text:
Once all of the “pre steaks” were tagged and bagged what would our kids do? What would Mongo do; chase down the local feline and canine population, just to skin them and hawk them to the local Chinese restaurants in filthy, seedy alleyways? What would Zoey do? Would she begin reenacting her own street theatre version of The Most Dangerous Game? You may laugh, but these were quarrelsome disquiets. These questions were more concerning to me than Mr. Bobby Decker, a person who may or may not exist. If we didn’t find resolutions to these queries soon we would have bloody anarchy on our hands. After all we did have mouths to feed. It was not business as usual, as they tend to say.
When Decker finally did poise us with his existence, Mongo was processing a 1200 pound steer in the kitchen. The floor was extinguished in bull plasma, and Mongo himself was swathed from cowlick to hang nail. Zoey was at the kitchen table performing her ritual spring cleaning on her rifle when I heard the first knock. Chucky and Davey were placing their boots in the closet when we all heard the second knock. Everyone in the house perked up like a pack of wild dogs, when they hear another howling pack off in the distance. Lani looked up from his Mole sauce that he had been perched over for the past 15 minutes.
	“Are you expecting anyone?” I asked.
	“No,” he said wrinkling, his eye-brows, pausing for a moment to process what he was being asked. “Well, no, no, I’m not.” Then we all heard the third knock clear as day. That’s when everyone begins to scramble about the house, like mice when they discover that the cat is back, and he brought friends. Lani turns off the stove, and pulls Mongo off of his step ladder. He jets down the hall a bloody Mongo in his arms into the bathroom to get Mongo cleaned up. Chucky and Davey yanked the steer off the chopping block shoving it into the freezer. Davey grabs the mop to clean up the bloody floor. I bolt to the kitchen table to snatch up Zoey’s Rifle, and toss it underneath my bed. We hear the fourth knock, I make my way to the front door, just down the hallway and around the corner from my bedroom.
	“Now everyone be cool!” A command that was immediately greeted with looks of bewilderment, “Seriously, everyone act normal,” I reiterate.  As I scan over their confused faces, it finally sets into my cranium, just as Decker knocks for the fifth time, that my “family” didn’t see anything wrong with our little “operation”. To them it was just business as usual.
	“Hello,” I said as I opened the door, greeting, the Cowboy from Dallas. He was a thin haggard man with sunken cheeks, his dark eyes resting just below his salt and pepper eye brows. His bald scalp was hidden underneath his pale white Stetson cowboy hat. Although he was a thin man he was quite large, standing at 6 foot 6 with wide broad shoulders.
	“Good morning sir, “he greeted.
	“Hello,” I said once again.
	“Sorry to bother you, I’m Bobby Decker, I’m a private investigator, hired by a few local gentlemen, whom possess special interest in the area.” He said looking over the cornfield behind him.
	“What kind of interest?” I inquired as I wiped my sweaty palms dry on the back of my pants.
	“Cattle, they own the surrounding cattle farms.”
	“Why would farmers need to hire a private investigator?” I asked with a laugh, as I feel a single droplet of perspiration running down the back of my neck.
	“It’s funny you should ask, there seems to be an epidemic of missing cattle, which has oddly enough hit all of the local farms. Now if it was only 1 or 2 farms I’d be convinced that it was just a fluke, but all eight have been hit, and hit hard.”
	“Funny in deed.”
	“Well you can’t spell Slaughter, without laughter.”
	“What’s that?”
	“Nevermind.”
	“Eight?” I ask.
	“What’s that?” he asked, looking up from the front door step that he had been inspecting.
	“There are eight farms?”
	“Yes sir, there’s Kendall, Barnhill, Grover, Bond, Spencer, Arcangeli, Rodabaugh and the Smith Farm,” he said as he opened up his note pad. There were eight farms, not seven, how could we have missed one? We had scouted the area months in advance. We still had another farm to go through. However if we weren’t aware of the Smith farm what was happening to their cattle?
“Huh, I wasn’t aware of the Smith farm, is it new?”
 	“Nope, it’s been there for 27 years.”
	“Wow.”
	“Anyway, it seems that all of the eight farms have been hit hard by this freak occurrence if you will, but I was more curious if you have seen anything unusual or peculiar like maybe wandering cattle?” I wrinkled up by mouth to the left side of my face, and raised my eye brows. I looked to my left and then to my right,
	“No, I can’t say I have,”
	“How about wrangling?”
	“Excuse me?” Oh my god, he knows, he knows, I know he knows, I keep on repeating in my head. Wait did I say that or did I just think that, pull it together.
	“Wrangling… it’s when people steal cattle.”
	“Oh.” I say nervously.
	“So are you aware of any wrangling practices being performed in the area.”
	“No, I cannot say that I am.” I say, I can feel my voice on the verge of cracking.
	“Okay then,” he said closing up his note pad, “Thank you for your time sir.” As he placed his notepad in his jacket pocket, he tipped his hat and began to walk back to his white pick-up truck. I almost had the door closed when he turned around and asked,
	“Pardon me, but would you mind if I used your head?”
	“Uh – yeah—sure,” I said hesitantly, letting him in, if he was the cowboy that I have harkened him to be, he could smell the Bull blood from the road. I closed the door behind him, as I swallow the lump in my throat.
	“It’s right there,” I said pointing to the bathroom door. Zoey was in the living room with her arms crossed, still pouting about having her M-16 confiscated. Mongo was in the kitchen with Lani, sitting on the counter adjacent to the range. I heard the toilet flush, Decker appeared in the hallway, awkwardly looking for the light switch on his way out. He waltzed into the living room, looked around halting at the facade of the fire place.
	“That’s nice,” he said pausing to look at me, “I’d love to have one, but that’s the one thing about Texas it never gets quite cold enough to really use a fireplace. But hey, a boy can dream can’t he?”
	“So you’re from Texas?”
	“Yup, born and raised,” he said as he made his way through the dining room, into the kitchen. Mongo glared at Decker from the counter top with his arms crossed.
	“What’ca cookin?” Decker asks looking to Lani.
	“Just some Mole.”
	“Mmmm, mole, sounds good.” He says as he takes a good look around the kitchen, twitching his nose just ever so slightly as he sniffs the air. “Go easy on the Ancho Chilies,’ he says to Lani “they can really over power the cocoa.” He pauses, “Well that’s what I’ve learned anyway, “he says throwing up his hands.
	“Thanks.”
	“Well sirs I must bid you adieu,” He said with a tip of his hat, “again thank you for your time, and your hospitality. You really do have a lovely home, especially that fireplace.” He added as he made his way back through the house to the front door. “I almost forgot,” he said stopping “here’s my card, just in case you think of anything or see anything. I can’t imagine it’s just wandering cattle, but hell it’s not like someone is hunting them, you know?” he says chuckling, “but then again weirder things have happened.” He smiled, shrugged his shoulders and left out the way he came in. He made it back to his pale white pick-up truck and he was gone. Decker wasn’t absent for more than 10 seconds before the entire house erupted.
	“I want my gun!” Zoey demanded.
	“What does he know about Mole?” Lani inquired.
	“I need to finish tagging and bagging!” Mongo Screamed.
	“Who was that?” Chuckey and Davey simultaneously asked. I didn’t answer any of them.
“Family meeting five minutes,” I announced.

The entire family sat in a circle on the hardwood floors of the living room, our legs crossed Indian style. I explained to everyone that this was the beginning of the end. I told them that it was time that we moved on to the next town. I told them that the kitchen was getting too hot, and in the best interest of our little pack, we must move and start all over again. We must tap into a new uncharted market.  I explained that it was a long road of building new relationships with new butchers in new towns. I told them that this was okay. I told them that this was the vehicle that we have chosen to orbit in. This wasn’t the end but just a new beginning, because we would rather move than change our way of life.
The next day I took the last of the cuts down to Frankie. As I handed him the last package, I knew that he knew. He knew that this was the end of our era. He knew the same thing that I had known all along. We had devoured our town’s entire cattle supply. We both knew that our resources had dried up. We had known this from the beginning, but we did it anyway. As Frankie wrote that last check, we both knew that we had done this to ourselves. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, however no one was innocent.

title: [crtique] [literary fiction] short story for publication - 1700 words Part II of II

question: What are the responses to each knock?

text: Zoey cleaning her rifle is irrelevant--that is what was going on when the first knock was heard, but it wasn't a reaction to the knock.

answer: Zoey is cleaning her rifle when the narrator hears the first knock. Everyone in the house perks up when they hear the second knock. They all scramble about the house at the third knock to start covering up their operations. The narrator makes their way to the front door at the fourth knock and tells everyone to be cool. He opens the door after the fifth knock.

answer:
The first knock is when Mongo is processing a 1200 pound steer in the kitchen. The floor is covered in bull plasma, and Mongo himself is covered in it. Zoey is at the kitchen table performing her ritual spring cleaning on her rifle. Chucky and Davey are placing their boots in the closet. Lani is making Mole sauce.

