A Game of Thrones Chapter Sixty-two

Tyrion On a hill overlooking the kingsroad, a long trestle table of rough-hewn pine had been erected beneath an elm tree and covered with a golden cloth. There, beside his pavilion, Lord Tywin took his evening meal with his chief knights and lords bannermen, his great crimson-and-gold standard waving overhead from a lofty pike. Tyrion arrived late, saddlesore, and sour, all too vividly aware of how amusing he must look as he waddled up the slope to his father. The day's march had been long and tiring. He thought he might get quite drunk tonight. It was twilight, and the air was alive with drifting fireflies. The cooks were serving the meat course: five suckling pigs, skin seared and crackling, a different fruit in every mouth. The smell made his mouth water. â€Å"My pardons,† he began, taking his place on the bench beside his uncle. â€Å"Perhaps I'd best charge you with burying our dead, Tyrion,† Lord Tywin said. â€Å"If you are as late to battle as you are to table, the fighting will all be done by the time you arrive.† â€Å"Oh, surely you can save me a peasant or two, Father,† Tyrion replied. â€Å"Not too many, I wouldn't want to be greedy.† He filled his wine cup and watched a serving man carve into the pig. The crisp skin crackled under his knife, and hot juice ran from the meat. It was the loveliest sight Tyrion had seen in ages. â€Å"Ser Addam's outriders say the Stark host has moved south from the Twins,† his father reported as his trencher was filled with slices of pork. â€Å"Lord Frey's levies have joined them. They are likely no more than a day's march north of us.† â€Å"Please, Father,† Tyrion said. â€Å"I'm about to eat.† â€Å"Does the thought of facing the Stark boy unman you, Tyrion? Your brother Jaime would be eager to come to grips with him.† â€Å"I'd sooner come to grips with that pig. Robb Stark is not half so tender, and he never smelled as good.† Lord Lefford, the sour bird who had charge of their stores and supplies, leaned forward. â€Å"I hope your savages do not share your reluctance, else we've wasted our good steel on them.† â€Å"My savages will put your steel to excellent use, my lord,† Tyrion replied. When he had told Lefford he needed arms and armor to equip the three hundred men Ulf had fetched down out of the foothills, you would have thought he'd asked the man to turn his virgin daughters over to their pleasure. Lord Lefford frowned. â€Å"I saw that great hairy one today, the one who insisted that he must have two battle-axes, the heavy black steel ones with twin crescent blades.† â€Å"Shagga likes to kill with either hand,† Tyrion said as a trencher of steaming pork was laid in front of him. â€Å"He still had that wood-axe of his strapped to his back.† â€Å"Shagga is of the opinion that three axes are even better than two.† Tyrion reached a thumb and forefinger into the salt dish, and sprinkled a healthy pinch over his meat. Ser Kevan leaned forward. â€Å"We had a thought to put you and your wildlings in the vanguard when we come to battle.† Ser Kevan seldom â€Å"had a thought† that Lord Tywin had not had first. Tyrion had skewered a chunk of meat on the point of his dagger and brought it to his mouth. Now he lowered it. â€Å"The vanguard?† he repeated dubiously. Either his lord father had a new respect for Tyrion's abilities, or he'd decided to rid himself of his embarrassing get for good. Tyrion had the gloomy feeling he knew which. â€Å"They seem ferocious enough,† Ser Kevan said. â€Å"Ferocious?† Tyrion realized he was echoing his uncle like a trained bird. His father watched, judging him, weighing every word. â€Å"Let me tell you how ferocious they are. Last night, a Moon Brother stabbed a Stone Crow over a sausage. So today as we made camp three Stone Crows seized the man and opened his throat for him. Perhaps they were hoping to get the sausage back, I couldn't say. Bronn managed to keep Shagga from chopping off the dead man's cock, which was fortunate, but even so Ulf is demanding blood money, which Conn and Shagga refuse to pay.† â€Å"When soldiers lack discipline, the fault lies with their lord commander,† his father said. His brother Jaime had always been able to make men follow him eagerly, and die for him if need be. Tyrion lacked that gift. He bought loyalty with gold, and compelled obedience with his name. â€Å"A bigger man would be able to put the fear in them, is that what you're saying, my lord?† Lord Tywin Lannister turned to his brother. â€Å"If my son's men will not obey his commands, perhaps the vanguard is not the place for him. No doubt he would be more comfortable in the rear, guarding our baggage train.† â€Å"Do me no kindnesses, Father,† he said angrily. â€Å"If you have no other command to offer me, I'll lead your van.† Lord Tywin studied his dwarf son. â€Å"I said nothing about command. You will serve under Ser Gregor.† Tyrion took one bite of pork, chewed a moment, and spit it out angrily. â€Å"I find I am not hungry after all,† he said, climbing awkwardly off the bench. â€Å"Pray excuse me, my lords.† Lord Tywin inclined his head, dismissing him. Tyrion turned and walked away. He was conscious of their eyes on his back as he waddled down the hill. A great gust of laughter went up from behind him, but he did not look back. He hoped they all choked on their suckling pigs. Dusk had settled, turning all the banners black. The Lannister camp sprawled for miles between the river and the kingsroad. In amongst the men and the horses and the trees, it was easy to get lost, and Tyrion did. He passed a dozen great pavilions and a hundred cookfires. Fireflies drifted amongst the tents like wandering stars. He caught the scent of garlic sausage, spiced and savory, so tempting it made his empty stomach growl. Away in the distance, he heard voices raised in some bawdy song. A giggling woman raced past him, naked beneath a dark cloak, her drunken pursuer stumbling over tree roots. Farther on, two spearmen faced each other across a little trickle of a stream, practicing their thrust-and-parry in the fading light, their chests bare and slick with sweat. No one looked at him. No one spoke to him. No one paid him any mind. He was surrounded by men sworn to House Lannister, a vast host twenty thousand strong, and yet he was alone. When he heard the deep rumble of Shagga's laughter booming through the dark, he followed it to the Stone Crows in their small corner of the night. Conn son of Coratt waved a tankard of ale. â€Å"Tyrion Halfman! Come, sit by our fire, share meat with the Stone Crows. We have an ox.† â€Å"I can see that, Conn son of Coratt.† The huge red carcass was suspended over a roaring fire, skewered on a spit the size of a small tree. No doubt it was a small tree. Blood and grease dripped down into the flames as two Stone Crows turned the meat. â€Å"I thank you. Send for me when the ox is cooked.† From the look of it, that might even be before the battle. He walked on. Each clan had its own cookfire; Black Ears did not eat with Stone Crows, Stone Crows did not eat with Moon Brothers, and no one ate with Burned Men. The modest tent he had coaxed out of Lord Lefford's stores had been erected in the center of the four fires. Tyrion found Bronn sharing a skin of wine with the new servants. Lord Tywin had sent him a groom and a body servant to see to his needs, and even insisted he take a squire. They were seated around the embers of a small cookfire. A girl was with them; slim, dark-haired, no more than eighteen by the look of her. Tyrion studied her face for a moment, before he spied fishbones in the ashes. â€Å"What did you eat?† â€Å"Trout, m'lord,† said his groom. â€Å"Bronn caught them.† Trout, he thought. Suckling pig. Damn my father. He stared mournfully at the bones, his belly rumbling. His squire, a boy with the unfortunate name of Podrick Payne, swallowed whatever he had been about to say. The lad was a distant cousin to Ser Ilyn Payne, the king's headsman . . . and almost as quiet, although not for want of a tongue. Tyrion had made him stick it out once, just to be certain. â€Å"Definitely a tongue,† he had said. â€Å"Someday you must learn to use it.† At the moment, he did not have the patience to try and coax a thought out of the lad, whom he suspected had been inflicted on him as a cruel jape. Tyrion turned his attention back to the girl. â€Å"Is this her?† he asked Bronn. She rose gracefully and looked down at him from the lofty height of five feet or more. â€Å"It is, m'lord, and she can speak for herself, if it please you.† He cocked his head to one side. â€Å"I am Tyrion, of House Lannister. Men call me the Imp.† â€Å"My mother named me Shae. Men call me . . . often.† Bronn laughed, and Tyrion had to smile. â€Å"Into the tent, Shae, if you would be so kind.† He lifted the flap and held it for her. Inside, he knelt to light a candle. The life of a soldier was not without certain compensations. Wherever you have a camp, you are certain to have camp followers. At the end of the day's march, Tyrion had sent Bronn back to find him a likely whore. â€Å"I would prefer one who is reasonably young, with as pretty a face as you can find,† he had said. â€Å"If she has washed sometime this year, I shall be glad. If she hasn't, wash her. Be certain that you tell her who I am, and warn her of what I am.† Jyck had not always troubled to do that. There was a look the girls got in their eyes sometimes when they first beheld the lordling they'd been hired to pleasure . . . a took that Tyrion Lannister did not ever care to see again. He lifted the candle and looked her over. Bronn had done well enough; she was doe-eyed and slim, with small firm breasts and a smile that was by turns shy, insolent, and wicked. He liked that. â€Å"Shall I take my gown off, m'lord?† she asked. â€Å"In good time. Are you a maiden, Shae?† â€Å"If it please you, m'lord,† she said demurely. â€Å"What would please me would be the truth of you, girl.† â€Å"Aye, but that will cost you double.† Tyrion decided they would get along splendidly. â€Å"I am a Lannister. Gold I have in plenty, and you'll find me generous . . . but I'll want more from you than what you've got between your legs, though I'll want that too. You'll share my tent, pour my wine, laugh at my jests, rub the ache from my legs after each day's ride . . . and whether I keep you a day or a year, for so long as we are together you will take no other men into your bed.† â€Å"Fair enough.† She reached down to the hem of her thin roughspun gown and pulled it up over her head in one smooth motion, tossing it aside. There was nothing underneath but Shae. â€Å"If he don't put down that candle, m'lord will burn his fingers.† Tyrion put down the candle, took her hand in his, and pulled her gently to him. She bent to kiss him. Her mouth tasted of honey and cloves, and her fingers were deft and practiced as they found the fastenings of his clothes. When he entered her, she welcomed him with whispered endearments and small, shuddering gasps of pleasure. Tyrion suspected her delight was feigned, but she did it so well that it did not matter. That much truth he did not crave. He had needed her, Tyrion realized afterward, as she lay quietly in his arms. Her or someone like her. It had been nigh on a year since he'd lain with a woman, since before he had set out for Winterfell in company with his brother and King Robert. He could well die on the morrow or the day after, and if he did, he would sooner go to his grave thinking of Shae than of his lord father, Lysa Arryn, or the Lady Catelyn Stark. He could feel the softness of her breasts pressed against his arm as she lay beside him. That was a good feeling. A song filled his head. Softly, quietly, he began to whistle. â€Å"What's that, m'lord?† Shae murmured against him. â€Å"Nothing,† he told her. â€Å"A song I learned as a boy, that's all. Go to sleep, sweetling.† When her eyes were closed and her breathing deep and steady, Tyrion slid out from beneath her, gently, so as not to disturb her sleep. Naked, he crawled outside, stepped over his squire, and walked around behind his tent to make water. Bronn was seated cross-legged under a chestnut tree, near where they'd tied the horses. He was honing the edge of his sword, wide awake; the sellsword did not seem to sleep like other men. â€Å"Where did you find her?† Tyrion asked him as he pissed. â€Å"I took her from a knight. The man was loath to give her up, but your name changed his thinking somewhat . . . that, and my dirk at his throat.† â€Å"Splendid,† Tyrion said dryly, shaking off the last drops. â€Å"I seem to recall saying find me a whore, not make me an enemy.† â€Å"The pretty ones were all claimed,† Bronn said. â€Å"I'll be pleased to take her back if you'd prefer a toothless drab.† Tyrion limped closer to where he sat. â€Å"My lord father would call that insolence, and send you to the mines for impertinence.† â€Å"Good for me you're not your father,† Bronn replied. â€Å"I saw one with boils all over her nose. Would you like her?† â€Å"What, and break your heart?† Tyrion shot back. â€Å"I shall keep Shae. Did you perchance note the name of this knight you took her from? I'd rather not have him beside me in the battle.