Monday, September 30, 2019
Ethics Golden Rule
There is no ââ¬Ëright vs.. Wrong when it comes to showing reverence for the dead or comforting the grieving. Perhaps it is better to think in terms of appropriate vs.. Inappropriate, or thoughtful vs.. Thoughtless. When you're not sure what to do, the best course of action is always the Golden Rule: ââ¬Ëtreat others the way you wish to be treated. Under this ethical code, funeral directors, cremation societies and direct disposers are expected to treat with he greatest respect the clients they serve, the deceased with whom they are entrusted; the general public who seek information; the cultural values, religious traditions, and familial relationships of all; the private information they are given; and the laws of the state; and the profession in which they serve. The death Of a loved one is an incredibly difficult time, and a family needs to feel supported and cared for when they choose a funeral professional to take care of a loved one.Ethical treatment of the deceased is the highest priority for cremation societies, funeral homes and cemeteries. It is an honor and a sacred duty to help a family when they have lost a loved one. It is a spiritual and reverent experience to care for those who have died. Those in Funeral Service are committed to leading the way in funeral industry ethics, and showing the communities, in which they serve that do take their duties and responsibilities seriously in showing reverence for the dead. What should be done with the dead? Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? (l Corinthians 15:55) Death is never a welcome visitor. Death may come suddenly or be receded by a long, lingering illness. No matter how we may sometimes think we are prepared for a death, it is always perceived as ââ¬Å"suddenâ⬠and without warning. Many people are so afraid of death that the topic is totally avoided from any thought or discussion. Several methods for disposal are practiced: earth burial, entombment, cremation o r donation of the decedent's body for anatomical study. In many cases, the manner of disposal is dominated by spiritual guidelines and a desire to show reverence for the dead, and may be highly radicalized.Many religions as well as legal jurisdictions have set rules regarding the disposal of corpses of the dead. Since the experience of death is universal to all humans, practices regarding corpse disposal are a part of every culture and religion. There is a duty upon certain people to dispose of a body after a death. This duty falls on the executor or administrator of the decedent's estate, the parents of a deceased child, a hospital authority / nursing home if the body of a deceased patient is on its premises and the local authority where no arrangements are otherwise made for the disposal.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Philip Anderson
Which of the investment alternative: Provides the highest returns to the client? Provides the highest profits to Stuart&Co.? In order to find the right result for each question, I suppose the client of each situation will invest $10,000. I will make a lot of calculations to support my opinion. The process listed as Exhibit1, Exhibit2 and Exhibit 3. Both Alternative A and C will provide the highest returns to the client depending on the period of investment. In this case, A has the highest investment return (See Exhibit 3). In this situation, ending redeemable value (ERV=P (1+T) n) and gain on investment are higher than B and C.Other than that, the cost of investment (Cost investment = Initial payment+ Total Load or Commission) is lower than B and C. So, the ROI (ROI= (Gain on investment + Cost of investment)/cost of investment) is higher than B and C. This is because A has the highest initial payments, but B and C need to take the load out from the same initial payments. Moreover, A has a lower management fee. Instead, B has a higher load and management fee; C has a higher load. Alternative B will provide higher profits to Stuart & Co (See Exhibit 2). In this situation, the total profit of Stuart & Co. s the sum of load or commission and management fee. B is higher than A and C. This is because B requires paying load or commission at 5% to purchase. Besides, B has a high percentage management fee. 2. Which alternative should the top management of Stuart & Co. want Philip to recommend to his client? Is the companyââ¬â¢s control system designed to ensure that choice? (The case mentions several measures used to reward the branch managers). I think alternative B is what the top management wants because it will bring the maximum profit for the company.The companyââ¬â¢s control system is not designed to ensure this choice. For example, the company emphasis onâ⬠developing and nurturing profitable relationship with as many clients as possible, and the speci fic products and service sold to clients should be dictated by the needs of those clients. â⬠Obviously, B is not the one which should be dictated needs of clients because clients are pursuing high ROI. At the beginning of this investment, clients need to pay 5% of his initial payment (P) to company for load or commission, which reduces his initial payment.Also, B has the lowest average annual total return (T). During the same length period, lowest P and T will cause the lowest ending redeemable value (ERV). Besides, B has the highest investment cost. Therefore, Bââ¬â¢s ROI is lower than A and C. 3. If Philip recommends the highest profit choice (for the company), is he acting unethically? From the perspective of the company, he is acting ethically. This is because maximizing companyââ¬â¢s profit is companyââ¬â¢s ultimate goal. On one hand, Philip has helped his clients make profit from their investment.On the other side, he helps his company to achieve highest profit. It is the ideal result of companyââ¬â¢s control system. Therefore, he is doing an excellent job at his position. It is ethical. However, from the perspective of clients, he is not acting ethically. Clients hope their investment advisor can help them to achieve highest ROI. This means they want higher gain on investment and lower cost of investment, which just conflicts with companyââ¬â¢s benefit. So if Philip did not consider clientsââ¬â¢ benefit but just focus on companyââ¬â¢s benefit, his acting is unethical.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
A Game of Thrones Chapter Sixtyeight
There was a door ahead of her, tiny with distance, but even from afar, she saw that it was painted red. She walked faster, and her bare feet left bloody footprints on the stone. ââ¬Å"You donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon, do you?â⬠She saw sunlight on the Dothraki sea, the living plain, rich with the smells of earth and death. Wind stirred the grasses, and they rippled like water. Drogo held her in strong arms, and his hand stroked her sex and opened her and woke that sweet wetness that was his alone, and the stars smiled down on them, stars in a daylight sky. ââ¬Å"Home,â⬠she whispered as he entered her and filled her with his seed, but suddenly the stars were gone, and across the blue sky swept the great wings, and the world took flame. â⬠. . . donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon, do you?â⬠Ser Jorahââ¬â¢s face was drawn and sorrowful. ââ¬Å"Rhaegar was the last dragon,â⬠he told her. He warmed translucent hands over a glowing brazier where stone eggs smouldered red as coals. One moment he was there and the next he was fading, his flesh colorless, less substantial than the wind. ââ¬Å"The last dragon,â⬠he whispered, thin as a wisp, and was gone. She felt the dark behind her, and the red door seemed farther away than ever. â⬠. . . donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon, do you?â⬠Viserys stood before her, screaming. ââ¬Å"The dragon does not beg, slut. You do not command the dragon. I am the dragon, and I will be crowned.â⬠The molten gold trickled down his face like wax, burning deep channels in his flesh. ââ¬Å"I am the dragon and I will be crowned!â⬠he shrieked, and his fingers snapped like snakes, biting at her nipples, pinching, twisting, even as his eyes burst and ran like jelly down seared and blackened cheeks. â⬠. . . donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" The red door was so far ahead of her, and she could feel the icy breath behind, sweeping up on her. If it caught her she would die a death that was more than death, howling forever alone in the darkness. She began to run. â⬠. . . donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" She could feel the heat inside her, a terrible burning in her womb. Her son was tall and proud, with Drogoââ¬â¢s copper skin and her own silver-gold hair, violet eyes shaped like almonds. And he smiled for her and began to lift his hand toward hers, but when he opened his mouth the fire poured out. She saw his heart burning through his chest, and in an instant he was gone, consumed like a moth by a candle, turned to ash. She wept for her child, the promise of a sweet mouth on her breast, but her tears turned to steam as they touched her skin. â⬠. . . want to wake the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" Ghosts lined the hallway, dressed in the faded raiment of kings. In their hands were swords of pale fire. They had hair of silver and hair of gold and hair of platinum white, and their eyes were opal and amethyst, tourmaline and jade. ââ¬Å"Faster,â⬠they cried, ââ¬Å"faster, faster.â⬠She raced, her feet melting the stone wherever they touched. ââ¬Å"Faster!â⬠the ghosts cried as one, and she screamed and threw herself forward. A great knife of pain ripped down her back, and she felt her skin tear open and smelled the stench of burning blood and saw the shadow of wings. And Daenerys Targaryen flew. â⬠. . . wake the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" The door loomed before her, the red door, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around her, the cold receding behind. And now the stone was gone and she flew across the Dothraki sea, high and higher, the green rippling beneath, and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of her wings. She could smell home, she could see it, there, just beyond that door, green fields and great stone houses and arms to keep her warm, there. She threw open the door. â⬠. . . the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" And saw her brother Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. ââ¬Å"The last dragon,â⬠Ser Jorahââ¬â¢s voice whispered faintly. ââ¬Å"The last, the last.â⬠Dany lifted his polished black visor. The face within was her own. After that, for a long time, there was only the pain, the fire within her, and the whisperings of stars. She woke to the taste of ashes. ââ¬Å"No,â⬠she moaned, ââ¬Å"no, please.â⬠ââ¬Å"Khaleesi?â⬠Jhiqui hovered over her, a frightened doe. The tent was drenched in shadow, still and close. Flakes of ash drifted upward from a brazier, and Dany followed them with her eyes through the smoke hole above. Flying, she thought. I had wings, I was flying. But it was only a dream. ââ¬Å"Help me,â⬠she whispered, struggling to rise. ââ¬Å"Bring me . . . â⬠Her voice was raw as a wound, and she could not think what she wanted. Why did she hurt so much? It was as if her body had been torn to pieces and remade from the scraps. ââ¬Å"I want . . . ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"Yes, Khaleesi.â⬠Quick as that Jhiqui was gone, bolting from the tent, shouting. Dany needed . . . something . . . someone . . . what? It was important, she knew. It was the only thing in the world that mattered. She rolled onto her side and got an elbow under her, fighting the blanket tangled about her legs. It was so hard to move. The world swam dizzily. I have to . . . They found her on the carpet, crawling toward her dragon eggs. Ser Jorah Mormont lifted her in his arms and carried her back to her sleeping silks, while she struggled feebly against him. Over his shoulder she saw her three handmaids, Jhogo with his little wisp of mustache, and the flat broad face of Mirri Maz Duur. ââ¬Å"I must,â⬠she tried to tell them, ââ¬Å"I have to . . . ââ¬Å" â⬠. . . sleep, Princess,â⬠Ser Jorah said. ââ¬Å"No,â⬠Dany said. ââ¬Å"Please. Please.â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes.â⬠He covered her with silk, though she was burning. ââ¬Å"Sleep and grow strong again, Khaleesi. Come back to us.