The second knock is when Lani turns off the stove, and pulls Mongo off of his step ladder. He jets down the hall a bloody Mongo in his arms into the bathroom to get Mongo cleaned up. Chucky and Davey yank the steer off the chopping block shoving it into the freezer. Davey grabs the mop to clean up the bloody floor. The narrator bolts to the kitchen table to snatch up Zoey’s Rifle, and tosses it under his bed.

The third knock is when the narrator makes his way to the front door.

text: The answer is a summary of the story, not the responses to the knocks.

text: The answer is a summary of the story, not a response to the question.

text: The answer is a summary of the story instead of the requested information.

text: The answer should mention the narrator's command for everyone to be cool.

text: The answer is not a response to the question

text: The response is a summary of the whole story. The question is asking for the responses to each knock specifically.

text: It is omitted that the narrator almost closes the door behind him, but then DeckerS stops him is when the narrator invited him inside and tells him to use the restroom.

text: Most of the actions said to have happened after the second knock are incorrect.

answer: Everyone in the house perks up when they hear the second knock. They all scramble about the house at the third knock to start covering up their operations. The narrator makes their way to the front door at the fourth knock and tells everyone to be cool. He opens the door after the fifth knock.

answer:
The first knock is when Mongo is processing a 1200 pound steer in the kitchen. The floor is covered in bull plasma, and Mongo himself is covered in it. Zoey is at the kitchen table performing her ritual spring cleaning on her rifle. Chucky and Davey are placing their boots in the closet. Lani is making Mole sauce.

The second knock is when Lani turns off the stove, and pulls Mongo off of his step ladder. He jets down the hall a bloody Mongo in his arms into the bathroom to get Mongo cleaned up. Chucky and Davey yank the steer off the chopping block shoving it into the freezer. Davey grabs the mop to clean up the bloody floor. The narrator bolts to the kitchen table to snatch up Zoey’s Rifle, and tosses it under his bed.

The third knock is when the narrator makes his way to the front door.

text: The response is inaccurate. Chucky and Davey placing their boots in the closet happened during the second knock. The third knock is when everyone scrambles about the house hiding evidence of what they did. The fourth knock is when the narrator was on his way to the front door.

answer: Zoey is cleaning her rifle when the narrator hears the first knock. Everyone in the house perks up when they hear the second knock. They all scramble about the house at the third knock to start covering up their operations. The narrator makes their way to the front door at the fourth knock and tells everyone to be cool. He opens the door after the fifth knock.

text: The answer should mention the narrator's family.

text: The answer omits the response to the first knock.

text: The answer omits the response to the fifth knock.

text: The answer should mention that the narrator is the one to open the door.

text: The narrator is male, so the use of the pronoun "they" is incorrect.

text: The answer is a summary of the story that is not related to the question.

text: Doesn't interview the butchered steer.

answer: Everyone in the house perks up when they hear the second knock. They all scramble about the house at the third knock to start covering up their operations. The narrator makes their way to the front door at the fourth knock and tells everyone to be cool. He opens the door after the fifth knock.

text: The answer omits the first knock.

text: The response is missing the response to the first knock.

text: The answer should mention the narrator's announcement of a family meeting.

text: It is omitted that the narrator makes his way to the front door at the fourth knock and tells everyone to be cool.

text: The answer could be clearer in its pronoun usage.

text: Covering up their operations once they found out who he was was after the fifth knock.


text:
SEASON 2006–07 was a mixed season for Hibernian; their league form suffered from extended cup runs, and they eventually finished sixth. The reward for their cup form was a first trophy in 16 years, thrashing Kilmarnock 5–1 in the final to lift the CIS Cup. Hibs were knocked out of the Scottish Cup in a semi-final replay by Dunfermline.

The season was also notable for the departure of manager Tony Mowbray, the appointment of John Collins as his replacement and a players' revolt that quickly followed the CIS Cup triumph.

Pre-season

The competitive football started early in 2006–07 for Hibs due to their qualification for the Intertoto Cup. They were given a bye to the second round, where they comfortably beat their first opponents Dinaburg (Latvia) 8–0 on aggregate. Hibs were eliminated from European competition on the away goals rule by Danish team OB in the third and final Intertoto Cup round.

Hibs only played one friendly match in the 2006 pre-season, a 3–2 win at Easter Road against Premier League side Charlton Athletic.

Results

League season

[John Collins is introduced as the new Hibs manager by Hibs chairman Rod Petrie at a news conference on 31 October 2006.] Hibs got off to a slow start in the new league season, taking eleven points from the first nine matches. The highlight of the early part of the league season was a 2–1 win over Rangers on 17 September, but this was then followed with two disappointing losses against Falkirk and St Mirren, both by 1–0.

On 7 September 2006, the management team of Tony Mowbray and Mark Venus signed new 12-month rolling contracts that were due to come into force in July 2007. A month later, however, Mowbray left the club to become manager of West Bromwich Albion. Venus took charge of the team for their next game, an Edinburgh derby, but followed Mowbray to West Bromwich in the following week. John Park and Mark Proctor took charge of two games on a caretaker basis,[1] before John Collins was appointed as manager, with Tommy Craig as his assistant. Mark Proctor became the reserve team coach before taking the manager's job at Livingston,[2] while John Park returned to his “behind the scenes” role before taking a similar post at Celtic.[3]

Before Collins took over as manager, Hibs had gone through a particularly inconsistent start to the league campaign. They were capable of beating Rangers and causing problems for every team in the league, but were also capable of losing to “lesser” sides, including St Mirren and Falkirk. In the period immediately after Collins took over, Hibs' league form improved somewhat, meaning that they clinched a place in the “top six” of the SPL with three games to spare.

After that, however, Hibs didn't win another game until they beat a shadow Celtic side on the final day. During this winless run, reports emerged in the media of a dispute between Collins and many of the Hibs players.[4] The players strongly criticised the manager for constantly chopping and changing the team and formation. Reports claimed that almost all of the first team players went to chairman Rod Petrie hoping to get Collins replaced.[5] The period of unrest was apparently quelled when club captain Rob Jones made a statement on behalf of the squad apologising “to the management, supporters and board of the club for any distress or embarrassment that has been caused”.[6]

Results

Final table

Scottish League Cup

[The CIS Cup is paraded.
18 March 2007] Hibs advanced to the League Cup quarter finals under Tony Mowbray due to two straightforward wins over lower division opposition (4–0 v Peterhead and 6–0 v Gretna). Following John Collins' appointment as manager, the team defeated Hearts 1–0 in the quarter-final and St Johnstone 3–1 after extra time in the semi-final at Tynecastle.

On 18 March 2007, Hibs beat Kilmarnock 5–1 at Hampden Park to win the League Cup for the third time in their history. This was the first major trophy that Hibs had won in 16 years; the previous trophy win being the 1991–92 League Cup competition.

Results

Scottish Cup

[Hibs faced Queen of the South in the 2007 Scottish Cup quarter-final.] Hibs started their Scottish Cup campaign with a difficult tie away to Aberdeen, where they drew 2–2. In the replay, Hibs produced one of their best performances of the season to win 4–1 despite conceding the first goal of the game.

In the next round Hibs comfortably beat Gretna, who they had already hammered in the Scottish League Cup, by 3–1. Hibs were then drawn away to Queen of the South, where they won 2–1 thanks to a free kick by David Murphy.

The semi-final with Dunfermline Athletic on 15 April was overshadowed by the player revolt which had immediately preceded it. The match was drawn 0–0 and the tie was replayed on 24 April. Hibs lost the replay 1–0 to a late _Panenka_ penalty by Jim McIntyre.

Results

Transfers

Before the season started, Tony Mowbray made some significant changes to the Hibs squad. He brought in two new central defenders (Rob Jones and Shelton Martis) to replace the departing Gary Smith and Gary Caldwell. Derek Riordan had also left the club, but Merouane Zemmama was brought in to provide more creativity.

Top goalscorer Chris Killen had a prolific season for the _Hibees_, but it was cut short by an Achilles injury suffered while playing Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup. With Killen out for the rest of the season, John Collins signed Thomas Sowunmi, a 28-year-old Hungarian international striker, on a six-month contract as cover. Former Hibs striker Tam McManus, released by Falkirk in the January transfer window, was offered a trial period but did not earn a full contract and later signed for Dunfermline Atthletic.

The most high-profile transfer activity during the season involved Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown. Speculation persisted that both would be sold during the January transfer window, despite Collins' insistence otherwise. Thomson eventually departed to Rangers, for a reported fee of £2M, on the transfer window's final day. Brown was eventually sold to Celtic at the end of the season for a record transfer fee between Scottish clubs of £4.4 million.

