text:
Death.

It was all around me. Down the corridors in the rooms. The smell lingered like a black, hazy cloud above my head. The corridors were sickly white from the lights watching above, hurting my eyes as if somehow malicious and malevolent. Cautiously, I walked down the corridor; the sound of my heels clicking against the floor, echoing in my mind like the beats of people’s hearts around me.

I leap. At least a foot or two in my mind, though it may have just been two inches. My heart skips, delaying my breath, and when it does come, it is in gasps and pants.

A bloodcurdling scream had just emanated from one of the many cold, clinical walls, echoing down the corridor. I sigh, “Just another day at the offices I suppose”.

I’m a nurse at the local hospital in the intensive care unit. Just an average person, there’s nothing different about me. At least, this is what I lead people to believe. I have a secret to hide, that nobody knows.

The hospital is the safest place for me to hide.

Nobody ever thinks it’s me. I mean, I’m a doctor - why would you suspect someone like me? You see, if I told you my secret right now, you would go cold. Your blood would freeze. You’d try your best to escape the crazy person that just told you this horrible, crazy thing. That’s what happened to last person I told.

My own mother, terrified, started screaming and shouting at me, telling me I’m a monster and that she never wants to see me again. Reluctantly I left, feeling rejected and downtrodden. I’m no stranger to rejection; I’ve always been cast out of groups, always been ignored.

That is, until I met him.

As I continued my journey down the corridor, I heard another scream; the same freezing sensation goes running down my spine exactly like before, reaching into my heart, replacing my blood with ice, pulling my air out of my body. I sigh, and after pausing for a precious moment, press onwards with my duty.

I walked into the rooms around me, checking on the patients - but I have a specific patient on my mind. Calmly, I stroll out of the penultimate room, down to the last room at the end of the corridor. Drawn to it I quicken my pace, desperation setting in like the jaws of a vice, holding me in its grip. Something about it tempts me, there is something just so unusually tantalizing about it.

I am the moth, and this is my flame.

Carefully, I placed my hand upon the doorknob and paused for a moment, reflecting briefly on the events that had led to this moment. I smile to myself. “Time to go,” I whisper, and turn the doorknob, slowly and deliberately, quiet as a cat would tread down this hall. I push slightly on the door. It obeys, and opens without a sound, revealing its secrets.

There he lay, helpless, the pain creeping up on his face, contorting his usual handsome features into something completely different. He now was a catalyst of pain and anguish. His cheery demeanor had been replaced with a forlorn, defeated expression that I could feel myself mimicking from just looking at him.

It killed me to see him that way - something I’d never felt for anyone before it had all happened. The pale skin on his chest gently rose with his every breath. His bed ridden hair spread messily over his pillow like waves of some brown ocean, once luxurious now resembled rotten straw. Those mesmerizing ocean blue eyes that always kept me hypnotised in my place now repelled me, even though they weren’t open. Under his paper white skin, I could see his blood pumping faintly through his veins. I breathe in, taking in his scent. The smell intoxicates my mind, making my head spin around and around, my world suddenly becoming very cloudy. My every thought spiraling out of control, but all centering on him. His scent. His blood.

Snapping out of my trance, I then realised how close I was to his neck. I pull back, ashamedly and race out of the room, making sure to leave no trace of my foul presence.

This turn of events had been recurring without relent for weeks now, ever since he was first admitted into this place. Ever since the start, something about him had hypnotised my every sense. Try as I may to avoid his room - even the very corridor it was situated in - it still seemed to end in the same horrible fashion. My face only inches from his neck.

This story isn’t unique though - this same tragic turn of events has happened to me once before, a long time ago. I used to work night shifts at another hospital before this one; and just like this very moment I was checking on patients to see if everything was ok.

There was one patient who stood out to me in a big way. His name was Gustav Wood. He was vastly different to all the others, and just like the current object of my desires, some unidentifiable thing about him stood out. Maybe it was his velvety smooth skin, how magically pale it was or the way his voice sounded, like a glass full of warm, creamy chocolate. I didn’t know what it was, but something about him intrigued me, and I had to find out what it was even if it killed me.

Gustav and I bonded quickly and graciously over the months of his stay at the hospital. We talked enthusiastically whenever I was treating him and checking in on him, and I found out a lot of things about him. He was a solider and got injured badly in the war. I nursed him from almost certain death - when he first came in I honestly thought he wasn’t going to make it and he was all I could think about throughout all my waking (and sleeping) hours.

One miserable night, when the rain was pouring angrily down, with the fog hanging thickly in the night sky, I went to check on Gustav. I walked into his room, quietly, so as not to wake him if he indeed was asleep. He turned around as briskly as I had entered and looked at me, but something about him seemed to be different. Something seemed wrong. I ignored that thought in the back of my head, continuing to get closer to him.

Gingerly, I stood beside his bed. Gustav gazed up at me with that strange look in his eyes, the same one I have been seeing for a few nights now. This look made me feel uneasy. This look was wrong. But before I could speak to him, or even open my mouth to try to speak, I noticed his eyes had taken an unusual form, and a devilish grin was forming on his lips.

It all just happened so fast. He grabbed me at the back of my head fiercely, and threw it back with enormous strength - strength I would never have expected from a recovering war casualty. My eyes opened wide, my mouth wider, and as I was just about to scream, he sank his teeth deep into my neck. My festering scream then released itself from my lungs, as he drained the life from my body. And as suddenly as he had started, he stopped, dropping my limp body on the bed and vanishing through the window into the darkness of the night.

I laid there, withering in pain on the blood splattered sheets, the pain unreal like my body was being incinerated by the forces of Hell itself. Finally, the pain subsided and I woke up. A week had passed, and I was laid in the same place I was viciously attacked by Gustav. And I couldn’t place it, but something was very different about me. Something had changed in me; whether Gustav had provoked this change or it had happened itself I didn’t know. But I know now.

Tonight wasn’t any different to the other nights earlier in the week. I was doing the night shift again, checking in on each patient meticulously like every other night at the hospital. Once again, I had arrived at the end of the corridor. I had arrived near him. Cautiously, I opened the door, careful not to make a sound, then swiftly, gracefully entered - shutting it behind me. Then silently, coolly, walked towards him.

He was sound asleep. “Not for long,” I think, “Tonight’s the nights when my plan comes into action.” Cunningly, I put my face near his neck, his blood tantalisingly pulsating under his skin. Out of nowhere there was a noise outside the room. I stopped dead in my tracks and listen.

Silence.

Slowly, I opened my mouth, moved carefully over to his neck and sank my teeth in deep. He woke up immediately of course - much to my dismay - and screamed out in pain. I quickly clamp my hand over his mouth to muffle his irritating screams. The taste of blood in the back of my mouth was amazing, like nothing I had ever tasted before.

I don’t know how long I was there, but eventually I stopped, dropping his limp body to the bed. I gazed down to my blood splattered shirt, to his lifeless, limp body and smile to myself.

“Wow,” I sigh to myself, reveling in delight when all of a sudden a loud bang sounds outside; I get up from the bed immediately and jump through the window into the darkness, taking with me my conflicting feelings of ecstasy, guilt, but most of all – satiety.

title: My Shameful Affliction

question: Summarize the feelings the narrator is experiencing weeks after going through her ordeal with Gustav Wood.

text: There is nothing in the passage to suggest that the narrator was thirsty.

answer: The narrator could smell strange odors in the hospital corridors. She could clearly hear her heels as they click against the floor. At the sight of a patient lying on the bed, feelings of thirst took over her senses. She could smell his blood, see it pumping through his veins. She pulled closer to his neck before she stops herself.

text: The answer is not related.

text: The answer is not related to the question.

text: The answer is not relevant.

text: The answer is completely irrelevant.

text: The answer is completely irrelevant to the question.

text: We aren't told if the odors are the same in the new hospital as the previous one, so omit the first sentence

text: The answer is not related.

text: The answer is not relevant.

text: The answer is completely irrelevant.

answer: The narrator is feeling conflicted about her feelings. She is feeling ecstasy, guilt, and satiety. She is also feeling conflicted about her feelings.

text: The narrator is feeling conflicted about her feelings. She is feeling ecstasy, guilt, and satiety. She is also feeling conflicted about her feelings.

text: The narrator's feelings are expressed twice.

text: The answer is repetitive.

text: Gustav Wood is irrelevant to the answer because the question no longer asks about the narrator's experiences with the man, instead just asking about the narrator's feelings.

text: This should mention how she has noticed a change in herself since Gustav bit her neck.

text: The two sentences relate to the moment the narrator gets the urge to bite into a patient's neck, revealing she's a vampire. This should be the first sentence.

answer: The narrator is feeling conflicted about her feelings. She is feeling ecstasy, guilt, and satiety. She is also feeling conflicted about her feelings.

