Online Newspaper Industry in Hong Kong Research Paper

Online Newspaper Industry in Hong Kong - Research Paper Example With the advancement of internet, electronic businesses have boomed in the recent years. Online newspaper has been beneficial not only by proving news and information for the internet users, rather providing the same for the overseas readers (SooperArticles, n.d.). Electronic press has the ability to attract the readership from both the domestic and the overseas readers leading to no geographical limitation for the online newspapers. With the increased internet usage, the newspaper has also become online to attract the customers by getting involved with some popular technical ground such as internet. This reports aims to offer an insight into the online newspaper industry of Hong Kong. Research Question and Objectives The research aims is an effort to look into the online newspaper industry in Hong Kong. The following are certain research questions which are required to be investigated in this paper. 1. What is the present status of newspaper industry in Hong Kong? 2. Has online news paper emerged as an opportunity for the newspaper industry? 3. What would be an effective and successful marketing strategy for the online newspapers? To investigate the above questions, one would require setting his or her research objectives which are related and linked with the above research questions. While framing up the objectives care has been taken to frame up the objectives to be either measurable or observable and at the same time, these must be limited to the scope of the research arena. The research objectives are realistic and viable to offer effective recommendations for successful marketing strategy framework for the online newspaper industry in Hong Kong. The objective... To investigate the questions, one would require setting his or her research objectives which are related and linked with the above research questions. While framing up the objectives care has been taken to frame up the objectives to be either measurable or observable and at the same time, these must be limited to the scope of the research arena. The research objectives are realistic and viable to offer effective recommendations for successful marketing strategy framework for the online newspaper industry in Hong Kong. The objective of this research paper is to offer an effective marketing strategy for the Hong Kong online newspaper industry with an appropriate analysis of the industry, the customers and the prevailing marketing strategies. This report makes a conclusion that this project will analyse the online newspaper industry in Hong Kong and on the basis of this analysis, some recommendations for the marketing strategy will be formulated. Before conducting the research, a literature review has been done to gather some basic information regarding media industry in Hong Kong, different types of online marketing models suggested by the researchers and its advantages as well as limitations. In the later part of the literature review, some of the strategic models will also be discussed as these will be used in later part of the project while analysing the data. The newspapers can arrange some portion of the papers dedicated to these kinds of news. This would enable the companies to increase their customer base. In the recent years, the youth may be interested in some fashion related news or news from the campuses.

The statement of purpose Essay Example for Free

The statement of purpose Essay Being an international student is a major learning curve. Miles away from Hong Kong, I’m way out of my comfort zone, navigating a stormy sea of emotions unique to international students- the excitement of seeing new things and places, the pride of being an international student, the fear of dealing with home sicknesses, the frustration of not being able to fully understand everything in this country, the embarrassment of even the minute faux pas I do. Academic challenges are nothing compare to the emotional battles one must face. Â   While there is no harness that I can latch to, my experiences back home can steer my journey here. As a school prefect, I was in charge of keeping order and discipline in my school. I can use it to keep my perspective balance on everything that comes my way, to be able to open my eyes to the world in a new way. I am proud to say that I am an international orientation leader in my community college now. Being a leader has kept me sane, kept my feet on the ground. I know that I am responsible to my fellow international students and I’m doing my best to do so, by combining studying hard and being a good example to them. My current GPA is 3.9. I know having good grades are not everything to a student. Believe it or not, students also need to have a life that does now involve memorization and algebraic equations. Being a leader has expanded my network, exposed me to other students who I now call friends. In HK, I was in our ping-pong team, played saxophone and piano. I hope to continue my hobbies here, perhaps enlist in the school band. HK is a fast-paced environment. Everybody moves quickly, as if on a race. By studying here, I hope to do the opposite. Don’t get me wrong. Fast can be fabulous. Email and YM are a godsend solution to instant conversations. But there are some things that can’t be rushed, such as readying yourself for the future. Adapting to a new environment can be daunting but capitalizing on my personal experiences is something I can rely on to survive this journey.

Accounting Information Systems

Accounting Information Systems 3-1. The text provides seven reasons why documenting AISs is important: (1) depicting how the system works, (2) training users, (3) designing new systems, (4) controlling systems development costs, (5) standardizing communication with others, (6) auditing, and (7) controlling end-user support costs. Additional reasons include: (1) to help evaluate the performance of system personnel, (2) to help evaluate the adequacy or efficiency of an existing system, and (3) to provide design specifications to outside vendors who might be proposing new systems. Accountants are interested in system documentation for all these reasons. For example, inadequate documentation makes it difficult to use an integrated accounting package effectively, design one for others to use, or audit a system intelligently. Flowcharts and similar systems documentation are also important to auditors. These charts can help auditors spot internal control weaknesses that are not apparent from prototypes or not obvious when observing a system in use. 3-2. Document flowcharts are a type of system flowchart. Whereas system flowcharts are process-oriented, document flowcharts focus on the flow of physical documents through the processing system. Document and system flowcharts are similar in that they use similar symbols in their construction. A few additional symbols, such as envelopes and hand trucks to depict movement of goods, are more likely to appear in document flowcharts than system flowcharts. But system flowcharts contain more detail about processing logic. Accountants can use data flow diagrams (DFDs) to depict the physical flows of data through an AIS (like document flowcharts), or the logical flow of data through an AIS (like system flowcharts). Like document or system flowcharts, their main objective is to document data flows in an orderly, graphic, and easily-understood format. But DFDs use fewer symbols than either document or system flowcharts, and do not require columns (like document flowcharts). Program flowcharts are really the lowest level of system flowcharts because they outline the logic sequence for a particular application program. Thus, they are more used by programmers and system analysts than by accountants and auditors. Still, auditors will need to understand these program flowcharts when looking at program logic and program controls. Program flowcharts use many of the same symbols found in system flowcharts, but also use some special ones such as the decision symbol. 3-3. A document flowchart is a pictorial representation of the physical data flow through the various departments of a business. A document flowchart is used in designing or evaluating an accounting information system. 