Michigan School for the Deaf free essay sample

Through the years the school has faced many challenges such as: funding, maintenance, up keep of advancing technology and enrollment. The single most important issue is funding without funding there would be no residential school for the deaf children and the would be forced to be mainstreamed into public school. I propose that parents should be told about Michigan School for the Deaf. Driving down Miller Road in Flint, Michigan and you are probably wondering what the old buildings standing there are for and what came about to how the school Michigan School for the Deaf became about? I will help you better understand. MSD was started in 1848, but it did not start out as MSD. Heck, they didnt even know what they were going to call it or where it was going to be located, they just knew the deaf and blind needed a school to go to as well as â€Å"normal† students. We will write a custom essay sample on Michigan School for the Deaf or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A State Legislature Governor Ransom, who just so happened to be the governor at the time, wanted to give the idea of having a joint school for the deaf and dumb and blind. A guy by the name of E. H. Thomson proposed a bill to establish an institution called Michigan Asylum for Educating the deaf and dumb and blind. The bill was later enacted into a law and signed April 3rd, 1848. It took a good 28 years to get a school started. In the 1820s a state sponsored school was proposed to be established in Detroit, Michigan but it was never materialized. A few students who were blind were taught in a preparatory school at the University of Michigan located in Romeo, Michigan during the 1840s. Children in the 1840s were not educated in programs, Michigan did not send deaf and blind students to schools like many other states were practicing. Villages of Flint, Romeo, and Kalamazoo extended offers of donations of land, cash, and building materials. In November 1849, the board selected the proposed site for the hospital for the insane and the also the proposed for the school. The hospital was to be located in Kalamazoo and the school was in Flint. The funding law was passed in 1848, but because of financial difficulties the school did not start until 1854. In the year of 1851 the board voiced the idea to joint the deaf and blind because having a separate school was out of the question. They proposed the idea of having of having erected class rooms suitable and separate for the deaf and blind. Students who could afford the school financially, were the suitable age, and had the strength would board in the Village of Flint, the students who couldnt afford were accommodated under the charge of the Principle. The month of November in 1853 the board offered Reverend Barnabas Maynard Fay the position of Principle. Fay had previous experience as a teacher at Indiana Institution for the Blind and the Institution for Deaf and Dumb in New York. January 1854, Fay was appointed and the school was to open February 1, 1854 in Flint. February 6, 1854 the first student was enrolled, April 18, 1854 it was reported they had 12 students, 11 deaf mute and one blind. Thirteen years later an act was passed to change the name of Michigan Asylum to Michigan Institution for Educating the Dead and Dumb and the Blind. In 1879, the blind were separated the school for the blind from the school for the deaf. In 1887 Michigan School for the Deaf was given, not sure what year Michigan School for the Blind was relocated to Lansing, Michigan. As of 1937 MSD became jurisdiction of the State Board of Education and still remains to this day. (deaftartars. com) You may be wondering why I am writing a proposal for MSD when I am neither deaf or blind. Its a simple answer, family. My grandpa is a Tartar alumni, being deaf mute and completely blind. He was not always blind, but he has been deaf since the day he was born. My family moved from Arkansas to Michigan for the school. You are probably once again thinking, are you guys crazy? No, we are not, they just wanted best from their highly intelligent son. A lot of people degrade deaf and blind individuals, they see them as being different from us so they automatically call them dumb. It hurts when I hear these individuals being called that because I know first hand that they are not anywhere near that. They have to retain a bunch of knowledge in their brain as well as us, but the difference they have to use their hands where we use are mouths. It is an even harder task because just like us they have to learn different languages also. You are probably really confused as to how a deaf and blind person communicates am I right? I will inform you, it is a lot harder then a regular deaf person. They use what is called tactile sign language, it is when the person talking takes the other persons hand and signs into the palm of the hand, but only using one hand most of the time. Luckily, my grandpa was one of the lucky was to get a great education considering there are a lot of them that are not as lucky example, Matt Hamill. Matt Hamill, found out at a very young age that he was profoundly deaf. His grandfather would not let him go to a school that would help him better learn how to communicate with every day people. He became a star wrestler, even got into Purdue University. Soon to be kicked out because he was not taught sign language and could not comprehend what the interrupters were saying to him, let alone what they were doing. Matt later went to Rochester College of Technology (RTC). There he learned everything he needed to know and became a National Champion Wrestler. Michigan School for the Deaf, is not only for deaf students. MSD is also a school of choice for anyone, but it definitely an expensive school. Tuition is $30,600 and for the resident intermediate school district it is $9,500. Many parents of deaf children do not know that there is a school for deaf children, reasoning why enrollment is down and why MSD does not have a lot of funding. (The Hammer) The amount of enrollment for MSD has gone down so far over the years which is causing some major funding for the school. Public schools get $9,000 for each deaf student that is enrolled into their school district. Most of the students and their parents do not even know that Michigan School for the Deaf even exist. I believe in order to get funding up at MSD a group of people need to go from school district to school across Michigan and have an assembly or a benefit for these parents. They can sit down and talk about what can happen at Michigan School for the Deaf for their child, why it is a better ideal school for their child to go to, and why their school district will not tell them about MSD. I bet you didnt know that for every deaf child a public school has they get $9,000, that is $9,000 that MSD does not et because if that child leaves the district to go to MSD that district loses that money and has to give it to MSD. Deaf culture is a very hard culture to understand. A lot of time learning their language and learning how they have to learn is a very hard way. Its not easy teaching a deaf child math. You have to make sure you never mix the numbers up or how you sign a very long equation. The public school really isnt using the money other then to pay an interrupter for each deaf child that is at that school. They get paid anywhere from $30-$70/hour. For one week of a school year saying that the child attends school for 35 hours that week, that interrupter earns $2,450 just one week! So in all honesty that school is losing money rather then gaining it from/for that child. Even fundraisers for the school would help. Like do a huge sporting event, say that Powers Catholic football team plays a huge game there and half the proceeds go to MSD or even showing movies like The Hammer and paying three dollars to watch it and having snacks where all the proceeds go to the school. I just think that more parents need to know that Michigan School for the Deaf is there so that their child gets a better education for their situation. If Michigan School for the Deaf does not get their funding up they are going to have to shut down and main stream all of their students into public schools. I believe that every parent with a deaf child is a very lucky parent. My grandparents are both deaf and they are highly intelligent. My grandpa is deaf and blind he is what people call the wooden toy maker. He carves fire trucks, old ford trucks, helicopters, and trains out of wood. He has been doing this 1991. my grandpa has no idea what we look like but he knows its us by a simple wave of hi in his hand or a handshake. A lot of people I know call deaf people dumb, but they are far from that. I bet if every person got a chance to have a conversation one to one with a deaf person they would think completely different of how they see each person. They are unique in their own way just like every other person in this world. I think it is amazing how they have a school to go to for their environment as well as we have one for ours. I think taking that away from them is cruel and horrible. Having a child that is deaf is a remarkable thing, do not let something that has been around for years be taken away because someone can afford to keep it up and running. This state needs to understand that they have a historical building in their hands, they need to figure out a way to keep it up and running. Remember, No Child Left Behind. Work Cited Michigan School for the Deaf. January 2011. December 2011 . Debbie Jenkins. Personal interview. December 2011. Harold Riley. Personal interview. December 2011. The Hammer. Dir. Oren Kapal. Perf. Russell Harvard, Raymond J. Barry, and Shoshannah Stern. 2011. Film.