text: The answer is repetitive and fails to answer the question. It should mention that the narrator has been changed to a vampire and her feelings of ecstasy, guilt, and satiety is a result of drinking the blood of another

answer: The narrator could smell strange odors in the hospital corridors. She could clearly hear her heels as they click against the floor. At the sight of a patient lying on the bed, feelings of thirst took over her senses. She could smell his blood, see it pumping through his veins. She pulled closer to his neck before she stops herself.

text: The behavior shown by Gustav, and later, the narrator, is that of a vampire. While this is not stated directly in the story, most of the details such as the title, the sucking of the blood from the neck, and ecstasy gained from the act, all allude to literary elements associated with vampires. So while the response provides a decent answer to the question, the overall context that the narrator is going through 'emotions and desires coming from vampirism' should be stated.

answer: The narrator could smell strange odors in the hospital corridors. She could clearly hear her heels as they click against the floor. At the sight of a patient lying on the bed, feelings of intoxication took over her senses. She could smell his blood, see it pumping through his veins. She pulled closer to his neck before she stops herself.

text: The first two sentences are irrelevant to the question and should be removed.

text: Should be mentioned that Gustav Wood has bitten the narrator which it turned her into a vampire.

text: Should be mentioned that she is tempted by the hospital patients.

text: It should also be mentioned that after bitting a man's neck, she has conflicting feelings of ecstasy, guilt, but most of all – satiety.


text:
Razed to the ground: Shocking before-and-after images reveal scale of destruction caused by fires sweeping through Colorado

-   32,000 evacuated from Colorado Springs including Air Force Academy cadets as inferno spread
-   About 300 homes reportedly destroyed in Waldo Canyon Fire, which has been named the No. 1 priority for emergency crews
-   Obama to tour the disaster-stricken area on Friday to meet firefighters working around the clock

 Published: 15:43 EST, 27 June 2012 | Updated: 00:34 EST, 29 June 2012

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Photos of the heartbreaking devastation of the wildfires that have ravaged Colorado in the last several days have revealed piles of rubble where houses once stood before the flames engulfed the region, leaving more than 30,000 people homeless.

The photos revealed the Mountain Shadows area of Colorado Springs, where dozens of homes can be seen decimated by the fast-moving fire.

The raging wildfire that has encroached on the state's second-largest city and threatened the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Mayor Steve Bach said a more accurate account will be available later in the day of the damage from a blaze that has burned out of control for much of the week and forced more than 30,000 evacuees to frantically pack up belongings and flee.

Scroll down for video

[Before]

[After]

Before and after: The devastating Colorado wildfire can be seen in two overhead images in the Colorado Springs neighbourhood of Mountain Shadows

[Whole streets of house have been razed to the ground by the fire in the Colorado Springs neighbourhood of Mountain Shadows]

Whole streets of house have been razed to the ground by the fire in the Colorado Springs neighbourhood of Mountain Shadows

[Watching it burn: Distraught residents stand helplessly as high winds push the Waldo Canyon Fire into the Garden of the Gods and Mountain Shadows neighborhoods in Colorado Springs]

Watching it burn: Distraught residents stand helplessly as high winds push the Waldo Canyon Fire into the Garden of the Gods and Mountain Shadows neighborhoods in Colorado Springs

Heavy smoke and ash billowed down the mountain from the Waldo Canyon Fire, which is top priority for the nation's firefighters. Jeffrey Lucas, who has lived in the area all his life, said his family home had burned to the ground.

The 23-year-old told the Denver Post: 'The fire was literally coming down the hill as all of us were running to grab things out of the house and get out of there.'

He added that there were no calls from police and they had seen how close the fire was getting from watching news reports on TV. The family watched their home catch fire just 30 minutes after they escaped.

Their home was one of about 300 that are believed to have been destroyed in the Waldo Canyon blaze, the Post reported.

Ted Stefani told the Post that he found out his five-bedroom home was gone when he saw it consumed by flames in a photo on the front page of the newspaper.

The cause of the blaze remains unknown and local authorities said Thursday that conditions are too dangerous for any such investigation to begin.

[Some of the hundreds of totally destroyed homes are seen in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs]

Some of the hundreds of totally destroyed homes are seen in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs

[Devastation: Winds have pushed the Waldo Canyon fire into the foothills neighborhoods west of Colorado Springs, Colorado]

Devastation: Winds have pushed the Waldo Canyon fire into the foothills neighborhoods west of Colorado Springs, Colorado

[Cooler temperatures and lighter winds helped firefighters on Thursday in the battle against the fire, which has destroyed hundreds of homes and forced more than 35,000 people to flee]

Cooler temperatures and lighter winds helped firefighters on Thursday in the battle against the fire, which has destroyed hundreds of homes and forced more than 35,000 people to flee

[This aerial photo shows the destructive path of the Waldo Canyon fire in the Mountain Shadows subdivision area of Colorado Springs]

This aerial photo shows the destructive path of the Waldo Canyon fire in the Mountain Shadows subdivision area of Colorado Springs

El Paso County sheriff's Lt Jeff Kramer said that U.S. Forest Service agents are waiting for firefighting commanders to tell them when it's safe to enter the burned area.

The wildfire was one of many burning across the parched West, blazes that have destroyed structures and prompted evacuations in Montana and Utah and forced the closure of a portion of Zion National Park.

Colorado's Thursday weather forecast offered some hope for progress, with the temperature expected to reach into the mid-80s - about 5 degrees cooler than Wednesday - and humidity 15 to 20 percent, about 5 percentage points higher.

Winds were forecast to be 10 to 15 mph out of the west.

'It's not windy yet this morning. That's always a good sign,' fire information officer Rob Dyerberg said Thursday.

[Neighborhood inferno: The Waldo Canyon Fire engulfs an entire neighborhood in the foothills of Colorado Springs as temperatures of more than 100 degrees only served to fuel the flames]

Neighborhood inferno: The Waldo Canyon Fire engulfs an entire neighborhood in the foothills of Colorado Springs as temperatures of more than 100 degrees only served to fuel the flames

[Aerial firefight: A helicopter drops water over Queens Canyon, near Colorado Springs, Colorado, while fighting the Waldo Canyon fire]

Aerial firefight: A helicopter drops water over Queens Canyon, near Colorado Springs, Colorado, while fighting the Waldo Canyon fire

Neighborhoods where explosions of bright orange flame Tuesday signaled yet another house had been claimed were still dangerous, keeping authorities away from being to assess the damage.

An AP aerial photo taken Wednesday of one neighborhood showed hundreds of heavily damaged or destroyed homes.

Ed and Florine Gigandet took refuge in a hotel in Manitou Springs, which days earlier had been evacuated when the same fire passed through. They fled their home as ash fell on their driveway from an ominous orange smoke overhead.

Trying to learn about damage, the Gigandets drove to near their west Colorado Springs neighborhood to talk to police officers and see the area.

They scoured media photos and spent hours on the phone with friends for any scrap of information. Authorities told the Gigandets it could be at least week before they're allowed home.

[Run for your life: Smoke and ash billowed down the hill from the Waldo Canyon wildfire causing 32,000 residents to be evacuated]

Run for your life: Smoke and ash billowed down the hill from the Waldo Canyon wildfire causing 32,000 residents to be evacuated

[Courage under fire: Firefighters struggle to get close to the blaze (left) while evacuated residents wait anxiously for news of their homes]

[Courage under fire: Firefighters struggle to get close to the blaze (left) while evacuated residents wait anxiously for news of their homes]

Courage under fire: Firefighters struggle to get close to the blaze (left) while evacuated residents wait anxiously for news of their homes

[Neighbourhood ravaged: Smoke rises over the Mountain Shadows area of Colorado Springs, Colorado, after the Waldo Canyon fire blazed through the area]

Neighbourhood ravaged: Smoke rises over the Mountain Shadows area of Colorado Springs, Colorado, after the Waldo Canyon fire blazed through the area

'We only packed clothes for four days,' Florine Gigandet, 83, a retired photo printer, said. 'I really thought that we'd be gone for only a day.'

The displaced residents took stock of what they left behind. Some sat in coffee shops, others stood on bluffs to keep an eye on their neighborhoods, and others met with insurance company representatives.

The fire moved so fast that Laura Oldland grabbed damp laundry out of her drier and threw it into a suitcase. But she forgot her grandmother's dishes.

The Gigandets, avid golfers, left their clubs behind. 'We should be out golfing,' said Ed Gigandet, 81, a retired mining machinery sales analyst.

[Destruction: A residential area party destroyed by the Colorado wildfires is seen from this aerial photo]

Destruction: A residential area party destroyed by the Colorado wildfires is seen from this aerial photo

Meanwhile, the White House said President Obama will tour fire-stricken areas of Colorado on Friday and thank firefighters battling some of the worst fires to hit the American West in decades.

