Compare three cinematic figures of Jesus Christ Essay

Compare three cinematic figures of Jesus Christ - Essay Example This Jesus is in love with Mary of Bethany, and although she obviously has the look of love in her eyes and he reciprocates the looks, there is something that prevents him to ask her to marry him, but he does not know what it is, when he asks his father about it, Joseph only answers; "I'm just a carpenter, but you Jesus, you are not just a carpenter." Before dying, his earthly father lets him know that he is expected to do something to deliver the people of Israel from the Roman tyranny, yet he does not understand what or why him. "You want me to step out but you leave alone" he tells his father in the grave, he begs God to raise him, he demands Him, and finally, he accepts God's will. It is Mary his mother who tells him about his divine conception and encourages him to follow his heart. That's when he leaves for forty days and forty nights to the desert to fast and meditate about his future. His innocence and great faith are evident in his encounter with Satan, when he tempts him to turn the stones into bread to feed the people of Israel so they won't die he answers: "They die because of the hearts of stone of other men, not because of the will of God." When told by Satan that in order to make people listen he should throw himself from the Temple, and have God's angels come rescue him, "that would get the people's attention." Jesus seems to understand Satan's point of view and he is about to jump, then stops and turns to tell him: "If God wanted to test nature's laws, he wouldn't have sent me." It is through the third temptation that he realizes He is "The lamb of God."

Demand and suppy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Demand and suppy - Essay Example With regard to the case assignment reading i.e. "What is Driving Oil Prices?" by Richard G. Anderson and Jason J. Buol, it is observed that in the period of August 2004, according to the observation of the International Energy Agency, global oil demand had been rising faster in comparison with any other phase in the previous 16 years. A key reason behind such hike in demand is the quick economic expansion of a number of nations in particular China. Moreover, China had accounted for around 40% of the demand growth regarding global oil production in the period of early 2000s and this demand had been expected to augment rapidly. With regard to supply, it can be said that issues such as political conflicts in nations like Iraq and Venezuela have had a major effect on the fluctuation of oil prices. Contextually, as per the assessment made, it is determined that factors such as enhanced speculation can be a major aspect in affecting oil prices (Anderson and Buol, "What is Driving Oil Price s?"). Both the demand & supply of oil are comparatively inflexible in the short run period. Changes in price have modest impact on either the ‘quantity supplied’ or the ‘quantity demanded’. ... Meanwhile as the quantities demanded as well as supplied change very less as the prices rise & fall, both the curves are reasonably vertical as shown below: Figure 1: Elasticity and Prices Source: (Stonebraker, â€Å"Demand and Supply Applied: Oil Prices†) Due to the reason that quantities are reasonably fixed in the short run period, any alteration in supply or demand will bring about considerable extent of changes in price. For example, if it is assumed that supply has fallen, the reduced supply generates a short-term shortage that will begin to boost price. If demand is elastic, only a small hike in price will be needed to get consumers to cut their purchases to as much as necessary in order to meet the new lowered output. Nonetheless, in the oil industry if demand is inelastic, it will assume a much greater price escalation to create the required reduction in quantity necessitated (Stonebraker, â€Å"Demand and Supply Applied: Oil Prices†). 2a. EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENS TO QUANTITY OF OIL DEMANDED WHEN THE PRICE OF OIL DECREASES, ASSUMING THAT THE SUPPLY DOESN’T CHANGE. Quantity demanded generally refers to a definite amount that will be demanded each unit of related time at a specific price, if other aspects remain fixed. Market equilibrium is a condition where demand and supply for a certain product matches. The price and quantity only remains fixed at the point of interaction of the demand and supply curve. In accordance with the question, it can be stated that if the price of oil falls then the quantity of oil demanded will definitely surge as oil is a price sensitive product and its demand stands always higher. In terms of movement of curve, it can be said that the curve will shift to the right. The effect of the above

Defining And Evaluating Methods Of Measuring Performance Accounting Essay

Defining And Evaluating Methods Of Measuring Performance Accounting Essay Performance measurement is the performance-based management process which is flowing from the organizational mission and the strategic planning process. Performance measurement are includes the objective and subjective assessments of the performance of both individuals and subunits of an organization such as divisions or departments. Performance measurement are effective in ensure that a strategy of organisation is successfully implemented by monitor an organisations effectiveness in satisfying its own predetermined goals or stakeholder desires. Performance measures may be based on non-financial as well as on financial information. The Return on Investment (ROI) Two measures of divisional performance are commonly used is ROI and RI. ROI is the most common profitability ratio. Nowadays, most of companies concentrate on the return on investment (ROI) of a division that is profit as a percentage in direct relation to investment of division which instead of focusing on the size of a divisions profits. ROI addressed divisional profit as a percentage of the assets employed in the division. Assets employed can be defined as total divisional assets, assets controllable by the divisional manager, or net assets. The main advantage of using ROI is provides a valuable information about the overall approximation on the success of a firms past investment policy by providing a abstract of the ex post return on capital invested. According to Kaplan and Atkinson, they state that however, lack of some form of measurement of the ex post returns on capital, there is still useful for accurate estimates of future cash flows during the capital budgeting process. When ROI is used as a managerial performance measure, Measuring returns on invested capital also focuses managers attention on the impact of levels of working capital (in particular, stocks and debtors) on the ROI. It can lead to decisions making that are optimal for individual divisions but sub-optimal for the company. ROI focuses on short-term profitability, looking only at the last quarter or last year for performance evaluation. This time horizon may not be long enough for many projects to be evaluated. According to Daiva BurkÃ…Â ¡aitienÄ-, a further attraction of ROI is that it can compare the return of different businesses field for example division within the company or competitors by adopting it as a common denominator. Therefore, corporate managers want their divisional managers to focus on ROI so that their performance measure is congruent with outsiders measure of the companys overall economic performance. However, the used of ROI for evaluating the economic performance of a division is more appropriate than evaluating the managerial performance, since controllable profit and assets are not exposed in external published financial statements. For comparing the economic performance of a division, net income is likely to be the preferred profit measure to be used as the numerator to compute ROI in order to ensure consistency with the measures that are derived from the financial reports of similar companies outside of the group. ROI has been most widely used financial mea sure for many years in all types of companies. ROI is also a useful medium to communicate the ROI to those who have varying degrees of financial knowledge. The ROI concept allows managers to speak the same language when handle project goals in financial terms across several departments in a corporation as well Information Technology (IT) vendors use ROI as a sales tool to easily convey the economic value of their products. The residual income (RI) Residual income overcomes the dysfunctional aspect of ROI. It is because the use of ROI as a performance measurement can lead to under-investment. For example a manager currently achieving a high rate of return( say 30 percen) may not wish to pursue a project yielding a lower rate of return ( say 20 percen) even thought such as a project may be desirable to a company which can raise capital at an even lower rate ( say 15 percent) (David Otley, n.d). Thus, used RI is better than ROI. The purpose of evaluating the performance of divisional managers, RI is defined as controllable contribution less a cost of capital charge on the investment controllable by the divisional manager. For evaluating the economic performance of the division RI can be defined as divisional contribution less a cost of capital charge on the total investment in assets employed by the division. Besides, RI is favour than ROI and it more flexible because different cost of capital percentage rates can be applied to investments that have different levels of risk. There is not only will the cost of capital of divisions that have different levels of risk differ so