Understanding Bodybuilding

If Greek mythology existed, bodybuilding would be the sport made for the gods. It is a sport that demands more than most can give. Bodybuilding is not for the faint of heart, nor the weak minded. To be successful is this grueling sport you must have the mentality of success imprinted on your thoughts everyday. Once you have achieved this mentality you no longer spend idle time pondering empty thoughts, but instead you learn to use your mind consciously, every day, as if being in a constant state of meditation, with your thoughts fixed on the end result.Having that end result be the ability to unveil something that is more then beautiful. Before I sold my soul to my education, I was an active bodybuilder who loved everything about the sport. I was introduced to this sport when I was 12, although I remember it like it was yesterday. I went with my mom to the grocery store to try and convince her that buying Reeses would somehow be a great idea. As we were walking I decided to look for the biggest bag I could find. I cut through the section with all the magazines to get to the candy isle as quick as possible.It was in that isle, on a muscle mag magazine that I first saw a picture of a man named Dorian Yates. A man that stood 6’1, 270lbs, with what looked like only muscle. I remember staring at the front cover for what felt like a lifetime, I knew from that second, that’s what I want to look like. I no longer wanted to be a pro football player, or a pro basketball player; I wanted to be a professional bodybuilder. I forgot completely about the candy, found my mom and asked if I could push the cart from then on.Of course, at that time I was too young to venture into anything that resembled a bodybuilding lifestyle, yet I still used my little weights every night. It wasn’t until I was 18 that my bodybuilding mentality took over my mind. Going into my first year of high school I met this girl who slowly became my upmost passion. We started dating before I could even drive, until my first semester in college, she was my world. I loved everything about this girl and was certain she was that one I would spend the rest of my life with. However, mid way through my first semester in college she decided it was best to go our separate ways.Completely devastated, and young, I came up with the idea I wasn’t enough, that if I had could become something more then great she would have never left. I then turned to bodybuilding, first in the mentality of hate, channeling my emotions through the pain of lifting. But as time went by my idea of doing this for her transformed to having bodybuilding became infused into who I was. Everything I read, everything I thought about was bodybuilding. I went from spending money on going out and clothes, to supplements and protein.No matter what life through at me, no matter how upset I became, I could always set foot in a gym and forget the worries of the world. Walking into a gym was like steppi ng on a battle field, I knew I would have to fight my way through heavy sets of iron resistance to come out on the other side victorious. With weight stacked against me I would sit down on the closest bench, eyes closed and music blaring, concentrating on the task I had before me. I would think to myself: pain is temporary, but glory is forever. That no matter what, I was going to get this weight up even if it destroyed me in the process.By the time I opened my eyes I had become so focused on that I had to do that I could only see the weight I needed to overcome. It was as if I summoned all the strength I had in me to be ready to take on the world. I then would perform the exercise. As I brought the weight down to my chest I knew I was in for a fight. And then it began, as I pressed the weight off my chest with all my strength I had I told myself ignore the pain, become great. Seeing a bodybuilding yell as he is trying to finish a repetition is more then beautiful to me. It’s our on way of saying I’m not giving up till I’ve won.To me, each time I perform an exercise is one step closer in becoming great. I feel that most everyone has a misunderstood concept of what bodybuilding is and means. This sport isn’t a hobby, or something you can do on the side. This has to be a lifestyle, a passion, and a desire. When I was an active bodybuilder I viewed myself as an artist working on a masterpiece. It’s the mind not the body that determines your success as a bodybuilder; it’s mental aspect that allows you to press past the pain barrier, to enjoy being in the gym for countless hours, and to lust for more.Your mind is what sculpts your body into art. I also believe people view bodybuilders somewhat gross, or obsessed. I feel like everyone is so used to seeing someone who is in average shape, with little to no definition, someone who doesn’t have the time or discipline to sculpt their body. This makes bodybuilders look fre akishly, and unattractive, rather then beautiful, and full of hard work and sacrifice. These are the people who don’t understand what is actually involved in this sport. Bodybuilding is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. It is a great challenge, and a great success.There are many aspects in becoming a great bodybuilder like, having good nutrition, a choice of good supplements, good training hours, preparation for competition, and a good mind frame. If all these aspects are met then there is a future. Most people stereotype bodybuilders as a â€Å"meat head† or someone who lifts religiously and gains mass. Although this is true in almost every case, lifting weights is only responsible for a quarter of the results. Nutrition is a large percentage of a bodybuilder's success; it determines how well they effectively apply knowledge to nutrition.The limiting factor to the ultimate success of your workout is what happens after you leave the gym. This is one of th e biggest misunderstood concepts for someone who is trying to excel in this life style. Nutrition consists of macronutrients and micronutrients. The macronutrients consist of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and water. The micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. The best source of nutrition is through whole foods. A bodybuilder should never allow the use of supplements to overshadow the consumption of whole foods.For a bodybuilder the most confusing part about the sport is making sure of good nutrition and diet. Another fundamental element of success is allowing your body to recover. A bodybuilder gains size when torn muscle fibers are reconnected or â€Å"patched† with new muscle tissue. The added tissue gives you that swollen look that every bodybuilder lusts for. Bodybuilding, in all its aspects, has many similarities with a lot of activities we find ourselves consumed in. As football players strive to achieve new skills in practice, so do bodybuilders in a gym.It takes just as much focus and willpower to not only play this sport, but to continue it everyday. It requires as much focus and determinate as a college student trying to excel in his classes. There was one point in my life where I was completely consumed by bodybuilding. I started out with a fragile frame, consisting of a mere 125 pathetic pounds. Not knowing much of anything about this sport, I would stay up at night in search of the greatest motivational quotes to help me maintain on my path. Regardless of what I had in front of me, my mind was constantly fixed on my workout session that was to come.The greatest feeling for me was to wake up in pain; with that pain meaning I put in enough effort in the gym for my body to realize it. I loved every aspect of lifting, from buying bigger clothes to the research of supplements. After obtaining three very hard and grueling years, and falling into an addiction to steroids, I was finally shaping into a monster. Standing only 5†™11, I achieved to grow to a massive 220 pounds. I remember vividly the reaction of friends and family members that hadn’t seen me in some time.Astonished, some reacted in a positive way telling me how impressive it was, I can only remember however, the people who told me I had taken this idea to an extreme. Id be lying if I told you this didn’t bother me. I had put in so much effort and sacrificed so much to become what I was. So many asked â€Å"why do you do it, why do you like it, the process looks so painful. † For so long I couldn’t fathom to try to put a reason into words. After many failed attempts to explain why I gave up trying to explain to so many eager to understand.It wasn’t until I read a quote from a bodybuilding magazine that an athlete had stated after he had one a competition could I explain my obsession for greatness. The quote, â€Å"the reason I do all that, put my body through all that†¦is because I love it. † A s little as that explains to many, it was the perfect explanation to me. The reason I put myself through all the pain and sacrifice, was because I loved it. Bodybuilding was my passion, my obsession; it had became so great in my life that it captivated me. After all was said and done, I was met with disappointment, as I came to realize the worlds opposition on bodybuilders.I wish I could tell you that I stayed true with my dreams, or that I didn’t let the world decide what looked best, but I did. For as long as I can remember, all I wanted was to be Dorain Yates, to be great. I wish I could explain what it felt like to accomplish a dream only to have it turn against you. For the first time in what felt like forever, I no longer wanted to be great, I wanted to be â€Å"normal. † Maybe I had taken it too far, maybe they were right, or maybe they all had a misunderstood concept of what bodybuilding is really about.