† Bronn rose, cat-quick and cat-graceful, turning his sword in his hand. â€Å"You'll have me beside you in the battle, dwarf.† Tyrion nodded. The night air was warm on his bare skin. â€Å"See that I survive this battle, and you can name your reward.† Bronn tossed the longsword from his right hand to his left, and tried a cut. â€Å"Who'd want to kill the likes of you?† â€Å"My lord father, for one. He's put me in the van.† â€Å"I'd do the same. A small man with a big shield. You'll give the archers fits.† â€Å"I find you oddly cheering,† Tyrion said. â€Å"I must be mad.† Bronn sheathed his sword. â€Å"Beyond a doubt.† When Tyrion returned to his tent, Shae rolled onto her elbow and murmured sleepily, â€Å"I woke and m'lord was gone.† â€Å"M'lord is back now.† He slid in beside her. Her hand went between his stunted legs, and found him hard. â€Å"Yes he is,† she whispered, stroking him. He asked her about the man Bronn had taken her from, and she named the minor retainer of an insignificant lordling. â€Å"You need not fear his like, m'lord,† the girl said, her fingers busy at his cock. â€Å"He is a small man.† â€Å"And what am I, pray?† Tyrion asked her. â€Å"A giant?† â€Å"Oh, yes,† she purred, â€Å"my giant of Lannister.† She mounted him then, and for a time, she almost made him believe it. Tyrion went to sleep smiling . . . . . . and woke in darkness to the blare of trumpets. Shae was shaking him by the shoulder. â€Å"M'lord,† she whispered. â€Å"Wake up, m'lord. I'm frightened.† Groggy, he sat up and threw back the blanket. The horns called through the night, wild and urgent, a cry that said hurry hurry hurry. He heard shouts, the clatter of spears, the whicker of horses, though nothing yet that spoke to him of fighting. â€Å"My lord father's trumpets,† he said. â€Å"Battle assembly. I thought Stark was yet a day's march away.† Shae shook her head, lost. Her eyes were wide and white. Groaning, Tyrion lurched to his feet and pushed his way outside, shouting for his squire. Wisps of pale fog drifted through the night, long white fingers off the river. Men and horses blundered through the predawn chill; saddles were being cinched, wagons loaded, fires extinguished. The trumpets blew again: hurry hurry hurry. Knights vaulted onto snorting coursers while men-at-arms buckled their sword belts as they ran. When he found Pod, the boy was snoring softly. Tyrion gave him a sharp poke in the ribs with his toe. â€Å"My armor,† he said, â€Å"and be quick about it.† Bronn came trotting out of the mists, already armored and ahorse, wearing his battered halfhelm. â€Å"Do you know what's happened?† Tyrion asked him. â€Å"The Stark boy stole a march on us,† Bronn said. â€Å"He crept down the kingsroad in the night, and now his host is less than a mile north of here, forming up in battle array.† Hurry, the trumpets called, hurry hurry hurry. â€Å"See that the clansmen are ready to ride.† Tyrion ducked back inside his tent. â€Å"Where are my clothes?† he barked at Shae. â€Å"There. No, the leather, damn it. Yes. Bring me my boots.† By the time he was dressed, his squire had laid out his armor, such that it was. Tyrion owned a fine suit of heavy plate, expertly crafted to fit his misshapen body. Alas, it was safe at Casterly Rock, and he was not. He had to make do with oddments assembled from Lord Lefford's wagons: mail hauberk and coif, a dead knight's gorget, lobstered greaves and gauntlets and pointed steel boots. Some of it was ornate, some plain; not a bit of it matched, or fit as it should. His breastplate was meant for a bigger man; for his oversize head, they found a huge bucket-shaped greathelm topped with a foot-long triangular spike. Shae helped Pod with the buckles and clasps. â€Å"If I die, weep for me,† Tyrion told the whore. â€Å"How will you know? You'll be dead.† â€Å"I'll know.† â€Å"I believe you would.† Shae lowered the greathelm down over his head, and Pod fastened it to his gorget. Tyrion buckled on his belt, heavy with the weight of shortsword and dirk. By then his groom had brought up his mount, a formidable brown courser armored as heavily as he was. He needed help to mount; he felt as though he weighed a thousand stone. Pod handed him up his shield, a massive slab of heavy ironwood banded with steel. Lastly they gave him his battle-axe. Shae stepped back and looked him over. â€Å"M'lord looks fearsome.† â€Å"M'lord looks a dwarf in mismatched armor,† Tyrion answered sourly, â€Å"but I thank you for the kindness. Podrick, should the battle go against us, see the lady safely home.† He saluted her with his axe, wheeled his horse about, and trotted off. His stomach was a hard knot, so tight it pained him. Behind, his servants hurriedly began to strike his tent. Pale crimson fingers fanned out to the east as the first rays of the sun broke over the horizon. The western sky was a deep purple, speckled with stars. Tyrion wondered whether this was the last sunrise he would ever see . . . and whether wondering was a mark of cowardice. Did his brother Jaime ever contemplate death before a battle? A warhorn sounded in the far distance, a deep mournful note that chilled the soul. The clansmen climbed onto their scrawny mountain horses, shouting curses and rude jokes. Several appeared to be drunk. The rising sun was burning off the drifting tendrils of fog as Tyrion led them off. What grass the horses had left was heavy with dew, as if some passing god had scattered a bag of diamonds over the earth. The mountain men fell in behind him, each clan arrayed behind its own leaders. In the dawn light, the army of Lord Tywin Lannister unfolded like an iron rose, thorns gleaming. His uncle would lead the center. Ser Kevan had raised his standards above the kingsroad. Quivers hanging from their belts, the foot archers arrayed themselves into three long lines, to east and west of the road, and stood calmly stringing their bows. Between them, pikemen formed squares; behind were rank on rank of men-at-arms with spear and sword and axe. Three hundred heavy horse surrounded Ser Kevan and the lords bannermen Lefford, Lydden, and Serrett with all their sworn retainers. The right wing was all cavalry, some four thousand men, heavy with the weight of their armor. More than three quarters of the knights were there, massed together like a great steel fist. Ser Addam Marbrand had the command. Tyrion saw his banner unfurl as his standardbearer shook it out; a burning tree, orange and smoke. Behind him flew Ser Flement's purple unicorn, the brindled boar of Crakehall, the bantam rooster of Swyft, and more. His lord father took his place on the hill where he had slept. Around him, the reserve assembled; a huge force, half mounted and half foot, five thousand strong. Lord Tywin almost always chose to command the reserve; he would take the high ground and watch the battle unfold below him, committing his forces when and where they were needed most. Even from afar, his lord father was resplendent. Tywin Lannister's battle armor put his son Jaime's gilded suit to shame. His greatcloak was sewn from countless layers of cloth-of-gold, so heavy that it barely stirred even when he charged, so large that its drape covered most of his stallion's hindquarters when he took the saddle. No ordinary clasp would suffice for such a weight, so the greatcloak was held in place by a matched pair of miniature lionesses crouching on his shoulders, as if poised to spring. Their mate, a male with a magnificent mane, reclined atop Lord Tywin's greathelm, one paw raking the air as he roared. All three lions were wrought in gold, with ruby eyes. His armor was heavy steel plate, enameled in a dark crimson, greaves and gauntlets inlaid with ornate gold scrollwork. His rondels were golden sunbursts, all his fastenings were gilded, and the red steel was burnished to such a high sheen that it shone like fire in the light of the rising sun. Tyrion could hear the rumble of the foemen's drums now. He remembered Robb Stark as he had last seen him, in his father's high seat in the Great Hall of Winterfell, a sword naked and shining in his hands. He remembered how the direwolves had come at him out of the shadows, and suddenly he could see them again, snarling and snapping, teeth bared in his face. Would the boy bring his wolves to war with him? The thought made him uneasy. The northerners would be exhausted after their long sleepless march. Tyrion wondered what the boy had been thinking. Did he think to take them unawares while they slept? Small chance of that; whatever else might be said of him, Tywin Lannister was no man's fool. The van was massing on the left. He saw the standard first, three black dogs on a yellow field. Ser Gregor sat beneath it, mounted on the biggest horse Tyrion had ever seen. Bronn took one look at him and grinned. â€Å"Always follow a big man into battle.† Tyrion threw him a hard look. â€Å"And why is that?† â€Å"They make such splendid targets. That one, he'll draw the eyes of every bowman on the field.† Laughing, Tyrion regarded the Mountain with fresh eyes. â€Å"I confess, I had not considered it in that light.† Clegane had no splendor about him; his armor was steel plate, dull grey, scarred by hard use and showing neither sigil nor ornament. He was pointing men into position with his blade, a two-handed greatsword that Ser Gregor waved about with one hand as a lesser man might wave a dagger. â€Å"Any man runs, I'll cut him down myself,† he was roaring when he caught sight of Tyrion. â€Å"Imp! Take the left. Hold the river. If you can.† The left of the left. To turn their flank, the Starks would need horses that could run on water. Tyrion led his men toward the riverbank. â€Å"Look,† he shouted, pointing with his axe. â€Å"The river.† A blanket of pale mist still clung to the surface of the water, the murky green current swirling past underneath. The shallows were muddy and choked with reeds. â€Å"That river is ours. Whatever happens, keep close to the water. Never lose sight of it. Let no enemy come between us and our river. If they dirty our waters, hack off their cocks and feed them to the fishes.† Shagga had an axe in either hand. He smashed them together and made them ring. â€Å"Halfman!† he shouted. Other Stone Crows picked up the cry, and the Black Ears and Moon Brothers as well. The Burned Men did not shout, but they rattled their swords and spears. â€Å"Halfman! Halfman! Halfman!† Tyrion turned his courser in a circle to look over the field. The ground was rolling and uneven here; soft and muddy near the river, rising in a gentle slope toward the kingsroad, stony and broken beyond it, to the cast. A few trees spotted the hillsides, but most of the land had been cleared and planted. His heart pounded in his chest in time to the drums, and under his layers of leather and steel his brow was cold with sweat. He watched Ser Gregor as the Mountain rode up and down the line, shouting and gesticulating. This wing too was all cavalry, but where the right was a mailed fist of knights and heavy lancers, the vanguard was made up of the sweepings of the west: mounted archers in leather jerkins, a swarming mass of undisciplined freeriders and sellswords, fieldhands on plow horses armed with scythes and their fathers' rusted swords, half-trained boys from the stews of Lannisport . . . and Tyrion and his mountain clansmen. â€Å"Crow food,† Bronn muttered beside him, giving voice to what Tyrion had left unsaid. He could only nod. Had his lord father taken leave of his senses? No pikes, too few bowmen, a bare handful of knights, the ill-armed and unarmored, commanded by an unthinking brute who led with his rage . . . how could his father expect this travesty of a battle to hold his left? He had no time to think about it. The drums were so near that the beat crept under his skin and set his hands to twitching. Bronn drew his longsword, and suddenly the enemy was there before them, boiling over the tops of the hills, advancing with measured tread behind a wall of shields and pikes. Gods be damned, look at them all, Tyrion thought, though he knew his father had more men on the field. Their captains led them on armored warhorses, standard-bearers riding alongside with their banners. He glimpsed the bull moose of the Hornwoods, the Karstark sunburst, Lord Cerwyn's battle-axe, and the mailed fist of the Glovers . . . and the twin towers of Frey, blue on grey. So much for his father's certainty that Lord Walder would not bestir himself. The white of House Stark was seen everywhere, the grey direwolves seeming to run and leap as the banners swirled and streamed from the high staffs. Where is the boy? Tyrion wondered. A warhorn blew. Haroooooooooooooooooooooooo, it cried, its voice as long and low and chilling as a cold wind from the north. The Lannister trumpets answered, da-DA da-DA da-DAAAAAAAAA, brazen and defiant, yet it seemed to Tyrion that they sounded somehow smaller, more anxious. He could feel a fluttering in his bowels, a queasy liquid feeling; he hoped he was not going to die sick. As the horns died away, a hissing filled the air; a vast flight of arrows arched up from his right, where the archers stood flanking the road. The northerners broke into a run, shouting as they came, but the Lannister arrows fell on them like hail, hundreds of arrows, thousands, and shouts turned to screams as men stumbled and went down. By then a second flight was in the air, and the archers were fitting a third arrow to their bowstrings. The trumpets blared again, da-DAAA da-DAAA da-DA da-DA da-DAAAAAAA. Ser Gregor waved his huge sword and bellowed a command, and a thousand other voices screamed back at him. Tyrion put his spurs to his horse and added one more voice to the cacophony, and the van surged forward. â€Å"The river!