â⬠And then Mirri Maz Duur was there, the maegi, tipping a cup against her lips. She tasted sour milk, and something else, something thick and bitter. Warm liquid ran down her chin. Somehow she swallowed. The tent grew dimmer, and sleep took her again. This time she did not dream. She floated, serene and at peace, on a black sea that knew no shore. After a timeââ¬âa night, a day, a year, she could not sayââ¬âshe woke again. The tent was dark, its silken walls flapping like wings when the wind gusted outside. This time Dany did not attempt to rise. ââ¬Å"Irri,â⬠she called, ââ¬Å"Jhiqui. Doreah.â⬠They were there at once. ââ¬Å"My throat is dry,â⬠she said, ââ¬Å"so dry,â⬠and they brought her water. It was warm and flat, yet Dany drank it eagerly, and sent Jhiqui for more. Irri dampened a soft cloth and stroked her brow. ââ¬Å"I have been sick,â⬠Dany said. The Dothraki girl nodded. ââ¬Å"How long?â⬠The cloth was soothing, but Irri seemed so sad, it frightened her. ââ¬Å"Long,â⬠she whispered. When Jhiqui returned with more water, Mirri Maz Duur came with her, eyes heavy from sleep. ââ¬Å"Drink,â⬠she said, lifting Danyââ¬â¢s head to the cup once more, but this time it was only wine. Sweet, sweet wine. Dany drank, and lay back, listening to the soft sound of her own br eathing. She could feel the heaviness in her limbs, as sleep crept in to fill her up once more. ââ¬Å"Bring me . . . â⬠she murmured, her voice slurred and drowsy. ââ¬Å"Bring . . . I want to hold . . . ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"Yes?â⬠the maegi asked. ââ¬Å"What is it you wish, Khaleesi?â⬠ââ¬Å"Bring me . . . egg . . . dragonââ¬â¢s egg . . . please . . . â⬠Her lashes turned to lead, and she was too weary to hold them up. When she woke the third time, a shaft of golden sunlight was pouring through the smoke hole of the tent, and her arms were wrapped around a dragonââ¬â¢s egg. It was the pale one, its scales the color of butter cream, veined with whorls of gold and bronze, and Dany could feel the heat of it. Beneath her bedsilks, a fine sheen of perspiration covered her bare skin. Dragondew, she thought. Her fingers trailed lightly across the surface of the shell, tracing the wisps of gold, and deep in the stone she felt something twist and stretch in response. It did not frighten her. All her fear was gone, burned away. Dany touched her brow. Under the film of sweat, her skin was cool to the touch, her fever gone. She made herself sit. There was a moment of dizziness, and the deep ache between her thighs. Yet she felt strong. Her maids came running at the sound of her voice. ââ¬Å"Water,â⬠she told them, ââ¬Å"a flagon of water, cold as you can find it. And fruit, I think. Dates.â⬠ââ¬Å"As you say, Khaleesi.â⬠ââ¬Å"I want Ser Jorah,â⬠she said, standing. Jhiqui brought a sandsilk robe and draped it over her shoulders. ââ¬Å"And a warm bath, and Mirri Maz Duur, and . . . â⬠Memory came back to her all at once, and she faltered. ââ¬Å"Khal Drogo,â⬠she forced herself to say, watching their faces with dread. ââ¬Å"Is hemdash?â⬠ââ¬Å"The khal lives,â⬠Irri answered quietly . . . yet Dany saw a darkness in her eyes when she said the words, and no sooner had she spoken than she rushed away to fetch water. She turned to Doreah. ââ¬Å"Tell me.â⬠ââ¬Å"I . . . I shall bring Ser Jorah,â⬠the Lysene girl said, bowing her head and fleeing the tent. Jhiqui would have run as well, but Dany caught her by the wrist and held her captive. ââ¬Å"What is it? I must know. Drogo . . . and my child.â⬠Why had she not remembered the child until now? ââ¬Å"My son . . . Rhaego . . . where is he? I want him.â⬠Her handmaid lowered her eyes. ââ¬Å"The boy . . . he did not live, Khaleesi.â⬠Her voice was a frightened whisper. Dany released her wrist. My son is dead, she thought as Jhiqui left the tent. She had known somehow. She had known since she woke the first time to Jhiquiââ¬â¢s tears. No, she had known before she woke. Her dream came back to her, sudden and vivid, and she remembered the tall man with the copper skin and long silver-gold braid, bursting into flame. She should weep, she knew, yet her eyes were dry as ash. She had wept in her dream, and the tears had turned to steam on her cheeks. All the grief has been burned out of me, she told herself. She felt sad, and yet . . . she could feel Rhaego receding from her, as if he had never been. Ser Jorah and Mirri Maz Duur entered a few moments later, and found Dany standing over the other dragonââ¬â¢s eggs, the two still in their chest. It seemed to her that they felt as hot as the one she had slept with, which was passing strange. ââ¬Å"Ser Jorah, come here,â⬠she said. She took his hand and placed it on the black egg with the scarlet swirls. ââ¬Å"What do you feel?â⬠ââ¬Å"Shell, hard as rock.â⬠The knight was wary. ââ¬Å"Scales.â⬠ââ¬Å"Heat?â⬠ââ¬Å"No. Cold stone.â⬠He took his hand away. ââ¬Å"Princess, are you well? Should you be up, weak as you are?â⬠ââ¬Å"Weak? I am strong, Jorah.â⬠To please him, she reclined on a pile of cushions. ââ¬Å"Tell me how my child died.â⬠ââ¬Å"He never lived, my princess. The women say . . . â⬠He faltered, and Dany saw how the flesh hung loose on him, and the way he limped when he moved. ââ¬Å"Tell me. Tell me what the women say.â⬠He turned his face away. His eyes were haunted. ââ¬Å"They say the child was . . . ââ¬Å" She waited, but Ser Jorah could not say it. His face grew dark with shame. He looked half a corpse himself. ââ¬Å"Monstrous,â⬠Mirri Maz Duur finished for him. The knight was a powerful man, yet Dany understood in that moment that the maegi was stronger, and crueler, and infinitely more dangerous. ââ¬Å"Twisted. I drew him forth myself. He was scaled like a lizard, blind, with the stub of a tail and small leather wings like the wings of a bat. When I touched him, the flesh sloughed off the bone, and inside he was full of graveworms and the stink of corruption. He had been dead for years.â⬠Darkness, Dany thought. The terrible darkness sweeping up behind to devour her. If she looked back she was lost. ââ¬Å"My son was alive and strong when Ser Jorah carried me into this tent,â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"I could feel him kicking, fighting to be born.â⬠ââ¬Å"That may be as it may be,â⬠answered Mirri Maz Duur, ââ¬Å"yet the creature that came forth from your womb was as I said. Death was in that tent, Khaleesi.â⬠ââ¬Å"Only shadows,â⬠Ser Jorah husked, but Dany could hear the doubt in his voice. ââ¬Å"I saw, maegi. I saw you, alone, dancing with the shadows. ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"The grave casts long shadows, Iron Lord,â⬠Mirri said. ââ¬Å"Long and dark, and in the end no light can hold them back.â⬠Ser Jorah had killed her son, Dany knew. He had done what he did for love and loyalty, yet he had carried her into a place no living man should go and fed her baby to the darkness. He knew it too; the grey face, the hollow eyes, the limp. ââ¬Å"The shadows have touched you too, Ser Jorah,â⬠she told him. The knight made no reply. Dany turned to the godswife. ââ¬Å"You warned me that only death could pay for life. I thought you meant the horse.â⬠ââ¬Å"No,â⬠Mirri Maz Duur said. ââ¬Å"That was a lie you told yourself. You knew the price.â⬠Had she? Had she? If I look back I am lost. ââ¬Å"The price was paid,â⬠Dany said. ââ¬Å"The horse, my child, Quaro and Qotho, Haggo and Cohollo. The price was paid and paid and paid.â⬠She rose from her cushions. ââ¬Å"Where is Khal Drogo? Show him to me, godswife, maegi, bloodmage, whatever you are. Show me Khal Drogo. Show me what I bought with my sonââ¬â¢s life.â⬠ââ¬Å"As you command, Khaleesi,â⬠the old woman said. ââ¬Å"Come, I will take you to him.â⬠Dany was weaker than she knew. Ser Jorah slipped an arm around her and helped her stand. ââ¬Å"Time enough for this later, my princess,â⬠he said quietly. ââ¬Å"I would see him now, Ser Jorah.â⬠After the dimness of the tent, the world outside was blinding bright. The sun burned like molten gold, and the land was seared and empty. Her handmaids waited with fruit and wine and water, and Jhogo moved close to help Ser Jorah support her. Aggo and Rakharo stood behind. The glare of sun on sand made it hard to see more, until Dany raised her hand to shade her eyes. She saw the ashes of a fire, a few score horses milling listlessly and searching for a bite of grass, a scattering of tents and bedrolls. A small crowd of children had gathered to watch her, and beyond she glimpsed women going about their work, and withered old men staring at the flat blue sky with tired eyes, swatting feebly at bloodflies. A count might show a hundred people, no more. Where the other forty thousand had made their camp, only the wind and dust lived now. ââ¬Å"Drogoââ¬â¢s khalasar is gone,â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"A khal who cannot ride is no khal,â⬠said Jhogo. ââ¬Å"The Dothraki follow only the strong,â⬠Ser Jorah said. ââ¬Å"I am sorry, my princess. There was no way to hold them. Ko Pono left first, naming himself Khal Pono, and many followed him. Jhaqo was not long to do the same. The rest slipped away night by night, in large bands and small. There are a dozen new khalasars on the Dothraki sea, where once there was only Drogoââ¬â¢s.â⬠ââ¬Å"The old remain,â⬠said Aggo. ââ¬Å"The frightened, the weak, and the sick. And we who swore. We remain.â⬠ââ¬Å"They took Khal Drogoââ¬â¢s herds, Khaleesi,â⬠Rakharo said. ââ¬Å"We were too few to stop them. It is the right of the strong to take from the weak. They took many slaves as well, the khalââ¬â¢s and yours, yet they left some few.â⬠ââ¬Å"Eroeh?â⬠asked Dany, remembering the frightened child she had saved outside the city of the Lamb Men. ââ¬Å"Mago seized her, who is Khal Jhaqoââ¬â¢s bloodrider now,â⬠said Jhogo. ââ¬Å"He mounted her high and low and gave her to his khal, and Jhaqo gave her to his other bloodriders. They were six. When they were done with her, they cut her throat.â⬠ââ¬Å"It was her fate, Khaleesi,â⬠said Aggo. If I look back I am lost. ââ¬Å"It was a cruel fate,â⬠Dany said, ââ¬Å"yet not so cruel as Magoââ¬â¢s will be. I promise you that, by the old gods and the new, by the lamb god and the horse god and every god that lives. I swear it by the Mother of Mountains and the Womb of the World. Before I am done with them, Mago and Ko Jhaqo will plead for the mercy they showed Eroeh.â⬠The Dothraki exchanged uncertain glances. ââ¬Å"Khaleesi, â⬠the handmaid Irri explained, as if to a child, ââ¬Å"Jhaqo is a khal now, with twenty thousand riders at his back.â⬠She lifted her head. ââ¬Å"And I am Daenerys Stormhorn, Daenerys of House Targaryen, of the blood of Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel and old Valyria before them. I am the dragonââ¬â¢s daughter, and I swear to you, these men will die screaming. Now bring me to Khal Drogo.â⬠He was lying on the bare red earth, staring up at the sun. A dozen bloodflies had settled on his body, though he did not seem to feel them. Dany brushed them away and knelt beside him. His eyes were wide open but did not see, and she knew at once that he was blind. When she whispered his name, he did not seem to hear. The wound on his breast was as healed as it would ever be, the scar that covered it grey and red and hideous. ââ¬Å"Why is he out here alone, in the sun?â⬠she asked them. ââ¬Å"He seems to like the warmth, Princess,â⬠Ser Jorah said. ââ¬Å"His eyes follow the sun, though he does not see it. He can walk after a fashion. He will go where you lead him, but no farther. He will eat if you put food in his mouth, drink if you dribble water on his lips.â⬠Dany kissed her sun-and-stars gently on the brow, and stood to face Mirri Maz Duur. ââ¬Å"Your spells are costly, maegi.â⬠ââ¬Å"He lives,â⬠said Mirri Maz Duur. ââ¬Å"You asked for life. You paid for life.â⬠ââ¬Å"This is not life, for one who was as Drogo was. His life was laughter, and meat roasting over a firepit, and a horse between his legs. His life was an arakh in his hand and his bells ringing in his hair as he rode to meet an enemy. His life was his bloodriders, and me, and the son I was to give him.â⬠Mirri Maz Duur made no reply. ââ¬Å"When will he be as he was?â⬠Dany demanded. ââ¬Å"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east,â⬠said Mirri Maz Duur. ââ¬Å"When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before.â⬠Dany gestured at Ser Jorah and the others. ââ¬Å"Leave us. I would speak with this maegi alone.â⬠Mormont and the Dothraki withdrew. ââ¬Å"You knew,â⬠Dany said when they were gone. She ached, inside and out, but her fury gave her strength. ââ¬Å"You knew what I was buying, and you knew the price, and yet you let me pay it.â⬠ââ¬Å"It was wrong of them to burn my temple,â⬠the heavy, flat-nosed woman said placidly. ââ¬Å"That angered the Great Shepherd.