may the risk and cost of capital of assets within the same division. The RI measure enables to calculate the different risk-adjusted in capital cost while ROI cannot incorporate these differences. The economic value added ROI and RI cannot stand alone as a financial measure of divisional performance. One of the factors contribute to a companys long-run objectives is short-run profit ability. ROI and RI are short-run concepts that deal only with the current reporting period whereas managerial performance measures should focus on future results that can be expected because of present actions. RI has been refined and re-named as economic value added (EVA) by the Stern Stewart Co. EVA is a financial performance measure based on operating income after taxes, the investment in assets required to generate that income and the cost of the investment in assets (or, weighted average cost of capital). The objective of EVA is to develop a performance measure that find the ways in which company value can be added or lost. The EVA concept extends the traditional residual income measure by incorporating adjustments to the divisional financial performance measure for distortions introduced by GAAP. Thus, by linking divisional performance to EVA, managers are motivated to focus on increasing shareholder value. The objective of developed EVA is producing an overall financial measure that encourages senior managers to focus on the delivery of shareholder value. According to Stern Stewart Co. the aim of companies managers whose shares are traded in the stock market should be to maximize shareholder value. Therefore, financial measurement is an important key used to measure divisional or company performance should be congruent with shareholder value. They claim that compared with other financial measures, EVA is more likely to meet this requirement and also to reduce dysfunctional behaviour. EVA is not just a performance measure but can be the major part of an integrated financial management system leading to decentralised decision making. . It leads the each different department managers to make the best decision lies to the companys goals. Thus adoption of EVA should indirectly bring changes in management which in turn can enhance company value (Stern, Stewart and Chew, 1991). It can be proved by an article in an issue of Fortune magazine (1993) described the apparent success that many companies had derived from using EVA to motivate and evaluate corporate and divisional managers. In fact, companies which have adopted EVA as the basis of management performance measurement have experienced a significant increase in their shareholders wealth. Limitations of financial performance measures Financial performance measures are generally based on short-term measurement periods and this can encourage managers to become short-term oriented. For example, relying on short-term measurement periods may encourage managers to reject positive NPV investments that have an initial adverse impact on the divisional performance measure but have high payoffs in later periods. Financial performance measures are as lagging indicators (Eccles and Pyburn, 1992) by time lag between actions and results. They state the outcomes of managements actions after a period of time, produce too late to influence current decisions. Therefore, its hard to understand or know what the manager did caused what to happen. Hard to know, what the manager did that makes the thing going well or bad as well. Financial performance measures are limited to current reporting period only and it needs to be supplemented by non financial information such as customer satisfaction and quality while Managerial performance measures focus and expect what will be the future result. The major problem is obtaining profit measures are based on the historical cost concept and thus tend to be poor estimates of economic performance. Companies tend to rely on financial accounting-based information for internal performance measurement (Johnson and Kaplan, 1987). This information may be appropriate for external reporting but it is doubtful for internal performance measurement and evaluation. In particular, using GAAP requires that discretionary expenses are treated as period costs, resulting in managers having to bear the full cost in the period in which they are incurred. Many traditional measurement and evaluation methods such as ROI, EVA, ROCE and so on have failed to yield an appropriate estimate of the pay back from these complex systems (Barua et al., 1996). Some claim these performance indicators have a high reliance on financial perspectives and thus portrait only one facet of the organisation. Balance scorecard (BSC) BSC was introduced by Kaplan and Norton (1992) to overcome the shortcomings of traditional management accounting and control which fails to signal changes in the companys economic value as an organization makes substantial investments or depletes past investments in intangible assets. The scorecard contains four different perspective which is financial performance, customers, internal business processes, and learning and growth. These perspectives reflect the interests of the key stakeholders of companies involving shareholders, customers and employees (Mooraj et al., 1999). There are several benefits of adoption the balanced scorecard highlight by Kaplan and Norton 1992. One of the benefits is focusing the entire company on the few key things needed to create breakthrough performance. A balanced scorecard might show that an organisation is only weak in a couple of areas but that these areas are impeding its overall success. By focusing everyone in the organisation on improving those areas, overall performance gets better. Next, it assists to integrate different company activities such as quality and customer service. By looking at different organisational programmes or units from different perspectives can be a way of getting everyone singing from the same song sheet. If the balanced scorecard shows customer service to be weak, focusing on everybodys customer service performance behaviours will lead to small improvements in each department or unit; the overall effect will be a bigger improvement in the organisations customer service performance across the board. Lastly, managers and employees both know what is required to achieve excellent overall performance by breaking down strategic measures to lower levels of the organisation. For example, an organisation might have overall goals to increase productivity by 5 per cent. By breaking down its productivity measures to granular levels of the organisation as part of a balanced scorecard, every member of the organisation will have clear targets that achieve their overall goals. Performance Prism The Performance Prism was developed by (Andy Neely and Adams, 2000) takes a drastically different look at performance measurement and sets out clearly to recognize how managers can use measurement data to improve business performance. It has a much more comprehensive view of different stakeholders for example investors, customers, employees, regulators and suppliers than other frameworks. It must be considering the wants and needs of stakeholders first before the strategies can be formulated (Neely et al., 2001). Thus, the stakeholders and their needs have been clearly identified, if not, it is impossible to form a proper strategy for company. According to Andy Neely, now lots of measurement frameworks for example like the balanced scorecard tends to take a fairly narrow view of stakeholders which refer to shareholders and customers. However, it ignores employees, suppliers, regulators and in todays society organisations cant afford to ignore those different pressure groups. Those di fferent groups of stakeholders that might be interested in the business. The strength of this conceptual framework is that it first questions the companys existing strategy before the process of selecting measures is started. In this way, the framework ensures that the performance measures have a strong foundation. The performance prism also considers new stakeholders (such as employees, suppliers, alliance partners or intermediaries) who are usually neglected when forming performance measures. It is structured to throw light on the complexity of an organisations relationships with its multiple stakeholders within the context of its particular operating environment. It provides an innovative and holistic framework that directs management attention to what is important for long term success and viability and helps organisations to design, build, operate and refresh their performance measurement systems in a way that is relevant to the specific conditions of their operating environment. (Andy Neely, Chris Adams, Mike Kennerley, 2002). Lastly, the performance Prism has considered the stakeholder satisfaction and stakeholder contribution compare to other performance measurement dont consider it. Now a way of thinking about this is that as a stakeholder in an organisation as a customer of an organisation, there are certain things I want from the organisation. Conclusion Divisional performance measurement should be based on a combination of financial and non-financial measures. Financial performance measures cannot stand alone as a measure of divisional performance. Profitability is only one of the factors contributing to a companys objectives. An incorporation of non-financial measures, such as competitiveness, product leadership, productivity, quality, innovation and flexibility in responding to changes in demand, creates the need to link financial and non-financial measures of performance.

