text:
PUBLISHED January 26, 2018 4:44pm

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday ridiculed ISIS' supposed recruitment line that their followers would enjoy virgins in heaven if they get killed in line with their war.

"It is an ideology that is totally bankrupt, totally empty and the only objective there is to kill and destroy for nothing, for no reason at all," Duterte said before a Filipino-organized business forum in New Delhi.

"And the come-on is if you die a martyr, you will go to heaven with 42 virgins waiting for you. If I could just make it a come-on also for those who would like to go to my country," he said.

"I'd like to have the virgins here, not in heaven. God may not allow it," said Duterte, who pointed out that he had Muslim roots.

His audience laughed.

Earlier, India's The Print quoted sources saying that Duterte was on ISIS' radar for his resolve to wipe out extremism in Mindanao.

Duterte also raised the threat of terrorism during his discussions with his fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
—NB, GMA NEWS

question: Rodrigo Duterte is the President of which country?

answer: It is implied that Rodrigo Duterte is the President of the Philippines.

question: Where was the business forum held?

answer: New Delhi.

question: Why is Duterte on ISIS' radar?

answer: Duterte is on the ISIS' radar for his resolve to wipe out extremism in Mindanao.

question: Where did Duterte raise the threat of terrorism?

answer: During a discussion with fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
President Rodrigo Duterte ridicules ISIS' supposed recruitment line that their followers would enjoy virgins in heaven if they get killed in line with their war. The President calls the ideology totally bankrupt and empty, with the only objective to kill, at the Filipino-organized business forum in New Delhi.

Duterte raised the threat of terrorism at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.


split: test

text:
It was a good day, walking alone, only my shadow next to me. I had run away from my home. I'm sick of all the lies my 'role models' tell me. My name is Jonathan Suburbia. My friends at my homeland called me the Jesus of Suburbia. I miss my friends at home. The name of it is pointless now. Here in America, I have nothing. I do blend in well as a regular white suburban teenager, living in a ordinary suburban town called Longview, California, and; blgahagah! I am sick being a normal American Idiot!
Then it happened. As I was deep in thought, I crossed the street, then a white Ford SUV came and hit me. My body buckled like I had been shot with a shotgun in the chest. I hit my skull on the hood and then the pavement below me as I fell to the floor in pain. I'm not sure if I blacked out from the pain or got knocked out from me hitting the car and the pavement.
When I woke up I was in St. Jimmy's National Hospital. I as I came to I heard this voice in my head, a voice that I have never heard in my life, raging and rebelling against everything that I kept secreted in my mind. It hurt. Then a nurse came over to my cot and spoke to me. I noticed her name tag hung from a lanyard around her neck. Her name was Maria Liberty. She was a sight to behold after what happened to me. She said," Good mourning John!" Her smile probably cured a case of cancer at one point. I know it stopped my headache.

After a bit of routine vital signs check, Maria helped me off the cot and into a wheelchair. We made idle conversation as she brought me into a room with a two men and women, sitting at a table together. One man just stared at me. I knew that disappointed face from anywhere. It was Brad. My stepfather. He always seemed to be neglecting me and me being around him made him very angry. He looked disgruntled and unhappy about me still being alive and breathing. My mother's face was red and her eyes were wet with tears. The other man turned out to be a doctor. He was was a bald old man with glasses. He smiled gently at me as he looked up from his clipboard. He turned his glance toward Maria, my parent, and THAT other person, and motioned for them to talk with him. Being the eavesdropper I am, I listened closely.
"Mr. and Ms. Suburbia, John has suffered a major blow to his brain after his accident," he said sympathetically. "He now has permanent damage to his prefrontal cortex, deep limbic system and his temporal lobes. These are the parts of the brain that essentially control our emotions," the doctor said sternly. "I'm sorry to say this; but your son now has a multipersonality disorder. We have had cases like this in the past and we call it Saint Jimmy's disorder." The doctor's voice began to crack. "Your son is expected to live for 1 year."

The voice in my head begins to take control of me. It tells me this," That's a lie Jesus! They just want your parents money! The government just wants your money!" I didn't know what to think of it so I let out an enormous scream. I shouted to St. Jimmy," GEEEETTTTT OOOOOUUUUUUTTTTTT!!!! My Mom and Brad jumped and so did Maria. I was pale and breathing heavy. Maria came over and sat down on my lap. When she sat down St. Jimmy disappeared. POOF. Out of my mind. I started to relax as she put her hand on my cheek and rubbed her thumb back and forth on it. We shared a moment, alone in the world. Then the doctor cleared his throat and spoke. "It seems John's disorder disappears when Maria is around him," He said with a smile. "I think we will start the therapy with Maria accompanying John." He turned his glance at me and said,"There maybe hope for you yet, John."

After that ordeal was over and done with, my parent gave me some money so grab some food at the Cafe. I brought Maria with me. I asked her what she does for a living. She says she interns here, but that's not her real job. I asked her what it was and said," How about you come with me to work tonight, John?", she said with mischievous smile. She saw the worried look on my face and said,"Don't worry it's not like we are going to get caught." I thought to myself, she's a rebel all right. Later that evening she appeared outside my door. She was the definition of an angel. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans with a men's black button-up shirt with a red tie on it. Her hair was in a pony tail and on her lips was the reddest lip stick I've ever seen. Her top two buttons on her shirt were unbuttoned so I could see a bit of hear cleavage. She teasing me, I thought. Jimmy had something to say too. "It's not going to work John. She's not your kind of girl." I fire back at Jimmy," I will make her mine! Jimmy had enough. He took control and told her to wait a second and guided me inside. He sat me down at the dinner table. He said,"Look Jesus, I know your exited about
dating... Ms. Whatsername out there. But your no rebel, you have no guts. I backed off today to see what you would do. AND YOU DID SHIT ALL! Let me show you how to give Whatsername the time of her life." My head started to ache. I am now St. Jimmy. I picked myself up and took some Novacaine and rejoined Whatsername outside. She was about to say something but my lips stopped her and she closed her eyes. We hurry along in a taxi to a club in town. We go inside and she disappears among the crowd. I find her again and shes with a white guy with dreadlocks. She was sitting on the floor getting high on weed.  Her top is unbuttoned and her bra is on the floor next to her underwear. She offers the blunt to me and I accept it. Jesus in says in my head, "Don't do it Jimmy! We are going to get in trouble!" I take a big sniff of air and start to feel the effects. I sink to the floor next to Whatsername and lean my head against her shoulder. She tells the white guy to get us a drink. He comes back and we drink until we get wasted to the point where she kicks a stripper off of her place and replaces her. And does better. Then I hear the sounds of sirens outside.

 Jesus says to me,"SHIT! We are done Jimmy; it's over." I thought of any way out and I saw a the fire door identified by a red EXIT sign. I quickly picked up Whatsername while she was still giggling drunkenly from all the booze we drank tonight. She cussed at me for taking her away from her position as the center of attention to the male patrons at the club. I made a break for the door, when Jesus said something," D-DUDE! That door has an alarm on it!" I disregarded his warning and burst through the door carrying Whatsername in my arms. Then the bell sounded. The sprinklers came on and tried to put out a fire that didn't exist. I could hear the people screaming from the water getting soaked. I laughed to myself as I ran. I ran to my home and never looked back. I layed Whatsername on the couch. She said as her eyes closed,"Best 20 minute date I've ever had." I buttoned her shirt back up and sort of just drooped down to the floor and passed out. I could tell Jesus was impressed. Maybe even jealous.

 I woke up with the biggest headache ever, probably from Jimmy and... her, going to the club and getting drunk of their asses. Also, Jimmy had gone to sleep for today, he told me in my dreams. I was in control for today. I saw her get up, stretch and let out a big yawn. She rubbed her eyes and then her neck, probably from bunking on the couch all night. She looked really hungover. I said smoothly," Good mourning, sleepyhead." "Mourning Jimmy," She says half asleep. Then she realizes that Jimmy is not here but instead it was the non-rebelous  John Suburbia. She smiled kindly at me and then I heard HIM come down the stairs. Brad came down the stairs to see us sitting next to each other in a moment. His face swells up with anger at me. Probably from the sight of ME being with a girl that was AMAZING. "JOHN WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO HER?!!", he bellowed. "SHE'S YOUR NURSE NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND!!!!" I called for St. Jimmy in my head to help me but he told me sort it out myself. I took a deep gasp of air and while he was still babbling, I let out at the top of my lungs,"Listen asshole, she is mine and you can't say otherwise! I am TIRED of you neglecting me and you telling me what to do. Hell, your not even my dad. You just married my mom that I love, oh so much, so you could sleep with her!!! You know what we are done here! Maria... let get the hell out of here." I could see him beginning to swell up with anger as me and Maria walked out the door. To my surprise he seized me by the by the collar of my shirt and held me against the wall next to the door. He called for my Mom. As soon as she came down the stairs I curled my fist and hit him square in the nose. I heard the *crack* as his nose bent and broke. He released me and I ran out the door with Maria at my heels. We stopped at after a few blocks to catch our breath. Maria asked,"Jesus is going to be jealous after that Jimmy." I laughed and then said,"That was me, the Jesus of Suburbia."