The president phoned Gov John Hickenlooper yesterday to pledge his support and resources for the firefight, and said that both that his thoughts and prayers are with responders and families impacted by the fires, according to a statement from the White House.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Peter Carey said Obama's visit to Colorado, considered a key battleground state in the presidential election, would not tax the city's already-strained police force.

[Quenching: A Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130 drops fire retardant on a section of the Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs]

Quenching: A Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130 drops fire retardant on a section of the Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs

Gov Hickenlooper said he expected the president might sign a disaster declaration that would allow for more federal aid.

The fire blackened up to 50 acres along the southwest boundary of the Air Force Academy campus, said Anne Rys-Sikora, a spokeswoman for the firefighters. No injuries or damage to structures - including the iconic Cadet Chapel - were reported.

Fort Carson, an Army infantry post about 15 miles from the academy, sent 120 soldiers along with bulldozers and other heavy equipment to help clear a line to stop the fire on the academy.

[Fleeing: Tayor Salamon, 11, holds on to his dog as they pile in the back seat and his family rushes to leave their home in Colorado Springs]

Fleeing: Tayor Salamon, 11, holds on to his dog as they pile in the back seat and his family rushes to leave their home in Colorado Springs

[A time to cry: Robert Garcia consoles his wife Margaret as they watch the Waldo Canyon Fire; The Garcias were evacuated yesterday and were trying today to see if their home were damaged]

A time to cry: Robert Garcia consoles his wife Margaret as they watch the Waldo Canyon Fire; The Garcias were evacuated yesterday and were trying today to see if their home were damaged

[Fire]

Gone with the wind: High winds push the Waldo Canyon Fire into the Garden of the Gods and Mountain Shadows neighborhoods in Colorado Springs, Colorado; three men capture the destruction with cameras and mobile phones

[Smoke]

Gusty: Two men survey the smoke from the top of a rocky hill as wind blows the thick smoke through the air

Rys-Sikora said the academy was not getting a disproportionate share of equipment and firefighters.

'It's not lopsided,' she said.

Late Wednesday night, Air Force Academy officials announced they were relocating about 550 cadets off academy grounds.

About 200 cadets in summer academics were being moved to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and 350 others in airmanship and other training programs were released to local sponsor families, the school said.

The cadet area isn't immediately threatened, and an incoming class of more than 1,000 is still scheduled to arrive Thursday.

The full scope of the fire remained unknown. So intense were the flames and so thick the smoke that rescue workers weren't able to tell residents which structures were destroyed and which ones were still standing.

[Up in flames: An entire neighborhood burns near the foothills of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Tuesday, June 26]

Up in flames: This June 26th photo shows an entire neighborhood in flames near the foothills of Colorado Springs, Colo. The fire is now reported to be 90 per cent contained

[Watching as Rome burns: A man outside of Colorado Springs observes the blanket of smoke billowing out from Colorado Springs]

Watching as Rome burns: A man outside of Colorado Springs observes the blanket of smoke billowing out from Colorado Springs

[Susan Custer wears a mask as she checks on her sister's home]      [wildfires in colorado - woman in tears]

Different forms of devastation: Left, Susan Custer wears a mask as she checks on her sister's home, and right, a girl wipes away tears

Indeed, authorities were too busy Wednesday struggling to save homes in near-zero visibility to count how many had been destroyed in what is the latest test for a drought-parched and tinder-dry state.

At one point, a team assessing the damage had to leave charred neighborhoods because of smoke and fire danger.

FBI officials are present and have said they were investigating the cause of the blaze.

In addition to the some 30,000 evacuees, about 3,000 more people were evacuated to the west of the fire, Teller County authorities said Wednesday, and Teller County courts were closed through Thursday.

The Red Cross was accommodating victims at its shelters, with space enough for perhaps 2,500 people. Most evacuees were staying with family and friends.

Crews also were battling a deadly and destructive wildfire in northern Colorado and another that flared Tuesday night near Boulder.

Colorado wasn't the only state affected by fire, as several burned throughout the parched West.

[Hard day's night: A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter drops slurry on a hot spot at the Waldo Canyon Fire]

Hard day's night: A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter drops slurry on a hot spot at the Waldo Canyon Fire

[Seen from space: The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on June 26; Smoke trails mark the locations of actively burning fires]

Seen from space: The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on June 26; Smoke trails mark the locations of actively burning fires

[What's left: Homes burned by the Waldo Canyon Fire are seen today; Fire-fighters struggled against a wildfire at the edge of Colorado Springs that doubled in size overnight and has forced 32,000 people from their homes]

What's left: Homes burned by the Waldo Canyon Fire are seen today; Fire-fighters struggled against a wildfire at the edge of Colorado Springs that doubled in size overnight and has forced 32,000 people from their homes

VIDEO: Aeriel footage shows the size and extent of the spread of the fires

question: What does the story say about the people whose lives were endangered or disrupted by the fire in Colorado?

human_answer: Overall, about 32,000 people evacuated from Colorado Springs, and 300 homes were destroyed. Jeffrey Lucas, whose family home burned down, said they saw the fires come down the hill while escaping. Ed and Florine Gigandet, whose house was destroyed a few days ago when the fire passed through, went back to assess the damage, but the authorities said it would be at least another week before they are allowed back. Among the evacuees are 550 Air Force Academy cadets.

text: The number of evacuated people is about 32,000, a lot more than the answer claims.

category: accuracy

answer: The fire in Colorado Springs has affected more than 30,000 people. The fire has destroyed 300 homes. The fire has also affected the U.S. Air Force Academy. The fire has caused the evacuation of 32,000 people. The fire has also caused the closure of a portion of Zion National Park. The fire has also caused the closure of Teller County courts. The fire has also caused the closure of a portion of Zion National Park. The fire has also caused the closure of Teller County courts.

answer_source: Model

text: The answer repeats itself.

text: The last two sentences are redundant.

text: The answer is repetitive.

text: The last two sentences are redundant and should be removed.

text: Repetition

text: The story did not mention a closure of the National Park due to the fire.

text: The answer is repetitive. The two last sentences should be deleted.

category: coherence

text: It left more than 30,000 people homeless.

category: coverage

answer: The fire in Colorado Springs has affected more than 30,000 people. The fire has destroyed 300 homes. The fire has also affected the U.S. Air Force Academy. The fire has caused the evacuation of 32,000 people. The fire has also caused the closure of a portion of Zion National Park. The fire has also caused the closure of Teller County courts. The fire has also caused the closure of a portion of Zion National Park. The fire has also caused the closure of Teller County courts.

text: The last two sentences are repeated

text: The sentences all start in exactly the same way. Change it up and you'll achieve better flow.

answer: Thousands of people were evacuated from Colorado Springs, and 300 homes were destroyed. Jeffrey Lucas, whose family home burned down, said they saw the fires come down the hill while escaping. Ed and Florine Gigandet, whose house was destroyed a few days ago when the fire passed through, went back to assess the damage, but the authorities said it would be at least another week before they are allowed back. Among the evacuees are 550 Air Force Academy cadets.

answer_source: Human misleading

text: The answer should mention the president's visit.

text: The answer should mention the families of the cadets.

text: The response misses to mention that the fire moved so fast that Laura Oldland grabbed damp laundry out of her drier and threw it into a suitcase. But she forgot her grandmother's dishes.

text: It's omitted that the fire also threatened the U.S. Air Force Academy.

text: It is not stated that the house was destroyed a few days ago when the fire passed through.

text: The Fox family and Laura Oldland are mentioned as well.

answer: Thousands of people were evacuated from Colorado Springs, and 300 homes were destroyed. Jeffrey Lucas, whose family home burned down, said they saw the fires come down the hill while escaping. Ed and Florine Gigandet, whose house was destroyed a few days ago when the fire passed through, went back to assess the damage, but the authorities said it would be at least another week before they are allowed back. Among the evacuees are 550 Air Force Academy cadets.


text:
The HAWAIIAN HOARY BAT (_Aeorestes semotus_[1]), also known as _ŌPEAPEA_, is a species of bat endemic to the islands of Hawaii.[2][3] Whereas the mainland hoary bat is found throughout North and South America, the Hawaiian hoary bat is distributed only among the major volcanic islands of Hawaii, making it the only extant and native terrestrial mammal in the state.[4] The Hawaiian hoary bat was officially named the state land mammal of Hawaii in 2015.[5] It is a federally listed endangered taxon of the United States.[6]

Like many species of bats, Hawaiian hoary bats are brown in color. However they are distinguished by the silver coloration that ‘frosts’ the fur on their back, ears, and neck.[7] They typically weigh between 14 to 18 g (0.49 to 0.63 ounces), and have a wingspan of about 10.5 to 13.5 inches, with females being larger than males.[8] They are insectivorous, nocturnal, and forage and hunt using echolocation.[9] They are a solitary subspecies and roost individually rather than in colonies. They are found throughout a large range of different habitats - forests, agricultural fields, and areas populated with humans.[10] Due to their elusive and solitary nature, there is very limited knowledge on the ecology or life history of the bat. As of now, population sizes are unknown, which is problematic because this data is necessary for species recovery plans. Currently the Hawaiian hoary bat is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.[11]

Regarding conservation, the Hawaiian hoary bat faces a number of possible threats including: habitat loss, collisions with man-made structures such as wind turbines and barbed wire, impact of pesticides on primary food source, predation and competition with invasive species, and roost disturbance and tree cover reduction.