† he shouted at his clansmen as they rode. â€Å"Remember, hew to the river.† He was still leading when they broke a canter, until Chella gave a bloodcurdling shriek and galloped past him, and Shagga howled and followed. The clansmen charged after them, leaving Tyrion in their dust. A crescent of enemy spearmen had formed ahead, a double hedgehog bristling with steel, waiting behind tall oaken shields marked with the sunburst of Karstark. Gregor Clegane was the first to reach them, leading a wedge of armored veterans. Half the horses shied at the last second, breaking their charge before the row of spears. The others died, sharp steel points ripping through their chests. Tyrion saw a dozen men go down. The Mountain's stallion reared, lashing out with iron-shod hooves as a barbed spearhead raked across his neck. Maddened, the beast lunged into the ranks. Spears thrust at him from every side, but the shield wall broke beneath his weight. The northerners stumbled away from the animal's death throes. As his horse fell, snorting blood and biting with his last red breath, the Mountain rose untouched, laying about him with his two-handed greatsword. Shagga went bursting through the gap before the shields could close, other Stone Crows hard behind him. Tyrion shouted, â€Å"Burned Men! Moon Brothers! After me!† but most of them were ahead of him. He glimpsed Timett son of Timett vault free as his mount died under him in full stride, saw a Moon Brother impaled on a Karstark spear, watched Conn's horse shatter a man's ribs with a kick. A flight of arrows descended on them; where they came from he could not say, but they fell on Stark and Lannister alike, rattling off armor or finding flesh. Tyrion lifted his shield and hid beneath it. The hedgehog was crumbling, the northerners reeling back under the impact of the mounted assault. Tyrion saw Shagga catch a spearman full in the chest as the fool came on at a run, saw his axe shear through mail and leather and muscle and lungs. The man was dead on his feet, the axehead lodged in his breast, yet Shagga rode on, cleaving a shield in two with his left-hand battle-axe while the corpse was bouncing and stumbling bonelessly along on his right. Finally the dead man slid off. Shagga smashed the two axes together and roared. By then the enemy was on him, and Tyrion's battle shrunk to the few feet of ground around his horse. A man-at-arms thrust at his chest and his axe lashed out, knocking the spear aside. The man danced back for another try, but Tyrion spurred his horse and rode right over him. Bronn was surrounded by three foes, but he lopped the head off the first spear that came at him, and raked his blade across a second man's face on his backslash. A thrown spear came hurtling at Tyrion from the left and lodged in his shield with a woody chunk. He wheeled and raced after the thrower, but the man raised his own shield over his head. Tyrion circled around him, raining axe blows down on the wood. Chips of oak went flying, until the northerner lost his feet and slipped, failing flat on his back with his shield on top of him. He was below the reach of Tyrion's axe and it was too much bother to dismount, so he left him there and rode after another man, taking him from behind with a sweeping downcut that sent a jolt of impact up his arm. That won him a moment's respite. Reining up, he looked for the river. There it was, off to the right. Somehow he had gotten turned around. A Burned Man rode past, slumped against his horse. A spear had entered his belly and come out through his back. He was past any help, but when Tyrion saw one of the northerners run up and make a grab for his reins, he charged. His quarry met him sword in hand. He was tall and spare, wearing a long chainmail hauberk and gauntlets of lobstered steel, but he'd lost his helm and blood ran down into his eyes from a gash across his forehead. Tyrion aimed a swipe at his face, but the tall man slammed it aside. â€Å"Dwarf,† he screamed. â€Å"Die.† He turned in a circle as Tyrion rode around him, hacking at his head and shoulders. Steel rang on steel, and Tyrion soon realized that the tall man was quicker and stronger than he was. Where in the seven hells was Bronn? â€Å"Die,† the man grunted, chopping at him savagely. Tyrion barely got his shield up in time, and the wood seemed to explode inward under the force of the blow. The shattered pieces fell away from his arm. â€Å"Die!† the swordsman bellowed, shoving in close and whanging Tyrion across the temple so hard his head rang. The blade made a hideous scraping sound as he drew it back over the steel. The tall man grinned . . . unt il Tyrion's destrier bit, quick as a snake, laying his cheek bare to the bone. Then he screamed. Tyrion buried his axe in his head. â€Å"You die,† he told him, and he did. As he wrenched the blade free, he heard a shout. ‘Eddard!† a voice rang out. â€Å"For Eddard and Winterfell!† The knight came thundering down on him, swinging the spiked ball of a morningstar around his head. Their warhorses slammed together before Tyrion could so much as open his mouth to shout for Bronn. His right elbow exploded with pain as the spikes punched through the thin metal around the joint. His axe was gone, as fast as that. He clawed for his sword, but the morningstar was circling again, coming at his face. A sickening crunch, and he was falling. He did not recall hitting the ground, but when he looked up there was only sky above him. He rolled onto his side and tried to find his feet, but pain shuddered through him and the world throbbed. The knight who had felled him drew up above him. â€Å"Tyrion the Imp,† he boomed down. â€Å"You are mine. Do you yield, Lannister?† Yes, Tyrion thought, but the word caught in his throat. He made a croaking sound and fought his way to his knees, fumbling for a weapon. His sword, his dirk, anything . . . â€Å"Do you yield?† The knight loomed overhead on his armored warhorse. Man and horse both seemed immense. The spiked ball swung in a lazy circle. Tyrion's hands were numb, his vision blurred, his scabbard empty. â€Å"Yield or die,† the knight declared, his flail whirling faster and faster. Tyrion lurched to his feet, driving his head into the horse's belly. The animal gave a hideous scream and reared. It tried to twist away from the agony, a shower of blood and viscera poured down over Tyrion's face, and the horse fell like an avalanche. The next he knew, his visor was packed with mud and something was crushing his foot. He wriggled free, his throat so tight he could scarce talk. † . . . yield . . . † he managed to croak faintly. â€Å"Yes,† a voice moaned, thick with pain. Tyrion scraped the mud off his helm so he could see again. The horse had fallen away from him, onto its rider. The knight's leg was trapped, the arm he'd used to break his fall twisted at a grotesque angle. â€Å"Yield,† he repeated. Fumbling at his belt with his good hand, he drew a sword and flung it at Tyrion's feet. â€Å"I yield, my lord.† Dazed, the dwarf knelt and lifted the blade. Pain hammered through his elbow when he moved his arm. The battle seemed to have moved beyond him. No one remained on his part of the field save a large number of corpses. Ravens were already circling and landing to feed. He saw that Ser Kevan had brought up his center in support of the van; his huge mass of pikemen had pushed the northerners back against the hills. They were struggling on the slopes, pikes thrusting against another wall of shields, these oval and reinforced with iron studs. As he watched, the air filled with arrows again, and the men behind the oak wall crumbled beneath the murderous fire. â€Å"I believe you are losing, ser,† he told the knight under the horse. The man made no reply. The sound of hooves coming up behind him made him whirl, though he could scarcely lift the sword he held for the agony in his elbow. Brorm reined up and looked down on him. â€Å"Small use you turned out to be,† Tyrion told him. â€Å"It would seem you did well enough on your own,† Bronn answered. â€Å"You've lost the spike off your helm, though.† Tyrion groped at the top of the greathelm. The spike had snapped off clean. â€Å"I haven't lost it. I know just where it is. Do you see my horse?† By the time they found it, the trumpets had sounded again and Lord Tywin's reserve came sweeping up along the river. Tyrion watched his father fly past, the crimson-and-gold banner of Lannister rippling over his head as he thundered across the field. Five hundred knights surrounded him, sunlight flashing off the points of their lances. The remnants of the Stark lines shattered like glass beneath the hammer of their charge. With his elbow swollen and throbbing inside his armor, Tyrion made no attempt to join the slaughter. He and Bronn went looking for his men. Many he found among the dead. Ulf son of Umar lay in a pool of congealing blood, his arm gone at the elbow, a dozen of his Moon Brothers sprawled around him. Shagga was slumped beneath a tree, riddled with arrows, Conn's head in his lap. Tyrion thought they were both dead, but as he dismounted, Shagga opened his eyes and said, â€Å"They have killed Conn son of Coratt.† Handsome Conn had no mark but for the red stain over his breast, where the spear thrust had killed him. When Bronn pulled Shagga to his feet, the big man seemed to notice the arrows for the first time. He plucked them out one by one, cursing the holes they had made in his layers of mail and leather, and yowling like a babe at the few that had buried themselves in his flesh. Chella daughter of Cheyk rode up as they were yanking arrows out of Shagga, and showed them four ears she had taken. Timett they discovered looting the bodies of the slain with his Burned Men. Of the three hundred clansmen who had ridden to battle behind Tyrion Lannister, perhaps half had survived. He left the living to look after the dead, sent Bronn to take charge of his captive knight, and went alone in search of his father. Lord Tywin was seated by the river, sipping wine from a jeweled cup as his squire undid the fastenings on his breastplate. â€Å"A fine victory,† Ser Kevan said when he saw Tyrion. â€Å"Your wild men fought well.† His father's eyes were on him, pale green flecked with gold, so cool they gave Tyrion a chill. â€Å"Did that surprise you, Father?† he asked. â€Å"Did it upset your plans? We were supposed to be butchered, were we not?† Lord Tywin drained his cup, his face expressionless. â€Å"I put the least disciplined men on the left, yes. I anticipated that they would break. Robb Stark is a green boy, more like to be brave than wise. I'd hoped that if he saw our left collapse, he might plunge into the gap, eager for a rout. Once he was fully committed, Ser Kevan's pikes would wheel and take him in the flank, driving him into the river while I brought up the reserve.† â€Å"And you thought it best to place me in the midst of this carnage, yet keep me ignorant of your plans.† â€Å"A feigned rout is less convincing,† his father said, â€Å"and I am not inclined to trust my plans to a man who consorts with sellswords and savages.† â€Å"A pity my savages ruined your dance.† Tyrion pulled off his steel gauntlet and let it fall to the ground, wincing at the pain that stabbed up his arm. â€Å"The Stark boy proved more cautious than I expected for one of his years,† Lord Tywin admitted, â€Å"but a victory is a victory. You appear to be wounded.† Tyrion's right arm was soaked with blood. â€Å"Good of you to notice, Father,† he said through clenched teeth. â€Å"Might I trouble you to send for your maesters? Unless you relish the notion of having a one-armed dwarf for a son . . . â€Å" An urgent shout of â€Å"Lord Tywin!† turned his father's head before he could reply. Tywin Lannister rose to his feet as Ser Addam Marbrand leapt down off his courser. The horse was lathered and bleeding from the mouth. Ser Addam dropped to one knee, a rangy man with dark copper hair that fell to his shoulders, armored in burnished bronzed steel with the fiery tree of his House etched black on his breastplate. â€Å"My liege, we have taken some of their commanders. Lord Cerwyn, Ser Wylis Manderly, Harrion Karstark, four Freys. Lord Hornwood is dead, and I fear Roose Bolton has escaped us.† â€Å"And the boy?† Lord Tywin asked. Ser Addam hesitated. â€Å"The Stark boy was not with them, my lord. They say he crossed at the Twins with the great part of his horse, riding hard for Riverrun.† A green boy, Tyrion remembered, more like to be brave than wise. He would have laughed, if he hadn't hurt so much.