The History of Molly Brown essays

The History of Molly Brown essays Margaret Tobin was born on July 18,1867in Hannibal Missouri to John and Johanna Tobin, where she lived for most of her life. When Maggie turned nineteen, her, and her brother Daniel moved to Leadville Colorado, a rugged mining town. This is where Maggie will meet James Joseph brown also known as JJ. They courted for six months and married on September 11, 1886 Molly nineteen and JJ thirty one. Molly and JJ lived in Leadville for the next seven years and lived a working class lifestyle that was very accustomed to. During that seven-year period, Molly had two children Lawrence Palmer Brown in 1887 and Catherine Ellen Brown in 1889. Molly traveled back to Hannibal to give birth to her first child so that her mother could be her mid wife for the delivery. By the time her second child was born, all of Mollys family had moved to Leadville. During this time, JJ became very successful in mining. He became part owner of a mine and Molly and JJ became millionaires. In 1894, Molly and her family moved to the House of Lions a mansion on Pennsylvania Street in the heart of Denver. While living in Denver Molly headed up many fundraising comities and did a great deal of charitable work. Molly became a charter member of the Denver womens press club. In 1899, Molly was appointed the president and head of the executive committee for the catholic bazaar for fund raising for the expansion of Saint Josephs hospital. Molly also became very involved in the juvenile court system. Molly was friends with Judge Ben Lindsay who headed the first juvenile court system. Molly took the proceeds from the Cripple Creek mining operation and donated them to the juvenile courts. Molly also became very involved in politics in the years that followed. She was able to be more involved in the politics of Denver, which was one of the first states that allowed women to vote. Molly attended rallies to support...

Political issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political issue - Essay Example The war has been the longest in the history of American history, yet till date it has not achieved its objectives clearly. Early in 2014, the pullout from Afghanistan was decided and agreed upon. In the wake of such circumstances, Afghanistan is a land locked country, and situation there in always impacts the peace and stability of region with its peace or otherwise state of existence. In the midst of the withdrawal of the ISAF forces, Afghanistan presents a new challenge. Afghanistan at present is at a challenge to itself, to the global peace, to the regional security, stability and overall dynamics of the international politics. Afghan government is frail and does not enjoy the resource or the infrastructure that will enable it defending itself against the rival groups and the outlaws. The very fact that the incumbent government’s influence is limited to the green belt is the reflection of the overall writ of state enjoyed by the American backed government. Afghanistan is an ethnic split country offers problems in multiple proportions. The challenge of ensuring and bringing about the Pukhtoon and the non- Pukhtoon on table and bringing them to terms with regard to the power sharing has been one of the challenges that needs to be looked into and addressed with regard to the overall future dynamics and future outlook of Afghanistan. The last decade or so since the invasion of United States of America has seen the isolation and total targeting of the Pukhtoon in the form of Taliban who were being targeted where ever spotted, based on this the country has seen severe ethnic divide within themselves leading to catastrophic outlook at present in the form of social divide and social disparity. The withdrawal of the allied forces will give the Taliban space and possible opportunity to get back into authority with regard to the offensives being undertaken and conducted against the Afghan government. The recent times have seen relatively increased trend in the

Identification and Elimination of Bottleneck for Competitive Advantage Term Paper

Identification and Elimination of Bottleneck for Competitive Advantage - Term Paper Example Identification of Process Bottlenecks The implementation of Six Sigma Principle involved a step by step improvement of quality standard. The processes which improve the system’s overall quality often prove to be the ones restricting the capacity of the system and overall process. The constraints of the system results in inherent flaws and reduces the operational efficiency, thereby impacting the profits. The processes which act as a constraint in Mario Pizza Store increase the cycle time1 resulting in a decrease in the profits and leads to customer annoyance. The main constraints of the system are the order processing time and wait time for the customers (Shafer and Meredith, 2009). The order processing time includes the time spent in order acquisition and manufacturing of Pizza until the customer is served. The order acquisition by the waiters is a difficult measure to model and improve because of the presence of a human element. The menu points can solve this tangle giving a rather measurable indicator which can be worked on. The manufacturing involves the presence to required ingredients in the right shelves which are readily accessible by the kitchen staff (Stevenson, 2011). The processing time of the ovens is another indicator which can be easily monitored and improved by the utilization of automatic ovens and utilization of better technology. The automatic ovens can also help to reduce the kitchen staff. The second constraint highlighted in the process is the wait time of the customer which is inturn dependent on the length of the queue and seating capacity. The enhancement in seating capacity is a strategic decision involving serious financial implications and is not advisable because the same would result in under utilization of seating capacity during non-peak hours thereby increasing the maintenance costs (Jacobs and Chase, 2010). The improvement in the order processing time can reduce the waiting time as well which would reduce the overall cyc le time. The main constraint in the system causing a bottleneck is the order processing time whose improvement will definitely improve the waiting time. The emphasis should therefore be placed on the improvement of order processing time (Stevenson, 2010). 1Cycle Time: The total time a customer spends in the Pizza store from entry till departure. Improvement in Bottleneck Resource The order processing time can be reduced thereby optimizing the overall process capability. The introduction of better cooking oven, the availability of inventory and the placement of ingredients at the right place can significantly reduce the processing time. The placement of ingredients in readily accessible shelves will reduce the movements of the kitchen staff. Advanced cooking ovens will not only improve the processing time but the setup time as well. The availability of inventory will reduce the idle time of the ovens (Jacobs, Chase and Aquilano, 2005). Conclusion The correct identification, diligent analysis and successful improvements in a bottleneck enhance the overall performance of the system. The suggested measures will not only reduce the overall cycle time but will also be instrumental in increasing the profit margin as well as the customer satisfaction. The improvement in the core technology & inventory system will reduce the process time of bottleneck and perk up the system’s overall efficiency. As Goldratt said â€Å"