â⬠ââ¬Å"This was no godââ¬â¢s work,â⬠Dany said coldly. If I look back I am lost. ââ¬Å"You cheated me. You murdered my child within me.â⬠ââ¬Å"The stallion who mounts the world will burn no cities now. His khalasar shall trample no nations into dust.â⬠ââ¬Å"I spoke for you,â⬠she said, anguished. ââ¬Å"I saved you.â⬠ââ¬Å"Saved me?â⬠The Lhazareen woman spat. ââ¬Å"Three riders had taken me, not as a man takes a woman but from behind, as a dog takes a bitch. The fourth was in me when you rode past. How then did you save me? I saw my godââ¬â¢s house burn, where I had healed good men beyond counting. My home they burned as well, and in the street I saw piles of heads. I saw the head of a baker who made my bread. I saw the head of a boy I had saved from deadeye fever, only three moons past. I heard children crying as the riders drove them off with their whips. Tell me again what you saved.â⬠ââ¬Å"Your life.â⬠Mirri Maz Duur laughed cruelly. ââ¬Å"Look to your khal and see what life is worth, when all the rest is gone.â⬠Dany called out for the men of her khas and bid them take Mirri Maz Duur and bind her hand and foot, but the maegi smiled at her as they carried her off, as if they shared a secret. A word, and Dany could have her head off . . . yet then what would she have? A head? If life was worthless, what was death? They led Khal Drogo back to her tent, and Dany commanded them to fill a tub, and this time there was no blood in the water. She bathed him herself, washing the dirt and the dust from his arms and chest, cleaning his face with a soft cloth, soaping his long black hair and combing the knots and tangles from it till it shone again as she remembered. It was well past dark before she was done, and Dany was exhausted. She stopped for drink and food, but it was all she could do to nibble at a fig and keep down a mouthful of water. Sleep would have been a release, but she had slept enough . . . too long, in truth. She owed this night to Drogo, for all the nights that had been, and yet might be. The memory of their first ride was with her when she led him out into the darkness, for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a manââ¬â¢s life must be done beneath the open sky. She told herself that there were powers stronger than hatred, and spells older and truer than any the maegi had learned in Asshai. The night was black and moonless, but overhead a million stars burned bright. She took that for an omen. No soft blanket of grass welcomed them here, only the hard dusty ground, bare and strewn with stones. No trees stirred in the wind, and there was no stream to soothe her fears with the gentle music of water. Dany told herself that the stars would be enough. ââ¬Å"Remember, Drogo,â⬠she whispered. ââ¬Å"Remember our first ride together, the day we wed. Remember the night we made Rhaego, with the khalasar all around us and your eyes on my face. Remember how cool and clean the water was in the Womb of the World. Remember, my sun-and-stars. Remember, and come back to me.â⬠The birth had left her too raw and torn to take him inside of her, as she would have wanted, but Doreah had taught her other ways. Dany used her hands, her mouth, her breasts. She raked him with her nails and covered him with kisses and whispered and prayed and told him stories, and by the end she had bathed him with her tears. Yet Drogo did not feel, or speak, or rise. And when the bleak dawn broke over an empty horizon, Dany knew that he was truly lost to her. ââ¬Å"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east,â⬠she said sadly. ââ¬Å"When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When my womb quickens again, and I bear a living child. Then you will return, my sun-and-stars, and not before.â⬠Never, the darkness cried, never never never. Inside the tent Dany found a cushion, soft silk stuffed with feathers. She clutched it to her breasts as she walked back out to Drogo, to her sun-and-stars. If I look back I am lost. It hurt even to walk, and she wanted to sleep, to sleep and not to dream. She knelt, kissed Drogo on the lips, and pressed the cushion down across his face. A Game of Thrones Chapter Sixtyeight There was a door ahead of her, tiny with distance, but even from afar, she saw that it was painted red. She walked faster, and her bare feet left bloody footprints on the stone. ââ¬Å"You donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon, do you?â⬠She saw sunlight on the Dothraki sea, the living plain, rich with the smells of earth and death. Wind stirred the grasses, and they rippled like water. Drogo held her in strong arms, and his hand stroked her sex and opened her and woke that sweet wetness that was his alone, and the stars smiled down on them, stars in a daylight sky. ââ¬Å"Home,â⬠she whispered as he entered her and filled her with his seed, but suddenly the stars were gone, and across the blue sky swept the great wings, and the world took flame. â⬠. . . donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon, do you?â⬠Ser Jorahââ¬â¢s face was drawn and sorrowful. ââ¬Å"Rhaegar was the last dragon,â⬠he told her. He warmed translucent hands over a glowing brazier where stone eggs smouldered red as coals. One moment he was there and the next he was fading, his flesh colorless, less substantial than the wind. ââ¬Å"The last dragon,â⬠he whispered, thin as a wisp, and was gone. She felt the dark behind her, and the red door seemed farther away than ever. â⬠. . . donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon, do you?â⬠Viserys stood before her, screaming. ââ¬Å"The dragon does not beg, slut. You do not command the dragon. I am the dragon, and I will be crowned.â⬠The molten gold trickled down his face like wax, burning deep channels in his flesh. ââ¬Å"I am the dragon and I will be crowned!â⬠he shrieked, and his fingers snapped like snakes, biting at her nipples, pinching, twisting, even as his eyes burst and ran like jelly down seared and blackened cheeks. â⬠. . . donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" The red door was so far ahead of her, and she could feel the icy breath behind, sweeping up on her. If it caught her she would die a death that was more than death, howling forever alone in the darkness. She began to run. â⬠. . . donââ¬â¢t want to wake the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" She could feel the heat inside her, a terrible burning in her womb. Her son was tall and proud, with Drogoââ¬â¢s copper skin and her own silver-gold hair, violet eyes shaped like almonds. And he smiled for her and began to lift his hand toward hers, but when he opened his mouth the fire poured out. She saw his heart burning through his chest, and in an instant he was gone, consumed like a moth by a candle, turned to ash. She wept for her child, the promise of a sweet mouth on her breast, but her tears turned to steam as they touched her skin. â⬠. . . want to wake the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" Ghosts lined the hallway, dressed in the faded raiment of kings. In their hands were swords of pale fire. They had hair of silver and hair of gold and hair of platinum white, and their eyes were opal and amethyst, tourmaline and jade. ââ¬Å"Faster,â⬠they cried, ââ¬Å"faster, faster.â⬠She raced, her feet melting the stone wherever they touched. ââ¬Å"Faster!â⬠the ghosts cried as one, and she screamed and threw herself forward. A great knife of pain ripped down her back, and she felt her skin tear open and smelled the stench of burning blood and saw the shadow of wings. And Daenerys Targaryen flew. â⬠. . . wake the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" The door loomed before her, the red door, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around her, the cold receding behind. And now the stone was gone and she flew across the Dothraki sea, high and higher, the green rippling beneath, and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of her wings. She could smell home, she could see it, there, just beyond that door, green fields and great stone houses and arms to keep her warm, there. She threw open the door. â⬠. . . the dragon . . . ââ¬Å" And saw her brother Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. ââ¬Å"The last dragon,â⬠Ser Jorahââ¬â¢s voice whispered faintly. ââ¬Å"The last, the last.â⬠Dany lifted his polished black visor. The face within was her own. After that, for a long time, there was only the pain, the fire within her, and the whisperings of stars. She woke to the taste of ashes. ââ¬Å"No,â⬠she moaned, ââ¬Å"no, please.â⬠ââ¬Å"Khaleesi?â⬠Jhiqui hovered over her, a frightened doe. The tent was drenched in shadow, still and close. Flakes of ash drifted upward from a brazier, and Dany followed them with her eyes through the smoke hole above. Flying, she thought. I had wings, I was flying. But it was only a dream. ââ¬Å"Help me,â⬠she whispered, struggling to rise. ââ¬Å"Bring me . . . â⬠Her voice was raw as a wound, and she could not think what she wanted. Why did she hurt so much? It was as if her body had been torn to pieces and remade from the scraps. ââ¬Å"I want . . . ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"Yes, Khaleesi.â⬠Quick as that Jhiqui was gone, bolting from the tent, shouting. Dany needed . . . something . . . someone . . . what? It was important, she knew. It was the only thing in the world that mattered. She rolled onto her side and got an elbow under her, fighting the blanket tangled about her legs. It was so hard to move. The world swam dizzily. I have to . . . They found her on the carpet, crawling toward her dragon eggs. Ser Jorah Mormont lifted her in his arms and carried her back to her sleeping silks, while she struggled feebly against him. Over his shoulder she saw her three handmaids, Jhogo with his little wisp of mustache, and the flat broad face of Mirri Maz Duur. ââ¬Å"I must,â⬠she tried to tell them, ââ¬Å"I have to . . . ââ¬Å" â⬠. . . sleep, Princess,â⬠Ser Jorah said. ââ¬Å"No,â⬠Dany said. ââ¬Å"Please. Please.â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes.â⬠He covered her with silk, though she was burning. ââ¬Å"Sleep and grow strong again, Khaleesi. Come back to us.â⬠And then Mirri Maz Duur was there, the maegi, tipping a cup against her lips. She tasted sour milk, and something else, something thick and bitter. Warm liquid ran down her chin. Somehow she swallowed. The tent grew dimmer, and sleep took her again. This time she did not dream. She floated, serene and at peace, on a black sea that knew no shore. After a timeââ¬âa night, a day, a year, she could not sayââ¬âshe woke again. The tent was dark, its silken walls flapping like wings when the wind gusted outside. This time Dany did not attempt to rise. ââ¬Å"Irri,â⬠she called, ââ¬Å"Jhiqui. Doreah.â⬠They were there at once. ââ¬Å"My throat is dry,â⬠she said, ââ¬Å"so dry,â⬠and they brought her water. It was warm and flat, yet Dany drank it eagerly, and sent Jhiqui for more. Irri dampened a soft cloth and stroked her brow. ââ¬Å"I have been sick,â⬠Dany said. The Dothraki girl nodded. ââ¬Å"How long?â⬠The cloth was soothing, but Irri seemed so sad, it frightened her. ââ¬Å"Long,â⬠she whispered. When Jhiqui returned with more water, Mirri Maz Duur came with her, eyes heavy from sleep. ââ¬Å"Drink,â⬠she said, lifting Danyââ¬â¢s head to the cup once more, but this time it was only wine. Sweet, sweet wine. Dany drank, and lay back, listening to the soft sound of her own br eathing. She could feel the heaviness in her limbs, as sleep crept in to fill her up once more. ââ¬Å"Bring me . . . â⬠she murmured, her voice slurred and drowsy. ââ¬Å"Bring . . . I want to hold . . . ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"Yes?â⬠the maegi asked. ââ¬Å"What is it you wish, Khaleesi?â⬠ââ¬Å"Bring me . . . egg . . . dragonââ¬â¢s egg . . . please . . . â⬠Her lashes turned to lead, and she was too weary to hold them up. When she woke the third time, a shaft of golden sunlight was pouring through the smoke hole of the tent, and her arms were wrapped around a dragonââ¬â¢s egg. It was the pale one, its scales the color of butter cream, veined with whorls of gold and bronze, and Dany could feel the heat of it. Beneath her bedsilks, a fine sheen of perspiration covered her bare skin. Dragondew, she thought. Her fingers trailed lightly across the surface of the shell, tracing the wisps of gold, and deep in the stone she felt something twist and stretch in response. It did not frighten her. All her fear was gone, burned away. Dany touched her brow. Under the film of sweat, her skin was cool to the touch, her fever gone. She made herself sit. There was a moment of dizziness, and the deep ache between her thighs. Yet she felt strong. Her maids came running at the sound of her voice. ââ¬Å"Water,â⬠she told them, ââ¬Å"a flagon of water, cold as you can find it. And fruit, I think. Dates.