text:
LAWRENCE COUNTY is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,860.[1] Its county seat is Louisa.[2] The county is named for James Lawrence,[3] and co-founded by Isaac Bolt, who served as a Lawrence County Commissioner and Justice of the Peace.

Lawrence County is the home of bluegrass music and country music star Tyler Childers. It is the birthplace of the late Chief Justice of the United States Frederick Moore Vinson and former Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton. In regard to alcoholic beverage sales, Lawrence County is considered a “moist” county, meaning alcohol sales are only allowed within the city limits of Louisa. There are no alcohol sales within the rest of the county. Only two stores sell liquor (to prevent a monopoly), and most convenience stores sell beer and malted beverages.

History

Lawrence County was established in 1821 from land given by Floyd and Greenup Counties.[4] Four courthouses have served Lawrence County; the first was completed in 1823.[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.[6]

The bridge from Louisa, in eastern Lawrence County, to Fort Gay, West Virginia is something of a geographic and architectural oddity. The quarter-mile concrete span spans across the Levisa Fork and the Tug River that come together and form the Big Sandy River, connects two states and has a right turn at its halfway point, which connects traffic to the Point Section neighborhood of Louisa.

Yatesville Lake State Park

Yatesville Lake was opened in 1992 and is a reservoir managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Yatesville Lake provides flood control for the region as well as recreational opportunities. The Corps manages a boat ramp at the Rich Creek area.

Adjacent counties

-   Carter County (northwest)
-   Boyd County (north)
-   Wayne County, West Virginia (east)
-   Martin County (southeast)
-   Johnson County (south)
-   Morgan County (southwest)
-   Elliott County (west)

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 15,569 people, 5,954 households, and 4,477 families in the county. The population density was . There were 7,040 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.93% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.41%.[7] were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 5,954 households 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.30% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 22.40% of households were one person and 10.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.02.

The age distribution was 25.30% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.

The median household income was $21,610 and the median family income was $26,113. Males had a median income of $30,735 versus $19,174 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,008. About 25.30% of families and 30.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.00% of those under age 18 and 27.30% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

thumb|upright=1.1|Birthplace of Fred M. Vinson in Louisa

  Year                               Republican                                  Democratic                                  Third parties
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ---------------
  style=“text-align:center;” |2016   style=“text-align:center;” |79.7% _4,816_   style=“text-align:center;” |17.3% _1,045_   3.0% _181_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2012   style=“text-align:center;” |71.4% _3,995_   style=“text-align:center;” |27.2% _1,520_   1.4% _77_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2008   style=“text-align:center;” |62.0% _3,503_   style=“text-align:center;” |36.0% _2,036_   2.0% _110_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2004   style=“text-align:center;” |57.7% _3,755_   style=“text-align:center;” |41.5% _2,705_   0.8% _53_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2000   style=“text-align:center;” |55.9% _2,969_   style=“text-align:center;” |42.6% _2,258_   1.5% _80_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1996   style=“text-align:center;” |40.2% _1,812_   style=“text-align:center;” |48.8% _2,195_   11.0% _496_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1992   style=“text-align:center;” |41.2% _2,084_   style=“text-align:center;” |47.5% _2,400_   11.3% _573_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1988   style=“text-align:center;” |50.9% _2,294_   style=“text-align:center;” |48.8% _2,198_   0.4% _16_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1984   style=“text-align:center;” |54.7% _2,713_   style=“text-align:center;” |44.8% _2,223_   0.5% _23_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1980   style=“text-align:center;” |51.5% _2,564_   style=“text-align:center;” |47.4% _2,362_   1.1% _54_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1976   style=“text-align:center;” |42.9% _1,838_   style=“text-align:center;” |56.1% _2,402_   1.0% _43_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1972   style=“text-align:center;” |60.5% _2,392_   style=“text-align:center;” |38.7% _1,529_   0.9% _34_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1968   style=“text-align:center;” |45.8% _1,946_   style=“text-align:center;” |43.0% _1,825_   11.3% _478_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1964   style=“text-align:center;” |39.2% _1,745_   style=“text-align:center;” |60.7% _2,703_   0.2% _7_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1960   style=“text-align:center;” |54.7% _3,030_   style=“text-align:center;” |45.3% _2,510_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1956   style=“text-align:center;” |53.9% _2,932_   style=“text-align:center;” |45.9% _2,495_   0.2% _11_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1952   style=“text-align:center;” |50.9% _2,696_   style=“text-align:center;” |49.0% _2,597_   0.2% _9_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1948   style=“text-align:center;” |46.5% _2,117_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.1% _2,372_   1.4% _64_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1944   style=“text-align:center;” |52.9% _2,715_   style=“text-align:center;” |46.9% _2,408_   0.2% _12_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1940   style=“text-align:center;” |48.9% _3,055_   style=“text-align:center;” |50.8% _3,178_   0.3% _19_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1936   style=“text-align:center;” |48.0% _2,944_   style=“text-align:center;” |51.8% _3,175_   0.2% _9_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1932   style=“text-align:center;” |42.6% _2,766_   style=“text-align:center;” |57.0% _3,701_   0.4% _27_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1928   style=“text-align:center;” |59.6% _3,277_   style=“text-align:center;” |40.3% _2,217_   0.1% _5_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1924   style=“text-align:center;” |50.2% _2,547_   style=“text-align:center;” |48.2% _2,445_   1.7% _86_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1920   style=“text-align:center;” |52.4% _2,849_   style=“text-align:center;” |47.1% _2,558_   0.5% _26_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1916   style=“text-align:center;” |49.7% _1,928_   style=“text-align:center;” |49.2% _1,910_   1.1% _44_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1912   style=“text-align:center;” |35.5% _1,280_   style=“text-align:center;” |45.7% _1,648_   18.9% _680_

  : PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS[8]

Communities

-   Blaine
-   Cherryville
-   Fallsburg
-   Kise
-   Louisa (county seat)
-   Ulysses
-   Lowmansville
-   Webbville

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title: Lawrence County, Kentucky

question: What does the article say about the people in Lawrance county?

answer: Almost 16k people live in Lawrance county, and almost all of them are white. 35% of the households have children under 18, and almost a quarter of them are individuals. The average household size is 2.59. About a quarter of the population is under 18, and about 12% are over 65. There are 97 males for every 100 females. The median income for households is $21,610, and the per capita income is $12,008. Almost 31% of the population is below the poverty line. The county is mostly Republican.

question: What is Lawrance County's claim to fame?

answer: The county is the home of bluegrass music and Tyler Childers, a country musician. It's also the birthplace of the late Chief Justice of the US Frederick Moore Vinson and former Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton. Lawrance County is a "moist" county, meaning alcohol sales are limited to the city limits of Louisa. The county contains the Yatesville Lake State Park as well.

question: What does the article say about Charles Lawrance?


split: test

text:
The _WAIKATO CONNECTION_ was a short-lived express passenger train between Hamilton and Auckland in New Zealand's North Island. It consisted of a weekday single return service using diesel multiple unit railcars.

Like its southern counterpart, the _Capital Connection_ between Palmerston North and Wellington, the service was operated by Tranz Scenic and run as a commercial venture.[1]

The service is expected to be restored in 2021 for a five-year trial as _“Te Huia”_.

History

Operation

The service commenced as a six-month trial[2] on 26 June 2000 and was primarily aimed at business people who regularly commuted to work in Auckland.[3] It used _Silver Fern_ railcars with full onboard catering and stopped at the intermediate stations of Huntly, Pukekohe, Papakura, Middlemore, and Newmarket.[4]

Four months into the trial the service was reported to be “performing up to expectations”[5] and was later extended beyond the trial period.

Demise

Tranz Rail announced in October 2000 that it intended to exit the passenger rail business to concentrate on its freight interests.[6] The new owner of Tranz Scenic, two directors of West Coast Railway in Australia, had limited purchase funds, and so were only prepared to purchase the most profitable services, prompting Tranz Rail to terminate those services that were not purchased, including the _Waikato Connection_.[7] It was officially cancelled on 7 October 2001 along with the _Geyserland Express_, the _Kaimai Express_, and the _Bay Express_. A replacement Tranz Metro service between Auckland and Pukekohe commenced the following day.[8]

Efforts were made to save the service prior to its cancellation, including an investigation made by Environment Waikato into the possibility of subsidising it. The Council, which at the time had a policy of not subsidising rail services,[9] decided against providing funding at $400,000 pa,[10] which was deemed to be too expensive. An approach was also made to the government for funding, especially in light of the subsidy that they had extended for the _Southerner_,[11] but this was also declined.[12] West Coast Railway reported that the _Waikato Connection_ was “the most unprofitable service” but that they would be prepared to consider retaining it with community support which they expected would be needed for about three years.[13]

At the time of its cancellation the _Waikato Connection_ was being patronised by an average of 129 passengers per trip, most of whom boarded at Pukekohe or Papakura,[14] with only about 30 of those travelling the full distance between Hamilton and Auckland.[15] Some considered the cancellation premature as the service was beginning to grow in popularity.[16][17][18]

Predecessor

A refurbished NZR RM class (88 seater) nicknamed the Blue Streak was used for a trial Hamilton–Auckland service from 8 April 1968, which was discontinued for lack of patronage.

Reintroduction

The service will be reintroduced in August 2020 as Te Huia.