Purpose And Significance Of The Study Education Essay

Purpose And Significance Of The Study Education Essay According to Alwright (1983), classroom-centred research is any study which investigates what occurs in the classroom; that occurrence could be related to the way a teacher interacts with his students; the way students interact with one another; the conditions which promote effective learning; or anything else related to learning in the classroom. Throughout the past five years, the majority of MA ALT research at Newcastle University has been predominantly classroom-centred Why?. Researchers have either examined and scrutinised the teaching practice, approaches and methodologies adopted in their own diverse, international teaching contexts (Aslanidou, 2005; Al-Nufaie, 2006; Abu Baha, 2007; Al-Zughaibi, 2008; Chen, 2009); or they have explored a variety of cognitive and linguistic difficulties that L2 students face when learning English, suggesting possible causes and solutions to these problems (Hu, 2005; Chou, 2006; Huang, 2007; Chen, 2008; Al-Rahbi, 2009). Although classroom-centre d research is a fundamental part of ALT and unquestionably serves its purpose; if and when research conducted external to the classroom produces new insights into effective language learning, it is equally significant; as the essential aim of all ALT research is to add to current world knowledge (Hedge, 2000). A minute number of MA ALT researchers at Newcastle University have investigated topics which are external to the classroom yet promote effective language learning indirectly (Walter, 2006; Lambton, 2006; Pelik, 2008; Michalska, 2009); surprisingly however, no researcher has ever inquired about the role EFL managers may or may not play in language learning. This is particularly surprising because global EFL institutes such as IH, Bell, and WSI all require clarify these acronyms prospective EFL managers to be MA ALT qualified. These institutes insist EFL managers possess this qualification based upon the assumption that it equips them with the knowledge necessary to be a successful EFL manager. Contrary to their belief, although an MA ALT course does present recent theories and debates regarding language learning, it fails to sufficiently address the specific needs of an EFL manager; this is most evident in the fact that there is no EFL Manager: Theory Practice type module available f or MA ALT students. Due to the lack of research about EFL management, the purpose of this study is to investigate the role of EFL managers in language learning. Although some ALT professors are intrigued by this research project and have clearly stated: this is an interesting topic (Windeatt, 2010:2); others have their doubts about its relevance and have said: I do not feel that this is remotely within my sphere of competence; the question really is whether it is within Applied Linguistics. No need for this in my opinion but u could ask him about it Essentially it deals with educational management; the fact that the product is language teaching is no more relevant than groceries are to the management of Sainsburys (Cook, 2010:3). Though everyone is entitled to his own opinion, this view towards ALT research and EFL management is arguably flawed for the following three reasons: Firstly, the Board Directors of TESOL Inc. (2005) advise ALT researchers to be diverse in their choice of research topics in order for theories about effective language learning and teaching to continuously advance. They urge researchers to explore the field of ALT from a wide variety of angles and viewpoints; and to be innovative in the type of research they conduct. To date, ALT research has demonstrated that language learning can be affected by learner styles; psychological factors; teaching methods; socio-cultural factors, and many other issues (Hedge, 2000). In spite of this, there is no published material on the influence that EFL managers may or may not have on language learning, which implies this particular project is innovative and has the potential to fill an obvious information gap. Secondly, the fact that this project is closely related to educational management, is not necessarily a negative point; on the contrary, this type of research may be part of the logical progression of ALT. Historically, ALT research has always followed a similar pattern to Education research (Grenfell, 1998). Both fields were initially predominantly teacher-centred, meaning the majority of research conducted in these fields focused heavily upon teachers, teaching theory and practice. Over time, their research became student-centred, meaning the general research focus shifted toward the student, his experience as a learner, and methods of promoting effective learning. Essentially, research in both fields has historically been classroom-centred. In recent years however, Education research has taken a step outside of the classroom by looking at how external factors such as school administration affects learning (Charles, 2010). As will become evident from the literature review, there has been a substantial amount of research conducted on school effectiveness, which indicate that second only to explicit teaching, school management has the greatest influence on classroom learning. Based upon Education research, coupled with the recent emergence of global ALT seminars on EFL Management and HE courses in EFL Management (ibid); it is reasonable to assume that future ALT research will explore the role of EFL managers in language learning more thoroughly. Thirdly, the mere fact that a world-renowned scholar of linguistics would imply there is no difference between managing a Sainsburys store and managing an EFL school is reason enough to conduct this research. If such a hypothesis is correct, then researching this topic could provide valuable information for EFL schools such as Bell and IH; perhaps they should be employing staff with general management experience and BAs in Business Studies rather than an MA in ALT? On the other hand, if such a hypothesis is in incorrect, then researching this topic could provide