Players In

  Player             From              Fee
  ------------------ ----------------- ----------
  Shelton Martis     Darlington        Free
  Thomas Sowunmi     Ferencvaros       Free
  Rob Jones          Grimsby Town      £100,000
  Merouane Zemmama   Raja Casablanca   Free

Players Out

  Player           To               Fee
  ---------------- ---------------- ----------
  Gary Smith       Cowdenbeath      Free
  Paul Dalglish    Houston Dynamo   Free
  Antonio Murray   Histon           Free
  Amadou Konte     Messiniakos      Free
  Derek Riordan    Celtic           £150,000
  Gary Caldwell    Celtic           Free

Loans In

Loans Out

  Player               To
  -------------------- -----------------------
  Zbigniew Małkowski   Gretna
  Kevin McDonald       Airdrie United
  Alistair Brown       Ayr United
  Jay Shields          Dundee
  Stephen Glass        Dunfermline Atthletic
  Sam Morrow           Partick Thistle

Young players

Some younger players in the Hibs squad developed significantly during the season, particularly Abdessalam Benjelloun. 'Benji' gained a reputation as a 'supersub', scoring important goals in the Scottish Cup ties against Aberdeen and Gretna, the CIS Cup Semi Final against St Johnstone, and two goals in the CIS Cup Final victory. Steven Fletcher also scored two goals in the CIS Cup Final and one goal in the CIS Cup Semi Final.

Several youngsters were given their first opportunities in the Hibs first team by John Collins. These included 20-year-old goalkeeper Andrew McNeil, 19-year-old right back Kevin McCann and 18-year-old left back / midfielder Lewis Stevenson. Midfielder Sean Lynch made his debut aged 20 against Gretna and then followed that up by keeping his place in the starting line up against Celtic at Parkhead.[7]

Ross Campbell, Dermot McCaffrey, Ross Chisholm and Damon Gray (who scored on his league debut at Pittodrie) also featured. Some of these opportunities were because Collins has had to balance a relatively small squad with a heavy workload due to the two extended cup runs, but most of the young players performed creditably.

Player stats

During the 2007–08 season, Hibs used 32 different players in competitive games. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[8] |}

[1] Park wants to stay at Hibernian, BBC Sport, 23 October 2006.

[2] Proctor takes over at Livingston, BBC Sport, 22 May 2007.

[3] Hibs lose youth chief to Celtic, BBC Sport, 23 January 2007.

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: 2006–07 Hibernian F.C. season

question: Summarize the conflict between the players and management of Hibernian.

text: Collins was not fired, the situation was resolved when Rob Jones apologized on behalf of the team.

category: accuracy

answer: Early in the 2006-7 season, several members of Hibernian's management left for other clubs, and John Collins was appointed as manager. Many of the Hibs players criticized Collin's management style, and they went to the team's chairman to try and get Collins replaced. Eventually, the club captain apologized, and the situation was resolved.

answer_source: Human

text: The answer should mention that the players were upset about Collins' constant chopping and changing of the team and formation.

text: The answer should mention that the players were upset about Collins' constant changing of the team and formation.

text: The answer should mention the players' complaints about Collins.

text: There is no evidence that the club captain apologized and the situation was resolved.

text: The answer should mention the players' complaints.

text: The answer omits that the dispute was due to Collins constantly changing the team and formation.

text: Despite the response's accuracy and accessibility, it could be more specific on the situation with John Collins in supporting evidence.

category: coverage

answer: Early in the 2006-7 season, several members of Hibernian's management left for other clubs, and John Collins was appointed as manager. Many of the Hibs players criticized Collin's management style, and they went to the team's chairman to try and get Collins replaced. Collins was fired, and replaced by Rob Jones.

answer_source: Human misleading

text: Collins was not fired, and Rob Jones was not appointed as manager.

text: Collins was not fired.

text: Collins was not fired, and Rob Jones was not the one who replaced him.

text: The answer omits that the conflict was quelled when the team's captain, Rob Jones, made a statement on behalf of the squad apologising "to the management, supporters and board of the club for any distress or embarrassment that has been caused."

text: "Collins was fired, and replaced by Rob Jones." - this never happened and should be deleted.

text: Collins wasn't replaced with Jones. I'm not sure Collins was replaced-there was a meeting where the team (led by Jones) apologized on behalf of the player's revolt to the management, supporters and directors.

answer: Early in the 2006-7 season, several members of Hibernian's management left for other clubs, and John Collins was appointed as manager. Many of the Hibs players criticized Collin's management style, and they went to the team's chairman to try and get Collins replaced. Collins was fired, and replaced by Rob Jones.

text: The answer should mention what the players didn't like about Collins' management style (that he constantly chopped and changed the team's formation).

answer: The Hibernian F.C. team went through a particularly inconsistent start to their league campaign. Although they had good wins against teams like Rangers, they lost to less prestigious teams like St Mirren and Falkirk. After Collins replaced Tony Mowbray as manager, players criticized the manager for constantly chopping and changing the team and formation. Apparently, all of the first team players went to chairman Rod Petrie hoping to get Collins replaced. Then Rob Jones, the captain, made a statement on behalf of the squad apologizing for any stress or embarrassment caused by the players. After the incident, the team started to win again.

answer_source: Model

answer: The Hibernian F.C. team went through a particularly inconsistent start to their league campaign. Although they had good wins against teams like Rangers, they lost to less prestigious teams like St Mirren and Falkirk. After Collins replaced Tony Mowbray as manager, players criticized the manager for constantly chopping and changing the team and formation. Apparently, all of the first team players went to chairman Rod Petrie hoping to get Collins replaced. Then Rob Jones, the captain, made a statement on behalf of the squad apologizing for any stress or embarrassment caused by the players. After the incident, the team started to win again.

text: The response includes extraneous information not useful for the task.

text: The answer omits the fact that the players' revolt was quelled when club captain Rob Jones made a statement on behalf of the squad apologising “to the management, supporters and board of the club for any distress or embarrassment that has been caused”.

text: The answer should mention the team's performance during the season.

text: The last sentence is irrelevant

text: "After the incident, the team started to win again." - extraneous information that should be removed.

text: "After the incident, the team started to win again" is unnecessary detail and could be removed.

category: coherence

answer: Early in the 2006-7 season, several members of Hibernian's management left for other clubs, and John Collins was appointed as manager. Many of the Hibs players criticized Collin's management style, and they went to the team's chairman to try and get Collins replaced. Eventually, the club captain apologized, and the situation was resolved.

text: It should mention that the players strongly criticized the manager for constantly chopping and changing the team and formation.


text:
The PLAINS RAT _(Pseudomys australis)_, also known as the PLAINS MOUSE, is a conilurine rodent native to arid and semi-arid Australia.[1] Referred to as the _pallyoora_ or _yarlie_ by Indigenous groups, the plains rat was once widely distributed across central Australia, including north-west New South Wales and south-west Queensland; however, habitat degradation due to grazing, introduced predators and drought have contributed to its decline.[2] Consequently, the plains rat has been listed as 'presumed extinct' in New South Wales and Victoria, 'endangered' in the Northern Territory and Queensland and 'vulnerable' in Western Australia and South Australia.[3] While recent research has indicated the presence of the plains rat in areas such as the Fowlers Gap and Strzelecki Desert regions of New South Wales[4] and within the Diamantina National Park in Queensland,[5] there are only five sub-populations currently recognised nationally, none of which coincide with recent discoveries of the plains rat.[6] As the current population trend of the plains rat has been listed as 'declining' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the IUCN conservation status for the species is 'vulnerable'.[7]

Taxonomy

The name _Pseudomys_ comes from the combined form of the Greek word _pseudes_ (meaning “false”) and the Latin word _mys_ (meaning “mouse”), presumably because of the plains rat's puzzling similarities and differences to “true mice” in the genus _mus_.[8] The name _australis_ comes from the Latin word _australis_ (meaning “south land”).[9] Thus, the name _Pseudomys australis_, first described by Grey in 1832,[10] means 'false mouse from the southern land'.[11] [FIGURE 1 The phylogeny of rodents of the Subfamily Murinae.] The taxonomy of Australian rodents remains controversial; however, it is commonly accepted that there are two major groups including the Australo-Papuan Old Endemics and the Australo-Papuan New Endemics[12] (FIGURE 1). The plains rat is considered an Australo-Papuan Old Endemic as DNA sequencing from fossilised evidence suggests that its ancestors first arrived in Australia between 4.2 and 5 million years ago, during the Pilocene era.[13] Old endemics, particularly the Family Muridae, are believed to have originated in Southern Asia[14] and then diversified through multiple rodent lineages.[15] Relationships between Australian members of the Order Rodentia suggest that a New Guinean lineage gave rise to the Australo-Papuan Old Endemics and thus the early ancestors of the plains rat.[16]

The plains rat is an Australian conilurine rodent of the Order Rodentia.[17] Within the Order Rodentia are two suborders: the Hystricognathi and the Sciurognathi.[18] The Suborder Sciurognathi comprises several groups; however, the largest group, the Family Muridae, is inclusive of the Subfamily Murinae and Genus _Pseudomys,_ of which the plains rat is classified.[19] Australian native rodents are composed of 13 genera, reflective of the habitats in which they occur.[20] _Pseudomys_ occupy the arid and semi-arid regions of Australia; however, fossil records suggest that the plains rat has occupied far more diverse habitats in the past,[21] contributing to difficulties in determining the differences between populations of the same species and different species within the Genus _Pseudomys_.[22] Thus, the species _P. australis_ now includes all specimens previously classified as _P. rowlinnae_, _P. minnie_ and _P. auritus_.[23]