EDIT: MORE WILL BE ADDED LATER!

title: American Idiot - A Retelling of the Story W.I.P.

question: What does the story say about the driver of the Ford SUV that hit John?

question: What does the story say about Jonathan Suburbia?

answer: Jonathan Suburbia is the story's main character. He's a regular white teenager who is living in an ordinary suburban town called Longview, California. He ran away from home because he was sick of the lies his "role models" tell him. John loves his mother but hates his stepdad, who neglects him. He misses his friends, who call him "Jesus of Suburbia". He is also sick of being a normal American Idiot. John gets diagnosed with multi-personality disorder after getting hit by an SUV and is given a year to live. His other personality, Jimmy, is John's opposite and takes over when necessary.

question: What does the story say about Maria Liberty?

answer: Maria Liberty is John's nurse at St. Jimmy's National Hospital and possible romantic interest. She's a sight to behold and has a winning smile. John's multi-personality disorder seems to improve when Maria is around, so the doctor made her a part of the therapy. Maria was to accompany John everywhere. She's also only a nurse intern and really works in a club. She's a bit of a rebel, taking John to the club where she works. They smoke weed, get drunk, and almost get arrested.

question: Summarize the relationship between John and St. Jimmy.

answer: St. Jimmy is a personality that manifested in John's head after he was hit by an SUV. Jimmy had his own voice and is John's complete opposite. John views himself as a regular white suburban teenager and normal American Idiot. St. Jimmy, on the other hand, is confident, more mature, and knows more about the world. Jimmy seems like he's older and daring, while John is not a rebel and has no guts. Jimmy knows how to have fun and takes over while on the date with Maria. They had a wild and wonderful time. John learned a thing or two from St. Jimmy living in his head and stands up to his stepdad, letting the latter know his frustrations at the guy. John punches his stepdad on the nose before walking out of the house.


text:
[Official WFD logo] WORLD'S FASTEST DRUMMER/EXTREME SPORT DRUMMING is a competition for determining the world's fastest drummer. [1] [2] A drummer's speed is calculated and recorded by a digital counting device called the Drumometer. The Drumometer, a patented electronic technology protected by U.S. Patent #6,545,207 was invented by Boo McAfee and Craig A. Kestner, aka Craig Alan, in 1999 for accurately counting drum strokes. The Drumometer is accredited by Guinness World Records as the official device used to verify the World's Fastest Drummer. [3]

Purpose

The primary goal of most WFD competitions is to determine who can play the most single strokes in sixty seconds. According to author Josh Davis, “the Drumometer uncovered a deep well of competitiveness.” [4]After experimenting with various WFD competition formats in the Southern United States, the event achieved international prominence when respected studio and clinic drummer Johnny Rabb became the first person to break 1,000 single strokes in 60 seconds, claiming the title World's Fastest Hands and recognition from the record keepers at Guinness. McAfee and Alan then officially sanctioned their events and copyrighted the phrase _World's Fastest Drummer_. This was followed by ads in _Drum!_ and _Modern Drummer_ magazines touting Rabb's accomplishment and their Drumometer device. Subsequently, they created new classes of speed drumming: fastest feet (for two-footed bass drumming), bare hands, and tag team, among others. Drumometer orders then followed, and the race to best Rabb's feats began. Music genres - Death metal, Country, Jazz, Rock as well as Drum Corps have since battled for dominance in the various categories. In 2002, WFD world championships became a biannual affair (winter and summer), and were permanently stationed at NAMM conventions beginning in 2003.

Early years

Early stars of the event in addition to Rabb included a veteran jazz drummer named Art Verdi, the first person to break 1100 single strokes and while using the traditional grip. [5] Jotan Afanador, the first person to regularly perform nearly 1200 single strokes in one minute. [6] Tim Waterson, the first person to score over 1000 single strokes on a bass drum and first identifiable personality of the bass drum division via a series of instructional videos touting his widely emulated heel-toe technique.

Acquired in 2002 was the WFD's most recognizable competitor when Dream Theater drummer and former Berklee College of Music professor Mike Mangini joined its ranks. [7]

With the retirements of Rabb and others from active competition, the sport continued to witness runs by New Jersey website personality and Joe Morello student “Tiger” Bill Meligari. Seth Davis, 1000+ single stroker, double stroke world record holder, and WFD host. Sam Lecompte, single paradiddle world record holder, and 2003 Summer winner Eric Okamoto. [8]

New era

Recent champions include Matt Smith, [9] who at 16 became the youngest WFD champion and the harbinger of a new youth movement within the sport, and two bass drum competitors Tim Yeung and Mike "Machine" Mallais. Yeung was instrumental in popularizing the sport within that genre, while Mallais beat most of the existing bass drum world records formerly held by Waterson and Mangini at the Winter 2007 world championships.

In 2006 British drummer Rees Bridges became the first European to win a world's title, sparking greater interest in a WFD UK division, managed by drummer entrepreneur Ed Freitas. Later in 2006 WFD staged a national competition in Australia with smaller events held in Hong Kong and elsewhere, while the first official WFD China Championship is scheduled for 2012. After an extended hiatus, WFD Championships returned to NAMM Conventions in July 2011 with Australian Joey Moujalli and American Kevin Bernardy taking hands and feet titles respectively.

In July 2007 in Austin, Texas, WFD hands champion Thomas Grosset (age 16) performed 1156 single strokes in 1 minute matched grip, the highest score ever recorded in the final championship round. Tom's top preliminary run of 1194 made him the new WFD 16 and under World Record Holder and third in the world rankings just behind Afanador. In 2013, Grossett set the new world record of 1,208. Shortly after losing his 16 and under record, Matt Smith set a new world hands endurance record and was followed closely by 18-year-old Daniel Rice, scoring 1108 in the preliminaries. In June 2008, Smith returned to break Mangini's traditional grip record of 1126, with a score of 1132, leaving the sport almost entirely in the hands of younger competitors. Mangini's former dominance of WFD has recently been deemphasized. He still holds the bare hand record (no sticks) of 1138 single strikes in 60 seconds.

Controversy

Since the competition's inception, drummers were divided into positive and negative camps, with this phenomenon rapidly accelerating as Mangini, Rabb, Verdi, and Afanador especially surfaced on television programs and commercials, with opposing sides simultaneously battling in internet drum forums, magazines, and YouTube comments sections. WFD detractors have contended that musical instruments should not be used as tools for sport and depreciate musicality, while defenders cite the quest for technical excellence and its innocence as a non-musical exercise. As the argument has become more complex, hundreds of WFD hopefuls issue unsubstantiated Drumometer videos purporting to be world records. [10]

Another controversy centered around the implementation of a hand technique called “push-pull” that allowed competitors to score more than one beat with a single motion but was neither a double stroke nor buzz roll. In 2011 it was determined that push-pull qualified as a hybrid single stroke but requiring a separate category with its own records. The ruling further asserted that world rankings would remain limited to standard singles competitors.

World record holders

-   Single Stroke Roll: Tom Grosset - [20.13 strokes a second] 1208 Strokes in 60 seconds - Hand Speed [11][12]
-   Double Stroke Roll: Seth Davis - [20 strokes a second] 1200 Strokes in 60 seconds - Hand Speed [13][14]
-   Single Paradiddle: Sam LeCompte - [17.2 strokes a second] 1032 Strokes in 60 seconds - Hand Speed [15][16]
-   Single Stroke Roll: Mike Mallais - [17.23 strokes a second] 1034 Strokes in 60 seconds - Foot Speed [17][18]
-   Double Stroke Roll: Tim Waterson - [23.45 strokes a second] 1407 Strokes in 60 seconds - Foot Speed [19][20][21]
-   Bare Hand Single Stroke Roll: Mike Mangini - [18.96 strokes a second] 1138 Strokes in 60 seconds - Bare Hand Speed [22]

_Certified by the World’s Fastest Drummers Organization at Official Sanctioned Events_[23]

WFD champions

Champions and competitors are documented at https://www.worldsfastestdrummer.com/ [24]

-   Spring 2019 “Fastest Hands” Marc Wilkens (953) “Fastest Feet” Dane Slinger (796)
-   Summer 2016 “Fastest Hands” Lizhou Wang (1057) “Fastest Feet” Felix Garza III (847)
-   Summer 2015 “Fastest Hands” Braxton Burke (953) “Fastest Feet” Josh Robinson (899)
-   Spring 2015 “Fastest Hands” Charles Goodwin (926) “Fastest Feet” Josh Robinson (825)
-   Summer 2014 “Fastest Hands” Wang Peng (1049) “Fastest Feet” Perry Dattilo (840)
-   Summer 2013 “Fastest Hands” Dave Stroup (989) “Fastest Feet” Serena Dalton (846)
-   Summer 2012 “Fastest Hands” Daniel Rice (1005) “Fastest Feet” Flo Mounier (890)
-   Summer 2011 “Fastest Hands” Joey Moujalli (995) “Fastest Feet” Kevin Bernardy (860)
-   Winter 2007 “Fastest Hands” Jeff Guthery (1054) “Fastest Feet” Mike Mallais (978)
-   Summer 2006 “Fastest Hands” Matt Smith (1030) “Fastest Feet” Hensley Souryavong (774)
-   Winter 2006 “Fastest Hands” Rees Bridges (1007) “Fastest Feet” Tim Yeung (872)
-   Summer 2005 “Fastest Hands” Randy Briggs (1021) “Fastest Feet” Dan Prestup (858)
-   Autumn 2005 “Fastest Hands” Arne Widderich (924) “Fastest Feet” Matt Garrett (888)
-   Summer 2004 “Fastest Hands” Sam LeCompte (1061) “Fastest Feet” Adam Fachler (844)
-   Winter 2004 “Fastest Hands” Bill Meligari (1019) “Fastest Feet” Mike Duncan (782)
-   Summer 2003 “Fastest Hands” Eric Okamoto (1018) “Fastest Feet” Kermit Tarver (768)
-   Winter 2003 “Fastest Hands” Kai Katchadourian (909) “Fastest Feet” Reno Kiilerich (878)

2015 Legal Filings-Defending the Drumometer Patent US #6,545,207

McAfee has filed patent infringement lawsuits in Chicago against Guitar Center, Ahead Products, Cherub Technology, which sells a similar drum stroke counting device; and Yamaha Corporation of America, which has incorporated a drum stroke counting feature in its popular line of DTX electronic drum kits. [25]

In response to an ongoing controversy in the music world over who was, in fact, the world's fastest drummer, Boo McAfee teamed up with electrical engineer and drummer, Craig Alan Kestner, and developed the Drumometer™ to accurately count drum strokes on a drum pad. McAfee and Kestner were awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,545,207 on their invention and began promoting “World’s Fastest Drummer®” (“WFD”) competitions with the Drumometer™. Craig left Drumometer in 2007 to continue a career in engineering but still owns the first Drumometer prototype affectionately known as Frankenstein.

“Extreme Sport Drumming” competitions are now regularly held worldwide and have been featured on CNN, MTV, VH1, PBS, FOX, and ESPN. Boo McAfee and Extreme Sport Drumming were recently the subjects of the film Fast Company, which opened to rave reviews at the Milwaukee Film Festival on September 27, 2015.

The popularity of Extreme Sport Drumming, however, has led to many imitators of McAfee's patented Drumometer™. After trying for years to license, or stop, the sales of copycat drum stroke counting devices, McAfee has now begun filing patent infringement lawsuits with the help of patent attorney Anthony Dowell of Chicago.

“I contacted all of the companies selling imitation drum stroke counting pads,” McAfee said. “Unfortunately, none of them would respect my patent rights and pay a reasonable license fee. Guitar Center told me they wouldn’t even talk to me unless I filed ‘formal proceedings.’ So that's what we did.”