1. A systems analyst uses it when evaluating a system to see if each department is receiving the necessary data and that unnecessary data are not transferred. 2. A system designer uses it when there is interest in improving or replacing an existing system. 3. A computer programmer can use a document flowchart when preparing system flowcharts. 4. An auditor uses it to help define, follow, and evaluate an audit trail. 5. An internal data security expert uses it to indicate weaknesses in internal control and data control. 3-4. Guidelines for creating document flowcharts, system flowcharts, and data flow diagrams are listed in the text. See relevant chapter sections for document flowcharts, system flowcharts, and data flow diagrams. 3-5. Data flow diagrams use a square symbol to show the source or destination of data. A circle symbol indicates a process. An open rectangle symbol indicates a store of data. Finally, arrows depict a data flow or data stream. 3-6. Data flow diagrams are created in a hierarchy called the top-down approach to systems development. In this approach, developers create these diagrams in levels, beginning with the broadest, least-detailed level, and exploding (working towards increasing refinements of) each piece of the preceding level until the system is completely specified. The rationale behind this approach is to keep major system objectives in view at first, and to worry about details later after major system components are specified. However, the process is reiterative, revisions are common, and little is considered final until the lowest diagram levels have been specified and approved. The broadest DFD is called a context diagram. The next level (a level-0 diagram) is also called a physical data flow diagram. Lower levels are numbered level-1, level-2, and so forth, and are commonly termed logical data flow diagrams. 3-7. It is usually easier to follow logic with a chart or figure than with a written narrative. For example, when reading a long narrative description of a process, it is often difficult to visualize relationships between system elements and a readers attention can wander. In contrast, graphical depictions of the same logic are usually easier to understand because most people grasp the use of arrows to show connections or data flows. 3-8. Decision tables outline the set of conditions that a given processing task might encounter and indicate the appropriate action to take for each condition. Decision tables can therefore help system designers plan data processing functions and create written records of the processing logic for later reference. The major advantage of decision tables is that they can summarize a potentially large number of conditions and actions in a compact format. Decision tables are also useful as planning tools to system analysts and related individuals who are charged with the task of helping create new AISs. Finally, the accountants who audit AISs rely heavily upon internal documentation, and decision tables can help them verify the processing logic and control procedures that were built into these AISs. 3-9. Just as word processors enable users to create, store, modify, and print word documents, CASE tools enable information technology and accounting personnel to create, store, modify, and print system documentation. The term CASE is an acronym for computer assisted software engineering. CASE tools automate the development of program and system documentation. Thus, developers use them to create data flow diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, record layouts, data entry screens, report formats, screen menus, system flowcharts, and program flowcharts. Most also include generators for developing data dictionaries. CASE tools are computer programs that typically run on microcomputers. The user selects a particular type of document to develop or modify, and then works on it in much the same way that a secretary uses a word processor to work on a word document. It is not necessary to use CASE programs to develop AIS documentation, but it is difficult to imagine why anyone would not use such capable and time-saving tools. 3-10. End user computing refers to the computer activities of non-computer employees, especially the development of large spreadsheets and databases. Although such activities are commonplace today, they also create problems. For example, when non-IT personnel develop important computer applications, a company becomes increasingly dependent upon such individuals to answer questions, or to explain how to use the software. Documentation is also important in end-user computing environments because it provides the training aids, user descriptions, tutorial manuals, and reference materials that other users need in order to run the applications effectively. Problems 3-11. Process Alternate Process Decision Data Predefined Process Internal Storage Document Multidocument Terminator Preparation Manual Input Manual Operation Connector Off-page Connector Card Punched Tape Summing Junction Or Collate Sort Extract Merge Stored Data Delay Sequential Access Magnetic Disk Direct Access Display Storage Storage 3-12. Mark Goodwin Convenience Stores Garcia-Lanoue Company 3-15. Ron Mitchell Manufacturing Company 3-16. Amanda M Company 3-17. Winston Beauchamp Company 3-18. LeVitre and Sweezy Credit Union 3-19. Jeffrey Getelman Publishing Company 3-20. The Bridget Joyce Company The decision table is shown below. Note that alternate decision rules would also be reasonable here since the case does not specify exactly what action is to be taken for each set of conditions. DECISION TABLE RULES Account Status: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Not past due X Less than 30 days past due X 31-60 days past due X X X 61-90 days past due X X X More than 90 days past due X X X Account Activity: No activity X X X X X Written communications X X X Partial payment X X X Action: Do nothing X X X X X X X Send first letter of inquiry X Send second letter of inquiry X X Collection agency referral X This exercise requires some creativity on the part of the student. One possibility is to give each customer a rating on the following: a) no prior delinquency history b) only one prior delinquency c) only two prior delinquencies d) more than two prior delinquencies Mr. Smith can now make a decision based upon this categorization of customer account history. It might also be pointed out that many companies handle delinquencies on an individual basis. Most small companies, for example, will try to work with their customers whenever possible instead of writing to them impersonally because written confrontations rarely produce desired results. 3-21. This problem requires students to draw the flowcharts in Figure 3-20. In a later part of the problem, students are also asked to recreate the flowcharts in Figures 3-3, 3-6, 3-8, 3-11, 3-12, 3-13, 3-14, and 3-15. Because these flowchart are already shown in the text, the outputs are already known. Teaching notes: Students should follow the directions provided in this case to create the two (program) flowcharts shown as well as the link that connects the two flowcharts together. Students can document their links by printing a copy of their formulas. Finally, although using Excels drawing tools is straightforward, it still takes time to create even small diagrams with them. Thus, we recommend that instructors do not assign all parts of this case (a through h), but only assign a selection of these diagrams. Case Analyses 3-22. The Berridge Company (Drawing Document Flowcharts) 1. A document flowchart for the Berridge Companys inventory control system may be found after #3 (below). 