Distribution and habitat

[FIGURE 2 The five primary extant populations of the plains rat as recognised by the 2012 National Recovery Plan.] The primary extant population of the plains rat can be divided into five broad geographic zones: 1) the Arcoona Tableland, SA; 2) the Southern Lake Eyre region, SA; 3) the Moon Plain region, SA; 4) the Oodnadatta region (including Witjira National Park), SA/NT; and, 5) the Andado Station and Mac Clark Conservation Reserve, NT[24] (FIGURE 2). These areas are characterised by access to boulders, small stones and gilgais (depressions and water soaks)[25] and are consistent with the plain rat's primary habitat type of stone-covered plains.[26]

Historically, the plains rat was widely distributed across a broad range of habitats including river flats, grasslands, sand ridges and lowland shrubs;[27] however, the current assumed distribution of the plains rat is limited to the gibber (stone-covered) plains (FIGURE 3) in central-northern South-Australia.[28] These areas are characterised by cracking clay, productive depressions and minor drainage lines which support low open scrublands and ephemeral grass or herb lands.[29] While an individual's home range is roughly 1.6 hectares, colonies may extend beyond their preferred habitat type in search of drought refuges, essentially increasing their home range.[30] These refuges are usually areas of higher shelter and food availability with more productive vegetation types.[31] Similarly, during times of high rainfall, populations displaced due to flood inundation may migrate temporaily into surrounding habitat types.[32] [FIGURE 3 Gibber country in Diamantina National Park, QLD, Australia. Photography by David Elliott (24/07/2015).]

Physical description

[FIGURE 4 Plains rat at Mac Clark (Acacia peuce) Conservation Reserve, NT, Australia. Photography by Tim Bawden (18/09/2017).]The plains rat has a stocky build of around 65 grams with long ears and a rounded muzzle and is grey to brown along its back with white or cream lining its underbelly[33] (FIGURE 4). Its combined head and body length is usually between 90 and 145 millimetres and its tail is roughly as long as its body.[34] During lactation, females can be observed dragging their young as they each latch to one of the four teats located on its underbelly.[35]

Behaviour and ecology

The plains rat constructs a complex system of shallow connected tunnels beneath the cracking clay of gibber plains, emerging only at night to feed on seeds, stems and arthropods.[36] The home range of an adult is roughly 1.6 hectares.[37] During non-breeding periods both sexes live together in colonies of up to 20 individuals; however, during breeding periods one male occupies a burrow with up to three females.[38] During breeding cycles males becoming increasingly agitated and both sexes are known to stand on their hind feet and squeal loudly when threatened.[39] Whilst breeding is not regularly seasonal, young is generally produced after sexual maturity is reached at 8–10 weeks and after a gestation period of 30–31 days.[40] Litter sizes usually consist of four young but up to seven young can be produced in one litter.[41]

The lifespan of the plains rat is generally two years; however, their survival often depends on resource availability.[42] Thus, during years of consecutively high rainfall, their lifespan can approach 4.5 years.[43][44] Similarly, during severe drought most will only survive one year.[45] [FIGURE 5 European red fox (Vulpes vulpes), a common predator of the plains rat. Lake Cargelligo, NSW, Australia. Photography by Harley Kingston (03/01/2012). |left]

Threats

Habitat degradation, introduced predators and drought collectively threaten the survival of the plains rat.[46] Habitat degradation mainly derives from introduced hoofed stock and land clearing.[47] Hoofed stock lessen vegetation cover, crush the seed bank and trample burrows while land clearing removes food sources vital to the survival of the plains rat.[48] Reduced vegetation cover and damaged burrows only makes it easier for introduced predators such as the European fox (_Vulpes vulpes_) (FIGURE 5) and feral cat (_Felis catus_) to excavate shallow burrows.[49] This can contribute to local extinctions, particularly when populations are already low during periods of drought.[50][51] Other potential threats to the plains rat include altered fire regimes, leading to increased intensity of bushfires; competition with the introduced house mouse (_Mus musculus_) and European rabbit (_Oryctolagus cuniculus_); and, climate change.[52][53] [FIGURE 6 Plains rat near Mount Dare Station, SA, Australia. Photography by Tim Bawden (07/09/2017).]

Conservation

The _Action Plan for Australian Mammals 2012_[54] identifies three main conservation objectives for the plains rat. These objectives include: 1) managing threats in order to secure or increase the plain rat's overall population size; 2) maintaining viable sub-populations where the plains rat is known to occur; and, 3) identifying and protecting drought refugia.[55] The _2012 National Recovery Plan for the Plains Mouse_[56] encourages collaboration between communities, governments and industries to meet these conservation objectives in order to conserve the plains rat (FIGURE 6).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5] Moseby, K. (2012) “National Recovery Plan for the Plains Mouse Pseudomys australis”. Adelaide: Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.

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[56]

title: Plains rat

question: How is the Scientific name of the plains rat derived?

text: This does not answer the question

answer: The name pseudomys comes from the Greek word pseudos meaning false and the Latin word mus which means mouse. Australis comes from the Latin word meaning southern land. The article suggests that this name refers to the differences and similarities between plains rats and true mice.

answer: The name of the plains rat refers to the fact that these rodents roam the plains of Australia.

text: The name of the plains rat is derived from the Greek word "pseudes" and the Latin word "mys" which mean "false" and "mouse" respectively.

text: The name of the plains rat does not refer to the fact that these rodents roam the plains of Australia.

text: The name does not refer to the fact that the rodents roam the plains of Australia.

text: The answer is completely irrelevant.

text: The question is about the name's etymology, not its meaning.

text: The given response is not related.

text: The question is not about the name "plains rat" but the derivation of the word "pseudomys"

answer: The name Pseudomys comes from the combined form of the Greek word pseudes (meaning “false”) and the Latin word mys (meaning “mouse”), presumably because of the plains rat's puzzling similarities and differences to “true mice” in the genus mus. The name australis comes from the Latin word australis (meaning “south land”). Thus, the name Pseudomys australis, first described by Grey in 1832, means 'false mouse from the southern land'.

text: The last sentence is unnecessary.

text: The name Pseudomys australis was first described by Grey in 1832.

text: The name Pseudomys australis was first described by Grey in 1832, but the name itself is not derived from the name.

text: The last sentence is unnecessary

text: Remove Grey and the date

answer: The name of the plains rat refers to the fact that these rodents roam the plains of Australia.

text: The response is a safe assumption however the text does not evidence it.

answer: The name Pseudomys comes from the combined form of the Greek word pseudes (meaning “false”) and the Latin word mys (meaning “mouse”), presumably because of the plains rat's puzzling similarities and differences to “true mice” in the genus mus. The name australis comes from the Latin word australis (meaning “south land”). Thus, the name Pseudomys australis, first described by Grey in 1832, means 'false mouse from the southern land'.

answer: The name pseudomys comes from the Greek word pseudos meaning false and the Latin word mus which means mouse. Australis comes from the Latin word meaning southern land. The article suggests that this name refers to the differences and similarities between plains rats and true mice.

text: The name "mys" is not defined.

text: The name "mys" is not in the article.

text: The name "mys" is not Latin for mouse. It is Greek.

text: The answer should mention the genus Mus.

text: The word "mus" is not in the article. It should be replaced with "mys"

text: The article does not suggest that the name refers to the differences and similarities. The name comes from the differences and similarities.

text: The name australis doesn't come from the Latin word "mus"

text: The name Pseudomys comes from the Greek word pseudedes and the Latin word mys, which means mouse.

text: The response is inaccurate. "pseudos" should be "pseudes" and "mus" should be "mys"


text:
Mission 52 - a short story [1682 words]
by Joanna Pogwash

Communications... check.  Control systems... check.  Fuel tank 1 pressure... check.  Fuel tank 2 pressure... check.  Oxidizer pressure... check.  Manifold pressure... check.  Engine pressure... check.  Auxiliaries... check.  On-board... check.  Stabilizers... check.  Navigation systems... check.  All systems... check.  Sequence 1 check... complete.  Green light... proceeding to countdown.

I don't care how many times you practice anything or how realistic the simulator is, it's never like the real thing.  Fifteen orbital repair missions plus three stints in the Space Station, but this time was different.  We were never coming back from this trip.  Planetary colonization is a one-way trip.  There's only enough fuel and supplies for one way, besides there will be nothing to come back to by then.  My heart is racing.  I must calm down.  "Get a grip, kid!  This is just routine." I can hear the seasoned Mission Commander say.  He can sense my anxiety.

My whole life has been a preparation for this mission.  Since I was old enough to hold a crayon, Mom's refrigerator was covered with my spaceships, along with the walls of my room, my sheets, and even my pajamas.  I was destined to be an astronaut and I proclaimed this fact through every backpack, lunchbox, and pair of sneakers I could find and get Mom to buy.  Every decision as I was growing up was made with this destiny in mind: from the courses I took in school, what sport I pursued, and which college I went to.  Each one was a step closer to the Johnson Space Flight Center and ultimately this mission.