“Boo’s experience is common these days,” patent attorney Anthony Dowell explained. “In today’s patent climate, companies have no respect for inventors or patent rights. Most will ignore an inventor until a patent infringement lawsuit is filed. That usually gets their attention.”

Dowell has filed three patent infringement lawsuits for McAfee in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the first against Guitar Center and Yamaha on October 27, 2015 (15-cv-9555) and two more against Ahead Products, Inc. (15-cv-10395) and Cherub Technology Inc. (15-cv-10403) on November 18, 2015.

[1] http://www.drumbum.com/drums/speed-drumming.htm

[2] https://tigerbill.com/wfdworldsfastestdrummer.htm

[3] http://september.club/updates/churchs-chicken/

[4] https://www.wired.com/2006/05/fastest-feet-in-the-west/

[5] https://www.moderndrummer.com/2016/03/art-verdi-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/

[6] https://canopusdrums.com/en/endorsers/jotan-afanador/

[7] https://waaf.radio.com/blogs/anthony-capobianco/dream-theaters-mike-mangini-became-worlds-fastest-drummer-drumming-pots-and

[8] https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/international-fastest-drummer-contest-to-be-held-at-namm/

[9] https://www.extremesportdrumming.com/mattsmith.htm

[10] https://drummagazine.com/extreme-sports-drumming-mangini-donati-morgenstein-weigh-in-on-the-quest-for-speed/

[11] https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/gta/2013/07/18/toronto_man_wins_title_of_worlds_fastest_drummer.html

[12] https://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/18/watch-worlds-fastest-drummer-sets-new-record/

[13] Extreme Sport Drumming - http://www.extremesportdrumming.com/sethdavis.htm - 2002

[14] International World's Fastest Drummer Competition - http://tigerbill.com/drumclinicsfesteventsreviews/wfdnamm2003.htm

[15] https://www.extremesportdrumming.com/samlecompte.htm

[16] http://www.drumbum.com/drums/speed-drumming.htm

[17] https://www.extremesportdrumming.com/mikemallais.htm

[18] https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/world-s-fastest-drummer-competition-records-are-meant-to-be-broken/

[19] https://drummagazine.com/how-the-worlds-fastest-pedal-got-its-start/

[20] https://tigerbill.com/wfdworldsfastestdrummer.htm

[21] http://www.drumbum.com/drums/speed-drumming.htm

[22] https://www.extremesportdrumming.com/mikemangini.htm

[23] https://www.worldsfastestdrummer.com/rules.htm

[24] https://www.worldsfastestdrummer.com/

[25] https://www.nashvillepost.com/home/article/20487103/local-drumming-community-legend-files-patent-protection-suits

title: World's Fastest Drummer

question: What does the text say about the qualities of a good drummer?

question: What does the text say about the Drumometer?

answer: Invented by Boo McAfee and Craig Alan Kestner in 1999, the Drumometer is a patented digital counting device that calculates and records a drummer's speed. McAfee teamed up with Kestner, an electrical engineer and drummer, to help settle an ongoing controversy in the music world over who was the world's fastest drummer. They developed the Drumometer to accurately count drum strokes on a drum pad. McAfee and Kestner were awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,545,207 on their invention. They started promoting "World's Fastest Drummer" (WFD) competitions with the Drumometer, which is accredited by the Guinness World Records as the official device used to verify the World's Fastest Drummer. Craig left Drumometer in 2007 but still owns the first Drumometer prototype known as Frankenstein. With the help of patent attorney Anthony Dowell, McAffee has filed patent infringement lawsuits in Chicago against Guitar Center, Ahead Products, Cherub Technology, which sells a similar drum stroke counting device; and Yamaha Corporation of America, which has incorporated a drum stroke counting feature in its popular line of DTX electronic drum kits.

question: What does the text say about the World's Fastest Drummer competition?

answer: The primary goal of most WFD competitions is to determine who can play the most single strokes in sixty seconds. The event achieved international prominence when respected studio and clinic drummer Johhny Rabb became the first person to break the 1,000 single strokes in 60 seconds, claiming the title World's Fastest Hands and recognition from Guinness World Records. McAffee and Alan (Kestner) then officially sanctioned their events and copyrighted the phrase "World's Fastest Drummer". They followed this by ads in "Drum!" and "Modern Drummer" magazines touting Rabb's accomplishment and their Drumometer device. Drummers started buying Drumometers and the race to beat Rabb began. In 2002, WFD world championships became a biannual affair permanently stationed at NAMM conventions starting in 2003.

question: Summarize the early years of WFD.

answer: In addition to Rabb, early stars of the event included veteran jazz drummer Art Verdi, the first person to break 1,100 single strokes while using the traditional grip; Jotan Afanador, the first person to regularly perform nearly 1,200 single strokes in one minute; and Tim Waterson, the first person to score over 1,000 single strokes on a bass drum and the first personality of the bass drum division. WFD's most recognizable musician arrived in 2002 when Dream Theater drummer and former Berklee College of Music professor Mike Magini joined the competition. When Rabb and the others retired from active competition, the sport continued to witness runs by New Jersey website personality and Joe Morello student "Tiger" Bill Meligari, Seth Davis (1,000+ single stroker, double stroke world record holder, and WFD host), Sam Lecompte (single paradiddle world record holder), and 2003 Summer winner Eric Okamoto.


text:
[]
A new study suggests Tetris might help prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Not Tetris 2
_(CORRECTION: This article initially misquoted the “Play, don’t replay” webpage as saying “this simple trick” when in fact it says “this simple technique”. I apologise for this error.)_

A few days ago, renowned game designer, author, and speaker Jane McGonigal launched a new project on her website called “Play, don’t replay! HELP PREVENT PTSD” _(UPDATE: McGonigal has updated the wording of the website since this column was posted. The original can be found here._ ) Its stated goal is to get trauma victims to play a pattern-matching videogame such as Tetris or Candy Crush Saga as soon as possible after the traumatising event to potentially prevent ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder.

The aim of the project is to have as many people as possible know about “this simple technique” so that they can pull it out themselves in case they suffer a traumatic event. Not because it works, mind, but because it _might_ work, and McGonigal wants people to try it themselves and then provide feedback. She has asked her 59,000 twitter followers to share and retweet the project multiple times. There is an email address you can provide your results to once you try it out.

On the surface, the project is clearly well-intentioned. Who wouldn’t want to help prevent or ease the suffering of PTSD? However, in the tone of the post, the presentation of the science, and the demands for crowdsourcing test subjects, it is a shockingly irresponsible and unethical project. It is a project through which we can vividly see all the problems with what I’m going to call the “games evangelism industry”. This is an industry of individuals and organisations that has a self-aggrandising need to convince both others and itself that games are _good_ and can _fix problems_ and, to paraphrase the title of McGonigal’s own book, can save the world.

I’m going to look at the problems with this particular project in more detail then return to this idea of a games evangelism industry and why it deserves our scepticism.

First, the necessary caveats about the science that McGonigal is working from: I don’t doubt for a moment the integrity of the study (pdf) that McGonigal cites. There is little doubt that playing small games can be useful to distract people from various things. That such a technique might help ease PTSD is a commendable avenue of research.

However, to take one controlled test where forty participants watched a twelve-minute film and present this as definitive proof that this approach should be trialed by _everyone_ in the uncontrolled real world is an unethical way to conduct research. Of course, the writers of the study don’t make such claims. They, of course, note that further research is required and that _maybe_ this technique could be employed by emergency services responding in the early post-trauma period. McGonigal, however, doesn’t share their restraint. She wants _everyone_ doing this right away. She wants a #Kony2012-esque social media campaign to get 100,000 people to read her blog post. She thinks it irresponsible to sit around and wait for definitive results. She even goes so far as to label those that voice valid concerns about the project as “games naysayers” and compares them to climate change deniers.

The project is an unethical way to both present findings and to gather research data. Further, it trivialises the realities of PTSD. McGonigal runs with the study’s wording of Tetris as a potential “vaccine”. But you wouldn’t take a potential vaccine for any disease and distribute it to everyone after a single clinical trial. Why should PTSD be treated with any less seriousness? Responding to a comment on the post questioning the approach, McGonigal cites her own suffering of flashbacks and nightmares after a traumatic experience to demonstrate her good intentions (intentions which I do not doubt for a moment that she has). Yet, she wants everyone to try this because it _might_ work. She doesn’t stop to think that one test on forty people in a controlled environment is not enough to rule out that sticking Tetris or Candy Crush Saga under the nose of someone who has just had a traumatic experience could potentially be harmful for some people (especially considering Candy Crush Saga is not even mentioned in the study itself!).

Further, and crucially, in her desire to implement this project in the real world, she makes no attempt to compare or contrast this method of battling PTSD with existing methods. It doesn’t matter. The point is that it proves _games_ can be used for _good_.

In this project we see one of the most vivid examples of the games evangelism industry where it is more important for games to be _seen_ as good than to critically ask what might be good about them and whether something that isn’t games might be better. I don’t use the word “industry” lightly. People like McGonigal and organisations like Games for Change, despite being a non-profit organisation, directly benefit from advancing the notion that games are useful tools for social change. They provide a veneer of respectability for a far broader (and lucrative) “gamification” industry where expertise quickly translates into speaking events, consultancy roles, and book deals. The games evangelists tap into a growing enthusiasm around games and create a need for a particular type of games expert that they themselves are then perfectly positioned to fill. All while the “social change” games they advocate just as often merely reinstates the status quo than actually challenge it.

Which isn’t to say games _can’t_ facilitate positive social change. Of course they can! But the priority quickly shifts from actually making games that do this (which have existed for a very long time), to clutching at any argument that might further prove how games are useful and how these people and organisations are necessary. To the games evangelists, games become hammers and all the world starts to look like a nail.

And, of course, you can’t disagree with them. What? Do you want PTSD victims to suffer? Why _don’t_ you want to make the world a safer place? Why are you being so negative about this? Do you _hate_ games and play? What is wrong with you? Games evangelists trade in inspiration; to question their ideas is to questions their inspiration. In McGonigal’s own terms, anyone who dares disagree with the uncritically optimistic outlook of games evangelists is a “Games Naysayer” and any criticism of their projects, like that presented here, is negated. After all, she’s just trying to help.

It is tempting to want to believe games are fundamentally positive things. Especially, of course, if your livelihood is dependent on games in one form or another. The various responses to McGonigal’s post on twitter highlight this thirst to believe that games are _good_. It’s intoxicating. After decades of the mainstream media and our parents alike telling us that games are _bad_, developers and players alike want to believe that, after all this time, this hobby that we’ve devoted ourselves to is _good_.