ALT researchers with new insights into the role management in language learning. Additionally, as pointed out by one of the participants of this study, research such as this is useful as it gives EFL managers the opportunity to reflect upon their own practice, and the way in which they contribute to a language students learning experience. Moreover, potential EFL managers, such as some of the students on this MA ALT programme , may find this research useful for the theories it presents regarding the role that they will eventually adopt. The acid test of theory in an applied discipline such as educational management [or ALT] is its relevance to practice (Bush, 2002:15). Scope Context of the Study The purpose of this study then, is to investigate the role of management in language learning; and it is arguably a significant piece of research, as it can have both academic and real-world implications for the reasons already mentioned. Initially, over a dozen private British Council accredited ESL schools throughout the U.K. were contacted and asked to participate in the study; unfortunately, all of these schools declined without providing reasons why. Based upon their unwillingness to participate, and the guidance of Windeatt Cook (2010), it was decided that the most feasible method of research would be to conduct an exploratory case-study on the ESOL department of a public tertiary institute in the North East of England. I donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t know According to the participants who were interviewed in this study, the purpose of ESOL departments in British tertiary institutes is threefold: 1) To provide EFL courses for international students who want to study in the UK for a fixed period of time, then return to their home countries. These students generally tend to study EAP courses in preparation for IELTS exams or entrance to a British university; however, some of them study English for business purposes, whilst others simply want a general English course. Whatever the reason, these courses are similar to the types of courses provided by schools such as Bell and IH. 2) To provide ESOL courses for people residing in the UK who want to live here permanently. These students are generally asylum seekers who have fled their own countries due to severe personal circumstances. They tend to study ESOL courses either in preparation of UK citizenship tests; or to equip themselves with the language skills necessary to communicate by English in their day-to-day lives. 3) To provide teacher training courses for native speakers of English who want to become EFL teachers; or for current EFL teachers who want to gain further qualifications. These training courses can vary from Cambridge CELTA and DELTA courses to academic Diplomas and BAs in TEFL. The ESOL department which took part in this study was composed of several managers and approximately seventy teachers. Organisation of chapters Having justified the purpose of this study and providing background information about its research context, the organisation of this dissertation essay is now presented below: Chapter 1: Introduction this chapter highlights the importance of conducting research on the role of EFL managers in language learning, and introduces background information about the context of this research project. Chapter 2: Literature Review this chapter presents key theories about educational management and specifically looks at research into the claims Education researchers have made concerning the influence managers have on learning. Based upon these claims, the role of management in an ESOL context is discussed Chapter 3: Methodology this chapter states the research question and describes the research design and procedures used in this study, including information about the participants and data collection methods employed. Chapter 4: Data Analysis this chapter provides a critical analysis of the results in relation to the literature review. Chapter 5: Conclusions finally, conclusions from the entire investigation are presented here. ______________________________________________________

Scarlet Letter Book Report :: essays research papers

Characters: - Hester Prynne was a beautiful, young woman living in Amsterdam with her husband, Roger Chillingworth. He sent her you America alone while he finished his business. In America she met Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale who she had a love affair with. Pearl was the name of their child. When the townspeople found out about her sin, they punished her by making her wear a scarlet letter ‘A’ ,standing for adultery, on her bosom. - Dimmesdale was a young reverend of the community. The people loved him, because of his emotional ways of speaking. He was Hester’s secret lover. He couldn’t live without being punished for his sins. Finally, he confess publicly, as soon as he did he died. - Chillingworth was Hester’s husband. While traveling to America to join his wife he was capture by Indians. He finally reached America 2 years later. When he got there, Hester was already standing on the scaffold. He was seeking revenge on Dimmesdale, so he pretended to be his good friend trying to think of ways to torture him. - Pearl was Hester and Dimmesdale’s daughter. She was given her name because she was precious and valuable. She was very clever, imaginative, and bratty. Pearl was a very significant character, because she reminded Hester of her sins and love affair. - Governor Bellingham was like the political authority in Boston. - Mistress Hibbins was Governor Bellingham’s sister. She was known as an evil witch. She had a bitter temper, because she worshiped the devil. Summary:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Scarlet Letter† begins in the seventeenth century in Boston. Back then Boston was a Puritan settlement. Hester Prynne is being escorted out from the town’s prison with her daughter, Pearl. Hester had a scarlet letter â€Å"A† on her bosom. Someone watching from the crowd was telling someone else that she is being punished for adultery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hester’s husband sent her to America, while he finished some business in Amsterdam. While Hester waits for him, she obviously had an affair and a child with her lover. She won’t tell anyone who her lover is. And her punishment is to wear the scarlet letter along with public humiliation for her sin and secret. Later, she is taken to the town scaffold and scolded by the town fathers. She still refuses to tell who the father of Pearl is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hester’s missing husband, now known as Roger Chillingworth, is now living in Boston as a doctor to take revenge on Hester‘s secret lover.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 4~5