Fart

During the Harlem Renaissance white art enthusiast aided the development of black artist, by funding these artists. The Blues I’m Playing by Langston Hughes is a short story where a young African American pianist, Oceola Jones, who studies music under the patronage of Dora Ellsworth. Dora is a wealthy, white middle aged, widow with no children. Langston Hughes uses this connection between these characters to express the meaning of the blues. The meaning blues isn’t very clear until the very end of the story, when Oceola and Ms.Ellsworth had their fallout. Ms. Ellsworth is very upset when she learns that Oceola wants to marry Pete Williams. Dora believes that marriage will burden her protegee talents. â€Å"He’ll take all the music out of you† (pg 475). Oceola is playing the piano one last time for Ms. Ellsworth before she leaves to Europe. They begin to argue while Oceola is playing one of Beethoven sonatas. As they continue to argue Osceola’s chang e the style of playing to the Negro Blues. As Osceola plays on Dora ask â€Å"Is this what I spent thousands of dollars to teach you? (pg 475) Oceola replies â€Å"No, this is mine†¦ Listen. †(pg 475) Oceola’s blues began to flourish. Blues that Oceola plays only comes in a time of distress. The fight between Oceola and Ms. Ellsworth force the blues out of Oceola. The Blues in this story represents Oceola real feeling about love, music and art. According to Ralph Ellison â€Å"the blues is an impulse to keep painful details and episodes of a brutal existence alive in one’s aching consciousness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This definition and Langston Hughes’s interpretation of Blues seem to not conform to each other.Ellison is saying that the artist of the blues has to have a hardship in their past to express it in the blues. In Hughes’s story Oceola really never had anything in her past that made express the blues like she did. It was more that she couldn ’t outlet her frustration of Ms. Ellsworth and her feeling of art to anyone. Oceola bottle up the feeling and lashed out at the end to Ms. Ellsworth in a blues song. Ellison’s and Hughes’s definitions are both good interpretation of what the blues are. By combining Ellison’s and Hughes’s interpretation we have a clear definition of what the blues really are.The Blues is a kind of jazz  that evolved from the music of African-Americans, especially work songs and spirituals. Blues pieces often express worry or depression. The songs help keep remembrance of past hardship experienced and help cope with future problem that may come. The patronage of whites helped the African American art and music explode during the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes uses the connection between Oceola and Ms. Ellsworth to express his interpretation of the Blues. Hughes’s and Ellison’s definitions help explain what the blues actually are.