â⬠ââ¬Å"As you say, Khaleesi.â⬠ââ¬Å"I want Ser Jorah,â⬠she said, standing. Jhiqui brought a sandsilk robe and draped it over her shoulders. ââ¬Å"And a warm bath, and Mirri Maz Duur, and . . . â⬠Memory came back to her all at once, and she faltered. ââ¬Å"Khal Drogo,â⬠she forced herself to say, watching their faces with dread. ââ¬Å"Is hemdash?â⬠ââ¬Å"The khal lives,â⬠Irri answered quietly . . . yet Dany saw a darkness in her eyes when she said the words, and no sooner had she spoken than she rushed away to fetch water. She turned to Doreah. ââ¬Å"Tell me.â⬠ââ¬Å"I . . . I shall bring Ser Jorah,â⬠the Lysene girl said, bowing her head and fleeing the tent. Jhiqui would have run as well, but Dany caught her by the wrist and held her captive. ââ¬Å"What is it? I must know. Drogo . . . and my child.â⬠Why had she not remembered the child until now? ââ¬Å"My son . . . Rhaego . . . where is he? I want him.â⬠Her handmaid lowered her eyes. ââ¬Å"The boy . . . he did not live, Khaleesi.â⬠Her voice was a frightened whisper. Dany released her wrist. My son is dead, she thought as Jhiqui left the tent. She had known somehow. She had known since she woke the first time to Jhiquiââ¬â¢s tears. No, she had known before she woke. Her dream came back to her, sudden and vivid, and she remembered the tall man with the copper skin and long silver-gold braid, bursting into flame. She should weep, she knew, yet her eyes were dry as ash. She had wept in her dream, and the tears had turned to steam on her cheeks. All the grief has been burned out of me, she told herself. She felt sad, and yet . . . she could feel Rhaego receding from her, as if he had never been. Ser Jorah and Mirri Maz Duur entered a few moments later, and found Dany standing over the other dragonââ¬â¢s eggs, the two still in their chest. It seemed to her that they felt as hot as the one she had slept with, which was passing strange. ââ¬Å"Ser Jorah, come here,â⬠she said. She took his hand and placed it on the black egg with the scarlet swirls. ââ¬Å"What do you feel?â⬠ââ¬Å"Shell, hard as rock.â⬠The knight was wary. ââ¬Å"Scales.â⬠ââ¬Å"Heat?â⬠ââ¬Å"No. Cold stone.â⬠He took his hand away. ââ¬Å"Princess, are you well? Should you be up, weak as you are?â⬠ââ¬Å"Weak? I am strong, Jorah.â⬠To please him, she reclined on a pile of cushions. ââ¬Å"Tell me how my child died.â⬠ââ¬Å"He never lived, my princess. The women say . . . â⬠He faltered, and Dany saw how the flesh hung loose on him, and the way he limped when he moved. ââ¬Å"Tell me. Tell me what the women say.â⬠He turned his face away. His eyes were haunted. ââ¬Å"They say the child was . . . ââ¬Å" She waited, but Ser Jorah could not say it. His face grew dark with shame. He looked half a corpse himself. ââ¬Å"Monstrous,â⬠Mirri Maz Duur finished for him. The knight was a powerful man, yet Dany understood in that moment that the maegi was stronger, and crueler, and infinitely more dangerous. ââ¬Å"Twisted. I drew him forth myself. He was scaled like a lizard, blind, with the stub of a tail and small leather wings like the wings of a bat. When I touched him, the flesh sloughed off the bone, and inside he was full of graveworms and the stink of corruption. He had been dead for years.â⬠Darkness, Dany thought. The terrible darkness sweeping up behind to devour her. If she looked back she was lost. ââ¬Å"My son was alive and strong when Ser Jorah carried me into this tent,â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"I could feel him kicking, fighting to be born.â⬠ââ¬Å"That may be as it may be,â⬠answered Mirri Maz Duur, ââ¬Å"yet the creature that came forth from your womb was as I said. Death was in that tent, Khaleesi.â⬠ââ¬Å"Only shadows,â⬠Ser Jorah husked, but Dany could hear the doubt in his voice. ââ¬Å"I saw, maegi. I saw you, alone, dancing with the shadows. ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"The grave casts long shadows, Iron Lord,â⬠Mirri said. ââ¬Å"Long and dark, and in the end no light can hold them back.â⬠Ser Jorah had killed her son, Dany knew. He had done what he did for love and loyalty, yet he had carried her into a place no living man should go and fed her baby to the darkness. He knew it too; the grey face, the hollow eyes, the limp. ââ¬Å"The shadows have touched you too, Ser Jorah,â⬠she told him. The knight made no reply. Dany turned to the godswife. ââ¬Å"You warned me that only death could pay for life. I thought you meant the horse.â⬠ââ¬Å"No,â⬠Mirri Maz Duur said. ââ¬Å"That was a lie you told yourself. You knew the price.â⬠Had she? Had she? If I look back I am lost. ââ¬Å"The price was paid,â⬠Dany said. ââ¬Å"The horse, my child, Quaro and Qotho, Haggo and Cohollo. The price was paid and paid and paid.â⬠She rose from her cushions. ââ¬Å"Where is Khal Drogo? Show him to me, godswife, maegi, bloodmage, whatever you are. Show me Khal Drogo. Show me what I bought with my sonââ¬â¢s life.â⬠ââ¬Å"As you command, Khaleesi,â⬠the old woman said. ââ¬Å"Come, I will take you to him.â⬠Dany was weaker than she knew. Ser Jorah slipped an arm around her and helped her stand. ââ¬Å"Time enough for this later, my princess,â⬠he said quietly. ââ¬Å"I would see him now, Ser Jorah.â⬠After the dimness of the tent, the world outside was blinding bright. The sun burned like molten gold, and the land was seared and empty. Her handmaids waited with fruit and wine and water, and Jhogo moved close to help Ser Jorah support her. Aggo and Rakharo stood behind. The glare of sun on sand made it hard to see more, until Dany raised her hand to shade her eyes. She saw the ashes of a fire, a few score horses milling listlessly and searching for a bite of grass, a scattering of tents and bedrolls. A small crowd of children had gathered to watch her, and beyond she glimpsed women going about their work, and withered old men staring at the flat blue sky with tired eyes, swatting feebly at bloodflies. A count might show a hundred people, no more. Where the other forty thousand had made their camp, only the wind and dust lived now. ââ¬Å"Drogoââ¬â¢s khalasar is gone,â⬠she said. ââ¬Å"A khal who cannot ride is no khal,â⬠said Jhogo. ââ¬Å"The Dothraki follow only the strong,â⬠Ser Jorah said. ââ¬Å"I am sorry, my princess. There was no way to hold them. Ko Pono left first, naming himself Khal Pono, and many followed him. Jhaqo was not long to do the same. The rest slipped away night by night, in large bands and small. There are a dozen new khalasars on the Dothraki sea, where once there was only Drogoââ¬â¢s.â⬠ââ¬Å"The old remain,â⬠said Aggo. ââ¬Å"The frightened, the weak, and the sick. And we who swore. We remain.â⬠ââ¬Å"They took Khal Drogoââ¬â¢s herds, Khaleesi,â⬠Rakharo said. ââ¬Å"We were too few to stop them. It is the right of the strong to take from the weak. They took many slaves as well, the khalââ¬â¢s and yours, yet they left some few.â⬠ââ¬Å"Eroeh?â⬠asked Dany, remembering the frightened child she had saved outside the city of the Lamb Men. ââ¬Å"Mago seized her, who is Khal Jhaqoââ¬â¢s bloodrider now,â⬠said Jhogo. ââ¬Å"He mounted her high and low and gave her to his khal, and Jhaqo gave her to his other bloodriders. They were six. When they were done with her, they cut her throat.â⬠ââ¬Å"It was her fate, Khaleesi,â⬠said Aggo. If I look back I am lost. ââ¬Å"It was a cruel fate,â⬠Dany said, ââ¬Å"yet not so cruel as Magoââ¬â¢s will be. I promise you that, by the old gods and the new, by the lamb god and the horse god and every god that lives. I swear it by the Mother of Mountains and the Womb of the World. Before I am done with them, Mago and Ko Jhaqo will plead for the mercy they showed Eroeh.â⬠The Dothraki exchanged uncertain glances. ââ¬Å"Khaleesi, â⬠the handmaid Irri explained, as if to a child, ââ¬Å"Jhaqo is a khal now, with twenty thousand riders at his back.â⬠She lifted her head. ââ¬Å"And I am Daenerys Stormhorn, Daenerys of House Targaryen, of the blood of Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel and old Valyria before them. I am the dragonââ¬â¢s daughter, and I swear to you, these men will die screaming. Now bring me to Khal Drogo.â⬠He was lying on the bare red earth, staring up at the sun. A dozen bloodflies had settled on his body, though he did not seem to feel them. Dany brushed them away and knelt beside him. His eyes were wide open but did not see, and she knew at once that he was blind. When she whispered his name, he did not seem to hear. The wound on his breast was as healed as it would ever be, the scar that covered it grey and red and hideous. ââ¬Å"Why is he out here alone, in the sun?â⬠she asked them. ââ¬Å"He seems to like the warmth, Princess,â⬠Ser Jorah said. ââ¬Å"His eyes follow the sun, though he does not see it. He can walk after a fashion. He will go where you lead him, but no farther. He will eat if you put food in his mouth, drink if you dribble water on his lips.â⬠Dany kissed her sun-and-stars gently on the brow, and stood to face Mirri Maz Duur. ââ¬Å"Your spells are costly, maegi.â⬠ââ¬Å"He lives,â⬠said Mirri Maz Duur. ââ¬Å"You asked for life. You paid for life.â⬠ââ¬Å"This is not life, for one who was as Drogo was. His life was laughter, and meat roasting over a firepit, and a horse between his legs. His life was an arakh in his hand and his bells ringing in his hair as he rode to meet an enemy. His life was his bloodriders, and me, and the son I was to give him.â⬠Mirri Maz Duur made no reply. ââ¬Å"When will he be as he was?â⬠Dany demanded. ââ¬Å"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east,â⬠said Mirri Maz Duur. ââ¬Å"When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before.â⬠Dany gestured at Ser Jorah and the others. ââ¬Å"Leave us. I would speak with this maegi alone.â⬠Mormont and the Dothraki withdrew. ââ¬Å"You knew,â⬠Dany said when they were gone. She ached, inside and out, but her fury gave her strength. ââ¬Å"You knew what I was buying, and you knew the price, and yet you let me pay it.â⬠ââ¬Å"It was wrong of them to burn my temple,â⬠the heavy, flat-nosed woman said placidly. ââ¬Å"That angered the Great Shepherd.â⬠ââ¬Å"This was no godââ¬â¢s work,â⬠Dany said coldly. If I look back I am lost. ââ¬Å"You cheated me. You murdered my child within me.â⬠ââ¬Å"The stallion who mounts the world will burn no cities now. His khalasar shall trample no nations into dust.â⬠ââ¬Å"I spoke for you,â⬠she said, anguished. ââ¬Å"I saved you.â⬠ââ¬Å"Saved me?â⬠The Lhazareen woman spat. ââ¬Å"Three riders had taken me, not as a man takes a woman but from behind, as a dog takes a bitch. The fourth was in me when you rode past. How then did you save me? I saw my godââ¬â¢s house burn, where I had healed good men beyond counting. My home they burned as well, and in the street I saw piles of heads. I saw the head of a baker who made my bread. I saw the head of a boy I had saved from deadeye fever, only three moons past. I heard children crying as the riders drove them off with their whips. Tell me again what you saved.â⬠ââ¬Å"Your life.â⬠Mirri Maz Duur laughed cruelly. ââ¬Å"Look to your khal and see what life is worth, when all the rest is gone.â⬠Dany called out for the men of her khas and bid them take Mirri Maz Duur and bind her hand and foot, but the maegi smiled at her as they carried her off, as if they shared a secret. A word, and Dany could have her head off . . . yet then what would she have? A head? If life was worthless, what was death? They led Khal Drogo back to her tent, and Dany commanded them to fill a tub, and this time there was no blood in the water. She bathed him herself, washing the dirt and the dust from his arms and chest, cleaning his face with a soft cloth, soaping his long black hair and combing the knots and tangles from it till it shone again as she remembered. It was well past dark before she was done, and Dany was exhausted. She stopped for drink and food, but it was all she could do to nibble at a fig and keep down a mouthful of water. Sleep would have been a release, but she had slept enough . . . too long, in truth. She owed this night to Drogo, for all the nights that had been, and yet might be. The memory of their first ride was with her when she led him out into the darkness, for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a manââ¬â¢s life must be done beneath the open sky. She told herself that there were powers stronger than hatred, and spells older and truer than any the maegi had learned in Asshai. The night was black and moonless, but overhead a million stars burned bright. She took that for an omen. No soft blanket of grass welcomed them here, only the hard dusty ground, bare and strewn with stones. No trees stirred in the wind, and there was no stream to soothe her fears with the gentle music of water. Dany told herself that the stars would be enough. ââ¬Å"Remember, Drogo,â⬠she whispered. ââ¬Å"Remember our first ride together, the day we wed. Remember the night we made Rhaego, with the khalasar all around us and your eyes on my face. Remember how cool and clean the water was in the Womb of the World. Remember, my sun-and-stars. Remember, and come back to me.