Monday, December 23, 2019

Overview (Salinas). Kean University Is A Public University

Overview (Salinas): Kean University is a public university located in Union, New Jersey and was founded in 1855. Kean University offers many different services to their students enrolled, including one of the most popular department on campus, The Office of Financial Aid. The Office of Financial Aid is devoted to offering different services and information to students attending Kean. Located on first floor of the Administration Building, The Office of Financial Aid is open Monday through Saturday and offers phone hours Monday through Friday. Students can schedule an appointment, where they will have a chance to sit and speak with a financial counselor. Students who attend Kean, can follow updates from The Office of Financial Aid†¦show more content†¦It is approximated that 66% of incoming students receive financial assistance. On average, around $4,768 is awarded as federal grants to students. Scholarships provided by Kean University average around $2,803 each. In addition, many factors contribute to receiving a form of aid such as income level. For example, the lower the income level the more aid the students receive while the higher the income level the less aid they receive. On average for all undergraduate students, 48% of students receive aid averaging around $6,565. Kean University also provides students with a Net Price Calculator that was designed to help students calculate their estimated financial aid and options. The Net Price Calculator provided by Kean University asks students about their high school grade point average, SAT and ACT scores, FAFSA data, and more financial information to estimate their overall scholarship and aid options. In addition, current students enrolled in Kean University receive many financial options to pay for their tuition. Such as payment plans, subsidized, and unsubsidized loans provided by the college. Current students are required to agree to the Financial Obligations Agreement (FOA) on KeanWISE once per term before registering for classes. Students must also remove any holds from their accounts including any past due amounts from their tuition to be eligible to register for classes. If

Sunday, December 15, 2019

The American Revolutionary War Free Essays

One of the greatest reasons as to why there was the revolution in the America during the regime of British colonization was as a result of excessive taxation by the British. The British government implemented this idea of excessive tax on the American citizens after realizing that they had a great debt, which resulted from the expenses they incurred during their war with France and India. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Revolutionary War or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the North America the British had many troops at the end of the Indian and the French war. The British government in the long last realized that it had been using a lot of its money to defend its colonies. A big force was required to protect the colonists from the attacks by the Indian troops. At the end of the war the British had a debt worth 140 million pounds. To solve this problem the British government came up with two solutions. Firstly, the British government had the view of strengthening the existing taxation laws together with introduction of additional taxes on the colonists. Such taxes included the: 1773 tea act, 1764 sugar act, and 1765 stamp act. This was to be done so as to enable the government to cater for the cost of the troops which were stationed in the North America. Secondly, the British government gave out new proclamation to prevent the further encroachment of the Indians by the colonists.[1] They believed that this action if is put in place would eliminate the war between the colonists and the Indian, and thus the number of the troops would go down. The first measure by the British government of strengthening the tax laws and introducing additional tax act was to be implemented by passing the Revenue Act of 1764. This act was referred to as the Sugar Act by the colonies. The Act on Sugar really cut down the molasses tax, which was by then the key colonies’ import. The enforcement of the previous tax was not done by the British government.1 With the introduction of the new sugar act brought in strong enforcing methods on the molasses tariffs. Under the same Revenue Act additional items such as wine, silk and potash were subject to import tax. The American colonists reacted to the new law on the taxes with outrage. They employed all the means and the mechanisms to render such a law useless. The colonial government officials were very corrupt to extend that they allowed the entrance of molasses and other commodities to America without payment of the required import tax on them. The American colonists resisted openly the new act of revenues by the British government as much as they could. A good example on this is the sloop Polly case. Immediately after the law was passed by the parliament, she moved to a port known as Newport carrying molasses load. Despite the fact that, the indication on the tax payment were matching with the new government new revenue act, it was realized later by the port officer that the load was twice the one indicated on the shipment documents. The ship was seized under the new Revenue Act.[2] This was the first evidenced American colonists’ defiance on the British government Revenue Act. Many of the American colonists just accepted to pay such taxes under the new Revenue Act as it was inevitable for them. The taxation itself did not case an alarm to the American colonists; however the methods which were employed to collect the taxes by the British government caused anger among the colonists.   Other issues that caused anger among the colonists were that: during the enactment of the Revenue Act concerning the taxes, they were not involved in this process. Also the taxation methods barred the American colonists in engaging in trade. On the second measure by the British government to reduce its burden of the cost they incurred in Indian and the French, was received by the American with a lot of anger and disdain. This was because it limited and interfered with their economic growth. According to the Americans the issue of protecting the Indians encroachment by the colonists had a little chance to be enforced. They had the feeling that, there was no means by which the colonists’ natural movement would be stopped by such proclamation.5 The Revenue Act aimed at increasing the Revenue to the British government through increasing the taxes, was the major cause of the revolutionary war in America. The issue of taxation cleared the path towards the revolution. Not only did it bring the issue of resistance, but also it stimulated the thoughts of politics the resulted into the revolution. A good example is that of James Otis who resigned and went to court on the behalf of the merchants of Boston to protest the Assistance Writs. The writs of assistance gave powers to the officials of customs to break into ships, warehouses, and homes that were thought to be carrying any goods which were not transacted in the correct order based on the new Revenue Act.[3] According to Otis the British unwritten constitution fundamentals were violated by these writs. Otis was for the idea that, despite that it was the British government that passed these writs, the local government was not supposed to enforce them. In his case Otis lost, but the writs issue which the revenue act enforcement brought forth resulted to be an expanding colonial list of grievances against the British colonial government. [1] Reich Jerome. British Friends of the American Revolution, London, Macmillan, 1998, pp. 12 1 Reich Jerome. British Friends of the American Revolution, London, Macmillan, 1998, pp. 19 [2] Revolutionary War. History Central. Copyright Multi-Educator , 1998, Retrieved on 12th January 2009 from http://www.historycentral.com/Revolt/index.html 5 On the American Revolution. The American Inquisition. Retrieved on 12th January 2009 from, http://americaninquisition.blogspot.com/2008/05/on-american-revolution.html [3] Hatch Louis. The Administration of the American Revolutionary Army, London, Longman Green and Co., 1994, pp. 70    How to cite The American Revolutionary War, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Internet Technology and Secured Transactions †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Internet Technology and Secured Transactions. Answer: Introduction: The problem statement for this research topic is security of personal data on the internet. The issue will centre on data theft and security of personal data on the social sites and internet. Due to the increasing popularity of online networking sites, the security of personal data on the internet have become extremely essential (Benson, Saridakis Tennakoon, 2015). The internet users provide a large amount of their personal information online and therefore security is a key issue. The case study of Facebook and Cambridge Analytica will be used as the research problem. The issue took a serious turn when the people came to know that Cambridge Analytica, a data firm got hold of millions of internet users information. The reason behind acquiring this information is to develop software for manipulating the political campaigns to target the probable swing voters. Donald Trumps presidential election of 2016 was also included among the political campaigns (Bertino, 2015). Data Analytica exp loited Facebook to gather personal information of the users and build models for knowing about their private matters. The data was gathered by this firm through an app named, thisisyourdigitallife, which was developed by a Russian American researcher. The research is aimed at finding the importance of securing personal data on the internet and the ways by which users can avoid data theft. The specific purpose of the research is to find out the extent to which personal data is secured on the social networking sites and internet (Ferreira et al., 2015). The following objectives will be able to solve the particular problem. To find out the importance securing online data To find out the extent to which personal data can be shared in social networking sites To find out the impact of online data theft and the preventive steps For carrying out this particular research, both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected from primary sources. Therefore, it can be said that mixed method will be appropriate to work on this research. This is because mixed method will be helpful in collecting the qualitative as well as quantitative data (Hinz et al., 2015). Primary analysis will be done on the basis of the information and facts received from the respondents. Any previous instances of data theft in Facebook will be considered as secondary sources of information while carrying out this research work. Thus, mixed methodology will be effective in this particular research of data theft and security of personal data online. The primary data analysis will be collected by conducting personal interview with the respondent