Chapter Four Red and White and Dead all Over Rapoc stuffing and chicken feathers lay in great, fluffy drifts across the room, along with the shreds of their clothing, the futon cover, pieces of a fuzzy, Muppet-skin rug, and the crushed remains of a couple of cheap-ass Pier 1 paper lanterns. Sparks crackled from the bare wires over the breakfast bar, where the pendulum light fixtures used to hang. The loft looked as if someone had thrown a hand grenade into the middle of a teddy-bear orgy and the only survivors had had their fur blown off. â€Å"Well, that was different,† Jody said, still a little breathless. She was lying across the coffee table, looking out the window at a streetlight from an upside-down angle, naked except for one sleeve of her red leather jacket. She was smeared with blood from head to toe, and even as Tommy watched, the scratches and fang marks on her skin were healing over. â€Å"If I'd known,† Tommy said, panting, â€Å"I'd have grown a foreskin a long time ago.† He lay across the room where she had thrown him, sprawled on a pile of books and kindling that had once been a bookshelf, also smeared with blood and covered in scratches – wearing only a sock. As he pulled a pencil-sized splinter of bookcase out of his thigh, Tommy thought that he might have been a little hasty about yelling at Jody for turning him into a vampire. Although he couldn't really remember much of it, he was pretty sure he'd just had the most amazing sex ever. Apparently what he had read about vampire sex being all about drinking the blood and nothing else – it was just another myth like the changing into a bat and the inability to cross running water. â€Å"Did you know that was going to happen?† Tommy asked. â€Å"I had no idea,† Jody said, still on the coffee table, and looking more to Tommy every minute like a murder victim, except that she was talking, and smiling. â€Å"I was going to make you buy me dinner and take me to a movie first.† Tommy chucked the bloody bookcase splinter at her. â€Å"I don't mean did you know we were going to do it, I mean did you know that it was going to be like that?† â€Å"How would I know that?† â€Å"I thought maybe the night you spent with the old vampire†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jody sat up. â€Å"I didn't do him, Tommy, I just spent the night with him trying to find out about how to be a vampire. And his name is Elijah.† â€Å"Oh, so now you're on a first-name basis.† â€Å"Oh, for the love of God, Tommy, would you stop thinking? You're taking what was an amazing experience and sucking all the life out of it.† Tommy fidgeted on his pile of rubble and started to pout, but winced when he tried to push out his lower lip and it caught on his fangs. She was right. He'd always been like that, always overthinking, overanalyzing. â€Å"Sorry,† he said. â€Å"You have to just be part of the world now,† Jody said softly. â€Å"You can't put everything into categories, separate yourself from experience by putting words on it. Like the song says, let it be.† â€Å"Sorry,† Tommy said again. He tried to push the thoughts out of his head, closed his eyes, and listened to his heartbeat, and Jody's heartbeat coming from across the room. â€Å"It's okay,† Jody said. â€Å"Sex like that does sort of beg for a postmortem.† Tommy smiled, his eyes still closed. â€Å"So to speak.† Jody stood up and crossed the room to where he was sitting. She offered him her hand to help him up. â€Å"Careful, the back of your head is kind of stuck in the dry wall.† Tommy turned his head and heard plaster cracking. â€Å"I'm still starving.† She pulled him to his feet. â€Å"I'm feeling a little drained myself.† â€Å"My bad,† Tommy said. He could remember now, her blood pulsing into him, at the same time that his was pulsing into her. He rubbed a place on his shoulder where the punctures from her fangs hadn't quite healed yet. She kissed the spot he was rubbing. â€Å"You'll heal faster when you've had fresh blood.† Tommy felt an ache, like a sudden cramp in his stomach. â€Å"I really need to eat.† Jody led him into the bedroom, where Chet the huge cat was cowering in the corner, hiding unsuccessfully behind the wicker hamper. â€Å"Wait,† Jody said. She padded back out into the great room and came back a few seconds later wearing what was left of her red leather jacket (really more of a vest now) and her panties, which she had to hold together on one side where they'd been torn off. â€Å"Sorry,† she said, â€Å"I'm not comfortable being naked in front of strangers.† Tommy nodded. â€Å"He's not a stranger, Jody. He's dinner.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Jody said, nodding and shaking her head at the same time, making her appear like a bloodstained, bobble-head doll. â€Å"You go. You're new.† â€Å"Me? Don't you know some superanimal hypnotism to call him to you?† â€Å"Nope. Go get him. I'll wait.† Tommy looked at her. On top of the blood that streaked and smeared her pale skin, there were gobs of futon stuffing stuck to her here and there, as well as white chicken feathers in her hair from one of the exploded cushions. He had feathers and cat hair stuck to his chest and legs. â€Å"We're going to have to shave him first, you know?† Jody nodded, not looking away from the huge cat. â€Å"Maybe a shower first.† â€Å"Good idea.† Tommy put his arm around her. â€Å"But just washing. No sex!† â€Å"Why, we already lost the cleaning deposit?† â€Å"Those shower doors are glass.† â€Å"Okay. But can I wash your – â€Å" â€Å"No,† she said. She took his hand and dragged him into the bathroom. It turned out that superhuman vampire strength came in handy when shaving a thirty-five-pound cat. After a couple of false starts, which had them chasing Chet the huge shaving-cream-covered cat around the loft, they discovered the value of duct tape as a grooming tool. Because of the tape, they weren't able to shave his feet. When they were finished, Chet looked like a big-eyed, potbellied, protohuman in fur-lined, duct-tape space boots – the feline love child of Golem and Doddy the house elf. â€Å"I'm not sure we needed to shave all of him,† Tommy said, sitting on the bed next to Jody as they considered the bound and shaven Chet on the floor before them. â€Å"He looks creepy.† â€Å"Pretty creepy,† Jody said. â€Å"You'd better drink. Your wounds aren't healing.† All her scratches, bruises, and love bites were completely healed, and except for a fleck of shaving cream here and there in her hair, she was as good as new. â€Å"How?† Tommy asked. â€Å"How do I know where to bite him?† â€Å"Try the neck,† Jody said. â€Å"But sort of feel around for a vein with your tongue before you bite, and don't bite hard.