and also distribution to the British press. Moreover, he also organized meetings of soldiers which would carry resolutions asking the voters at home to vote yes. Despite the Prime Minister’s efforts the vote of the serving soldiers was uncertain. In a second attempt in 1917 , Hughes broadened the use of persuasive tactics and pointed out Claude McKay, a former journalist and writer, to work on the promotion of the campaign by taking place on the back of other events and to that extent caught the public unaware and unprepared to debate or question the organizers. And in this time, every mass media are used but it still lead to a failure for Hughes and Yes –voters which is quite narrowly 49 percent over 51 percent. So in summary, from 1916 to 1917, Hughes created 2 referendums which is voting for extend conscription from within Australia territory to Western Front Line for the call of England in World War 1 but both two times he failed closely although he tried really hard in term of public relations campaign by the using of two way information and mass media. Imagine that the Australian government wants to re-introduce conscription in 2013. You can choose to take the pro-conscription view (and support the government) or the anti-conscription view. How would you implement a campaign given your understanding of public relations theory, its role, and society today? You will need to break down the campaign into elements (such as goal, target public, strategies and evaluation). Demonstrate how these elements would be realized in 2013. Strategies need to be realistic, achievable and theoretically sound, determined through appropriate research. You can use the same strategies as the historical campaign, if you think it is relevant. Or you can come up with your own ideas. Dont worry about budget, imagine money is no object. If I’m leader of the pro-conscription view I will think about the moves of Billy Hughes in the old times and analysis these moves then based on these background I will update it because remembering that two referendums were closed with very narrow results 49 percent over 51 percent in the first time and the second time with a slightly bigger gap. So in my opinion, these results reflect a good trend but not right methods which need to improve by using some of the public relations theories and persuasion plus mass media effect in modern life. That’s why some of the commentators while trying to explain the failure of Billy Hughes stated that it might be the issues of providing a focus for a lot of different points of view about the war. In particular, there were some people opposed the war while others were opposed to conscription as a principle. And because at that time, the economy was in bad shape therefore others were saying that they were hurt by the economic situatio n hence the World War I, and so on.Consequently, public opinions are diverting in too many ways which are hard to unite because people were not, but they all agreed on the conscription question, and the issue gave them all a chance to express their opposition. In 1917 in an attempt, Hughes held another vote on the conscription and in this time he actually had a majority in both Houses of Parliament, and did not need the vote but because of his desire, he want to give the people another chance to overcome what he called as their great mistake in rejecting conscription the previous year a chance to correct themselves. But in controversy, the campaign was again fall in the wrong way of his thought, and conscription was again defeated, this time by a slightly larger margin. So in this time we need to work out again about the theory of publicity’s opinions and the method in order to improve the result. So let’s start with goal and target public and I think it probably the same with the old time which will be more than 51 percent voting in the referendum by using these target public such as followed. Firstly, the business man who support for the conscription and benefit because of the war, they can be weapon companies and related industries or people who faithful with British Government, Australian Government or Catholic Church. The reason why we need to target these groups because this group is what we called the ground which we can build a pyramid on that, these groups will contribute the money and the enthusiasm to do anything to support for the conscription. The second part of public which we need to target is the Australian women who might be the mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters, and daughters of the listed soldiers which can support or anti our votes. About the importance of women in this context , we need to remind a bit about history with the withdrawal of about h alf a million men in 1916, and more clearly man is in crisis of going to work because of their direct replacement by women which will be happen if we have a conscription currently. Finally, there is one target who Billy Hughes were targeted