Description

[Hawaiian hoary bat with “frosty-hued fur”] The common name of the hoary bat was inspired by the hoary, or frosty, coloration of its coat. The Hawaiian hoary bat is distinguished by a silver tint along the brown fur of its back. More pronounced silver bands are found along the neck as the fur transitions to a yellowish brown along the face with the ears retaining a black edging around their perimeter. On average, these bats will weigh approximately and have a wingspan of approximately , making them one of the larger species of bats. There is a gender discrepancy in terms of size as females will typically be larger than males.[12] The Hawaiian name, _ōpeapea_ (“half-leaf”, also the shape of a traditional Hawaiian sail), refers to the outline of the bat's body, which is shaped like half a taro leaf.[13][14] [Depicts wingspan of the bat]

Ecology and behavior

Diet

The Hawaiian hoary bat is a generalist insectivore.[15] An insectivore is a species that preys on insects for its source of food. A generalist is a species that preys on a wide variety of, in this case, insects. The bat’s main source of food consists of moths (Lepidoptera) and beetles (Coleoptera), but also includes crickets, mosquitoes, termites, and many other insects. The bat’s preference toward moths causes them to be attracted to light, which results in bat environments encroaching into towns. A high proportion of bats can also be found feeding in pastures, where beetles are abundant due to the high amounts of dung excreted by cattle. Since these bats are generalist hunters, they have been known to prey on both native and invasive insect species. This protects crops from pest infestations.[16]

The diet of the Hawaiian hoary bat can fluctuate depending on its environment. The bats mainly forage for food on the edges of clustered forests, in open pastures, or above the canopy. Within open environments, moths consist of a high majority of their diet. In cluttered environments, the diet is distributed more evenly across multiple insect species.

Surveys indicate that the bat is opportunistic and can forage over many habitat types, including native and non-native vegetation and the open ocean.[17]

The Hawaiian hoary bat is a nocturnal hunter, usually hunting for food just before sunset and returning to its nest just before sunrise. Like other bats, they capture and eat their prey while still in flight. Bats do not have keen eyesight to spot their prey; rather, they use echolocation. By foraging using echolocation, the bats can catch their target while in flight. The bats’ flight patterns differ in accordance to the environment they are hunting in and the prey they are hunting. When hunting in open environments (i.e pastures or above the canopy) where larger prey is more abundant, they will fly faster with less maneuverability. When hunting in closed environments (i.e clustered forests) where smaller prey is more abundant, they will fly slower to allow for more maneuverability to catch their elusive prey. While foraging, bats can travel up to 12 miles in a night.[18] [Depiction of the mechanism of echolocation in bats]

The foraging activity of the Hawaiian hoary bat is most frequent on the islands of Hawaii, with additional activity on Kauai, Oahu, and Maui. No foraging activity is found on Molokai.[19]

Reproduction

The Hawaiian hoary bat follows a seasonal reproductive cycle. The pre-pregnancy months consist of November to April, after which breeding with a single mate occurs. The bats do not mate for life and will have a new mate each season. The pregnancy period begins in May and ends in June, when the lactation period begins. Fledglings are born at the end of August and will remain in the mother’s roosting nest until they become independent in 6 to 7 weeks. Mothers usually give birth to twins. This seasonal reproductive cycle causes a change in the habitat distribution of the bats. From pregnancy until fledgling birth, the bats will remain in lowland environments. As the mating season (and winter months) approaches, bats will move to highland environments. Changes in the habitat distribution of bats are linked to the energy abundance within an environment, influenced by temperature, rainfall, and food availability. While the bats are located on all the Hawaiian Islands, no breeding was observed on Niihau and Kahoolawe.[20]

Unlike some bats, the Hawaiian hoary bat is a solitary species meaning that it roosts individually rather than in a colony. The bats will remember their roosts and foraging locations and return to them repeatedly. The bats prefer to roost in forest vegetation less than 4.5 meters (15 feet) tall (Hawaiian hoary bat Guidance for Renewable Wind Energy Proponents). These bats are usually find roosting in a multitude of plants consisting of: Metrosideros polymorpha (most common Hawaiian tree), coconut palms (_Cocos nucifera_), kukui (_Aleurites moluccana_), kiawe (_Prosopis pallida)_, avocado trees (_Persea americana_), shower trees (_Cassia javanica_), pukiawe (_Styphelia tameiameiae_), fern clumps, Eucalyptus, and Sugi pine (_Cryptomeria japonica_).[21]

Habitat distribution

[Bat netting the Hawaiian hoary bat] The habitat distribution of the Hawaiian hoary bat is observed by detecting the frequency of the bat’s echolocation using acoustic detectors, as well as through bat netting and insect collection (to track foraging data). The Hawaiian hoary bat is located on all the Hawaiian Islands, but does not breed on Niihau and Kahoolawe. The habitat of the bat encompasses a wide range of altitudes and location types. This habitat ranges from sea level all the way to 2,288 meters (or 7,500 feet). The bats are found in landscapes including human populated areas, forests, agricultural fields, pastures, and even near mountain summits (almost 4,000 meters or 13,000 feet). During the warmer months, bats will travel to lowland environments where they will be more active. During the colder months, the bats will travel to highland environments where they will not be as active.[22]

Life history

Due to their elusive and solitary nature, there is little research on the life history of the Hawaiian hoary bat. In 2005 it was estimated that population size ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand bats, but this was based on incomplete and inadequate data.[23] As of January 2020, population sizes and estimates are still unknown. The breeding season of the bat consists of the pregnancy stage, which occurs from May to June, and the lactation stage, which occurs from June to August.[24] Mating occurs from October to November.[25] According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, females often give birth to twins, as seen in the mainland hoary bat species.[26] Based on one study, the average number of pups per one female that survives to weaning is 1.8.[27]

Historical and present range

_A.semotus_ occurs on all the major volcanic islands of Hawaii including Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Hawaii,[28] and that breeding populations have been noted in all except for Niihau and Kahoolawe.[29] The timing and origin of dispersal events of the Hawaiian hoary bat have not been studied in much detail. There is fossil evidence of the bats on the islands of Hawaii, Molokai, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai.[30]

According to the 1988 Recovery Plan, the populations were thought to be largest on the islands of Kauaii and Hawaii.[31]

Conservation

_Aeorestes cinereus_ (with _A. semotus_ listed as a subspecies) is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.[32] Within the US, the Hawaiian hoary bat was first listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on October 13, 1970. An “endangered species” is any species or subspecies that is “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The exact number of Hawaiian hoary bats was unknown, and the addition of the species to the list seems to have been precautionary.[33]

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service issued a recovery plan for the bat in 1988, with the goal of down-listing the bat from endangered to threatened status, and eventually to de-list it entirely.[34] Threats to the subspecies include deforestation and habitat loss, as well as indirect harm due to pesticide use.

Recovery criteria of the 1988 plan include:

-   determination of actual population status and habitat requirements
-   populations on Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui are stable or increasing for at least 5 years.[35][36]

In 2009, a 5-year-review was initiated for 103 species in Hawaii, including the Hawaiian hoary bat. In 2011, a summary and evaluation of the 5-year review determined that, due to lack of data on population size and trends, the species could not be down-listed nor delisted.[37]

In 2018 another 5-year review was initiated, but no summary or evaluation has been posted.

Threats

The Hawaiian hoary bat is a generalist distributed on all the major Hawaiian islands. Certain factors affect their population, almost all of which are anthropogenic. Biological factors, such as predation and competition, may affect the species but have not been studied at length at this time.

The largest contributor to bat mortality is collisions with man-made objects such as barbed wire fences, communication towers, and wind turbines.[38] Barbed wire fences are the leading cause of mortality. There are two proposed reasons that bats are attracted to wind turbines. The turbines may look like trees or the blades may resemble the flight pattern of another bat.[39] The state of Hawai’i has declared that by 2030, renewable energy will provide 70% of the state’s energy, and this will likely include an expansion of wind energy. This could increase the threat of wind energy, since more turbines could lead to more bat collisions.

The bats require treetops for roosting and thus habitat loss is a threat. With the clearing of trees for continued development in Hawaii, bats are unable to find places to reproduce. This is mainly caused by clearing for pastures, pineapple fields, and sugar cane farms. While they may use open areas to forage, not having enough pups will impact them. Tree trimming also affects new pups, as they may be unable to take flight.