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title: Waikato Connection

question: What led to the discontinuation of the Waikato Connection?

answer: The express passenger train run by Tranz Scenic commenced on a six-month trial starting in June 2000. In October of the same year, Tranz Rail announced that it planned to exit the passenger rail business. The new owners had limited funds so they would only buy the most lucrative services. Tranz Rail terminated the unsold services.


text:
[Watercolour of Carnock House from Herbert Maxwell, _Scottish Gardens_ (1908)] ALEXANDER DRUMMOND OF CARNOCK (died circa 1545), was a Scottish landowner and ally of the Douglas family involved in a plan to besiege Stirling Castle.

Alexander Drummond was the son of Robert Drummond 3rd laird of Carnock and Marion Monteith daughter of laird of West Carse.

One of his ancestors was Elizabeth Airth, joint heiress of the lands of Airth, Carnock, Plean, and he inherited the lands of Carnock and Arnmore.

Alexander Drummond was a friend of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, though the nature of his relationship is uncertain.[1] He tried to help Angus recapture James V of Scotland by besieging the king and his mother Margaret Tudor at Stirling Castle. He was declared a traitor by the Parliament of Scotland in September 1528 for assisting and facilitating at the siege and went into England as an exile.[2] The charge was that he had aided the earl and his brother George Douglas of Pittendreich;

  "to invade our sovereign lord's person and the barons that were with him for his defence in the burgh of Stirling in the month of July last bypast; and for art and part of the treasonable revealing of the things which were done within the burgh of Stirling, treasonably advertising and explaining to the said earl and George what number of men our sovereign lord had and of their strength and power, and to give them “artatioune” to invade his highness that they might decide whether it were more gainful to fight with him or desist therefrom"[3]

Family

Alexander Drummond married Marjory Bruce daughter of the laird of Auchenbowie.

The children of Alexander Drummond and Marjory Bruce included;[4]

-   Robert Drummond of Carnock
-   Alexander Drummond of Midhope
-   Charles Drummond of Kingsfield, Provost of Linlithgow
-   Margaret Drummond married Walter MacAulay, laird of Ardincaple, and secondly Balfour, laird of Mackerston, and was the mother of Bartholomew Balfour, General of Scots troops in the Netherlands in 1592.[5]
-   A daughter, Lady Skemore and Throsk, and mother of Patrick Abercromby and David Abercromby. David Abercromby was a gentlemen of the equerry to Anne of Denmark. He died in June 1609 and declared his last will to the Countess of Roxburghe that his goods should go to his brother George.[6] Patrick Abercromby was one of the Grooms of King's Privy Chamber and seems to be the courtier who danced with James Auchmoutie of Auldhame & Scoughall in Ben Jonson's _Irish Masque_ for the wedding of Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset and Frances Howard in December 1613.[7] In May 1617 Patrick Abercromby, Auchmoutie, Archibald Armstrong, Edward Zouch, and others left the king at Brechin Castle and rode to Aberdeen where they were made burgesses of the town.[8]

[1] Ken Emond, _The Minority of James V_ (Edinburgh, 2019), p. 261.

[2] David Reid, _David Hume of Godscroft's The History of the House of Angus_ (STS: Edinburgh, 2005), p. 505.

[3] _The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707_, K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2019), 1528/9/10.

[4] William Drummond, _The genealogy of the most noble and ancient House of Drummond_ (Glasgow, 1879), p. 70-71.

[5] Hugh Dunthorne, _Britain and the Dutch Revolt, 1560–1700_ (Cambridge, 2013), p. 88.

[6] Will of David Abercromby, TNA PROB 11/116/69.

[7] John Nichols, _The Progresses, Processions, and Magnificent Festivities, of King James_, vol. 2 (London, 1828), p. 725.

[8] John Nichols, _The Progresses, Processions, and Magnificent Festivities, of King James_, vol. 3 (London, 1828), p. 330: William Kennedy, _Annals of Aberdeen_ (London, 1818), p. 136.

title: Alexander Drummond of Carnock

question: Who was Alexander Drummond of Carnock?

answer: a Scottish landowner and ally of the Douglas family involved in a plan to besiege Stirling Castle

question: When did Alexander Drummond of Carnock die?

answer: around 1545

question: Who did Alexander Drummond of Carnock marry?

answer: Marjory Bruce, daughter of the laird of Auchenbowie

question: Who was Alexander Drummond of Carnock's father?

answer: Robert Drummond 3rd laird of Carnock

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Alexander Drummond of Carnock was a Scottish landowner and ally of the Douglas family involved in a plan to besiege Stirling Castle. For his role in the plot, he was declared a traitor and lives life as an exile in England.


text:
_FAMILY HAPPINESS_ () is a 1969 Soviet comedy film directed by Andrey Ladynin, Aleksandr Sheyn Sr. and Sergey Solovev.[1][2][3]