Hartley’s novel Essay

Although appearing to have a cynical view of love in the poem Larkin does in fact not doubt love, but the expectations that we have of it. In the words of Andrew Swarbrick, Larkin expresses not feelings of bitterness or pessimism but â€Å"of pathos, of a tender sympathy for the widow who recalls dreams knowing they are best forgotten. † Though sometimes pleasurable reminiscing can reveal hopes that were unfulfilled, dreams never lived out, good times we can never experience again. Therefore what we perceive to be pessimism in Larkin is, in this instance, simply realism, an understanding of the illusions contained in the world, making him â€Å"less deceived† as a result. He once remarked, â€Å"Poetry is an affair of sanity, of seeing things as they really are† it was for him a way of being honest, not overestimating the value of things. Nonetheless, in the final poem of The Whitsun Weddings, An Arundel Tomb, Larkin hints at his belief in love. Despite not having a successful love life himself he still implies that he has faith in its existence, the ultimate word of the anthology being the abstract noun, â€Å"love†. This line is a testament to its endurance and strength, â€Å"What will survive of us is love. † John Saunders likens these lines containing the â€Å"prove/love† rhyme to Shakespeare’s attempt to define true love in Sonnet 73, Larkin’s concluding line echoing the rhyming couplet, â€Å"If this be error, and upon me proved I never wrote, nor no man ever loved. † An Arundel Tomb concentrates on the historical aspect of the past. The persona in the poem, which is in fact Larkin, examines the concept of artifacts, how something set in stone can withstand the test of time regardless of whether it actually existed in the first place. Visiting a Sussex churchyard Larkin sees an example of love that both moves and intrigues him, had it not been for the incongruity of two linked hands displayed on the tomb he would have walked by. It is a gesture small yet touching but the cynic in Larkin questions its validity presuming it to be a case of â€Å"a sculptor’s sweet commissioned grace† rather than a symbol of a long and devoted marriage. Together in death the couples’ â€Å"faces blurred† but the husband is still â€Å"holding her hand†. Over time their features have been weathered but their effigy remains as a reminder of their lives, a monument to their love. Archaic language is used to complement the subject matter of the poem, capturing a bygone time so unlike today’s â€Å"unarmorial age†. Further manipulation of syntax is evident with the effective juxtaposition of the adjectives â€Å"sharp† and â€Å"tender†, conveying simply but perfectly Larkin’s confused and mixed reaction to the union of the stone hands. There is debate over Larkin’s true feelings towards the real meaning of the â€Å"faithfulness in effigy†. Whether or not he again intended the pun with the use of the verb â€Å"lie† just as lovers were â€Å"lying together† in bed is unclear. As Brother Anthony (An Sonjae) points out in his paper Without Metaphysics there is a huge diversity in the interpretations of Larkin’s intended meaning in his work, it is up to the reader to determine their own response â€Å"which is good for the reader, but a challenge too†. Does the poet believe that â€Å"love survives† not only in stone? Or as Andrew Swarbrick quite rightly points out does he â€Å"almost† believe it as the penultimate line suggests? â€Å"Our almost-instinct almost true† therefore cancels out the optimism of the following statement. Here we witness Larkin lowering his defenses, allowing himself to hope for the best, to want love to be â€Å"that much mentioned brilliance† but he cannot do so completely for fear of it being an illusion. Although hinting at what he truly believes it is as though he will not allow himself to trust it in case he is mistaken. Yet whether love survives or not it lives on in Arundel where â€Å"only an attitude remains†. This is also true of Larkin’s poetry, and in fact to the whole genre. Whereas fictional characters and places from novels are lost, forgotten, poetry allows thoughts to survive as art long after the death of the artist. Larkin wrote of this inspiring philosophy in 1955, contained in a statement to D. J. Enright he explained, â€Å"I write poems to preserve things I have seen/thought/felt†¦ I think the impulse to preserve lies at the bottom of all art. † Yet as mentioned previously the meaning of Larkin’s literature is not always clear, just like he could only assume the significance of the joined hands we can only guess at the thoughts of Philip Larkin which are contained and live on in his verse. The poem Dockery and Son relates the events and emotions that occur when Philip Larkin revisits his old college, steps back into the past only to be disappointed with what he finds there. An outsider there, he no longer belongs and finds himself a stranger in his own past, as well as physically being unable to enter his past residence â€Å"the door of where (he) used to live† is also â€Å"locked† metaphorically. However, the most disturbing thing for Larkin is the news that one of his peers now has at son at Oxford: Dockery unlike Larkin with â€Å"no son, no wife, no house or land† is a success story. The door to fatherhood is therefore also â€Å"locked† for Larkin. By starting with dialogue the poem is made more authentic as it adds an injection of reality to the verse. It also alerts Larkin to the fact that he is no longer part of that world, of public school boys and ranks, he, unlike Dockery, has no reason to revisit that part of his life. He feels â€Å"ignored†. As in The Whitsun Weddings Larkin philosophizes whilst on a train which is not only a vehicle in the normal sense of the noun but a vehicle for his thoughts and also a metaphor for direction, moving forward in life. The simplistic repetition in the third stanza â€Å"How much†¦ How little†¦ † conveys Larkin’s disappointment in himself as he contemplates his own achievements in comparison with those of Dockery. Whereas Leo Colston benefited from his nostalgic visit to the past it has been a negative experience for Larkin who should never have returned. Both Larkin and Hartley present philosophies on the past in two contrasting but equally effective genres, which themselves give insight into the pasts of the authors. The past is, as both pieces of literature show, inevitably significant to us all. How we are affected by it however, either negatively or positively, is to some extent in our own hands. â€Å"Even a god cannot change the past† (Agathon 445 BC) yet we can move on, learn from our experiences and in the future be â€Å"less deceived†. L. P. Hartley’s novel is a message to us all that we should not dwell on what has come before, but concentrate on living the present, Leo recognized that he â€Å"should not be sitting alone† before it was too late. In reality the past does not fully exist; in the words of Larkin it is a â€Å"love song† that can never sound the same, a â€Å"locked† door which we can never be reopened, â€Å"only an attitude† that lives on in our minds. We may try to capture moments and emotions in stone, or in verse yet the only place where they truly exist is in our memory. We have the ability to dictate the significance the past holds for us. And so whilst we cannot change our pasts, we have the ability to change our future; Shakespeare declared that â€Å"What’s past is prologue† yet we can determine what is contained in the epilogue.

Greasy lake and the three immature teenagers Essay

Greasy Lake by T. Coraghesan Boyle’s is the story of a group of adolescents, searching for the one situation that will proclaim them as bad boys and how their minds change. The greasy lake is a short story which the narrator uses details, imagination and language to describe and represent the moral condition of each character. Also, during the story the narrator shows us how each character becomes closer to maturity after facing a crazy and unexpected night in a local lake, where we are all witness to and extreme change in their lives causes by immature action. Three young men, who considered themselves bad, were out looking for trouble and excitement on their summer break. One of the most interesting things was the perception they had about being tough or being cool at the time. It is very interesting how the three young showed his toughness throwing eggs at the houses of their neighbors. They were acting irresponsibly, drinking too much alcohol and doing drugs, which caused errors in their decision. This was the way of thinking of the three young men â€Å"we wore torn-up leather jackets, slouched around with toothpicks in our mouths, sniffed glue†. The bad choices they made would somewhere along the line cause their fate to step in, but no one knew what is going to happen that night. The boys must face their reality of becoming responsible adult men. For example, whether someone chooses to be responsible and do their homework that kind of actions determines if the three young men are capable to be responsible. The actions the boys took and the words they said eventually determined their immaturity. â€Å"On this, the third night, we’d cruised the strip sixty-seven times, been in and out of every bar and club we could think of in a twenty –mile radius, stopped twice for bucket of chicken and forty-cent hamburgers, debated going to a party at the house of a girl Jeff’s sister knew, and chucked two dozen raw eggs at mailboxes and hitchhikers.† If they would have chosen to go to the party at Jeff’s sister’s friend’s house then none of the trouble at Greasy Lake would have happened. The whole scene is dark to begin with the irresponsible choice they made to drink alcohol ultimately affected the rest of their choices and  actions. Alcohol may have distorted their judgments, which may have lead them to believe they saw Tony Lovett’s car, causing them to honk, flash their bights and press their faces on his window on the wrong car. Alcohol also may have affected the narrator’s agility, causing him to drop his keys in the dark. These actions leave them unprepared, when they end up in trouble with a big greasy character, as they call him. They begin to fight and one of them hits the guy with tire iron on the head while the adrenaline starts to rise in each of them, begin tearing the clothes off the girl in the car when they try to abuse of the young girl, they are interrupted by another car, which was approach to the scene they believe the other car have seen them. They start running away from the scene to avoid getting caught. The three boys were fri ghtened by the consequences that can bring them for their immaturity acts. During the story at this point At this point the narrator is not bothered about his mom’s car, because he is now safe in the lake behind trees where no one could find him. Once the narrator continues to find a safe place he runs into something that looks like something strange emerges from the lake and realize that it is a body of a man. Then the narrator thinks it’s very scary evil character found in lake and lifeless. The narrator is very scared by what he discovered runs where his friends were. Very afraid the only thing you want is to get home and forget everything that happened that night. Finally find the car keys and see that everything is in perfect condition, but have a final approach with two young girls who ask if they have seen the friend, who have not seen since last night they stay silent without express what really wanted and they lie and say no. During that time the one of the girls offers them to go home and have fun drinking alcohol and use drugs. Afte r that episode the three young men begin to experience inner change, to say no and see that they are not as bad as they believed or they could be, and all they want is to leave everything bad that experienced last night and be able to do positive things for their lives. In brief, Coming of age seems to be a problem. When I first felt the teenagers as adults and to take very risk decision to grab the tires iron and after trying to rape a woman every wrong decision have their consequences. However, they are very willing to face the adult outcomes.  Perhaps the lesson here is do not try to grow too fast. The point of view is in first person, from the point of view of narrative and Teenagers. The environment plays a role in the story. Also, during the story the narrator shows us how each character becomes closer to maturity after facing a crazy and unexpected night in a local lake, where we are all witness to and extreme change in their lives causes by immature action.

Explain a paragraph from Ciceros Invention Essay - 1

Explain a paragraph from Ciceros Invention - Essay Example In narration, the arguments to be developed in court are properly articulated through bring out the vulnerability of Sextus Roscius and how the court has the obligation to protect him from further abuse by the society. In confirming the case, Cicero indicates the importance of his arguments when he highlights the need of protecting innocent men fort the good of the society. In chapter 149 Cicero is able to use rhetorics to create relationship between emotions and justice. His rhetorics is morally grounded and incorporates the moral problems that emanate from society’s emotional manipulation (Cicero 126). As a lawyer, his choice of words is aimed at making and directing the audiences minds and emotions towards a certain conclusion. Ability to apply Sextus Roscius plight to the entire community indicates flexibility of the course of justice he wishes to pursue. The final sentiments in the chapter are emotional arouse sympathy and motivate the audience when he speaks of the harm the society would be exposed to if justice was to be taken into peoples

Maternal mortality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Maternal mortality - Essay Example The excessive loss of blood causes the deficiency of both oxygen and nutrients to such vital organs of the body as the brain thus causing instantaneous deaths. Causes of the excessive bleeding include tearing of the uterus walls, poor contraction of the uterus and poor blood clotting. Postpartum infections on the other cause more than 10% of the reported maternal mortalities. Postpartum infections refer to any bacterial infections of the female reproductive tract after childbirth. Among the notorious risk factors of the infections are the cesarean section, prolonged labor, the presence of such bacteria as group B streptococcus in the reproductive organ and premature rupture of the membranes of the uterus among others. Complications arising from unsafe abortions cause more than 15% of the reported cases of maternal mortality. The complications are always as diverse as the techniques that people use to procure abortions. In most countries, abortion is an illegal practice a feature that compels pregnant women to seek the services of quacks especially in such developing countries as India. Most women die from excessive bleeding and infections among other complications arising from unsafe nature of the procedures. The prevalence of maternal mortalities in India represents the gap between the rich and the poor since most of the reported cases occur in the impoverished neighborhoods and are minimal among the rich. Furthermore, they portray the inequalities that exist in accessing high-quality health care services.