but were not succeed and this is soldiers or most importantly the up front-soldiers who are fighting. Because these man can be described as â€Å"role model† which are called â€Å"informal opinion leaders†. According to Wilcox, â€Å"informal opinion leaders† are those â€Å"who have clout with peers because of some special characteristic. They may be role models who are admired and emulated or opinion leaders who can exert peer pressure on others to go along with something. In general, informal opinion leaders exert considerable influence on their peer groups by being highly informed, articulate, and credible on particular issues. â€Å"Consequently, in this case, if we want to recruit more soldiers who are enlisted, we n eed to create a â€Å"role model† which everyone must know, want to know, inspired by his/her. If we can do that the morale of the soldiers who are already enlisted or thought about enlisting will be very high which will befit for our public relations campaign not like Billy Hughes’s campaign. In the methods section, I think we need to base on the old times method because basically they are not on the wrong tracks but sharpen it by using mass media and remember technology in the modern life. In addition , keeping in mind that when we using mass media effects , we need to care about some theories of it which are agenda- setting theory, framing theory and lastly but also most importantly conflict theory. Let’s start which the definition of mass media effects: â€Å"traditional media, implies that information from a public relations source can be efficiently and rapidly disseminated to literally millions of people.†(Wilcox, 2013).Hence, a detailed recent research carried by professors and students at University of Technology in Sydney (UTS) showed that 55 percentage of the stories in leading Australian dailies come from what we called public relation sources. Therefore, the importance of mass media with public relation is undeniable with the appearance of public relations people who uses mass media to become major players in forming public opinion because of their â€Å"hot news† which are coming in the first compare to others. Understanding the importance of mass media is easy but how to use mass media require an understanding of theories which started by agenda- setting theory that is defined by Klapper as limited-effects model of mass media, media content sets the agenda for public discussion, and he stated that† mass medial ordinarily does not serve as a necessary and sufficient cause for audience effects, but rather functions among and through a nexus of mediating factors and influence.† Therefore, in the theme of this theory, we need to have a public relations campaign which not only setting the time for people to come back and follow but also can convey the set of attributes about conscription by using mass media day by day which leading to impact what audiences think about, according to Patricia Curtin, Qi Qiu an d Spiro Khiousis. Thirdly, framing theory is a theory which related to journalist and how they â€Å"frame† the story by choosing the particular facts, themes, solutions or others features†¦ And by that, journalists can create a different point of views for targeted public. That’s why political science Professors Shanto Iyengar an Donal Kinder note how â€Å"public relations professional working for political campaigns seek to emphasize consideration that will help voters decide in their favor, often enlisted the expertise of a popular leader, and to downplay the considerations that will hurt their cause or candidate.† In this case, we can use journalists to protect our side by framing conscription as good deed while the cause effects at unavoidable or fair price which we need to pay. Finally, the conflict is about disagreement between two or more individuals, groups, organizations, or communities because of the gap in interests. As the result, conflict theory is â€Å"research about differences among individuals or groups and explains conflicting interests, goals, values, or desires. Public opinion often reflects such different, or even conflicting, views, attitudes, and behaviors.† At this point , we can see how importance the conflict theory is, keep in mind that it what Billy Hughes missed, the united of public opinions because of lacking of researches at those time which we can do it easily by using technology such as Facebook, debating on YouTube, television or mass media. By unify so many differences or in other word diversities of the public, we can create an enthusiasm â€Å"army† to support for our vote. About the evaluation, because of the development of technology, it is quite easy now for us to know whether we do the right thing by using poll. Poll can use likely everywhere on the internet (for example Facebook, YouTube, or other social networks like twitters, if the websites don’t have we can use the like button to estimate it or number of views could be a good indicator) , in the subway, shopping mall or other common places by using the face to face methods .Remember that we can use the mass media to know how much attention we could draw. References: Dennis L. Wilcox