Plot

The film consists of four short stories. The first short story tells about a bored mistress who falls in love with the tutor of her children. The second short story tells of a married man, frightened by stories of various mystical phenomena, who spends the night with a governess. In the third story, a man catches his wife with her lover and he decides to kill her for it. And suddenly he begins to guess about the possible punishment for this crime. The fourth short story shows the matchmaking of the landowner Lomov to the daughter of his neighbor.[4]

Cast

-   Alisa Freindlikh as Anna Kapitonova
-   Vyacheslav Tikhonov as Kapitonov
-   Nikolay Burlyaev as grammar-school boy Schupaltsev
-   Andrey Mironov as Fyodor Sigaev
-   Valentin Gaft as Salesman
-   Tatyana Vasileva as Chubakov's daughter
-   Alla Budnitskaya as Sigaev's wife
-   Georgy Burkov as landowner Lomov
-   Nikolai Gritsenko as Vaksin
-   Raisa Kurkina as Vaksin's wife[5]

[1] Фильм «Семейное счастье» Сергея Соловьева покажут в одном из кинотеатров ЮВАО

[2] Жители Южного Медведкова смогут посмотреть кино бесплатно

[3] III Московский молодежный кинофестиваль «Будем жить!»: Программа

[4] Семейное счастье

[5] Семейное счастье (1970) Full Cast & Crew

title: Family Happiness (film)

question: What is Family Happiness?

answer: a 1969 Soviet comedy film

question: Who directed Family Happiness?

answer: Andrey Ladynin, Aleksandr Sheyn Sr. and Sergey Solovev

question: Who played Anna Kapitonova in Family Happiness?

answer: Alisa Freindlikh

question: Who played Kapitonov in Family Happiness?

answer: Vyacheslav Tikhonov

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Family Happiness is a 1969 Soviet comedy film directed by Andrey Ladynin, Aleksandr Sheyn Sr. and Sergey Solovev.


text:
[Bénédictine, a traditional French herbal liqueur] [Licor Beirão, a traditional Portuguese spice liqueur.] A LIQUEUR (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of distilled spirits and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond a resting period during production, when necessary, for their flavors to mingle.

Liqueurs are historical descendants of herbal medicines. They were made in Italy as early as the 13th century, often prepared by monks (for example, Chartreuse). Today they are produced the world over, commonly served neat, over ice, with coffee, in cocktails, and used in cooking.

Etymology

The French word _liqueur_ is derived from the Latin _liquifacere_, which means “to dissolve”.[1][2]

In some parts of the United States and Canada, liqueurs may be referred to as cordials, or schnapps.[3][4] This can cause confusion as in the United Kingdom a cordial would refer to a non-alcoholic concentrated fruit syrup, typically diluted to taste and consumed as a non-carbonated soft drink.[5] Schnapps, on the other hand, can refer to any distilled beverage in Germany and aquavit in Scandinavian countries.[6]

History

Legal definitions

In the United States and Canada, where spirits are often called “liquor” (), there is often confusion discerning between liqueurs and liquors, due to the many different types of flavored spirits that are available today (e.g., flavored vodka). Liqueurs generally contain a lower alcohol content (15–30% ABV) than spirits[7] and it has sweetener mixed, while some can have an ABV as high as 55%.[8]

Canadian regulations

Under the Food and Drug Regulations (C.R.C., c. 870), liqueurs are produced from mixing alcohol with plant materials.[9] These materials include juices or extracts from fruits, flowers, leaves or other plant materials.[10] The extracts are obtained by soaking, filtering or softening the plant substances. A sweetening agent should be added in an amount that is at least 2.5 percent of the finished liqueur. The alcohol percentage shall be at least 23%.[11] It may also contain natural or artificial flavouring and color.[12]

United States

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulates liqueurs similarly to Canada, requiring that alcohol be mixed with plant products and sweeteners be added to at least 2.5% by weight.[13]

Preparation

Some liqueurs are prepared by infusing certain woods, fruits, or flowers in either water or alcohol and adding sugar or other items. Others are distilled from aromatic or flavoring agents.