2. The company can eliminate one or more copies of the retail store requisition (RSR) form. The document flowchart (and case description) indicate that a retail store prepares three copies of the RSR form. One copy is retained in a file at the retail store, and two copies are forwarded to the warehouse. When warehouse personnel fill the order, they file one copy of the RSR form in their own files, and forward the last copy of this form to the inventory control department for use in updating its records. The end result of this effort is a lot of paperwork. One way to reduce it would be to allow the warehouse personnel to create the computer record that indicates a disbursement to an individual store, thus eliminating the need for the third copy of the RSR form currently sent to inventory control. The company could eliminate all copies of the RSR form by computerizing its warehousing operations completely. In this new system, a retail store would create a computer record for each requisition, which the system could then display onscreen or print on a report of similar requisitions for the warehouse each day. When a requisition order is filled, personnel in the warehouse could indicate this by entering the required data into the computer system. This entry would trigger an inventory update in the inventory file and eliminate the pending requisition record from the file of active requisitions. 3. The company currently creates five copies of each purchase order. These copies are sent to: (1) the vendor, (2) accounts payable, (3) inventory control, and (4) the warehouse. The purchasing department retains the fifth copy. This seems excessive. It is obvious that the company must send one copy of the purchase order to the vendor. In addition, it makes sense for control purposes to send one copy of the purchase order to the receiving department (for use in comparing against the subsequent bill of lading), and to retain one copy of the PO to document the purchase itself. It is less obvious that the company needs to create the other two copies of the purchase order. In fact, the document flowchart indicates that both the inventory control department and warehouse personnel perform the comparison function when goods arrive a duplication of effort. Similarly, the company can probably eliminate the copy it currently prepares for accounts payable. Instead, warehouse personnel can attach its copy to the receiving report, and the accounts payable department can use the warehouse copy to prepare a check to the vendor. A document flowchart for the Berridge Companys inventory control system. FreezeTime, Inc. (Drawing System Flowcharts) The systems flowchart is valuable because it shows the flow of activities and documents within the sales/collection process. The flowchart is particularly useful for identifying redundant, unnecessary, and risky activities. 3-24. The Dinteman Company (Document Analysis) 1. a) Data items which should be included on a repair/maintenance work order document are as follows: 1) Job identification à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ department (or plant) for which work is to be done, machine or work station, and general description of job. 2) Starting and completion dates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ both estimated and actual. 3) Materials and supplies data estimated and actual quantities and costs. 4) Labor data à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ estimated hours, actual hours cost, and employee number for each job or person completing the work. 5) Applied overhead. b) At least four copies of the work order would be required with a possible fifth copy needed if a work order summary is not prepared. The work order would be prepared in the R M Department and given to the supervisor for review and scheduling. The work order would then be used by the person responsible for the work by recording the actual hours spent on the job and the actual materials and supplies required to complete the job. After the job is completed, the work order would be forwarded to accounting for costing and charging. The distribution of each copy of the work order would be as follows: Original (Copy 1) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Once the job is completed and all data has been recorded on the work order, this copy is forwarded to the Accounting Department for costing and then filed in the Accounting Department. Copy 2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ This copy is also fully completed and is filed in the R M Department in a completed work order file. Copy 3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ This copy would be kept by the R M Department in a file of scheduled jobs until the work is completed. A reference file is needed for all work orders while the job is in process. Once this job is completed, Copy 3 would be attached to Copy 2 and filed with Copy 2. Copy 4 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ This copy would be sent to the Production Department where the work is being done to acknowledge the actual scheduling of the job. An evaluation of the performance of the R M Department would probably be done in three departments as explained below: The department which requests the work should compare the estimated charges indicated on the Work Order Request with the actual charges and the timeliness of the work, (e.g., the estimated and actual starting and completion times on the Work Order). If the work is not timely or if the actual charges vary considerably from the estimate, the management of the Production Department would contact the supervisor of the R M Department for an explanation. The supervisor of the R M Department would conduct a selfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœevaluation by comparing the Work Order Request and the completed Work Order. The supervisor would want to be sure the actual times and charges were close to the original estimates. Such a comparison would be important for evaluating the staff in the department and also for preparing future estimates. The Accounting Department (or some other appropriate department) would probably conduct a review of the R M Departments work. The estimates and actual results shown on the Work Order would be compared. Types of repair and maintenance jobs which have standard times for completion would be compared with actual times required for the work in order to evaluate the departments performance. 2. See document flowchart on following page. 3-25. Lois Hale and Associates (Drawing Data Flow Diagrams)

Political Activism in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece :: Essays on Politics

Political Activism in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece Welcome to yet another speech, through the past four reports or 137 I have studied student political participation and activism and I hope through my speeches you have learned at least a little on the topic. As well as the role it plays in culture as we defined it way back in Turkey. In Turkey we defined culture as a dynamic social construct both exhibited and defined by beliefs, traditions, values, history and language. Now, as I go through my speech I'll cover a little bit about my learning plan and what that outlined in this study, compare and contrast my observations and assessments of Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece, analyze the cultural impact of the student movement through out these countries and conclude with what I have taken from this study especially in regards to the 5 th country represented in our travels, that being the US. I'll begin with my learning plan. In reviewing my learning plan I am surprised by how accurately it explained and represented what I came to study in the past few months. Especially given it was conceived August 8 th the night before our picnic with Pat, with absolutely very little background for understanding the topic. In looking at my plan, it outlined studying student political participation and activism and students relation to political institutions in each country. All the while, allowing for a redefinition of political participation according to the culture being studied. This added an objectivity which I really tried to maintain throughout. The main components that I have studied throughout all of the countries are to analyze the different views placed on ideals such as freedom of speech, movement and association, study the history of student political participation in each country and the form that participation has taken, define the inflammatory issues in each country and lastly, gage the level of political participation. As I was rereading my speeches the other night I was pleased to see all of my speeches remained focused on these questions. So hopefully today's speech is going just as well. Now I am going to compare and contrast my observations and analysis of each of the four countries. To do this I decided that I wanted to have a bit more of a quantitative method. Therefore I went online to Freedom House and look up a little extra information.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 16~18