Comparing William Faulkners Short Stories, A Rose for Emily and Dry Se

Comparing William Faulkner's Short Stories, A Rose for Emily and Dry September Three key elements link William Faulkner's two short stories "A Rose for Emily" and "Dry September": sex, death, and women (King 203). Staging his two stories against a backdrop of stereotypical characters and a southern code of honor, Faulkner deliberately withholds important details, fragments chronological times, and fuses the past with the present to imply the character's act and motivation. The characters in Faulkner's southern society are drawn from three social levels: the aristocrats, the townspeople, and the Negroes (Volpe 15). In "A Rose for Emily," Faulkner describes Miss Emily Grierson in flowing, descriptive sentences. Once a "slender figure in white," the last descendent of a formerly affluent aristocratic family matures into a "small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head" (Faulkner, Literature 25-27). Despite her diminished financial status, Miss Emily exhibits her aristocratic demeanor by carrying her head high "as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson" (28). In an equally descriptive manner, Faulkner paints a written portrait of Miss Minnie Cooper in "Dry September." He portrays her as a spinster "of comfortable people - not the best in Jefferson, but good enough people" and "still on the slender side of ordinary looking, with a bright faintly haggard manner and dress (Faulkner, Reader 520). Cleanth Brooks sheds considerable insight on Faulkner's view of women. He notes that Faulkner's women are "the source and sustainer of virtue and also a prime source of evil. She can be ... ...uth. Works Cited Brooks, Cleanth. "William Faulkner: Visions of Good and Evil." Faulkner, New Perspectives. Ed. Richard H. Brodhead. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey : Prentice-Hall, 1983. ---. Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House,1986. Faulkner, William. "Dry September." The Faulkner Reader. New York; Random House, 1954. ---. "A Rose for Emily." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 5th ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. ---. Selected Letters of William Faulkner. Ed. Joseph Blotner. New York: Random House, 1977. Kazin, Alfred. Bright Book of Life. Boston: Little Brown Company, 1973. King, Richard H. Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Reed, Joseph. Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Volpe, Edmond. A Reader's Guide to William Faulkner. New York: Octagon, 1974.

Leadership Communication

With each volunteer I ensure that I am able to cater for each person's individual needs by ensuring there is structure for those who have Learning difficulties ii peeping to times, easy read information, clear verbal information in meetings and in writing. Ensuring that only one person is talking at one time so not to confuse anyone and to prevent too much nose for those with environmental sensory difficulties. Easy read minutes are taken at each team meeting and at support sessions.Staff information is kept in a locked filing cabinet in Rose Buddies, there is information stored on my USB which is locked and I have a second back up storage device in the safe in Rose Buddies. Communication book, notice board, diary, staff planner, handovers Members- to ensure ACH member is kept informed in different ways to suit their needs. We ensure that if a member has a preference with how we communicate with it is to suit their needs; these are easy read posters, newsletters by post, text message , email, faceable, phone call, letter this information is to promote our services to each member.Members details are kept in a locked filing cabinet the key is then stored in a locked draw or myself and Denies Dixon holds a key. Each member has a file note folder on my laptop and on a lockable storage devise held in the safe. I steering group meetings every 12 seeks, we have a chair minute taker and time keeper for each meeting these are all people who have additional needs. These meetings are to ensure the service is running to meet the needs of its users, they decide what activities, events, social events, workshops etc we run throughout the year.Before each meeting we agree that anything we discuss is confidential and should not be discussed without anyone's permission. Notices, planner, diary, Social workers, Gap's, Community nurses, Tot's, etc – most of my communication is through restricted emails and phone calls and is redecoration referrals. I have strategy meetings a bout new members to ensure we have a clear understanding of the support they require. As an organization we are required respect confidentiality and have a good understanding of the company's Data protection policy. I use initials, where possible, when I am communication with external stakeholders.Any emails receive are saved into the members file, if there are any actions required I fill in this section of the members file note. Police and Community Wardens – The communication have is predominantly verbal, I always ensure that this s recorded in the members file note and any actions are recorded. Council employees work and pensions employees – The communication I have with these organizations are when we provide support to Rose Buddies members, this can be verbal or written. This is recorded in the telephone log book or in the members file note.Local stakeholders – The communication I have with our local stakeholders Include Waking Learning Disability Partnersh ip Board, CLASP (self advocacy group) support Horizons (Social enterprise) Transform (housing support) Bradbury Community Centre, Day Services I communicate verbally or written. If it involves members this is documented in their file notes or If I am working on a joint project this is documented through our publicity material ii where, when, who attended and feedback forms. 2. What types of barriers and challenges do you come across in your line of working and how do you overcome these challenges? 1. 3 & 1. 4) The barriers I have faced are: Due to supporting vulnerable adults we communicate with parent/ careers on a regular basis. Have found that on a number of occasions when parents are attending events with Rose Buddies members they will speck on behalf of our embers and not give them the opportunity to speck for themselves, to overcome this barrier I give eye contact and use the members name when I'm directly specking to them, I have found this empowers and gives them the confide nce to speck back and answer for themselves.Parents/careers respond positively and its enables those to see that there child can speck independently if given the opportunity. When supporting Adults who have Learning Disabilities they find it difficult to process and retain information we are providing, to over come these barriers we use direct, clear, non jargon, easy read material, weather it be verbal, Ritter or through the use of video, pictures, posters etc. O ensure that we communicate well with Rose Buddies members we hold steering group meetings with members who help to lead the service to suit the needs of its users, at these meetings we receive feedback from them about how we can communicate better with all our members. Due to the way the service run I. E. We support 140+ members to live independent fulfilling lives, providing sessions in the community these include: Cooking skills, workshops, social events, courses, allotments, crafts sessions, gym sessions and walking gro ups.Staff and volunteers predominantly loan work and may be see each other for a number of days, it came to my attention that there was no formal way of a hand over or if information needed to be shared. This prompted me to hold a team meeting about how we could communicate better with each other. We now have a system for each member of the team contacts the office to let me know that the session has finish and if there is anything that needs to be passed on, this is the recorded the message book or in the client file. I am due to hold a team meeting on 25th Feb. 2014, for a review. 3.Talk about a situation where you have reviewed a particular communication method in your workplace, how you have proposed improvements to this method and how you have monitored its effectiveness after implementing the changes. (age new care plan review system, implementation of a new service user monthly meeting). (2. 1 – 2. 