Anise and Rakı liqueurs have the property of turning from transparent to cloudy when added to water: the oil of anise remains in solution in the presence of a high concentration of alcohol, but crystallizes when the alcohol concentration is reduced; this is known as the ouzo effect.[14]

Use

[The B-52 is a layered drink prepared using Grand Marnier atop Irish cream over a base of coffee liqueur]

Cocktails

Liqueurs are sometimes mixed into cocktails to provide flavor.[15]

Layered drinks

Layered drinks are made by floating different-colored liqueurs in separate layers. Each liqueur is poured slowly into a glass over the back of a spoon or down a glass rod, so that the liquids of different densities remain unmixed, creating a striped effect.[16] {{-}}

Gallery

File:Chartreuse-Liqueur 7586.JPG|Chartreuse has been made by French Carthusian monks since the 1740s File:VanaTallinn 40-45-50 500ml.JPG|Vana Tallinn is a rum-based Estonian liqueur File:Altvater Gessler.JPG|_Altvater_ herbal liqueur produced in Austria File:DamianaLiqueur.jpg|Damiana-based liqueur of Mexico File:Wépion - liqueur de fraise.jpg|Fraise strawberry liqueur from the Ardennes, France File:KoumQuatLiqueur.jpg|Kumquat liqueurs from Corfu File:Demanovka nowe.jpg|Demänovka is a traditional Slovak liqueur produced since 1867 File:Elder flower liqueur .jpg|Homemade elder flower liqueur

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[4]  CORDIAL: “another term for liqueur”

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title: Liqueur

question: What is the history of liqueurs?

answer: Liqueurs were originally herbal medicines. They were made in Italy as early as the 13th century. The word liqueur derives from the Latin liquifacere, which means "to dissolve." Liqueurs have been prepared with a variety of infusers historically, including woods, fruit and flowers, and historically have had a legal definition differentiating them from liquor in the United States and Canada.

question: How are liqueurs used today?

answer: Liqueurs are sometimes mixed into cocktails to provide flavor, or can be used to make layered drinks. They are also commonly served neat, over ice, with coffee, in cocktails, and used in cooking.


text:
Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump is shifting his story about the Stormy Daniels controversy following the revelation by his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, that the President reimbursed a payment to the adult film actress by Michael Cohen.

Trump -- who previously said he was not aware of the $130,000 Cohen paid to Daniels before the 2016 election in an effort to keep her quiet about an alleged affair between her and the President -- denied on Thursday that any campaign money was used to reimburse Cohen and said he was paid via retainer. The payment has prompted complaints to the Justice Department and Federal Election Commission over potential violations of campaign finance law.

"Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA," Trump wrote on Twitter Thursday morning.

[Giuliani says Trump reimbursed Cohen for Stormy Daniels payment]

"These agreements are very common among celebrities and people of wealth," Trump continued. "In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. "

He added, "Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction."

Cohen had admitted to paying Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, out of his own pocket through a private LLC. Daniels has sued Trump and Cohen, saying the nondisclosure agreement is void because Trump did not sign it.

The White House has said Trump denies the alleged affair.

Legal implications

Giuliani said on "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning that Cohen attempted to make the Daniels controversy "go away" with the payment -- a suggestion that the agreement was intended to help Trump's election chances.

Upon hearing that comment Thursday morning, CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin referred to it as a "confession that this is a campaign finance violation because they wanted to shut her up in October of 2016."

Toobin also said the penalty for violating campaign finance laws "depends on the level of intent. Most FEC, Federal Election Commission, violations are handled civilly. But if it's willful, if it's intentional, it can be handled criminally."

Michael Avenatti, a lawyer for Daniels, told CNN's "New Day" on Thursday that he was "speechless" and "stunned" after hearing Giuliani's revelation about the reimbursement. He suggested that there would be a violation of campaign finance laws if Trump and Cohen structured the payment "in a way to avoid detection or in an effort to make it appear to be something that it was not, namely, a retainer payment as opposed to $130,000 reimbursement, that may involve money laundering depending on how it was handled."

"There also may be tax issues relating to the deductibility of those expenses," he continued. "If they were deducted as legal expenses for tax purposes when in reality it had nothing to do with legal services rendered but instead was the reimbursement of the $130,000, that, too, is going to be a problem."

In an interview on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper," Avenatti said he believed Giuliani was trying to get in front of the information inevitably coming out.

"I absolutely believe that," Avenatti said. "I believe that this was an attempt by Giuliani to hang a lantern on this and to disclose it on terms that he believed to be friendly to the President and friendly to him."

But Bradley Smith, a former FEC chairman, told CNN that he doesn't believe the payment constitutes a campaign finance violation.

"I don't think it matters whether Trump paid Cohen back or not," Smith said, adding, "The standard is not: If it's related to the campaign, it's a campaign expenditure. The standard is: It's a campaign expenditure if it is an obligation that would not exist were it not for the campaign."

Giuliani says Cohen, Trump did not discuss payment during election

Giuliani went into further detail in another interview Thursday morning about the extent to which the President was involved with the transaction, suggesting on Fox Business Network that Cohen did not communicate with Trump about the payment at the time he made it to Daniels and that Trump later reimbursed the money after the presidential election was over.

"The money was paid by Michael Cohen in October of 2016. Of course he didn't talk to the presidential candidate then because the man wouldn't have even remembered. I wouldn't remember if you talked to me then. I was with him 24 hours a day," Giuliani said.