â⬠The birth had left her too raw and torn to take him inside of her, as she would have wanted, but Doreah had taught her other ways. Dany used her hands, her mouth, her breasts. She raked him with her nails and covered him with kisses and whispered and prayed and told him stories, and by the end she had bathed him with her tears. Yet Drogo did not feel, or speak, or rise. And when the bleak dawn broke over an empty horizon, Dany knew that he was truly lost to her. ââ¬Å"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east,â⬠she said sadly. ââ¬Å"When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When my womb quickens again, and I bear a living child. Then you will return, my sun-and-stars, and not before.â⬠Never, the darkness cried, never never never. Inside the tent Dany found a cushion, soft silk stuffed with feathers. She clutched it to her breasts as she walked back out to Drogo, to her sun-and-stars. If I look back I am lost. It hurt even to walk, and she wanted to sleep, to sleep and not to dream. She knelt, kissed Drogo on the lips, and pressed the cushion down across his face.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Homework # 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Homework # 5 - Assignment Example From better business confidence to improved exports to more foreign demand to stronger employment sector, Canada is enjoying a healthy phase of growth. However, the overall outlook is rather ambiguous and it is not yet fully known how the drop in oil prices is bound to affect Canada in future. The press release also reveals that an uncertain outlook is the result of lower oil prices. In order to handle the negative impacts of lower oil prices, the Bank expects to make the Canadian economy stronger than ever before. This will be accomplished by increasing real GDP growth. The Bank will also adopt such a monetary policy which will help in minimizing risks caused by the oil price shock and returning the Canadian economy to full capacity. The current target for the overnight rate is 0.75% as per the press release for 21 January 2015. The bank rate is of the Bank of Canada is 1 per cent and the deposit rate is 1/2 per
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Maths and Statistics Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Maths and Statistics Assignment 2 - Essay Example The point of intersection, where the axes meet is called the origin normally labelled as O. A particular point on a two dimensional coordinate system is defined by the x unit first, followed by y unit in the form (x, y). There are four quadrants as shown in below figure. In Quadrant I the values are (x,y), and II:(-x,y), III:(-x,-y) and IV:(x,-y). Theà polar coordinate systemà is aà two-dimensionalà coordinate systemà in which a distance from a fixed point and an angle from a fixed direction determine each point on a plane. It is useful where the relationship between two points is expressed in terms of angle and distance. The fixed point is called theà pole, and theà rayà from the pole with the fixed direction is theà polar axis. The distance from the pole is called theà radial coordinateà orà radius, and the angle (measured in anti-clockwise) is theà angular coordinate,à polar angle, orà azimuth. Below diagram (left) shows the polar coordinate system: A particular point on the polar coordinate system is defined by the distance r first, followed by the angle à ¸ (in degrees or radians) in the form (r, à ¸). An equivalent Cartesianà coordinate systemà for the polar coordinate systemà is shown to the right, where point (x, y) is represented by (. Latitudeà (horizontal line also referred as parallel) is the angular distance, in degrees, minutes, and seconds of a point north or south of the Equator.à Each degree of latitude is approximately 69 miles (111 km) apart. Degrees latitude are numbered from 0à ° to 90à ° north and south. Zero degree is the equator, the imaginary line that divides our planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. 90à ° north is the North Pole and 90à ° south is the South Pole. Longitudeà (vertical line also referred as meridians) is the angular distance, in degrees, minutes, and seconds, of a point east or
Control projects, capital management, risk management and evaluation Essay
Control projects, capital management, risk management and evaluation - Essay Example inciple of using this technique concept was used as a tool towards initiatives of standardisation and certification of OHSM systems that complied with the Australian and International standards. In Australia, harmonised occupational health and safety in all States was introduced with the Act and Regulations coming into force in 2012. Under the Act, an employer has an obligation to ensure the health and safety of each of the employerââ¬â¢s workers at work and of others who may be adversely affected by the work being undertaken, including the working environment, systems of work, plant, and substances. The employer must provide information, instruction, training and supervision. In addition an employer needs to monitor the health and safety of employees, manage information, and records relating to work-related injuries. There are also provisions relating to consultation with workers, according to Hopkins (2005) workplace safety requires employers to maintain a safe workplace, so far as reasonably practicable in the language to reduce risks to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable. This approach according to Hopkins (2005) was recommended in the Robens report in 1972, with the Robens conjecture being adopted in many jurisdictions. This paper has addressed the requirements of WBL 8020 (2) units. Beginning with an introduction of the developments of the standard 1 Boral OHSM with reference to the implementation of the concept of a conceptual framework that outlines and presents a preferred method in categorising risk strategically and objectively in business activities. The core elements of the system have been introduced in the (Appendix power point), with the concept of the system being discussed. This paper has addressed some of the preconditions for successful... The purpose of this paper is to examine courses of actions and implementation in a conceptual framework that outlines and presents a preferred approach in categorising risk strategically and objectively in our organisational enterprise activities. This paper will venture in constructing a reflective consciousness of the existing risk measures taken when developing and implementations of the strategy process of endorsing our company moving to a single Health and Safety System that will provide a standardised robust HSE system that can be embedded at all National BCM Boral operational sites and offices. The project was to develop one safety management system throughout the Company nationally. The strategy piloted 5 different sites incorporating the BCM business units of the Company (Asphalt, Quarries, Concrete and Logistics) in New South Wales incorporating all business units of BCM Boral operations of the company, determining how safety is managed throughout the business. Feedback was required from personnel from these sites to make necessary changes to the system. The implementation of a National safety management system was undertaken in four phases that was used as an outline for evaluating the effectiveness of project implementation. â⬠¢ Phase one (1) involved planning of OHS National Safety management system. â⬠¢ Phase two (2) focused on reactive safety management processes. â⬠¢ Phase three (3) focused on predictive and proactive safety management processes. â⬠¢ Phase four (4) focused on operational safety assurance.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Learning Environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Learning Environment - Research Paper Example Environment is listed as one of the major contributors to the learning process. It has a very high impact on the knowledge that is inflicted on us. While comparing the environment to student learning, environment means external factors that affect the classroom or the learning process. These include classmates, bullies, timetables, lecturers among others. From an organization's point of view, the learning process comprises both the organization and the staff members. The environment of an organization involves the company mission and vision, core values as well as the overall strategic plans. The company resources and the annual goals and implementation processes constitute the organizational environment (Ormond, 2004). One of the major contributors to the theories of learning is Jean Piaget, who came up with the 'theory of cognitive development'. According to Piaget's theory there are four development stages of a child's development from the inherent impulses to complex activities. The four stages include; Sensorimotor Stage (Age 0-2) - In the sensorimotor stage, the rational compositions are mainly involved with the mastery of material objects. Pre-operational Stage (Age 2-7) - This stage involves the mastery of signs and symbols. Concrete Operational (Age 7-11) - In the concrete stage, children learn mastery of modules, associations and figures and how to rationale. Formal Operational (early teens after 11) - The last stage deals with the mastery of ideas and contemplation. In Piaget's theory the environment contributes since children exposed to different environments tend to master objects, signs and symbols differently, and tend to rationalize things in different means. Therefore according to Piaget the environment serves as a catalyst to learning and overall development. (Ormond, 2004.) In organizations, aspects such as technology also serve as the environment and they promote the extent of learning. Over time many changes have taken place in organizations because technology has been consistently advancing. Just a decade or so ago the postal system and the fax machine were the fastest ways to get things done. In today's environment we use emails and scans for the majority of written correspondences (Edelman, 2006). In the days gone by, in-person conferences were a daily ritual but in our fast pace world of cell phones and conference call the slow means have been replaced and it is now possible for people across the United States to purchase, finance and close deals without ever leaving their homes. Individuals today cannot live without a blackberry and a computer. Individuals and companies have to work daily with all the available advances in Technology. They are constantly in different computer programs to help with daily activities of the office (Frank, 2003). Companies are also using all types of office equipment to actively stay in touch with their clients. Without the new world of cell phones, email, multi line phone systems and faxes it would take weeks to do what is done today in just a matter of hours. Firms rely heavily on the latest advancements in the coffee world to stay