There was so much more than my obsession riding on this mission: the fifty-second act of desperation of a dying race... and probably the last.  With the population growing out of control, in spite of epidemics and armed conflicts around the world, the environment becoming more toxic by the day, and resources becoming ever more scarce, mankind simply had to find another inhabitable planet, and fast.  The plankton was dying and with it eighty-five percent of the planet's oxygen production.  Years of waste and chemicals dumped into the sea had set this doomsday clock of nature into this, its final countdown.

Astronomers had located fifty-two most promising planets from among the many worlds that were either too hot or too cold, too big or too small, having no atmosphere or too much atmosphere to allow the solar rays to bathe the surface with life-giving energy.  The days were too long or too short, no oxygen or no carbon dioxide for the plants.  So many things had to be right and within such a narrow range of possibilities, that almost all were excluded, but there were fifty-two.

These fifty-two most promising planets had been arranged in order of proximity, each farther away, each requiring more and more fuel and time, stretching the limits of interstellar travel, and fifty-one had been crushing disappointments.  Each one had some critical flaw, some "show-stopper," as the planetary ecologists referred to them.  The first had such high levels of background radiation that the colonists didn't survive for long.  The second had such high pH or alkalinity that our life, whose building blocks are amino acids, could have never survived outside of the ship.  Each failed mission had sent back the discouraging news.  The colonists had been brave.  I reminded myself that they would have died here too.  Our fate is always the same in the end.

One-by-one the candidate planets had been reached... and eliminated for some insurmountable incompatibility.  One-by-one the hopes of civilization had been raised to a crescendo and dashed to the ground--the precious, life-sustaining ground.  This planet we have always called home.  How could we have come to this point of desperation?  How could we have let these problems fester past the point of crisis to the point of no return?  If we could focus our efforts sufficiently to be leaving, why could we not have focused our efforts sufficiently to preserve what we had?  How many times had I asked these questions?

The trembling of the rocket--the calm before the storm of lift-off--banished these thoughts from my mind as my senses became flooded with the sensations of this indescribable rush, "we have ignition!  We have lift off!  Mission 52 is on its way!"  The feeling of helplessness that overcomes you in the first seconds when you are pinned back, knowing that there is no safety release, no ejection seat, no parachute, and no way to turn back the fury, is both overwhelming and life-changing.  Either you will make it or you won't.  There are no other options and you are headed toward the outcome like a bullet out of a gun.

Six seconds in and something doesn't feel right.  The shaking is too violent.  There is a continuous transition from one sensation to another: the vibration, the pull against my body, the sound of the great thrusters.  "Increase stabilizers."  Twelve seconds in and the shaking returns to normal, or perhaps "expected" would be more accurate.  Twenty-one seconds in and a warning is raised.  "Relieve excess manifold pressure."  Twenty-nine seconds in.  "Close manifold relief."

Everything seems to function as it should for another ninety-five seconds.  With two seconds left in the first stage burn, fuel pump six completely drops out, but I can't feel it.  The acceleration has reached its peak, with the maximum thrust and minimum weight, as the last of the fuel is burned.  It shouldn't matter.  The second stage will carry us into orbit and then up to cruising speed.  When we are safely out of range, I will engage the thermonuclear drive and then relax and enjoy the ride and a very long nap.  The rest should be routine and boring as usual, at least it better be.

Four minutes and fifty-one seconds following ignition and the initial panic that accompanies every lift-off has past.  I begin running through the systems and checks.  Everything seems A-OK.  The brief concern with stabilizers, the excessive manifold pressure, and even the failed fuel pump are far behind me now, floating somewhere in the Atlantic awaiting retrieval, although it will more than likely never be used again.  This mission will be successful.  It had better be successful!

The checks are finally complete and we engage the thermonuclear drive, which will propel our space age Ark to near light speed over a period of several months, during which we will sleep and never notice.  The trip will last over eighty-seven years, but we will sleep through it all.  I engage the drive and key the computer to begin the IVs.  As I drift off, I reassure myself one last time: everything will go as planned and this mission will be successful.  It must be successful, or there will be no one left to care.

As I begin to waken, I feel the vibration and hear the rattle and creaking of the ship.  This is not right.  What else has gone wrong with Mission 52?  The entire left side of my body is unresponsive.  My left eye will not open.  Somehow I throw off the fog of hyper-sleep and manage to sit up.  I'm the pilot and I must make corrections.  I must collect information.  I must make decisions.  Others are stirring.  We have reached our destination and the computer is raising us from the death-like sleep.

We're entering the atmosphere.  This is not supposed to happen.  We're supposed to orbit and collect data, then find a suitable place to land.  This must not happen!  We have no boosters to lift us from this surface.  This elevator only goes down.  The shaking is becoming more violent.  We're descending much too fast.  The angle is all wrong.  As I struggle to gain some control over our fall, I hear the others report.  Each has their own job to do.  "Oxygen is good."  "Cabin temperature is stable."  "This will be a water landing, folks!"  The Commander announces and then adds, "there IS an ocean and we've found it!"

If we hit anything--even water--at this speed we'll be crushed by the impact.  I must get control of the ship!  I must have the thrusters, but that means we'll be going faster before there's any chance of going slower.  I ignite the engines and we are all pressed backward as they kick in.  I hear gasps and see fear on the faces in my peripheral vision.  At last we're pointed upward, but still falling fast.  Too fast.  Much too fast.  The thrusters cannot possibly break our fall.

We hit the water and are battered by the impact.  I shake my head to throw off the mental fog that threatens to engulf my mind.  I have no control as we sink beneath the surface.  "Will this thing even float?" I ask aloud.  It does float!  We slow and then begin to rise. We finally reach the surface and I see waves towering over the ship.  What else could go wrong with this mission?  I had to ask.

We've landed in the middle of a typhoon.  We are rolled and tossed like so much debris.  My nose is broken and bleeding badly.  I spit out fragments of what were my front teeth.  We are slammed into what I can only imagine is a beach.  Over and over again we are tossed and dashed into the unforgiving sand.  As I lose consciousness I see others limp and lifeless, thrown to and fro without resistance.  All I can think to say is: "Mission 52 Has Failed.  I repeat Failed.  All is lost."

"Cool!  A spaceship."

"I saw if first."

"You can have it.  See if I care.  Mine is better anyway."

"Look what I found, Gramps!"

"Where did that thing come from?"

"I found it in the water."

"It belongs to someone.  Throw it back."

"We're the only kids here.  Why can't I keep it?"

"It's covered with germs.  Throw it back... and wash your hands!"

"But he has one and I don't.  It's not fair!"

"It's a reject.  The letters are upside down.  Throw it back."

"I never get to keep anything I find."

"Go build a castle or something and quit complaining."

"When I grow up I'm going to be an astronaut and I'll have a real spaceship.  You'll see."

title: [SP] Mission 52

question: How successful was the search for a livable planet?

text: Astronomers had uncovered 52 viable planets but as each was visited, each was found to have a flaw. None was suitable for life support.

answer: The mission failed.

text: The answer should mention that the mission failed because the planet they were looking for was not livable.

text: The answer should mention that the mission failed because the planet they found was not livable.

text: The mission failed because the planet they were trying to colonize was not habitable.

text: The answer should mention that the mission failed because they didn't find a livable planet.

text: The answer should be more specific.

text: "The mission failed." - must mention that they failed to find a livable planet.

text: The mission may not be considered a complete failure as there are still a few planets left that are suitable for habitation. The mission is more of a mixed bag than the categorical failure it is described to be.

answer: The search for a livable planet was so successful that in the end astronomers had identified 52 viable planets.

text: The answer is incorrect. The mission failed.

text: The answer is inaccurate. The mission failed.

text: The answer is wrong. The mission failed.

text: The answer is incorrect. The story says that the 52 planets were not viable.

text: The answer should mention that the 52nd planet is where the mission failed.

text: The answer given is not accurate. While it is true that 52 planets were found, not one of them was suitable for the humans.

text: It does not mention that 51 out of 52 planets have not been suitable for habitation.

answer: The search for a livable planet was so successful that in the end astronomers had identified 52 viable planets.

text: The first had such high levels of background radiation that the colonists didn't survive for long. The second had such high pH or alkalinity that our life, whose building blocks are amino acids, could have never survived outside of the ship. Each failed mission had sent back the discouraging news. One-by-one the candidate planets had been reached and eliminated for some insurmountable incompatibility.

text: They found not livable, but promising planets.

answer: The mission failed.

text: The response is incorrect. The mission was a success. However, the narrator only thought they failed because their ship failed and got tossed around the ocean in what they thought was a typhoon. What they didn't know was that they landed on a livable planet, but the inhabitants were giants. The kids playing on the beach found their ship and thought it was a toy.

answer: The search for planets had been crushing disappointments. Each one had some critical flaw. One-by-one the candidate planets had been reached... and eliminated for some insurmountable incompatibility. One-by-one the hopes of civilization had been raised to a crescendo and dashed to the ground--

text: The answer is a copy of the text.

text: The answer is too long.

text: The answer is very repetitive.

text: The answer is repetitive.

text: The answer is written in a very confusing way. The narrator's words are not quoted and do not make sense on their own.

text: A response of "no answer" is preferable to this response because it covers the lack of a specific response.


text:
is a action-maze video game originally developed and published by Hudson Soft for the TurboGrafx-16 in Japan on 7 December, 1990 and later in North America by NEC in 1991. Belonging to the _Bomberman_ franchise, it is a greatly expanded re-imagining of the first game in the series starring White Bomberman on a quest to rescue Lisa, the kidnapped daughter of his inventor Dr. Mitsumori, from the castle of Black Bomberman while defeating evil monsters and villains that work for him. Initially released for the TurboGrafx-16, the game was later ported to home computers, each one featuring changes compared to the original version. Conversions for other platforms were in development but never released. The title garnered positive reception from critics since its initial release on TurboGrafx-16 and later on home computers.