such as the users whose information has been leaked. Other users will be surveyed by means of questionnaire, which will contain only close- ended questions in order to avoid biasness. The staff of Cambridge Analytica will also be enquired by means of group meetings to know the reason behind this issue. The political members associated with this scandal will also be interviewed either face- to- face or via telephone to know about their real intention. There will be 300 sample selected for this research. These samples will be further divided into 5 categories based on politicians, Cambridge Analytica members, Facebook staff members, Faceboo users and other common internet users. The categorization of the sample will be effective in extracting relevant information. References Benson, V., Saridakis, G., Tennakoon, H. (2015). Information disclosure of social media users: does control over personal information, user awareness and security notices matter?.Information Technology People,28(3), 426-441. Bertino, E. (2015, June). Big data-security and privacy. InBig Data (BigData Congress), 2015 IEEE International Congress on(pp. 757-761). IEEE. Ferreira, D., Kostakos, V., Beresford, A. R., Lindqvist, J., Dey, A. K. (2015, June). Securacy: an empirical investigation of Android applications' network usage, privacy and security. InProceedings of the 8th ACM Conference on Security Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks(p. 11). ACM. Hinz, O., Nofer, M., Schiereck, D., Trillig, J. (2015). The influence of data theft on the share prices and systematic risk of consumer electronics companies. Information Management,52(3), 337-347. Kang, R., Dabbish, L., Fruchter, N., Kiesler, S. (2015, July). my data just goes everywhere: user mental models of the internet and implications for privacy and security. InSymposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS)(pp. 39-52). Berkeley, CA: USENIX Association. Lee, S. W., Kim, H. K., Kim, E. J. (2015). A Study on Countermeasures for Personal Data Breach and Security Threats of Social Network Game.Journal of Korea Game Society,15(1), 77-88. Liu, V., Musen, M. A., Chou, T. (2015). Data breaches of protected health information in the United States.Jama,313(14), 1471-1473. Martin, K. D., Borah, A., Palmatier, R. W. (2017). Data privacy: Effects on customer and firm performance.Journal of Marketing,81(1), 36-58. Morey, T., Forbath, T., Schoop, A. (2015). Customer data: Designing for transparency and trust.Harvard Business Review,93(5), 96-105. Sen, R., Borle, S. (2015). Estimating the contextual risk of data breach: An empirical approach.Journal of Management Information Systems,32(2), 314-341. Sharif, A., Cooney, S., Gong, S., Vitek, D. (2015, October). Current security threats and prevention measures relating to cloud services, Hadoop concurrent processing, and big data. InBig Data (Big Data), 2015 IEEE International Conference on(pp. 1865-1870). IEEE. Siegal, J., Rowell, S., Hintz, T. (2018).U.S. Patent No. 9,911,146. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Stieglitz, S., Dang-Xuan, L. (2013). Social media and political communication: a social media analytics framework.Social Network Analysis and Mining,3(4), 1277-1291. Terzi, D. S., Terzi, R., Sagiroglu, S. (2015, December). A survey on security and privacy issues in big data. InInternet Technology and Secured Transactions (ICITST), 2015 10th International Conference for(pp. 202-207). IEEE. Vijayakumar, V. (2016). Big data security framework for distributed cloud data centers.Cybersecurity breaches and issues surrounding online threat protection, 288.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Most Effective Buzzwords for Content Marketing

by Chris Reid Content marketing is a great way to reach new customers and help your brand grow. You’ve probably covered the essentials by now, you’re maintaining an active blog on your company’s website, sending out email newsletters to your subscribers and engaging with your followers on social channels. If your efforts aren’t resulting in conversions, you might want to punch up your content with some tried-and-true buzzwords or hire a content writer to effectively utilize buzzwords. These powerful words have been proven to get the clicks you want, and they can help you get your content marketing efforts headed in the right direction. There are somebenefits and pitfalls of using buzzwords and we’ll also check out some of the most effective â€Å"power words† you can add to your content today. Getting Clicks with Buzzwords Successful bloggers and content marketers understand the power of certain words to help content go viral. These words generate interest and get people to take a closer look at your content. Some buzzwords are long-time favorites among marketers and SEO content writers, while others are more modern and capitalize on today’s trends. A few examples include: –â€Å"Surprising†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Used in headlines, this word has an amazing ability to hook readers and make them dig into your content. Posts that use this word in their titles also tend to get more shares. –â€Å"How To†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ People come online to find out how to do things. If your content can help readers learn something new, make it clear with these two powerful words. –â€Å"Tips†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ A â€Å"tip† isn’t quite as clever and handy as a â€Å"hack† and it doesn’t include the detailed instructions of a â€Å"how to.† Even though this buzzword is less specific in nature, it still tempts readers to click and explore. Combine this term with a number letting readers know how many tips you’re going to share and you’ll boost the power of the word. –â€Å"New†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ If you have newsworthy information for your readers and followers, let them know. This is one of those words that catches the eye of readers and makes them want to learn more. –â€Å"You† and â€Å"Your†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ These two words might be the most powerful ones on the list. Studies indicate that addressing readers directly in your content has a big impact on its engagement. You’ll get more clicks, more comments and more shares with this one simple change. (Did you notice we said â€Å"your content† and â€Å"you’ll get more clicks†?) The SEO Connection Not only do buzzwords help your content catch the eye of potential customers, but they can even get your content to rank better in the search results. How exactly does that work? It all boils down to the relationship between social signals and SEO.Content that gets clicks, shares, comments and likes is more likely to fare well in the search results. When you use buzzwords to make your content more captivating, you’ll get the traffic and engagement you need to boost your ranking. Too Much of a Good Thing While a well-placed buzzword or two can do wonders for grabbing customers’ attention, it’s easy to overuse them in your content. You want your message to stand out amid the sea of online clutter it should be vivid, memorable and clear. Don’t fill your content with so many buzzwords that it ends up sounding like some tired clickbait listicle. It’s clear that buzzwords can be the secret weapon you need to take your content marketing to the next level. Choose your buzzwords with care: These words can punch up your content, but too many of them can dilute your brand’s message. Used wisely, though a sprinkling of buzzwords can make your brand’s message pop and catch the interest of new audiences.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Admitting the Holocaust

LSD, ECSTASY, and MUSHROOMS Negative Effects Hallucinogens are drugs that cause hallucinations. Scientists explain a hallucination as â€Å"a sensory experience of something that does not exist outside the mind. It may involve hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting or feeling something that isn’t really there. Or, it may involve distorted sensory perceptions, so that things look, sound, smell, taste or feel differently from the way that they are.† LSD, Ecstasy and â€Å"Magic Mushrooms† are all hallucinogenic in effect. The effects vary in type and strength depending on the amount of the drug taken, how often it is taken, the mood of the user, the environment, and the physical condition of the individual taking the drug. Effects may be pleasurable for some users and violent in nature for others. Hallucinogens produce varying types of hallucinations. One type of hallucination produced by these drugs is called â€Å"synesthesia†, a transposing of sensory modes or sensory crossover. This is better explained by an example of seeing a particular sight that may cause the user to perceive a sound. Hearing a sound, may cause him/her to perceive an odor. A â€Å"bad trip† may sometimes be re-experienced as a flashback. Hallucinogen flashbacks do not occur because of a residual amount of the drug in an individual’s body, but are vivid recollections of a portion of a previous hallucinogenic experience. Flashbacks are very intense, and are often referred to as â€Å"day dreams†. According to Reed 2 the American Medical Association, there are three types of flashbacks that can occur: emotional, somatic and perceptual. â€Å"The emotional flashback is the most dangerous in that it brings back feelings of... Free Essays on Admitting the Holocaust Free Essays on Admitting the Holocaust LSD, ECSTASY, and MUSHROOMS Negative Effects Hallucinogens are drugs that cause hallucinations. Scientists explain a hallucination as â€Å"a sensory experience of something that does not exist outside the mind. It may involve hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting or feeling something that isn’t really there. Or, it may involve distorted sensory perceptions, so that things look, sound, smell, taste or feel differently from the way that they are.† LSD, Ecstasy and â€Å"Magic Mushrooms† are all hallucinogenic in effect. The effects vary in type and strength depending on the amount of the drug taken, how often it is taken, the mood of the user, the environment, and the physical condition of the individual taking the drug. Effects may be pleasurable for some users and violent in nature for others. Hallucinogens produce varying types of hallucinations. One type of hallucination produced by these drugs is called â€Å"synesthesia†, a transposing of sensory modes or sensory crossover. This is better explained by an example of seeing a particular sight that may cause the user to perceive a sound. Hearing a sound, may cause him/her to perceive an odor. A â€Å"bad trip† may sometimes be re-experienced as a flashback. Hallucinogen flashbacks do not occur because of a residual amount of the drug in an individual’s body, but are vivid recollections of a portion of a previous hallucinogenic experience. Flashbacks are very intense, and are often referred to as â€Å"day dreams†. According to Reed 2 the American Medical Association, there are three types of flashbacks that can occur: emotional, somatic and perceptual. â€Å"The emotional flashback is the most dangerous in that it brings back feelings of...