But just as films can be works of art, Nazi propaganda, or both, games are never ever only one thing. They are no less capable of being “bad” as they are of being “good”. Or, even, they don’t have to be “bad”, but maybe, just maybe, in any given situation there might be something else that is better. That McGonigal’s latest project doesn’t even attempt to compare Tetris to pre-existing methods of treating PTSD reveals that the highest priority is highlighting the significance of games is a much higher priority than actually helping anyone.

Uncritical evangelism is unhelpful, and it only benefits those who are evangelising. “Play, don’t Replay!” is, on the surface, a grassroots online activity to raise awareness. I don’t doubt that this is exactly what McGonigal, with the best of intentions, sees it as. But it is also a means to crowdsource research via the free labour of trauma sufferers while drastically overstating the results of a single study in order to advance a personal agenda. Like any project, it demands scepticism and criticism; its positive intentions don’t exempt it. But dare ask a question about the methods or the science of the project and, no, you are merely a games naysayer.

Almost as a counterweight to the lawmakers and media personalities that use a single clinical trial to prove games are fundamentally evil, the evangelists use a single clinical trial to prove that games are fundamentally benevolent. “Play, don’t Replay!” is just another example of games evangelists twisting a study into a nail to advance their own hammer under the guise of saving the world, and it’s something that people should be cynical about.

If being a games naysayer means thinking critically about the place of games in society and not overreaching the findings of individual studies, I for one will gladly be a games naysayer.

_(My thanks to Mary Hamilton and Dan Golding for providing feedback on a previous draft of this column. My thanks, too, to the various people I’ve had conversations with about this project over the past few days that have helped to shape the arguments I make here. That said, the views shared in this column reflect mine alone.)_

question: Summarize what the text says about the games evangelism industry.

answer: The author refers to the games evangelism industry as those people who profit from thinking that games are good for people and can solve problems in the world. The author criticizes games evangelists for suggesting games can do certain things based on scant evidence and charges them with being uncritical of their own methods. The author's main argument in this text is with a campaign by Jane McGonigal called, "Play, don't Replay," which suggests that Tetris and Candy Crush may help reduce PTSD if played after a traumatic event.

question: Summarize what the text says about ethics.

answer: The author refers to a project called "Play, don't Replay" by Jane McGonigal as unethical because it suggests games can achieve results for which there is insufficient scientific evidence. The author criticizes McGonigal's methods of gathering research data as unethical because she invites people to participate in her project without them being in a controlled environment and without knowing their situations. In this article, ethics have to do with the right and wrong ways to conduct research with subjects who are dealing with traumatic situations, as well as the motives behind that research.

question: What does the text say about Jane McGonigal's love life?


text:
_IN SHA ALLAH_ or _INSHALLAH_ ( ) is a real life based novel written by Oriana Fallaci chronicling the experiences of a fictional group of Italian soldiers on a 1983 peace keeping mission in Beirut. The novel draws heavily on Fallaci's own experiences of war, covering the Middle East as a war correspondent throughout the 1980s. It has been published in Italy by the editor Rizzoli in 1990. The title refers to the Arabic phrase () that means “God willing” or “if Allah wills”.[1]

Plot summary

The books switches from character to character, following Italian soldiers in Beirut, flashbacks of their lives before they came to the city, their Lebanese sweethearts, Lebanese Christian and Shi'ite militants, and a group of French nuns. If anyone could be called the protagonist of the story, it would be Angelo, a confused Italian soldier who abandoned his studies of mathematics in order to enlist as a conscript in the Italian army and see war firsthand. Angelo's interest in Mathematics is reflective of Fallaci's lover, the Greek politician and rebel Alexandros Panagoulis, who also studied mathematics at the Athens Polytechnion and attempted to prove mathematical theorems in his own blood whilst in jail.[2]

But the real inspirer and leading actor of the novel is “Charlie”, to which the author devotes many pages and between the lines attributed the success of the Italian contingent which left Lebanon unscathed. Charlie, a character of course inspired by Captain Corrado Cantatore (multi decorated just for his Lebanese exploits). Cantatore arrived in Lebanon many years before the Italian contingent, as a volunteer in the UN and was probably recruited by the famous Colonel Stefano Giovannone of Italian intelligence. Cantatore grew with Giovannone and when Giovannone left Lebanon, Cantatore had already woven his network that so impressed Oriana Fallaci and assured the safety to the Italians. The commanding Officer of the Italian Contingent, General Franco Angioni, before taking command of the expeditionary unit had served as Chief of Operations of the Army Staff, in charge of the Italian Military personnel serving in United Nations organizations (UNIFIL and UNTSO) in Middle East. Angioni was therefore aware of the peculiar capacity of the Captain Cantatore, and just landed off the ship in the Beirut harbor had given him the task of liaising with all Lebanese factions, under the cover of the press information officer. Cantatore received and accompanied all the journalists who visited the contingent and was the officer who spent more time overall with Oriana Fallaci who, struck by the extraordinary quality of the Captain, decided to spend the last night of the Italian Contingent in Lebanon in the office of Captain Cantatore (so called “Arab Bureau”) with him. One last curiosity is that the code name “Charlie - Charlie” was born from the extraction of aeronautics of Cantatore (he was a pilot of fix wings and attack helicopters): at the arrival of the Italian Contingent, when Angioni asked to choose a Radio call sign distinct from those used in his headquarters (Condor, Eagle, Ruby, etc.). was natural for Cantatore take his initials, just CC, which was designed “Charlie - Charlie” in the NATO phonetic alphabet in use among the pilots and control towers. Cantatore, when returned from Lebanon disappeared from the scene, he was great friend of Oriana Fallaci, it seems, he has continued to work for the' Italian intelligence.

Angelo finds war not as he expected, and he is shocked at the irrationality and barbarity of the civil war engulfing Beirut. Whilst on guard duty, he meets Ninette, a beautiful Christian Lebanese woman with whom he cannot communicate as she pretends not to speak French for reasons unknown to Angelo. Still, they are attracted to each other and they begin a relationship. Angelo is tormented by the fact that their relationship is primarily physical, and also on his growing reliance on Ninette.

While expecting a visit from Ninette, Hizbollah bombs the American marine barracks as well as French paratroopers barracks. Angelo is ordered to photograph the rescue efforts of Italian soldiers, but he is too horrified by the carnage to accomplish the task. On the way back to purchases Ninette an anchor shaped cross with the Virgin Mary inscribed on it to apologize for missing their rendez-vous.

Subplots are developed between a group of Italian soldiers billeted in a Catholic monastery and the French nuns, as well as the negotiations between Italian officers and Shi'ite militia leaders.

Angelo's friend Gino, a gentle poet, is severely wounded by Khalid Passepartout, a vicious child soldier in the service of the Shi'ite militia “the Sons of God.” Gino loses his fingers, and can no longer write poetry. Angelo vows revenge, and during an encounter with Ninette he leaves early to visit Gino in the hospital and tells her that he cannot spend Christmas with her due to Gino's condition. He admits to her that friendship is more important than love to him, and this hurts Ninette who expresses to him in a letter, written in perfect French, that she can no longer see him. Angleo realizes how much he loves Ninette and vainly searches for her throughout the city.

French paratroopers vacating a tower in the center of Beirut causes fighting to break out between Amal, a Shi'ite militia and mainly Christian government forces. In the turmoil Passpartout sees Ninette, who he sees in the street after she goes to the Italian post to see if Angelo is all right, and gives her his Kalashnikov, as he wants to run away. After being chastised by his officer and pedophilic lover, Rashid, he returns to Ninette demanding that his gun be returned and accusing her of theft. Despite warnings from passers-by that she will be killed if she returns the gun as she is a Christian, she returns the gun and Passepartout shoots her shouting “Christian! Whore! Spy!” Ninette is buried in a mass grave.

Angelo's officer finds out the news, and tells Angelo who is shattered. Angelo again vows revenge, and whilst on guard duty he encounters Passepartout who is wearing Gino's bersaglieri helmet. Through a discussion, Angelo forgives Passepartout for killing his friend as he is only a child, but then rather than running away Passepartout attempts to sell Angelo an anchor shaped cross with the Virgin Mary on it. Angelo recognizes that this was the cross that he had given Ninette. In a fit of rage Angelo realizes that Passepartout killed not only his friend, but his lover, and Angelo kills Passepartout.

Rashid finds out that an Italian killed his lover, Passepartout, and vows vengeance. He plans a suicided bombing against the Italian's boats as they plan to leave. The Italian commanders struggle to strike a deal with the Shi'ite militia to avert catastrophe. Angelo discovers by chance in a magazine that Ninette was really an elegant Lebanese woman named Natalia Narakat who had been married to an assassinated political leader, who looked quite a bit like Angelo which is what attracted her to him in the first place. In the interview she states that the meaning of life is contained in the word “in sha Allah”-- “as God wills”—there is no rationality, no way to predict the future, just a series of events that are all interlocking but completely incomprehensible when viewed above from human eyes. Angelo is deeply moved and abandons his quest to formulate life in mathematical terms.

The French nuns who quartered the Italian troops are raped and murdered by Shi'ite militiamen, who desecrate their church. The novel ends with the Italians departing after striking a deal with a Shi'ite cleric for their safety in exchange for supplies. The Shi'ite promise to give the alcohol and pork to Christian Lebanese, but instead they destroy it. In the final scene Angelo looks across the prow of the boat and sees Rashid's motorboat speeding towards the Italian convoy.

Themes

Boltzmann's equation for entropy is heavily featured in the book, seen as a mathematical formula for the seemingly irrational chaos enfolding in Beirut. Mathematics are also heavily discussed throughout the book. In the end they are discredited by a single word-- _“In sha Allah”_--“_As God Wills_” which Ninette states is the very essence of our complex and irrational lives.

The characters of Bilal and Captain Ghassan represent the division of Lebanon. Bilal is a poor, semi-literate Shi'ite street sweeper who has eight children, whereas Ghassan is a wealthy Christian medical student turned officer with two children. Bilal fights for the creation of an Islamic state, whereas Ghassan was drawn into the conflict after the murder of his father by Muslim extremists who then razed his family's seaside villa. Ghassan eventually kills Bilal.