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Search Warrant Exceptions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Search Warrant Exceptions - Essay Example he US Supreme Court therefore, crafted several legal doctrines incorporated through several cases that guarantee that a personââ¬â¢s confession does not violate his rights enshrined in the Fifth (on self-incrimination) and Sixth Amendment (rights of the accused) of the Constitution (Brown 2001 p 151). To illustrate this, an instance of confession was culled from a leading US daily and discussed how it will likely impact on the concerned individualââ¬â¢s case, once it goes into trial. In the July 18, 2009 issue of The Washington Post, a news article entitled ââ¬Å"Friends Shocked as Man Charged in Wifeââ¬â¢s Murderâ⬠appeared. It narrated an incident which happened aboard the Carnival Elation cruise ship while it was on its way to Los Angeles after a five-day cruise. A woman was found dead in one of the cabinsââ¬â¢ bathroom strangled and with blunt injuries in the head and torso. The FBI which intercepted the cruise ship while at sea was able to draw out a confession from the womanââ¬â¢s husband admitting that it was him who killed his wife using his bare hands. It turned out that the couple, who were married in 2003, was taking the luxurious five-day Mexican cruise to celebrate their 55th birthdays, only a few days apart from each other. The state in the event the case goes to court, should prove that the confession was valid and admissible in court to qualify its use against the husband. According to the book Criminal Investigation: Law and Practice, there are three tests to determine whether such confession is admissible in court: the due process or voluntariness test; the right to counsel test, and; the Fifth Amendment privilege against incrimination test. During the trial, the state must prove that the confession obtained from the husband was given without any coercion whatsoever otherwise the defense has the right to object to its admission and move for its suppression. Coercion here refers to either physical (Brown v Mississippi, 297 US 278 [1936]), emotional or
Monday, September 23, 2019
Security Essentials DB 4.3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Security Essentials DB 4.3 - Essay Example The world today faces many types of crimes in this age of the computer. The number of hackers driven by the urge to steal and embezzle funds is on the rise. In addition, computer crimes get more sophisticated with hackers working in organized groups to steal credit information, military secrets, funds and information pertaining to personal identity. Due to the prevalence of such crimes, IT security professionals spend much time dealing with the criminal aspects of the legislation than civil issues. Civil laws have limited connection to the security profession. It is because many civil cases concern intellectual property laws, which include trade secrets, trademarks, patents and copyrights. In several instances, these civil laws serve to protect the value of the corporation and other professional may handle them. The aspects governed by the civil laws were vital before the computer age. However, they do not engage security experts intensely in the contemporary issues facing firms today. Therefore, the criminal aspects of the law directly touch on the security profession in the modern word of
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Essay Example for Free
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Essay Abstract Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems or also called as HCAHPS is a too and gadget for measuring and evaluating the amount of contentment and satisfaction a hospital has given to a patient. The results of these HCAHPS surveys help all hospitals across the country and the world by providing data about the preferences of patients and the quality of healthcare, operations and activities that they prefer. The information taken from these surveys will be made public, thus providing more information to the people and to the hospitals. Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems presents a standard level of hospital care and operation to all of the hospitals in our country and around the world. à Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, also known as HCAHPS, is a consistent, reliable and dependable survey device. It also has data collection methodology for use in objectively measuring and evaluating each of the patients perspectives of the hospital care and operation they have experienced. As of today, we know that almost all hospitals gather and collect information and data concerning patient satisfaction and contentment. Nowadays, our country has no nationwide or national standard designed for collecting and gathering this information that will facilitate and pave way for valid comparisons and assessments to be made across all hospitals and healthcare centers in our country or any given region. To be able to make matching and equivalent assessments and comparisons to back up consumer and patient preference and inclination, it is always very much essential to bring in and introduce a new, updated and acceptable standardized measurement approach to these matters. The survey is an intensive compilation of grouped questions that can be and should be integrated with modified and customized hospital items and operations. The integration of this assessment plan will pave way for the creation of a great number and high level information database which will complement and help out all the given data hospitals presently bring together and organize. This is done in order to maintain a high quality internal and in-house customer service and serviceability and quality-related activities and operations. There are three extensive and general goals that have molded and shaped the said survey. First of all, the HCAHPS survey is intended and planned to generate and create comparable data on patients perspectives of care. These perspectives permit objective, meaningful and unbiased comparisons between and among hospitals on any given topic, theme and/or subject matter. à à à à These subject matters, topics and themes as we all know is very significant and important to the patient and consumer. Secondly, public reporting of the survey results is always planned out and agreed upon in order to produce incentives and benefits for hospitals that have been surveyed. One of the public reportingââ¬â¢s objectives is to further improve the quality of care that hospitals and healthcare centers give out to their patients. Thirdly, another objective of the public reporting is for it to serve and to develop public and community accountability and responsibility in health care and hospitals. This is done by overly-increasing the amount of transparency with which the quality and amount of hospital care and operations given to a patient or any person is equated in exchange for the public investment. Having all of these different goals, objectives and results in hand, the survey plan took a lot and will take a lot more of extensive, significant and noteworthy ways, .means and differentiated steps to improve, guarantee and assure the surveyââ¬â¢s credibility, reliability, usefulness, practicality and most of all functionality. The main survey device and toll is composed of 27 unique and differentiatied items. There are two items which is aimed to sustain and uphold congressionally-mandated reports and information. There are also 18 substantive items that encompasses critical and vital aspects of the hospital experience are given and laid out for the patient to rate and comment about. Lastly there are four items to skip patients to suitable questions and there are three items to adjust and adapt for the combination of patients across hospitals. The HCAHPS is put under the careful patronage of the Hospital Quality Alliance. This group is a private and public partnership that consists of different major hospital associations. Members of these hospital associations range from private to public companies and people. References Forrester, R. B (1986). People, Healthcare and the Government. à à à à à à à à à à à New Jersey. Aurora Publishing. Enyinna, C. O (1998). Healthcare and the Law. à à à à à à à à à à à Utah. Victory Books Ltd.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Concept of suicide
Concept of suicide 1.0 Concept of Suicide 1.1 Background Sir Thomas Browned originates the word suicide in 1642 in his Religio Medici. It was derived from SUI (of oneself) and CAEDES (murder).since then, this word has caused much controversy and evoked many professionals to continuous research and debate upon its definition in various ways from every aspects: medical, social, psychological, administrative, legal, spiritual and religious purposes. à à à à à à à à Suicide is no longer uncommon in the society and every day, there are people from many walks of life living under the same roof without us knowing what problems they are plagued with. Back centuries, suicide was a taboo subject to be discussed and yet, many are engaged in such behavior although it is believed that most suicide cases are unreported. To some, suicidal actions are glorified especially to cults and religion purposes. As time progresses, the mentality of the society changes along with time and the stigma of suicide is slowly undergoing much debate and understanding. Now, suicide is regarded more of a tragedy instead of ritual because part of the reason is that the society undergoes globalization and no longer practices scarification. Even if there is a minority of tribes who endorses scarification, the groups are negligible throughout the globe. Also, suicide in this era more often is done due to personal reasons; be it mentality, spiritual etc. In 1763, the first attempt was done scientifically by Merian to understand the rationale behind suicide. It is believed that suicide was not perceived as a sin or a crime. Instead, suicide has been regarded as a disease of mankind. After the death of Jean Jacques Rousseau in 1822, which had sequentially and graphically described circumstances of his death, Farlet manages to conduct a first in-depth examination on suicide. This enables better understanding on suicide with broader perspective. A famous psychiatrist, Dr R. Gaupp, says that amongst people committing suicide they possess unique and bizarre personality traits. For the past 50 years, it is concluded by series of researches that suicide begins from the state of mind, coupled with external factors, resulting in suicide. Herein, we will look in depths of suicide amongst Malaysian school students. 1.2 Definition A suicide idea is when one thought of ending ones own life. One thing leads to another, suicide ideas often leads to suicidal attempt and suicidal behaviour. Suicidal behaviours are thoughts or tendencies that started off a person and put them at risk for committing suicide. Simply said, suicide is an intentional or voluntary determination to end ones life, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). A suicidal person often closed ones options in life, and looks at another darker side of negativity. To them, dying is a pre-requisite for the end of all sufferings. A famous sociologist, Emile Durkheim whom not only proposes the theory of functionalism but also studied on Suicide, states that: the term suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result (1982, p. 110 [excerpt from Suicide]). 