4) In the service I manage for Creative Support, we are expected to pro vide the local authority records for monitoring as they provide funding to the prevention service, the service is due to be re-tendered and I have needed to provide monitoring records involving the service over the last year.Information that has been required were – Numbers visiting the Drop-in, Numbers (signing in book) attending our activities (attendance list), number of members requiring telephone support (call log) etc this information is stored in different formats and the Council required this to be put into one report. Found this very time consuming as we provide support to over 130 members with one full time (me) one part time member of staff and 8 regular volunteers.I decided this service needed to set up a system that would include all the relevant monitoring information that could be sent to the Council commissioning am. When visiting Head office I remember seeing a system on excel that would meet my requirements. In my supervision with my line manager mentioned t he difficulties I was having providing all this information, and that remembered seeing this excel document, my manager know the document I was talking about and would be able to help me set this up, we arranged a time for her to visit my project to set this document up to meet our needs.This document is now in place and provides me with all the information that is required for monitoring. This document saves time as I am no longer squired to be contacted on a number of occasions as all the information is in one place; this system is far more efficient. 4. Talk about how you have reviewed the communication methods that you have been using with those you work in partnership** (egg doctors, social services, pharmacists etc) and how you have improved the communication methods that you use with them.You must compare the different methods and how effective (or not) these methods have been, or are. (3. 1 – 3. 3) Rose Buddies has over 140 members and ensuring that we are able to pro mote all the activities in the past Rose Buddies would send all resplendence through post this was a very expensive. At one of the steering group meetings we asked our members how we could improve the way we communicate with our members and let them know what we are up too.A number of them thought that Faceable would be a good way, many of Rose Buddies members use Faceable, I decided that a survey to find out how people would like to find out about what we are doing, would ensure that We are meeting the needs of our members, from this survey I Was able to indemnify that some members would like to still receive information through he post, some on Faceable, some by text message and others by coming in to see us as the could not read the content.We now have a more diverse way of communicating and a greater number of members attending our activities. The Rose Buddies team work out in the community supporting members, all our where bout's was recorded in a diary that is kept on the desk . I felt that we needed to have more visual way of being able to see where and what was happening as the Drop-in can become very busy and nosy, and members like to know where, what, when and who is organizing sessions. Team members ND Rose Buddies members can now look at the big board to know who and where activities are taking place.I have found that as a team we have a better way of knowing who is where and members feel more included about what's happening in the service. Rose Buddies hold a lot of information about wars happening in the local area this includes health services, what's going on, events, training, courses, news and general information, most of this information are posters which cover most of the walls in Rose Buddies, I felt that there was so much information that members found it hard to know what they were looking for ND would be discouraged when seeking information independently.To promote independence I felt we needed to improve the way we organism our informat ion to members, I have now used visual signs and pictures to section each topic, this provide members with a visual tool to seek information that is relevant to them and members are now able to access the information more independently. 5. You receive a telephone call from a family member of one of your service users who asks for details of the doctor's visit that took place earlier in the day.Explain what the legal responsibilities there are for maintaining infallibility and sharing information (you must explain the different pieces of legislation and the ICQ/CASSIS requirements). (4. 1) I would ask the caller to provide me with the service users name, date of birth and address to ensure I am not disclosing information about an incorrect person and I would also ask the caller for their name, DOBB and address to ensure they are who they say they are.When making my decision on what information provide, I would consider Creative Supports policies and a number of legislative documents and department of health guidelines that are relevant to confidentiality and access to information or records. The most significant are the Data Protection act 1998, Confidentiality code of practice Human Rights act 2000, Freedom of information act 2000, Public records act 1 958, every employee has a personal common law duty of confidentiality to service users and to Creative Support. Some staff are also bound by professional codes of conduct which relate in part to confidentiality.Creative Support adhere to the Coalition principles which aim to share the minimum information necessary to provide safe care or satisfy other purposes, these principles include: Justify the purpose of the discloser Not using identifiable service user information unless absolutely necessary, and where required, using the minimum necessary Ensuring that access to service user information is on a strictly need to know basis Ensuring all staff are aware of their responsibilities understanding and complying w ith the law.Since all information divulged must be treated with respect, it is important to establish with the client if this information may be passed on to anyone else. Wherever possible, permission to share information must be sought from the individual client concerned. The confidentiality policy is outlined and explained as an important part of the introduction training received by all members of staff. This is further reinforced through supervision, training, team meetings, performance appraisal and other methods. Leadership Communication With each volunteer I ensure that I am able to cater for each person's individual needs by ensuring there is structure for those who have Learning difficulties ii peeping to times, easy read information, clear verbal information in meetings and in writing. Ensuring that only one person is talking at one time so not to confuse anyone and to prevent too much nose for those with environmental sensory difficulties. Easy read minutes are taken at each team meeting and at support sessions.Staff information is kept in a locked filing cabinet in Rose Buddies, there is information stored on my USB which is locked and I have a second back up storage device in the safe in Rose Buddies. Communication book, notice board, diary, staff planner, handovers Members- to ensure ACH member is kept informed in different ways to suit their needs. We ensure that if a member has a preference with how we communicate with it is to suit their needs; these are easy read posters, newsletters by post, text message , email, faceable, phone call, letter this information is to promote our services to each member.Members details are kept in a locked filing cabinet the key is then stored in a locked draw or myself and Denies Dixon holds a key. Each member has a file note folder on my laptop and on a lockable storage devise held in the safe. I steering group meetings every 12 seeks, we have a chair minute taker and time keeper for each meeting these are all people who have additional needs. These meetings are to ensure the service is running to meet the needs of its users, they decide what activities, events, social events, workshops etc we run throughout the year.Before each meeting we agree that anything we discuss is confidential and should not be discussed without anyone's permission. Notices, planner, diary, Social workers, Gap's, Community nurses, Tot's, etc – most of my communication is through restricted emails and phone calls and is redecoration referrals. I have strategy meetings a bout new members to ensure we have a clear understanding of the support they require. As an organization we are required respect confidentiality and have a good understanding of the company's Data protection policy. I use initials, where possible, when I am communication with external stakeholders.Any emails receive are saved into the members file, if there are any actions required I fill in this section of the members file note. Police and Community Wardens – The communication have is predominantly verbal, I always ensure that this s recorded in the members file note and any actions are recorded. Council employees work and pensions employees – The communication I have with these organizations are when we provide support to Rose Buddies members, this can be verbal or written. This is recorded in the telephone log book or in the members file note.Local stakeholders – The communication I have with our local stakeholders Include Waking Learning Disability Partnersh ip Board, CLASP (self advocacy group) support Horizons (Social enterprise) Transform (housing support) Bradbury Community Centre, Day Services I communicate verbally or written. If it involves members this is documented in their file notes or If I am working on a joint project this is documented through our publicity material ii where, when, who attended and feedback forms. 