The irrationality of the conflict in Lebanon is expounded upon. Change and the impact of seemingly unimportant events also feature heavily in the story. For example, Italian soldiers purchasing an inflatable sex doll drastically alters the course of events.

Religion also features prominently in the novel. Many of the soldiers draw comfort from their beliefs, and the soft, peaceful Christianity of the Italians is juxtaposed against the “Olympian” Christianity of the Lebanese, who pray to the Virgin of Junieh that they might slay many enemies. Islam is attacked somewhat in the novel, as Mohammed is portrayed as abusive to women.

Quotes

_“Maybe he couldn't bear the dejection of having proved a fact that even newborns divine, the invincibility of death, and out of consistency he surrendered to it before his time. Or maybe he concluded that, besides constituting the inevitable goal of every thing and every creature, Death is a relief: a repose. And out of impatience, or out of exhaustion, he ran up to it. Could I imitate him? Well, though I can't deny that sometimes Death offers repose or relief, though what we think and desire today doesn't usually correspond to what we'll think or desire tomorrow because every tomorrow is a trap of ugly surprises, my answer is no. I don't think I could run up to Death for impatience or exhaustion. Unless... No, no... I'll never yield, I'll never bend, to its invincibility. I'm too certain that Life is the measure of all, the mainspring of all, the goal of all. And I hate Death too much. I hate it as much as I hate solitude, suffering, pain and the word goodbye..”_

[1] Inshallah: Religious invocations in Arabic topic transition

[2] Fallaci, Orianna. _A Man._

title: Inshallah (novel)

question: What does the passage say about Angelo's relationship with Charlie?

answer: They are both characters from Oriana Fallaci's novel In Sha Allah. Angelo is an Italian soldier on a 1983 peacekeeping mission in Beirut. Charlie arrived in Lebanon many years before the Italian contingent as a volunteer in the UN. It is not mentioned if they meet during the mission.

question: What does the passage say about Ninette's emotional life?

answer: Ninette had been married to an assassinated political leader. She meets Angelo, and they begin a relationship. When Angelo tells her that he cannot spend Christmas with her due to his friend's condition and admits to her that friendship is more important than love to him. She decides to leave Angelo.

question: What does the story say about Angelo's poetry?


text:
MOHAMMAD ASADDOR ALI (), was a Bangladeshi writer, researcher and historian. His research primarily focused on the history of Sylhet. Due to his achievements, he was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2004.[1] His research discovered unknown information about folk literature, and he wrote 19 books relating to it.[2]

Early life

Ali was born into a Bengali Muslim family in the village of Ludorpur in Jagannathpur, Sunamganj Subdivision in 1929. He was the third child of a family of five sons and one daughter. His mother, Mastura Khatun, was a teacher at the Ludorpur Ayaan Munshi Primary School. His father's name was Moulvi Muhammad Uthman Ullah.[3][4]

He studied in a _pathshala_ in the nearby village of Syedpur where he passed second place in the primary exam. He then studied in Government Jubilee High School where he completed his matriculation exams, before completing his I.A. and I.B. in Murari Chand College. Following this, he went to Dhaka University where he did a Master of Arts in Bengali language and Bengali literature. In the Govt. Teachers' Training College, he completed a Bachelor of Education degree from a talent scholarship.[5] He was the first person in his village to graduate from a university.[6]

Career

After graduating, Ali became a teacher at the Madan Mohan College. He left teaching later on to dedicate his life towards research. He started travelling, in search of old manuscripts and books and conversed with thousands of people. He was the founding chairman of the Oitijjo Srishtikari Shahitya Shongothon Shonglap Shahitya Shanskriti Front, and held this role for a number of years. He was a member of the Bangla Academy. He was also vice-chairman and patron for the Kendriya Muslim Sahitya Sangsad for quite a long time. Studying the Mymensingh Gitika, he was able to find evidence that nine of them were actually of Sylheti origin.[7] Ali corrected Ahmed Sharif, who wrote in his PhD thesis that medieval writer Shaykh Chand was from Chittagong, that the latter was actually from the Sylhet region. Ali was also of the opinion that Syed Sultan was a Sylheti.[8] He established a large personal library, which has benefited many future researchers. Ali was the president of the Jalalabad Lekhok Sahitya Sangsad as well as the founding chairman of the Sunamganj Samiti Sylhet.[9] In addition to these, he was a founding member of the Muinuddin Model Woman's College and Sylhet College. He was awarded the Ragib-Rabeya Literary Award in 2001. On 20 December 2004, he was awarded the KEMUSAS Literary Award.

Research and publications

He wrote a total of 19 books. Some of these include:

-   _Mymensingh Gitika Bonam Sylhet Gitika_ (Mymensingh Gitika vs. Sylhet Gitika)
-   _Mohakobi Syed Sultan_ (The great poet Syed Sultan)
-   _Charyapade Sylheti Bhasha_ (The Sylheti language in the Charyapada)
-   _Lokshahitye Jalalabad_ (Jalalabad in folk literature)
-   _Sylhet Bibhager Musolmander Shahitya Shongskriti Chorcha_ [written in Sylhet Nagri]
-   _Sylheter Mohakobi Shaykh Chand_ (Sylhet's great poet Shaykh Chand)
-   _Sylhet Bibhag Shomporke Kichhu Kotha_ (Some words relating to the Sylhet Division)
-   _Sylheti Bhasha_ (Sylheti language)
-   _Sylheti Probad Probochon_ (Sylheti proverbs and adages)

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[9]

title: Asaddor Ali

question: What does the article say about Asaddor Ali's accomplishments?

answer: Ali's first accomplishment is his education since he's the first person in his village who graduated from a university. After he dedicated his life to historical research and spent years interviewing and searching for sources, he founded the Oitijjo Srishtikari Shahitya Shongothon Shonglap Shahitya Shanskriti Front. He uncovered evidence about Sylheti-originated works, correcting previous knowledge. He's an influential member of many more societies as well as the recipient of the Ragib-Rabeya Literary Award in 2001 and the KEMUSAS Literary Award in 2004.

question: What does the article say about Indian cuisine?


text:
1.  tech

Facebook Vice President Andrew “Boz” Bosworth said that “questionable contact importing practices,” “subtle language that helps people stay searchable,” and other growth techniques are justified by the company’s connecting of people.

Last updated on March 29, 2018, at 6:36 p.m. ET

Posted on March 29, 2018, at 5:54 p.m. ET

ON JUNE 18, 2016, one of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s most trusted lieutenants circulated an extraordinary memo weighing the costs of the company’s relentless quest for growth.

“We connect people. Period. That’s why all the work we do in growth is justified. All the questionable contact importing practices. All the subtle language that helps people stay searchable by friends. All of the work we do to bring more communication in. The work we will likely have to do in China some day. All of it,” VP Andrew “Boz” Bosworth wrote.

“So we connect more people,” he wrote in another section of the memo. “That can be bad if they make it negative. Maybe it costs someone a life by exposing someone to bullies.

“Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack coordinated on our tools.”

The explosive internal memo is titled “The Ugly,” and has not been previously circulated outside the Silicon Valley social media giant.

 Paul Sakuma / AP

Andrew Bosworth talks about the new Facebook messaging service at an announcement in San Francisco, Nov. 15, 2010.

The Bosworth memo reveals the extent to which Facebook’s leadership understood the physical and social risks the platform’s products carried — even as the company downplayed those risks in public. It suggests that senior executives had deep qualms about conduct that they are now seeking to defend. And as the company reels amid a scandal over improper outside data collection on its users, the memo shows that one senior executive — one of Zuckerberg’s longest-serving deputies — prioritized all-encompassing growth over all else, a view that has led to questionable data collection and manipulative treatment of its users. You can read the full post below. Facebook was unable to provide comment at the time of publication.

Bosworth is one of a small inner circle at Facebook. He joined the company in January 2006 from Microsoft and over the years has been deeply involved in everything from News Feed and Groups to Facebook's anti-abuse systems and its virtual- and augmented-reality efforts.

Bosworth, one of the company’s most outspoken employees, has also recently emerged as an outspoken defender of Facebook through his Twitter account. He responded to this story there, tweeting: "I don't agree with the post today and I didn't agree with it when I wrote it. The purpose of this post, like many others I have written internally, was to bring to the surface issues I felt deserved more discussion with the broader company."

Bosworth is known inside the company for his bluntness, two former employees said.

  "The memo is classic Boz because it speaks to the majority of Facebook employee views but it's also polarizing."

“He is definitely a guy who isn't very diplomatic — he'd blunder into internal debates and internal comms would tend to keep an eye on what he's doing and posting,” one former senior employee told BuzzFeed News. “The memo is classic Boz because it speaks to the majority of Facebook employee views but it's also polarizing. Tonally he doesn't mince words. This is clearly a post meant to rally the troops.”

The Bosworth memo, which stresses the extent to which Facebook was built on “growth tactics,” reads as a statement of corporate principles, including phrases like “what we do” and “what we believe” and speaking of “our work” and “our imperative.” In the memo, he argued that Facebook believes its mission of connecting people is so important that anything it does in support of it is "*de facto* good" — even if it allows some to do true, even catastrophic, harm to others.

“The ugly truth is that we believe in connecting people so deeply that anything that allows us to connect more people more often is *de facto* good. It is perhaps the only area where the metrics do tell the true story as far as we are concerned,” he wrote. “That isn’t something we are doing for ourselves. Or for our stock price (ha!). It is literally just what we do. We connect people. Period.”

  Got a tip? You can email tips@buzzfeed.com. To learn how to reach us securely, go to tips.buzzfeed.com.

There is no record of Zuckerberg's response to the memo. However, a year later in August 2017, Bosworth was tapped to run the company's consumer hardware efforts. A former employee, who was unhappy about the lack of accountability at Facebook in light of the company’s role in recent global crises, surfaced the post earlier this month. It still remains live for current workers to read.

In a statement given to BuzzFeed News after publication of this story, Zuckerberg wrote:

  Boz is a talented leader who says many provocative things. This was one that most people at Facebook including myself disagreed with strongly. We've never believed the ends justify the means.

  We recognize that connecting people isn't enough by itself. We also need to work to bring people closer together. We changed our whole mission and company focus to reflect this last year.

Bosworth published the post to Facebook for employees’ eyes only a day after the shooting death of a Chicago man was captured on Facebook Live, the company’s livestreaming product. Earlier that year, Facebook had been dealt a significant blow when Indian regulators rejected the company’s free internet program; that spring, the company also faced significant backlash following reports that human curators sometimes demoted conservative news sources in the company’s trending news section.