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Game of Thrones Chapter Seventy

He strapped his roll to the saddle, his scarred fingers stiff and clumsy. â€Å"Ghost,† he called softly, â€Å"to me.† And the wolf was there, eyes like embers. â€Å"Jon, please. You must not do this.† He mounted, the reins in his hand, and wheeled the horse around to face the night. Samwell Tarly stood in the stable door, a full moon peering over his shoulder. He threw a giant’s shadow, immense and black. â€Å"Get out of my way, Sam.† â€Å"Jon, you can’t,† Sam said. â€Å"I won’t let you.† â€Å"I would sooner not hurt you,† Jon told him. â€Å"Move aside, Sam, or I’ll ride you down.† â€Å"You won’t. You have to listen to me. Please . . . â€Å" Jon put his spurs to horseflesh, and the mare bolted for the door. For an instant Sam stood his ground, his face as round and pale as the moon behind him, his mouth a widening O of surprise. At the last moment, when they were almost on him, he jumped aside as Jon had known he would, stumbled, and fell. The mare leapt over him, out into the night. Jon raised the hood of his heavy cloak and gave the horse her head. Castle Black was silent and still as he rode out, with Ghost racing at his side. Men watched from the Wall behind him, he knew, but their eyes were turned north, not south. No one would see him go, no one but Sam Tarly, struggling back to his feet in the dust of the old stables. He hoped Sam hadn’t hurt himself, falling like that. He was so heavy and so ungainly, it would be just like him to break a wrist or twist his ankle getting out of the way. â€Å"I warned him,† Jon said aloud. â€Å"It was nothing to do with him, anyway.† He flexed his burned hand as he rode, opening and closing the scarred fingers. They still pained him, but it felt good to have the wrappings off. Moonlight silvered the hills as he followed the twisting ribbon of the kingsroad. He needed to get as far from the Wall as he could before they realized he was gone. On the morrow he would leave the road and strike out overland through field and bush and stream to throw off pursuit, but for the moment speed was more important than deception. It was not as though they would not guess where he was going. The Old Bear was accustomed to rise at first light, so Jon had until dawn to put as many leagues as he could between him and the Wall . . . if Sam Tarly did not betray him. The fat boy was dutiful and easily frightened, but he loved Jon like a brother. If questioned, Sam would doubtless tell them the truth, but Jon could not imagine him braving the guards in front of the King’s Tower to wake Mormont from sleep. When Jon did not appear to fetch the Old Bear’s breakfast from the kitchen, they’d look in his cell and find Longclaw on the bed. It had been hard to abandon it, but Jon was not so lost to honor as to take it with him. Even Jorah Mormont had not done that, when he fled in disgrace. Doubtless Lord Mormont would find someone more worthy of the blade. Jon felt bad when he thought of the old man. He knew his desertion would be salt in the still-raw wound of his son’s disgrace. That seemed a poor way to repay him for his trust, but it couldn’t be helped. No matter what he did, Jon felt as though he were betraying someone. Even now, he did not know if he was doing the honorable thing. The southron had it easier. They had their septons to talk to, someone to tell them the gods’ will and help sort out right from wrong. But the Starks worshiped the old gods, the nameless gods, and if the heart trees heard, they did not speak. When the last lights of Castle Black vanished behind him, Jon slowed his mare to a walk. He had a long journey ahead and only the one horse to see him through. There were holdfasts and farming villages along the road south where he might be able to trade the mare for a fresh mount when he needed one, but not if she were injured or blown. He would need to find new clothes soon; most like, he’d need to steal them. He was clad in black from head to heel; high leather riding boots, roughspun breeches and tunic, sleeveless leather jerkin, and heavy wool cloak. His longsword and dagger were sheathed in black moleskin, and the hauberk and coif in his saddlebag were black ringmail. Any bit of it could mean his death if he were taken. A stranger wearing black was viewed with cold suspicion in every village and holdfast north of the Neck, and men would soon be watching for him. Once Maester Aemon’s ravens took flight, Jon knew he would find no safe haven. Not even at Winterfell. Bran might want to let him in, but Maester Luwin had better sense. He would bar the gates and send Jon away, as he should. Better not to call there at all. Yet he saw the castle clear in his mind’s eye, as if he had left it only yesterday; the towering granite walls, the Great Hall with its smells of smoke and dog and roasting meat, his father’s solar, the turret room where he had slept. Part of him wanted nothing so much as to hear Bran laugh again, to sup on one of Gage’s beef-and-bacon pies, to listen to Old Nan tell her tales of the children of the forest and Florian the Fool. But he had not left the Wall for that; he had left because he was after all his father’s son, and Robb’s brother. The gift of a sword, even a sword as fine as Longclaw, did not make him a Mormont. Nor was he Aemon Targaryen. Three times the old man had chosen, and three times he had chosen honor, but that was him. Even now, Jon could not decide whether the maester had stayed because he was weak and craven, or because he was strong and true. Yet he understood what the old man had meant, about the pain of choosing; he understood that all too well. Tyrion Lannister had claimed that most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it, but Jon was done with denials. He was who he was; Jon Snow, bastard and oathbreaker, motherless, friendless, and damned. For the rest of his life—however long that might be—he would be condemned to be an outsider, the silent man standing in the shadows who dares not speak his true name. Wherever he might go throughout the Seven Kingdoms, he would need to live a lie, lest every man’s hand be raised against him. But it made no matter, so long as he lived long enough to take his place by his brother’s side and help avenge his father. He remembered Robb as he had last seen him, standing in the yard with snow melting in his auburn hair. Jon would have to come to him in secret, disguised. He tried to imagine the look on Robb’s face when he revealed himself. His brother would shake his head and smile, and he’d say . . . he’d say . . . He could not see the smile. Hard as he tried, he could not see it. He found himself thinking of the deserter his father had beheaded the day they’d found the direwolves. â€Å"You said the words,† Lord Eddard had told him. â€Å"You took a vow, before your brothers, before the old gods and the new.† Desmond and Fat Tom had dragged the man to the stump. Bran’s eyes had been wide as saucers, and Jon had to remind him to keep his pony in hand. He remembered the look on Father’s face when Theon Greyjoy brought forth Ice, the spray of blood on the snow, the way Theon had kicked the head when it came rolling at his feet. He wondered what Lord Eddard might have done if the deserter had been his brother Benjen instead of that ragged stranger. Would it have been any different? It must, surely, surely . . . and Robb would welcome him, for a certainty. He had to, or else . . . It did not bear thinking about. Pain throbbed, deep in his fingers, as he clutched the reins. Jon put his heels into his horse and broke into a gallop, racing down the kingsroad, as if to outrun his doubts. Jon was not afraid of death, but he did not want to die like that, trussed and bound and beheaded like a common brigand. If he must perish, let it be with a sword in his hand, fighting his father’s killers. He was no true Stark, had never been one . . . but he could die like one. Let them say that Eddard Stark had fathered four sons, not three. Ghost kept pace with them for almost half a mile, red tongue lolling from his mouth. Man and horse alike lowered their heads as he asked the mare for more speed. The wolf slowed, stopped, watching, his eyes glowing red in the moonlight. He vanished behind, but Jon knew he would follow, at his own pace. Scattered lights flickered through the trees ahead of him, on both sides of the road: Mole’s Town. A dog barked as he rode through, and he heard a mule’s raucous haw from the stable, but otherwise the village was still. Here and there the glow of hearth fires shone through shuttered windows, leaking between wooden slats, but only a few. Mole’s Town was bigger than it seemed, but three quarters of it was under the ground, in deep warm cellars connected by a maze of tunnels. Even the whorehouse was down there, nothing on the surface but a wooden shack no bigger than a privy, with a red lantern hung over the door. On the Wall, he’d heard men call the whores â€Å"buried treasures.† He wondered whether any of his brothers in black were down there tonight, mining. That was oathbreaking too, yet no one seemed to care. Not until he was well beyond the village did Jon slow again. By then both he and the mare were damp with sweat. He dismounted, shivering, his burned hand aching. A bank of melting snow lay under the trees, bright in the moonlight, water trickling off to form small shallow pools. Jon squatted and brought his hands together, cupping the runoff between his fingers. The snowmelt was icy cold. He drank, and splashed some on his face, until his cheeks tingled. His fingers were throbbing worse than they had in days, and his head was pounding too. I am doing the right thing, he told himself, so why do I feel so bad? The horse was well lathered, so Jon took the lead and walked her for a while. The road was scarcely wide enough for two riders to pass abreast, its surface cut by tiny streams and littered with stone. That run had been truly stupid, an invitation to a broken neck. Jon wondered what had gotten into him. Was he in such a great rush to die? Off in the trees, the distant scream of some frightened animal made him look up. His mare whinnied nervously. Had his wolf found some prey? He cupped his hands around his mouth. â€Å"Ghost!† he shouted. â€Å"Ghost, to me.† The only answer was a rush of wings behind him as an owl took flight. Frowning, Jon continued on his way. He led the mare for half an hour, until she was dry. Ghost did not appear. Jon wanted to mount up and ride again, but he was concerned about his missing wolf. â€Å"Ghost,† he called again. â€Å"Where are you? To me! Ghost!† Nothing in these woods could trouble a direwolf, even a half-grown direwolf, unless . . . no, Ghost was too smart to attack a bear, and if there was a wolf pack anywhere close Jon would have surely heard them howling. He should eat, he decided. Food would settle his stomach and give Ghost the chance to catch up. There was no danger yet; Castle Black still slept. In his saddlebag, he found a biscuit, a piece of cheese, and a small withered brown apple. He’d brought salt beef as well, and a rasher of bacon he’d filched from the kitchens, but he would save the meat for the morrow. After it was gone he’d need to hunt, and that would slow him. Jon sat under the trees and ate his biscuit and cheese while his mare grazed along the kingsroad. He kept the apple for last. It had gone a little soft, but the flesh was still tart and juicy. He was down to the core when he heard the sounds: horses, and from the north. Quickly Jon leapt up and strode to his mare. Could he outrun them? No, they were too close, they’d hear him for a certainty, and if they were from Castle Black . . . He led the mare off the road, behind a thick stand of grey-green sentinels. â€Å"Ouiet now,† he said in a hushed voice, crouching down to peer through the branches. If the gods were kind, the riders would pass by. Likely as not, they were only smallfolk from Mole’s Town, farmers on their way to their fields, although what they were doing out in the middle of the night . . . He listened to the sound of hooves growing steadily louder as they trotted briskly down the kingsroad. From the sound, there were five or six of them at the least. Their voices drifted through the trees. † . . . certain he came this way?