#25 War Is Coming: Game of Thrones Cast Rallies for Battle on April 1

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"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." - Cersei Lannister


      Months have passed since season one ended for Game of Thrones, a collection of books brought to life by director David Benioff. The season closed with many surprises, most of them horrifying. The biggest shock to most viewers, however, was the execution of Lord Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), best friend and hand of the late king Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). Many characters protested his death, even those who were responsible for his capture, such as Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), wife to the late king and lover to her twin brother, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).  But the new king, Cersei's son Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), was adamant, and the execution was followed through. Now the seven kingdoms of the Westeros are in a turmoil. The Lords of two kingdoms are dead by Cersei's hand. Two other kingdoms lack lords for unexplainable reasons. Two more kingdoms, run by a Khaleesi ("queen"), are determined to fight a war against the Baratheons and Lannisters. And the Lannisters themselves? They are backed by hundreds of thousands of soldiers that would give their lives in an instant for their Lady Cersei. Each kingdom is set to blame another for their own struggles, when the main cause of the collapse is one terrible decision made by the queen's twin brother, Jaime Lannister. And to make everything worse, Queen Cersei's son Joffrey is now on the throne, a boy perhaps more evil than even his mother.
      With season 2 of Game of Thrones set to begin on Sunday, April 1, millions of fans are waiting to see: what new characters will director David Benioff unveil? For those lucky enough to realize, pictures of the second season appeared online just a few days ago. Shall we begin?

Pictured here is Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), mere days after he is captured by the late Eddard Stark's wife, Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley).

Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), or "The Imp", the only Lannister who appears to be moral in what he fights for. 

The somewhat pretty but utterly evil Cersie Lannister (Lena Headey).

Khaleesi (Emilia Clarke), or Daenerys Targaryen, a young queen who had her own brother killed in order to gain more power.

Jon Snow (Kit Harington), the illegitamate son of the late Eddard Stark who spends his days as part of the Black Watch, a group of men who commit their lives to protect the realm.

 Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), daughter of the late Eddard Stark and betrothed to the young King Joffrey, the boy who had her own father executed. In her own way, Sansa had an unintentional part in Eddard's death.

Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen), a man who the late Eddard Stark had thought to be on his side but ended up turning against him. Petyr Baelish works for Cersei Lannister.

King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) himself. Son to Cersei Lannister and her brother Jaime, but thought to be the son of the late King Robert Baratheon, Cersei's husband. A cruel, vicious, and naive ruler, this little Lion accidentally causes a battle that changes the fate of hundreds of thousands of people.

Finally, this is the late Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), a man who placed honor over everything else... except for family. Belittling himself, Ned confessed to "crimes" that were pinned on him by Cersei Lannister in order that he might go free and save his daughters. Unbeknownst that he was actually an innocent man, King Joffrey ordered his execution anyway. Cersei protested, but it was no use. The ruling stood, and the sharp blade of the sword fell upon Lord Eddard Stark's neck.

I myself am a huge fan of Game of Thrones. Originally drawn in by Sean Bean's portrayal of Eddard Stark, I soon found myself attached to the other characters as well. There is no doubt in my mind that, since I don't own HBO, I will watch the season two episodes as soon as they arrive on DVD. 

#24 Freedom of Speech - Student Newspapers and Yearbooks

When creating an article for the school paper, some students may feel it is okay for them to write about a controversial topic, or include profanity in it. According to the case of Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlmeier, which brought the topic of freedom of speech in high school writing to court. The Supreme Court eventually decided that it was not against students' rights for the school board to keep them from placing a certain article in the school paper. High schools, not colleges, are allowed to punish and/or censor their students. In another case, a college board was furious about the format that a student editor had used on their college's yearbook. The board confiscated the yearbooks, but the student editor and others argued that this was against their first amendment right of free speech. In a backlash, the board claimed that because the yearbook was on a non-public forum, they had the right to keep the students from distributing the yearbooks. This case was Student Government Ass’n v. Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts and it eventually was decided by the Supreme Court that the rules that applied in high schools did not apply in colleges. And so the college board was defeated by the student government.

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#23 Freedom of Speech - Student Newspapers and Yearbooks

When creating an article for the school paper, some students may feel it is okay for them to write about a controversial topic, or include profanity in it. According to the case of Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlmeier, which brought the topic of freedom of speech in high school writing to court. The Supreme Court eventually decided that it was not against students' rights for the school board to keep them from placing a certain article in the school paper. High schools, not colleges, are allowed to punish and/or censor their students. In another case, a college board was furious about the format that a student editor had used on their college's yearbook. The board confiscated the yearbooks, but the student editor and others argued that this was against their first amendment right of free speech. In a backlash, the board claimed that because the yearbook was on a non-public forum, they had the right to keep the students from distributing the yearbooks. This case was Student Government Ass’n v. Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts and it eventually was decided by the Supreme Court that the rules that applied in high schools did not apply in colleges. And so the college board was defeated by the student government.