Chapter 16 Heartwarming and UL-Approved There was a bum sleeping on the sidewalk across the street from the loft when they returned. Tommy, full of fast food and the elation of being twice laid, wanted to give the guy a dollar. Jody stopped him and pushed him up the steps. â€Å"Go on up,† she said. â€Å"I'll be there in a minute.† She stood in the doorway watching the bum for movement. There was no heat signature around him and she assumed the worst. She waited for him to roll over and start laughing at her again. She was feeling strong and a little cocky from the infusion of Tommy's blood, so she had to fight the urge to confront the vampire, to get dead in his face and scream. Instead she just whispered, â€Å"Asshole,† and closed the door. If his hearing was as acute as her own, and she was sure it was, he had heard her. She found Tommy in bed, fast asleep. Poor guy, she thought, running all over town doing my business. He probably hasn't slept more than a couple of hours since we met. She pulled the covers over him, kissed him on the forehead, and went to the window in the front room to watch the bum across the street. Tommy was dreaming of bebop-driven sentences read by a naked redhead when he woke to find her sleeping next to him. He threw his arm over her and pulled her close, but there was no response, no pleasant groan or reciprocal snuggle. She was out. He pushed the light button on his watch and checked the time. It was almost noon. The room was so dark that the watch dial floated in his vision for a few seconds after he released the button. He went to the bathroom and fumbled around until he found the light switch. A single fluorescent tube clicked and sputtered and finally ignited, spilling a fuzzy green glow through the door into the bedroom. She looks dead, he thought. Peaceful, but dead. Then he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. I look dead too. It took him a minute to realize that it was the fluorescent lighting that had sucked the life out of his face, not his vampire girlfriend. He affected a serious glare and thought about how they would describe him in a hundred years, when he was really famous and really dead. Like so many great writers before him, Flood was known for his troubled countenance and sickly pallor, especially under fluorescent lighting. Those who knew him said that even in those early years they could sense that this thin, serious young man would make his presence known as a great man of letters as well as a sexual dynamo. His legacy to the world was a trail of great books and broken hearts, and although it is well known that his love life was his downfall, he felt no regret, as illustrated in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: â€Å"I have followed my penis into hell and returned with the story.† Tommy bowed deeply before the mirror, careful to keep the Nobel Prize medal from banging the sink, then began to interview himself, speaking clearly and slowly into his toothbrush. â€Å"I think it was shortly after my first successful bus transfer that I realized the City was mine. Here I would produce some of my greatest work, and here I would meet my first wife, the lovely but deeply disturbed Jody†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tommy waved the microphone/toothbrush away as if the memories were too painful to recall, but actually he was trying to remember Jody's last name. I should know her maiden name, he thought, if just for historical purposes. He glanced into the bedroom where the lovely but deeply disturbed Jody was lying naked and half-covered on the bed. He thought, She won't mind if I wake her up. She doesn't have to be at work or anything. He approached the bed and touched her cheek. â€Å"Jody,† he whispered. She didn't stir. He shook her a bit. â€Å"Jody, honey.† Nothing. â€Å"Hey,† he said, taking her shoulders. â€Å"Hey, wake up.† She didn't respond. He pulled the covers off her as his father used to do to him on cold winter mornings when he wouldn't get up to go to school. â€Å"Up and at 'em, soldier – ass in the air and feet on the floor,† he said in his best drill-sergeant bark. She looked really great lying there naked in the half-light from the bathroom. He was getting a little turned on. How would I feel, he thought, if I woke up and she was making love to me? Why, I believe that I would be pleasantly surprised. I think that would be better than waking up to frying bacon and the Sunday funnies. Yes, I'm sure she'll be pleased. He crawled into bed with her and ventured a tentative kiss. She was a little cold and didn't move a muscle, but he was sure she liked it. He ran a finger down the valley between her breasts and over her stomach. What if she didn't wake up? What if we do it and she doesn't wake up at all? How would I feel if I woke up and she told me that we had done it while I slept? I'd be fine with it. A little sad that I missed things, but I wouldn't be mad. I'd just ask her if I had a good time. Women are different, though. He tickled her just to get a reaction. Again, she didn't move. She's so cold. With her not moving at all it might be a little morbid. Maybe I should wait. I'll tell her that I thought about it and decided that it wouldn't be courteous. She'll like that. He sighed deeply, got out of bed and pulled the covers over her. I should buy her something, he thought. Jody snapped into consciousness and bit down on something hard. She opened her eyes and saw Tommy sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled. â€Å"Good morning,† he said. She reached for whatever was in her mouth. Tommy caught her hand. â€Å"Don't bite down. It's a thermometer.† He checked his watch, then pulled the thermometer out of her mouth and read it. â€Å"Ninety-five point two. You're on your way.† Jody sat up and looked at the thermometer. â€Å"On my way to what?† He smiled bashfully. â€Å"On your way to body temperature. I bought you an electric blanket. It's been on for like six hours.† She ran her hand over the blanket. â€Å"You've been warming me up?† â€Å"Pretty cool, huh?† Tommy said. â€Å"I went to the library and got books too. I've been reading all afternoon.† He picked up a stack of books and began to shuffle through them, reading the titles and handing each to her in turn. â€Å"A Reader's Guide to Vampirism; Vampire Myths and Legends; Those That Stalk the Night – kind of an ominous title, huh?† She held the books as if they were made of wormy fruit. The covers depicted monstrous creatures rising from coffins, attacking women in various states of undress, and hanging around castles perched on barren mountains. The letters in the titles dripped blood. â€Å"These are all about vampires?† â€Å"That's just the nonfiction that they had on hand. I ordered a bunch more through the library exchange. Check out some of the fiction.† He picked up another stack from the floor. â€Å"A Feast of Blood; Red Thirst; Fangs; Dracula; Dracula's Dream; Dracula's Legacy; Fevre Dream; The Vampire Lestat – there must have been a hundred novels.† Jody, a little overwhelmed, stared at the books. â€Å"There seems to be a theme here on the covers.† â€Å"Yeah,† Tommy said. â€Å"Vampires seem to have an affinity for lingerie. Do you have any particular craving for sexy nightgowns?† â€Å"Not really.† Jody had always thought it a little silly to spend a lot of money on something that you only put on long enough for someone to take it off you. Evidently, though, if you went by these book covers, vampires looked at lingerie as garnish. â€Å"Okay,† Tommy said, picking up a notebook from the floor and making a check mark. â€Å"No lingerie fetish. I've made a list of vampire traits with boxes to check either ‘fact' or ‘fiction. Since you missed the lecture, I guess we'll have to just test them.† â€Å"What lecture?† Tommy put down his pen and looked at her as if she'd gotten into the express lane with a cartful of groceries and a two-party check. â€Å"Everybody knows that there's always an orientation lecture in vampire books. Usually it comes from some old professor guy with an accent, but sometimes it's another vampire. You obviously missed the lecture.