Free topic Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Free topic - Research Proposal Example Already established mobile network providers such as Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile are considered first by customers who want to use mobile phones (Scollon, 2011). This, therefore, in a way, leaves a monopolistic advantage to these network providers. They dictate prices in the mobile network industry, which is, at times, on the higher side. Since they do not face any worthy competition from other players in this field, or the competition is minimal, they can continue dictating their prices, leaning towards the higher side. However, if a player or many players managed to enter this market effectively, it would force the already established players to ease their tariffs in order to counter the competition they face (Simmons, 2010). Mobile network providers entering this market should look to market their brands effectively through various mediums such as the social media and other promotion platforms in order effectively to build their brand. This will ensure that the prices are eased by the already present players in order to beat the completion brought by the newcomers (McCarthy,

Multinational corporation have great postive effects on developing Essay

Multinational corporation have great postive effects on developing countries - Essay Example Their investment in developing nations have improved the material well being of the people in these nations through access to better goods or services and improved wages. Studies conducted by the OECD reveal that developing nations tend to receive higher wages from multinationals than their local counterparts. The OECD report found that a person working for a multinational is likely to earn 40% more wages than their counterparts in local firms. This is especially true for workers in Latin America and Asia. MNCs are motivated by the need to retain more workers in order to reduce turnover costs (OECD 44). Not all such organisations intend to pay workers more for similar work. Instead, they do so because the nature of industries they invest in is capital intensive. Additionally, a number of them have fairly large operations which may require committed employees. It is for this reason that they tend to pay better rewards to workers than their peers in firms within the same industry. Irrespective of their motivations, the end result is better earnings (Dunning and Sairanna 5). Analyses conducted in developing nations concerning how wages change over time after foreign direct investment show that wages may increase by close to 20%. Indonesia enjoyed a 19% increase in wage labour owing to foreign acquisitions of local firms. The increase emanated from the use of modern techniques of production. Parent companies in the first world already had the technical expertise needed to enhance production. Therefore, workers accumulated new skills that were eventually used as a precursor for better pay (Hijzen and Swaim 8). If a person moves from a locally-owned firm to a foreign-owned one in a country like Brazil, they are likely to enjoy a 21% increase in earnings. The OECD Employment outlook report also shows that those who make the same transition in a country like Portugal can enjoy increases of about 14%. It is for this reason that many third world countries seem to be so

Cross Border Insolvency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cross Border Insolvency - Essay Example Within the more advanced legal systems when the latter deals with insolvency and bankruptcy, one usually finds a mechanism which would come in force given certain predetermined circumstances. This mechanism has the scope of actually attempting to minimise the various not so desirable effects, both on the individuals concerned as well as on the business units involved, which a situation of insolvency brings about. It can be said to be a recognition of the fact that a situation of insolvency not only effects the person or company who or which is going through a process of bankruptcy but ultimately effects also the economy as a whole. In fact the amount of bankruptcies currently being undergone within a country is usually taken as an indication of how well that particular economy is faring. In the UK a review Group within the Department of Trade and Industry and HM Treasury opined that the trend seems to favour furthering the rescue culture. Whenever possible emphasis should be laid on the assisting of companies in order that the latter might be placed in a position to as much as possible overcome what may in the ultimate analysis be temporary financial difficulties. It is submitted that in these types of situations, the problem is to assess exactly how temporary is temporary and numerous instances occour when what started off as being temporary resulted in the end of being permanent. In that report the emphasis seemed to be placed on the possible avoidance of liquidation and towards the furthering of a culture of a predisposition towards the preservation of a business unit as a going concern1. Before the coming into force of the 1986 Insolvency Act in the UK, there were three kinds of liquidation procedures, namely members, creditors= and compulsory when the company was insolvent. An alternative rescue mechanism was put in place through the coming into force of The Insolvency Act 1986 called the Voluntary Arrangement procedure. This enabled the companies to enter into a contract with their creditors for the latter to be pay less than their full debts, however it was not so much utilised as it did not allow for the agreeing of a moratorium. The Insolvency Act 2000 introduces a new CVA procedure that includes a moratorium although it should perhaps be mentioned that the new CVA moratorium procedure is only available to companies that satisfy two or more of the requirements for being a small company, as set out in the Companies Act 1985.Another remedy which may be classified as a non-insolvency remedy available to companies is a Scheme of Arrangement under Section 425 of the Companies Act 1985. Such schemes can be complex and have proved to be somewhat difficult to organise. Experience has shown that because of the expense and perhaps other reasons this remedy seems to be used primarily by the larger companies. Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) can be said to be the personal insolvency equivalent of a CVA. In contrast to CVAs, the Insolvency Act 1986 provided a moratorium for those seeking an IVA. However, the Insolvency Act 2000 introduces a simplified procedure for non-traders (i.e. consumer debt cases). In the case the Courts may

Human Male and Female Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Male and Female - Essay Example The pill or oral contraceptives are also common and effective if used the right way. These pills contain different combinations of synthetic estrogens and progestins to interfere with ovulation. They are effective if taken once a day and preferably at the same time each day, though they do not reduce risks of STDs. They can be ineffective for those who smoke, more than 35 years old, have histories of blood clots, high blood pressure or certain types of cancer such as liver, breast, or endometrial cancers (Ireland 518). Injectable birth control is another method. It involves the injection of a particular progestin, Depo-Provera (depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate) given to the arm or buttocks once in three months. One disadvantage is that it can temporarily lead to a loss of bone density especially if used by adolescents. Discontinuation of this method can stop the bone loss. Certain foods and diets are essential if a patient chooses this method, especially those rich in calcium and vitamin. It does not prevent STDs (Ireland 518). Implantable rods are the size of a matchstick surgically inserted in the upper arm of a woman. It releases progestin and can work for a period of five years. It does not reduce in any way the risks of STDs, and if the date lapses, it may take a while before a woman becomes pregnant (Ireland 519). Emergency contraceptive pills are hormonal pills taken as a single dosage or taking two doses twelve hours apart. These are commonly used after unprotected sexual intercourse.

Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease - Essay Example It has been observed that patients with pre-existing inflammatory diseases have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, for instance, systemic inflammation causes atherosclerosis. Section 2: Anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy foods and nutrients. Garlic and onions have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which promote a healthy heart. Consumption of a diet containing these foods has been associated with a reduction in systolic blood pressure, oxidative stress and vascular inflammation (Vazquez-Prieto et al 5). A study on the effect of garlic on cardiovascular disorders by Banerjee and Maulik (2002) indicates a significant cardio-protective effect. Section 3: Evidence that garlic and onions are anti-inflammatory. Garlic and onions have organosulphur compounds, which have different effects on human health (Hedges & Lister). Consumption of diets rich in garlic and onions may help to counter inflammation (Maffetone 7). Research has shown that these foods inhibit the aggregat ion of platelets and lower levels of cholesterol (Srinivasan 170; Kochhar 338), which catalyses the production of anti-inflammatory chemicals. They also reduce oxidative stress (Vazquez-Prieto et al 5), which is responsible for the production of inflammation causing free radicals. Moreover, experiments with fructose fed rats (Vazquez-Prieto et al 5) showed that extracts of garlic and onions reverses increased vascular inflammation. Section 4: Comments on anti-inflammatory evidence. The evidence for the anti-inflammatory properties of garlic and onions is precise and clear. It provides a comprehensive basis on the anti-oxidative properties of these foods, which is essential in dealing with chronic inflammation. Section 5: A study design to reinforce the anti-inflammatory properties of garlic and onions. A randomized controlled trial will be used to assess the anti-inflammatory nature of garlic and onions. A sample of participants will be randomly chosen from the population, and their ethical approval will be sought. Those who grant ethical approval will be included in the study. They will then be split and assigned randomly to two equal groups, experimental and control group. The experimental group will be assigned meals containing a specified amount of garlic and onions. On the other hand, the control group will be assigned meals without garlic and onions. The study will ensure compliance such that participants in the control group will not consume garlic and onions during the study period. Pre-test and post-test measurements for blood cholesterol will be taken for all participants. Comparison for the efficacy of garlic and onions will then be made based on these measurements. Q2: CVD Risk Dietary fiber refers to the edible part of plants, which is resistant to digestion and absorption in the small intestine (Lattimer & Haub 1266). Soluble dietary fibers are fibers that dissolve in water to form viscous gels. The increased consumption of dietary fiber is assoc iated with low risk of chronic diseases (Coleman 1), for instance, obesity, type-2 diabetes, cancer and CVD. Soluble dietary fibers such as ?-glucan reduce CVD risk by reducing blood cholesterol (Queenan et al 2). This soluble fiber is common in oats, which have a cholesterol lowering effect. However, despite the clear health benefits, the consumption of dietary fiber has been inhibited by its low palatability (Queenan et al. 2). Section 1: How dietary soluble fiber can lower CVD risk. Dietary soluble fiber reduces the serum cholesterol levels hence lowering CVD risk (Queenan et al. 6).

Empowering Diverse Populations Essay Example for Free

Empowering Diverse Populations Essay Firstly, with this article, the usage of the term ‘minority groups’ and ‘minority’ was somehow in opposition to what the article posited about cultural competence and sensitivity. Being a Latino male myself, the author thinks that these two terms are derogatory and add to the ‘debilitating effect’ that the article itself posited. The article mentioned language and words which were used to create oppression within ethnic and cultural groups and were being transformed by these groups into terms that afforded them power. The writer thinks that the word ‘minority’ should not be used in referring to these groups who are more marginalized and oppressed. Using a systems point of view, outside systems impose these labels on the so-called ‘minority groups’ who tend to either reject or accept this input according to their own needs. However, in empowering diverse populations, the writer agrees with the article wherein she had cited Paolo Friere’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed in creating one’s on knowledge and situation to better understand the situation of a larger whole. Using indigenous knowledge of a group, individual or family, the social worker will be able to help them reach a higher understanding of their situation in connection to the larger society. The article’s focus on family fragmentation and disconnection as a result of a diversifying society (Pinderhughes, 1995) is only one effect of how wider influences and diverse cultures are affecting the world. However, focusing on the micro level of intervention and merely mentioning policy, institution and structural changes in society to cope with the problem is not enough. This would imply that the article sees family fragmentation as a problem produced within the family itself in its struggle to cope with diversity and oppression. That the family or the individual is the target for change or intervention seems rather derogatory for the writer. A holistic approach must be done, even if a social worker is focused on family practice, one must be able to apply Generalist Social Work Practice in order to solve the problem on all levels. References Pinderhughes, E. (1995). Empowering Diverse Populations: Family Practice in the 21st Century. Families in Society , 131-140.