Discrimination and Racism in Country Lovers and The Welcome Table Essay

Discrimination and Racism in â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer and â€Å"The Welcome Table† by Alice Walker Discrimination and racism is always an issue, but the hardship these women had to face and suffer is something that is still being discussed. Understanding the fear, struggle and hardship that women of color went through during this time period is very important. Both â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer and â€Å"The Welcome Table† by Alice Walker discuss race and the struggle with trying to be accepted in society. The short story â€Å"Country Lovers† written by Nadine Gordimer, who in 1991 received the Nobel Prize for Literature, writes about forbidden love and racial politics between a black girl and a white boy on a South Africa farm. This story takes place during the time South Africa was dealing with racial segregation and is filled with irony and a theme that is clear from the start and that is deeper than racism, but the love between the two of opposite race. Thebedi and Paulus have grown up playing together is childhood. He is the son of the farm owner and she was the daughter of a farm worker for the farm. As they grew older, Paulus went off to boarding school and Thebedi would eventually drop out of school and help on the farm. It was known that â€Å"once the white children go away to school they soon don’t play together anymore.† (Clugston, 2010). When Paulus went off to school, they were entering adolescence and body changes were uncommon to all. Paulus was a popular boy at school and with the â€Å"sister† school that the girls went too. When Paulus would return from school on break he would bring Thebedi gifs and she would give him a handmade bracelet in return, and this is where they grew closer and th... ...oing on in this day in age, and it will always be an issue. With so much negativity, that we see and deal with on a regular basis is a consent battle, which influences us and the way we handle things. However, we have come a long ways as to what it used to be as if people have learned to accept each other. References Chopin, K. (1894). The story of an hour. Vogue. Clugston, R. W. (2010). Country lovers (p. 3.1). San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://content.ashford.edu/books Racism. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism

Long Island Nuclear :: essays papers

Long Island Nuclear The question of whether Long Island should have nuclear power plants is controversial. There are two sides that can be taken; however, both sides have their own share of problems. If we were to chose not to have nuclear plants, then eventually all natural resources will run out. Oil supplies as of right now will run out in two hundred years. But that is if we keep on using the same amount of oil that is consumed today. Our use of oil is certainly not being diminished; in fact each year the amount of oil used goes up. So oil supplies probably won’t even last that long. The natural resources that we use now are still harmful to the earth. The gasoline that we use to run our cars pollutes the air, and considering the amount of cars that are driven each day on the expressway. That is a lot of barrels of oil. However, if Long Island decided to use nuclear energy, then there is a great danger of toxic waste invading our drinking water, and also the chance of a spill similar to Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. As we saw with Chernobyl there is great danger when using nuclear energy. If this were to happen on Long Island the risk of mortality would be even worse. There is no place on Long Island that is a good spot with no inhabitance. On Long Island there would be no escape, the roads simply would not support that amount of traffic. These are the fears of Long Islanders. Which brings us to another question. What did Long Islanders know about the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant? LILCO (long island lighting company) first announced its plan to build a nuclear power plant in 1965. They bought 455-acres in Shoreham, Wading River, and started construction in 1968. (pg 16 Aron) The plant was engineered and built by Stone & Webster Engineering Corp. They have helped ten prior electric companies, to build nuclear plants before 1985. Long Islanders at first were for having cheap energy, and did not disagree with the construction. But as time past and politics changed. The views towards nuclear power in the mid 1980s changed on Long Island. Shoreham power plant, which help to lower taxes and employed many local people. Now LILCO was getting negative press every other day. It was not what was going on at Shoreham but rather the rest of the world.