† â€Å"I guess so,† Jody said. â€Å"I must have been busy chasing women in lingerie.† â€Å"That's okay,† Tommy said, returning to the list. â€Å"Obviously you don't have to sleep in your native soil.† He checked it off. â€Å"And we know that everyone you bite doesn't necessarily turn into a vampire.† â€Å"No, a jerk, maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Whatever,† Tommy said, moving on in the list. â€Å"Okay, sunlight is bad for you.† He made a check mark. â€Å"You can enter a house without being invited. How about running water?† â€Å"What about it?† â€Å"Vampires aren't supposed to be able to cross running water. Have you tried crossing any running water?† â€Å"I've taken a couple of showers.† â€Å"Then that would be fiction. Let me smell your breath.† He bent close to her. She turned her head and shielded her mouth. â€Å"Tommy, I just woke up. Let me brush my teeth first.† â€Å"Vampires are supposed to have the ‘fetid breath of a predator, or, in some cases, ‘breath like the rotting smell of the charnel house. C'mon, give us a whiff.† Jody reluctantly breathed in his face. He sat up and considered the list. â€Å"Well? â€Å"she asked. â€Å"I'm thinking. I need to get the dictionary out of my suitcase.† â€Å"What for?† â€Å"I'm not sure what a charnel house is.† â€Å"Can I brush my teeth while you look?† â€Å"No, wait, I might need another whiff.† He went to his suitcase and dug out the dictionary. While he looked up â€Å"charnel house,† Jody cupped her hand and smelled her own breath. It was pretty foul. â€Å"Here it is,† he said, putting his finger on the word. â€Å"‘Noun. A mausoleum or morgue. A structure where corpses are buried or stored. See morning breath! I guess that we check ‘fact' on that one.† â€Å"Can I brush my teeth now?† â€Å"Sure. Are you going to shower?† â€Å"I'd like to. Why?† â€Å"Can I help? I mean, you're much more attractive when you're not room temperature.† She smiled. â€Å"You really know how to charm a girl.† She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Tommy waited on the bed. â€Å"Well, come on,† she said as she turned on the water. â€Å"Sorry,† he said, leaping to his feet and wrestling out of his shirt. She stopped him at the bathroom door with a firm hand on the chest. â€Å"One second, mister. I have a question for you.† â€Å"Shoot.† â€Å"Men are pigs: fact or fiction?† â€Å"Fact!† Tommy shouted. â€Å"Correct! You win!† She leaped into his arms and kissed him. Chapter 17 This Month's Makeover: The Faces of Fear Simon McQueen had once climbed onto the back of a ton of pissed-off beef named Muffin and been promptly stomped into mush in front of an amazed rodeo crowd, and still managed to pinch the bottom of a female paramedic as he was carried away on a stretcher, singing a garbled version of â€Å"I've Got Friends in Low Places.† Simon McQueen had once picked a fight with a gang of skinheads and managed to render three of them unconscious before a knife in the stomach and a jackboot to the head rendered him helpless. Simon had jumped out of an airplane, fallen off the roof of a Lutheran church, run over a police car in his pickup truck, smuggled a thousand pounds of marijuana across the border from Mexico inside a stuffed cow, and swum halfway to Alcatraz Island on a dare before the Coast Guard fished him out of the bay and revived him. Simon had done all these things without the slightest tic of fear. But tonight, laid out across register 3 in his skintight Wranglers and his endanger ed-species Tony Lama boots with the silver spurs, his black Stetson pulled down over his face, Simon McQueen was frightened. Frightened that one of his two great secrets was about to become known. The other Animals were sharing tales of their weekend adventures, exaggerating aspects of binges and babes, while Glint professed to God that they knew not what they did. Simon sat up, pushed back his Stetson, and said, â€Å"Y'all wouldn't know a piece of ass if it sloshed upside your head.† The Animals fell silent, each trying to formulate a new and exciting way to tell Simon to fuck off, when Tommy came through the door. â€Å"Fearless Leader!† Lash exclaimed. Tommy grinned and faked a tap-dance step. â€Å"Gentlemen,† he said. â€Å"I have reached out and touched the face of God – film at eleven.† Simon was wildly irritated by this added distraction from his worrying. â€Å"What happened, you go down to Castro Street and get converted?† Tommy waved the comment away. â€Å"No, Sime – I can call you Sime, can't I? You see, last night, about this time† – he checked his watch – â€Å"there was a naked redhead hanging from the ceiling of my new loft, reading Kerouac aloud to me. If I die now, it was not all in vain. I'm ready to throw stock. How's the truck?† â€Å"A big one,† Troy Lee answered. â€Å"Three thousand cases. But the bitch is, the scanner is broken. We have to use the order books.† Troy's comment jabbed Simon like bad gas pain. He considered going home sick, but without his help the Animals would never be able to finish the truck before morning. A lump of fear rose in his throat. He couldn't use the order books. Simon McQueen couldn't read. â€Å"Let's get to it then,† Tommy said. The Animals threw themselves into their work with an abandon they usually reserved for partying. Razor box-cutters whizzed, price guns clicked, and cardboard piled up in shoulder-high drifts at the ends of the aisles. In addition to throwing the extra-large load, they had to allow an extra hour to write their stock orders. Normally the orders were done with a bar-code scanner, but with the scanner down, each man would have to go through a huge loose-leaf order book, writing in items by hand. By 5 A.M. they had most of the stock on the shelves and Simon McQueen was considering letting his box-cutter slip and cutting his leg so he could escape to the emergency room. But that might reveal a secret worse than illiteracy. Tommy came into Simon's aisle carrying the order book. â€Å"You better get started, Sime.† He held out the book and a pencil. â€Å"I still got a hundred cases to throw,† Simon said, not looking up. â€Å"Let someone else start.† â€Å"No, you've got the biggest section. Go ahead.† Tommy bumped Simon on the shoulder with the book. Simon looked up, then dropped his cutter and slowly took the book from Tommy. He opened the book and stared at the page, then at the shelf, then at the book. Tommy said, â€Å"Order light on the juices, we've got a lot of stock in the back room.† Simon nodded and looked at the book, then at the shelf of vegetables before him. Tommy said, â€Å"You're on the wrong page, Simon.† â€Å"I know,† Simon snapped. â€Å"I'm just finding my place.† He flipped through the pages, then stopped on a page of cake mixes and began looking at the shelf of vegetables. He could feel Tommy's gaze on him and wished that the skinny-little-faggot-book-reading-prick-bastard would just go away and leave him alone. â€Å"Simon.† Simon looked up, his eyes pleading. â€Å"Give me the book,† Tommy said. â€Å"I think I'm going to order everybody's section tonight. It'll give you guys more time to throw stock and I need to get more familiar with the store anyway.† â€Å"I can do it,† Simon said. â€Å"I know,† Tommy said, taking the book. â€Å"But why waste your talent on this bullshit?† As Tommy walked away, Simon took his first deep breath of the night. â€Å"Flood,† he called, â€Å"I'm buying the beers after shift.† Tommy didn't look back. â€Å"I know,† he said. Jody stood by the window in the dark loft watching the sleeping bum who lay on the sidewalk across the street and cursing under her breath. Go away, you bastard, she thought. Even as she thought it, she felt a measure of security in knowing exactly where her enemy was. As long as he lay on the sidewalk, Tommy was safe at the grocery store. She had never felt the need to protect someone before. She had always been the one looking for protection, for a strong arm to lean on. Now she was the strong arm, at least when the sun was down. She had walked Tommy down the steps and waited with him until the cab arrived to take him to work. As she watched the cab pull away, she thought, This must be how my mother felt when she put me on the school bus that first time – except that Tommy doesn't have a Barbie lunch box. She kept an eye on the vampire lying on the sidewalk across the street. Hours passed at the window and she asked the same questions over and over again, coming up with no solution to her problem, and no logic to the vampire's behavior. What did he want? Why had he killed the old woman and left her in the dumpster? Was he trying to frighten her, threaten her, or was there some kind of message to it all? â€Å"You're not immortal. You can still be killed.