Intercultural communication Essay Example for Free

Intercultural communication Essay The only way for Africa to rise out from the ruins of its social conflicts is to drop its notions of finding a scapegoat. There will always be good days and bad days. Equality in every aspect of human life is an ideal dream. Progress varies among people. Instead of pulling people down, assistance should be given to individuals who are in need. It is a way of giving back what is due for the person. African citizens should not look at foreigners as a threat. They must look at the new individuals as helpers in the establishment of growth and development. â€Å"There has been an increasing awareness towards racism throughout the southern Africa, due to land conflicts and resource-based racial tensions, as well as the increasing number of refugees and migrants that have challenged national governments to be more incisive in their policies concerning racial relations and immigration† (Pinto, 2000). Immigrants must be considered as hard working individuals who are simply out to make their lives harmonious and comfortable. The turmoil in the African region can only be solved with a thorough understanding of the consequences brought upon by the implementation of harsh and cruel methods. Bloodshed is not necessary. Senseless killings have nothing to contribute to the society. Engaging in the hate campaign will bring agony not only to the victims but to the perpetrators as well. People who brandish their firearms and fire them recklessly have no motivation at all. Because of the ongoing racial conflict, education has fallen out of radar. There are numerous significant things to do which hatred and violence have taken out of the picture. Africa and the rest of the world can be progressive. By eliminating the ill feeling being harbored by individuals towards their fellowmen, new ways of stabilizing a society can be achieved and manifested. People must concentrate on what is good. Good things bear good fruits. Hatred has no place in the present world if peace and stability is to be attained. It takes courage and determination to eliminate the element of hate from destroying the unity and affection among people. The violence in Africa is a prime example of respect. The influx of foreigners into neighboring lands can lead to cooperation. It is true that a diversity of different cultural backgrounds can be difficult to incorporate together. But by respecting and understanding other people’s cultural heritage and traditions can bring significant results. CONCLUSION The violence in Africa is a senseless method of self preservation. It is an act that does not promote human preservation as a whole. Citizens are threatened by the numerous populations that seek refuge in a continent already suffering from various social concerns. In the past, war among clans and tribes is common. Leaders are out to grab power. Individuals want to control parts of the land. The problem with people around the world is that they are too consumed by their emotions. Hatred has found a common ground for it to build momentum. â€Å"The attitude of racism is based on prejudice, which is more emotion, feeling and bias than it is judgments† (Vorster, 2002). By entertaining the thought of inflicting harm over the other person to gain an upper hand, violence is sure to explode, just as it erupts in the streets and vast lands of Africa. BIBLIOGRAPHY Barrow, G.. South Africa’s New Racism. BBC News. (2000, August 28). Retrieved October 1, 2007 from http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/africa/899543. stm Pinto, R.. Racism and Xenophobia Debate Gains Momentum. Southern African News Features. (2000, October 16). Retrieved October 1, 2007 from http://www. sardc. net/editorial/sanf/2000/Iss19/Nf4. html Vorster, J. M.. Racism, Xenophobia and Human Rights. The Ecumenical Review. (2002, July). Retrieved October 1, 2007 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m2065/is_3_54/ai_92136475 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Attacks on Somalis Expose Xenophobia. IRIN. (2007, October). Retrieved October 1, 2007 from http://www. irinnews. org/report. aspx? reportid=60776 Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation. Xenophobia, Solidarity and the Struggle of Zimbabwe. (2006, December 11). Retrieved October 1, 2007 from http://www. anarkismo. net/newswire. php? story_id=4424.

Ahold Has A Company Wide Business Model Marketing Essay

Ahold Has A Company Wide Business Model Marketing Essay Ahold has a company-wide business model, it works with profit. This model helps to drive the strategy. The model consist a virtuous circle that helps Ahold to work on lower cost to invest in price, value and the products and services they give. By means of this circle it helps to raise the sales, win new customers and new capital for the further grow of the business. That the circle has been a success is proven in 2003 there was a successful repositioned of all the business. To the repositioned Ahold increased the value and service that they provide the customers. From 2003 until 2008 Ahold was able to decrease the cost and made a reserve from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 800 million across our businesses. 1. Structure Ahold operates from two continental platforms, Ahold Europa and Ahold USA, both of the continental are led by a Chief Operating Officer. The structure helps Ahold to balance local, continental and worldwide decision-making. Ahold Europa consists of Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall Gall in the Netherlands. Albert/Hypernova in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Each operating company in Europe, has a manager who repost all the necessarily things to the COO of Ahold Europe. Ahold USA is organized into four little retail companies: Giant-Carlisle, Giant-Landover, Stop Shop New England and Stop Shop Metro New York. Each company has his own divisional president who reports to the CEO of Ahold USA and this reports back to COO of Ahold USA. Ahold has also a 60 pro cent of interest in ICA AB (Swedish retail) and also 49% interest in Jerà ³nimo Martins Retail. org_structure_diagram 2. In Amsterdam are Aholds international headquarters based. Corporate Centre is responsible for the Group strategy and functions that support the business with contains the strategy office, interneal audit, legal, compliance, insurance, human resources, communications, corporate responsibility, mergers acquisitions and information management. Ahold has also a Corporate Centre located in The United States of America and Switzerland. Systems Corporate Executive Board managed Ahold, They get supervised and advised by a Supervisory Board. The diagram bellows shows the governance structure of Ahold and also its companies. These companies are answerable to the General Meeting of Shareholders. Ahold is structured to execute its strategy and to balance local, continental and global decision-making. Ahold consists of a Coporate Center and operated from two platforms, Ahold Europe and Ahold USA. Both platforms contains a few of companies. The Diagram bellows shows the governance structure of Ahold and its companies. 3. Shared Values All of the companies who belong to Ahold share the five common values who divine how they are, what is important to them and how they do things. These values are Putting the customers first Doing what is right Loving what we do Making ideas happened Getting better every dag Style If you work at the Albert Heijn you must work hygienic and also quality and safety are very important, not only for the employees but also for the customers. Knowledge about the products albert Heijn sales is also very important. If customers have questions then you muss advise them. You work together in a team, so the atmosphere must be good. A good atmosphere in the company is very important for the enthusiasm and productive of employees. The atmosphere at Albert Heijn is very good. They also organize activities to improve the working atmosphere. Staff In 2011 there worked 213.000 employees. Ahold comprise a diverse group of employees they are working in a lot of countries. Underneath all of the employees there are numerous of different nationalities. At Ahold it is very important that at each level of the organisations some diversity is valued, this is a part of a business culture. Diversity is a very important factor at each discipline of the company and it regarded as hole to our success. Our focus is that every employee had a honest change to improve their selves both personally and professionally. At Ahold they strive to have a diversity of employees. Ahold is going to work at mobility for all the employees and a good workface that is a reflection of the customers we serve. All employment decisions are with agreement of fare opportunities. They look at the competencies of the new employees and not at the race, colour, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin. At Ahold everyone has a change. Skills The skills and competencies of the people working in the stores are basic, almost everyone can work there. The managers who manage the stores are most of the time older and they have more experience. The employees who will work for Ahold need a lot more skills and competencies. Employee development is a key priority for Ahold. Ahold has a Leadership Academy in partnership with Harvard Business School and Oxford Universitys SaÃÆ' ¯d Business School and also a Retail Academy run in partnership with Cornell University. Five Forces Model of Porter Ahold is based in the Netherlands and is an international retailing group. They operate in a lot of formats and channels but there core business is selling great food and supermarkets. Ahold has 14 brands in Europe and the U.S. In this chapter you can find an analyze of how the company is positioned in the branch because Ahold has so many companys we just use for this analyze only Albert Heijn. http://notesdesk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/porters-five-forces-model.jpg For this analyze we use the Five forces model of Porter which you can see in the figure opposite. With this model you can see an overview of the industry rivalry viewed from four different points of view. 4. Threat of new entrants In Europe the supermarkets do not have a lot of threats of new entrants. It is very hard for entrepreneurs to start a new supermarket because when they do start a new supermarket the other existing supermarkets lower the sales price of their products. The new supermarket is not able to lower their sale price because he has more production costs and initial costs than the already existing supermarkets. Bargaining power of customers Customers are a threat for the Albert Heijn. When the customers are pleased about the supermarket they will buy their products an come back every time they need to buy groceries but when Albert Heijn sells products that the customers do not like, they will go the another supermarket. For example: Albert Heijn sells the product COCA Cola. Albert Heijn wanted to save on the cost price of their products so they called COCA Cola. Albert Heijn demands a discount on the cost price of 2%. COCA Cola did not accept that so they stopped to deliver their product to Albert Heijn. After a few weeks the customers complained a lot and the did there grocery shopping in another supermarket where they did sell COCA Cola. Within a month the Albert Heijn did sell COCA Cola again and they were paying the original cost price. Threat of substitutes There are not a lot of threats of substitutes for Albert Heijn. One of the threats are the restaurants. When people eat at a restaurant they do not have to buy grocery for diner. However most of the people do not eat constantly in a restaurant and when they do, they have to buy grocery for the rest of the day. At the Albert Heijn you can buy almost every brand from expensive till the cheapest brands. Most of the brands are also sold in the other supermarkets in the country. So for the substitutes the consumers do not have to go to another supermarket. Bargaining power of suppliers The suppliers do have a lot of bargaining power when they are with a lot of different suppliers as a group. For example Albert Heijn in the Netherlands lower the purchase price to lower their costs. The suppliers did not agreed with this and take action against the Albert Heijn. The suppliers won so the Albert Heijn needs to pay the original price. One supplier has not a lot of bargaining power and he just basically has to do whatever the Albert Heijn wants. Acknowledgement Sources 7-S Framework https://www.ahold.com/#!/Our-strategy/Business-model.htm https://www.ahold.com/web/show?id=88494langid=42from=to=webid=26098searchid=88696keyword=core+value#!https://www.ahold.com/About-us/Our-vision-values.htm http://www.annualreport2009.ahold.com/group/our_strategy/organizational_structure.htm https://company.info/id/350003630000 http://werk.ah.nl/winkel/kwaliteitsmedewerker.jsp https://www.ahold.com/web/show?id=88494langid=42from=to=webid=26098searchid=88696keyword=core+value#!https://www.ahold.com/About-us/Our-vision-values.htm Image 1: https://www.ahold.com/#!/Our-strategy/Business-model.htm Image 2: http://www.annualreport2009.ahold.com/group/our_strategy/organizational_structure.htm Image 3: 2011yearreview.ahold.com/downloads/Ahold-Full-AR-2011.pdf Sources Five Forces Model of Porter https://www.ahold.com/web/show?id=88494langid=42from=to=webid=26098searchid=88696keyword=core+value#!https://www.ahold.com/About-us/Our-vision-values.htm Image 4: Porters Five Forces Model