Gameplay

Single-player

The single player game is divided into eight worlds, each one divided into eight stages.[1][2] Each stage is presented as a maze of blocks filled with enemies. By using bombs, the player must destroy the blocks blocking their path and defeat all of the enemies. Once all of the enemies are defeated and the hidden exit is uncovered, the player can proceed to the next stage. Each stage also includes one power-up hidden under one of the blocks, which can increase the number of bombs drops, increase the range of the bombs' explosions, and other useful powers. The eighth stage in each world is a boss battle.

Multiplayer

The game also includes a multi-player mode which allows up to five players to compete against one another (requires the use of a TurboGrafx-16 Multitap). This mode plays identically to the single-player mode, with the exception of power-ups being limited to only Bombs and Fire. There is also an alternate multi-player mode, Skull Mode, in which skulls sometimes appear hidden beneath blocks, which are detrimental if picked up.

Development and release

_Bomberman_ on the TurboGrafx-16 was created by most of the same team that would work on several projects such as later entries in the _Bomberman_ series at Hudson Soft, with Tsukasa Kuwahara acting as sole designer.[3] Atsuo Nagata and Yūji Muroya served as co-programmers, while Hideyuki Ogura and Mika Sasaki created the pixel art.[4] The soundtrack was composed by Jun Chikuma, with Keita Hoshi also collaborating in its development at sound programmer.[5] The game was first published in Japan by Hudson Soft on 7 December 1990 and later in North America by NEC in 1991.[6] In Europe, the title was released for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS by Ubi Soft as _Dyna Blaster_ due to the European mainstream media associating the original name with terrorist bombings.[7][8][9] Versions for Atari Lynx and Commodore 64 version were in development but never released.[10][11][12] This game was also released as a pack-in title for the Super CD-ROM² add-on alongside Gate of Thunder, Bonk's Adventure, and Bonk's Revenge. However, this version of the game is hidden; to access it, press Up, Right, Down, Left, and II on the TurboGrafx-16 controller. A sound will play and you will be taken to the Bomberman game. The TurboGrafx-16 version of the game was also re-released for PCs in 2002 alongside Bomberman '93 and Bomberman World as part of a compilation disc titled _Bomberman Collection_.

Reception

  Reception
  ------------------- -------------- ------ ------------ --------- ------------
  Review scores
  Publication
  TG-16
  _ASM_
  _Amiga Action_
  _Amiga Computing_
  _Amiga Format_
  _Amiga Mania_
  _Amiga Power_
  _CU Amiga_
  _CVG_
  _Famitsu_
  _Hobby Consolas_
  _Joystick_
  _TOfAG_
  _PC Engine Fan_
  _PC Games_
  _Raze_
  _ST Action_
  _ST Format_
  _ST Review_
  _Tilt_
  _Top Secret_
  _VG&CE_
  _Zero_

TurboGrafx-16

_Bomberman_ on the TurboGrafx-16 garnered positive reception from critics since its release.[59][60] _Aktueller Software Markt_{{'}}s Hans-Joachim Amann criticized the visuals but commended the sound and gameplay.[61] _Computer and Video Games_{{'}}s Paul Glancey and Richard Leadbetter praised the visuals, music, gameplay and multiplayer.[62] French magazine _Génération 4_ praised the animations and playability but criticized the visuals and sound.[63] _Hobby Consolas_{{'}} Marcos García commended the simple graphics, sound, gameplay and multiplayer aspect.[64] Likewise, Jean-Marc Demoly of French publication _Joystick_ praised the gameplay and multiplayer component.[65] Both Martin Weidner and Stefan Hellert of German magazine _Mega Fun_ gave the TurboGrafx-16 original a positive outlook.[66] Japanese readers of the magazine _PC Engine Fan_ voted to give the game a 23.78 out of 10 score, ranking at the number 51 spot.[67]

Dieter Kneffel of German magazine _Play Time_ felt mixed in regards to the visuals and sound but praised the gameplay.[68] Likewise, Olivier Scamps of French magazine _Player One_ felt mixed about the graphics and sound but commended the gameplay and the ability to play against other players simultaneously.[69] Heinrich Lenhardt of German publication _Power Play_ was more critical of the visuals and sound, however he commended both gameplay and multiplayer positively.[70] _Raze_ noted that “_Bomber Man_ is good in one player mode, but really come into its own with two or more players”, stating that the magazine's staff played the multiplayer mode daily.[71] _Tilt_{{'}}s Alain Huyghues-Lacour, however, gave the TurboGrafx-16 original a mixed overall outlook.[72] Michael Hengst of German outlet _Video Games_ was more critical to the game in regards to several aspects but gave it a positive outlook regardless.[73] _VideoGames & Computer Entertainment_{{'}}s Joshua Mandel commended the cartoony graphics and sound effects but criticized the single-player's short length.[74] _Bomberman_ on the TurboGrafx-16 was included in the 2010 book _1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die_.[75]

Amiga

The Amiga conversion of _Bomberman_ received critical acclaim from reviewers.[76][77][78][79][80] _Amiga Action_{{'}}s Jason Simmons praised the graphics, sound and combination of puzzle and arcade elements, stating that “the simplest games are often the best and this is definitively the case with _Dyna Blaster_.”[81] _Amiga Computing_{{'}}s Daniel Whitehead praised the colorful graphics, sound design, gameplay and multiplayer, though Whitehead noted that “single players may feel a bit neglected, though.”[82] _Amiga Format_{{'}}s Linda Barker commended the simple but colorful graphics, addictive gameplay and multiplayer, however Barker criticized the sound design.[83] _Amiga Mania_{{'}}s Ashley Cotter-Cairns praised the fast gameplay, sound and graphics but criticized the longevity of the game, stating that “_Dynablaster_ won't hold your attention for very long. But get some friends and a few four packs in and you're guaranteed a great evening's bombing.”[84] _Amiga Power_{{'}}s Matt Bielby highly praised the multiplayer aspect, regarding it as a “PC Engine perfect conversion” but noted the title's high retail price due to the included multitap adapter.[85]

_CU Amiga_{{'}}s Dan Slingsby praised the graphics, sound, longevity, playability and frantic multiplayer but admitted that the stages in single player mode eventually become boring.[86] Likewise, _Computer and Video Games_{{'}}s Frank O'Connor commended the visuals, sound, playability and longevity as well as the multiplayer.[87] Winfried Forster of German magazine _Power Play_ was conflicted in regards to both graphics and sound but commended the gameplay and multiplayer component.[88] _Tilt_{{'}}s Jacques Harbonn praised the visuals, animation, music, playability, longevity and multiplayer.[89] _Top Secret_{{'}}s Emilus gave the Amiga conversion a perfect score.[90] _Zero_{{'}}s Martin Pond commented positively about the visuals, sound, addictive gameplay and overall execution.[91]

Other versions

The X68000 version of _Bomberman_ obtained critical acclaim from critics. Yoshida Kenji of Japanese magazine _Oh!X_ praised the presentation and gameplay.[92] Japanese publication _Technopolis_ also praised the X68000 version highly.[93]

The Atari ST port of _Bomberman_ was also met with critical acclaim from reviewers. _ST Action_{{'}}s Jason Dutton praised the visuals, sound, gameplay and multiplayer.[94] Likewise, _ST Format_{{'}}s Rob Mead commended the presentation, pacing, gameplay and multiplayer but criticized the controls for being unresponsive.[95] _ST Review_{{'}}s Wayne Legg gave high remakrs to the graphics, sound and playability, though he criticized the initial simplicity but regarded it as “one of the best games on the ST”.[96]

The MS-DOS release of _Bomberman_ saw a mixed but positive reception from critics. Christian Roux of French magazine _Génération 4_ commended the conversion.[97] Sébastien Hamon of French publication _Joystick_ praised the ability to play against four players simultaneously, controls, visuals and sound.[98] _PC Games_{{'}}s Oliver Menne criticized the sound and felt mixed in regards to the graphics but praised the gameplay and originality highly.[99] Richard Löwenstein of German magazine _PC Joker_ felt mixed about the port but rated it slightly higher than Kingsoft's _Bug Bomber_.[100] German publication _Play Time_ gave positive remarks to the sound, graphics and gameplay.[101] Richard Eisenmenger of _Power Play_ felt mixed about the visuals and sound but commended the multiplayer aspect.[102]