1.3 Description Suicide is not an uncommon issue these days and it is widely discussed in institutions although it is still condemned by the society. Much about discussing facts and truths behind this dark sentiment of life, there are common myths about suicide which we need to eradicate in order to comprehend the problem better we are able to curb this issue. When we listened to people whom talks about suicide, we assumed that these people would not do it since they are open to discussion. To include, people who are open to discussion should not be overlooked because they might also consider the options of suicide since the minds of a person is incomprehensible. In addition, the society views the troubled ones as people whom cannot be saved and are unwilling to seek help. Since they intend to commit suicide, nothing can stop him. These misconstrued assumptions are proven wrong because they are lost and sometimes hope for care and understanding. Indeed, these are individuals whom should not be segre gated. Another notion that should be avoided is that people believed that suicide indicates lack of faith in religion. This is incorrect because there are certain religions which encourage suicide in the name of faith. Thoughts and attempts of suicide as well as committing suicide are major concerns throughout the world and it is still a growing concern amongst the society. Very much obvious, most suicidal case involves adolescents and young teens. The teenage years are one of the most difficult stages in life, as identified by psychologists. Although teenagers are thought to enjoy life without worries of financial stability and mid-life crisis, suicide seems way an inconsiderable option to them since they ought to have no problems at this phase of life besides studying. But many changes in the mind which takes place during puberty can change their identity and their vulnerable self if they may have to cope with a broad range of personal and social obstacles. Since young people are so fragile, they may experience difficulty in dealing with stress. Children prior to puberty had hardly been bothered by suicidal behavior, probably due to their inability to envisage or execute a suicide plan. When puberty hits adolescence, risky psychiatric factors, such as depression and drug abuse become imminent and play a part in contributing to the causes of frequency in suicidal behaviour. Some children especially girls, view the transition from primary to middle school stressful. In addition, as one gets older parental supervision decreases, so teenagers are more likely to engage in unhealthy behavior without their parents consents. Suicide is divided into several commonly used terms to identify its symptoms and causes. Here are the descriptions provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding suicidal terms that needed to be taken into account:- Suicide: a planned act of killing oneself intentionally. The act can be performed by the person with or without the full knowledge or expectation of any fatal outcome. Suicidal attempt: A medical intervention is required in this case, after the person whom intended to end his or her life committed a life-threatening act with a conscious intent. Suicidal gesture: A series of self-threatening behaviour on display, which may be detrimental or non- detrimental. Suicidal idea: The power of mind to thought or set up the process to end ones own life. Suicidal risk: The tendency of ending ones life depends on this characteristic, depending on its presence or absence. Suicidal pact: Two or more people in agreement to die concurrently by committing the act of suicide. Suicidal cluster: People who gather in groups to commit suicide together, usually for a common objective. Suicidal counters: To prevent suicide, this set of factors operates within the individual, family or society. 1.4 Facts and Figures With many reasons believed to be the causes for suicide, facts and figures of statistics below are generally shown to highlight suicide from methods of ending life in different ethnic groups (inference is drawn from analysis of data from suicidal cases from the University Malaya Medical Centre mortuary ) to why it is committed : It is estimated that 450 million people suffered from mental of behavioral disorder. Every year, close to 1 million people committed suicide and 1 in 4 families have at least a member with mental disorder. There are 25 million schizophrenic patients and 50 million who suffer from epilepsy, which About 40 million or 80% are assumed to live in developing countries Most of them lived for 33% of the years with disability are due to neuropsychiatric disorders (depression, alcohol-use disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder). From 2000-2004, University Malaya Medical Centre found suicides of 164 male (65%) and 87 female (35%) victims with their ages ranging from 15 to 80 years. The age group with the highest total of cases between 21 to 30 (83 of 251; 33.1%) The highest rate of suicide was among Chinese (ethnic groups) with a total of 120 cases (120 of 251; 47.8%) by using the common method; jumping from height (41%). Whereas, Indians commonly commit suicide by hanging themselves (49 of 87) and poisoning (20 of 37; 54.1%); and Muslims had shown the lowest cases of suicide (18 of 251; 7.2%). 1.5 Types of suicide Collective tendencies have an existence of their own; they are forces as real as cosmic forces, though of another sort; they, likewise, affect the individual from without (Thompson, 1982, p. 109 [excerpt from Suicide]) To separate true suicides from accidental deaths, Durkheim proposed this definition of suicide: the term suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result (1982, p. 110 [excerpt from Suicide]). Then, Durkheim proposes four types of suicide: 1) Egoistic suicide Minimal social integration allows outcasts and segregation of individuals who are not considered fit to be bounded to specific social groups. These individuals are left with little social support or guidance. Thus, tendency to commit suicide increases. For example, students especially girls in schools wanted to belong in groups or so-called cliques. Most of the times, the ones whom are shunned off are the ones to be laughed at and criticized. 2) Altruistic suicide The opposite of egoistic suicide. This type of suicide results from too much of integration. Self-sacrifice is the prominent trait and members of the group were so integrated that they lost their individuality and ever so willing to sacrifice for the groups interest. For example, black metal groups in school do underground sacrificial methods at times in their act of worshipping. 3) Anomic suicide (of moral regulation) à à à à à à à à When means were unable to fulfill needs, an imbalance of means and needs arise. i. Acute economic anomie Traditional institutions such as religion and government failed to practise moral restraints on a capitalist society. Hence, the ruling of private individuals to determine ones fate in life. This type of suicide does not apply in Malaysia because it is a democratic country where everyone has the equal rights to flourish in their own ability. ii. Chronic economic anomie Social regulation gradually diminishes after a revolution or urbanization. As a result, traditional social rules deteriorated. Wealth and property was not enough to make individuals happy, as was demonstrated by higher suicide rates among the wealthy than the poor. For instance, richer students gain easier access to drugs because of their high allowance making it affordable for them. Later on, usage of drug substances will lead to suicide (will be discussed later in this topic). This also explains why students in urban schools are more prone to suicide instead of rural area students. iii. Acute domestic anomie à à à à à à à à The inability of an individual to adapt to sudden changes in life results in this suicide. For instance, a student who could not cope the loss of his or her family members might consider suicide as an option to end the suffering. iv. Chronic domestic anomie The way marriage is seen in different regulations and needs for each gender. Bachelors tended to commit suicide at higher rates than married men because of a lack of regulation and established goals and expectations. On the other hand, bachelorettes are lower risk to commit suicide because without marriage, they are not confined to boundaries set by the household. This is not an issue for students in Malaysian schools unless if young girls are married off during schooling. Such cases are rare in Malaysia unless in rural areas like in Sabah or Sarawak. 4) Fatalistic suicide This type of suicide did not receive much attention because it is a rare phenomenon of the real world. People who are over regulated and receive unrewarding lives like the slaves or childless married women might consider suicide. Their future is relies on others to determine. Cases do happened like prostitution or human trafficking, but this type of suicide does not relate much to the field of education. 1.6 Warning signs Rarely, suicide spurs a moment of intense decision, says Dr Suarn Singh, Head of Psychiatry, Ministry of Health Malaysia. More often, there are many clues to look out for to identify school students at risk of mental and social distress and signs leading to the actual attempt, such as: A change in behavior- speech or actions such as constantly saying that I cant go on or I want to end it all. Attitudes or appearance takes a toll on health and individual becomes recluse and not care of how they look usually by not grooming. Behaving recklessly by not taking safety measures, e.g.: crossing the road without looking. Giving away prized possessions and valuable items. Individual may be accompanied with unpredicatable mood swings like crying, self-mutilation and impulsiveness. Identify the distress and dramatic change that affects the students performance in school (e.g.: attendance and behavior) Lack of interest in school, overall decline in performance, misconduct in class, unexplainable absence or truancy. Abuse of substance, smoking or drug (including cannabis). Violent behaviour which sometimes involves the police. 1.7 Risk Factors and Risk Situations When accessing suicide patterns amongst students, all parties including school staffs, families and friends should be aware of the victims behaviour. Repetitive self mutilation should also be taken into note because distraught teenagers tend to repeat their acts. Particular suicide behaviour under circumstances is interdependent with the environment and genetic factors. Various states or neighbouring countries that features factors of cultural, political and economic differences may play a role in risking the youths decisions of suicide. On the other hand, risk situations are hurtful or injurious events which are experienced by the victims. These occurrences may wound the victims personal dignity and self-image. Example, a suicidal student may encounter with peer pressure in school, bullying, disappointment and failure in academic or high expectations from parents during examination. Suicide has become an intense debate, yet, it still remains as an ambiguous subject to fully grasp. A normal person will never understand to what extent these youth will do just to end their lives. Researches were done and found that major risk factors are linked to young people who are plagued with these causes that might have been the reasons leading them to suicide. The major risk factors to include are: Cultural and sociodemographic factors Family pattern and negative life events during childhood Cognitive style and personality Anxiety disorders Substance abuse Eating disorders Psychotic disorders Current negative life events as triggers of suicidal behavior Cultural and sociodemographic factors Different countries are linked to different cultures and demographic structures. In the third world countries, low socioeconomic status, lack of education system and unemployment are risk factors for suicide. Although Malaysia is a developed country and cannot be compared to third world neighbours, suicide still happens rampantly in urban areas, which is developed and suicide rates are expected to be lower instead of a drastic statistics to show. When urbanization enforces competitions, psychological impact of torture may lead to self-conflict between oneself and the society. One is expected to perform to the standards of societys customary demands. Likewise, in Malaysian schools, students are very academic inclined. This is a powerful risk factor for students to be depressed and may resort to self-destruction. Also, students and adolescents whom lack of self-identity and cultural roots may opt for this choice of suicide under stressful environment. That said, Each individual young p ersons growth is intertwined with collective cultural tradition, as stated by World Health Organization (WHO). Since Malaysia is a multiracial country, there are more than one race that plays a greater attribution of gender nonconformity and identity issues. Imagine an Indian girl being placed at a Chinese school with the majority of Chinese, she is hardly accepted into the culture of the majority. When a student begins to fear a serious acceptance problem, they will lack of support in order to experience an optimum growth during that phase of life. Family pattern and negative life events during childhood Personal loss and conflict, associated with parents or romantic attachments are one of the commonest reasons for suicide amongst students. Physical or sexual abuse, family feud played a part in suicide contemplation as well. Usually, suicidal youth will leave a note or tracks that they are about to suicide. Like the diary, short notes of apologies, so on and so forth. More often, suicidal students want to escape the pressure from demands of the environment or from psychological aspects that the truth is a painful unbearable fact to handle. Broken families and traumatic experiences e.g. rape, mental torture, etc. leave a scar for life in the child especially when the child is unable to manage with the aftermaths of trauma. There are evidences that suggest suicidal students often come from destructive families