† â€Å"We can’t be certain.† â€Å"He could have ridden east, for all you know. Or left the road to cut through the woods. That’s what I’d do.† â€Å"In the dark? Stupid. If you didn’t fall off your horse and break your neck, you’d get lost and wind up back at the Wall when the sun came up.† â€Å"I would not.† Grenn sounded peeved. â€Å"I’d just ride south, you can tell south by the stars.† â€Å"What if the sky was cloudy?† Pyp asked. â€Å"Then I wouldn’t go.† Another voice broke in. â€Å"You know where I’d be if it was me? I’d be in Mole’s Town, digging for buried treasure.† Toad’s shrill laughter boomed through the trees. Jon’s mare snorted. â€Å"Keep quiet, all of you,† Haider said. â€Å"I thought I heard something.† â€Å"Where? I didn’t hear anything.† The horses stopped. â€Å"You can’t hear yourself fart.† â€Å"I can too,† Grenn insisted. â€Å"Quiet!† They all fell silent, listening. Jon found himself holding his breath. Sam, he thought. He hadn’t gone to the Old Bear, but he hadn’t gone to bed either, he’d woken the other boys. Damn them all. Come dawn, if they were not in their beds, they’d be named deserters too. What did they think they were doing? The hushed silence seemed to stretch on and on. From where Jon crouched, he could see the legs of their horses through the branches. Finally Pyp spoke up. â€Å"What did you hear?† â€Å"I don’t know,† Haider admitted. â€Å"A sound, I thought it might have been a horse but . . . â€Å" â€Å"There’s nothing here.† Out of the corner of his eye, Jon glimpsed a pale shape moving through the trees. Leaves rustled, and Ghost came bounding out of the shadows, so suddenly that Jon’s mare started and gave a whinny. â€Å"There!† Halder shouted. â€Å"I heard it too!† â€Å"Traitor,† Jon told the direwolf as he swung up into the saddle. He turned the mare’s head to slide off through the trees, but they were on him before he had gone ten feet. â€Å"Jon!† Pyp shouted after him. â€Å"Pull up,† Grenn said. â€Å"You can’t outrun us all.† Jon wheeled around to face them, drawing his sword. â€Å"Get back. I don’t wish to hurt you, but I will if I have to.† â€Å"One against seven?† Halder gave a signal. The boys spread out, surrounding him. â€Å"What do you want with me?† Jon demanded. â€Å"We want to take you back where you belong,† Pyp said. â€Å"I belong with my brother.† â€Å"We’re your brothers now,† Grenn said. â€Å"They’ll cut off your head if they catch you, you know,† Toad put in with a nervous laugh. â€Å"This is so stupid, it’s like something the Aurochs would do.† â€Å"I would not,† Grenn said. â€Å"I’m no oathbreaker. I said the words and I meant them.† â€Å"So did I,† Jon told them. â€Å"Don’t you understand? They murdered my father. It’s war, my brother Robb is fighting in the riverlands—† â€Å"We know,† said Pyp solemnly. â€Å"Sam told us everything.† â€Å"We’re sorry about your father,† Grenn said, â€Å"but it doesn’t matter. Once you say the words, you can’t leave, no matter what.† â€Å"I have to,† Jon said fervently. â€Å"You said the words,† Pyp reminded him. â€Å"Now my watch begins, you said it. It shall not end until my death.† â€Å"I shall live and die at my post,† Grenn added, nodding. â€Å"You don’t have to tell me the words, I know them as well as you do.† He was angry now. Why couldn’t they let him go in peace? They were only making it harder. â€Å"I am the sword in the darkness,† Halder intoned. â€Å"The watcher on the walls,† piped Toad. Jon cursed them all to their faces. They took no notice. Pyp spurred his horse closer, reciting, â€Å"I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men.† â€Å"Stay back,† Jon warned him, brandishing his sword. â€Å"I mean it, Pyp.† They weren’t even wearing armor, he could cut them to pieces if he had to. Matthar had circled behind him. He joined the chorus. â€Å"I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch.† Jon kicked his mare, spinning her in a circle. The boys were all around him now, closing from every side. â€Å"For this night . . . † Halder trotted in from the left. † . . . and all the nights to come,† finished Pyp. He reached over for Jon’s reins. â€Å"So here are your choices. Kill me, or come back with me.† Jon lifted his sword . . . and lowered it, helpless. â€Å"Damn you,† he said. â€Å"Damn you all.† â€Å"Do we have to bind your hands, or will you give us your word you’ll ride back peaceful?† asked Halder. â€Å"I won’t run, if that’s what you mean.† Ghost moved out from under the trees and Jon glared at him. â€Å"Small help you were,† he said. The deep red eyes looked at him knowingly. â€Å"We had best hurry,† Pyp said. â€Å"If we’re not back before first light, the Old Bear will have all our heads.† Of the ride back, Jon Snow remembered little. It seemed shorter than the journey south, perhaps because his mind was elsewhere. Pyp set the pace, galloping, walking, trotting, and then breaking into another gallop. Mole’s Town came and went, the red lantern over the brothel long extinguished. They made good time. Dawn was still an hour off when Jon glimpsed the towers of Castle Black ahead of them, dark against the pale immensity of the Wall. It did not seem like home this time. They could take him back, Jon told himself, but they could not make him stay. The war would not end on the morrow, or the day after, and his friends could not watch him day and night. He would bide his time, make them think he was content to remain here . . . and then, when they had grown lax, he would be off again. Next time he would avoid the kingsroad. He could follow the Wall east, perhaps all the way to the sea, a longer route but a safer one. Or even west, to the mountains, and then south over the high passes. That was the wildling’s way, hard and perilous, but at least no one wouid follow him. He wouldn’t stray within a hundred leagues of Winterfell or the kingsroad. Samwell Tarly awaited them in the old stables, slumped on the ground against a bale of hay, too anxious to sleep. He rose and brushed himself off. â€Å"I . . . I’m glad they found you, Jon.† â€Å"I’m not,† Jon said, dismounting. Pyp hopped off his horse and looked at the lightening sky with disgust. â€Å"Give us a hand bedding down the horses, Sam,† the small boy said. â€Å"We have a long day before us, and no sleep to face it on, thanks to Lord Snow.† When day broke, Jon walked to the kitchens as he did every dawn. Three-Finger Hobb said nothing as he gave him the Old Bear’s breakfast. Today it was three brown eggs boiled hard, with fried bread and ham steak and a bowl of wrinkled plums. Jon carried the food back to the King’s Tower. He found Mormont at the window seat, writing. His raven was walking back and forth across his shoulders, muttering, â€Å"Corn, corn, corn.† The bird shrieked when Jon entered. â€Å"Put the food on the table,† the Old Bear said, glancing up. â€Å"I’ll have some beer.† Jon opened a shuttered window, took the flagon of beer off the outside ledge, and filled a horn. Hobb had given him a lemon, still cold from the Wall. Jon crushed it in his fist. The juice trickled through his fingers. Mormont drank lemon in his beer every day, and claimed that was why he still had his own teeth. â€Å"Doubtless you loved your father,† Mormont said when Jon brought him his horn. â€Å"The things we love destroy us every time, lad. Remember when I told you that?† â€Å"I remember,† Jon said sullenly. He did not care to talk of his father’s death, not even to Mormont. â€Å"See that you never forget it. The hard truths are the ones to hold tight. Fetch me my plate. Is it ham again? So be it. You look weary. Was your moonlight ride so tiring?† Jon’s throat was dry. â€Å"You know?† â€Å"Know,† the raven echoed from Mormont’s shoulder. â€Å"Know.† The Old Bear snorted. â€Å"Do you think they chose me Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch because I’m dumb as a stump, Snow? Aemon told me you’d go. I told him you’d be back. I know my men . . . and my boys too. Honor set you on the kingsroad . . . and honor brought you back.† â€Å"My friends brought me back,† Jon said. â€Å"Did I say it was your honor?† Mormont inspected his plate. â€Å"They killed my father. Did you expect me to do nothing?† â€Å"If truth be told, we expected you to do just as you did.† Mormont tried a plum, spit out the pit. â€Å"I ordered a watch kept over you., You were seen leaving. If your brothers had not fetched you back, you would have been taken along the way, and not by friends. Unless you have a horse with wings like a raven. Do you?† â€Å"No.† Jon felt like a fool. â€Å"Pity, we could use a horse like that.† Jon stood tall. He told himself that he would die well; that much he could do, at the least. â€Å"I know the penalty for desertion, my lord. I’m not afraid to die.† â€Å"Die!† the raven cried. â€Å"Nor live, I hope,† Mormont said, cutting his ham with a dagger and feeding a bite to the bird. â€Å"You have not deserted—yet. Here you stand. If we beheaded every boy who rode to Mole’s Town in the night, only ghosts would guard the Wall. Yet maybe you mean to flee again on the morrow, or a fortnight from now. Is that it? Is that your hope, boy?† Jon kept silent. â€Å"I thought so.† Mormont peeled the shell off a boiled egg. â€Å"Your father is dead, lad. Do you think you can bring him back?† â€Å"No,† he answered, sullen. â€Å"Good,† Mormont said. â€Å"We’ve seen the dead come back, you and me, and it’s not something I care to see again.† He ate the egg in two bites and flicked a bit of shell out from between his teeth. â€Å"Your brother is in the field with all the power of the north behind him. Any one of his lords bannermen commands more swords than you’ll find in all the Night’s Watch. Why do you imagine that they need your help? Are you such a mighty warrior, or do you carry a grumkin in your pocket to magic up your sword?† Jon had no answer for him. The raven was pecking at an egg, breaking the shell. Pushing his beak through the hole, he pulled out morsels of white and yoke. The Old Bear sighed. â€Å"You are not the only one touched by this war. Like as not, my sister is marching in your brother’s host, her and those daughters of hers, dressed in men’s mail. Maege is a hoary old snark, stubborn, short-tempered, and willful. Truth be told, I can hardly stand to be around the wretched woman, but that does not mean my love for her is any less than the love you bear your half sisters.† Frowning, Mormont took his last egg and squeezed it in his fist until the shell crunched. â€Å"Or perhaps it does. Be that as it may, I’d still grieve if she were slain, yet you don’t see me running off. I said the words, just as you did. My place is here . . . where is yours, boy?† I have no place, Jon wanted to say, I’m a bastard, I have no rights, no name, no mother, and now not even a father. The words would not come. â€Å"I don’t know.† â€Å"I do,† said Lord Commander Mormont. â€Å"The cold winds are rising, Snow. Beyond the Wall, the shadows lengthen. Cotter Pyke writes of vast herds of elk, streaming south and east toward the sea, and mammoths as well. He says one of his men discovered huge, misshapen footprints not three leagues from Eastwatch. Rangers from the Shadow Tower have found whole villages abandoned, and at night Ser Denys says they see fires in the mountains, huge blazes that burn from dusk till dawn. Quorin Halfhand took a captive in the depths of the Gorge, and the man swears that Mance Rayder is massing all his people in some new, secret stronghold he’s found, to what end the gods only know. Do you think your uncle Benjen was the only ranger we’ve lost this past year?† â€Å"Ben Jen,† the raven squawked, bobbing its head, bits of egg dribbling from its beak. â€Å"Ben Jen. Ben Jen.† â€Å"No,† Jon said. There had been others. Too many. â€Å"Do you think your brother’s war is more important than ours?† the old man barked. Jon chewed his lip. The raven flapped its wings at him. â€Å"War, war, war, war,† it sang. â€Å"It’s not,† Mormont told him. â€Å"Gods save us, boy, you’re not blind and you’re not stupid. When dead men come hunting in the night, do you think it matters who sits the Iron Throne?† â€Å"No.† Jon had not thought of it that way. â€Å"Your lord father sent you to us, Jon. Why, who can say?