My Memorable Experience Paragraph

My Memorable Experience Draft: A memorable moment that I experienced was when I received my first black eye. At that time I was at the age of eleven. This experience occurred one day after school and my siblings and I were on our way home from school. I don’t remember much of what had happened that day because of an incident, but I remember bits and pieces of it. Every teenager loved their Fridays and this day is one that I’ll always remember. One beautiful Fall afternoon my two other siblings and I had arrived at our bus stop.I was sitting in a seat with a friend from school and my brother and sister were sitting next to ours. We all stood from our seats and casually walked off from the bus. I noticed my brother and sister ran in front of the bus and was ahead of me by a few steps. So I had to quickly wave to one of my friends on the bus and hurry back towards them. I scurried towards my siblings not even aware of where I was looking and as the bus started to drive off , I decided to turn around and to watch the bus drive off.I quickly turned around for my house and as I simultaneously raised my head to look in which direction I was heading and I happened to run into stop sign pole. I immediately began crying and quickly covered my left eye because of the blood was dripping down from my eyebrow to my face. My sister heard and seen me crying and was also stunned on what to do so she looked at my brother to come help. As he approached me, he took off his jacket and told me to use his jacket to cover my eye. My siblings were guiding me home. I noticed my eye stopped bleeding, so I used my brother’s jacket to wipe the blood on my forehead.

Managerialism in social work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managerialism in social work - Essay Example The research suggests that such managers were more oriented to profit, and were more capable of obtaining it, than the traditional owner-managers (J. Harris; 1998, p. 839-8620). This British evidence fits with the range of evidence from the USA and other countries assembled dismiss the thesis of the managerial revolution and establishes that the claim of a separation of ownership and control is well described as a 'pseudo fact'. He points out that 'growth, sales, technical efficiency, a strong competitive position are at once inseparable managerial goals and the determinants of high corporate profits'. These corporate profits are the prerequisites of high managerial income and status. The high status and material rewards which can be achieved by membership of a managerial occupation are dependent on the contribution made to profit achievement or at least to the continued survival of the corporation in a context where too great a deviation from profitable performance would lead to collapse or takeover. The ownership of wealth and the control of work organizations are closely related, on the basis of this kind of evidence. It is the case, however, that owners hip of enterprises is far more dispersed than it was in the past with the growth of an 'impersonal' structure of possession which has not, however, 'resulted in a loss of power by wealthy persons'; both managers and owners play their parts in the same 'constellations of interest' which are dominant. Moreover, similarly and uses the term 'ruling class' to cover the economic, cultural and political 'bloc' created by the alliances arise between capitalist and middle-class managerial class interests. A part in this is inevitably played by interlocking company directorships whereby the 'pattern of meetings' which these involve are 'reinforced by a network of kinship and friendship'. The importance of kin networks is shown by Marceau's (1989) research on European business graduates. She demonstrates how the 'international business elite' which she sees emerging uses kin networks as sources of prestige, information and finance. Power, managerial careers, wealth ownership and prestige are a ll closely interlinked in practice. The British scholar Christopher Pollitt (1990) has given this question considerable thought and has done some valuable work that is especially instructive here. In a searching critique of managerialism and its influence on the British and American public services, he builds an intriguing argument that managerialism "needs to be understood as an ideology, and one with some concrete and immediate consequences" (xi). Pollitt asserts that managerialism consists of a set of beliefs, values, and ideas about the state of the world and how it should be. He identifies five core beliefs of managerialism. 1) "The main route to social progress now lies through the achievement of continuing increases in economically defined productivity." 2) "Such productivity increases will mainly come from the application of ever-more-sophisticated technologies. These

Steve Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Steve Jobs - Essay Example Jobs actively get involved in the process whether that is his department of operation or not. Due to his different style of management and remarkable success in global business, most references relating to entrepreneurship are drawn from him. He portrays a different way of doing the same things we are used to, and sees the normal things that we see in a different version. Any start up businessperson who aims to succeed has to draw quite a lot of inference from Jobs, and then apply creativity in running of the enterprise. Most start up business actually does not live beyond the initial stages and end up collapsing a few days in operation. Their owners loose hope, focus, and vision too fast that their dream becomes nothing more than a curse. At liquidation, the owners loose capital invested, time, and efforts. It is due to these reasons that learning how Steve Jobs managed to put Apple Corporation and provide great products to the world is important for any aspiring start up business o wner (Napier, 2006). A start up business requires owner involvement and participation in the running of the business. Just as Steve Jobs was involved in every aspect of the production process of the products Apple manufactured and was able to monitor them to the product, a startup business owner should be there to monitor the progress of the business. Understanding the weaknesses and majoring on these weaknesses are the strengths of a business. The entrepreneur understands the various difficulties that the business is facing. Environment of operation of the business is yet another aspect of a business the entrepreneur understands by involvement in the daily operations of the business. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses the business faces is key in its success. For Steve, the simple things regarded as final touches of a product matter to him a lot. The color of the computer casing, the sound a product produces when opened or closed or the size of the product to him is strengt h. He asks questions relating to these issues, and makes sure that he understands every bit of them, for example, why the designers opted for a black casing instead of a blue or yellow one. Through this, Steve has managed to understand the kind of weaknesses the business face with in its operations. For a businessperson, understanding the simple things goes a long way in understanding the needs of customers. Prioritizing on these needs wins the business more customers and gives a competitive advantage over other companies (McDaniel & Gitman, 2009). Knowing where an entrepreneur’s talent and passion lies is a better way to develop a business idea. According to Jobs, his area of passion is what brought the huge success that he is today. Entrepreneurship is a hard task and requires patience and not unless a potential entrepreneur majors on his area of strengths and where he feels he is more passionate, the hurdles experienced in the field would be will definitely break him (McDa niel & Gitman, 2009). Jobs, while advising young entrepreneurs said, â€Å"Go out and get a job as a busboy until you find something you’re really passionate about.† Passion drives desire and investing in a passionate field makes a person look forward to working the following day. Great ideas are born out of creativity, with a broader understanding of a particular phenomenon or aspect of a product leading to a

English wine week Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English wine week - Assignment Example The first step in competitor analysis involves price differentiation. Under price differentiation, EWP must have a strong understanding and knowledge on the prices and pricing strategies of the competitors. It is after this that EWP will employ alternative pricing strategies that would enable it to gain market dominance. It is also important for EWP to understand the marketing strategies of the competitors and their effectiveness. Finally, EWP must have a deeper knowledge on the production technics employed by their competitors. 3.0 Objectives The primary objective of English Wine Producers (EWP) is to dominate the wines market of the United Kingdom by winning the confidence and royalty of the potential customer and wine consumers. Market dominance being the primary goal of all institutions, to excel and dominate the wines industry of UK, EWP must be ready to battle it out with other well established wine manufacturers. This primary objective would only be realized through product pr omotion and popularizing its products in the media, vineyards promotion, tourism sector wine popularity, and among the members of the wine trade or national consumer (Gelder, & Woodcock, 2003). Other English wine promotional includes trade media and trade bureaus. Other objects of the company include remaining profitable in the industry since it is a profit making entity. 3.1 Direct Marketing Objectives Business is all about marketing and customers. The basic function of the marketing department of the organization is to ensure that EWP reach out to all the potential customers. The effectiveness of direct marketing strategy is to increase the sales promotion of the English wines. The company promotes its products indirectly through promotional companies such as United Kingdom Vineyards Association and Welsh Wines (McLoughlin, & Aaker, 2010). The EWP also conducts national promotion for its products during special events such as English Wine Weeks, sporting activities, Queens Diamond Jubilee, The Royal Wedding and other major events both within the UK and abroad. 3.2 Acquisition Objectives The main objective of EWP undertaking acquisition increase market penetration and development through sound sales and financial policies. This entails investing resources on the company’s potential areas of growth and economic development. Besides, a company interested in acquisition and takeover must be ready to invest in leadership and management so as to achieve stability and economic growth (Sherman, & Hart, 2006). EWP objectives of the proposed acquisition are to mobilize resources to invest in growth potentials and opportunities. This company will benefit from a great deal through increased sales, revenue allocation and management, and improved man power in the leadership and management skills.by forming a partnership with Vineyard, EWP stands an opportunity of expanding its marketing skills and exploring new ventures. 3.3 Retention Objectives It is important for EWP to be consistent in its strategies and policies. This principle calls for retention as a fundamental strategy when handling its labour force and human capacity. Retention policy entails appreciating, developing, valuing, and trusting in the labour force or production techniques (Mauk, & Army War College, 2012). This is essential in maintaining good relationship with the staff, and also providing an