Insects account for a large part of their foraging diet. Because of this, the increased use of pesticides threatens to decrease insect populations. This is problematic because insects are a major part of the bats’ food supply. However, citric acid used on invasive _Eleutherodactylus_ frog species was found to be unlikely to have a negative effect on the bats.[40] Beyond this, the use of pesticides is not well understood and requires further investigation.

Recordings from 1978 indicated that the bats may have been present on Kahoolawe Island, long devastated by bombing and the target of habitat restoration efforts.[41]

Current conservation efforts

The largest contributor to the listing of the Hawaiian hoary bat as endangered is a lack of information on the species.[42] Specifically, its range and population are not very well known.

A useful method of estimating the population is monitoring the bats' echolocation calls. Because this is the only known bat in Hawaii, any bat echolocation signals heard and recorded come from this subspecies,[43] and this monitoring method does not interfere with the animal.[44]

Acoustic monitoring is being used for tracking the species and better defining its range. This type of information has been used both in academic and industry-funded research projects. For example, a study was commissioned by Auwahi Wind Energy to maintain their permit.[45] Gathering information will contribute to either down-listing the species or to further efforts to conserve it. Studies have been completed as recently as January 2020 in cooperation with the USGS.[46] [Scientist monitoring a Hawaiian hoary bat]

In January 2020, the Hawaiian hoary bat Guidance for Renewable Wind Energy Proponents was updated.[47] This document provides a framework for the development of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs). Requirements for approval include minimizing bat death, determining impacts sufficiently, providing benefits to the species, and avoiding other specified impacts. It also states that the mitigation framework should be updated. This should happen, at a minimum, every five years. It also outlines recommendations in the following areas:

-   Habitat restoration
-   Land acquisition
-   Research as mitigation
-   In-lieu fee approaches

No current action for the Hawaiian hoary bat exists at the federal level. Generally, action is being taken at the state level involving many institutions including the University of Hawai’i.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13] Frasher, H. R., et al. (2007). Hawaiian hoary bat inventory in national parks on the islands of Hawaii, Maui and Molokai. Technical Report 140. Pacific Coopertive Studies Unit. University of Hawaii at Mānoa.

[14]

[15] _Lasirus cinereus semotus_. Endangered Species in the Pacific Islands. USFWS Pacific. 2012.

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30] Tomich, P. Q. _Mammals in Hawaii_ (2nd edition). Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press. 1986.

[31]

[32]

[33] Fullard, J. H. (1989). `Ope`ape`a: Hawaii's elusive native bat. _Bats Magazine_ 7(3), 10-13.

[34] Recovery Plan for the Hawaiian Hoary Bat. USFWS. May 11, 1998.

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44] Fullard, J. H. (1989). Echolocation survey of the distribution of the Hawaiian hoary bat (_Lasiurus cinereus semotus_) on the island of Kaua'i. _Journal of Mammalogy_ 70(2), 424-26.

[45]

[46]

[47]

title: Hawaiian hoary bat

question: Summarize the Hawaiian hoary bat description.

text: The discoloration around the Hawaiian hoary bats' neck, ears, and backs isn't ivory in color.

answer: The Hawaiian hoary bat is brown in color with a silver coloration around its back, ears, and neck. The female is usually larger than the male. The Hawaiian hoary eats insects, they are nocturnal and roost individually rather than as a colony.

answer_source: Human

text: The answer should mention the bat's size.

text: The answer should mention the bat's wingspan.

text: The answer is missing the part about the bat's size.

text: The second sentence is unnecessary.

text: The answer should include the bat's size.

text: Additional information can be added to this response.

text: The answer should mention that it is a federally listed endangered taxon of the United States

answer: The Hawaiian hoary bat is distinguished by a silver tint along the brown fur of its back. It has more pronounced silver bands along the neck. The Hawaiian hoary bat is one of the larger species of bats. The Hawaiian name refers to the outline of the bat's body, which is shaped like half a taro leaf.

text: The answer omits that the bat is brown in color.

text: The answer omits that the bat's face is yellowish brown, and its ears retain a black edging around their perimeter.

text: The answer omits the bat's size.

text: The answer should mention the size of the bat.

text: The description doesn't include the wingspan of Hawaiian hoary bats. Also, the gender discrepancy in terms of size (females being larger than males) is also missing from the answer.

answer: The Hawaiian hoary bat is brown in color like most bats. However, it has an ivory coloration around its back, ears, and neck. Its average weight is around 14 to 18g with a wingspan of 10.5 to 13.5 inches. The female is usually larger than the male. Insects remain the bulk of the Hawaiian hoary's diet which they hunt at night.

text: The bat's coloration is not ivory. It's silver.

text: The coloration is not ivory, but silver.

text: The coloration is silver not ivory.

text: The bat's coloring is described as silver, not ivory.

text: The answer should mention that the Hawaiian hoary bat is distinguished by the silver coloration that ‘frosts’ the fur on their back, ears, and neck.

text: "ivory" - replace with "silver"

text: ' coloration around its back' should 'coloration along the fur on its back:'

text: The bat's coloration is not ivory. It's silver and it frosts their back, ears, and neck.

answer: The Hawaiian hoary bat is distinguished by a silver tint along the brown fur of its back. It has more pronounced silver bands along the neck. The Hawaiian hoary bat is one of the larger species of bats. The Hawaiian name refers to the outline of the bat's body, which is shaped like half a taro leaf.

text: Add the weight and wingspan

answer: The Hawaiian hoary bat is brown in color like most bats. However, it has an ivory coloration around its back, ears, and neck. Its average weight is around 14 to 18g with a wingspan of 10.5 to 13.5 inches. The female is usually larger than the male. Insects remain the bulk of the Hawaiian hoary's diet which they hunt at night.

text: "ivory coloration" - this is incorrect. It should be silver, not ivory because it "frosts" the fur on their back, neck, and ears.

text: The response failed to mention that the bats are nocturnal and hunt and forage using echolocation.

answer: The Hawaiian hoary bat is brown in color with a silver coloration around its back, ears, and neck. The female is usually larger than the male. The Hawaiian hoary eats insects, they are nocturnal and roost individually rather than as a colony.

text: The answer should mention their endangered status.


text:
_Home prices have doubled over the last decade, propelled by low rates and easy mortgage terms. But as the U.S. experience proved, soaring property values can come with an ugly downside. The Globe and Mail examines the foundation of Canada's historic real estate boom in a series._

Canadian homes have rarely been as expensive as they are now.

For just the second time in the past century, the country's housing market is pushing the limits of affordability, according to key statistical measures, shutting many potential buyers out of the market, and making it harder for those who have already taken the plunge to pay off their mortgages.

In the past decade-and-a-half, house prices have accelerated at a rate that has outpaced increases in disposable income – though interest rates at historically low levels and a greater comfort level with debt helped mask the risks. Even the recent cooling in the housing market has so far been marked by a drop in the number of sales, with little downward movement in prices.

"There is no question that in Canada, we are in a real affordability crisis right now," said John Andrew, a professor in Queen's University's school of urban and regional planning.

Since 2000, the price of houses across Canada has risen 127 per cent; nearly 50 per cent since 2006.

It's no surprise that housing is expensive, but there's no relief in sight. If anything, housing is likely to become even less affordable later this decade as interest rates return to more normal levels – unless there is a precipitous decline in real estate prices.

A sharp spike in rates – like those seen in 1981 and 1990 – is unlikely. But even a small increase in rates will cause major pain for current homeowners saddled with record mortgage debt, larding on hundreds of dollars to monthly payments.

"There is going to be a very rude shock to the system once mortgage rates move up," said Prof. Andrew. "Rates have been low for enough years that people have forgotten how unaffordable houses really are."

A PERFECT STORM

The current run-up in house prices began in about 1997 and has continued almost unabated despite very small gains in income over the same period. Only once before in the last 100 years has there been a similar long-term shift, and that was back during the postwar years as returning veterans and a widespread housing shortage pushed prices up sharply in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Before that, prices had been very stable in the 1920s and 1930s. And from the 1950s to the late 1990s there was another long period of relative stability, punctuated only by a couple of brief mini-booms in the 1970s and 1980s that were followed by quick pull-backs in prices.

This time, a perfect storm of low interest rates, coupled with a relatively strong economy and Canadians' ever-growing willingness to pile on debt, prompted a nearly unprecedented run-up in prices. High immigration numbers and limited land for expansion in the country's largest cities have exacerbated the problem.

High-school math teacher Nadine K. Mohammed, 32, always thought she'd own a house by now. "I thought I'd go to university, get a really good job, save some money, and that would be the ticket to being able to afford a home. I was so excited," she said.

Instead, the Toronto resident, who has been teaching for eight years, is renting the main floor of a bungalow in the west-end neighbourhood of Etobicoke with her husband. They save everything they can to put toward a down payment and hope to purchase a home in the next two to three years. "But if prices continue to go up, I don't know if that's going to happen," Ms. Mohammed said. "It's kind of a scary thought."