[Stormy Daniels' lawyer says he was 'stunned' after Giuliani bombshell]

"After it was over, there was the opportunity to reimburse," he added, saying, "the President reimbursed him out of non-campaign, non-campaign contribution money, private money, his money, and he did it over a course of 2017. It was mixed in with a couple of other things that have nothing to do with them or anybody else, just things that a lawyer would take care of for his client."

But Giuliani also suggested that Trump may have forgotten about the transaction at some point.

"How many times do you have to go back to your checkbook to see, you know, you forget," he said. "Did I make that contribution, didn't I make it, was it $2,000, $5,000, did I take it from this account or that account?"

He went on to say, "If you have to speak off the cuff, you're going to say, 'well, I did it from here, I did it from there.' Now we have the records, we can see exactly what it was. Now they should drop this."

Shifting explanations

This week's revelations have, at a minimum, deepened a political controversy for Trump as explanations over the Daniels controversy continue to evolve.

Just weeks before the 2016 election, Cohen created a private LLC to pay Daniels following an alleged July 2006 encounter with Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported in January.

In February, Cohen said in a statement that he used his own "personal funds" to facilitate the payment to Daniels.

"Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly," Cohen said at the time.

But Giuliani contradicted that statement on Thursday, telling "Fox & Friends" that Cohen was "definitely reimbursed." He added that he believed Cohen was "trying to help" the Trump family and doing his job as a lawyer.

Trump said last month that he didn't know about the payment and deferred questions about the matter to Cohen. Giuliani told "Fox & Friends" that Trump learned the details about the payment "10 days ago."

The President has since distanced himself from Cohen, who was formerly a top confidant, telling Fox News last week that Cohen had overseen "a tiny, tiny little fraction" of his legal work.

CNN's MJ Lee and Eli Watkins contributed to this report.

question: Summarize Trump's stand in the Stormy Daniels controversy.

answer: Trump keeps shifting his story about Stormy Daniels controversy. He previously said that he wasn't aware about the $130,000 paid by Michael Cohen to Daniels to keep her quiet about her affair with Trump. However, he later denied that any campaign money was used to reimburse Michael Cohen and instead said that he was paid via a retainer. Trump mentioned the same on Twitter.

question: Summarize the legal implications of hiding the Stormy Daniels controversy.

answer: According to Jeffrey Toobin, the penalty depends on the level of intent and could be handled both civilly and criminally. Michael Avenatti, Stormy's lawyer, feels that there may be tax issues as it may be deducted as legal expenses. However, Bradley Smith, a former FEC chairman feels that it isn't a campaign finance violation.

question: Summarize the shifting explanations by Trump and Cohen.

answer: Cohen created a private LLC to pay Stormy Daniels and issued a statement later that he used his personal funds to compensate her. He said that Trump's money wasn't used anywhere. However, Guiliani said that Cohen was definitely reimbursed for the payment. Trump, on the other hand, said that he didn't know anything about the payment and passed the questions on to Cohen. And he's distanced himself from Cohen, who was a former confidant.

question: Summarize how Trump met Stormy Daniels.


text:
As an MSF donor, you fuel the delivery of medical aid to the people who need it most, no matter where they are in the world.

Your money pays for millions of consultations, operations, treatments and vaccinations every year. As an organisation, we work to spend your money in the most efficient way and to help those in greatest need. But how do we do it?

At MSF we deliver care directly rather than through local partner organisations. We set up and run medical services, train staff and respond to fast moving emergencies, as well as longer-term crises. This means the money you trust to MSF is spent by MSF.

Essential costs

When you donate to MSF UK, the money is banked and then directed to the country where the need is greatest. This is coordinated across the 19 MSF offices and our projects in over 70 countries, but none of the funds we send to the frontline is spent on international administration costs.

There are essential costs for any organisation and a small percentage of the money we raise – just two percent – is used for office running costs in the UK.

Another 13 percent is reinvested in fundraising to keep the money coming in for our overseas work and FOR EVERY POUND SPENT WE RECEIVE £8.24 BACK. The rest pays for healthcare.

Each aspect of the way we operate from our London office is designed to keep these essential costs low. We rent inexpensive office space, we buy only the lowest fares for travel and stay in budget hotels when travelling abroad.

[7_4_donations_FR]

85p

OF EVERY £ DONATED PAYS FOR HEALTHCARE

[6_1_money]

£8.24

RAISED FOR EVERY £ SPENT ON FUNDRAISING

[3_8_OfficeManagment]

2p

OF EVERY £ DONATED SPENT ON OFFICE COSTS

Money for emergencies

When an emergency breaks – such as an earthquake, an epidemic or a conflict – MSF can respond immediately. This is because we encourage donors to give unrestricted funds, which means we can spend them where the need is greatest.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, MSF has a significant emergency reserve fund. This means there is no delay in mobilising, no wait for government funds to be released and no lag as donation appeals are launched; we can act immediately and then replenish this fund with new donations.