Cities have the right to ban smoking in public Essay

Cities have the right to ban smoking in public - Essay Example John Britton (2004) in his brief analysis on the â€Å"ABC’s of Smoking† highlights the numerous health risks related to both active and passive smoking. For starters, smoking is addictive owing to the massive amount of nicotine. Health specialists also report that Nicotine subsequently increases the levels of cholesterol in the body. Secondly there are other more serious risks such as lung cancer associated with tar, a major component of tobacco cigarettes. There are also numerous cardiovascular conditions that may arise such as Coronary thrombosis and cerebral thrombosis (Britton, 2004). The government postulates that putting a ban on public smoking will reduce the chances of these diseases claiming more lives than they already have. A national survey in America, for instance, indicates that tobacco related deaths supersede those related to AIDS, Murder and car crushes combined. Seeing as these deaths are preventable it would be against the public interest if the gove rnment did not take appropriate actions. This ban may also be beneficial to the smoker. Boyle et al (2010), postulate that the ban encourages the smokers to quit because they will smoke in only restricted areas. Reduced smoking will reduce the above mentioned diseases significantly and even mitigate the spiraling health care costs. In the year 2009, in light of the public smoking ban in Colorado, reports indicate that there was a 41% drop in heart attacks (Haber, 2010). However, other findings indicate that an individual under pressure such as the smoking ban is more likely to smoke more when they get the chance to do so (Britton, 2004). On the other hand, social behaviorists hope that reduced public smoking will reduce the chances of other people especially young people from adapting the habit. Nonetheless, there is something this ban overlooks in regard to the youth. First, youths derive pleasure from engaging in illegal activities more than legal ones. Secondly, other social medi a such television (movies in particular) makes smoking seem acceptable to the youth (Boyle et al, 2010). The most controversial stand both the pro smoking ban and those against it take is the constitutional approach. Persons who smoke claim the ban is against their personal liberties while non-smokers claim to smoke in public undermines their personal liberties (Brandt, 2009). The Fifth and fourteenth amendment dictate that personal liberties should not be deprived without due process. The Supreme Court agrees that the term â€Å"liberty† as described in Section One of the 14th Amendment is subject to ambiguity. John Locke in his writings on the Second Treatise on Government maintains that there are entities that are above individual rights (Brandt, 2009). These entities include the government and society. In view of this, for as long as personal liberties infringe on these two entities, the government can strike down the individual liberties. Stewart Mill is of the same opin ion and voices this fact in his text â€Å"On Liberty†. In summary, societal rights take precedence over the rights of an individual in instances where the actions of an individual infringe on those of the public. With this argument coupled with the numerous health factors associated with smoking, banning public smoking is logical and imperative (Brandt, 2009). Much as, there is no â€Å"Right to smoke†, â€Å"due process on this matter according to critics is lacking in

Annotated Bibliography for Preventive Computer Medicine

For Preventive Computer Medicine - Annotated Bibliography Example He recommends that the enhanced features and additional protections offered by paid-for versions are worth the extra money. One reason consumers don’t protect their computers properly is that they feel shelling out money for anti-virus software is a scam or too painful on the budget, so this article supports my recommendation of using paid-for scanning software. This is an extremely short article but does make some interesting recommendations, such as carefully researching freeware, dashboard add-ons, and screensavers before downloading them. If the company does not pass the research test or other users have experienced problems, those programs should be avoided. Garcia recommends taking a proactive approach to infections by using the most cutting-edge software to prevent rather than cure computer infections. He notes that integrated systems are probably better than standalone software. This article helps to shape my recommendation that preventing computer problems is an overall approach, even though that requires more attention and management from the end user. A series of good tips for avoiding crashes, bugs and virus problems, including the typical advice of using the most up to date antivirus software, carefully checking all incoming files and links, and creating system backups. Good basic support opinion for several points in my essay. Short article containing almost the same tips as several others, but does give the web addresses of a few resources that warrant further investigation for this essay such as the US Department of Energy’s Hoaxbusters page and the Computer Associates Virus Encyclopedia. Historical background for the beginning of computer virus era. Jelinski presents a simplified overview of the origins of viruses and how to avoid them. This is relevant to my essay because the article presents the same simple advice given for the past 12 years.     

Four functions of management case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Four functions of management - Case Study Example However, you did not put some of the management functions in place. It was the reason for the business failures as the business grew in size. The management skills, which accrue to a business’s success that you did not put into consideration, include controlling, planning, organizing, and directing skills that accrue to a successful business. Directing: One of the reasons that affected the business’ success was your directive skills. According to your business statistics, you employed Lisa and entrusted her with all the business operations. Irrespective of you two being friends for a long time, you should not have trusted her with all the directive orders. She would report to work, wash the office and tidy up then start her daily chores. This was a lot for her and what she had not expected. She had to check all the tax forms and serve all the customers. For a business to be successful and achieve the goals and objectives, it should ensure a proper channel of communicati on between the workers (Richman 2012). Lisa had confidence that she was doing the right thing even after adding the three new employees. You should have controlled all of them since you are the senior manager. You should have given your orders to the employees in case of any changes, which should have been directly, or indirectly through According to Directive Path Theory, a business leader should give freedom to his/his employees for them to realize their job expectations. In reference to the theory, your management should do a follow up on employees’ tasks to ensure that they achieve the required job standards and set goals. Remarkably, members of the management are required to involve the subordinate staff in the process of making strategic decisions. You should have involved your employees in decision-making processes that would have helped produce effective workplace union. Employees can also motivated by awarding them accordingly after excellent progress in their work. Awards can be through issuing of presents and souvenir just as you did in your case. Additionally, you did not put your supervisions skills into consideration hence led to your employees taking advantage of the situation. As for Lisa’s case, she would not let you down due to your close relationship but the other employees would due to lack of an employee-employer relationship. It was the cause for the embezzlement of funds by your accountants. Communication is an essential measure in business management and should be employed to ensure a communication between top management and the junior staff (Richman, 2012). Communication avenues includes vertical and horizontal. In your case, you only emphasized on vertical communication. It entailed her communication skills with Lisa but not the other accountants. However, you did not consider horizontal type of communication. Good management skills allow both horizontal and vertical communication that entails an open office where commun ication occurs from all sides. These sides include communication from the senior management to the junior staff and the vice versa. Management should ensure an open office relationship where you allow your staff to make suggestions on issues before making decisions. Planning: On the issue of planning, you had good plans while establishing the job. You hired just one employee to cut costs that would boost the capital needed. However, according to management theories on planning, duties should be

Holes Essay Example for Free

Holes Essay There are many different challenges that Stanley Yelnats (the main character) from the bestselling novel Holes written by Louis Sachar has to over come. Stanley was first seen in the movie when a tilted shot of shoes hit him in the head and he fell on the ground portraying he was weak and a bit stupid. Stanleys personality was also displayed when his mum was so shocked when the police came around to their house telling them Stanley had stolens, this shows that Stanley had never commited a crime before and wasnt usually a trouble maker. The movie directed by Andrew Davis portrays everything the book does and it shows nearly all the insight into Stanleys life that author describes in the book. There are many challenges but the main one is breaking the curse that Stanleys family has been stuck in for more than 100 years. This challenge shows many significant themes in this book like friendship, determination and fate. The main dispute for Stanley was breaking his family curse. Although he didnt know if it was even real and that he had broken it , it was clear for the audience watching the movie that he had. The curse was put on his family more than 100 years ago when the first Yelnats, Elya Yelnats went to a fortune teller called Madame Zeroni. She made him a deal that he could have one of her small pigs if he carried Madame Zeroni up the mountain when he was done making the pig nice and fat so he could give it to the father of the girl of his dreams. When he noticed that the girl really was stupid like Madame Zeroni warmed him he decided to move from Lativia to America. However he forgot to carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain so she put a curse on his family forever. This was portrayed by a dissolve of Madame Zeroni repeating that she will put a curse on his family to Elya leaving Lativia. The low angle of Madame Zeronis face made it obvious that she was not kidding and very serious about the curse. When Stanely carried Hectoria Zeroni (a descendant of Madame Zeroni) up â€Å"Gods Thumb† which was also portrayed with a low angle making it look very commodious, he broke the family curse. This challenge portrayed many key ideas and themes and one of them was friendship. Zero (Hector Zeroni) and Stanley didnt know eachother at all but due to them both being the outcasts of the group they started to get to know eachother and Stanley started to teach Zero how to read and Zero helped dig Stanley holes so he wasnt so tired and could teach him. These lessons however were then stopped by the Warden, who was introduced by a high angle on her boots which already made her look threating as you could compare it to some movies where the thief or cowboys boots got introduced before their face which usually portrayed they were a significant character that usually was there to cause harm. However this didnt stop Zero and Stanleys friendship growing, when Zero ran away form the camp as he had enough of it Stanley had to go and rescue his only close friend he had at the camp. This shows Stanleys friendly love for Zero portrayed by the dissolving of Stanley walking through the dessert and than of the sun showing how hot it was. The soundtrack of mysterious music kept you guessing to see if Stanley would end up finding Zero or not. The orange overalls that all the boys at Camp Greenlake wore made Zero recognizable in the dessert. The audience knew that when the two boys rejoiced both of them were very content due to the soundtrack turning from mysterious to faster more lively music. Another key idea that the challenge portrayed was change. Change for Stanley, his family and Hector Zeroni. There were many unanswered questions that produced tension, secrecy through the entire movie but these questions were all answered when Stanley broke the curse. There was quite a journey to break the curse for Stanley and during this period his character changed dramatically. He used to a gullable, weak , little boy that couldnt stand up for himself. But he turned into a strong, smart young adult that could even save someones life. His weak side was displayed through a high angle of Stanley searching for a camera in the shower, that he got told the Warden of the Camp had installed. This shows how gullable he was and believed everything the other boys in his hut said. As well as giving his findings in a hole to another boy who got a free day off as the Warden though he found it not Stanley. However when he was in the middle of the dessert. He saw â€Å"Gods Thumb† and took iniative. When Hector was to weak he carried him up and saved his life as he found water which the boys definitely needed as they were tired and dehydrated. When Stanley broke the curse it changed many other things mostly for his life and family. His dad finally created a way to make sweaty feet/shoes not smell and Stanley found his treasure that was buried for more than 100 years by Kissing Kate Barlow. This changed his entire lifestyle and he gave half of his treasure to Hector who used that to hire private investigastors and find his mum who he hadent seen for more than 4 years. As you can see the main challenge definitely portrays some key ideas and themes. It displays the friendship betweeen Stanley Yelanats and Hector Zeroni which is definitely one of the most important friendship. Furthermore it explains how Stanley, Hector and both of their families changed. Stanleys personality changed showed everyone how much you can change due to your circumstances and enviroment around you. He teaches everyone a good lesson and I would definitly recommend this to any person my age.