† She was trying to sound confident in her instructions, but she was in unexplored territory as much as he was. She was enjoying teaching Tommy about the particulars of vampirism, just as she enjoyed teaching him how to do grown-up human things like how to get the power and phone turned on in the loft – it made her feel sophisticated and in charge, and after a series of boyfriends for whom she had been little more than an accoutrement, whose lifestyles she had affected, from heavy-metal anarchists to financial-district yuppies, she liked being the pacesetter for a change. Still, when it came to teaching him about feeding on animals, she couldn't have been winging it more if she really could turn into a bat. The only time she'd ever considered drinking animal blood was when Tommy had brought her two large, live snapping turtles from Chinat own. She hadn't been able to bring herself to even try biting into the armored reptiles. Tommy had named them Scott and Zelda, which hadn't helped. Now Zelda was functioning as a lawn ornament in Pacific Heights and Scott was encased in bronze and standing next to the old vampire in the great room. The biker sculptors downstairs had bronzed them, which is what had given Tommy the idea to bronze Jody and the old vampire in the first place. â€Å"Are you sure this is okay?† Tommy said, bending over Chet the huge shaved cat. â€Å"I mean, you said that we were only supposed to hunt the sick and the weak – the black auras. Chet's aura is shiny and pink.† â€Å"It's different with animals.† She had no idea if it was different with animals. She'd eaten a moth once, whole – snatched it out of the air and downed it before she could think about it. She realized now that there were a lot more questions she should have asked Elijah when she had had the chance. â€Å"Besides, you're not going to kill him.† â€Å"Right,† Tommy said. He put his mouth on Chet's kitty neck. â€Å"Like thith?† Jody had to turn away to keep from laughing. â€Å"Yeah, that looks good.† â€Å"He tathes like thaving cream.† â€Å"Just go,† Jody said. † ‘Kay.† Tommy bit and started to moan almost immediately. Not a moan of pleasure, but the moan of someone who has his tongue stuck on the ice-cube tray in the freezer. Chet seemed strangely calm, not even struggling against his kitty bonds. Maybe there was something to the vampire's power over his victims, Jody thought. â€Å"Okay, that's enough,† Jody said. Tommy shook his head while still feeding on the huge shaved cat. â€Å"Tommy, let off. You need to leave some.† â€Å"Nu-ih,† Tommy said. â€Å"Stop sucking the huge cat, Tommy,† Jody said sternly. â€Å"I'm not kidding.† She was kidding, a little bit. Tommy was breathing hard now, and a little color had come into his skin. Jody looked around for something to get his attention. She spotted a vase of flowers on the night-stand. She pulled out the flowers and tossed the water on Tommy and the huge cat. He kept feeding. The cat shuddered but otherwise remained immobile. â€Å"Okay, then,† Jody said. It was a heavy, stoneware vase, something Tommy had picked up to hold some apology flowers he'd brought her from the grocery store where he worked. He'd been good that way, sometimes bringing home apology flowers before he'd even done anything to apologize for. Really, you couldn't ask for more than that from a guy – which is why Jody slowed to half speed as she brought the vase around in a wide arc that ended with it smacking Tommy in the forehead and knocking him back about six feet. Chet the huge shaved cat yowled. Miraculously, the vase did not break. â€Å"Thanks,† Tommy said, wiping the blood from his mouth. There was a crescent-moon-shaped dent in his forehead that was rapidly filling in, healing. â€Å"Sure,† Jody said, staring at the vase. Great vase, she thought. Elegant, fragile porcelain was all well and good for the collector's case or the tea party, but for the girl who finds herself in need of a vessel that can deliver a wallop, Jody was suddenly sold on the sturdy value of stoneware. â€Å"Tastes like cat breath,† Tommy said, pointing to Chet. The punctures from Tommy's fangs had already healed. â€Å"Is it supposed to?† Jody shrugged. â€Å"What's cat breath taste like?† â€Å"Like tuna casserole left out in the sun for a week.† Being from the Midwest, Tommy thought everyone knew what tuna casserole tasted like. Having been born and raised in Carmel, California, Jody knew it only as something eaten by the extinct people on Nick at Nite. â€Å"I think I'm going to pass,† Jody said. She was hungry, but not cat-breath hungry. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about feeding. She couldn't very well try to live off Tommy anymore, and regardless of the rush and the sense that she was serving nature's cause by taking only the weak and the sick, she didn't like the idea of preying on humans – strangers anyway. She needed time to think, to figure out what their new life was going to be like. Things had been happening too quickly since Tommy and his friends had taken down the old vampire. She said, â€Å"We should get Chet back to his owner tonight if we can. You don't want to lose your driver's license – we may need a valid ID to rent a new place.† â€Å"A new place?† â€Å"We have to move, Tommy. I told Inspectors Rivera and Cavuto that I would leave town. You don't think they'll check?† There had been two homicide detectives who had followed the trail of bodies to the old vampire, and ultimately the discovery of Jody's delicate condition. She'd promised them that she'd take the old vampire and leave town if they'd let her go. â€Å"Oh yeah,† Tommy said. â€Å"That means I can't go back to work at the Safeway either?† He wasn't stupid, she knew he wasn't stupid, so why was he so slow to see the obvious? â€Å"No, I don't think that would be a good idea,† Jody said. â€Å"Since you're going to pass out cold at sunrise, just the way I do.† â€Å"Yeah, that'd be embarrassing,† Tommy said. â€Å"Especially when sunlight hits you and you burst into flames.† â€Å"Yeah, there's got to be company policy against that.† Jody screamed in frustration. â€Å"Jeez, kidding,† Tommy said, cringing. She sighed, realizing that he'd been goofing on her. â€Å"Get dressed, cat breath, we don't want to run out of dark. We're going to need some help.