The Effects of Teen Pregnancy on Children Essay -- The Adverse Effects

There are many obstacles for children of teenage mothers to face. These children have serious disadvantages in contrast to those children who come from nuclear families. Often they lack a father figure, have a high poverty rate, and there are incidents of depression and mental health problems. Many people are blaming the sex education programs in schools and the additional federal aid being offered to single parents as major causes for the country’s high rate of teen pregnancies (Carole). Although, the real purpose of sex education and federal aid is to help empower the mother and child so they can eventually lead productive lives. The lack of a father figure in the home is the cause of many major problems, which builds into a chain reaction. The child may suffer emotional problems when there is no father present; these problems may be hazardous to their future. Many children tend to be effected mentally because these powerful emotions have the potential to do permanent damage to the child’s life. Children who do not have a father present in the home often feel unloved. Parental rejection is a very traumatizing event in a child’s life. â€Å"Children who lack a father figure in the home may experience sadness and depression, aggressive behavior, frequent illness, difficulty in school, eating problems, and sleeping disorders† (Jacobs). Males and females are affected differently by the absence of a father. To be able to learn how to become a man, a boy needs a male role model in his life. Oftentimes, children choose unpleasant characters to mold themselves after if they do not have a good role model. Males that grow up in one-parent homes may gain negative personality traits like immaturity, laziness, and disrespect f... ...en resort to drugs and crime as outlets. These outlets lead to dead-end jobs, jail, and sometimes early death for single parent children. Many of these children end up having kids of their own at an early age; therefore carrying on the vicious cycle of poverty, poor education, joblessness, and lack of hope for the future. Bibliography: Carole, Morgan, George N. Chapar, and Martin Fisher. â€Å"Variables Associated With Teen Pregnancy.† Adolescence. June 1, 1995: NA. Electric Library. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015. Jacobs, Joanne. â€Å"Children Who Are Having Children.† San Jose Mercury News. Apr. 2, 1989: 7C. SIRS Knowledge Source. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015. Young, Tamera M., et al. â€Å"Internal Poverty and Teen Pregnancy.† Adolescence. Vol. 36 (Summer 2001): 16. EBSCOhost. Archbold Community Library. 19 March 2015.

Utopia for the Twentieth Century :: Philosophy Marxism Essays

Utopia for the Twentieth Century There are many utopias. No one has ever seen them except in imagination, and yet they are real enough, for they have influenced our destiny over the centuries. ----- Alain Martineau The socio-political philosophy of Marx and Engels emphasizes both the capacity as well as the inevitability of oppressed peoples to take up arms in a desperate effort to do away with conditions which do not correspond to their true material and psychological needs. This is the process by which the fulfillment of Marx's species-being may eventually become a reality --- a struggle which will annihilate those circumstances which produce a great deal of misery, ending them through conflict. As one of the most successful political theories of the twentieth century in terms of the widespread influence it has had for over a hundred years now, Marxist doctrines translated into political practices have themselves contributed toward a considerable amount of human suffering, as the examples of the Bolshevik and Khmer Rouge revolutions demonstrate. While there is a great deal of justified criticism against labeling these revolutions as being authentically Marxist, the fact remains that to a larg e extent, many of the violent tactical formulas which were considered justifiable by Marx and Engels have been translated and adopted by twentieth century political movements, quite often with the result that an oppressive order is exchanged for another order which in turn becomes equally oppressive. This may be due, in part, to the fact that the tactics which Marx believed were necessary to liberate humanity and usher in utopian conditions were prescribed for the framework and social conditions of the nineteenth century Industrial Revolution in western Europe. Undoubtedly, the transition from the previous century to the present has brought with it unprecedented changes in levels of technology, economic and social conditions, political structures, environmental crises --- as well as a transformation within our individual and social consciousness themselves --- which have never before been witnessed by humanity. If Marxism is to continue to hold promise for our effort to liberate ourselves from undesirable social conditions, there is a need to adapt it so that it may address the peculiarities of the twentieth century, those which Marx himself could not have seen. Additionally, the humanist and utopian ideals of Marx and Engels, such as freedom from bondage as well as social harmon y, ought to be preserved and promoted. The contributions of twentieth-century Marxists are invaluable to us for this reason.

Comparing Journeys in Thos Pynchons The Crying of Lot 49 :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Parallel Journeys in The Crying of Lot 49 The Crying of Lot 49 offers two journeys into the text: that of it's protagonist Oedipa, and that which the reader is forced to take with her. His brilliant use of detail and word plays blur the lines between the two. The main factor in this journey is chaos, here referred to by its’ more scientific name entropy. Oedipa and the reader get lost in a system of chaos and the task of deciphering the clues within the intricate system. The reader has no choice but to become part of this system through cleverly employed tactics Pychon uses to draw one in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The uncertainty and complication of the mystery are the devices typically used to bring a character and or reader to an understanding of oneself, in this case it is questionable whether Oedipa or the reader reach this sort of consciousness. Oedipa through Pynchon's scientific/literary metaphors, has a personal awakening that is not quite resolved with the end of the novel. The reader and the protagonist are both left to question what is real and what is fantasy. Pynchon offers clues to the puzzle, but the truth in question is not the Trystero, but Oedipa's sanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Oedipa Mass is forced to involve herself in what seems to be a conspiracy. Her job can be compared to that of Maxwell's Demon. "As the Demon sat and sorted his molecules into hot and cold, the system was said to lose entropy. But somehow the loss was offset by the information the Demon gained about what molecules were where ¨ (p.105). Perception is blurred in the novel through the use of alcohol and drugs and the blurring of communication systems. In this case a form of entropy linked to the chaos of a communication system is embodied by the W.A.S.T.E. system Oedipa stumbles upon. She must attempt to separate what is real and what is fantasy, to decipher what is important and what is useless information. Pynchon's use of detail makes this a difficult task, and the reader is caught up in her world of symbols and imagery. His mixture of fiction with history further confuses the reader with the Thurn and Taxis system and the Peter Pigui d Society one is drawn into a world where he/she is reliant upon Oedipa to decipher the clues.   Oedipa and the reader are drawn into a constant fear of paranoia.

Analysis of Country School

Country School – Allen Curnow By Abdulla Al-Muhannadi In this poem ‘Country School’, Curnow basks in reminiscence of his old school where he drifts away in recalling his childhood. As this poem re? ects childhood reminiscence, the narrator seems to realise that things aren’t as dull and bad as they seemed before, along with the portrayal of the overall issue of ageing. However, the tone of the narrator seems to sway between enthusiastic and apathetic as there are many times when the tones seem to differ between two extremes. The persona is describing a country school that seems to be somewhat dilapidated in condition. The vivid image drawn by the alliterative phrase ‘paint all peeled’ supports the fact that the school is indeed deteriorating. ‘Tufts topping’ enables the reader to visualise a country school architecture, with ‘pinus tufts’ on its ‘roof ridge’, establishing an image of a typical country school. Through the usage of colloquial language, these vivid images hold more detail then one might think they do at ? rst. For instance, the word ‘dunny’ evolves a picture of local Australian toilets enlightening the audience to the smallest of details. Furthermore, ‘girls squeal skipping’ conjures up an auditory image as the little children are playing around him (supported by the sibilance). Several kinds of onomatopoeia help to describe what the persona is experiencing. THe ? uid ‘r’ sounds in ‘rank’ and ‘roof-ridge’ help to integrate the ideas, linking them and helping form a wider image of the country school. Also, the ‘b’ sounds in ‘bargeboard, weatherboard’ and ‘gibbet belfry’ calls attention to the detailed observation, helping build up a solid image. Curnow employs parallelism as well as repetition in order to create links in this poem. The parallel comparison, or contrast, of ‘how small; how sad’, draws a link with how he seems to be recalling his days back in school. The passing of time and his ageing is revelaed as the very doors that seemed huge from a child’s point of view, are now described as being rather ‘small’. The persona refers to himself as a third person and this is deduced through the repetition of the word ‘you’. Perhaps the persona had a rough time reconnecting with his old school that he felt more comfortable referring to himself as a third person rather than ? rst. The rhyme scheme is irregular; perhaps something that re? cts his irregular pattern of this recollection of memories. It also reveals the lack of assurance, and the hard time he seems to have re-adjusting to his past. ALthough is does follow an imperfect rhyme scheme (e. g. topping-skipping; waves-eaves; than-began; small-wall), the ? uctuating rhymes and discordant sounds allows the audienc e to notice his discomfort while revisiting his school. Curnow has made use of an unstable structure (so to speak), for the poem doesn’t hold a constant number of stanzas, rather it begins with 3 and 5-lined stanzas and ends with two 4-lined stanzas. This growth of stability, signi? ed by the proper structure of the last two stanzas, re? ects the growth or the increase in the poet’s clarity of understanding. It’s as though he ? nally realised that the very things that were unsettling or intimidating to him as a child (e. g. ‘terrible doors’) are not as bad as they looked. This minor epiphany seems to be mimicked by the structure of the poem itself. Similarly, the narrator seems to get distracted momentarily and this can be shown in the second stanza after ‘Pinus betrays’. While observing the pinus he drifts away into talking about how they function. However, he does get back on track in the third stanza (‘for scantling pinus’) as his focus shifts back to the tall trees that seem to be guarding the school. There is the use of enjambment as well: ‘‘paint all peeled on bargeboard’, ‘scattering bravely Nor’ West gale’, etc. This suggests the pace at which the narrator seems to be remembering his past and the sense of excitement is established with this upbeat pace. The poet employs colloquial language, chie? y to perhaps connect with his audience and communicate on an informal level by talking about something as casual as ‘school’. Gibbet belfry’ would be an example of his simplistic yet local language helping the reader further visualise the school and its locality in detail. The idea that the school started along with the persona himself brings into notice that it might not be as old as one would think. ‘you call it old’ further suggests that he i s merely just referring to the school as being ‘old’ when it’s not in actuality. The idea of ageing has been linked to the pinus trees that grow mature ‘in less than the life of a man’. This line suggests that the time period for a tree to gain maturity is lesser than the time taken for humans. The word ‘scantling’ further backs this idea for as it describes the measurement of the maturity of the tree and to deduce its time of harvest. Similarly, the word ‘terrible’ implies that the poet wasn’t actually fond of the tiny doors when he was a child, and its reference as being ‘sad’ suggests its dilapidated state. It’s through words like these that the audience is able to sense a hint of unpleasantness in the poet’s past as he fails to hold an optimistic approach to this walk down memory lane. Rather the tone seems to be somber and melancholic. Furthermore, it insinuates that the narrator pities the state of his school. This poem holds a variety of ? gures of speech used and this perhaps re? ects the variety of emotions he himself goes through in this nostalgic visit to his old school. Alliterative phrases such as ‘paint peeled’, ‘roof-ridge’ and ‘tufts topping’ all help the audience in building up a vivid image of the school. A similar imagery effect is achieved through the series: ‘bargeboard, weatherboard and gibbet belfry’. Using neologism (made-up word), the phrase ‘snub-worn’ points out that the school isn’t in the best of its condition as the ? oors have worn out. The pinus trees that portray the same pace of ageing have been personi? d as they’ve been accused of betraying the school and not guarding the roof rom the rattling ‘Nor’ West gale’. However, the trees have also been described as ‘scattering bravely’, perhaps an attempt to denote the nobility of what the tree is doing for the school (by scattering the strong winds and defending the meek school structure). This task of the trees has been compared to the ‘reef’ through the analogy ‘as a reef its waves’ for the wind is scattered just as the tidal waves are scattered by the reef, drawing an interesting comparison with the two elements wind and water. In addition, the comparison of the ages between the narrator himself and the trees establishes through the usage of polyptoton (where words/phrases derived from the same root are repeated) ‘less than a life of a man’ and ‘together your lives began’ further stating the common point in time as they simultaneously began this process of ageing. The poet holds a humorous, as well as a sarcastic, tone when saying ‘O sweet antiquity’ as it’s been made clear that they’re not so old, let alone antique. Curnow has successfully, in my opinion, demonstrated through this persona, someone who seems to be in denial of growing old. It’s obvious that the narrator is just as old as the school, but we ? nd him calling the school antique, suggesting that he doesn’t feel like he’s getting older but ? nds it okay to exaggerate other’s age (sort of comedically hypocritical I would say! ). Through the poem, I’ve realised that it’s still possible to savour the past without having to hold the same perspective. In that sense, times change and so does one’s perspective, however, it doesn’t mean that things remain the same throughout and the very things that seemed unpleasant once upon a time might seem laughable now (as Curnow clearly demonstrated in the poem).