2. What types of barriers and challenges do you come across in your line of working and how do you overcome these challenges? 1. 3 & 1. 4) The barriers I have faced are: Due to supporting vulnerable adults we communicate with parent/ careers on a regular basis. Have found that on a number of occasions when parents are attending events with Rose Buddies members they will speck on behalf of our embers and not give them the opportunity to speck for themselves, to overcome this barrier I give eye contact and use the members name when I'm directly specking to them, I have found this empowers and gives them the confide nce to speck back and answer for themselves.Parents/careers respond positively and its enables those to see that there child can speck independently if given the opportunity. When supporting Adults who have Learning Disabilities they find it difficult to process and retain information we are providing, to over come these barriers we use direct, clear, non jargon, easy read material, weather it be verbal, Ritter or through the use of video, pictures, posters etc. O ensure that we communicate well with Rose Buddies members we hold steering group meetings with members who help to lead the service to suit the needs of its users, at these meetings we receive feedback from them about how we can communicate better with all our members. Due to the way the service run I. E. We support 140+ members to live independent fulfilling lives, providing sessions in the community these include: Cooking skills, workshops, social events, courses, allotments, crafts sessions, gym sessions and walking gro ups.Staff and volunteers predominantly loan work and may be see each other for a number of days, it came to my attention that there was no formal way of a hand over or if information needed to be shared. This prompted me to hold a team meeting about how we could communicate better with each other. We now have a system for each member of the team contacts the office to let me know that the session has finish and if there is anything that needs to be passed on, this is the recorded the message book or in the client file. I am due to hold a team meeting on 25th Feb. 2014, for a review. 3.Talk about a situation where you have reviewed a particular communication method in your workplace, how you have proposed improvements to this method and how you have monitored its effectiveness after implementing the changes. (age new care plan review system, implementation of a new service user monthly meeting). (2. 1 – 2. 4) In the service I manage for Creative Support, we are expected to pro vide the local authority records for monitoring as they provide funding to the prevention service, the service is due to be re-tendered and I have needed to provide monitoring records involving the service over the last year.Information that has been required were – Numbers visiting the Drop-in, Numbers (signing in book) attending our activities (attendance list), number of members requiring telephone support (call log) etc this information is stored in different formats and the Council required this to be put into one report. Found this very time consuming as we provide support to over 130 members with one full time (me) one part time member of staff and 8 regular volunteers.I decided this service needed to set up a system that would include all the relevant monitoring information that could be sent to the Council commissioning am. When visiting Head office I remember seeing a system on excel that would meet my requirements. In my supervision with my line manager mentioned t he difficulties I was having providing all this information, and that remembered seeing this excel document, my manager know the document I was talking about and would be able to help me set this up, we arranged a time for her to visit my project to set this document up to meet our needs.This document is now in place and provides me with all the information that is required for monitoring. This document saves time as I am no longer squired to be contacted on a number of occasions as all the information is in one place; this system is far more efficient. 4. Talk about how you have reviewed the communication methods that you have been using with those you work in partnership** (egg doctors, social services, pharmacists etc) and how you have improved the communication methods that you use with them.You must compare the different methods and how effective (or not) these methods have been, or are. (3. 1 – 3. 3) Rose Buddies has over 140 members and ensuring that we are able to pro mote all the activities in the past Rose Buddies would send all resplendence through post this was a very expensive. At one of the steering group meetings we asked our members how we could improve the way we communicate with our members and let them know what we are up too.A number of them thought that Faceable would be a good way, many of Rose Buddies members use Faceable, I decided that a survey to find out how people would like to find out about what we are doing, would ensure that We are meeting the needs of our members, from this survey I Was able to indemnify that some members would like to still receive information through he post, some on Faceable, some by text message and others by coming in to see us as the could not read the content.We now have a more diverse way of communicating and a greater number of members attending our activities. The Rose Buddies team work out in the community supporting members, all our where bout's was recorded in a diary that is kept on the desk . I felt that we needed to have more visual way of being able to see where and what was happening as the Drop-in can become very busy and nosy, and members like to know where, what, when and who is organizing sessions. Team members ND Rose Buddies members can now look at the big board to know who and where activities are taking place.I have found that as a team we have a better way of knowing who is where and members feel more included about what's happening in the service. Rose Buddies hold a lot of information about wars happening in the local area this includes health services, what's going on, events, training, courses, news and general information, most of this information are posters which cover most of the walls in Rose Buddies, I felt that there was so much information that members found it hard to know what they were looking for ND would be discouraged when seeking information independently.To promote independence I felt we needed to improve the way we organism our informat ion to members, I have now used visual signs and pictures to section each topic, this provide members with a visual tool to seek information that is relevant to them and members are now able to access the information more independently. 5. You receive a telephone call from a family member of one of your service users who asks for details of the doctor's visit that took place earlier in the day.Explain what the legal responsibilities there are for maintaining infallibility and sharing information (you must explain the different pieces of legislation and the ICQ/CASSIS requirements). (4. 