† Out in the great room, the vampire Elijah Ben Sapir was trying to figure out exactly what was going on around him. He knew he had been constrained – bound inside a vessel, and whatever held him was immovable. He'd even turned to mist, which relieved his anxiety somewhat – there was an ethereal mind-set that accompanied the form, it took concentration to not let yourself just float off in a daze – but the bronze shell was airtight. He could hear them talking, but their comments told him little except that his fledgling had betrayed him. He smiled to himself. What a foolishly human mistake to let hope triumph over reason. He should have known better. It would be days before the hunger was on him again, and even then, without any movement, he could last indefinitely without blood. He could live a very, very long time constrained like this, he realized – it was his sanity that would suffer. He decided to stay in mist form – drift as in a dream at night, sleep like the dead during the day. This way, he would wait, and when the time came, and it would come (if nothing else, living for eight hundred years had taught him patience), he would make his move. Chapter Five The Emperor of San Francisco Two in the morning. Normally, the Emperor of San Francisco would have been tucked in behind a Dumpster with the royal guard snuggled around him for warmth, snoring like a congested bulldozer, but tonight he had been undone by the generosity of a Starbucks froth slave in Union Square who had donated a bucket-sized Holiday Spice Mochaccino to the cause of royal comfort, thus leaving the Emperor and his two companions jangled, wandering the wee hours on a nearly deserted Market Street, waiting for breakfast time to roll around. â€Å"Like crack with cinnamon,† said the Emperor. He was a great, boiler tank of a man, an ambling meat locomotive in a wool overcoat, his face a firebox of intensity, framed with a gray tempest of hair and beard such as are found only on gods and lunatics. Bummer, the smaller of the troops, a Boston terrier, snorted and tossed his head. He'd lapped up some of the rich coffee broth himself, and felt ready to tear ass out of any rodent or pastrami sandwich that might cross his path. Lazarus, normally the calmer of the two, a golden retriever, pranced and leapt at the Emperor's side as if it might start raining ducks any minute – a recurring nightmare among retrievers. â€Å"Steady, gents,† the Emperor chided. â€Å"Lets us use this inopportune alertness to inspect a less frantic city than we find in the day, and determine where we might be of service.† The Emperor believed that the first duty of any leader was to serve the weakest of his people, and he made an effort to pay attention to the city around him, lest someone fall through the cracks and be lost. Clearly he was a loon. â€Å"Calm, good fellows,† he said. But calm was not coming. The smell of cat was tall in the air and the men were jacked on Java. Lazarus barked once and bolted down the sidewalk, followed closely by his bug-eyed brother-in-arms, the two descending on a dark figure that lay curled up around a cardboard sign on the traffic island at Battery Street, beneath a massive bronze statue that depicted four muscular men working a metal press. It had always looked to the Emperor like four guys molesting a stapler. Bummer and Lazarus sniffed the man beneath the statue, sure that he had to have a cat concealed among his rags somewhere. When a cold nose hit a hand, the Emperor saw the man move, and breathed a sigh of relief. With a closer look, the Emperor recognized him as William with the Huge Cat. They knew each other to nod hello, but because of racial tensions between their respective canine and feline companions, the two had never become friends. The Emperor knelt on the man's cardboard sign and jostled him. â€Å"William, wake up.† William groaned and an empty Johnny Walker Black bottle slid out of his overcoat. â€Å"Dead drunk, perhaps,† said the Emperor, â€Å"but fortunately, not dead.† Bummer whimpered. Where was the cat? The Emperor propped William up against the concrete base of the statue. William groaned. â€Å"He's gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.† The Emperor picked up the empty scotch bottle and sniffed it. Yes, it had recently held scotch. â€Å"William, was this full?† William grabbed the cardboard sign off the sidewalk and propped it in his lap. â€Å"Gone,† he said. The sign read I AM POOR AND SOMEONE STOLE MY HUGE CAT. â€Å"My deepest sympathies,† said the Emperor. He was about to ask William how he had managed to procure a fifth of top-shelf scotch, when he heard a long, feline yowl echo down the street, and looked up to see a huge shaved cat, in a red sweater, heading their way. He managed to catch hold of Bummer and Lazarus's collars before they darted after the cat, and dragged them away from William. The huge cat leapt into William's lap and the two commenced a drunken reunion embrace that involved quantities of purring, baby talk, and drool, enough that the Emperor had to fight down a little nausea at the sight of it. Even the royal hounds had to look away, the two realizing instinctively that a maudlin and shaved, thirty-five-pound cat in a red sweater was clearly above their pay grade. There was just no doggy protocol for it, and presently they began to turn in circles on the sidewalk, as if looking for a good place to feign a nap. â€Å"William, I believe someone has shaved your cat,† said the Emperor. â€Å"That would be me,† said Tommy Flood as he came around the side of the traffic island, scaring the bejeezus out of everyone there. A pale and delicate hand reached out from behind the island, grabbed the collar of Tommy's coat, and snatched him back around the corner as if he were a rag doll. â€Å"Tommy?† called the Emperor. The big man stalked around the concrete art bunker. Bummer and Lazarus had headed back down the street toward the waterfront, as if they had just seen a particularly fetching porterhouse steak hopping around down there that needed to be investigated. The Emperor found his friend C. Thomas Flood, held tight in the clutches of his girlfriend, Jody Stroud, the vampire, who had her hand pressed tightly over Tommy's mouth and was furiously giving him noogies with the knuckle of her other hand. There was a hollow popping each time she connected, and muted cries from Tommy. â€Å"Jody, I must insist that you unhand the young man,† insisted the Emperor. And she did. Tommy twisted out of her grasp. â€Å"Ow!† Tommy said, rubbing his head. â€Å"Sorry,† Jody said. â€Å"Couldn't be helped.† â€Å"I thought you were going to leave the city with that fiend,† said the Emperor. He had been there, with the royal hounds and Tommy's crew from the Safeway, when they'd done battle with the old vampire at the St. Francis Yacht Club. â€Å"Well, yes, of course. He left already and I'm going to join him,† Jody said. â€Å"Just like I promised Inspector Rivera. But I wanted to make sure that Tommy was going to be all right before I left.† The Emperor liked Jody, and had been a little disappointed when he found that she was a bloodsucking fiend, but she was a pleasant girl nonetheless, and had always been generous with treats for the men, despite Bummer's dropping into yapping fits in her presence. â€Å"Well then, I suppose that will have to do,† said the Emperor. â€Å"It appears that our young writer does require some adult supervision before being set loose on the City.† â€Å"Hey, I do okay,† Tommy said. â€Å"You shaved the cat,† said the Emperor, raising a wild eyebrow that looked like a gray squirrel with a Mohawk. â€Å"I – uh, we were testing him out, to see if I should get a cat to keep me company after Jody leaves.