What It Takes To Have A Lasting Relationship

There are three secret C’s to building a lasting relationship. These are commitment, communication, and creativity. According to relationship experts and best-selling authors, Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks, who have been successfully married for 25 years, the first big secret to a lasting relationship is the C-word most people dread – commitment. In a romantic relationship, couples should commit to processes or how to get things done together and not to outcomes as these will not lead them their desired goals for the relationship. Similarly, speaking honestly and telling the truth are ways of committing. Contrary to what others think, secrecy and keeping a part of oneself are not healthy. Moreover, since it is not easy to fully commit, each one may sometimes fail; yet the secret is to keep on recommitting and not dwell on the failure of committing (Hughes, 2006). The second big secret according to the Hendricks is knowing how to deal with emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness. These are the most difficult feelings humans need to address; hence learning how to be aware of these feelings and to speak about these in a simple and honest way (Hughes, 2006) is crucial for the relationship. With this, healthy and open communication lines should be maintained between couples. Another big secret to a lasting relationship is creativity. The Hendricks claimed that couples should learn how to support the creative path of their partners. They further said that creativity adds to people’s attractiveness and revitalization. Moreover, creativity in individuality and in unity is also important in maintaining relationships. Hence, appreciation or gratitude for these also need to be maintained. Consequently, maintaining a relationship is not just a walk in the park for couples. For it to last, commitment, communication, and creativity are needed.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Thirty-one