† â€Å"Why? Why? Why?† the raven called. â€Å"All I know is that the blood of the First Men flows in the veins of the Starks. The First Men built the Wall, and it’s said they remember things otherwise forgotten. And that beast of yours . . . he led us to the wights, warned you of the dead man on the steps. Ser Jaremy would doubtless call that happenstance, yet Ser Jaremy is dead and I’m not.† Lord Mormont stabbed a chunk of ham with the point of his dagger. â€Å"I think you were meant to be here, and I want you and that wolf of yours with us when we go beyond the Wall.† His words sent a chill of excitement down Jon’s back. â€Å"Beyond the Wall?† â€Å"You heard me. I mean to find Ben Stark, alive or dead.† He chewed and swallowed. â€Å"I will not sit here meekly and wait for the snows and the ice winds. We must know what is happening. This time the Night’s Watch will ride in force, against the King-beyond-the-Wall, the Others, and anything else that may be out there. I mean to command them myself.† He pointed his dagger at Jon’s chest. â€Å"By custom, the Lord Commander’s steward is his squire as well . . . but I do not care to wake every dawn wondering if you’ve run off again. So I will have an answer from you, Lord Snow, and I will have it now. Are you a brother of the Night’s Watch . . . or only a bastard boy who wants to play at war?† Jon Snow straightened himself and took a long deep breath. Forgive me, Father. Robb, Arya, Bran . . . forgive me, I cannot help you. He has the truth of it. This is my place. â€Å"I am . . . yours, my lord. Your man. I swear it. I will not run again.† The Old Bear snorted. â€Å"Good. Now go put on your sword.† A Game of Thrones Chapter Seventy He strapped his roll to the saddle, his scarred fingers stiff and clumsy. â€Å"Ghost,† he called softly, â€Å"to me.† And the wolf was there, eyes like embers. â€Å"Jon, please. You must not do this.† He mounted, the reins in his hand, and wheeled the horse around to face the night. Samwell Tarly stood in the stable door, a full moon peering over his shoulder. He threw a giant’s shadow, immense and black. â€Å"Get out of my way, Sam.† â€Å"Jon, you can’t,† Sam said. â€Å"I won’t let you.† â€Å"I would sooner not hurt you,† Jon told him. â€Å"Move aside, Sam, or I’ll ride you down.† â€Å"You won’t. You have to listen to me. Please . . . â€Å" Jon put his spurs to horseflesh, and the mare bolted for the door. For an instant Sam stood his ground, his face as round and pale as the moon behind him, his mouth a widening O of surprise. At the last moment, when they were almost on him, he jumped aside as Jon had known he would, stumbled, and fell. The mare leapt over him, out into the night. Jon raised the hood of his heavy cloak and gave the horse her head. Castle Black was silent and still as he rode out, with Ghost racing at his side. Men watched from the Wall behind him, he knew, but their eyes were turned north, not south. No one would see him go, no one but Sam Tarly, struggling back to his feet in the dust of the old stables. He hoped Sam hadn’t hurt himself, falling like that. He was so heavy and so ungainly, it would be just like him to break a wrist or twist his ankle getting out of the way. â€Å"I warned him,† Jon said aloud. â€Å"It was nothing to do with him, anyway.† He flexed his burned hand as he rode, opening and closing the scarred fingers. They still pained him, but it felt good to have the wrappings off. Moonlight silvered the hills as he followed the twisting ribbon of the kingsroad. He needed to get as far from the Wall as he could before they realized he was gone. On the morrow he would leave the road and strike out overland through field and bush and stream to throw off pursuit, but for the moment speed was more important than deception. It was not as though they would not guess where he was going. The Old Bear was accustomed to rise at first light, so Jon had until dawn to put as many leagues as he could between him and the Wall . . . if Sam Tarly did not betray him. The fat boy was dutiful and easily frightened, but he loved Jon like a brother. If questioned, Sam would doubtless tell them the truth, but Jon could not imagine him braving the guards in front of the King’s Tower to wake Mormont from sleep. When Jon did not appear to fetch the Old Bear’s breakfast from the kitchen, they’d look in his cell and find Longclaw on the bed. It had been hard to abandon it, but Jon was not so lost to honor as to take it with him. Even Jorah Mormont had not done that, when he fled in disgrace. Doubtless Lord Mormont would find someone more worthy of the blade. Jon felt bad when he thought of the old man. He knew his desertion would be salt in the still-raw wound of his son’s disgrace. That seemed a poor way to repay him for his trust, but it couldn’t be helped. No matter what he did, Jon felt as though he were betraying someone. Even now, he did not know if he was doing the honorable thing. The southron had it easier. They had their septons to talk to, someone to tell them the gods’ will and help sort out right from wrong. But the Starks worshiped the old gods, the nameless gods, and if the heart trees heard, they did not speak. When the last lights of Castle Black vanished behind him, Jon slowed his mare to a walk. He had a long journey ahead and only the one horse to see him through. There were holdfasts and farming villages along the road south where he might be able to trade the mare for a fresh mount when he needed one, but not if she were injured or blown. He would need to find new clothes soon; most like, he’d need to steal them. He was clad in black from head to heel; high leather riding boots, roughspun breeches and tunic, sleeveless leather jerkin, and heavy wool cloak. His longsword and dagger were sheathed in black moleskin, and the hauberk and coif in his saddlebag were black ringmail. Any bit of it could mean his death if he were taken. A stranger wearing black was viewed with cold suspicion in every village and holdfast north of the Neck, and men would soon be watching for him. Once Maester Aemon’s ravens took flight, Jon knew he would find no safe haven. Not even at Winterfell. Bran might want to let him in, but Maester Luwin had better sense. He would bar the gates and send Jon away, as he should. Better not to call there at all. Yet he saw the castle clear in his mind’s eye, as if he had left it only yesterday; the towering granite walls, the Great Hall with its smells of smoke and dog and roasting meat, his father’s solar, the turret room where he had slept. Part of him wanted nothing so much as to hear Bran laugh again, to sup on one of Gage’s beef-and-bacon pies, to listen to Old Nan tell her tales of the children of the forest and Florian the Fool. But he had not left the Wall for that; he had left because he was after all his father’s son, and Robb’s brother. The gift of a sword, even a sword as fine as Longclaw, did not make him a Mormont. Nor was he Aemon Targaryen. Three times the old man had chosen, and three times he had chosen honor, but that was him. Even now, Jon could not decide whether the maester had stayed because he was weak and craven, or because he was strong and true. Yet he understood what the old man had meant, about the pain of choosing; he understood that all too well. Tyrion Lannister had claimed that most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it, but Jon was done with denials. He was who he was; Jon Snow, bastard and oathbreaker, motherless, friendless, and damned. For the rest of his life—however long that might be—he would be condemned to be an outsider, the silent man standing in the shadows who dares not speak his true name. Wherever he might go throughout the Seven Kingdoms, he would need to live a lie, lest every man’s hand be raised against him. But it made no matter, so long as he lived long enough to take his place by his brother’s side and help avenge his father. He remembered Robb as he had last seen him, standing in the yard with snow melting in his auburn hair. Jon would have to come to him in secret, disguised. He tried to imagine the look on Robb’s face when he revealed himself. His brother would shake his head and smile, and he’d say . . . he’d say . . . He could not see the smile. Hard as he tried, he could not see it. He found himself thinking of the deserter his father had beheaded the day they’d found the direwolves. â€Å"You said the words,† Lord Eddard had told him. â€Å"You took a vow, before your brothers, before the old gods and the new.† Desmond and Fat Tom had dragged the man to the stump. Bran’s eyes had been wide as saucers, and Jon had to remind him to keep his pony in hand. He remembered the look on Father’s face when Theon Greyjoy brought forth Ice, the spray of blood on the snow, the way Theon had kicked the head when it came rolling at his feet. He wondered what Lord Eddard might have done if the deserter had been his brother Benjen instead of that ragged stranger. Would it have been any different? It must, surely, surely . . . and Robb would welcome him, for a certainty. He had to, or else . . . It did not bear thinking about. Pain throbbed, deep in his fingers, as he clutched the reins. Jon put his heels into his horse and broke into a gallop, racing down the kingsroad, as if to outrun his doubts. Jon was not afraid of death, but he did not want to die like that, trussed and bound and beheaded like a common brigand. If he must perish, let it be with a sword in his hand, fighting his father’s killers. He was no true Stark, had never been one . . . but he could die like one. Let them say that Eddard Stark had fathered four sons, not three. Ghost kept pace with them for almost half a mile, red tongue lolling from his mouth. Man and horse alike lowered their heads as he asked the mare for more speed. The wolf slowed, stopped, watching, his eyes glowing red in the moonlight. He vanished behind, but Jon knew he would follow, at his own pace. Scattered lights flickered through the trees ahead of him, on both sides of the road: Mole’s Town. A dog barked as he rode through, and he heard a mule’s raucous haw from the stable, but otherwise the village was still. Here and there the glow of hearth fires shone through shuttered windows, leaking between wooden slats, but only a few. Mole’s Town was bigger than it seemed, but three quarters of it was under the ground, in deep warm cellars connected by a maze of tunnels. Even the whorehouse was down there, nothing on the surface but a wooden shack no bigger than a privy, with a red lantern hung over the door. On the Wall, he’d heard men call the whores â€Å"buried treasures.† He wondered whether any of his brothers in black were down there tonight, mining. That was oathbreaking too, yet no one seemed to care. Not until he was well beyond the village did Jon slow again. By then both he and the mare were damp with sweat. He dismounted, shivering, his burned hand aching. A bank of melting snow lay under the trees, bright in the moonlight, water trickling off to form small shallow pools. Jon squatted and brought his hands together, cupping the runoff between his fingers. The snowmelt was icy cold. He drank, and splashed some on his face, until his cheeks tingled. His fingers were throbbing worse than they had in days, and his head was pounding too. I am doing the right thing, he told himself, so why do I feel so bad? The horse was well lathered, so Jon took the lead and walked her for a while. The road was scarcely wide enough for two riders to pass abreast, its surface cut by tiny streams and littered with stone. That run had been truly stupid, an invitation to a broken neck. Jon wondered what had gotten into him. Was he in such a great rush to die? Off in the trees, the distant scream of some frightened animal made him look up. His mare whinnied nervously. Had his wolf found some prey? He cupped his hands around his mouth. â€Å"Ghost!† he shouted. â€Å"Ghost, to me.† The only answer was a rush of wings behind him as an owl took flight. Frowning, Jon continued on his way. He led the mare for half an hour, until she was dry. Ghost did not appear. Jon wanted to mount up and ride again, but he was concerned about his missing wolf. â€Å"Ghost,† he called again. â€Å"Where are you? To me! Ghost!