Legend paints post-apocalyptic New York City as an urban jungle being replaced by actual jungle, with plants sprouting up through cracks in the sidewalks and a veritable field of waist-high grass in Times Square. So is this what would really happen if civilization ended?

In America today, we are surrounded by borrowed images. People from all over the world flock here, and bring with them a background of cultures and beliefs, filled with imagery reflecting those ideas. Often times, these elements take on a life of there own in the cauldron known as the American "melting pot," and through interaction with their new surroundings, evolve into something quite different from their original form, becoming an integral part of our culture.

Japanese manga artist and creator of Chibi Vampire (Karin) Yuna Kagesaki made her first visit to an American anime convention at Sakura-Con 2008 in Seattle, Washington. At two panel appearances, Kagesaki-sensei answered questions from panel moderator and TokyoPop Senior Editor Lillian Diaz-Pryzbyl and also answered questions from her fans in the audience.

pallid crying skies

longing for the colour of midnight

singing with the workings of

a flaming sunset woven

against the transitional sky,

like some intricate tapestry.

nobodie's eyes had ever seemed more lifeless

than yours

not with physical death, but the death from within

It was too much for you to think for yourself

Having hair like spun gold never saved you from making the biggest mistake of your life

Beauty never got one too far

December 2, 2002 (ananova.com) - A vampire enthusiast drives her daughter to school in a hearse. Rachel Ellam-Lloyd uses the 23-year-old 19ft-long hearse to take daughter Georgina to school in Northolt, West London.