Henri Cartier Bresson And Terence Donovan Photography Essay

Henri Cartier Bresson And Terence Donovan Photography Essay To discuss the contextual differences of two artists. To compare and contrast two images by two different photographers. The two artists I have chosen to look at for this investigation are Henri Cartier Bresson and Terence Donovan. To compare and contrast the two images I have chosen by these artists, not only must the images be deconstructed, but the artists background. The aim is to develop an understanding of why the photographer took the image, whether social pressures or cultural pressures had anything to do with the reasoning behind the image being captured. Henri Cartier Bresson was born in the early 1900s where as Terence Donovan was born 1936, which gave Bresson 30 years head start in his photographic career. Both artists lived throught World War II. Due to very different upbringings the images are totally different. Henri Cartier Bresson was a French documentary photographer whereas Terence Donovan was a British fashion photographer this is the most obvious and clarifying reason for the different style of photography. They both became inspired by the world of the photographic image in very different ways. In the 1960s for example, the cultures differences between England and France were huge. France where Parisians were revolting against the boundaries of normal society and Britain which was the height of fashion and culture. Henri Cartier Bresson would have been considered fairly wealthy, in that era, simply because his was born into wealth, this gave him the opportunity to pursue his career in photography and the arts, which may not have been made possible otherwise. Bresson also had a full and extremely beneficial education, attending University, and afterwards doing his mandatory service in the French Army. Bresson matured both artistically and as a man during a turbulent cultural and political era. This is reflected in many of his images, because of his documentation of the worlds great events during his lifetime, such as Gandhis funeral, the final stage of the Chinese Civil War and many other great historical events. Terence Donovan on the other hand, was born into a working class family, but had a true passion for the photographic art from a young age. Donovan attended a school specifically aimed at improving photographic knowledge in young minds. After attendance at school and experience in a stud io, he opened his own photographic studio and began image making. Terence Donovan was born in 1936 just before the Second World War started, and took his first photograph at a young age. The bomb-damaged industrial landscape of his home town of Stepney, became the backdrop of much of his fashion photography. Terence Donovan achieved so much at such a young age. He had his own photographic studio by the time he was in his twenties. He became particularly distinctive in the swinging London of the 60s. An era that can only be described as the first time young people wanted to be themselves. Terence Donovan had front page covers in magazines such as; Man about town, Vogue, Marie Claire, Nova, Queen and Elle, who were attracted by his versatility. Donovan became far more personal with age and was much more expressive than at the beginning of his career when he was more revolutionary. However, he did not just photograph the era, he helped shape it. The youth of the 60s was becoming far more outspoken and craved attention. However this was a static era in which models posed in prescribed ways. This was when and possibly why Donovan launched a defiant break from the norm of the time. With established standards of glamour and elegance as well as his close attention to detail, could be what lead to Donovans his elevated to celebrity status. Donovan was one of the first celebrity photographers, and became just as much as a celebrity, as those people he photographed. Where as Henri Cartier Bresson was born in 1908 his career in the arts began at a young age, but he did not discover the medium of photography until veiwing another artists work, which inspired him to become a documentary photographer. He did photograph some celebrities, such as Gandhi. The two photographers differ in this respect, because Terence Donovans photographs made people famous, whereas Henri Cartier Bresson photographs made him more famous, rather than the people in his images. Henri Cartier Bresson has a skill at envisaging an image, even when simply walking through the streets of Paris, his compostion is second to none, the rule of third is a compostional technique, captured in most of his images seems almost flawless. The fact that his camera is hand held, he manages to capture images, without camera shake, with good compostional skill, with the lighting being natural and without the subjects even realising they are being photographed. Once a subject realises they are being photographed they become far more formal and adapt and unnatural behaviour. The fact his subjects are completely unaware of the image being taken, makes his photographs far more pure and untainted and therefore even more spectacular. Especially so in this image, the couple being photographed are kissing, and are clearly unaware, if they were, this image would have lost its natural beauty, because the image would have been posed for. The small camera Bresson used when taking this speci fic shot, gave him the ability to get very intimate with this couple without there knowledge. In comparison Terence Donovans work is clearly set up and each photograph he takes he plans each sitters pose. In the majority of his portraiture, the sitter is making direct eye contact with the viewer, meaning the sitters attention is directed at the camera, and not elsewhere. Donovans photographs are always completely in focus which attracts attention. His photographs are artificially composed and are orderly which makes them even more spectacular. One photograph in particular of Terence Donovans stood out in my eyes. His photograph of the well-known actor Terence Stamp is, in my view, visually stunning. His face is defined so clearly by the contrasting colours and the light is directed upon his facial features, this adds sharpness and obvious clarity. This photograph has masses of detail and atmosphere because of the negative space and the mood of the sitter. Terence stamp looks very aware, determined, and undisguised because of the bluntness of his stare. The light is coming slightly from the right of the sitter so shadows appear on his face which emphasises his facial features. The picture makes the sitter look demanding and as though he commands respect, this makes Terence stamp look iconic. Henri Cartier Bresson work is in it own right, iconic, because it captures culture and the time period in which it was photographed beautifully. The subjects in Bresson work are not looking at the camera, which gives them a certain anon ymity and disguises them. In comparison to the image by Terence Donovan, Bressons work has more detail, because it has a stage, a background, where as Donovans work simply has negative space. A simplistic but striking image, His versatility attracted me, shooting in mostly black and white; his professional, intelligent style sets him apart from other photographers. His use of tone and the quality and depth of the monochrome he uses, particularly the gradations from light to dark, were so striking and iconic. Donovan uses two highly contrasting colours black and white; this makes his photographs look professional, having little or no bright colours makes the photo less complicated. His photographs have so much atmosphere that colour would be an unnecessary addition to his photographs. The same of which can be said for Henri Cartier Bressons work, who also shot in black and white, but because his images were on the spur of the moment, they engage the viewer differently. His style is graphic but simplistic, so makes a big impact in an effortless manner. Having this style makes the photograph less complex and cluttered, having some negative space adds a sense of mystery, and makes the photograph far more dramatic. The crispness in all of Terence Donovan photographs adds precise detail and brilliantly defined lines. Where as in Henri Cartier Bressons work is far more complex, he could not make people in the streets pose for him, he had to be extremely patient to capture his images as well as being subtle. He was not able to pose people in the image, as he would have lost his entire ideology of capturing people in there natural environment which is what documentary photography is. The images I chose represents both artists work well because it gives an insight into how exactly they created and captured there images and also gives an example of some of great street photography, and studio photography. As well as helping to prove that both artists socio-cultural identity did affect there work in many ways. Henri Cartier Bresson photographed very ordinary things of the time period, but because he was documenting an era, whereas Terence Donovan photographed fashion at the time. The world in which these differing artists were raised and brought up in is definitely apparent in there images especially those taken in there native Cities, England and France. This exploration into both Henri Cartier Bressons work and Terence Donovans past and subsequently there image making helps substantiate that there upbringing and the social climate in which they existed probably made a significant impact on there work, and lifestyle.