† Nothing in these woods could trouble a direwolf, even a half-grown direwolf, unless . . . no, Ghost was too smart to attack a bear, and if there was a wolf pack anywhere close Jon would have surely heard them howling. He should eat, he decided. Food would settle his stomach and give Ghost the chance to catch up. There was no danger yet; Castle Black still slept. In his saddlebag, he found a biscuit, a piece of cheese, and a small withered brown apple. He’d brought salt beef as well, and a rasher of bacon he’d filched from the kitchens, but he would save the meat for the morrow. After it was gone he’d need to hunt, and that would slow him. Jon sat under the trees and ate his biscuit and cheese while his mare grazed along the kingsroad. He kept the apple for last. It had gone a little soft, but the flesh was still tart and juicy. He was down to the core when he heard the sounds: horses, and from the north. Quickly Jon leapt up and strode to his mare. Could he outrun them? No, they were too close, they’d hear him for a certainty, and if they were from Castle Black . . . He led the mare off the road, behind a thick stand of grey-green sentinels. â€Å"Ouiet now,† he said in a hushed voice, crouching down to peer through the branches. If the gods were kind, the riders would pass by. Likely as not, they were only smallfolk from Mole’s Town, farmers on their way to their fields, although what they were doing out in the middle of the night . . . He listened to the sound of hooves growing steadily louder as they trotted briskly down the kingsroad. From the sound, there were five or six of them at the least. Their voices drifted through the trees. † . . . certain he came this way?† â€Å"We can’t be certain.† â€Å"He could have ridden east, for all you know. Or left the road to cut through the woods. That’s what I’d do.† â€Å"In the dark? Stupid. If you didn’t fall off your horse and break your neck, you’d get lost and wind up back at the Wall when the sun came up.† â€Å"I would not.† Grenn sounded peeved. â€Å"I’d just ride south, you can tell south by the stars.† â€Å"What if the sky was cloudy?† Pyp asked. â€Å"Then I wouldn’t go.† Another voice broke in. â€Å"You know where I’d be if it was me? I’d be in Mole’s Town, digging for buried treasure.† Toad’s shrill laughter boomed through the trees. Jon’s mare snorted. â€Å"Keep quiet, all of you,† Haider said. â€Å"I thought I heard something.† â€Å"Where? I didn’t hear anything.† The horses stopped. â€Å"You can’t hear yourself fart.† â€Å"I can too,† Grenn insisted. â€Å"Quiet!† They all fell silent, listening. Jon found himself holding his breath. Sam, he thought. He hadn’t gone to the Old Bear, but he hadn’t gone to bed either, he’d woken the other boys. Damn them all. Come dawn, if they were not in their beds, they’d be named deserters too. What did they think they were doing? The hushed silence seemed to stretch on and on. From where Jon crouched, he could see the legs of their horses through the branches. Finally Pyp spoke up. â€Å"What did you hear?† â€Å"I don’t know,† Haider admitted. â€Å"A sound, I thought it might have been a horse but . . . â€Å" â€Å"There’s nothing here.† Out of the corner of his eye, Jon glimpsed a pale shape moving through the trees. Leaves rustled, and Ghost came bounding out of the shadows, so suddenly that Jon’s mare started and gave a whinny. â€Å"There!† Halder shouted. â€Å"I heard it too!† â€Å"Traitor,† Jon told the direwolf as he swung up into the saddle. He turned the mare’s head to slide off through the trees, but they were on him before he had gone ten feet. â€Å"Jon!† Pyp shouted after him. â€Å"Pull up,† Grenn said. â€Å"You can’t outrun us all.† Jon wheeled around to face them, drawing his sword. â€Å"Get back. I don’t wish to hurt you, but I will if I have to.† â€Å"One against seven?† Halder gave a signal. The boys spread out, surrounding him. â€Å"What do you want with me?† Jon demanded. â€Å"We want to take you back where you belong,† Pyp said. â€Å"I belong with my brother.† â€Å"We’re your brothers now,† Grenn said. â€Å"They’ll cut off your head if they catch you, you know,† Toad put in with a nervous laugh. â€Å"This is so stupid, it’s like something the Aurochs would do.† â€Å"I would not,† Grenn said. â€Å"I’m no oathbreaker. I said the words and I meant them.† â€Å"So did I,† Jon told them. â€Å"Don’t you understand? They murdered my father. It’s war, my brother Robb is fighting in the riverlands—† â€Å"We know,† said Pyp solemnly. â€Å"Sam told us everything.† â€Å"We’re sorry about your father,† Grenn said, â€Å"but it doesn’t matter. Once you say the words, you can’t leave, no matter what.† â€Å"I have to,† Jon said fervently. â€Å"You said the words,† Pyp reminded him. â€Å"Now my watch begins, you said it. It shall not end until my death.† â€Å"I shall live and die at my post,† Grenn added, nodding. â€Å"You don’t have to tell me the words, I know them as well as you do.† He was angry now. Why couldn’t they let him go in peace? They were only making it harder. â€Å"I am the sword in the darkness,† Halder intoned. â€Å"The watcher on the walls,† piped Toad. Jon cursed them all to their faces. They took no notice. Pyp spurred his horse closer, reciting, â€Å"I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men.† â€Å"Stay back,† Jon warned him, brandishing his sword. â€Å"I mean it, Pyp.† They weren’t even wearing armor, he could cut them to pieces if he had to. Matthar had circled behind him. He joined the chorus. â€Å"I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch.† Jon kicked his mare, spinning her in a circle. The boys were all around him now, closing from every side. â€Å"For this night . . . † Halder trotted in from the left. † . . . and all the nights to come,† finished Pyp. He reached over for Jon’s reins. â€Å"So here are your choices. Kill me, or come back with me.† Jon lifted his sword . . . and lowered it, helpless. â€Å"Damn you,† he said. â€Å"Damn you all.† â€Å"Do we have to bind your hands, or will you give us your word you’ll ride back peaceful?† asked Halder. â€Å"I won’t run, if that’s what you mean.† Ghost moved out from under the trees and Jon glared at him. â€Å"Small help you were,† he said. The deep red eyes looked at him knowingly. â€Å"We had best hurry,† Pyp said. â€Å"If we’re not back before first light, the Old Bear will have all our heads.† Of the ride back, Jon Snow remembered little. It seemed shorter than the journey south, perhaps because his mind was elsewhere. Pyp set the pace, galloping, walking, trotting, and then breaking into another gallop. Mole’s Town came and went, the red lantern over the brothel long extinguished. They made good time. Dawn was still an hour off when Jon glimpsed the towers of Castle Black ahead of them, dark against the pale immensity of the Wall. It did not seem like home this time. They could take him back, Jon told himself, but they could not make him stay. The war would not end on the morrow, or the day after, and his friends could not watch him day and night. He would bide his time, make them think he was content to remain here . . . and then, when they had grown lax, he would be off again. Next time he would avoid the kingsroad. He could follow the Wall east, perhaps all the way to the sea, a longer route but a safer one. Or even west, to the mountains, and then south over the high passes. That was the wildling’s way, hard and perilous, but at least no one wouid follow him. He wouldn’t stray within a hundred leagues of Winterfell or the kingsroad. Samwell Tarly awaited them in the old stables, slumped on the ground against a bale of hay, too anxious to sleep. He rose and brushed himself off. â€Å"I . . . I’m glad they found you, Jon.† â€Å"I’m not,† Jon said, dismounting. Pyp hopped off his horse and looked at the lightening sky with disgust. â€Å"Give us a hand bedding down the horses, Sam,† the small boy said. â€Å"We have a long day before us, and no sleep to face it on, thanks to Lord Snow.† When day broke, Jon walked to the kitchens as he did every dawn. Three-Finger Hobb said nothing as he gave him the Old Bear’s breakfast. Today it was three brown eggs boiled hard, with fried bread and ham steak and a bowl of wrinkled plums. Jon carried the food back to the King’s Tower. He found Mormont at the window seat, writing. His raven was walking back and forth across his shoulders, muttering, â€Å"Corn, corn, corn.† The bird shrieked when Jon entered. â€Å"Put the food on the table,† the Old Bear said, glancing up. â€Å"I’ll have some beer.† Jon opened a shuttered window, took the flagon of beer off the outside ledge, and filled a horn. Hobb had given him a lemon, still cold from the Wall. Jon crushed it in his fist. The juice trickled through his fingers. Mormont drank lemon in his beer every day, and claimed that was why he still had his own teeth. â€Å"Doubtless you loved your father,† Mormont said when Jon brought him his horn. â€Å"The things we love destroy us every time, lad. Remember when I told you that?† â€Å"I remember,† Jon said sullenly. He did not care to talk of his father’s death, not even to Mormont. â€Å"See that you never forget it. The hard truths are the ones to hold tight. Fetch me my plate. Is it ham again? So be it. You look weary. Was your moonlight ride so tiring?† Jon’s throat was dry. â€Å"You know?† â€Å"Know,† the raven echoed from Mormont’s shoulder. â€Å"Know.† The Old Bear snorted. â€Å"Do you think they chose me Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch because I’m dumb as a stump, Snow? Aemon told me you’d go. I told him you’d be back. I know my men . . . and my boys too. Honor set you on the kingsroad . . . and honor brought you back.† â€Å"My friends brought me back,† Jon said. â€Å"Did I say it was your honor?† Mormont inspected his plate. â€Å"They killed my father. Did you expect me to do nothing?† â€Å"If truth be told, we expected you to do just as you did.† Mormont tried a plum, spit out the pit. â€Å"I ordered a watch kept over you., You were seen leaving. If your brothers had not fetched you back, you would have been taken along the way, and not by friends. Unless you have a horse with wings like a raven. Do you?† â€Å"No.† Jon felt like a fool. â€Å"Pity, we could use a horse like that.† Jon stood tall. He told himself that he would die well; that much he could do, at the least. â€Å"I know the penalty for desertion, my lord. I’m not afraid to die.† â€Å"Die!† the raven cried. â€Å"Nor live, I hope,† Mormont said, cutting his ham with a dagger and feeding a bite to the bird. â€Å"You have not deserted—yet. Here you stand. If we beheaded every boy who rode to Mole’s Town in the night, only ghosts would guard the Wall. Yet maybe you mean to flee again on the morrow, or a fortnight from now. Is that it? Is that your hope, boy?† Jon kept silent. â€Å"I thought so.† Mormont peeled the shell off a boiled egg. â€Å"Your father is dead, lad. Do you think you can bring him back?† â€Å"No,† he answered, sullen. â€Å"Good,† Mormont said. â€Å"We’ve seen the dead come back, you and me, and it’s not something I care to see again.† He ate the egg in two bites and flicked a bit of shell out from between his teeth. â€Å"Your brother is in the field with all the power of the north behind him. Any one of his lords bannermen commands more swords than you’ll find in all the Night’s Watch. Why do you imagine that they need your help? Are you such a mighty warrior, or do you carry a grumkin in your pocket to magic up your sword?† Jon had no answer for him. The raven was pecking at an egg, breaking the shell. Pushing his beak through the hole, he pulled out morsels of white and yoke. The Old Bear sighed. â€Å"You are not the only one touched by this war. Like as not, my sister is marching in your brother’s host, her and those daughters of hers, dressed in men’s mail. Maege is a hoary old snark, stubborn, short-tempered, and willful. Truth be told, I can hardly stand to be around the wretched woman, but that does not mean my love for her is any less than the love you bear your half sisters.† Frowning, Mormont took his last egg and squeezed it in his fist until the shell crunched. â€Å"Or perhaps it does. Be that as it may, I’d still grieve if she were slain, yet you don’t see me running off. I said the words, just as you did. My place is here . . . where is yours, boy?