Tyrion As he stood in the predawn chill watching Chiggen butcher his horse, Tyrion Lannister chalked up one more debt owed the Starks. Steam rose from inside the carcass when the squat sellsword opened the belly with his skinning knife. His hands moved deftly, with never a wasted cut; the work had to be done quickly, before the stink of blood brought shadowcats down from the heights. â€Å"None of us will go hungry tonight,† Bronn said. He was near a shadow himself; bone thin and bone hard, with black eyes and black hair and a stubble of beard. â€Å"Some of us may,† Tyrion told him. â€Å"I am not fond of eating horse. Particularly my horse.† â€Å"Meat is meat,† Bronn said with a shrug. â€Å"The Dothraki like horse more than beef or pork.† â€Å"Do you take me for a Dothraki?† Tyrion asked sourly. The Dothraki ate horse, in truth; they also left deformed children out for the feral dogs who ran behind their khalasars. Dothraki customs had scant appeal for him. Chiggen sliced a thin strip of bloody meat off the carcass and held it up for inspection. â€Å"Want a taste, dwarf?† â€Å"My brother Jaime gave me that mare for my twenty-third name day,† Tyrion said in a flat voice. â€Å"Thank him for us, then. If you ever see him again.† Chiggen grinned, showing yellow teeth, and swallowed the raw meat in two bites. â€Å"Tastes well bred.† â€Å"Better if you fry it up with onions,† Bronn put in. Wordlessly, Tyrion limped away. The cold had settled deep in his bones, and his legs were so sore he could scarcely walk. Perhaps his dead mare was the lucky one. He had hours more riding ahead of him, followed by a few mouthfuls of food and a short, cold sleep on hard ground, and then another night of the same, and another, and another, and the gods only knew how it would end. â€Å"Damn her,† he muttered as he struggled up the road to rejoin his captors, remembering, â€Å"damn her and all the Starks.† The memory was still bitter. One moment he'd been ordering supper, and an eye blink later he was facing a room of armed men, with Jyck reaching for a sword and the fat innkeep shrieking, â€Å"No swords, not here, please, m'lords.† Tyrion wrenched down Jyck's arm hurriedly, before he got them both hacked to pieces. â€Å"Where are your courtesies, Jyck? Our good hostess said no swords. Do as she asks.† He forced a smile that must have looked as queasy as it felt. â€Å"You're making a sad mistake, Lady Stark. I had no part in any attack on your son. On my honor—† â€Å"Lannister honor,† was all she said. She held up her hands for all the room to see. â€Å"His dagger left these scars. The blade he sent to open my son's throat.† Tyrion felt the anger all around him, thick and smoky, fed by the deep cuts in the Stark woman's hands. â€Å"Kill him,† hissed some drunken slattern from the back, and other voices took up the call, faster than he would have believed. Strangers all, friendly enough only a moment ago, and yet now they cried for his blood like hounds on a trail. Tyrion spoke up loudly, trying to keep the quaver from his voice. â€Å"If Lady Stark believes I have some crime to answer for, I will go with her and answer for it.† It was the only possible course. Trying to cut their way out of this was a sure invitation to an early grave. A good dozen swords had responded to the Stark woman's plea for help: the Harrenhal man, the three Brackens, a pair of unsavory sellswords who looked as though they'd kill him as soon as spit, and some fool field hands who doubtless had no idea what they were doing. Against that, what did Tyrion have? A dagger at his belt, and two men. Jyck swung a fair enough sword, but Morrec scarcely counted; he was part groom, part cook, part body servant, and no soldier. As for Yoren, whatever his feelings might have been, the black brothers were sworn to take no part in the quarrels of the realm. Yoren would do nothing. And indeed, the black brother stepped aside silently when the old knight by Catelyn Stark's side said, â€Å"Take their weapons,† and the sellsword Bronn stepped forward to pull the sword from Jyck's fingers and relieve them all of their daggers. â€Å"Good,† the old man said as the tension in the common room ebbed palpably, â€Å"excellent.† Tyrion recognized the gruff voice; Winterfell's master-at-arms, shorn of his whiskers. Scarlet-tinged spittle flew from the fat innkeep's mouth as she begged of Catelyn Stark, â€Å"Don't kill him here!† â€Å"Don't kill him anywhere,† Tyrion urged. â€Å"Take him somewheres else, no blood here, m'lady, I wants no high lordlin's quarrels.† â€Å"We are taking him back to Winterfell,† she said, and Tyrion thought, Well, perhaps . . . By then he'd had a moment to glance over the room and get a better idea of the situation. He was not altogether displeased by what he saw. Oh, the Stark woman had been clever, no doubt of it. Force them to make a public affirmation of the oaths sworn her father by the lords they served, and then call on them for succor, and her a woman, yes, that was sweet. Yet her success was not as complete as she might have liked. There were close to fifty in the common room by his rough count. Catelyn Stark's plea had roused a bare dozen; the others looked confused, or frightened, or sullen. Only two of the Freys had stirred, Tyrion noted, and they'd sat back down quick enough when their captain failed to move. He might have smiled if he'd dared. â€Å"Winterfell it is, then,† he said instead. That was a long ride, as he could well attest, having just ridden it the other way. So many things could happen along the way. â€Å"My father will wonder what has become of me,† he added, catching the eye of the swordsman who'd offered to yield up his room. â€Å"He'll pay a handsome reward to any man who brings him word of what happened here today.† Lord Tywin would do no such thing, of course, but Tyrion would make up for it if he won free. Ser Rodrik glanced at his lady, his look worried, as well it might be. â€Å"His men come with him,† the old knight announced. â€Å"And we'll thank the rest of you to stay quiet about what you've seen here.† It was all Tyrion could do not to laugh. Quiet? The old fool. Unless he took the whole inn, the word would begin to spread the instant they were gone. The freerider with the gold coin in his pocket would fly to Casterly Rock like an arrow. If not him, then someone else. Yoren would carry the story south. That fool singer might make a lay of it. The Freys would report back to their lord, and the gods only knew what he might do. Lord Walder Frey might be sworn to Riverrun, but he was a cautious man who had lived a long time by making certain he was always on the winning side. At the very least he would send his birds winging south to King's Landing, and he might well dare more than that. Catelyn Stark wasted no time. â€Å"We must ride at once. We'll want fresh mounts, and provisions for the road. You men, know that you have the eternal gratitude of House Stark. If any of you choose to help us guard our captives and get them safe to Winterfell, I promise you shall be well rewarded.† That was all it took; the fools came rushing forward. Tyrion studied their faces; they would indeed be well rewarded, he vowed to himself, but perhaps not quite as they imagined. Yet even as they were bundling him outside, saddling the horses in the rain, and tying his hands with a length of coarse rope, Tyrion Lannister was not truly afraid. They would never get him to Winterfell, he would have given odds on that. Riders would be after them within the day, birds would take wing, and surely one of the river lords would want to curry favor with his father enough to take a hand. Tyrion was congratulating himself on his subtlety when someone pulled a hood down over his eyes and lifted him up onto a saddle. They set out through the rain at a hard gallop, and before long Tyrion's thighs were cramped and aching and his butt throbbed with pain. Even when they were safely away from the inn, and Catelyn Stark slowed them to a trot, it was a miserable pounding journey over rough ground, made worse by his blindness. Every twist and turn put him in danger of falling off his horse. The hood muffled sound, so he could not make out what was being said around him, and the rain soaked through the cloth and made it cling to his face, until even breathing was a struggle. The rope chafed his wrists raw and seemed to grow tighter as the night wore on. I was about to settle down to a warm fire and a roast fowl, and that wretched singer had to open his mouth, he thought mournfully. The wretched singer had come along with them. â€Å"There is a great song to be made from this, and I'm the one to make it,† he told Catelyn Stark when he announced his intention of riding with them to see how the  "splendid adventure† turned out. Tyrion wondered whether the boy would think the adventure quite so splendid once the Lannister riders caught up with them. The rain had finally stopped and dawn light was seeping through the wet cloth over his eyes when Catelyn Stark gave the command to dismount. Rough hands pulled him down from his horse, untied his wrists, and yanked the hood off his head. When he saw the narrow stony road, the foothills rising high and wild all around them, and the jagged snowcapped peaks on the distant horizon, all the hope went out of him in a rush. â€Å"This is the high road,† he gasped, looking at Lady Stark with accusation. â€Å"The eastern road. You said we were riding for Winterfell!† Catelyn Stark favored him with the faintest of smiles. â€Å"Often and loudly,† she agreed. â€Å"No doubt your friends will ride that way when they come after us. I wish them good speed.† Even now, long days later, the memory filled him with a bitter rage. All his life Tyrion had prided himself on his cunning, the only gift the gods had seen fit to give him, and yet this seven-times-damned she-wolf Catelyn Stark had outwitted him at every turn. The knowledge was more galling than the bare fact of his abduction. They stopped only as long as it took to feed and water the horses, and then they were off again. This time Tyrion was spared the hood. After the second night they no longer bound his hands, and once they had gained the heights they scarcely bothered to guard him at all. It seemed they did not fear his escape. And why should they? Up here the land was harsh and wild, and the high road little more than a stony track. If he did run, how far could he hope to go, alone and without provisions? The shadowcats would make a morsel of him, and the clans that dwelt in the mountain fastnesses were brigands and murderers who bowed to no law but the sword. Yet still the Stark woman drove them forward relentlessly. He knew where they were bound. He had known it since the moment they pulled off his hood. These mountains were the domain of House Arryn, and the late Hand's widow was a Tully, Catelyn Stark's sister . . . and no friend to the Lannisters. Tyrion had known the Lady Lysa slightly during her years at King's Landing, and did not look forward to renewing the acquaintance. His captors were clustered around a stream a short ways down the high road. The horses had drunk their fill of the icy cold water, and were grazing on clumps of brown grass that grew from clefts in the rock. Jyck and Morrec huddled close, sullen and miserable. Mohor stood over them, leaning on his spear and wearing a rounded iron cap that made him look as if he had a bowl on his head. Nearby, Marillion the singer sat oiling his woodharp, complaining of what the damp was doing to his strings. â€Å"We must have some rest, my lady,† the hedge knight Ser Willis Wode was saying to Catelyn Stark as Tyrion approached. He was Lady Whent's man, stiff-necked and stolid, and the first to rise to aid Catelyn Stark back at the inn. â€Å"Ser Willis speaks truly, my lady,† Ser Rodrik said. â€Å"This is the third horse we have lost—† â€Å"We will lose more than horses if we're overtaken by the Lannisters,† she reminded them. Her face was windburnt and gaunt, but it had lost none of its determination. â€Å"Small chance of that here,† Tyrion put in. â€Å"The lady did not ask your views, dwarf,† snapped Kurleket, a great fat oaf with short-cropped hair and a pig's face. He was one of the Brackens, a man-at-arms in the service of Lord Jonos. Tyrion had made a special effort to learn all their names, so he might thank them later for their tender treatment of him. A Lannister always paid his debts. Kurleket would learn that someday, as would his friends Lharys and Mohor, and the good Ser Willis, and the sellswords Bronn and Chiggen. He planned an especially sharp lesson for Marillion, him of the woodharp and the sweet tenor voice, who was struggling so manfully to rhyme imp with gimp and limp so he could make a song of this outrage. â€Å"Let him speak,† Lady Stark commanded. Tyrion Lannister seated himself on a rock. â€Å"By now our pursuit is likely racing across the Neck, chasing your lie up the kingsroad . . . assuming there is a pursuit, which is by no means certain. Oh, no doubt the word has reached my father . . . but my father does not love me overmuch, and I am not at all sure that he will bother to bestir himself.† It was only half a lie; Lord Tywin Lannister cared not a fig for his deformed son, but he tolerated no slights on the honor of his House. â€Å"This is a cruel land, Lady Stark. You'll find no succor until you reach the Vale, and each mount you lose burdens the others all the more. Worse, you risk losing me. I am small, and not strong, and if I die, then what's the point?† That was no lie at all; Tyrion did not know how much longer he could endure this pace. â€Å"It might be said that your death is the point, Lannister,† Catelyn Stark replied. â€Å"I think not,† Tyrion said. â€Å"If you wanted me dead, you had only to say the word, and one of these staunch friends of yours would gladly have given me a red smile.† He looked at Kurleket, but the man was too dim to taste the mockery. â€Å"The Starks do not murder men in their beds.† â€Å"Nor do I,† he said. â€Å"I tell you again, I had no part in the attempt to kill your son.† â€Å"The assassin was armed with your dagger.† Tyrion felt the heat rise in him. â€Å"It was not my dagger,† he insisted. â€Å"How many times must I swear to that? Lady Stark, whatever you may believe of me, I am not a stupid man. Only a fool would arm a common footpad with his own blade.† Just for a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes, but what she said was, â€Å"Why would Petyr lie to me?† â€Å"Why does a bear shit in the woods?† he demanded. â€Å"Because it is his nature. Lying comes as easily as breathing to a man like Littlefinger. You ought to know that, you of all people.† She took a step toward him, her face tight. â€Å"And what does that mean, Lannister?† Tyrion cocked his head. â€Å"Why, every man at court has heard him tell how he took your maidenhead, my lady.