Becoming An Effective Hospice Nurse Nursing Essay

Becoming An Effective Hospice Nurse Nursing Essay Hospice nursing is an occupation that few people know about. Although the process of getting into this occupation is quite simple, there is a lot of work to be done in this growing field. Almost anyone can get a degree in nursing, but it takes a special kind of person to be a hospice nurse. This is because hospice nurses deal with the emotions the come with caring for terminally ill patients every day. How to Become an Effective Hospice Nurse Hospice nursing is an occupation that many people dont know about, although it deserves as much credit and awareness as any other nursing position. Many hospice nurses go to great lengths and make huge sacrifices in order to get this position, and the process to do so is very intricate and can be confusing. Nursing is a profession that takes a special kind of person, especially hospice nursing, because their job is to assist a patient and the patients family through a death. In todays healthcare situation, there is a rapidly increasing shortage of nurses. This is due to the fact that most registered nurses are retiring all at once, and there is no one there to fill their shoes. It is not uncommon to go to the doctors office and not give a second thought to the nurse seen before and after the doctor. This is part of what makes hospice nurses different. They form a close relationship with not only the patient, but the family as well. As with any medical profession, it can be difficult to understand how a person went about obtaining their career. There are many routes available, along with characteristics that make up a good hospice nurse. Essential Question How does a person become an effective hospice nurse? Supporting Questions What schooling is required, and what kind of classes should be taken? What kind of certification is needed, and how is it obtained? What is the job outlook, and why is it like this? How will having certain characteristics and specific skills benefit? What schooling is required, and what kind of classes should be taken? To be accepted into nursing school, a person has to have a high school diploma. Taking classes in math, biology, and chemistry while in high school help build a strong application, as well as being able to speak a foreign language. Someone looking into being a registered nurse can choose one of three options when it comes to finding a program. The first option is to get a four-year bachelors of science degree in nursing. This is offered by more than 700 colleges. The second option is to get either a two-year or a three-year associate degree in nursing, and this is possible at 850 community colleges. The final alternative would be to go through one of the 70 diploma programs available at some hospitals, which takes about three years (Education and Training, 2009, p.3). Regardless of which path is chosen, all nursing education will involve supervised clinical and classroom instruction. Anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology, and behavioral sciences are some of the classes that are commonly taken by nursing students (Paying Your Dues, 2010, p.1). It is important to take math, biology, and chemistry in high school because even if they cant be taken as college credit, they are still crucial preparatory classes. They will serve as the basic foundation for starting out in nursing education. Being able to speak a foreign language is helpful as well, because people from all backgrounds and cultures need medical help and deserve the right to speak in their own language. This is especially true in the hospice area of nursing because most patients are being taken care of in their own homes, and need the comfort of not having to be stressed about what languages their nurse can or cannot speak. One of a nurses main duties is to serve as a central communicator between the doctor and patient. The best option to choose when picking a nursing program is getting a four-year bachelors of science degree (BSN). It used to be that a nurse with an associate degree could get a job at almost any hospital. However, times are changing and it is now p referred that nurses have a four-year BSN. It is important for all of the programs to have experiences in clinics in all different settings because it provides students with a chance to learn about multiple areas of healthcare. For instance, a person could be planning to have a career in geriatrics, but after spending hours at a nursing home for a clinical, they might completely change their mind. What kind of certification is needed, and how is it obtained? In the United States, all hospice nurses must be registered nurses in addition to being certified by their states health department as a hospice worker. In order to become a registered nurse, a person must take and pass a national examination after graduating from a school of nursing (Education and Training, 2009, p.3). This examination is called the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN (Licensing and Certification, 2010, p.7). It is mandatory for all registered nurses to renew their license periodically, and some states require continuing education. This test is administered electronically, and is multiple-choice. Students usually begin studying for it in their final year of nursing school. Results are sent by mail and arrive five to eight weeks after the testing date. Being certified by the state health department as a hospice worker is important because it ensures that only nurses trained for this field will be entering palliative situations. If this requirement wasnt in place, any registered nurse could go into a home and perform hospice work. It is because of this rule that patients and families can feel confident that they will receive the best care. The National council Licensure Examination helps weed out the students who arent quite ready to start their career in nursing, and need a little more time to study. The students who dont pass can continue to study and try again the next time the test is administered. What is the job outlook, and why is it like this? Registered nurses have more than 2.5 million jobs in the United States. This is expected to hold through and only increase until at least the year 2016. The growth of healthcare in general and the needs of a quickly growing and aging population will raise the demand for registered nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that more new jobs are to be created for registered nurses than for any other occupation (Employment Outlook, 2010, p.4). The number of elderly is increasing rapidly, which creates many new jobs for hospice nurses. Another reason is because patients are becoming more and more okay with the idea of in-home care, and are actually starting to prefer it. Technology is supporting this by allowing nurses to deliver complex treatments away from hospitals. As interest in the field of hospice nursing grows, so do the opportunities. Right now there are two programs in the United States that provide masters degrees that focus on hospice care. One is at New York University, and the other is at Ursuline College, which is in Pepper Pike, Ohio. However, once this career takes off, there will hopefully be more masters degree programs available that specialize in hospice nursing. How will having certain characteristics and specific skills benefit? Hospice nursing includes 24-hour availability, pain management, and family support combined with compassionate listening and counseling skills (Hospice/palliative care nurses, p. 1) . According to Theresa Valiga: Nursing is a profession that challenges a person intellectually, physically, and emotionally. But it is also a profession that is incredibly rewarding. Nurses are with people during every major life event from birth to death. They have the privilege of being quite intimate with strangers. They are well-respected and they make a real difference in the lives of people and communities. Who could ask for more from a career? (p. 1) Like she said, a hospice nurse needs to not only be able to handle the physical stress of the everyday work, but also the emotional stress. One of the main goals of hospice nursing is to find out the patients last wishes and make sure they are carried through and communicated to the family (A. Fredericks, personal interview, December 9, 2010). On average, hospice patients die within a month of enrolling in a hospice program. Because of this fact, hospice nurses need to have skills to deal with spiritual and culturally sensitive patients. They also need to be able to lift patients or help them bath, sit up, get out of bed, or walk. Sometimes the patients are moody, confused, and uncooperative. Communication is a huge key in hospice nursing, because it is the nurses job to observe the patients condition and report it to the doctors, as well as the patients emotional needs and wishes to the family. How does a person become an effective hospice nurse? The first step to becoming an effective hospice nurse is getting a bachelors of science degree from a four-year nursing program. After that, the National Counsel Licensure Examination needs to be passed, as well as registering with a state health department as a hospice worker. A masters degree may be obtained specializing in palliative care. Amy Fredericks, a hospice worker encourages nursing students to continue on past their registered nursing licenses while they are free and not tied down by family and career (Personal interview, December 9, 2010). An effective hospice nurse can walk out the door at the end of the day and know they made a difference, whether it be through making someone smile or teaching a family member how to care for their loved one. As a hospice nurse, it is important to be caring, compassionate, and knowledgeable in order to provide the best care for the patient. Annotated Bibliography Hospice/palliative care nurses. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nursesource.org/hospice.html. This source have me specific information about hospice nursing and more details on the day to day experiences. Hospice nurse. (2010, April 14). Retrieved from http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=177. This source was helpful because it talked about the educational steps needed in order to become a hospice nurse. Kathy, Initials. (2009, January 7). Home health nursing. Retrieved from ultimatenurse.com/171. This source provided me with information about how hospice nurses serve as the prime communicators between doctors and patients. Occupational outlook handbook. (2009, December 17). Retrieved from http://bls.gov.oco.ocos083.htm. This source helped me see the statistics from the Bureau of Labor and analyze the outlook for hospice nurses. Registered professional nurses. (2009, February). This source provided me with information about the working conditions of registered nurses as well as education and training and personal qualifications.

The Life of Paul Gauguin Essay -- Painter Gauguin Biography Papers

The Life of Paul Gauguin Paul Gauguin was born in Paris on June 7th, 1848. His childhood was filled with radical beliefs and a libertarian lifestyle. In fact, his own father Clovis Gauguin was a republican journalist by trade, whose own writings were criticized for their radicalism and eventually forced the family into exile in 1849. With no stable source of income due to his father’s death, the family established residency in Peru, a decision made in accordance to his mother’s Peruvian descent. At age seventeen, Gauguin decided to enter into the French merchant navy. After a six year stint on the seas, Gauguin returned to Peru. His mother then died in 1867, and he was sent to live with Gustave Arosa, a wealthy art collector, who sparked his interest in art. It was Arosa who led Gauguin to eventually devote his time to painting. However, he did not begin his business career in the realm of art; rather, he succeeded as a stockbroker in Paris. It is there in Paris that he me t and married Mette Sofie Gad, and together they had five children. Despite the draw of finance and promise of substantial wealth, he could not temper his desire to paint. His attempts to paint and collect impressionist paintings frustrated Gauguin as he could only devote a meager amount of time and resources. Thus, he determined that he needed to focus his time solely to his lifelong passion: painting. To do so, Gauguin felt the need to sever all personal ties; consequently, he abandoned his family in 1883 without adequate funding. He died in Atuana, Marquesas on May 9th, 1903, a renowned painter, alone with the exception of his works. However, despite his attachment to an eclectic and hermit lifestyle, his contributions to art c... ... Biography. Nov. 12, 2002. http://www.expo-gauguin.com/2.cfm This site gave a brief overview of the life of Gauguin. It did not go into great detail on any given part of his life, but rather included the major points and influences throughout. Encarta Online. Paul Gauguin. Nov. 12, 2002. http://www.renoirinc.com/biography/artists/gauguin.htm This site also gave an overview of Gauguin’s life, but also included more descriptions of the changes in his art throughout his life. It provided the paintings that represented these changes. Works Consulted Paul Gauguin Biography. Nov. 13, 2002. http://www.repropaint.com/Gauguin/gauguin.htm This site was almost identical to the second listed in works cited. It gave a very broad listing of the events in Gauguin’s life, but also gave a few more names involved in shaping his life and painting.

The Psychic Tradition :: Psychic Essays

The Psychic Tradition Methodology The first thing that I did to conduct my research was to brainstorm the various places where I could find both fact and opinion concerning the role that the psychic realm plays within society. The most obvious choice was to visit a practicing psychic. I know of a psychic that works in my hometown of Nashville, Indiana. I tried on several occasions to contact her by phone and request permission for an interview, however, failed to do so. (First bit of knowledge acquired: psychics do not always follow office hours). I decided to try and meet with her in person and during meantime wrote a few pages of questions to ask during the interview in case conversation came to a lull (or in case I started to choke up). Next, I thought it might be interesting to see what a . free. phone psychic experience would be like. I called up Ms. Cleo, amongst the numerous others offered in the telephone book and on the T.V. I then went to the library and checked out five books. Two of the books went over the history of psychic abilities and the various methods and definitions. One of the books discussed Nostradamus. I felt it was necessary to review his prophecies considering he has had such profound effects on societies throughout time. The last two books consist of an autobiography and a biography, both of which are somewhat recent accounts of psychics living in a time we are all familiar with. Next, I decided to conduct a video survey, including mostly collage-age students, of opinions surrounding some of the key subjects that I had been researching. Additionally, I included a few demonstrations of supposed psychic phenomenon for those who do not posses the power of purely mental insight on the video. By December 2nd I was becoming very weary of trying to get a hold of Nashville. s local psychic, so I called a friend of mine up who has a history of dealing with the metaphysical and recently got hired as a psychic advisor by Ms. Cleo. She participated in an audio-reco rded interview that lasted around twenty minutes. Description The Gilgamesh Epic contains the first recorded prophets from 2000 B.C. Today, we see Ms. Cleo on the T.V.