† He looked at Jody, who nodded enthusiastically while trying to look wide-eyed and sincere. â€Å"And†¦ and,† Tommy continued, â€Å"I was chewing some bubble gum, you know, the kind that you can blow really big bubbles with – well, long story short, before I knew it, Chet had lunged at one of my bubbles and was completely covered with bubble gum.† Jody quit nodding and just stared at him. â€Å"So you shaved him,† the Emperor added. Now it was Tommy's turn to nod and look sincere. â€Å"Regrettably.† Jody was nodding again, too. â€Å"Regrettably,† she echoed. â€Å"I see,† said the Emperor. They certainly seemed sincere. â€Å"Well, the sweater was considerate.† â€Å"My idea,† Jody said. â€Å"You know so he doesn't get chilled. It's actually my sweater. Tommy washed it and put it in the dryer, so it's a little too small for me.† â€Å"And don't think it was easy getting a cat that size into a sweater,† Tommy said. â€Å"It was like trying to dress a ball of razor wire. I'm cut to ribbons.† He pushed his sleeves up to expose his forearms, which were distinctly not cut to ribbons. They were, in fact, unmarked, if a little pale. â€Å"Well, good show, then,† the Emperor said, backing away. â€Å"The men and I will be on our way, then.† â€Å"Do you guys need anything, Your Majesty?† Jody asked. â€Å"No, no, we have been most fortunate this evening. Most fortunate indeed.† â€Å"Well, take care, then,† Jody said, even as the Emperor backed around the corner and headed up the street. She can be deceptively pleasant for a blood-drinking agent of evil, the Emperor thought. Bummer and Lazarus were almost out of sight, four blocks ahead. They had known, the rascals. The Emperor was disgusted with himself, leaving William there like that, at the mercy of the fiends. There was no telling what they might do, the two of them, but he felt fear chilling his spine and he couldn't make himself turn around. Perhaps they wouldn't hurt poor William. After all, they had been sweet children in life, both of them. And even in her current state, Jody had shown a certain quality of mercy by waiting until now to turn Tommy. Still, he had a city he was responsible for, and he could not shirk that responsibility. It was a long walk to the Marina Safeway, but he had to reach it before the night crew left. As knavish as they might be, they were the only people in his city who actually had experience hunting vampires. â€Å"Bite him,† Tommy said. He was standing over the huge cat guy, who had passed out again under the statue. Jody shook her head and shuddered. â€Å"He's filthy. Don't tell me you can't smell that.† Since she'd become a vampire, she'd only experienced nausea when she tried to eat real food, but she was nauseated now, despite the hunger grating in her core. â€Å"Here, I'll clean off a spot.† Tommy fished a tissue out of his coat pocket, licked it, and cleaned a spot on William's neck. â€Å"There. Go for it.† â€Å"Yuck.† â€Å"I bit the cat,† Tommy said. â€Å"You said yourself that you were starving.† â€Å"But he's hammered.† Jody said. She was taking little steps in place like a little kid who has to pee. â€Å"Bite him.† â€Å"Quit saying ‘bite him. I don't think of it like that.† â€Å"How do you think of it?† â€Å"I don't really think of it. It's sort of an animal thing.† â€Å"Oh, I see,† Tommy said. â€Å"Bite him before some cops come along and take him away and you miss your chance.† â€Å"Ewww,† Jody said, kneeling beside William. Chet the huge cat looked up at her from William's lap, then put his head down and closed his eyes. (Blood loss had mellowed him.) Jody pushed William's head aside and reared back with her mouth open wide as her fangs extended. She closed her eyes and bit. â€Å"See how easy that was,† Tommy said. Jody glared at him without letting go, her breath rasping through her nose as she fed. She thought, I should have hit him harder when I had the chance. Finally, when she felt she'd taken enough to sustain her, but not enough to hurt the huge cat guy, she pulled away, sat down, and looked up at Tommy. â€Å"You've got a little – † Tommy gestured to the corner of her mouth. She wiped her mouth with her hand, came away with a little lipstick and a little blood. She looked at William's neck. It's was sort of a dirt-gray color, with a white spot rimmed in lipstick. The punctures from her fangs had already healed, but the lipstick sort of stood out like a target. She reached over and wiped the lipstick off with her palm, then wiped her palm off on the huge cat's sweater. Chet purred. William snored. Jody climbed to her feet. â€Å"How was it?† Tommy asked. â€Å"How do you think it was? It was necessary.† â€Å"Well, I mean, when you used to bite me it was kind of a sexual thing.† â€Å"Oh, right,† Jody snapped. â€Å"I planned all this because I wanted to fuck the huge cat guy.† She was feeling a little light-headed for some reason. â€Å"Sorry. We should get him off of Market Street,† Tommy said, â€Å"before he gets robbed or arrested. He's got to have some of the money left. That much alcohol would have killed him.† â€Å"The hell do you care, writer boy? You shaved and ate his cat. Or was that a sexual thing?† She was definitely feeling light-headed. â€Å"That was a mutual – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, bullshit. Bite him. See how sexual it is. Get a taste of that down-home human hemoglobin goodness, Tommy. Don't be a wuss,† Jody said. Well, he was being a wuss. Tommy stepped back. â€Å"You're drunk.† â€Å"And you're being a wuss,† Jody said. â€Å"Wuss, wuss, wuss.† â€Å"Help me. Take his feet. There's a sheltered alcove over by the Federal Reserve building across the street. He can sleep it off there.† Jody bent to take the guy's feet, but they seemed to move as she reached for them, and when she corrected, she missed, and fell forward, catching herself so that she was on all fours with her ass in the air. â€Å"Yeah, that worked,† Tommy said. â€Å"How about you take Chet and I'll carry the huge cat guy?† â€Å"Whadever, Mr. Wussyman,† Jody said. Maybe she was a little tipsy. In the old days, prevampire days, she'd tried to stay away from alcohol, because it turned out that she was sort of an obnoxious drunk. Or that's what her ex-friends had told her. Tommy picked up Chet the huge cat, who squirmed as he held him out to Jody. â€Å"Take him.† â€Å"You are not the head vampire here,† Jody said. â€Å"Fine,† Tommy said. He slung Chet under his arm and, in a single movement, scooped up the huge cat guy and threw him over his shoulder with the other arm. â€Å"Careful crossing the street,† Tommy called back to her as he crossed. â€Å"Ha!† Jody said. â€Å"I am a finely tuned predator. I am a superbeing. I – † And at that point she bounced her forehead off a light pole with a dull twang and was suddenly lying on her back looking at the streetlights above her, which kept going out of focus, the bastards. â€Å"I'll be back to get you,† Tommy called. He's so sweet, Jody thought.