Manage Your Cash Flow after You Buy a Website :: Sell Websites Buy Web Sites

Manage Your Cash Flow after You Buy a Website Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com There is no magic formula to determine the necessary working capital for a website. Sure, every accounting-textbook provides a definition of working capital, but how does this translate into the virtual world? The bottom line is, working capital is the cash that you need to continue operating your website when your current expenses exceed the cash flowing in from Paypal or the credit card companies. Working capital is critical to the survival of your website. Sadly, for most website entrepreneurs, it tends to take a back burner until it begins to cripple their website. Website owners contact me weekly requesting a simple formula to determine working capital. Unfortunately, working-capital requirements are different for every website. In an attempt to provide some help to website owners, I offer the following observations. Websites with a fast inventory turnover don't have huge working-capital requirements because the cash flows in from Paypal or other sources 24/7. This type of website might require 10% to 15% of its annual sales as working capital, as a rule of thumb. Websites that sell a large variety of items require a larger working-capital cushion. A website that must maintain a large inventory, for instance, incurs high costs upfront for materials, but has to have the means to keep the servers up and running until it receives payment form the customers. It might be reasonable for a website such as this to keep at least 25% of annual sales as working capital, speaking generally. The better a website owner manages working capital, the less he needs to borrow and depend upon lenders. There are many examples of websites that did not manage their working capital. I know of one website that was booming and the owner had money in the bank. But it wasn't enough. The owner had decided to dramatically expand the services he offered through his website. The development of the much larger website was substantial. Meanwhile, there was the weekly payroll to cover, the monthly rent for the servers and other expenses. Moreover, as is typical with any website expansion, it takes some time for customers to learn that you are offering additional services. This means that there is some delay between spending the money for the expansion and receiving the money from the increased sales activities. On theory, the website was doing great.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 8

8. Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal, in the Double-doomed Doghouse of Despair Do the condemned in hell know the suffering that is a whole day of mom-guilt heaped like steaming piles of bat guano upon my spiky magenta coif? (I went with magenta spikes with electric violet tips to express my outrage at being dragged from my home and imprisoned with the cruel Mombot and my crapacious little sister, Ronnie.) Evidently, Mother feels that we were too young to move in together only a week after meeting, and live in a stolen apartment with two of the undead and their stupid amounts of cash. Although she doesn't really know about the undead or the cash parts, but she made her point. ‘Kayso, I had like put on my red tartan wedding gown with the black veil and resolved myself to an all-day power-pout in the corner of the living room, coming up only to text Foo messages of my agony of missing him and change the channel and whatnot, when Jared called from the land-line at the love lair. So I'm all, â€Å"Speak, corpse-fluffer.† And Jared is all, â€Å"OMFG! The Countess is out, and she was naked, but now she's not, and she totally got blood all over your leather corset, and you have to come right now because the rats are freaking out and we need a hacksaw and a file.† And I'm all, â€Å"Uh-oh.† And Jared is all, â€Å"I know. I know. OMG! OMG!† And I'm all, â€Å"Is she pissed?† Sounding way more chill than I felt. And Jared pauses for a second like he's thinking it over, then he's all, â€Å"She's wearing your clothes and there's blood running all down the front of her and she's nodding and showing her fangs and shit.† So I'm like getting some perspective now-like when you're a kid and you think it sucks that you have to eat hydrogenated peanut butter on your PBJ, and then you see one of those starving commercial kids with the flies in their eyes, who don't even have a sandwich-and you're all, â€Å"Well, that sucks.† ‘Kayso, I'm thinking that maybe being under restriction in the mother unit's Fillmore stronghold isn't so bad when compared to having the Countess busting out her wrath on you for imprisoning her in bronze. So I'm like, â€Å"Sucks to be you, Jared. Byez.