† I have no place, Jon wanted to say, I’m a bastard, I have no rights, no name, no mother, and now not even a father. The words would not come. â€Å"I don’t know.† â€Å"I do,† said Lord Commander Mormont. â€Å"The cold winds are rising, Snow. Beyond the Wall, the shadows lengthen. Cotter Pyke writes of vast herds of elk, streaming south and east toward the sea, and mammoths as well. He says one of his men discovered huge, misshapen footprints not three leagues from Eastwatch. Rangers from the Shadow Tower have found whole villages abandoned, and at night Ser Denys says they see fires in the mountains, huge blazes that burn from dusk till dawn. Quorin Halfhand took a captive in the depths of the Gorge, and the man swears that Mance Rayder is massing all his people in some new, secret stronghold he’s found, to what end the gods only know. Do you think your uncle Benjen was the only ranger we’ve lost this past year?† â€Å"Ben Jen,† the raven squawked, bobbing its head, bits of egg dribbling from its beak. â€Å"Ben Jen. Ben Jen.† â€Å"No,† Jon said. There had been others. Too many. â€Å"Do you think your brother’s war is more important than ours?† the old man barked. Jon chewed his lip. The raven flapped its wings at him. â€Å"War, war, war, war,† it sang. â€Å"It’s not,† Mormont told him. â€Å"Gods save us, boy, you’re not blind and you’re not stupid. When dead men come hunting in the night, do you think it matters who sits the Iron Throne?† â€Å"No.† Jon had not thought of it that way. â€Å"Your lord father sent you to us, Jon. Why, who can say?† â€Å"Why? Why? Why?† the raven called. â€Å"All I know is that the blood of the First Men flows in the veins of the Starks. The First Men built the Wall, and it’s said they remember things otherwise forgotten. And that beast of yours . . . he led us to the wights, warned you of the dead man on the steps. Ser Jaremy would doubtless call that happenstance, yet Ser Jaremy is dead and I’m not.† Lord Mormont stabbed a chunk of ham with the point of his dagger. â€Å"I think you were meant to be here, and I want you and that wolf of yours with us when we go beyond the Wall.† His words sent a chill of excitement down Jon’s back. â€Å"Beyond the Wall?† â€Å"You heard me. I mean to find Ben Stark, alive or dead.† He chewed and swallowed. â€Å"I will not sit here meekly and wait for the snows and the ice winds. We must know what is happening. This time the Night’s Watch will ride in force, against the King-beyond-the-Wall, the Others, and anything else that may be out there. I mean to command them myself.† He pointed his dagger at Jon’s chest. â€Å"By custom, the Lord Commander’s steward is his squire as well . . . but I do not care to wake every dawn wondering if you’ve run off again. So I will have an answer from you, Lord Snow, and I will have it now. Are you a brother of the Night’s Watch . . . or only a bastard boy who wants to play at war?† Jon Snow straightened himself and took a long deep breath. Forgive me, Father. Robb, Arya, Bran . . . forgive me, I cannot help you. He has the truth of it. This is my place. â€Å"I am . . . yours, my lord. Your man. I swear it. I will not run again.† The Old Bear snorted. â€Å"Good. Now go put on your sword.†

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Specialist Psychosocial Intreventions in Forensic Mental Heslth Essay

Specialist Psychosocial Intreventions in Forensic Mental Heslth - Essay Example It is important to go through the various aspects in the field in an effort to understand it even more. Forensic Psychology is understood as a mixture of both psychology of the brain and the legal psychology in any given location. The field is important in that it assists in the assessment and the understanding of people that may be diagnosed with a mental condition and involved in crimes (Ryan, 2007, 98). The field developed after the acknowledgement of the fact that many people had been sent to prison and were not in the proper state of mind. This has had scientists involved in finding means through which these sick people can be sent to mental institutions for the resolution of their issues other than send them to prison to suffer. This is from the fact that they do not deserve a sentence and their mental conditions should stand up in court. Diversion is a major part of Forensic Mental Health (Samuels, 2011, 167). This is a term that is used to refer to the change of custody of a patient with extreme mental conditions from the legal Justice System and straight to the health system for assistance. Psychosocial issues have been of great importance with relation to forensic mental health. Psychosocial issues are the ones that relate to the mind in a psychological manner and thus directly link to Forensic Mental Health. ... hosocial issue in that when these people do not feel at ease with the person, he begins having ideas that he is all alone and that nobody is interested with his company. This may put the person in a worse mental state and drive him to committing another crime of which the justice system does not act on as leniently as the first case. Another sector that has a big role to play in terms of psychosocial issues is the police department. This is from the fact that these officers are the ones endowed with the responsibility of ensuring that the patients are safe from many external and dangerous forces (Velvet, 2010, 11). It is common for people of the public to get mad at a person who committed a crime and instead of having a prison sentence is released from having mental problems. Police officers should ensure that they take care of this issue by assuring the patient of safety in an effort to ensure that they are comfortable. Police officers have been termed as the most important people w hen dealing with forensic mental health patients. This is from the fact that they have much power accorded to them and have the freedom to discipline any citizen that may be a danger to him and others. Forensic mental health patients have very many issues and it may occur to them that they carry out acts that may have them in compromising situations. When in transit headed to a mental institution or any other place that they may be taken to after committing a crime, they may decide to run away or otherwise resist the transportation. Police officers thus have the ability and power to discipline the patient in different ways (Francis, 2010, 197). This does not appear wrong in the eyes of the public seeing as the one beating the patient is a police officer. If the person disciplining the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Economic - Essay Example China adopted this very strategy and hence, climbed up the peak of growth post globalization, although other economies around the world have to compensate for the same. Hence China received pleas for a currency appreciation from nations around the world; nevertheless, it seldom gave such an action a serious thought as it threatened to slow down its economic growth though in the short run. But, China’s central bank recently exhibited compliance to these external requests when it hiked the minimum cash reserve ratio to be maintained by Chinese commercial banks, by 0.5%. This step however, was a well-thought one as it indirectly also favored the country’s economic growth. Hike in Cash Reserve Ratio Banks normally hold a certain amount of reserves which is a part of the deposits which it receives from its customers. These reserves are held as a shield against any unprecedented crisis befalling the economy. In fact, the amounts that these banks should mandatorily hold back a re decided by the apex central monetary body on the basis of a number of factors including the risks of being submerged under a crisis. The central bank normally declares a required reserve ratio which the underlying commercial banks must comply to and maintain as a part of the total deposits which they receive. Out of this reserve requirement that they retain, a certain amount needs to be maintained with the concerned central bank of the country as cash reserve ratio. Purpose of CRR is to act as a shield or protection against any crisis. For instance, in case that any bank needs more money than it has with itself at any point of time; in such situations, the bank might turn towards the concerned central bank which forwards this amount eventually. The Chinese Central Bank announced an additional cash reserve ratio of 0.5% over what the domestic commercial banks had been maintaining initially with the former. This step was believed as a development owing to requests for currency appr eciation coming from nations all around the world. Such a measure increased the liabilities of the Chinese Central Bank as more and more cash started flowing in from commercial banks. The commercial banks however, experienced an increase in their assets as a result given that a hike in CRR implied an increase in the reserves of these banks. Impact upon the economy of China Central Bank of China’s policy of increasing the CRR by an additional 0.5%, implied a reduction in the amount that the commercial banks affiliated with it, could advance to potential borrowers. Hence, the primary implication had been a reduction in the amount of money being circulated through the nation. On a secondary basis, to check the amount of loan demands, the commercial banks were instigated to raise the market rate of interest which negatively affected the volume of investments in the economy. Thus, GDP is likely to fall. Moreover, when GDP falls, so does the amount of consumption and investment whi le, the demand for imports increase. Hence, during the second phase, the economy is characterized by an increased reduction in GDP owing to reductions in consumption, investment and net exports. Impact on Money Multiplier Money multiplier, represented is the rate at which an economy can create credit given the economy’s monetary base; it is represented as, MM = (1 + c/d)/ (r/d + c/d); where, c/d ? Currency-Deposit

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Todays Educational System Essay Example for Free

Todays Educational System Essay What is wrong with the education system we follow today in the country? The general education system is focused only on examinations rather than training students for the future and really testing their knowledge. Because of this, students are forced to take tests that show only their retention powers, not their actual capacity or knowledge. So engineers today cannot do actual work in technology and doctors do not go to people who need their services. Is the problem with the system or the approach towards education as a whole? Today, students are completely professionally-oriented and they take examinations for the same rather than to gain knowledge, or do research in the subject. In our colleges, we have infrastructure and good faculty, but there is no motivation to do research. Even in the field of medicine, no one is motivated to do research because everything is so examination and job-oriented. But that is also a requirement of today’s times. Yes, but not at the cost of real learning. India’s education system looks at commercial gains only and students are trained to look at their monetary future. The curriculum is also built around clearing an exam and getting into particular professions. Learning is not a priority. So who is at fault for this mess? Those regulating and those making policies are equally responsible. If the system has deteriorated to this level where learning has been substituted by a race to clear an examination, regulators and policymakers are to blame for not acting on time to correct this anomaly. It’s also not enough to have rules and regulations, it is important how they are implemented. Government bodies are not controlling institutions. That should become a priority. Also, for good institutions that are promoting real learning, there should be no interference. Is the present practice of allowing the private sector indiscriminately into education the right approach? Most educational engineering and medical colleges owned by the government are not equipped in terms of infrastructure and faculty and their quality has been suffering. The better government institutions cannot accommodate the vast number of students who are seeking to get into them. So the need for the private sector comes in. They are filling the gap. But private sector institutions also charge very high fees. Yes, many of the private institutions take advantage of the situation and charge high fees. There are very good students in rural areas but they can’t afford good education today. In some states, the government does regulate fees, including your state (Tamil Nadu). Yes, but instead of concentrating on just the private sector institutions, the government should strengthen and improve the quality of the government educational institutions. Once that is done, quality education will become affordable and everyone would be willing to join them. Now the standard of these institutions, barring a few leading ones, has gone down so much that no one wants to go there. Everyone is going to private sector colleges, even at a much higher cost. â€Å"The combined engineering entrance exams is a good idea. Without it, many rural students will not be able to get in.