with more than one factor risks. The effects are cumulative and these problems are usually not known because suicides are more likely to refrain from seeking help from others. He re are a few negative aspects to take note of a dysfunctional family that often characterizes cases of suicidal students: Family with the history of suicide. Alcohol and substance abuse member in the family. Abusive family (physically, mentally or sexually). Divorce and separation of family Very high or very low demands of standards from the parents. Lack of attention and care from family members. Cognitive style and personality It is arguable between the relationship of a certain suicidal trait and an array of cognitive style and personality that risk suicides amongst young people. It is generally equivocal and ambivalent because suicidal patterns vary amongst different individuals. The following traits are observed in a suicidal youth, particularly students during adolescence: Instability in mood. Aggressive and needs anger management. Anti-social High impulsiveness Inability to grasp realities and rigid mentality, often in their own world of illusion. Great feeling of worthlessness and despair. Anxiety and inferiority. Provocative behaviour towards others including family and classmates. Ambivalent relationships with the society (family, friends, people). Suicidal behaviour is overrated amongst school children and adolescents with the following psychiatric disorders: Anxiety disorders and Depression It is known from studies that have proven the connection between anxiety disorder and suicide. Whilst traits of anxiety appear to be independent of depression, its effect always leads to psychosomatic symptoms if not treated. Unlike depression, anxiety disorder is prominent to detect and victim will always shows signs of worries and unhappiness with themselves. à à à à à à à à Discussion about depression should be taken seriously. Depression is often beyond recognition. Students may seem fairly disappointed or angry at minor disturbances and may never considered suicide. But if the symptoms of depression last for more than a week or so without improvement, help is needed. The signs of depression noticed amongst students or youth include: Utter degree of sadness Gradual withdrawal from everything. Student becomes recluse and isolated. School performance dropped with no apparent reasons. Loss of interest in activities that student used to enjoy. Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness Lack of motivation. Differences in sleeping habits and fatigue. Change in appetite and eating patterns. Self-neglect and self-hatred. Physical complaints, sad thoughts or death. Anger management needed for reckless attitude and temper. Substance abuse. Restlessness and agitation with one self or others. School students with depression symptoms oftentimes present anti social behavior and both are precursor to suicide. It is noticed that depressed female student will be more silent and withdrawn from others, whereas on their male counterpart, students of that gender becomes aggressive and disrupted and seek a great deal of attention. Prior to that, students can kill themselves too without having to be depressed and they can also be in a state of depression without killing themselves. Substance abuse à à à à à à à à Students who abused alcohol and drugs are often linked to suicide. Teenagers are oftentimes found to have committed the act of suicide after consuming the substances. Sometimes, students used these substances to ease their stress and depression. In another case, youth whom have never thought of suicide may have done so after taken alcohol because alcohol suppresses rationale thinking. Simply, their actions are based on an impulsive act which leads them to ending their lives even so they might never have contemplated suicide when they are sober. Eating disorders Eating disorders happen mostly to the female genders whom are dissatisfied with their own bodies. In the eye of the society, thin slender girls are objects of desire. The media often portrays catwalk models, who are skinny and scrawny. In schools, fat students are always being sneered and jeered as well as being outcast. Anorexic and bulimic girls are susceptible towards depression and suicide risk for anorexics are as much as 20 times more than youth in general. Psychotic disorders Albeit, we hardly heard of Malaysian students suffering from severe psychiatric disorders like the schizophrenia or manic-depressive disorder, those affected are still in jeopardy with suicide risks. But most psychotic youths started off with other risk factors, such as excessive smoking and substance abuse. Current negative life events as triggers of suicidal behavior As aforementioned due to inherited genetic factors, destructive families and negative aspects in life, students of this age find themselves susceptible towards suicide because when current negative life events happen in concurrent with their condition they find it difficult to cope furthermore. This susceptibility makes it difficult to cope with negative life events adequately, and that said, stressful life events precede suicide. They reminds of the student of sense of hopelessness and despair. 2.0 How Schools can Prevent Suicide Usually, suicidal students hardly attempt suicides within the school compound. But when the outbreak of a students suicide takes place, even off schools territory, the news will shock others, causing extreme emotional distress amongst students, staff, and parents whilst school activities will come to halt for weeks before it is resumed. Hence, schools play an important role for preventing suicides. Many young students whom are affected by mood disorders or substance abuse later on contemplate suicide. Whilst the other emotional setbacks linked to suicide includes conduct disorders, aggression, split personality disorder, and intense feeling degree of hopelessness (Berman, Jobes, and Silverman, 2006). Here, the schools responsibility and roles to play are summarized by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) (Poland and Lieberman, 2003): 2.1 Detection/ Awareness School administration and staff personnel should take note of students behaviour for signs of suicide. Interaction on a regular basis is encouraged amongst the school and students. School counselor must play his or her responsibility in helping problematic students before any occurrence of suicide. 2.2 Parent notification When awareness is created, any changes in attitudes or suspicious acts arise the school should update the parents or guardian of students. Face to face discussion is recommended to come about ways of preventing the student from suicide, which includes close supervision or referral to professionals. Also, a record of victims parent and victim should be kept confidential. 2.3 Support for students at risk of suicide The school, psychologists and counselors, should monitor and support suicidal students. Counseling and follow-up services shall be recommended. 2.4 School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs Schools should train teachers and staffs to help recognize students at risk of suicide. This can be done through training and appropriate mechanisms necessary. These mechanisms include a series of programs specially designed to counteract suicidal risks. Schools must heed these vital steps to control suicide among their students: ÃË School-based suicide prevention program and school-based mental health services Health screening, mental health survey and educational activities are carried out at school level to help students recognize and seek help when needed. Programs like health promotion program and risk prevention can be effective if made comprehensive to students. ÃË Suicide prevention gate keeping program People who have regular interaction and contact with students in school are teachers. They need to know how to recognize students behavioural patterns and warning signs. Also, teachers need to be actively involved in dialogue to explore the risk of suicide amongst students and to ensure that the victim must receive proper guidance and treatment when it is necessary. Records must be kept up to date and problematic students must be scrutinized. ÃË School crisis preparation and response plan This prepares the school in the case of emergency, from natural disaster to violence within the school. The school crisis preparation plan should include procedures of preventing self-destructive students as well as students in the midst of contemplation. Also, guidance must be taken into account as a reference for teachers and staffs to respond such cases when such tragedy arises. ÃË Postvention Such term is used to measure preventions to be implemented after a tragedy takes place. The purpose of this program is to lessen the risk of those witnesses to be affected directly after the incident. Suicide or unexpected death of another student can result in a traumatized individual. This program includes grief counseling for students and school party. Postvention helps to identify other students whom may be at risk after a trauma, and to support students. Sometimes, school works with the media to ensure such coverage of news does not lead to additional risks of suicide. 3.0Suggestions: A guide for Teachers and School Staffs It takes time for a student to attempt suicide. Rarely, suicide occurs out of sudden with no warning. Most cases, teachers and members of the society who observe the victim on a daily basis is able to distinguish a behaviour of norm and suicidal. The following are three (3) steps of prevention: before, during and after a suicide: 3.1 General prevention: before any suicidal incident Early recognition helps save lives. Experts advised that it is not a wise approach to teach about suicide explicitly. Rather, they recommend tackling this problem by replacing issues of suicide with a positive mental health approach. a) Mental health of schoolteachers and other school staff Teachers are the role model in any causes. A positive teacher is able to change the outlook of a persons perspective in a brighter light. Hence, strengthening the mental health of a teacher only can he or she guides the students into the correct path in life. b) Students self-esteem Positive self-esteem is vital to protect students against suicide. One with topnotch of esteem will cope better with stress even how difficult ones situation may be. To nurture positivity amongst the students, a few rules should not be taken lightly. Firstly, students must never been pressured constantly to fare better than other students. They must always look on the brighter side of life experiences in order to forge a positive identity. Every student should be cherished as who they are and be accepted for what they are. In addition, the school should work on introducing life skills by having experts giving talks and later on assimilate a positive workshop as part of the curriculum. Most importantly, the programme is able to send out messages of knowledge to peers on how to be supportive and seek help if necessary. Plus, the school should revise and review the education system to enhance the development of every student holistically. c) Emotional expression Students should learn on how to express their emotions appropriates and to take charge of how they feel seriously. When things gone awry, they should confide in parents, teachers, adults, doctor, friends or even religious advisors. d) Bullying and violence at school Issues on bullying have been a serious matter for ages since bullying make suicide seemed more pleasant to students to escape from humiliation and personal dignity. Because the victim could not determine what others had done to him/her, the victim had only his own life to control. Thus, specific skills should be taught in schools to prevent bullying and violence. This way, only the school can provide a sanctuary for safety and intolerance of the negative aspects. e) Information about care services In Malaysia, Befrienders are not unfamiliar to the society these days. Students should be aware about the availability of these services and by making it accessible to the young people, so that they can utilize the help lines in the case of crisis and psychiatric emergency. To include, there are over 240 Health Centres nationwide in Malaysia that have psychiatric units and also counseling unit for help. The latest news up to date, Prof Hu
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)