† And I offed my phone. So like five minutes go by, which I spend in my corner going, â€Å"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,† and whatnot, and the land-line rings. And Ronnie is all, â€Å"Are you going to get that?† from her room. And I'm all, â€Å"I didn't even know it was hooked up.† And she was all, â€Å"It's probably Mom checking up on you, so you might as well get it.† And I'm all, â€Å"Ronnie, answer it or I will murder you in your sleep and dump your body in the Bay.† And she's all, â€Å"‘Kay.† Then, â€Å"It's for you. It's some girl named Jody.† And Ronnie is all standing there with her shaved head and her nonexistent hip thrown out, like â€Å"So there, ho.† And I'm all, â€Å"Fucksocks!† And I take the phone and I'm like, â€Å"Hi, I have amnesia and don't remember anything for the last two months!† Because what do you say to someone who you had bronzed? And the Countess is all, â€Å"Abby, I'm not angry.† Which was a total lie, because I could hear that she was angry. She had that â€Å"I'm not angry† mom voice, even though she's only, like, twenty-six in real years. â€Å"So you're not going to kill me?† â€Å"We'll talk. Right now I need you to get a power drill and a hacksaw with extra blades and come to the loft.† And I'm all, â€Å"I don't know where to get stuff like that, and Foo's at work, and I'm on restriction, and I have to go to school tomorrow. I have a test, so I totally can't cut class, and besides, what do you need that stuff for?† And she's all, â€Å"Find the tools and come now. Tommy is stuck in the statue and we need to get him out.† And I'm thinking, Oops. But I'm chill and I'm like, â€Å"Can't he get out the same way you did?† And the Countess is all, â€Å"Tommy doesn't know how to turn to mist. That's how I escaped, but Tommy has been trapped in there for-how long, Abby?† â€Å"Oh, like a couple of days. It's all so foggy, after the head trauma.† Then I hear her saying, like, â€Å"Jared, come over here. I want Abby to hear your neck snap.† â€Å"Okay, like five weeks. Fuck, Countess, overreact much?† â€Å"Come now, Abby.† And she just clicks off. So I text Foo: COUNTESS OUT, NEED HACKSAW PWRDRILL NOW And he's all: WTF? WTF? WTF? OUT? WTF? ACE HARDWARE, CASTRO ST (I know. Four WTFs! Foo has deep intellectual curiosity. Last week he quizzed me for twenty minutes on what it was like to have a clitoris. I just kept saying â€Å"nice.† I know, I'm such a tard, I couldn't think of anything else. I so have to learn French. They have like thirty-seven words for clitoris. They're like snow to Eskimos, only you know, harder to build an igloo out of.) ‘Kayso, I text him: KTXBYE †¹3 And I tell Ronnie to tell Mom that I think I got some anthrax on my toothbrush and I have to go to Walgreens to get a new one so I'll be right back. Then I put on my jacket with the sun warts, in case of vampyre kitties and whatnot, and I take the F car up to Castro Street and go to Ace Hardware. And I'm totally feeling the animosity coming off the Builder Bob guy in the red apron, and I'm like, â€Å"What? You've never seen a wedding dress?† And he's all, â€Å"No, I love the dress, the jacket, the whole ensem is fabulous.† And I'm like, â€Å"Really? Thanks. Your apron rocks. I need a hacksaw and a power drill.† And he's all, â€Å"What's it for?† And I'm all, â€Å"You want a note from my mom? A fucking hacksaw and a power drill. I'm on a schedule.† And he's all, â€Å"I asked because we have over thirty different kinds of power drills.† And I'm like, â€Å"Oh. I need to release my Dark Lord from the bronze shell in which I imprisoned him.† And he's, â€Å"Oh, you should have said so.† And he leads me to the drill boutique and I picked out a red and black one that matched my dress, and Bob picked out a hacksaw which totally clashed, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I said it was trs beau, which is French for sweet. ‘Kayso, as I'm paying for my stuff, I go, â€Å"So, why are you guys still open at midnight?† And Bob goes, â€Å"Well, you know how it is, you never know when someone is going to need to free their dark lord in the middle of the night, or tie him up.† And I'm all, â€Å"Ewww.