Once the money reaches the medical programmes it is carefully managed by the project team. It is subject to a rigorous accounting system, with every penny logged and all the information flowing back to the headquarters and our donors – transparency and accountability are essential.

We only launch an emergency appeal if we are certain we can spend the money on that specific crisis; there are no asterisks or hidden disclaimers diverting money to other parts of the organisation.

MSF principles

The way we raise and spend money upholds our core principles – independence, neutrality and impartiality. MSF UK very rarely takes money from the government; 100 percent of our donations come from private donors, like you.

This means they come with no strings attached and allow us to provide medical care where the need is greatest. It is you, our donors, who fuel MSF’s work. Thank you.

What is the highest salary in MSF UK?

The highest salary in MSF UK is paid to our executive director, Vickie Hawkins. Vickie is eligible for an annual salary of £84,957.33 (as of April 2019). There are no additional bonuses or performance-related additional payments.

This amount excludes pension contributions by MSF, which total 10 percent of the gross salary.

Doesn’t MSF UK have a 3:1 ratio between highest and lowest salaries?

MSF UK has traditionally paid the most senior member of staff, usually the Executive Director, no more than three times the pay of the lowest paid UK-based staff member.

However, in 2014 the MSF UK board decided to hold a long-overdue review of pay grades and benefits for all UK-based staff, and as part of that review the board reviewed its policy on setting the Executive Director’s pay.

The board decided in future to treat the 3:1 ratio as a guide rather than a rule in order to avoid a possible tension between either underpaying the Executive Director compared to equivalent roles, or being forced to pay more for junior roles than is appropriate.

For the record, the director’s current salary of £84,957.33 is 3.4 times the lowest current MSF UK salary of £25,325.72.

How did the board set the Executive Director’s salary?

In considering the Executive Director’s new salary, the Board observed that a gap had opened up between what MSF UK was previously paying and what other parts of the MSF movement and London-based NGOs were paying their Chief Executives.

In setting the Executive Director’s new salary, the Board sought to set the salary at a level that was broadly competitive yet still modest, in keeping with MSF’s focus on maximising the use of funds for frontline work.

Exactly which factors were considered before the pay was set?

-   Salaries for comparable roles across MSF movement
-   Salaries of Chief Executives and Directors of similar-sized UK, London-based NGOs (based on voluntary sector salary surveys: XpertHR, Croner Reward)
-   Pay ratio between the Executive Director and other MSF UK office staff
-   Annual percentage salary increase given to other MSF UK office staff

When will the director’s salary be reviewed?

The Executive Director’s salary will be reviewed in spring 2020 in line with the rest of the UK office.

Although the Board now uses the 3:1 ratio as a guide rather than a rigid limit, they will continue to ensure that the director’s salary remains modest yet sufficient to attract and retain the best candidate, and is published on our website.

What about other senior managers in the UK?

In 2019 MSF UK had five senior managers in the £60k-70k salary range, depending on their seniority and experience; one senior manager was paid between £70k-80k.

How much does MSF pay top executives elsewhere in the world?

We publish the highest and lowest salaries for all MSF offices worldwide as part of our commitment to transparency in financial reporting. The most recent data available (2019) is on page 39 of this document.

We are an independent, international medical humanitarian organisation. Your support allows us to provide medical aid whenever and wherever it is needed.

Eighty-five pence of every pound you donate is spent on our programmes. We try our utmost to make sure that your donations are spent on saving lives rather than on administration and management costs.

+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Income      |             | 2019        |             | 2018        |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|             | _in million | _in         | _in million | _in         |
|             | £_          | percentage_ | £_          | percentage_ |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Private     | 60.56       | 99.9%       | 52.87       | 99.9%       |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Public      | 0           | 0%          | 0           | 0%          |
| institution |             |             |             |             |
| al          |             |             |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Other       | 0.09        | 0.1%        | 0.1         | 0.1%        |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|             | 60.65       | 100%        | 52.9        |             |
|             |             |             |             | 100%        |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+

+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| How money   |             | 2019        |             | 2018        |
| is spent    |             |             |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|             | _in million | _in         | _in million | _in         |
|             | £_          | percentage_ | £_          | percentage_ |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Operations  | 46.79       | 85%         | 44.4        | 85%         |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Fundraising | 7.35        | 13%         | 6.99        | 13%         |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Office      | 1.28        | 2%          | 0.89        | 2%          |
| Management  |             |             |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|             | 55.42       | 100%        | 52.28       | 100%        |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
|             |             |             |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| SURPLUS     | 5.2         |             | 0.6         |             |
| (DEFICIT)   |             |             |             |             |
| FOR THE     |             |             |             |             |
| YEAR        |             |             |             |             |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+

Where does the money go?