Notes

[1] _Bomberman_ manual (TurboGrafx-16, US)

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title: Bomberman (1990 video game)

question: What does the article say about critiques of Bomberman?

text: The answer does not mention critiques of graphics, port, and visuals.

answer: The game received mostly positive reviews. The TurboGrafx-16 version of the game was criticized for its visuals, but praised for its sound and gameplay. The Amiga conversion of the game received critical acclaim from reviewers. The X68000 version of the game was praised for its presentation and gameplay. The Atari ST port of the game was also met with critical acclaim from reviewers. The MS-DOS release of the game saw a mixed but positive reception from critics.

text: The answer should mention the specific criticisms of the game.

text: The response includes extraneous information not useful for the task.

text: The answer omits the criticisms of the MS-DOS release of the game.

text: The answer omits the reception of the game on the PC Engine Fan.

text: Fix the tense

text: The text doesn't indicate that the MS-DOS release saw a mixed but positive reception from critics - only the ST release did

answer: The only disadvantage that the article mentions is related to sound.

text: The article mentions several other critiques.

text: The article mentions several other criticisms.

text: The response inaccurately mentions that the only disadvantage the article mentions is related to sound. However the article mentions several other critiques.

text: The article says a lot about critics' reactions to Bomberman.

text: It is omitted that critics felt mixed about the visuals and sound.

text: The article mentions several other critics besides sound

answer: The game received mostly positive reviews. The TurboGrafx-16 version of the game was criticized for its visuals, but praised for its sound and gameplay. The Amiga conversion of the game received critical acclaim from reviewers. The X68000 version of the game was praised for its presentation and gameplay. The Atari ST port of the game was also met with critical acclaim from reviewers. The MS-DOS release of the game saw a mixed but positive reception from critics.

answer: German magazines Play Time and Power Play feel mixed in regards to the visuals and sound. The X68000 version The Atari ST port of Bomberman obtained critical acclaim from critics and reviewers. PC Games also criticizes the sound and felt mixed in regards to the graphics. German magazine PC Joker feels mixed about the port.

text: Critical acclaim is not a critique. This should be omitted.

text: It's omitted that Generation 4 took issue with the sound and graphics.

text: It's omitted that one critic took issue with the longevity of the game.

text: It's omitted that some also found the single player mode to be a bit boring.

answer: German magazines Play Time and Power Play feel mixed in regards to the visuals and sound. The X68000 version The Atari ST port of Bomberman obtained critical acclaim from critics and reviewers. PC Games also criticizes the sound and felt mixed in regards to the graphics. German magazine PC Joker feels mixed about the port.

text: The answer omits the French magazines' critiques.

text: The answer omits the positive reception the game received.

text: The response is missing a few details about the critiques of Bomberman.

text: The answer should mention that the game received mostly positive reviews.

text: The answer should mention the French magazines' reviews.

text: The response contains inaccurate information.

text: French and German magazines provided the most critique, so these magazines should be mentioned.

answer: The only disadvantage that the article mentions is related to sound.

text: There are various criticisms of the game apart from its sound. The most common are the graphics and the sound.

text: The answer omits that some versions of the game were criticized for their levels.


text:
“The Patriot” is a decent revenge narrative about a by the numbers good guy who was pushed too far. But for celebrating the Fourth of July, it’s trash. The Fourth of July shouldn’t be about celebrating warfare or revolution, it should be about celebrating exceptional American freedom.

The British statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke never called what happened here in 1776 a revolution. His most appropriate designator was “civil war.” He was highly critical of the French revolution, as we all should be, as it was a terrifying failure.

What was different about America? Why are we the unicorn of political revolutions? It’s because we didn’t revolt and overthrow a government. We defended our English rights against English tyranny. We were self-governing and had outgrown rule from that little Island.

The author Os Guinness uses this classic example of Captain Levi Preston to demonstrate the point:

“Captain Preston, what made you go to the Concord fight?”

“What did I go for?”

“Were you oppressed by the Stamp Act?”

“I never saw any stamps, and I always understood that none were sold.”

“Well, what about the tea tax?”

“Tea tax? I never drank a drop of the stuff. The boys threw it all overboard.”

“I suppose you had been reading Harrington, Sidney, and Locke about the eternal principle of liberty?”

“I never heard of these men. The only books we had were the Bible, the catechism, the Psalms, Isaac Watts’ hymns, and the almanacs.”

“Well, then, why did you go out to fight?”

“Young man, what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had been free, and we meant to be free always.”

The American Revolution was self-defense. We were free, and our English brothers were getting in the way. So rather than celebrating something that stirs up violent revolutionary sentiments that would make Jean Jacques Rousseau weep with envy, I propose these films as replacements for “The Patriot” during your July Fourth celebrating.

When you truly love something, you take it as it is, warts and all. Not every film on this list is happy. But all these films are America.

1. ‘12 Angry Men’

This film is proof-positive that ultimately great films are built on great scripts. More than that, this movie is about how American jurisprudence rests on “innocent before proven guilty.” English jurisprudence was built on “guilty before proven innocent.”

Innocence of a crime one didn’t commit is extremely hard to prove. Often, it’s impossible. There are too many people in our prisons, too many needlessly deprived of freedom. This film reminds us that isn’t ultimately the fault of a “system” but often the fault of 12 people.

Jury duty is an important part of our freedom. Let’s be better at it.

2. ‘American History X’

This film is brutal and not for everyone. It’s a tragic tale of a brilliant young man who turns to white supremacy to heal the wounds of losing his father. Sound relevant?

America is one of the least racist places in the world. I’m not trying to Howard Zinn this list. But “American History X” is about how America is an antidote to racism. The tag line—“some legacies must end”—says it all. America was built on principles in conflict with slavery.

Every society on Earth has been built upon slavery. But America said our pillars will reject that. We haven’t been consistent, we have failed. But we have the keys to freedom from racism and, like Martin Luther King Jr., we must grasp tighter to those keys, not looser.

We must become more fundamentalist about American exceptionalism in this regard, more convinced, more impassioned. We must set free the better angels of our nature and stop trying to solve our racial problems from without but look within. Constraints don’t make people good. Racism is ultimately a struggle of the soul, and our founding principles defeat hate every single day, whether we see it or not.

3. ‘Barbershop’

This film is pure Alexis de Tocqueville. The meditating communal institutions of America are what fundamentally facilitate freedom. It’s the governments’ job to remove constraints so that can happen.

In Greenville, North Carolina, there’s a program called “Cops and Barbers” for at-risk youth. It’s a network of men who are watching out for the kids of that community. American freedom resides in the people, but it’s unsustainable without community. This film celebrates that like none other.

4. ‘Brooklyn’

This wonderful film has really gone under the radar and should be essential viewing for the Fourth of July. Saorise Ronan beautifully portrays an Irish immigrant who is trying to make a life in Brooklyn. We are a nation of immigrants, and I wish the entire world could live here. I would have no problem with completely open borders if we abolished the welfare state and federal income tax.

But that won’t happen anytime soon, if ever. Conservatives want people to come here because we believe America is exceptional! We want people who want to be free to be able to be free. Here your heart can sing unhindered. This beautiful clip from the film really says it all:

5. ‘Field of Dreams’

Do I even need to defend this one? Baseball. Iowa. Anti-censorship. Unwavering faith. Corn fields. Conflicted relationships with fathers. James Earl Jones. Kevin Costner before “Waterworld.” It doesn’t get any more American than this! I don’t know why you aren’t watching this movie right now. This film is a celebration of everything we are as a nation.

6. ‘Friday’

This film is hilarious, but it’s also about fundamental American values. If marijuana and profanity makes you uncomfortable, you may want to skip this one (I’m not a fan but I still love this movie). But ultimately this film is about bullies and standing up to them. It’s about being a man and growing up. It’s about how communities are only as good as their people.

We decide what kind of communities we’ll have. We decide how free we are.

7. ‘The Iron Giant’

This is quite possibly the greatest animated film ever made. Like Brad Bird’s excellent Incredibles films, it’s jam-packed with American nostalgia. It has numerous virtues such as suspicion of power and the simple joys of being a young child running around in the woods.

But its message about appearances being deceptive is probably the most important. America is against pre-judgement. Prejudice kills the soul. “Look, it’s none of my business, but who cares what these creeps think of you? They don’t make you what you are, you do. You are who you choose to be.”

If you’ve never seen this film, you owe it to yourself to watch it this Fourth of July. If you don’t shed a tear at the end, well, then you’re the one made of iron.

8. ‘The Karate Kid’

I said everything I needed to say about this film here. In this article I’ll simply say if the Fourth is about patriotism, then it’s ultimately about fatherhood. “They carried in their souls the spirit of their fathers. The root of the word ‘patriot’ comes from the Greek word _patris_. _Patris_ means father.”