The couple also worries that when they're ready to buy a home in the city, it will be "really tiny."

"As I've gotten older, I've realized I need to adjust my expectations and be more realistic," Ms. Mohammed added.

While some of her friends managed to purchase their first homes when they were in their twenties, they were able to live rent-free with their parents to save money. "Then voila, they had down payments," she said. "Once you have to pay rent, saving takes a lot longer."

Because she knows mortgage rates will likely be higher by the time she and her husband buy a home, Ms. Mohammed figures they will take longer to pay off their mortgage than their friends who already own homes.

'HOUSE POOR'

Right now, just getting into the housing market is a huge challenge for many Canadians.

The average home in Canada now costs about $350,000, roughly five times the average household income. In the mid-1970s, it was three times average income, says University of British Columbia professor Paul Kershaw, who crunched the numbers for a recent report on generational income gaps.

There are many ways to judge how affordable a house is, but on that most basic measure – how many years of earnings it takes to buy a typical home – houses in Canada are dramatically more expensive than they were four or five decades ago.

Building up enough cash for a down payment can be crippling for many people, Prof. Kershaw says.

"Take an average 25– to 34-year-old in 1976, working full-time and making the average wage. That person had to save for five years to build up a 20-per-cent down payment for an average home," he said. "Today, take the same 25– to 34-year-old. Now, they have to save for 10 years. And in B.C., it is 15 years."

The underlying reason for this, Prof. Kershaw points out, is that housing prices have risen dramatically, while household incomes – adjusted for inflation – have barely moved at all since the mid-1970s.

In 2012, "home ownership is so much more challenging," he said. "And in urban settings, the home you are purchasing, as a younger person, is far less likely to have a yard. And if it does have a yard, it is because you are tolerating a far longer commute."

There are huge social implications in this shift, Prof. Kershaw argues. Young people are becoming resentful of those already in the housing market, and are subject to significant financial stress. Buying a house is getting out of reach, he said, even though it is "a central part of the transition into adulthood."

Two decades ago, one in five Canadians bought homes with less than 25-per-cent down, the amount needed to avoid paying for mortgage insurance. Today, three-quarters of home buyers require insurance from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., though the government has lowered the threshold to 20 per cent.

Royal Bank of Canada's respected Housing Affordability Measure underlines the impact of interest rates on housing costs. The index, which tracks the proportion of pre-tax household income required to pay principal and interest on a mortgage, along with property taxes and utilities, shows a huge spike in the early 1980s and again in the early 1990s, when interest rates jumped dramatically.

Significantly, however, the RBC chart also shows that ownership costs have tracked upward pretty much non-stop for the past decade, even as interest rates declined to the current rock-bottom levels.

In the Vancouver market, houses are far less affordable now than they were even during those earlier interest-rate spikes, the Royal Bank's figures show. The current ownership cost of an average two-storey house eats up close to 80 per cent of average household income. Elsewhere in the country, the average is closer to 50 per cent.

A health-care worker in southwestern Ontario who didn't want his name used, said mortgage and child support payments make up roughly half of his take-home income, and that leaves very little for long-term investments such as RESP plans for his kids' education, or retirement savings. "Any forward planning is really limited," he said. "When you are living this way it feels precarious, and that is _with_ a great mortgage rate."

The big worry, he said, is what will happen if rates rise and his payments increase significantly. That could require a drastic lifestyle change such as renting out his basement or selling the house and renting. "That weighs heavily on me," he said.

Prof. Andrew of Queen's said that for many years the generally accepted idea was that housing costs should eat up about one-third of household income. The RBC figures show that the reality today is far different. A range of 40 to 45 per cent is likely a sustainable number over the longer term, Prof. Andrew said, although even at that level "it means that people are not going to have the disposable income to spend on other things, and that is not good for the economy. You want people to be able to spend on cars and trips and those kind of things, without necessarily borrowing against the value of their homes."

He also noted that people's attitudes have shifted significantly, and Canadians are far more willing to accept the fact that they will be "house poor" over the long term. Indeed, that appears to have been the motivation for federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to tighten up mortgage lending rules this summer, to try to reduce levels of debt associated with home ownership.

THE DANGER IN DEBT

Canadians weren't always so willing to pile on debt.

Brian and Dency Sharkey became homeowners when they were in their twenties in the mid-1960s, but they were very cautious in buying a house that from today's perspective looks unbelievably affordable.

The couple paid $19,500 for their bungalow in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean, and their monthly mortgage payments amounted to $99. In fact, that was even less than the $115 they had been paying to rent a two-bedroom apartment.

Still, even with two teachers' salaries adding up to about $6,000 a year, it was hard to meet the payments, Mr. Sharkey said. It was done through scrimping, not through further borrowing. "My wife keeps reminding me about drinking powdered milk and that kind of stuff," he said.

Things are different in 2012, and with so many people willing to take on large mortgages and burdensome monthly payments, the big risk is a spike in mortgage rates, or even a moderate rise. A significant number of mortgage loan defaults among homeowners could have a devastating effect on the economy.

Essentially, low interest rates are magnifying the already considerable risks that first-time home-buyers are taking on when buying expensive properties, said Ben Rabidoux, an analyst with research firm M. Hanson Advisors.

"Having young Canadians jump into home ownership, with mortgages that are at income multiples we've never seen before, is exposing a broad section of the population to significant risk if we run into any sort of a recession or macro shock or interest-rate rise," he said. "We are just staggeringly comfortable with debt here in Canada right now."

Exacerbating this issue, Mr. Rabidoux said, is that many young Canadians already have significant debts even before they take on a mortgage. They may owe money on credit cards, and many will still have student debts outstanding when they buy a house. "Twenty or 30 years ago that was not the case."

With house prices now softening slightly in some markets, it is possible affordability will improve over the next few months, Mr. Rabidoux said. That would be healthy in the long term, and may eventually bring in new buyers who have been priced out of the market. But in the short term, our economy is so tied to the housing boom, and the construction jobs it generates, that a weakening housing market is "backing policy-makers into a corner," he said. Politicians would like to see house prices decline to make them more affordable, yet they worry that any decline in home-building could dent an already weak economy.

_With files from Claire Neary_

_-----------_

THE PAYMENT PINCH

_A look at how mortgage payments could change if rates go up:_

$350,000 MORTGAGE

$1,656.36: Monthly payments for a 25-year mortgage at a 3-per-cent rate

$480: The increase in monthly payments at 5.5 per cent

$795: The increase in monthly payments at 7 per cent.

$500,000 MORTGAGE

$2,366.23: Monthly payments for a 25-year mortgage at a 3-per-cent rate.

$686: The increase in monthly payments at 5.5 per cent.

$1,136: The increase in monthly payments at 7 per cent.

_Source: CanEquity_

question: What does the article say about the negative consequences of low interest rates on mortgages?

text: Banks closing as a negative consequence is not suggested or supported by the text in any way.

answer: The author of the article says that the low interest rates on mortgages have helped propel the housing boom in Canada. However, the author says that the boom has come with an ugly downside. The author says that soaring property values can come with an ugly downside. The author says that the Canadian housing market is pushing the limits of affordability. The author says that there is no relief in sight and housing is likely to become even less affordable later this decade as interest rates return to more normal levels.

text: The author says that the boom has come with an ugly downside. The author says that soaring property values can come with an ugly downside. The author says that the Canadian housing market is pushing the limits of affordability. The author says that there is no relief in sight and housing is likely to become even less affordable later this decade as interest rates return to more normal levels.

text: The author is not the one who says these things. The author is just quoting people.

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

text: The author does not say that soaring property values can come with an ugly downside.

text: The author is not the protagonist of the article.

text: Remove the redundant information in the response.

text: The following sentences can be fusioned to say that rising property values have pushed up the cost of entry for the housing market high. "However, the author says that the boom has come with an ugly downside. The author says that soaring property values can come with an ugly downside. The author says that the Canadian housing market is pushing the limits of affordability."

text: The answer should mention that low rates and easy mortgage terms have caused home prices to double over the last decade.

answer: The article warns of an unstable economy, not as a direct consequence of the recently affordable mortgage rates, but as a result of the need for the mortgage debt in the first place to buy a home. People are taking on mortgages when they already have outstanding debts (student loans, credit cards), which was not the case in previous decades, and which makes the risk that much greater. Ultimately, low mortgage rates do not reflect the higher cost of homeownership these days.

text: The article does not warn of an unstable economy.

text: The response should mention the danger of increased interest rates.

text: The response is missing the part where the article mentions that the low interest rates are magnifying the already considerable risks that first-time home-buyers are taking on when buying expensive properties.

text: The response should include the consequences of the spike in interest rates.

text: The article doesn't really talk about the consequences of low interest rates. It talks about the consequences of people borrowing a lot of money.

text: The run-up in house pricing started in 1997

answer: Low interest rates could mean the banks go out of business.