† If he was going to kill her, why didn't he just do it? Why pretend to be a sleeping bum, watching her, waiting? He has to find shelter before daylight. If I can just outlast him, maybe†¦ Maybe what? I can't follow him or I'll be caught in the sunlight too. She went to the bedroom and dug the almanac Tommy had given her out of her backpack. The sun would rise at 6:12 A.M. She checked her watch. She had an hour. She waited at the window until six o'clock, then headed out of the loft to confront the vampire. As she went through the door she instinctively reached out to click off the lights, only to realize that she hadn't turned any on. If I live through this, she thought, I'm going to save a fortune on utilities. She left the door at the top of the stairs unlocked, then went down the steps and propped the big fire door open with a soda can she found on the landing. She might have to get back in fast, and she didn't want to be slowed down by keys and locks. Her muscles buzzed as she approached the vampire, the fight-or-flee instinct running through her like liquid lightning. A few feet away she picked up a foul smell, a rotting smell coming from the vampire. She stopped and swallowed hard. â€Å"What exactly is it that you want?† she asked. The vampire didn't move. His face was covered by the high collar of his overcoat. She took another step forward. â€Å"What am I supposed to be doing?† The smell was stronger now. She concentrated on the vampire's hands, trying to sense some movement that would warn her of an attack. There was none. â€Å"Answer me!† she demanded. She stepped up and pulled the collar away from his face. She saw the glazed eyes and a bone jutting from the neck just as a hand clamped across her face and jerked her back off her feet. She tried to reach behind her to claw her attacker's face but he jerked her to the side. She opened her mouth to scream and two of his fingers slipped into her mouth. She bit down hard. There was a scream and she was free. She wheeled on her attacker, ready to fight, his severed fingers still in her mouth. The vampire stood before her, cradling his bloody hand. â€Å"Bitch,† he said. Then he grinned. Jody swallowed his fingers and hissed at him. â€Å"Fuck you, asshole. Come on.† She fell into a crouch and waved him on. The vampire was still grinning. â€Å"The taste of vampire blood has made you brave, fledgling. Don't take it too far.† His hand had stopped spurting blood and was scabbing over as she watched. â€Å"What do you want?† The vampire looked at the sky, which was turning pink, threatening dawn. â€Å"Right now I want to find a place to sleep,† he said too calmly. He ripped the scab from his fingers and slung a spray of blood in her face. â€Å"Until we meet again, my love.† He wheeled and ran across the street into an alley. Jody stood watching and shaking with the need for a fight. She turned and looked at the dead bum: the decoy. She couldn't leave him here to attract police – not this close to the loft. She glanced at the lightening sky, then hoisted the dead bum onto her back and headed back to the loft. Tommy ran up the stairs and burst into the loft eager to share his discovery about Simon's illiteracy, but once through the door, he was knocked back by a stinging rotten odor like bloated roadkill. What's she done now? he thought. He opened the windows to air the place out and went to the bedroom, careful to open the door just wide enough to slip through without spilling sunlight on the bed. The smell was much stronger here and he gagged as he turned on the light. Jody was lying on the bed with the electric blanket pulled up to her neck. Dried blood was crusted over her face. A wiggling wave of the willies ran up Tommy's spine, stronger than any he had felt since his father had first told him the secret of ball-park hot dogs. (â€Å"Snouts and butt holes,† Dad had said, during the seventh-inning stretch. â€Å"I've got the willies,† said Tommy.) There was a note on the pillow by Jody's head. Tommy crept forward and snatched it off the pillow, then backpedaled to the door to read it. Tommy, Sorry I'm such a mess. It's almost dawn and I don't want to get stuck in the shower. I'll explain tonight. Call Sears and have them deliver the largest chest freezer that they have. There's money in my backpack. I missed you last night. Love, Jody Tommy backed out of the room. Chapter 18 Bugeater of the Barbary Coast Tommy woke up on the futon feeling as if he had been through a two-day battle. The loft was dark but for the streetlights spilling through the windows and he could hear Jody running the shower in the other room. The new freezer was humming away in the kitchen. He rolled off the futon and groaned. His muscles creaked like rusty hinges and his head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton – like a low-grade hangover – not from the few beers he had shared with the Animals after work, but from the verbal beating he had taken from the appliance salesman at Sears. The salesman, a round hypertensive named Lloyd, who wore the last extant leisure suit on the planet (powder blue with navy piping), had begun his assault with a five-minute lament on the disappearance of double knits (as if a concerted effort by a Greenpeace team in white vinyl shoes and gold chains might bring double knits back from the brink of extinction), then segued into a half-hour lecture on the tragedies visited on those poor souls who failed to purchase extended warranties on their Kenmore Freezemasters. â€Å"And so,† Lloyd concluded, â€Å"he not only lost his job, his home, and his family, but that frozen food that could have saved the children at the orphanage spoiled, all because he tried to save eighty-seven dollars.† â€Å"I'll take it,† Tommy said. â€Å"I'll take the longest warranty you have.† Lloyd laid a fatherly hand on Tommy's shoulder. â€Å"You won't regret this, son. I'm not one for high pressure myself, but the guys that sell these warranties after delivery are like the Mafia – they'll call you at all hours, they'll hound you, they'll find you wherever you go and they will ruin your life if you don't give in. I once sold a microwave to a man who woke up with a horse's head in his bed.† â€Å"Please,† Tommy begged, â€Å"I'll sign anything, but they have to deliver it right now. Okay?† Lloyd pumped Tommy's hand to start the flow of cash. â€Å"Welcome to better living through frozen food.† Tommy sat up on the futon and looked at the behemoth freezer that was humming in the half-light of the kitchen. Why? he thought. Why did I buy it? Why did she want it? I didn't even ask for an explanation from her, I just blindly followed her instructions. I'm a slave, like Renfield in Dracula. How long before I start eating bugs and howling at night? He got up and walked, in his underwear and one sock, into the bedroom; the smell of decay was strong enough to make him gag. It was the smell that had driven him to sleep on the futon in the living room rather than crawl into bed with Jody. He'd fallen asleep reading Bram Stoker's Dracula to get some perspective on the love of his life. She's the devil, he thought, staring at the steam creeping out from under the bathroom door. â€Å"Jody, is that you?† he asked the steam. The steam just crept. â€Å"I'm in the shower,† Jody said from the shower. â€Å"Come on in.† Tommy went to the bathroom and opened the door. â€Å"Jody, we need to talk.† The bathroom was thick with steam – he could barely make out the shower doors. â€Å"Close the door; it smells in there.† Tommy moved closer to the shower. â€Å"I'm worried about the way things are going,† he said. â€Å"Did you get the freezer?† â€Å"Yes, that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about.† â€Å"You got the biggest one they had, right?† â€Å"Yes, and a ten-year extended-service agreement.† â€Å"And it's a chest model, not an upright?