† Because I do not go for that shit. I am only into S and bondage as it applies to wardrobe. I tried cutting myself to express my heartbreak over Tommy (Lord Flood) rejecting me, but OMFG it hurts like flaming fuck. I mean, I'm into self-mutilations as much as the next person-I have eight piercings and five tattoos, some that hurt like double flaming fuck to get, but that was professional, and you can blame someone. In fact, I know a guy in the Haight who will tattoo you for free if you're a girl and you keep yelling at him the whole time, which, it turns out, isn't that hard to do when someone is poking you with an electric needle. When he did my bat wings I screamed at him so much I lost my voice for two days. ‘Kayso, I took the F car across town and the three blocks from Market to the loft, but like holding the button on my sun wart jacket in case I got ambushed by Chet and his vampyre kitty pals, because I totally can't run in my wedding dress because the buckles of my motocross platforms get caught in the lace, so it's like, stand and fight or die, bitches! But no vamp kitties came. Anyway, I make it to the loft and I come in all, â€Å"Hey Countess, here's your drill!† All Carebear-on-crack-perky, although that might have been a mistake, because it's a proven fact that it's easier to murder the perky. And I'm sort of, WTF vampyress? Because she's not her normal self, which is like hemophiliac hawt, but she's like printer-paper pale. And I totally ignore the fact that she's wearing one of my long skirts and my black bustier without even asking, and it's bustiering her way more than it does me, which is kind of rude. And I'm all, â€Å"Countess, are you okay? You look kind of pale.† And Jared is all, â€Å"You should have seen her before she drank those blood bags.† And I'm suddenly feeling all poop on a stick, because it's obvious that she's all gone snowflake because she's been locked up without feeding. So I'm like, â€Å"Sorry. I just wanted you guys to be together for eternity, and it didn't sound like that's how it was going to happen.† And she's like, â€Å"Later, Abby.† And she just takes the tools from me and goes over to the statue and starts drilling and sawing and whatnot. So I'm like, â€Å"How did you get out?† And she's all, â€Å"Rat boy was dancing and nicked the casting with his dagger.† And Jared's all, â€Å"I wasn't dancing. I had some espresso and I was telling them my novel and I lost my balance on your stupid boots.† And I'm all, â€Å"You can't give him caffeine, Countess. His aunt gave him a hundred-dollar Starbucks card for Christmas and we had to have an intervention.† And Jody pauses and looks back at me, her eyes looking all emerald-like, because except for her hair, she has no color in her face and she's like, â€Å"Tommy didn't know how to turn to mist, Abby. I never had a chance to teach him before you bronzed us. He's been trapped in here, fully conscious, for five weeks.† And I'm like backing away, because I've seen the Countess pissed off before, like when the Animals kidnapped Tommy and she had to kick their asses to get him back, but now she's all jaw tightened like she's keeping herself from tearing my arms off or something. So I sort of feel for the button on the cuff of my sun jacket. Not like I was going to fry the Countess, because I wouldn't do that, but just for security. And she just snaps her hand out and before I can move she's pulled the battery out of my inside pocket and ripped off the wire leads. I mean like faster than you can blink. So I'm like, â€Å"I wasn't going to light it up.† And she's all, â€Å"Just to be safe.† But I'm not feeling safe. And I can tell that Jared isn't feeling safe because he's sort of sniffling like he's going to start crying. And Jody is sawing on the bronze like a crazy person-on the side where she used to be, so she doesn't cut Tommy-and finally she has, like, enough sawed away that she can pull a piece away and look in. And she's all, â€Å"Tommy, we're going to get you out of there. I have to be careful, but I'll get you out of there soon.† And Jared is like, â€Å"Do you need a flashlight?† And Jody is like, â€Å"No, I can see.† And Jared is all, â€Å"Is he dead?† And right then Jody snaps a hacksaw blade and goes, â€Å"Well of course he's dead, he's a vampyre.† And I'm all, â€Å"Duh? Tard.† As I hand Jody another blade. I have to say, that for someone with super powers and immortality, the Countess kind of sucks ass with tools. I guess the dark gift doesn't include home improvement skills. ‘Kayso, after about an hour the Countess pulls a big piece off the statue, revealing Tommy's face and torso and whatnot, and he's just stuck there, not moving, not opening his eyes, and even whiter than the Countess, kind of a light bruise-blue color. And Jared is all, â€Å"He dead?† And Jody is like kind of between a scream and a sob, and she's like, â€Å"Get me another blood bag, Jared. And Abby, where the fuck are my clothes?† And a little blood tear runs down her cheek. And I'm like, â€Å"Uh-oh.