“The natural state of the world is not connected,” Bosworth wrote. “It is not unified. It is fragmented by borders, languages, and increasingly by different products. The best products don’t win. The ones everyone use win.”

With more than 2 billion users, Facebook’s relentless quest for growth has led the company to grow its market capitalization to more than $450 billion. As it was in 2016, the social network is still shut out of China, possibly explaining Bosworth’s statement about “the work we will likely have to do” someday in the world’s most populous nation.

One former employee who spoke with BuzzFeed News noted that they remembered the post and the blowback it received from some workers at the time. “It was one of [Bosworth’s] least popular and most controversial posts,” the ex-employee said. “There are people that are probably still not in his fan club because of his view.”

  "The best products don’t win. The ones everyone use win."

Bosworth is a polarizing figure inside the company, according to the former employee, who said the post was viewed as “Boz being Boz.”

A former senior executive, however, pushed back on that, acknowledging the debate within some circles, but describing the memo as “super popular internally."

“Right now there's a tremendous amount of soul-searching, internally,” they said. “Views like Boz's are being raised retroactively and debated now with more vigor. There was some debate then when he posted it but there were people who'd mostly just stay out of it. But now they feel different. I assume there's going to be intense debate over this and so many other strategic vision statements in the coming weeks as part of their reckoning.”

It didn’t take long after the memo’s publication for the worst of Bosworth’s statements to be realized. On June 30, 2016, an Israeli teen was stabbed to death by a terrorist who had boasted on Facebook of his plans to die as a martyr. In July, the company was sued by the parents of five people who had allegedly been killed by Hamas since June 2014.

For Bosworth, that may have just been part of “the ugly.”

“In almost all of our work, we have to answer hard questions about what we believe,” he wrote in his memo. “We have to justify the metrics and make sure they aren’t losing out on a bigger picture. But connecting people. That’s our imperative. Because that’s what we do. We connect people.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The memo:

  Andrew Bosworth
  June 18, 2016

  The Ugly

  We talk about the good and the bad of our work often. I want to talk about the ugly.

  We connect people.

  That can be good if they make it positive. Maybe someone finds love. Maybe it even saves the life of someone on the brink of suicide.

  So we connect more people

  That can be bad if they make it negative. Maybe it costs a life by exposing someone to bullies. Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack coordinated on our tools.

  And still we connect people.

  The ugly truth is that we believe in connecting people so deeply that anything that allows us to connect more people more often is *de facto* good. It is perhaps the only area where the metrics do tell the true story as far as we are concerned.

  That isn’t something we are doing for ourselves. Or for our stock price (ha!). It is literally just what we do. We connect people. Period.

  That’s why all the work we do in growth is justified. All the questionable contact importing practices. All the subtle language that helps people stay searchable by friends. All of the work we do to bring more communication in. The work we will likely have to do in China some day. All of it.

  The natural state of the world is not connected. It is not unified. It is fragmented by borders, languages, and increasingly by different products. The best products don’t win. The ones everyone use win.

  I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this. Most of us have the luxury of working in the warm glow of building products consumers love. But make no mistake, growth tactics are how we got here. If you joined the company because it is doing great work, that’s why we get to do that great work. We do have great products but we still wouldn’t be half our size without pushing the envelope on growth. Nothing makes Facebook as valuable as having your friends on it, and no product decisions have gotten as many friends on as the ones made in growth. Not photo tagging. Not news feed. Not messenger. Nothing.

  In almost all of our work, we have to answer hard questions about what we believe. We have to justify the metrics and make sure they aren’t losing out on a bigger picture. But connecting people. That’s our imperative. Because that’s what we do. We connect people.

UPDATE

Mar. 29, 2018, at 22:35 PM

This story has been updated with comment from Mark Zuckerberg and Andrew “Boz” Bosworth.

question: What does the text say about how people can use Facebook negatively?

answer: Facebook has the tools to connect people, but sometimes people can use them to do bad things like bully a person online or coordinate a terrorist attack. This is mentioned in Andrew Bosworth's internal memo titled "The Ugly," which weighs the costs of Facebook's efforts to grow the company.

question: What does the text say about Facebook's privacy settings?

question: What does the text say about Bosworth's personality?

answer: Bosworth is one of Facebook's most outspoken employees. Mark Zuckerberg describes him as a talented leader who says many provocative things. His memo "The Ugly" does not mince words, and says the issues he raised deserve more discussion with the broader company.

question: What does the text say about Mark Zuckerberg?

answer: Mark Zuckerberg commented on Andrew Bosworth's memo "The Ugly," saying that he believes that the end does not justify the means. He expresses that Facebook's mission is more than just connecting people; they must work to bring people closer together.


text:
11th May 2019
__ __@SamWilIiams

Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Jordan Henderson are set to be fit for Sunday’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Liverpool will be without Roberto Firmino for their final Premier League game of the season.

Forward SALAH missed the remarkable Champions League victory over Barcelona due to a concussion sustained in last weekend’s win at Newcastle United, while ROBERTSON was forced off at half-time of the semi-final second leg with a calf problem.

JORDAN HENDERSON completed the 90 minutes against Barca on Tuesday but did so only after suffering a knee injury in the closing stages of the first half.

Klopp, though, is hopeful on the trio’s availability for the meeting with Wolves at Anfield - a game the Reds go into one point behind Manchester City at the top of the table.

FIRMINO, however, remains sidelined with a muscle issue.

-   KLOPP'S MESSAGE FOR THE FINAL DAY OF THE TITLE RACE

“The famous three words of this week in the dressing room: ‘It’s only pain’,” the boss said on Friday.

“Very important for all the young lads to learn, I’ve said that already to the boys. Hendo said, ‘It’s only pain’, Robbo said, ‘It’s only pain’ - but it was _real_ pain, wow!

“Unfortunately, Robbo could deal with the pain but only the rest of his body couldn’t because he couldn’t really activate the muscle anymore, some nerve hit or whatever. They should be fine [for Sunday].

“Bobby not [available] for the weekend, but we have time [before the Champions League final] and that should be enough.

“Mo looked good around the celebrations after the game, to be honest! The day before yesterday and yesterday he was running outside and will be part of training today.”

Wolves, who have a full squad for their trip to Merseyside, were described by Klopp as a team with ‘BIG QUALITY’.

And, despite the fact his side are guaranteed to end their first season back in the Premier League in seventh place, Nuno Espirito Santo has insisted they will arrive at Anfield keen to record another impressive result against a top-six opponent.

“It’s another important game, a tough challenge. It’s the final game of the season and we want to compete, as usual,” the Midlanders’ manager said.

“It’s a big, big game, and we want to play it... as always, the focus is on our preparation. Let’s play.”

On Liverpool, Nuno continued: “Fantastic, absolutely fantastic. I like the team, the way they play, the intensity of their actions.

“I think it’s hard to find someone who didn’t enjoy the game against Barcelona. It was fantastic, amazing.”

LAST TIME OUT

LIVERPOOL 4-0 Barcelona (May 7): Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner, Henderson, Shaqiri, Mane, Origi.

WOLVES 1-0 Fulham (May 4): Patricio, Doherty, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Jonny, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho, Jota, Jimenez.

-   Wolverhampton Wanderers

question: How likely is it for Liverpool to become champions in the Premier League?

answer: They would need to win while Manchester City loses or draws their last game. It's not a large chance but a decent possibility.

question: How likely is it for Liverpool to win their match against Wolverhampton Wanderers?

answer: Both teams are in form, but Liverpool has the better roster. They have a better than even chance to win.


text:
Nintendo Creative Fellow and game design luminary Shigeru Miyamoto is renowned for his work on foundational franchises like _Donkey Kong_, _Super Mario Bros._ and _The Legend of Zelda_. But there are a few things you may not know about the 64-year-old gaming celeb, like what he thinks of artificial intelligence or what he’s been doing in his spare time. (It’s more surprising than you’d think.)

TIME spoke with Miyamoto mid-January, just after the Nintendo Switch hands-on for press in New York City. Here’s a lightly edited transcript of our conversation covering Nintendo Switch (the company’s $299 new platform that’s out March 3) and more.

_TIME:_ A QUESTION THAT GOES BACK TO THE BEGINNING, ABOUT NINTENDO DESIGNER GUNPEI YOKOI‘S IDEA OF “LATERAL THINKING WITH SEASONED TECHNOLOGY.” WHAT IF ANYTHING ABOUT THAT PHILOSOPHY FACTORED INTO YOUR APPROACH TO SWITCH?

_Shigeru Miyamoto:_ As a company, we take in all different kinds of new technologies as they become available. The tendency for some companies is for their technical people to be more important or treasured. Companies like that tend to want to move forward and be at the top end of everything. But at Nintendo, we really place importance on finding something unique, something that only we can do.

So there’s nothing specific from Mr. Yokoi that went directly into the Nintendo Switch. But as a company, Nintendo really puts the idea of fun up front, and I feel like that perspective was something Mr. Yokoi had established. Mr. Yokoi had this way of stepping back and calmly observing what’s going on, too. In my younger days, we had a tendency to want to move forward so quickly, and we several times had Mr. Yokoi kind of hold us back and say, “You need to look, step back and observe everything.”

And so we learned from him the importance of really putting ideas into forms of play. There’s a term in Japanese that indicates someone who wants to always say the opposite, so if I say yes, someone says no. It’s not like we’re trying to be that, but when everybody is saying the same thing, we need to be a little bit more suspicious and have keen eyes to observe what’s going on—we’ve been kind of trained to be that way.

It’s not that Mr. Yokoi was against new pieces of technology. Sometimes, when he would get a new technology, he would just stare at it for an entire day. For example, he had this magnetic object that would float, and he would just put it on his desk and stare at it and play around with it and really observe it. In that sense, I felt like a lot of people were able to trust him, because he was really open and keen to observe things.

_(PRE-ORDER: Nintendo Switch, Amazon)_

I KNOW YOU WEREN’T AS PERSONALLY INVOLVED WITH SWITCH’S DEVELOPMENT, BUT WERE THERE ANY TABLES FLIPPED?

Nothing really in terms of 180 degrees, but myself, Mr. Takeda and Mr. Iwata were more providing feedback during development. So a lot of the younger staff would give us presentations, and we would give them feedback and make decisions if necessary. The feedback that we did provide I think was put to good use, and I don’t think there were any times where we had major clashes of ideas. If anything, we had to think about how to make Switch unique, and there’s a certain cost associated with that. So it was like, “Oh my God, it’s going to be a lot more expensive. How are we going to deal with this?” We struggled with that together as a team.

IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR ABOUT SWITCH THAT REFLECTS SATORU IWATA’S INVOLVEMENT? [IWATA WAS NINTENDO’S PRESIDENT FROM 2002 TO 2015, AND PASSED AWAY IN JULY 2015.]

I mentioned that Mr. Iwata, Mr. Takeda and myself provided feedback and made decisions, but ultimately Mr. Iwata was the head of development, so he put a lot of thought and time into Switch. I think that the idea of Nintendo Switch being a device you can take out and anywhere, and the idea of it being a system that really allows networking and communicating with people, I think that’s something Mr. Iwata put a lot of emphasis on.

Because Mr. Iwata was tech-savvy, a lot of our discussion involved trying to figure out how to make the technical things like network capabilities or servers or whatever fun. For example, think about when we added the ability to use a browser on the DS [Nintendo’s two-screen gaming handheld—the browser was added to North American systems in 2007]. As time goes on, all of these services become more and more advanced, and so we need to think about “How do we incorporate mobile devices or new browser features that come up?” That’s something Mr. Iwata and I discussed a lot, really trying to decide what to do and what not to do in our hardware.

YOU’RE GAMBLING ON NEW HAPTIC FEEDBACK FEATURES WITH SWITCH. WHAT PROMPTED THE TURN TOWARD HIGHER FIDELITY VIBRATION AS A CORNERSTONE FEATURE?

First of all, I can’t say for certain that HD Rumble is going to create something completely original, but I can say that the sensation HD Rumble provides is completely new. When we first created the Rumble Pak [released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64], at that time we were trying to just think about cost and performance. What could we make that was cost-efficient to create a rumble sensation?

Within Nintendo, there’s a group of people who just focus on researching rumble features and capabilities. For many years, they’ve been bringing different kinds of rumble and vibration features and putting them into games and testing them. What’s incredible is that it’s not just this monotone vibration, but you can feel the taps. So when you put your pen on the screen, it’s not just this dull vibration, you can feel the tap that the tip of the pen makes on the screen. Right now there’s this idea that 60 frames-per-second graphics is the standard [speed for modern video games]. If you were, for example, to make something that ran at 20 frames-per-second, someone would get mad at you.

For anything interactive, the response time is very important. So like with virtual reality, the latency makes a big difference in the experience. And with HD Rumble, the latency is different, so it provides a unique experience, and with that unique experience, I think new ideas can come about.

WHEN WE SPOKE IN 2014, YOU SAID OF VIRTUAL REALITY THAT YOU HAD “A LITTLE BIT OF UNEASINESS WITH WHETHER OR NOT THAT’S THE BEST WAY FOR PEOPLE TO PLAY.” HAS YOUR VIEW ON THIS CHANGED SINCE THEN?

In terms of being together online in virtual reality, I think a lot of the problems have been solved or are starting to be solved. This is something that we’re looking into, too. But when I see people play virtual reality, it makes me worry, just as for example if a parent were to see their kid playing virtual reality, it would probably make them worry. Another issue and challenge that I think everybody faces is how to create an experience that’s both short enough while also fully fleshed out in virtual reality.

I’VE READ YOU WEREN’T A FAN OF STORY-HEAVY GAMES EARLY IN YOUR CAREER. _THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD_ IS CLEARLY MORE STORY-DRIVEN THAN THE FRANCHISE’S EARLIEST INSTALLMENTS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS THESE DAYS ON STORY IN GAMES?

Let me start off by saying that Mr. Aonuma [Eiji Aonuma, the game’s producer] and his team, instead of creating a game where you’re playing the story, you yourself are embarking on an adventure, and I think they’ve found a unique way to strike a balance between the story and the fact that you’re on an adventure. It’s not that I don’t like story, that I’m denying the importance of story. I think after someone has played a game, it’s important that a story lingers in their mind. But what I do think is a challenge, is to cut down on playtime to set up and explain a story that’s already been set.

I think what’s important, especially for the Zelda series, is for the person to be able to think it through for themselves, and to really live the story. I think that’s the challenge we’ve been working on through the many iterations of _The Legend of Zelda_. And so in this game, while you’re playing, you start to kind of dig the narrative out and see the overarching story that lies in the background.

And so I think the story in _Breath of the Wild_ still doesn’t break the balance that’s been established in previous Zelda games. But we also wanted to make a game where, after someone is done playing, their own experience in that game is what the story is, and I think we’ve been able to accomplish that with this title. And really in this game, everybody can take very, very different routes and approaches. How long it takes to beat the game has a huge range.

MR. YAMAUCHI [NINTENDO’S LONGEST SERVING PRESIDENT, FROM 1949 TO 2002] ONCE SAID THAT NINTENDO SHOULDN’T HAVE A CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY TO AVOID CREATIVE STALENESS. IS THAT STILL TRUE TODAY?

Mr. Yamauchi had a kind of a personal philosophy, which was that he didn’t hold a personal philosophy. What’s really interesting is that, even though this was how he lived, he left several lasting nuggets of philosophy to the company. One of them was like, because we were profitable by providing fun experiences, that we should only use money to create fun. What this means is that what we as business owners look forward to is not increasing our company, but expanding our work.

So because Mr. Yamauchi had that philosophy and he said that consistently, it made work a lot easier for us. We didn’t have to think about all the other things. All we had to think about was, really, providing fun. There’s also the idea of having this original thought, a unique thought, which means not doing the same thing as other people. This is something obvious in the world: If you’re trying to do the same thing as everyone else, you get further and further from the top.

If you want to be in second place or third place, you can do what other people are doing. I mean, you’ll have to put a lot of effort and work into it. If you’re doing something on your own, something unique, when the spotlight hits, you’re already at the top before you know it. So that’s why I feel like, in the world of fun, there’s only number one. And that’s why I think you’ve got to take risks to become number one. If you want to be number one by doing the same thing as other people, you’ve got to be kind of tough.

And because we’re not tough, we can’t fight with other people. [Miyamoto holds up his fists and laughs.] I think this really coincides and equates to what the entertainment industry is like, anything with the creative industry, and it links to terms like blue ocean or red ocean. This is something that Mr. Iwata did, to really link the philosophy of Nintendo to some of the business and corporate jargon, while also being able to convey that to all of the employees at Nintendo.

A LEFT FIELD QUESTION ABOUT “SUPER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,” THIS IDEA OF AI THAT’S FAR “SMARTER” THAN HUMAN BRAINS. SOME OF THE BIGGEST ADVANCES IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MAY COME FROM GAMES, OR AT LEAST BE BUILT ON ADVANCES IN GAME DESIGN. AND SO GIVEN THE CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WRONG THAT COULD ALSO GO DOWN THE ROAD, I’M WONDERING IF YOU’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS AS A DESIGNER.

What I can say is that I try not to use generalized terms like A.I. or even others like “voice recognition,” because with all of those technologies, there’s from zero to 10, some really elementary stuff to the very advanced stuff. That’s just my philosophy. When you look at this new Zelda, the horses are smart, the enemies are smart, this is all A.I. Then when you look at the cutting edge, like things where the machines could enslave human beings, that’s also A.I.

I think in the industry of creating fun, when we’re trying to use A.I. in the upper regions of what we’re talking about, the cost performance just doesn’t work out. So we have to figure out what level of A.I. we need to use. As the frontier of artificial intelligence advances, I think the scope of what we can use in video games will increase as well, but I’m not daring enough to use the cutting edge. [Laughs]

Even things like voice recognition, you can’t just use pure calculation to get everything. There’s a certain level of prediction and guesswork that you need to do. Once we’re able to do that, we can really pinpoint what kind of technology to use, and so there’s a certain aspect or perspective that we need to put into these things. For example, in the medical field, we obviously can’t take any chances.

But in the world of fun, you can do a bit more guessing and take a few more chances or shortcuts here and there, and really come up with ways to fill in some of those gaps so that it becomes a fun and intuitive and easy-to-use experience. In that sense, we have a lot of opportunities to practice right now. But A.I. is definitely something that I’m interested in. For things like robots or A.I., it’s really about how you set up the sensors, and obviously Nintendo is a company that’s really interested in different kinds of sensors.

IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR, WHEN YOU THINK OF THE NEXT 10 YEARS, THAT YOU’D LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH, IN OR OUT OF GAMING?

As a company, we’ve carefully gotten ourselves involved in the mobile industry, and that’s something that I was personally involved in. Then with the Nintendo Switch, the idea of having a console that’s also a portable device, I think that opens up new doors to all kinds of possibilities. In the industry of fun, I think there’s still a lot we can still explore. I think what I want to accomplish is kind of laying down the standards for what those possibilities are going to be over the next 10 years.

[A NINTENDO EXECUTIVE THEN COMMENTS “NOT YOUR CAT STOOL?”]

When I’m told that maybe I don’t need to go to work for a few days, I worry that I don’t have things to do, so I try to make sure there are things in my personal life that I can really work on too. So my garden looks really good now. I’ve been spending months just hoeing. [Laughs] And I made a cat hammock. I took a stool and then kind of pulled it apart and put it together so it’s like a hammock for a cat.

THAT SOUNDS LIKE ONE VERY LUCKY CAT.

[Laughing] Even when I place him in it he runs away. It’s not quite there yet.

(_Read TIME’s affiliate link policy_.)