1) I would ask the caller to provide me with the service users name, date of birth and address to ensure I am not disclosing information about an incorrect person and I would also ask the caller for their name, DOBB and address to ensure they are who they say they are.When making my decision on what information provide, I would consider Creative Supports policies and a number of legislative documents and department of health guidelines that are relevant to confidentiality and access to information or records. The most significant are the Data Protection act 1998, Confidentiality code of practice Human Rights act 2000, Freedom of information act 2000, Public records act 1 958, every employee has a personal common law duty of confidentiality to service users and to Creative Support. Some staff are also bound by professional codes of conduct which relate in part to confidentiality.Creative Support adhere to the Coalition principles which aim to share the minimum information necessary to provide safe care or satisfy other purposes, these principles include: Justify the purpose of the discloser Not using identifiable service user information unless absolutely necessary, and where required, using the minimum necessary Ensuring that access to service user information is on a strictly need to know basis Ensuring all staff are aware of their responsibilities understanding and complying w ith the law.Since all information divulged must be treated with respect, it is important to establish with the client if this information may be passed on to anyone else. Wherever possible, permission to share information must be sought from the individual client concerned. The confidentiality policy is outlined and explained as an important part of the introduction training received by all members of staff. This is further reinforced through supervision, training, team meetings, performance appraisal and other methods.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 27~28

Chapter Twenty-seven Well, That Was Fucked Up â€Å"Then, Lucifer Two attains the blood sword and takes Jared the White as his consort, and they hold dominion over all of the Kindred for ever and ever,† said Jared White Wolf, concluding the hour-long plot synopsis of his unwritten epic vampire adventure novel. â€Å"So what do you think?† â€Å"I really liked it, but I think you may need to work on the characters more,† Tommy said, flexing his writer muscles a little. It helped him to not think about the thirst that was rising in him. Jared looked to Jody, and raised a drawn-on eyebrow. â€Å"I think we must get out of this basement right now,† Jody said, â€Å"and if that means murdering your parents and little sisters, well, you don't make an omelet – â€Å" â€Å"But what did you think of my novel?† Jared said. â€Å"I think it's not a novel, it's a sexual fantasy about you and your rat.† â€Å"It is not. That's just the characters' names.† â€Å"Try Abby's cell again, Jared.† Jody was gritting her teeth. â€Å"Tell her to get back here,† Tommy said. He was starting to get cramps from the blood thirst. â€Å"Hold on, I get shit reception down here.† Jared took his cell and his rat and headed out the door and up the steps. When he was gone, Tommy turned to Jody. â€Å"I'm really feeling the hunger.† â€Å"Me, too.† â€Å"Should we maybe just, you know, sample Jared?† â€Å"I don't think that's a good idea.† â€Å"Well,† Tommy said. â€Å"William is in the hospital, and we don't know where Abby is, and I don't see as we have that many options.† â€Å"Tommy, let's just walk out of here. What's the worst that can happen? We shock Jared's parents? I get the feeling they may be desensitized.† â€Å"That's fine, but then where do we go tomorrow? A hotel? I guess, if we get the money, we can have Abby guard the door to keep the maid from coming in and frying us.† Tommy brightened. â€Å"Hey, maybe Abby grabbed some money from the loft?† â€Å"Abby might not even be alive,† Jody said, more than just irritation in her voice now. â€Å"You know how Elijah was going to kill you to fuck with me? If he's been watching us, he has to know about Abby. She'll be next. We should have left here right away. I feel horrible for leaving her out there alone.† â€Å"She went right to him.† Tommy cradled his head in hands. â€Å"I hate this, Jody. Why did you do this to me? It could have worked. I could have looked out for you and had a real life. Now I just live from feeding to feeding, putting people in danger. Everyone wants to kill us or take something from us. I'm from Indiana, they don't prepare us for this kind of thing in the Midwest.† Jody slid off the bed to the floor and sat next to him, put her arm around his shoulders. â€Å"It's not like that, Tommy. We're like gods. Sure, we have to hunt, but if you let go to the predator part of you, you'll lose that anxious feeling. You have to feel the power of it.† â€Å"Power? What power? I was ready to have the rat as a snack.† â€Å"Well, you can have the rat if you need him, because that little fucker is creepy.† Tommy pulled away from her. â€Å"Don't.† Jared came through the door then, pumping his inhaler. â€Å"Oh my God! Oh my God! She met the hottest guy who is a ninja, and they're like totally into each other. And those guys you told us about, that kidnapped you, a bunch of them are vampires now. And there's a tall woman vampire, too, who tried to bite Abs. And Abby totally took them all on and burned them up with some kind of portable sunlight. Oh my God, she's so awesome. I wish I had balls like her.† â€Å"Where is she now?† Jody asked. â€Å"She's having a Mochaccino at Tulley's on Market. I loaned her like twenty dollars. Which she's going to pay me back out of her Christmas bonus you're giving her. Hey, do I get a Christmas bonus, because – â€Å" â€Å"Call her and tell her to stay right where she is,† Jody said. â€Å"We're on our way.† â€Å"We are?† Tommy said. They could get out of here, find a – a donor! â€Å"No, not you,† Jody said. â€Å"We are.† She patted Jared on the shoulder, careful not to get her hand near the rat. â€Å"We are?† Jared said. â€Å"Yes, Jared, you have to come out to your parents. You have to confess that you've had a girl in your room all day. We'll walk up and you can just introduce me as your girlfriend.† â€Å"Okay. I guess. You might want to borrow some eyeliner and touch up your lipstick a little first, okay?† â€Å"I will slap the gloom off of you, rat shagger,† Jody said with a smile that was just a few degrees below being warm. Over his very long life, Elijah Ben Sapir had been hunted, beaten, tortured, drowned, impaled, imprisoned, and even burned on two occasions – tolerance for those who live off the lifeblood of others being what it is – but in eight centuries, this was the first time he had been flash-fried by a tricked-out Honda. Despite the novelty of it, when novelty had just become his new joy, he figured that if he went another eight hundred years before it happened again, he'd be okay. Creeping down a SOMA alley, snatching rats from behind Dumpsters and draining them to dust just so he could heal himself enough to hunt a real victim, was serving as an abject lesson as to why he and his kind were sworn to remain concealed. It was bound to happen: the application of new technology for the detection and destruction of vampires. Hadn't he adopted technology to protect himself? His self-piloting yacht with its sensors and sealed vault had served him as well as any guarded castle. But he'd forgotten the rule – not forgotten, really, but ignored it – deciding to indulge in hope, to the point of faith, that he would always prevail. So some clever cow had figured out how to package sunlight and unleash it upon his arrogant carcass. The cow would never have found the solution had the vampire not shown him the problem. Humbled was Elijah, and angry, and hungry, and a little sad, because he had loved his yellow tracksuit, and now it was but beads of blackened pol yester burned into his skin. He picked at them as he listened for prey, tucked between a Dumpster and a white step-van full of bread racks. Here came one now – fat enough to complete the healing, Elijah could tell by the weight of his step. The back door of the bakery opened and the rotund baker stepped out and shook a cigarette out of his pack. His life aura was pink and healthy, his heart thumped strong, and would for a long time if Elijah did not suck it dry. Normally he only took the sick and the weak, those who were short for the grave anyway, but this was a desperate time. He leapt on the big man's back and rode him to the ground, catching his scream in one hand, using the other to hit pressure points in his neck that had the baker unconscious in two seconds. Elijah drank, listening to his blackened skin crackle, slough, and heal, even as the baker still breathed. There would be no neck snap, no body to find this time. He dumped the dust from the baker's clothes and slipped into them. His white Nikes were the only survivors of his previous outfit, so he threw the baker's clogs into the Dumpster along with his wallet, pocketed the cash, and took off, dressed in white from head to foot. The vampire smiled to himself, not with joy, but with the grim irony of the situation. People often speak of things coming to them in a flash of inspiration, but the clich held new meaning for Elijah. The flash meant that the game was over, that his foray into human desire, even for revenge, had gone far enough, and now it was time for damage control. They all had to die. He wouldn't enjoy killing her. Not her. After being burned up for the second time in two days, Blue was ready for a healing massacre – a bloodbath – but the Animals had stopped her, citing sissy ethical reasons like murder was, you know, wrong. â€Å"You're burned up!