† â€Å"That is a lie!† Catelyn Stark said. â€Å"Oh, wicked little imp,† Marillion said, shocked. Kurleket drew his dirk, a vicious piece of black iron. â€Å"At your word, m'lady, I'll toss his lying tongue at your feet.† His pig eyes were wet with excitement at the prospect. Catelyn Stark stared at Tyrion with a coldness on her face such as he had never seen. â€Å"Petyr Baelish loved me once. He was only a boy. His passion was a tragedy for all of us, but it was real, and pure, and nothing to be made mock of. He wanted my hand. That is the truth of the matter. You are truly an evil man, Lannister.† â€Å"And you are truly a fool, Lady Stark. Littlefinger has never loved anyone but Littlefinger, and I promise you that it is not your hand that he boasts of, it's those ripe breasts of yours, and that sweet mouth, and the heat between your legs.† Kurleket grabbed a handful of hair and yanked his head back in a hard jerk, baring his throat. Tyrion felt the cold kiss of steel beneath his chin. â€Å"Shall I bleed him, my lady?† â€Å"Kill me and the truth dies with me,† Tyrion gasped. â€Å"Let him talk,† Catelyn Stark commanded. Kurleket let go of Tyrion's hair, reluctantly. Tyrion took a deep breath. â€Å"How did Littlefinger tell you I came by this dagger of his? Answer me that.† â€Å"You won it from him in a wager, during the tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day.† â€Å"When my brother Jaime was unhorsed by the Knight of Flowers, that was his story, no?† â€Å"It was,† she admitted. A line creased her brow. â€Å"Riders!† The shriek came from the wind-carved ridge above them. Ser Rodrik had sent Lharys scrambling up the rock face to watch the road while they took their rest. For a long second, no one moved. Catelyn Stark was the first to react. â€Å"Ser Rodrik, Ser Willis, to horse,† she shouted. â€Å"Get the other mounts behind us. Mohor, guard the prisoners—† â€Å"Arm us!† Tyrion sprang to his feet and seized her by the arm. â€Å"You will need every sword.† She knew he was right, Tyrion could see it. The mountain clans cared nothing for the enmities of the great houses; they would slaughter Stark and Lannister with equal fervor, as they slaughtered each other. They might spare Catelyn herself; she was still young enough to bear sons. Still, she hesitated. â€Å"I hear them!† Ser Rodrik called out. Tyrion turned his head to listen, and there it was: hoofbeats, a dozen horses or more, coming nearer. Suddenly everyone was moving, reaching for weapons, running to their mounts. Pebbles rained down around them as Lharys came springing and sliding down the ridge. He landed breathless in front of Catelyn Stark, an ungainly-looking man with wild tufts of rust-colored hair sticking out from under a conical steel cap. â€Å"Twenty men, maybe twenty-five,† he said, breathless. â€Å"Milk Snakes or Moon Brothers, by my guess. They must have eyes out, m'lady . . . hidden watchers . . . they know we're here.† Ser Rodrik Cassel was already ahorse, a longsword in hand. Mohor crouched behind a boulder, both hands on his iron-tipped spear, a dagger between his teeth. â€Å"You, singer,† Ser Willis Wode called out. â€Å"Help me with this breastplate.† Marillion sat frozen, clutching his woodharp, his face as pale as milk, but Tyrion's man Morrec bounded quickly to his feet and moved to help the knight with his armor. Tyrion kept his grip on Catelyn Stark. â€Å"You have no choice,† he told her. â€Å"Three of us, and a fourth man wasted guarding us . . . four men can be the difference between life and death up here.† â€Å"Give me your word that you will put down your swords again after the fight is done.† â€Å"My word?† The hoofbeats were louder now. Tyrion grinned crookedly. â€Å"Oh, that you have, my lady . . . on my honor as a Lannister.† For a moment he thought she would spit at him, but instead she snapped, â€Å"Arm them,† and as quick as that she was pulling away. Ser Rodrik tossed Jyck his sword and scabbard, and wheeled to meet the foe. Morrec helped himself to a bow and quiver, and went to one knee beside the road. He was a better archer than swordsman. And Bronn rode up to offer Tyrion a double-bladed axe. â€Å"I have never fought with an axe.† The weapon felt awkward and unfamiliar in his hands. It had a short haft, a heavy head, a nasty spike on top. â€Å"Pretend you're splitting logs,† Bronn said, drawing his longsword from the scabbard across his back. He spat, and trotted off to form up beside Chiggen and Ser Rodrik. Ser Willis mounted up to join them, fumbling with his helmet, a metal pot with a thin slit for his eyes and a long black silk plume. â€Å"Logs don't bleed,† Tyrion said to no one in particular. He felt naked without armor. He looked around for a rock and ran over to where Marillion was hiding. â€Å"Move over.† â€Å"Go away!† the boy screamed back at him. â€Å"I'm a singer, I want no part of this fight!† â€Å"What, lost your taste for adventure?† Tyrion kicked at the youth until he slid over, and not a moment too soon. A heartbeat later, the riders were on them. There were no heralds, no banners, no horns nor drums, only the twang of bowstrings as Morrec and Lharys let fly, and suddenly the clansmen came thundering out of the dawn, lean dark men in boiled leather and mismatched armor, faces hidden behind barred halfhelms. In gloved hands were clutched all manner of weapons: longswords and lances and sharpened scythes, spiked clubs and daggers and heavy iron mauls. At their head rode a big man in a striped shadowskin cloak, armed with a two-handed greatsword. Ser Rodrik shouted â€Å"Winterfell!† and rode to meet him, with Bronn and Chiggen beside him, screaming some wordless battle cry. Ser Willis Wode followed, swinging a spiked morningstar around his head. â€Å"Harrenhal! Harrenhal!† he sang. Tyrion felt a sudden urge to leap up, brandish his axe, and boom out, â€Å"Casterly Rock!† but the insanity passed quickly and he crouched down lower. He heard the screams of frightened horses and the crash of metal on metal. Chiggen's sword raked across the naked face of a mailed rider, and Bronn plunged through the clansmen like a whirlwind, cutting down foes right and left. Ser Rodrik hammered at the big man in the shadowskin cloak, their horses dancing round each other as they traded blow for blow. Jyck vaulted onto a horse and galloped bareback into the fray. Tyrion saw an arrow sprout from the throat of the man in the shadowskin cloak. When he opened his mouth to scream, only blood came out. By the time he fell, Ser Rodrik was fighting someone else. Suddenly Marillion shrieked, covering his head with his woodharp as a horse leapt over their rock. Tyrion scrambled to his feet as the rider turned to come back at them, hefting a spiked maul. Tyrion swung his axe with both hands. The blade caught the charging horse in the throat with a meaty thunk, angling upward, and Tyrion almost lost his grip as the animal screamed and collapsed. He managed to wrench the axe free and lurch clumsily out of the way. Marillion was less fortunate. Horse and rider crashed to the ground in a tangle on top of the singer. Tyrion danced back in while the brigand's leg was still pinned beneath his fallen mount, and buried the axe in the man's neck, just above the shoulder blades. As he struggled to yank the blade loose, he heard Marillion moaning under the bodies. â€Å"Someone help me,† the singer gasped. â€Å"Gods have mercy, I'm bleeding.† â€Å"I believe that's horse blood,† Tyrion said. The singer's hand came crawling out from beneath the dead animal, scrabbling in the dirt like a spider with five legs. Tyrion put his heel on the grasping fingers and felt a satisfying crunch. â€Å"Close your eyes and pretend you're dead,† he advised the singer before he hefted the axe and turned away. After that, things ran together. The dawn was full of shouts and screams and heavy with the scent of blood, and the world had turned to chaos. Arrows hissed past his ear and clattered off the rocks. He saw Bronn unhorsed, fighting with a sword in each hand. Tyrion kept on the fringes of the fight, sliding from rock to rock and darting out of the shadows to hew at the legs of passing horses. He found a wounded clansman and left him dead, helping himself to the man's halfhelm. It fit too snugly, but Tyrion was glad of any protection at all. Jyck was cut down from behind while he sliced at a man in front of him, and later Tyrion stumbled over Kurleket's body. The pig face had been smashed in with a mace, but Tyrion recognized the dirk as he plucked it from the man's dead fingers. He was sliding it through his belt when he heard a woman's scream. Catelyn Stark was trapped against the stone face of the mountain with three men around her, one still mounted and the other two on foot. She had a dagger clutched awkwardly in her maimed hands, but her back was to the rock now and they had penned her on three sides. Let them have the bitch, Tyrion thought, and welcome to her, yet somehow he was moving. He caught the first man in the back of the knee before they even knew he was there, and the heavy axehead split flesh and bone like rotten wood. Logs that bleed, Tyrion thought inanely as the second man came for him. Tyrion ducked under his sword, lashed out with the axe, the man reeled backward . . . and Catelyn Stark stepped up behind him and opened his throat. The horseman remembered an urgent engagement elsewhere and galloped off suddenly. Tyrion looked around. The enemy were all vanquished or vanished. Somehow the fighting had ended when he wasn't looking. Dying horses and wounded men lay all around, screaming or moaning. To his vast astonishment, he was not one of them. He opened his fingers and let the axe thunk to the ground. His hands were sticky with blood. He could have sworn they had been fighting for half a day, but the sun seemed scarcely to have moved at all. â€Å"Your first battle?† Bronn asked later as he bent over Jyck's body, pulling off his boots. They were good boots, as befit one of Lord Tywin's men; heavy leather, oiled and supple, much finer than what Bronn was wearing. Tyrion nodded. â€Å"My father will be so proud,† he said. His legs were cramping so badly he could scarcely stand. Odd, he had never once noticed the pain during the battle. â€Å"You need a woman now,† Bronn said with a glint in his black eyes. He shoved the boots into his saddlebag. â€Å"Nothing like a woman after a man's been blooded, take my word.† Chiggen stopped looting the corpses of the brigands long enough to snort and lick his lips. Tyrion glanced over to where Lady Stark was dressing Ser Rodrik's wounds. â€Å"I'm willing if she is,† he said. The freeriders broke into laughter, and Tyrion grinned and thought, There's a start. Afterward he knelt by the stream and washed the blood off his face in water cold as ice. As he limped back to the others, he glanced again at the slain. The dead clansmen were thin, ragged men, their horses scrawny and undersized, with every rib showing. What weapons Bronn and Chiggen had left them were none too impressive. Mauls, clubs, a scythe . . . He remembered the big man in the shadowskin cloak who had dueled Ser Rodrik with a two-handed greatsword, but when he found his corpse sprawled on the stony ground, the man was not so big after all, the cloak was gone, and Tyrion saw that the blade was badly notched, its cheap steel spotted with rust. Small wonder the clansmen had left nine bodies on the ground. They had only three dead; two of Lord Bracken's men-at-arms, Kurleket and Mohor, and his own man Jyck, who had made such a bold show with his bareback charge. A fool to the end, Tyrion thought. â€Å"Lady Stark, I urge you to press on, with all haste,† Ser Willis Wode said, his eyes scanning the ridgetops warily through the slit in his helm. â€Å"We drove them off for the moment, but they will not have gone far.† â€Å"We must bury our dead, Ser Willis,† she said. â€Å"These were brave men. I will not leave them to the crows and shadowcats.† â€Å"This soil is too stony for digging,† Ser Willis said. â€Å"Then we shall gather stones for cairns.† â€Å"Gather all the stones you want,† Bronn told her, â€Å"but do it without me or Chiggen. I've better things to do than pile rocks on dead men . . . breathing, for one.† He looked over the rest of the survivors. â€Å"Any of you who hope to be alive come nightfall, ride with us.† â€Å"My lady, I fear he speaks the truth,† Ser Rodrik said wearily. The old knight had been wounded in the fight, a deep gash in his left arm and a spear thrust that grazed his neck, and he sounded his age. â€Å"If we linger here, they will be on us again for a certainty, and we may not live through a second attack.† Tyrion could see the anger in Catelyn's face, but she had no choice. â€Å"May the gods forgive us, then. We will ride at once.† There was no shortage of horses now. Tyrion moved his saddle to Jyck's spotted gelding, who looked strong enough to last another three or four days at least. He was about to mount when Lharys stepped up and said, â€Å"I'll take that dirk now, dwarf.† â€Å"Let him keep it.† Catelyn Stark looked down from her horse. â€Å"And see that he has his axe back as well. We may have need of it if we are attacked again.† â€Å"You have my thanks, lady,† Tyrion said, mounting up. â€Å"Save them,† she said curtly. â€Å"I trust you no more than I did before.† She was gone before he could frame a reply. Tyrion adjusted his stolen helm and took the axe from Bronn. He remembered how he had begun the journey, with his wrists bound and a hood pulled down over his head, and decided that this was a definite improvement. Lady Stark could keep her trust; so long as he could keep the axe, he would count himself ahead in the game. Ser Willis Wode led them out. Bronn took the rear, with Lady Stark safely in the middle, Ser Rodrik a shadow beside her. Marillion kept throwing sullen looks back at Tyrion as they rode. The singer had broken several ribs, his woodharp, and all four fingers on his playing hand, yet the day had not been an utter loss to him; somewhere he had acquired a magnificent shadowskin cloak, thick black fur slashed by stripes of white. He huddled beneath its folds silently, and for once had nothing to say. They heard the deep growls of shadowcats behind them before they had gone half a mile, and later the wild snarling of the beasts fighting over the corpses they had left behind. Marillion grew visibly pale. Tyrion trotted up beside him. â€Å"Craven,† he said, â€Å"rhymes nicely with raven.† He kicked his horse and moved past the singer, up to Ser Rodrik and Catelyn Stark. She looked at him, lips pressed tightly together. â€Å"As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted,† Tyrion began, â€Å"there is a serious flaw in Littlefinger's fable. Whatever you may believe of me, Lady Stark, I promise you this—I never bet against my family.†