text: The article says nothing about the negative results of low interest rates on mortgages

answer: Low interest rates could mean the banks go out of business.

text: The article does not mention anything about banks going out of business.

text: The response is not related.

text: The passage does not say anything about banks going out of business.

text: The article does not say anything about banks going out of business.

text: The response is incorrect.

text: Mortgage debt is larger, which means that when interest rates go up, the price of houses relative to disposable income will go up and the economy will weaken, debt defaults with happen.

answer: The article warns of an unstable economy, not as a direct consequence of the recently affordable mortgage rates, but as a result of the need for the mortgage debt in the first place to buy a home. People are taking on mortgages when they already have outstanding debts (student loans, credit cards), which was not the case in previous decades, and which makes the risk that much greater. Ultimately, low mortgage rates do not reflect the higher cost of homeownership these days.

text: The last sentence is not stated.

text: It is omitted that the author says that having young Canadians jump into home ownership, with mortgages that are at income multiples we've never seen before, is exposing a broad section of the population to significant risk if we run into any sort of a recession or macro shock or interest-rate rise,"

answer: The author of the article says that the low interest rates on mortgages have helped propel the housing boom in Canada. However, the author says that the boom has come with an ugly downside. The author says that soaring property values can come with an ugly downside. The author says that the Canadian housing market is pushing the limits of affordability. The author says that there is no relief in sight and housing is likely to become even less affordable later this decade as interest rates return to more normal levels.

text: There is a bit of repetition with the second and third sentences.


text:
So I wrote this two years ago for a creative writing class.  My grade was good, but I want to know what you guys think.  I'll have more if you like it.

The Shadowlands

My world is dark, my mind is broken.  Time flows endlessly like the sand under my feet.
I wandered here seeking death, only to find pain.  My memories are gone, my purpose is an end.  An end to this cursed life I now live.  The reason for my curse is long forgotten, and I wander through the shadows, damned to immortality.  My body, scarred and aging, has long since become a prison.  I journeyed here as a young man, leaving behind my wife, my son, my village.  Once wealthy, I now possess only my clothing, the tattered and cracking leather a facsimile of my skin.  This place holds no food, no water, and no shelter from the wind and the dust.
	This is the Shadowlands, the Dark Sands, the Realm of The Damned.  A vast desert, full of coarse sand, howling wind, and eternal night.  No living creature prowls among the dunes, no plant sprouts from the sand.  The sky is as dry as the earth, offering no water to slake my thirst.  The only other inhabitants of this place are the dustlights.  Shining clouds of light, always in the distance, they are the one thing that gives me hope.  The hope is false, for those cursed lanterns of the desert are enchanting on sight, only to leave you in this horrible place when you get near.  Their magic is powerful, and no logic can exist in their presence.  The purest joy on sight, their cruel illusion fades once they disappear, leaving me to my crueler fate.
	I wandered here for weeks, years, maybe even decades.  Time has no passage here.  The moon always hovers directly above, a guide to no man.  I do not know how long I’ve wandered, only that my skin is withered and leathery upon my bones.  I’ve become an old man since I’ve come here, turned into a hermit by fate.  My throat stays parched, my stomach empty, my lungs fill with the dust of the desert.  Yet I cannot die.
	My curse is cruel, my fate is torture.  What I’d give to return to my family, my beloved wife and son.  They have probably long forgotten the man who left them all those ages ago, in the past time.  Any memories that do remain would be of a man who abandoned them, walked out of their lives, surrendering them to the world.  I remember not their faces, their voices, not even their names.  I only remember that I loved them.

********************

	I climb yet another dune in this endless sea of sand.  All I see are more dunes, even higher than the one underneath my feet.  In every direction they are taller, leaving me in their shadows no matter how high I climb.  I hold onto the hope that one day I’ll conquer the highest dunes, to see a world of life and light stretched out before me.  I dream of leaving their shadows, and casting my own shadow upon them.  This dream is weak, beaten out of me by time.  These sands, imbued with an ancient magic, always raise the landscape above me, keeping me in the shadow of giants.  The moon watches over like a cruel phantom, watching and judging, but not changing my fate.  Its power overcomes me; I sway in its pale light.  The world goes dark.
	I awake at the bottom of the dune, buried in sand.  How I wish that could be my final grave, the end to my merciless existence.  I stand up, watching the sand flow from the cracks in my skin, a macabre hourglass that tells no time.  The dunes tower over me, like mountains over a field mouse.  The moon watches on.
	As I struggle upon the shifting sands of the next great hill, I feel elation.  With that elation comes a gnawing sense of dread.  The only source of happiness in this wicked place is the dustlights, those shining beacons of false hope.  I gaze upwards, and upon the crest of the dune, I see it.  Shimmering in the eternal night, it shines with a holy light, beckoning me closer.  I feel a new strength as I surge towards the shining sphere of fog.  I struggle to climb the dune, the sand giving away beneath my feet.  I summit the hill, looking up to see the dustlight upon the next.  Sprinting down the slope, I tumble.  Sand catches on my clothing and hair as I roll downhill.  I get back to my feet at the bottom, and begin to ascend towards the light.  I run, sand flying out behind me.  I can almost see the inner source of the light’s power; can almost see past the haze into its depths.  When I finally rise to the summit, the light is gone.  I’ve exerted myself beyond my capacities.  The shadows take me.
	I awake to darkness.  Not the dark of night, but the deep blackness of blindness.  I can see nothing.  The moon is gone, that heavenly judge of the damned.  I feel sand around me; feel the grit against my skin.  I have gone blind.  This seems like a sweet mercy, taking away the endless vistas of desert.  My blindness makes me immune to the dustlights, for without my sight, I cannot witness their power.  I would feel elation if this put an end to my fruitless efforts to die, if this was the veil of death.  But it is not so, for I can still feel the cool sand of the desert, the grains brushing against my cheek.  I begin to feel the hunger and thirst that I always feel, yet had been able to ignore for all this time.  I feel as though I’ll go mad without water, my throat burns as if I had taken a deep breath of smoke into my lungs.  My stomach feels as though it is eating me from within.  I scream out, pleading for mercy from this desert, from my curse, from the moon, that supreme ruler of the night.  I begin to cry, but not tears of water, for my body holds none.  I cry tears of blood.  I cannot see them, but I taste their salty, metallic taste as they run into my mouth.  This must surely be the end, I plead that it be the end.  I feel the fingers of madness take hold upon my mind.  Probing, squeezing, they penetrate deeper.  I surrender my consciousness to the pain.
	I awake to a thrilling elation, complete happiness filling my body.  I feel no pain, no sadness.  My hunger and thirst are gone, replaced by pure joy.  I laugh to the heavens, a high shriek of mania.  I open my eyes, and a bright light surrounds me.  I still lay upon the sand, but a shining dome covers me.  I sense that this dome is made of the dustlights, but my happiness will allow no negativity.  The light and joy are driving me mad, insane giggles pouring from my mouth like a waterfall.  I tear at my clothes, standing up and dancing around in this feeling.  Laughter flies from my mouth like birds spooked from a tree.  I feel a pressing around me, and the dome grows smaller.  I feel as though my mind will break from my body, my mania fleeing this prison.  I’m on the verge of madness.  With one last howl of insane joy, I collapse.
	I fall back to the sand, waiting for the phantoms of unconsciousness to cover me.  They do not come.  I lay upon the sand, staring at the light.  My body has collapsed, trapping me inside.  As I gaze upwards, the dome expands.  I can feel the happiness drain away, my sanity dripping back in.  The dome grows to gigantic proportions, an atmosphere of dustlights surrounding me.  I am lying there, unable to move, when it pierces me.
	A thin ray of light stabs through my heart like a burning sword.  More follow, threatening to rip apart my mind and body.  I feel their raw power invading my very being.  I start to feel new emotions, emotions not felt in this damned existence.  I feel proud, confident, comfortable, and safe.  Memories flood back into me.  I remember old acquaintances, friends and family.  I remember my home, my village.  I remember walking its streets, remember its name.  It was Carahil.  I remember walking through it in the autumn, arm in arm with my wife.  I remember her name.  Cecilia.  I remember her amber eyes, golden hair.  I can see her soft skin, her delicate features.  I remember my son, his eager eyes, and his excitement at learning of the many treasures of the world.  I remember his name.  His name was Samuel.  He was eight.  I remember the love I had for them; remember summer nights spent with them in the fields, watching the stars.  I remember that autumn, the autumn of my damnation.  The memories flood back.  I scream.
	I suddenly remember more, I remember that Cecilia was with child.  She was carrying what would be our second child.  She was hoping for a little girl, the daughter she always dreamed of.  She wanted to be a good mother, taking care of herself as she had with Samuel.  She stayed at home, at our beautiful house on the hill outside the village, while I went into town to do business.  It was a cool autumn day, and I had gone to buy food for the coming months.  I took our wagon, leaving Samuel to take care of his mother.  I spent around four hours bartering, conversing, and learning of the local news.  It was dusk when I headed home, the wagon creaking towards the sunset.  I arrived back home, led the horses back into their stalls, and stored the wagon.  I walked into the house to fetch Samuel to help me carry goods into the house.  The house was silent when I arrived.  I walked through the kitchen, calling their names.  I walked down the hallway, and still no answer.  Finally, I arrived at our bedroom.  In the middle of the bed, among the bloodstained sheets, lay Cecilia.  She was unconscious, the blood still wet.
I rushed to her side, attempted to wake her up.  She opened her eyes slightly, moved her mouth, but no words came out.  I rushed into the spare room, ripping off the fresh sheets, brought them to her.  I attempted to stop the bleeding.  Tears ran down my face.  As I attempted to bring her back, Samuel walked in.  He called out his mother’s name, announced his arrival.  I rushed into the hall, yelled at him to run to the village and fetch the doctor.  He questioned me as to why, and I roared for him to get a doctor.  He left, and I sat next to Cecilia, crying and praying.
	A few hours later the doctor steps quietly out of the bedroom, a somber look on his face.  He informs me that Cecilia will survive, but she is weak.  Our second child, however, is lost.  I let out a great sob, sliding down the wall, my head on my knees.  The doctor gives me instructions for her care and then departs.  Samuel is in his room sleeping, his run exhausted him.  I go into the kitchen, and pull a bottle from the shelf.  Gulping deeply, I feel the warm numbing sensation that I resisted for so long.  I promised Cecilia I would never drink once I was a father.  I broke that promise on that autumn night.
	An hour later, the house is quiet and dark.  My body is numb from the alcohol, but my mind feels sharper.  Samuel, my beloved son, betrayed me.  I told him to watch over his mother, and he left to frolic in the woods and meadows.  We lost our second child because he left his mother to play.  I feel a deep rage, an uncontrollable anger.  I get up from the table, stumbling down the hall.  I approach his room and open the door.  He lies there sleeping, and I stagger to his bedside.  I stand over him, and then raise an open hand.  I bring it down on his peaceful face.  I strike him again, then again.  Three times total.  He never moves.  Then I lift him from the bed and throw him against the wall.  He lies there, motionless. I know that he is dead, can feel it in my blood.  I leave his room, walking to the next.  There lies Cecilia, my darling, my love.  I stand by her bedside, grasping the bottle left by the doctor.  In it lies a clear greenish liquid.  I uncork the bottle, jamming her mouth open and forcing the medicine down her throat.  I don’t want her to have to live with the death of her two children.  She wakes up, struggling weakly.  I hold her down, waiting for the stillness to come.  It does, and I stagger outside.  Kneeling on the grass, I curse the world, my son, my wife.  I curse the moon, that great observer, for not aiding me.  I sense it communicating with me, trying to pass a message.  I feel my mind go black.  My consciousness slips away.