† Blue said. â€Å"This is no time to develop a conscience. Where was your conscience when you were making me do you a dozen times a day, huh?† â€Å"That's different,† said Drew. â€Å"You were in on it.† â€Å"Yeah,† added Jeff. â€Å"And we paid you.† â€Å"No one was hurt, amiga,† Gustavo added. Blue broke off some charred crust coming over the seat of the Mercedes at Gustavo, who was in the passenger seat. Drew dragged her back into her seat by her hips. She crossed her arms and pouted, huffing out little flakes of ash in exasperation. They were supposed to be doing her bidding. They were supposed to be her seven – well, three – dwarves. â€Å"You shut the fuck up, bean town. I was hurt. I am hurt. Look at me.† They didn't look at her. They were all burnt black from the waist up, in the front at least. Their shirts hung on them in charred shreds. The linen dress that Blue had been wearing had incinerated almost completely. She was wearing only her panties and a severely singed bra. Her face was still a bit lopsided from where Elijah had banged it on the car hood. â€Å"We didn't do this, Blue,† Drew said. Blue smacked him repeatedly in the head a half-dozen times, knocking off most of one of his charred ears and all of the carbon strands that were what was left of his hair. The tip of her little finger broke off in the process, at which point she sat back and growled like a beaten dog. â€Å"We need blood to heal,† Blue said. â€Å"Lots of it.† â€Å"I know,† Jeff said. The charred power forward was driving. â€Å"I'm takin' care of it.† â€Å"You just passed five perfectly good teenagers,† Blue said. â€Å"Where the fuck are you going?† â€Å"Somewhere where the donors can handle our action,† Jeff said. â€Å"Well, we're broke until you get my money back, so your donors better have some fucking cash.† â€Å"We can't exactly go into a bar in the financial district,† Drew said. â€Å"Not looking like this.† â€Å"Oh, like they'd let you dirtbags in at your best.† Blue found that being burnt up put her on edge more than normal. She'd tried taking a Valium left by the Mercedes guy, just like Drew and the other had downed handfuls of his painkillers, only to find their vampire systems rejected them with extreme violence. â€Å"We're here,† Jeff said, pulling the Mercedes into a wide public parking lot. â€Å"You're fucking kidding me,† Blue said. â€Å"The zoo?† Tommy waited half an hour before he called Jody's cell, only to get a dropped signal, then voice mail. He called three more times in the next half hour, played two rounds of Gunning for Nuns Xtreme on Jared's Xbox, called Abby's cell only to get voice mail, then made his first sincere attempt at turning to mist. Jody had said it was a mental thing, you just had to see yourself as mist, force yourself to mist, â€Å"like flexing a muscle,† she had said. â€Å"Once you've done it once, you just know how it feels and you can do it again. Like getting up on water skis.† It wasn't that he could get out of the basement undetected, it was what Jody had said about being in the mist state – that time sort of just glided, like you were in a dream. It was the only reason, she said, that she hadn't beaten him senseless for having her bronzed. When you were mist, it just wasn't all that bad. Maybe if he could turn to mist, he could pass the time without driving himself nuts with worry. For all his mental flexing, all he got was a flatulent toot that sent him diving for the door and fanning the room out with it. He was truly a foul dead thing – fouler than he'd even guessed. He looked for paint peeling off the walls. That was it. He was not a kid hiding in his friend's basement, he was a – what did Abby call it? – he was one of the anointed, a prince of the night. He was going to walk out of here, right past the family, and if he had to take them out, well, so be it. That would teach Jody for leaving him behind and turning her phone off. How do you feel now, Red? Huh? Massacred, dismembered family? Huh? Glad you saved your anytime minutes now?! He tramped up the steps and into Jared's parents' family room. â€Å"Hi,† Jared's father said. Tommy had expected a bit of a monster based on Jared's description of his father. Instead what he saw was a bit of an accountant. He was about forty-five, in pretty good shape, holding a little girl on his lap who was coloring a picture of a pony. Another little girl, who looked about the same age, was coloring on the floor at his feet. â€Å"Hi,† Tommy said. â€Å"You must be the vampire Flood,† Jared's dad said, with a bit of a knowing smile. â€Å"Uh. Well. Kinda.† It showed. He could no longer hide among the humans. It must be because it had been so long since he had fed. â€Å"Sort of a weak ensemble, don't you think?† Jared's dad said. â€Å"Weak,† repeated the little girl without looking up from her pony. â€Å"Huh?† Tommy inquired. â€Å"For a vampire. Jeans, sneakers, and flannel?† Tommy looked at his clothes. â€Å"Black jeans,† he pointed out. Shouldn't this guy be cowering in fear, maybe begging Tommy not to put his little daughter in a sack for his vampire brides? â€Å"Okay, I suppose times change. You know that Jared and his girlfriend went up to Tulley's on Market to meet Abby, right?† â€Å"His girlfriend, Jody?† â€Å"Right,† said Dad. â€Å"Cute girl. Not as many piercings as I expected, but we're just happy she's a girl.† An attractive blond woman in her late twenties came into the room carrying a tray with carrot and celery sticks on it. â€Å"Oh, hi,† she said, dazzling a smile at Tommy. â€Å"You must be the vampire Flood. Hi, I'm Emily. Would you like some crudites? You're welcome to stay for dinner. We're having mac and cheese, it was the girls' night to pick.† I should drink her blood and put her kids in a sack, Tommy thought. But his vicious predator nature was overcome by his Midwestern upbringing, so instead he said, â€Å"Thank you very much, Emily, but I really should be going if I'm going to catch up to Jared and Jody.† â€Å"Well, okay then,† said the woman. â€Å"Girls, say good-bye to the vampire Flood.† â€Å"Good-bye, the vampire Flood,† the girls sang in chorus. â€Å"Uh, bye.† Tommy bolted out of the room, then back in again. â€Å"Where's the door?† Everyone pointed through the kitchen, whence Jared's stepmonster had just come. He ran through the kitchen and out the door, then stood with his back against the minivan in the drive, trying to catch his breath. â€Å"That was fucked up,† he gasped, then realized that he wasn't out of breath from exertion at all. He was having an anxiety attack. â€Å"That was really, really fucked up.† Chapter Twenty-eight Wallflowers of the Night It was a lot like trying to get your courage up to ask a girl to dance, except that in this case it wasn't so much the fear of rejection, or that you'd be awkward and embarrass yourself, although that was a consideration, but that whoever you picked was going to be reduced to dust, which was somewhat more significant than trampling her toes. Tommy stood on Castro Street looking for his next victim. His first victim, really. He was tired of being the apprentice. If Jody was going to just leave him in the basement because he wasn't vampire enough for her, then maybe he'd have to become like her. Maybe he'd learn about this predator nature she talked about. Maybe, like that guy in the basement in The Phantom of the Opera, he would have to hear â€Å"The Music of the Night.