† â€Å"Yes, dammit, but Jody, you didn't even tell me why I was buying it and I just did it. Since I met you, it's like I have no will of my own. I've been sleeping all day. I'm not doing any writing. I hardly even see daylight anymore.† â€Å"Tommy, you work midnight to eight. When do you think you would sleep?† â€Å"Don't twist my words. I will not eat bugs for you.† She's the devil, he thought. â€Å"Will you do my back?† She slid the shower door open and Tommy was transfixed by the water cascading between her breasts. â€Å"Well?† she said, cocking a hip. Tommy slipped out of his briefs, pulled off his sock, and stepped into the shower. â€Å"Okay, but I'm not eating any bugs.† After a mad naked dash through the bedroom they sat on the futon toweling off and looking at the new freezer. â€Å"It certainly is large,† Jody said. â€Å"I bought a dozen TV dinners so it wouldn't look so empty.† Jody said, â€Å"You'll have to take them out; put them in the regular fridge.† â€Å"Why? I don't think they'll fit.† â€Å"I know, but I have something to put in there and I don't think you'll want your TV dinners in there with it.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Well, you know that bad smell in the bedroom?† â€Å"I was going to mention that. What is it?† â€Å"It's a body.† â€Å"You killed someone?† Tommy slid away from her on the futon. â€Å"No, I didn't kill anyone. Let me explain.† She told him about the bum, about creeping up on him thinking he was the vampire, and of the battle that ensued. Tommy said, â€Å"Do you think he was trying to kill you?† â€Å"I don't think so. It's as if he wants to show me how superior he is or something. Like he's testing me.† â€Å"So you bit off his fingers?† â€Å"I didn't know what else to do.† â€Å"What was it like?† â€Å"Honestly?† â€Å"Of course?† â€Å"It was a rush. It was an incredible rush.† â€Å"Better than drinking my blood?† â€Å"Different.† Tommy turned his back on her and began to pout. Jody moved to him and kissed his ear. â€Å"It was a fight, Tommy. I didn't come or anything, but I swear, I felt stronger after I†¦ after I swallowed.† â€Å"So that's why you were all crusty with blood when I got home?† â€Å"Yes, it was almost dawn when I got the body upstairs.† â€Å"That's another thing,† Tommy said. â€Å"Why did you bring that stinky thing up here?† â€Å"The police already found one body at the motel, and they have my name. Now they find another that was killed in the same way right next to where we live. I don't think they'd understand.† â€Å"So we're going to keep it in the freezer?† â€Å"Just until I figure out what to do with him.† â€Å"I'm not comfortable with you calling it ‘him. ; â€Å"Just until I figure out what to do with it, then.† â€Å"There's a big bay out there.† â€Å"And how would you suggest that we get it down there without being seen?† â€Å"I'll think about it.† Jody stood, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked back to the bedroom. â€Å"I'm going to put it in now; you might want to transfer your TV dinners.† She paused at the door. â€Å"And I'm out of clean clothes. You're going to need to go to the Laundromat.† â€Å"Why don't you go?† Jody regarded him gravely. â€Å"Tommy, you know I can't go out during the day.† â€Å"Oh no,† Tommy said. â€Å"Don't pull that. I don't know of a single Laundromat that's not open all night. Besides, I can't be your slave full-time. I have to have some time to get some writing done. And I might be taking on a student.† â€Å"What kind of student?† â€Å"A guy at work – Simon – he can't read. I'm going to offer to teach him.† â€Å"That's sweet of you,† Jody said. She shook her hair out, let her towel fall to the floor, and struck a centerfold pose. â€Å"Are you sure you don't want to do the laundry?† â€Å"No way. You have no power over me.† â€Å"Are you sure?† She licked her lips sensually. â€Å"That's not what you said in the shower.† I will resist her evil, Tommy thought. I will not give in. He stood and started gathering his clothes. â€Å"Don't you have a body to move?† â€Å"All right then,† Jody snapped. â€Å"I'll do the laundry while you're at work tonight.† She turned and went into the bedroom. â€Å"Good. I'll be out here looking for some tasty bugs,† Tommy whispered to himself. Midnight found Jody trudging down the steps with a trash bag full of laundry slung across her back. As she stepped onto the sidewalk and turned to lock the door she realized that she hadn't the slightest idea where to find a Laundromat in this neighborhood. The rolling steel door to the foundry was open and the two burly sculptors were working inside, bracing a man-sized plaster mold for pouring. She considered asking them for directions, but thought it might be better to wait and meet them when she was with Tommy. The interior of the foundry was glowing red with the heat from the molten bronze in the crucible, making it appear to her heat-sensitive vision like hell's own studio. She stood for a moment watching waves of heat spill out the top of the door, to swirl and dissipate in the night sky like dying paisley ghosts. She wanted to turn to someone and share the experience, but of course there was no one, and if there had been, they wouldn't have been able to see what she saw. She thought, In the kingdom of the blind, a one-eyed man can get pretty lonely. She sighed heavily and was starting toward Market Street when she heard a sharp staccato tapping of toenails at her heels. She dropped the laundry and wheeled around. A Boston terrier growled and snorted at her, then backed away a few feet and fell into a yapping fit that bordered on canine apoplexy, his bug eyes threatening to pop out of his head. â€Å"Bummer, stop that!† came a shout from the corner. Jody looked up to see a grizzled old man in an overcoat coming toward her wearing a saucepan on his head and carrying a wickedly pointed wooden sword. A golden retriever trotted along beside him, a smaller saucepan strapped to his head and two garbage-can lids strapped to his sides, giving the impression of a compact furry Viking ship. â€Å"Bummer, come back here.† The little dog backed away a few more steps, then turned and ran back to the man. Jody noticed that the little dog had a miniature pie pan strapped over his ears with a rubber band. The old man picked up the terrier in his free hand and trotted up to Jody. â€Å"I'm very sorry,† he said. â€Å"The troops are girded for battle, but I fear they are a bit too eager to engage. Are you all right?† Jody smiled. â€Å"I'm fine. Just a little startled.† The old man bowed. â€Å"Allow me to introduce myself†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You're the Emperor, aren't you?† Jody had been in the City for five years. She'd heard about the Emperor, but she'd only seen him from a distance. â€Å"At your service,† said the Emperor. The terrier growled suspiciously and the Emperor shoved the little dog, head first, into the oversized pocket of his overcoat, then buttoned the flap. Muffled growls emanated from the pocket. â€Å"I apologize for my charge. He's long on courage, but rather short on manners. This is Lazarus.† Jody nodded to the retriever, who let out a slight growl and backed away a step. The garbage-can lids rattled on the sidewalk. â€Å"Hi. I'm Jody. Pleased to meet you.† â€Å"I hope you will forgive my presumption,† the Emperor said, â€Å"but I don't think it's safe for a young woman to be out on the street at night. Particularly in this neighborhood.† â€Å"Why this neighborhood?† The Emperor moved closer and whispered. â€Å"I'm sure that you've noticed that the men and I are dressed for battle. We are hunting a vicious, murdering fiend that has been stalking the City. I don't mean to alarm you, but we last saw him on this very street. In fact, he killed a friend of mine right across the street not two nights ago.† â€Å"You saw him?† Jody asked. â€Å"Did you call the police?† â€Å"The police will be of no help,† the Emperor said. â€Å"This is not the run-of-the-mill scoundrel that we are used to in the City. He's a vampire.† The Emperor lifted his wooden sword and tested the point against the tip of his finger. Jody was shaken. She tried to calm herself, but the fear showed on her face. â€Å"I've frightened you,† the Emperor said. â€Å"No – no, I'm fine. It's just†¦ Your Majesty, there are no such things as vampires.