********************

	I awake in the desert, the dustlights are gone.  The moon has returned.  I bleed from my mouth, my nose, my ears and my eyes.  Blood flowing, crimson life draining from me.  I lie there motionless, and then feel movement come back.  I stand, blood streaming down my skin.  I am not dying, I am perfectly conscious of the pain.  I look to the moon, and I know.  I know why I have been cursed, I know why I am not allowed to die, and I know why I am forced to wander these cursed wastes.  I know that my prior wanderings were merciful.  For now I know.  The knowledge of my deeds does not fade.  It is seared deep in my mind.  I know that I will live forever with this knowledge, with this guilt.  I know that I will wander in anguish through this desert, among these endless sand and dunes, for millennia.  I know the dustlights won’t return, that their purpose is fulfilled.  I know that this torture is eternal.  I know that I will live forever in the Shadowlands, the Dark Sands, the Realm of The Damned.  I know that I am cursed to immortality in the eternal night.

title: I wrote this two years ago for a creative writing class.  My grade was good, but wanted to see what you guys thought.  Also, this is my first post, so tell me if I'm doing anything wrong.  Thanks!

question: What does the text say about the Shadowlands?

text: "is a vast dessert" - "dessert" should be spelled "desert"

text: "the sun never shines" -  this is redundant because "eternal night" was already used.

text: The response should add more details about the dustlights.

text: "roam the Shadowlands as hobos" - this is incorrect. They are cursed to roam the Shadowlands as immortals, not hobos.

answer: The Shadowlands, also known as the Dark Sands or the Realm of The Damned, is a vast desert full of coarse sand, gigantic dunes, howling wind, and eternal night. There are no living creatures or plants in the Shadowlands because it is dry and it never rains. The only inhabitants of the Shadowlands are the dustlights - shining clouds of light that are nothing more than mirages that vanish when one gets near. Time is meaningless here. Those who have committed unspeakable horrors (such as the narrator) are cursed to roam the Shadowlands as immortals. There is no food or water and there is nothing to satiate their hunger or quench their thirst. They carry with them the knowledge of their past deeds seared deep into their minds to torture them for eternity.

answer: The Shadowlands, also known as the Dark Sands or the Realm of The Damned, is a vast desert full of coarse sand, gigantic dunes, howling wind, and eternal night. There are no living creatures or plants in the Shadowlands because it is dry and it never rains. The only inhabitants of the Shadowlands are the dustlights - shining clouds of light that are nothing more than mirages that vanish when one gets near. Time is meaningless here. Those who have committed unspeakable horrors (such as the narrator) are cursed to roam the Shadowlands as immortals. There is no food or water and there is nothing to satiate their hunger or quench their thirst. They carry with them the knowledge of their past deeds seared deep into their minds to torture them for eternity.

text: The answer should mention that the narrator is the only character in the story.

text: The answer should mention the moon.

text: The answer should mention that the narrator is the one who is cursed.

text: The answer should mention that the narrator considers the Shadowlands to be his prison.

text: The narrator's crimes aren't mentioned in the answer.

text: The story does not mention how the narrator arrived in the Shadowlands.

answer: The Shadowlands, also known as the Dark Lands or the Realm of The Damned, is a vast dessert full of coarse sand, gigantic dunes, howling wind, and eternal night. There are no living creatures or plants in the Shadowlands because it is dry, the sun never shines, and it never rains. The only inhabitants of the Shadowlands are the dustlights. Time is meaningless here. Those who have committed unspeakable horrors (such as the narrator) are cursed to roam the Shadowlands as hobos. There is no food or water and there is nothing to satiate their hunger or quench their thirst. They carry with them the knowledge of their past deeds seared deep into their minds to torture them for eternity.

answer: The Shadowlands is a vast desert, full of coarse sand, howling wind, and eternal night. It is a place of eternal damnation with no living creature prowling among the dunes and no plant sprouting from the sand. The sky is as dry as the earth and offers no water to slake the thirst of those who are damned. The only other inhabitants of the place are the dustlights, shining clouds of light, always in the distance, that give hope but is false.

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

text: The answer omits that the narrator was cursed to immortality and forced to wander the desert for eternity.

text: The answer should mention that the narrator is damned to wander the Shadowlands for eternity.

text: The answer omits that the narrator is damned to immortality in the Shadowlands.

text: Dustlights are not inhabitants of the place. They are just lights.

text: It is omitted that the moon watches over the land, but it never changes the fate of those damned.

text: The last sentence needs to be rewritten - "shining clouds of lights" are not part of the inhabitants of Shadowlands.

answer: The Shadowlands, also known as the Dark Lands or the Realm of The Damned, is a vast dessert full of coarse sand, gigantic dunes, howling wind, and eternal night. There are no living creatures or plants in the Shadowlands because it is dry, the sun never shines, and it never rains. The only inhabitants of the Shadowlands are the dustlights. Time is meaningless here. Those who have committed unspeakable horrors (such as the narrator) are cursed to roam the Shadowlands as hobos. There is no food or water and there is nothing to satiate their hunger or quench their thirst. They carry with them the knowledge of their past deeds seared deep into their minds to torture them for eternity.

text: The narrator is not a hobo.

text: The last sentence is unnecessary.

text: The response contains inaccurate information.

text: The prologue is the shortest route to answering this question. "This is the Shadowlands, the Dark Sands, the Realm of The Damned. A vast desert, full of coarse sand, howling wind, and eternal night" is evidence for the physical brunt of the Shadowland.

text: The narrator is not a hobo.

text: The last sentence is unnecessary.

answer: The Shadowlands is a vast desert, full of coarse sand, howling wind, and eternal night. It is a place of eternal damnation with no living creature prowling among the dunes and no plant sprouting from the sand. The sky is as dry as the earth and offers no water to slake the thirst of those who are damned. The only other inhabitants of the place are the dustlights, shining clouds of light, always in the distance, that give hope but is false.

text: The answer should mention that time does not pass in the Shadowlands, and the moon always hangs overhead.

text: The answer should mention the endless dunes.