† He wasn't sure what had happened to the basement guy. He'd gone to see the movie with a girl from his high school, but had to leave halfway through to keep from taking his own life. It hadn't been a good date. There were plenty of people out on the street, even at this hour, but none of them screamed victim. There were no women in low-cut dresses who had just turned an ankle. There were no girls in negligees running down the street, glancing back over their shoulders. There were, in fact, not many girls at all. Lots of guys. Lots. He reckoned that it wasn't really necessary that he pick a woman. After all, he'd fed off of William and Chet, both of whom were male, but this was different. This was really becoming the hunter, and despite his hunger, there was no little bit of revenge in his decision to bite someone. So it had to be a girl. He had to get back at Jody for ditching him at Jared's. He had to show her that she wasn't the only vein in the circulatory system. Or whatever. The few women he saw were so healthy, with big bright pink life auras around them, and weren't alone either. He had to get someone alone. Frustrated, he backed down the alley and started pacing back and forth. After a short time he took a run at the wall, ran up ten feet or so, then turned and ran back across the alley and up the other wall about ten feet, then back, and up the wall fifteen feet – like a skateboarder working a half-pipe, he ran back and forth, feeling the strength and speed of what he was – feeling his confidence rise. I am a superior being, he thought. I am a friggin' god! Then his foot went through a window and he sank up to his crotch into the building, then dangled over the alley upside down, three stories up, flailing. Stupid place for a window, he thought. Then he saw her. She was sort of tall, but dressed in a red evening gown, with athletic curves, and long red hair that had been lacquered into ringlets. She was perfect, and she was coming down the alley. It was like he'd ordered her from an old Hammer film to be the hapless victim. Sweet! So he was hanging upside down by one leg. That could be a tactic. He felt his fangs extending and he drooled a little, which hit her on the shoulder. She started a little, and that's when he made his move. He'd always loved the scene in Dracula where Jonathan Harker sees the Count climbing, facedown, down the castle walls and thinks, Hey, something is up here. Tommy had pleaded with Jody to try it, but she never would, so this was his chance. He pulled himself out of the window, hooked his fingers between the bricks, and began his climb. And dropped thirty feet to the alley, landing flat on his back. â€Å"Ouch.† Upon Tommy's impact, his intended victim had let out a very masculine scream, jumped three feet straight up, and came down sideways on her high heels. She knelt over him rubbing her ankle. â€Å"Cheesy Christ on a cracker, darlin'. Where did you come from?† Southern, and deep. â€Å"Slipped,† Tommy said. â€Å"You're a man, huh?† â€Å"Well, let's say that is a street which I have walked, to which I do not wish to return.† â€Å"You're very pretty,† Tommy said. â€Å"Sweet of you to say.† He tossed his hair a bit. â€Å"You want I should call an ambulance?† â€Å"No, no. Thanks. I'll be okay.† â€Å"What were you doing up there, anyway?† Conveniently, Tommy was still staring straight up at the sky, framed by the buildings, and he could see that she thought he'd fallen from the roof. â€Å"Listening for ‘the music of the night. â€Å" â€Å"Were you watching the DVD? I heard people tried to kill themselves rather than sit through it.† â€Å"Something like that.† â€Å"Honey, just push pause. Just push pause.† â€Å"I'll remember that. Thanks.† â€Å"You sure you don't want me to call someone?† â€Å"No, no. I'll call someone as soon as I catch my breath.† Tommy reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handful of broken plastic and wires that had once been his cell phone. â€Å"Okay then, y'all take care.† She stood, turned, and walked slowly out of the alley, trying not to limp. â€Å"Hey, miss,† Tommy called after him. â€Å"I'm not gay.† † ‘Course you aren't, darlin'.† â€Å"I rule the night!† She waved without looking as she rounded the corner. â€Å"Redheads,† he growled. He could feel his broken ribs knitting together. It wasn't pleasant. As soon as they were healed enough, it was back to Jared's house to eat the rat. Move up the food chain slowly, maybe. An hour later the torn and tattered vampire Flood limped up the driveway to Jared's house. Abby and Jared were smoking in the driveway. â€Å"Lord Flood,† Abby said. â€Å"What are you doing here?† â€Å"You look like someone opened a whole six-pack of whup-ass on you,† Jared said. â€Å"You shut up. How did your family know I was a vampire?† â€Å"Well, certainly not from your wardrobe.† â€Å"Jared, I am all busted up, and I'm feeling hungry, and a little fragile. Now answer my question or I will go inside and murder your family, feed on their blood, step on your rat, and break your Xbox.† â€Å"Whoa, drama queen much?† â€Å"Fine,† Tommy said. He shrugged, which hurt, and headed for the kitchen door. â€Å"Find me a sack big enough for your two little sisters.† Jared jumped in front of him. â€Å"I told them we were playing Vampire the Masquerade and that your part was the Vampire Flood.† Abby nodded. â€Å"We used to play all the time before we actually became minions.† â€Å"It's like Dungeons and Dragons but way cooler,† Jared said. â€Å"Okay.† Tommy nodded. Which hurt. There they were, two perfectly healthy donors from whom he could feed, who would be willing. And he was hurt, and he needed to feed in order to heal. Still, he couldn't ask. He was staring at Abby's neck, then looked away when she appeared to notice. â€Å"Where's Jody?† â€Å"She'll be here soon,† Abby said. â€Å"She sent us back to find you. We called but your cell wasn't on.† â€Å"Where is she?† â€Å"She went to the new loft. She said she'd bring some money and what was left of William's blood back for you. You can stay in a hotel. Jared and I can guard you.† â€Å"She went to the loft? Where Elijah is?† â€Å"Oh, that's not a problem,† Abby said. â€Å"My Samurai prince burned him up while rescuing me from the blond vampire ho and her grocery-store vamplets.† Tommy looked at Jared. † ‘Splain please.† â€Å"Just knock,† Drew said. â€Å"They'll unlock it for you. You're almost naked.† They stood by the front door of the Marina Safeway. Drew had healed a little from his burns, but was still bald and covered with a dusting of soot. Blue was completely healed, but wore only her charred underwear and the beige high heels that had looked so lovely with her linen dress. Since the first time she took the stage in high heels and a bikini back in her first Fond du Lac beauty pageant, right through her career stripping and then bonking for dollars, she thought the whole idea of high heels and underwear patently absurd. Yet here she was, rich, powerful, and immortal – yet still standing around wearing high heels and underwear. This time, however, there was some rationale for the outfit beyond that it floated some horndog's hormonal boat. At the zoo, while the Animals had pursued their prey among animals, she had found two night watchmen, each isolated on his rounds, and took them down. Unfortunately, she hadn't taken their clothing because she didn't want to have to explain to the Animals why she was dressed like a night watchman, since they had suddenly decided to take the moral high ground on slaughter. The Animals had not fared so well. Drew was the only one in better shape than when they'd first been burned. He'd gone for a llama, because he'd always thought they were cute. He was able to feed only a little, however, before he was bitten and spat upon, and decided to call it a night. Gustavo had gone for a zebra, under the mistaken assumption that his experience with horses as a boy in Mexico would somehow give him an edge in handling the African equine. Consequently, he had been summarily stomped, and now had several broken bones, including a nasty compound fracture of one leg, in addition to being burned up. Jeff, the basketball failure, was still embarrassed about having been taken down by a girl, and so picked a jungle cat as his victim, thinking that he would take on the strength and speed of his donor. His right arm was attached only by a few muscles and much of that shoulder was gone altogether. His skin was still crusty black from the waist up. â€Å"Fuck knocking,† said Blue. The big front window had only that day been replaced, but she was going to lead her charge right through it. â€Å"Get in, find them, and take them.† She found she was falling back on her dominatrix experience a lot lately, which was not a skill in which she had complete confidence, having only recently been killed while performing it. She took three quick steps up, snatched up the steel-reinforced trash can that Jody had used on the window only days ago, and flung it underhanded with all her strength. The can rocketed through the air, bounced off the new, double-impact-resistant Plexiglas window, and knocked Blue on her ass. Blue climbed to her feet without making any eye contact with her undead posse, dusted off her bottom, then snapped her newly broken nose back into place. â€Å"Well, knock then, fuckstick,† she said to Drew. â€Å"Knock, knock, knock. We don't have all night.†