9. ‘The Last Unicorn’

This wonderful animated film is perfect for celebrating the Fourth of July because America is a unicorn. A unicorn is something that shouldn’t exist, something precious and unique. There has never been a country like this one: A country founded on principles in direct conflict with slavery. A country willing to fight a war over slavery. A country with no nationality or enforced religion. A country with no king. Even the soundtrack to this film was performed by America!

More importantly, this film is about finding things that are lost. And something is very lost in our country today. We need to go looking for it. The keys to freedom have been locked away somewhere and it’s going to require each of us to go on a soul-searching quest to find them.

The lyrics from the theme song are tremendous and oddly evoke our current predicament perfectly:

  When the first breath of winter through the flowers is icing
  And you look to the north and a pale moon is rising
  And it seems like all is dying and would leave the world to mourn
  In the distance hear the laughter of the last unicorn
  I’m alive, I’m alive.

America is the last unicorn, and she is still alive. We have to go find her and set her free again.

10. ‘Lincoln’

Fundamentally, this film is about the contradictions of the American founding. Slavery existed in the land of the free for a long time. But evil can’t be stamped out with a hammer. It takes wisdom, time, patience, and hard work.

The best line in the film demonstrates this beautifully: “A compass, I learned when I was surveying, it’ll… it’ll point you true north from where you’re standing, but it’s got no advice about the swamps, deserts and chasms that you’ll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp… what’s the use of knowing true north?”

This film also tells a story about a functioning legislative branch. Nowadays, our representatives and senators are pundits. They’ve grown fat and lazy. Here we get to see what republican democracy is supposed to look like in all its nasty, raw beauty.

We deserve men like Thaddeus Stevens, who was willing to say things that made his heart break in order to free people. I pray for a Congress that calls each other reptiles again to break the shackles of tyranny.

11. ‘Miracle’

What conservatives want to conserve is not the bizarre caricature of rugged individualism and social darwinism that the Left says we represent. Jonah Goldberg put it very well: “The market system is so good at getting people—from all over the world—to work together that we barely notice how much we’re cooperating. Liberalism, meanwhile, by refusing to give people direction and meaning from above—as every ancient system did, and every modern totalitarianism does—depends on a healthy civil society to provide the sense of meaning and belonging we all crave. Civil society, as I explain later, is that vast social ecosystem—family, schools, churches, associations, sports, business, local communities, etc.—that mediates life between the state and the individual. It is a healthy civil society, not the state, that civilizes people.”

That is what this film represents. It’s Tocqueville versus Karl Marx. The USSR’s hockey team was the incarnation of Communism, and a bunch of college kids defeated it! If you don’t have time to read Goldberg’s “Suicide of the West,” then maybe just watch this film. They’re both about naturalistic miracles.

12. ‘Remember the Titans’

This movie is pure Americana, from the soundtrack to the morals. Sports save lives, sports breed forgiveness, because sports don’t really matter. The stakes are lower with sports, so we can enter into them more lightly. That’s how we discover each other.

This is why Robert Putnam titled his book “Bowling Alone.” You can can’t discover others by playing solitaire. This country is built upon an infinite string of individual relationships. It isn’t ultimately about what happens in DC. It’s about us and how well we can learn to live with each other.

13. ‘Steel Magnolias’

No one needs an excuse to watch this wonderful film, but the Fourth of July is a pretty good one. Our women have always made this country great. They are tough and beautiful, magnolias made of steel. “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Enough said.

14. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

“Now, gentlemen, in this country, our courts are the great levelers. In our courts, all men are created equal. I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and of our jury system – that’s no ideal to me. That is a living, working reality! Now I am confident that you gentlemen will review, without passion, the evidence that you have heard, come to a decision and restore this man to his family. In the name of God, do your duty. In the name of God, believe Tom Robinson.”

The members of this infamous jury in this famous American book didn’t believe the falsely accused Tom Robinson. Yet freedom requires better of us. It requires that we take responsibility for ourselves and our world.

The Fourth of July means nothing if it isn’t nested in what Thomas Sowell calls “the tragic vision of the world.” This sees that the world is cracked and broken and says we must go to the broken places without idealism, but with tragic conviction that our principles are true even when we fail to live up to them.

15.

This last one is blank. I’m several generations removed from Pacific Northwest Indians, but whenever I visit Oregon the land awakens the echoes in my soul. I pray that someday this spot could be filled by a film about Black Elk, a holy man of the Lakota.

He decided to follow Jesus, whom the Lakota call Wanikiya: “He who makes live.” He was a convert to Catholicism and is being considered for canonization by the Catholic Church. Someday he will be remembered as one of the great Americans, but unfortunately his Christianity runs against the grain of the racist identity politics of American leftism.

Black Elk was at the Wounded Knee massacre, but overcame tragedy with faith. The life blood of America has always been faith. The separation of church and state isn’t designed to protect atheists, it’s designed to protect faith from the state. Without faith there is no freedom, and therefore no America.

A.C. Gleason is a proud Biola University alum, where he met his wonderful wife. He earned his MA in philosophy of religion from Talbot. He co-hosts and co-produces The AK47 Podcast with fellow Talbot Alum Kyle Hendricks. You can find more of his writings on Medium and ricochet.com . Follow him on Twitter @ac_gleason and his podcast @aaronkyle47. He denies all accusations that Comrade Real Presence is his alter ego, although he hears that guy is awesome.

Copyright © 2020 The Federalist, a wholly independent division of FDRLST Media, All Rights Reserved.

question: What does the text say about "12 Angry Men"?

text: It's important to mention the purpose of the author mentioning "12 Angry Men". He sees it as a film that's representative of America and a good one to watch for the Fourth of July.

answer: The author says that the film is proof-positive that ultimately great films are built on great scripts. The movie is about how American jurisprudence rests on "innocent before proven guilty". The author says that innocence of a crime one didn't commit is extremely hard to prove. Often, it's impossible. There are too many people in our prisons, too many needlessly deprived of freedom. This film reminds us that isn't ultimately the fault of a "system" but often the fault of 12 people. Jury duty is an important part of our freedom.

text: The answer omits that English jurisprudence was built on “guilty before proven innocent.”

answer: The author says that the film is proof-positive that ultimately great films are built on great scripts. The movie is about how American jurisprudence rests on "innocent before proven guilty". The author says that innocence of a crime one didn't commit is extremely hard to prove. Often, it's impossible. There are too many people in our prisons, too many needlessly deprived of freedom. This film reminds us that isn't ultimately the fault of a "system" but often the fault of 12 people. Jury duty is an important part of our freedom.

text: The author says that the film is proof-positive that ultimately great films are built on great scripts. The movie is about how American jurisprudence rests on "innocent before proven guilty". The author says that innocence of a crime one didn't commit is extremely hard to prove. Often, it's impossible. There are too many people in our prisons, too many needlessly deprived of freedom. This film reminds us that isn't ultimately the fault of a "system" but often the fault of 12 people. Jury duty is an important part of our freedom.

text: The last two sentences are unnecessary.

text: The last two lines are unnecessary.

text: The last sentence is unnecessary.

text: The phrase "innocent before proven guilty" is repeated twice.

text: This isn't necessary and should be omitted since the question is only looking for the content relevant to the film

text: The last sentence is unnecessary.

answer: "12 Angry Men" is a film about how American jurisprudence rests on "innocent before proven guilty", where English jurisprudence was built on "guilty before proven innocent". The author of this text sees this film as proof-positive that great films are built on great scripts. He also sees the movie as reminding people that it ultimately isn't the fault of the system that there are too many people in our prison but often the fault of the 12 people on a jury. He believes this film is representative of America and a great one to watch to celebrate the Fourth of July.

answer: "12 Angry Men" is a film about how American jurisprudence rests on "innocent before proven guilty", where English jurisprudence was built on "guilty before proven innocent". The author of this text sees this film as proof-positive that great films are built on great scripts. He also sees the movie as reminding people that it ultimately isn't the fault of the system that there are too many people in our prison but often the fault of the 12 people on a jury.

answer: "12 Angry Men" is a film about how American jurisprudence rests on "innocent before proven guilty", where English jurisprudence was built on "guilty before proven innocent". The author of this text sees this film as proof-positive that great films are built on great scripts. He also sees the movie as reminding people that it ultimately isn't the fault of the system that there are too many people in our prison but often the fault of the 12 people on a jury. He believes this film is representative of America and a great one to watch to celebrate the Fourth of July.

text: The author is a male.

text: The response should include that the movie is about jury duty.

text: The film isn't just about how American jurisprudence rests on "innocent before proven guilty". It's about how the American justice system is based on the idea that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

text: Remove 'that' and the comma

answer: "12 Angry Men" is a film about how American jurisprudence rests on "innocent before proven guilty", where English jurisprudence was built on "guilty before proven innocent". The author of this text sees this film as proof-positive that great films are built on great scripts. He also sees the movie as reminding people that it ultimately isn't the fault of the system that there are too many people in our prison but often the fault of the 12 people on a jury.

text: The author is a male.

text: The author of the text is a he.

text: It's omitted that the movie is about a jury.

text: The author of this text is a he.

text: The subject of the sentence should be enclosed in the quotations because it is a phrase that appears in the text.