† What’s the solution? How can we put the system in order? One way to do this is through public-private partnership. It has succeeded in many sectors, so why not in education? The private sector can develop the institutions and provide infrastructure and the government can build the curriculum and run them. In fact, policymakers, professionals and the public should come together with an aim to build good educational institutions. It is good to have as many universities as possible, because many students do not get an opportunity to get into good colleges. But the government should have a strict control on every aspect, like infrastructure, faculty, facilities and curriculum, right from the time they are set up. There should be a periodic accreditation system where once every two years institutions seek accreditation and the regulatory bodies check if all norms are being followed, for it’s often seen that once a sanction comes through, institutions openly flout norms. Corruption is rampant at institutions as well as regulatory bodies. Yes, and seats are today sold for a lot of money. This is because private institutions spend a lot of money to set up infrastructure and they try to get that back in any way—scrupulous and unscrupulous. This is something that needs to be totally weeded out. There is a big debate on the combined engineering examinations. Is that a healthy idea? It is a good proposal and should be extended to the medical colleges too. Without the entrance exams, many rural students cannot get in because those from the big cities have the advantage of coaching and scoring high marks. With a common exam, everyone will be on an equal footing. Your institution, Aravind Eye Care Group, has set examples of fair play and stands out in this system with values and principles. How do you continue to do that? We have set our own standards and we select purely on merit. Our tuition fees are not enhanced to suit our needs and we provide value-based education. We ensure that adequate facilities like infrastructure and faculty are available before we start a course. We cannot forget that students sacrifice a lot to come to learn. And we do periodic evaluation. Is there anything you want to tell today’s students? They must remember that college education is the basic foundation. It’s the only place they will get to learn. Once they are outside, they will have to practise what they learnt herethey will not get a chance to learn outside. So they should seize the opportunity, make the most of it.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Graduation Speech: Go Create New Memories :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I was puzzled and wasn't sure what to talk about tonight. I had to prepare this speech ahead of time and turn it in for approval. I much prefer doing things spontaneously, using all the skills I have developed over the years, you know, sorta letting people (being the teachers and parents) know that we really were listening! It's much more fun interacting with other people, watching their reactions, and playing along with them. But, I had to do the right thing, So while I was contemplating my topic, it came to me - this is what I want you to take with you as we depart the Bryan Station School District and move on into life. I want you to remember the small, seemingly insignificant things that happened to you while you were growing up. You know, like the simple smile that your best friend gave you when you were really down and needed a boost. Like the many times you walked down the hall, high-fiving your buds, showing you cared without getting all goofy about it. You didn't even realize that they were down and just knowing they had a friend in you boosted them to face the next school challenge. Remember the time you were really thirsty in third grade, and went into the room after recess, only to remember that there was a party today, and there would be cupcakes and Kool-aid served in a matter of minutes? Remember saving a seat for your friend to sit on the bus, knowing that you were gonna share all the cool stuff you did yesterday? And how glad you were to be able to share this? Everyday, everything we do affects someone, somehow. My wish is for all of us to recall a kind gesture, a happy moment that happened unplanned, that really sticks in our minds, that made a big impact on us, and relive those moments in our future. Pass on that joy/hope/support, whatever you got out of it. Remember that you will be making new friends, that those people you have shared every day with for four or maybe 12 years will be going their separate ways. You will have many moments where you won't have anyone around to boost you up, where you won't be told if it is the right thing or the good thing to do.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Interview Mental Health Counselors Essay

For many years, the role of the mental health counselor has worked behind the seams trying to provide the much need help to special clients, or under privileged families and his or her siblings. The first interview was very interesting, this particular gentlemen was willing to provide answers for the questions asked of him. First he stated that working in the mental health field for 25 years. Held other positions such as child protective services, social worker, rehabilitation counselor, case manager, group home counselor, psychiatric unit worker, and school counselor, (Hunter, 2013). He stated it was an immense and rewarding to assist families with young children or help a disabled individual access a resource for additional support. Personally, achieving the goals of becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and National Certified Counselor, and National Board School Counselor have been very rewarding, (Hunter, 2013). He continues to attend workshops and currently working on PhD in mental health counseling education. The counseling theory cognitive-behavioral. By remaining clam and allowing the parent or client the opportunity to vent/talk and give the reason that they are upset and what is needed for them to calm down. It the clients has an issue or concern beyond my scope of practice or expertise. The client’s problem evokes personal feelings that would jeopardize his ethical and objectivity in working with the individual. No new programs at this time. It is extremely difficult as a mental health counselor with the other mandated duties. Group counseling is very important and can be beneficial to many students. Most  school and other organizations in which I work for are receptive to working groups into a schedule, (Hunter, 2013). Family time, vacations, resting, and relaxing, reading, attending church, and listening to music. By making certain that what he or she is doing ethical, morale, and researched-based practices to achieve the best results. The level of clients and students as it give me the opportunity to assist parents with building a strong positive foundation for everyone. This assists them with success throughout his or her life. Assist the student or clients to be empathetic and think about the other individual’s point of view and what can be done to bridge the issues that may be at the center of the conflicts. Assisting school administrators in creating a warm, friendly, caring, and nurturing environment in which all stakeholders are appreciated and valued. The counselor should work with students in need of conflict resolution skills and anger management issues as well as preventing bullying and enforcing the state and national bullying policies. By encouraging students to go back to class and follow teacher’s directions to receiving getting an education will help him or her be successful. Inspiring and motivating individuals to pursue the counseling field as an area of study, (Hunter, 2013). The other person interview was a mental health counselor for 20 years dealing with the domestic violence. The counselor actually could see client’s make the transformation from an abuser to someone who takes responsibility and is accountable for his or her actions. The most rewarding experience is to see a person emerge from his or her comfort zone, try the strategies and to have those strategies to work for him or her. As a counselor, you must be able to sell new ways or ideas to the people you are working with, (Solomon, 2013). It seems as though things change daily in this field, either with your reimbursement agencies or through the state. One thing that counselors are required to do is to obtain 45 hours of CEU’s every two years to renew your license. In addition to those hours, read studies, journals, books, and talk with other to stay on top of the counseling field. The counseling theory is CBT. It is widely used because it is an action theory that required that clients work at becoming better. Assignments are given to the client to do after the session is over, and it works well if the client will do as suggested, (Solomon, 2013). When dealing, with an irate client the first step will always be verbal de-escalation. If this does not work, you may have your partner to  walk with the client because you almost are the source of anger for the client. Also it is never a good idea to be in a building alone with a client for that very reason. Never put your hands on a client! Refer a person to another professional when his or her problem is beyond your scope of expertise. If the client begin to exhibit motions counterproductive to him or her getting better. This interviewee stated that she handles stress by reading, listen to music and sometimes â€Å"shop-talk† with coworkers. Exercise is also a good stress reliever! As for dealing with personality conflicts, she would have to see who is involved, (Solomon, 2013). Once this has been established the counselor will be able to obtain that person to make the necessary adjustments to be civil toward the other. Both interviewees stated in motivating other, he or she would try to find his or her person out of his or her comfort zone. What ultimately makes is accompanied in a mutual search to see who gets who he is and decide from their privacy (Whiston, 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, to my surprise and understanding, as prior interviewee, family issues, and problems have a significant impact upon the decisions being made. This is because blood relations have been for quite some time, yet we must keep all our feelings and emotions aside and give out neutral, justified decisions, which would somehow benefit the person and make the life of the counselor easier in the light of giving decisions for better judgment, understanding, and comprehension. References Hunter, J. (2013, January 24). Interviewed by L. Hendricks Solomon, Y. (2013, January 26). Interviewed by L. Hendricks Whiston, S.C. and Rahardja, D. (2008) â€Å"Vocational counseling process and outcome in S. Brown and R. Lent (Eds.)† Handbook of counseling psychology, (4th ed). NY: Wiley