† â€Å"As you wish,† the Emperor said. â€Å"But I think it would be prudent for you to wait until daylight to do your business.† â€Å"I need to do my laundry or I won't have any clean clothes for tomorrow.† â€Å"Then allow us to escort you.† â€Å"No, really, Your Majesty, I'll be fine. By the way, where is the nearest Laundromat?† â€Å"There is one not far from here, but it's in the Tenderloin. Even during the day you wouldn't be safe alone. I really must insist that you wait, my dear. Perhaps by then we will have exterminated the fiend.† â€Å"Well,† Jody said, â€Å"if you insist. This is my apartment, right here.† She dug the key out of her jeans and opened the door. She turned back to the Emperor. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Safety first,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Sleep well.† The little dog growled in his pocket. Jody went inside and closed the door, then waited until she heard the Emperor walk away. She waited another five minutes and went back onto the street. She shouldered the laundry and headed toward the Tenderloin, thinking, This is great. How long before the police actually listen to the Emperor? Tommy and I are going to have to move and we haven't even decorated yet. And I hate doing laundry. I hate it. I'm sending our laundry out if Tommy won't do it. And we're going to have a cleaning lady – some nice, dependable woman who will come in after dark. And I'm not buying toilet paper. I don't use it and I'm not going to buy it. And something has to be done about this asshole vampire. God, I hate doing laundry. She had gone two blocks when a man stepped out of a doorway in front of her. â€Å"Hey momma, you need some help.† She jumped in his face and shouted, â€Å"Fuck off, horndog!† with such viciousness that he screamed and leaped back into the doorway, then meekly called  «Sorry » after her as she passed. She thought, I'm not sorting. It all goes in warm. I don't care if the whites do go gray; I'm not sorting. And how do I know how to get out bloodstains? Who am I? Miss Household Hints? God, I hate laundry. The clothes jumped and played and dived over each other like fabric dolphins. Jody sat on a folding table across from the dryer watching the show and thinking about the Emperor's warning. He'd said, â€Å"I don't think it's safe for a young woman to be out on the street at night.† Jody agreed. Not long ago she would have been terrified if she'd found herself in the Tenderloin at night. She couldn't even remember coming down here during the day. Where had that fear gone? What had happened to her that she could face off with a vampire, bite off his fingers, and carry a dead body up a flight of stairs and shove it under the bed without even a flinch? Where was the fear and loathing? She didn't miss it, she just wondered what had happened to it. It wasn't as if she were without fear. She was afraid of daylight, afraid of the police discovering her, and of Tommy rejecting her and leaving her alone. New fears and familiar fears, but there was nothing in the dark that frightened her, not the future, not even the old vampire – and she knew now, having tasted his blood, that he was old, very old. She saw him as an enemy, and her mind casted for strategies to defeat him, but she was not really afraid of him anymore: curious, but not afraid. The dryer stopped-fabric dolphins dropped and died as if caught in tuna nets. Jody jumped off the table, opened the dryer, and was feeling the clothes for dampness when she heard footsteps on the sidewalk outside the Laundromat. She turned to see the tall black man she had chased into the doorway coming into the Laundromat, followed by two shorter men. All three wore silver L.A. Raiders jackets, high-top shoes, and evil grins. Jody turned back to the dryer and started stuffing her clothes into the trash bag. She thought, I should be folding these. â€Å"Yo, bitch,† the tall man said. Jody looked to the back of the Laundromat. The only door was in the front, behind the three men. She turned and looked up at them. â€Å"How about those Raiders?† she said with a smile. She felt a pressure in the roof of her mouth: the fangs extending. The three men split up and moved around the folding table to surround her. In another life, this had been her worst nightmare. In this life she just smiled as two of them grabbed her arms from behind. She saw a bead of sweat on the tall man's temple as he approached her and reached out to tear the front of her shirt. She ripped her right arm loose and caught the tall man's wrist as the sweat bead began to drip. She snapped his forearm and bones splintered though skin and muscle as she swung him, headfirst, through the glass door of the dryer. She reached over her shoulder and grabbed one of the Raider fans by the hair and smashed his face into the floor, then wheeled on her last attacker and shoved him back into the edge of the folding table, snapping his spine just above the hips and sending him spinning backward over a deck of washing machines. The bead of sweat hit the floor near the man with the smashed face. Amid the hum of fluorescent lights and the moans of the man with the broken back, Jody loaded the rest of her laundry into the trash bag. She thought, This stuff is going to be nothing but wrinkles by the time I get home. Tommy's doing the laundry next time. As she reached the door she ran her tongue over her teeth and was relieved to find her fangs had retracted. She looked over her shoulder at the carnage and shouted, â€Å"Forty-fucking-Niners!† The man with the broken back moaned.

Is Fashion Trivial?

Is Fashion Trivial? Malcolm Barnyard's book ‘Fashion as Communication' (Bernard, 1996) addresses the argument that fashion is trivial and is used to communicate and challenge issues. One of the topics which is discussed in this book is the topic of whether fashion is trivial' this was questioned by Elizabeth Wilson who said that â€Å"the idea that fashion and clothing are trivial pursuits is Just one popular prejudice† (Wilson, 1992). In her book she quoted a letter that was in the Guardian newspaper, which stated, â€Å"fashion s trivial and ridiculous and serious minds need not be detained by it† (Wilson, 1992).In Sharon Stellar article she says, â€Å"As civilized human beings, clothing is a requirement in order to be decent and presentable to the public. † (Sharon Stellar, August 2007) She argues that clothing does more to our body than Just covers us. â€Å"It has to ability to accentuate your figure, minimize your flaws, give you the image of either professionalism or slovenliness, convey your individuality, and make you feel your best. Sharon Stellar, August 2007) What Stellar is saying is that clothes or fashion isn't only there to Just conceal us but it is there to express ourselves, show outsiders our personality and to most importantly to feel good. However Anneal Frostier argues that without a doubt fashion is trivial, she states her own opinion that â€Å"Fashion seems to me the most ludicrous and, frankly, disgraceful thing – the whole â€Å"out with the old† thing and the waste appeals me. † (Daily Mail 2008) In a sense she is right, why should we throw away clothes after t goes out of season?Surely we buy clothes because we love the way the look or feel on us. However I do not agree with her that fashion is â€Å"ludicrous† and â€Å"disgraceful† Everything that we wear, whether it is a E top from Primary or a El 50 dress from Marc Jacobs, was designed for a reason. Many women, espe cially those in professional positions, see themselves as having no interaction with the fashion industry as they do not follow the latest trends. Nonetheless every item of clothing that they pick up and buy links them to the fashion industry.Somebody has designed the fabric, color and style specifically for that person, and that isn't something that should be ignored. If these people state that they don't follow fashion and think what they wear has nothing to do with the fashion industry, then they should be walking around naked. Personally I do not feel that fashion is trivial. Yes sometimes it can be annoying when we spend EYE on the latest cashmere cardiac, then two weeks later its already out of trend. But fashion like Elizabeth Wilson states is a way of communicating with the est. of the world; it shows others our personality and individuality.