† Because now I realize why she's wearing my clothes. When Foo and I moved in we put all of Tommy and Jody's clothes in vacuum bags under the bed. So I'm like, â€Å"What do you want to wear, Countess? I'll get it. I mean, you can wear my stuff any time you want, because I am your faithful minion, but you have been endowed by your creator with significantly more boobage and junk in the trunk than me, no offense, and my stuff doesn't exactly fit you. No offense.† And Jared is all, â€Å"She had your Emily hoody on over that but it got blood all over it.† Not helping at all. â€Å"Hey, who wants a latte?† And the Countess snarled at Jared, full frontal fangs and all. And Jared jumped back and turned his ankle. And I'm like, â€Å"Oh shit!† And she barks, â€Å"Blood!† And Jared and I are all, â€Å"Coming right up. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.† And I bring her the bag of blood and she tears it open with her teeth and just pours it over his lips and in his mouth and nothing happens. And Jody is crying and getting louder and Jared and I are getting more and more freaked out and even all the rats in their little boxes are freaking out and running around in circles and whatnot. And finally Tommy's eyes pop open, and they're like crystal blue, like ice, not like eyes, and he screams, and I swear to fucking zombie Jebus, the whole wall of windows in the loft just shattered in the frames. So Jared and I are all bent over in the corner, covering our ears, and Tommy comes flying out of the statue. You can hear his leg bones cracking like pretzels as he pulls them out, but he scurries on his hands, knocking rats and furniture every which way, coming right at me, fangs first. And I go to reach for the button on my sleeve, but he's on me, biting my neck. He's so strong it's like trying to fight a statue, and I can hear Jody screaming, and the skin on my neck tearing in shreds. And my vision is like tunneling down to dark, and I'm thinking, I'm fucking dying? What the fuck's up with that? Then there's this loud clang, like a bell, and I feel Tommy pulled off me. And light sort of comes back on. I can see the Countess standing there, holding Foo's stainless-steel floor lamp like it's a lance, and she's obviously just smacked Tommy with it hard enough to knock him off of me. But instead of going at her, he comes scurrying right back at me, smearing blood all over the floor and everything. And the Countess catches him by the neck from behind and swings him around and out through the broken windows, and the metal frames and everything go with him. So there's the scream again, and I'm holding my neck, and I sort of crawl to the big hole that used to be the front wall of the loft, and Tommy is in the middle of the street below, naked, in a big splash of metal and glass, and he's like crawling up the side of a car to his feet. And Jody's beside me. And she's all, â€Å"Tommy! Tommy!† But he's limping off down the alley across the street, walking like his legs are still broken, but maybe healing or something as he goes, but hurting like holy-fuck. So Jody takes my head and turns it to the side and pulls my hand away from the bite. And I feel like I'm going to pass out. But she bends down and licks my neck, like three times, then puts my hand back on the wound. â€Å"Hold that. It'll heal in a second.† Then she shook me and was all, â€Å"Now, where the fuck are my clothes?† And I'm all, â€Å"Under the bed. Vacuum bags.† I think I passed out then, because next thing I remember, the Countess is standing there in jeans and boots and her red leather jacket, and she's stuffing bags of blood into my biohazard messenger bag. And she's all, â€Å"I'm taking this.† And I'm all, â€Å"‘Kay.† Then I'm like, â€Å"You saved me.† â€Å"I'm taking half the money, too,† she said. I'm all, â€Å"You can't go. Where will you go? Who will take care of you?† â€Å"Like you did?† she says. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† I said. And she's all, â€Å"I know. I have to find him. I brought him into this. He never wanted any of this. He just wanted someone to love him.† So she starts to leave, without even saying good-bye, and I'm all, â€Å"Countess, wait, there's vampyre cats.† And she stops. And she turns all, â€Å"Whaaaa?† And Jared is all nodding and going, â€Å"Really. Really.† And I'm, â€Å"Chet turned a bunch of kitties into vampyre kitties. They attacked the Emperor last night and they ate a meter maid.† And she was all, â€Å"Oh, for fuck's sake.† And I'm all, â€Å"I know, I know.† Then she was gone. And Jared was like in the middle of catching some escaped rats and he's all, â€Å"You guys are going to totally lose your security deposit.† Jody is just gone. Gone. On her own in the night. It's like Lord Byron said in that poem â€Å"Darkness.† Darkness had no need Of aid from them- She was the Universe. I'd like to go bone my sister now. I'm paraphrasing.