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WRITE TO Matt Peckham at matt.peckham@time.com.

question: What does the article say about Mr. Yamauchi?

answer: Mr. Yamauchi is Nintendo's longest-serving president (1949-2002). He says that Nintendo should not have a corporate philosophy to avoid creative staleness. His philosophy is that because they were profitable by providing fun experiences, that they should only use the money to create fun. What this means is that what they as business owners look forward to is not increasing the company, but expanding their work.

question: What does the article say about Shigeru Miyamoto?

answer: Shigeru Miyamoto (64) is Nintendo Creative Fellow and game design. He is renowned for his work on foundational franchises like 'Donkey Kong', 'Super Mario Bros.', and 'The Legend of Zelda'. In his spare time, he is doing gardening.

question: What does the article say about Miyamoto's education?


text:
May 14th, 2011 (No Regrets); “People ask, they ask things, questions of course. Questions that may or may not be answered. Some don’t even make sense at first, but they are all asked for a reason. People ask them because they wonder. They think, they dream, because these are the people who enjoy the little things. These are the people who love, and believe in a leader. They don’t take advantage of the life they are given and they spend the time they are given wisely. I would rather spend my life I was given being adventurous then to wake up to black and grey every morning. I would rather live a short exciting life than a long dull one. That’s not to say I don’t frown, because I cry, I shame, and I fall, but I don’t look down. Looking down is giving into pain, when I could rather smile through hell and drop off the weakness on my way.  ” –Johnny Sofer.
June 11th 2012 (Introduction); well, this is a story, kind of… It’s about someone who stood out to me, well; stood out to anyone he was in quarters with. There’s not to many ways to start this, but I had a friend, Johnny, Johnny Sofer. John wasn’t exactly like anyone else, and that’s not to say he wasn’t normal, because there is really only question on the accuracy of normal, right? John was a fourteen year old cancer patient at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, also known as ‘C.H.O.P.’. Fortunately he still got to carry on with school just as any other kid did.  He fit in with appearance quite impressively: brown hair, green eyes, about five and a half feet tall, but as white as a fresh cloud on a summer day. The things that put John at differences with others were his disabilities. He had a rare jaw dysfunction in which it affected his ability to talk, not too many people understood him, but still found a way to form a little dialogue so John could feel safer, you could say. He also possessed a rare bone disease when he was only five called ‘skeletal dysplasia.’ It strongly affected his ability to not only walk, but move in general. He managed, and carried on like all others, but even with his medication, pain was always in presence. He had a family for support, but there’s not too much support you can give. The thing was, John’s sickness wasn’t exactly temporary. In the fall of 2011 he was alerted that he had only a little over a year to live, but fortunately he wouldn’t suffer any more than he already has, as depressing as that sounds. His body just wouldn’t be able to keep surviving. So for the year on, he lived and loved his casual life as he wanted, but as friendly as John was, being casual wasn’t always enough to keep him happy. It was difficult for him to make friends, mainly because he couldn’t do what every other kid could, but I kept John from feeling lonely, I considered myself a companion, as he may have considered me euphoria. By the way, my names Finis. John and I have been friends since he was about five, right around when he was diagnosed with cancer, too young to really understand though. As time went by I kept him feeling loved and important, because he was. And that wasn’t really a coincidence of me meeting him, but rather a fortunate accident.
June 12th 2012 (Smile); John’s family was just like any other family from what I know. They tried their best to keep some weight off his shoulders, and keep me distant as much as possible. John surprisingly put more into keeping his parents calm than anything else, which was just uncommon and surprising. Watching someone deal with so much, and go through so much, but yet, help others up above him. It gets you to think, and even just appreciate things a little more.  Aside from all of John’s disabilities, this is why some considered him a gifted kid. He could basically pull the positive out of every negative. Well, anyone can, it just took the will power John had to prove people wrong, not show them that he could survive, but rather live and as he went on picking others up, he started to make it seem almost as though it was his job. He just had a secret, a stupid little one, but one that could make you ponder into belief. He claims that when you are mad, too smile and that as hard as it may seem, and as much as you may want to quit, smile in hope, for problems can be solved. He said as long as you’re smiling, you’re living.
June 15th 2012 (Departure); for some reason, I never felt the need to ask him why he was always in joy, because of course he had his little secret and all, but I wouldn’t be able to imagine what he’s going through. He seemed happy enough to keep others happy, so I guess it’s as simple as that. As close as we were, I’ve never met anyone like John, but everybody is born with a different personality and a different obscure view on life, but no matter what the personality or view on life is, there’s not a doubt that you can’t make the best of it. I realized that, on the night I found out John only had so much longer; it was almost as if he knew it was coming, as though he was warned.  John was a kid just like any other, besides his sickness. Except there was just one other thing, he thought a lot. He seemed to have his eyes closed constantly, yet he would not be sleeping. It puzzled me. As if he was almost dreaming, day dreaming, possibly about his situation. Maybe thinking about what might happen to him when it’s over, because humans do not have a clue about what happens. They just tell strange stories and old legends about what they assume might happen, but John looked beyond those stories and myths. John looked harder into it. He had a different theory on life and on death. I guess that was because he was so close to it, but what do I know? I have only known him since then.
April 5th 2011 (Baseball); John kept enjoying life. He still went to school and started to make more friends..  He always kept smiling more than he ever frowned, which was great. He actually played a sport for a bit. He played baseball. It wasn’t and still isn’t my favorite sport, but as long as it kept him busy, who was I to judge? Not to mention he was pretty damn good at it too. He played day and night and got better every minute. Everyone noticed him. It was still his first sport he ever played, but it kept him feeling like he fit in for once and he got quite a bit of playing time too. Not only did the coaches notice him, but he was actually approached by a nearby college baseball coach. To this day I don’t know if it was because of his situation or maybe out of pure kindness, but John was over joyed, matter of fact, he was honored.
May 15th, 2011 (Pursuit); Despite Johns muscle disorder, as stated, he played baseball. The thing I forgot to mention though is that wasn’t exactly in the doctors recommendations.  And there was no reason to get upset with John about it, besides, what would you do with a year to live? It caught up with him though. It was game day; Johns chance to shine for everyone. And of course it was his turn up to bat, cameras were rolling and people were cheering. The pitcher sent one down, and although people are still not sure if it was a slow pitch or John’s lucky day, he nearly a home run. It went all the way to back left field, I remember descriptively. John sprinted to first and went to head to second, he tripped. At least that was our first thought. Screams of terror came from John and he wasn’t moving after that. The trainer rushed over along with teammates, coaches, a few fans. John pushed himself to the max. Immediately after, he was rushed to the hospital. It turned out that his body went into instant shock and nearly all of his muscles tightened up to the point where it almost shattered his bones. He was instantly given some sleeping meds and remained asleep for a few following days to allow his body to relax. When he woke up he was lost, forgetful, and aimless. The team was notified, since they all came to visit when he awoke. He got the game ball; they won the game for him. John forgot about everything else at that time, the pain, the stress, and the time. He just seemed, relevant.
May 22nd 2011 (Worthwhile); John had to stay for the remainder of the month. Time went by, and John became even sicker. His symptoms became worse. The thing about that though, it had been one year and five months already. Silence was all that was really in play. Everyone’s mind was just an abyss, nothing to ponder and not much to say. That last month in the hospital was the longest month of John’s short, but meaningful life. I guess time really does go by fast. Before John passed, something clicked to me. I finally understood it. I understood why John was so happy all the time. Why he always smiled. He always had a good view on life and I always questioned it, but I never could figure out the answer. I started to look deeper. John lived his live knowing that it was almost over, he lived his life in joy knowing that it could end at any time. He didn’t have a gift. He just looked past everything and looked at the big picture in life. No matter whom he was or what he has been through, he never let it put him down. He smiled when he was upset, because smiling is the best therapy. Not only did John know he was dying, but besides the fact, he didn’t know when he was going to die. Everybody is dying. It is just a matter of time when it happens. Death is an amazing thing. It happens to basically everyone and everything. It can’t be reversed nor escaped. You can be scared of it, you can be ready for it, yet some might even rush it. Your life depends on death. How much time you have and how you use that time. The way you spend it, whether you abuse it or savor it. Whether you enjoyed it or despised it. Live like you death is coming. Live without fear and with an open mind filled with excitement and love. Expect the unexpected at all times and never let your head drop. Life is about giving, so give what you can and ask for nothing in return. Life is about doing not what you crave, but to help others achieve the same. Set goals. Don’t stop until you accomplish those goals, because at times those goals might be the only reason that’s carrying you on. Respect others and respect yourself. Never waste a day of your life. You are only given one life, so why even consider wasting it. Spend every second of every minute with even a hint of joy somewhere inside you. Don’t stop truly living till your heart stops beating, because someday it will be over, done, gone forever, make it worth it from the beginning. Let that courage represent those goodbyes.  Make people remember you in a positive way, as a well spent day bring happy sleep, so a life well spent brings a happy death. When you read this story I’m not saying I’m still alive at the end, I’m just telling a tail, and simply expressing my own tips for if someone else may come across them and consider being in need of them. So take this in mind. Save this story to your head. Remember these tips as for one day your time will come. As I told you in the beginning, my names Finis, I never said I was real, but I never said I wasn’t. People know me as different things, different beliefs, and different virtues, but that is only my appearance. As I am just another entity finding new problems to solve and riddles to conquer. As life is just a game to me and there is no winner. Just every role of the die is an adventure, but who really knows what or who I am. So that you can’t judge me by the clothes I am wearing, or the nametag I am given. Start asking the real questions, one that questions my human state of mind or even if I am a real thing. Whether you hate me or cherish me. Take it in. Absorb the truth. Because you all know, one day, just one split second, darkness will erupt, and your thoughts, hopes, and dreams will die. So make it last. Don’t ever rush it or wait for it. Don’t even question it, but remember my name as though you may meet me someday.  Whether you catch up to me in the afterlife, or I am brought to you by the experience of near death. Share my tails. Express my stories. Contain a mind of life, but live along the valley of death.

title: Live Along the Valley of Death [SP]

question: Summarize the progression of Johnny's illness.

answer: John had a number of disabilities including a jaw dysfunction and skeletal dysplasia. He was diagnosed with cancer around the age of five. In the fall of 2011, he was told he had only a little over a year left to live. He collapsed on May 15, 2011 while playing baseball. From then, he grew sicker and presumably died sometime in 2011.

question: What does the story say about the cure for John's disorder?

question: What does the story say about John's outlook on life?

answer: John enjoyed life despite his unfortunate circumstances. He always kept smiling. He lived his life knowing it could end at anytime and smiled because it was the best form of therapy. He believed that people should smile in hope no matter how difficult things get, because problems can be solved.


text:
WILLIAM ABBOT (fl. 1437) was an English politician who served as Member of Parliament for Melcombe Regis in 1437.[1] He was a son of John Abbot, another MP, and two of his brothers, John and Robert, were also MPs.[2]

[1] ABBOT, John, of Melcombe Regis, Dorset., History of Parliament Online

[2]

title: William Abbot (politician)

question: Who is William Abbot?

answer: He is an English politician who served as Member of Parliament for Melcombe Regis.

question: When did Abbot served as a Member of Parliament for Melcombe Regis?

answer: He served in 1437.

question: Who were William's brothers?

answer: His brothers were John and Robert Abbot.

question: What similarity does William Abbot share with his father and two of his brother?

answer: Abbot, his father, and two of his brothers were all Members of Parliament.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the political career of William Abbot, an English politician in 1437.