PROGRAMME EXPENSES* BY NATURE

PROGRAMME EXPENSES* BY CONTINENT

Personnel
53%
Africa
59%
Medical and nutrition
16%
Middle East
16%
Transport, freight and storage
12%
Asia (inc. the Caucasus)
13%
Office expenses
7%
Americas
7%
Logistics and sanitation
6%
Europe
4%
Other
4%
Oceania
1%
Communication
2%
*Project and coordination team expenses in the countries

question: How does the MSF ensure that their decisions on budget allocations are free of outside influence?

answer: The MSF encourages donors to give unrestricted funds. The MSF rarely takes money from government, ensuring that there are no strings attached. They are this able to deploy funds where they are most needed.

question: What does the article say about the Executive Director's pay?

answer: The highest salary in MSF UK is paid to our executive director, Vickie Hawkins. Vickie is eligible for an annual salary of £84,957.33 (as of April 2019). There are no additional bonuses or performance-related additional payments. This amount excludes pension contributions by MSF, which total 10 percent of the gross salary. In setting the Executive Director’s new salary, the Board sought to set the salary at a level that was broadly competitive yet still modest. For the record, the director’s current salary is 3.4 times the lowest current MSF UK salary.


text:
[Swalwell calls for Barr to resign ]

© Greg Nash

Rep. Eric Swalwell[]Eric Michael SwalwellPelosi warns of 'danger' as Republicans supportive of QAnon poised to join Congress McCarthy says Swalwell should be disqualified from Intel Committee following spy report Swalwell suggests White House leaked Chinese spy story in retaliation for criticism MORE (D-Calif.) called on Thursday for Attorney General William Barr[]Bill BarrBarr knew about federal probes into Hunter Biden's financial dealings in spring: WSJ Trump official subpoenaed by House panel for Census documents Cotton calls for special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden MORE to step down after the top law enforcement official defended President Trump[]Donald TrumpBiden and Harris named Time's 2020 'Person of the Year' US to sanction Turkey over Russian defense system: report Federal government executes Brandon Bernard despite last-minute appeals MORE at a news conference previewing the release of special counsel Robert Mueller[]Robert (Bob) MuellerBarr taps attorney investigating Russia probe origins as special counsel CNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting MORE's report.

In a lengthy statement, Swalwell, one of more than a dozen Democrats running for president, said that Barr's news conference was only the latest piece of evidence of bias within the top ranks of the Justice Department

“Barr never should have been confirmed, but once confirmed, he should have recused himself from all oversight of the Mueller investigation,” Swalwell said in a statement.

"Today, he made a show of allegiance to the President over the American people by declaring ‘no collusion’ and excusing the President on the basis of his emotional state," he added. "He has proved that he’s an embedded Trump ally who puts this President’s political future above of the rule of law. That makes him unfit to serve. He must resign.”

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Barr asserted that investigators “found no evidence” that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia during the 2016 presidential election and explained his decision not to pursue an obstruction of justice case against the president for his conduct related to probe.

A redacted version of the report on Mueller's investigation was released later Thursday morning.

Swalwell, a member of the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, has long been one of Trump's most vocal critics in Congress, frequently chiming in on allegations of impropriety by the president and his campaign.

His demand on Thursday makes him the first 2020 Democrat to call for Barr's resignation in the wake of the Mueller report's release.

[TheHill.com]

The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax

The contents of this site are ©2020 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

question: What is the article about?

answer: Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat, calls for Bill Barr to resign.

question: Who is Bill Barr?

answer: Bill Barr is the US. Attorney General.

question: Why is Swalwell asking for his resignation?

answer: Swalwell believes that the US Justice Department is biased, and unable to put the rule of law ahead of Donald Trump.

question: What does a calling Swalwell a "2020 Democrat" mean?

answer: Swalwell was a Democrat running for the party's nomination for president.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat, calls for Bill Barr to resign. He believes that the US Justice Department is biased, and Barr is unable to put the rule of law ahead of Donald Trump.


text:
JACK SHOOK (born Loren Shook; September 11, 1910 – September 23, 1986) was an American guitarist and a Grand Ole Opry star.

He was a native of Decatur, Illinois.[1] He was raised in Kansas and Missouri.

He started at WSM, Nashville as a staff musician in 1934[2] and headed the Missouri Mountaineers on the Grand Ole Opry[3][4] during the later part of the 1930s.[5][6] He played guitar with many jazz and pop acts of his day including Kate Smith, Bob Crosby,[7] Paul Whiteman[8] and others.[9] In 1939, the Missouri Mountaineers were one of the first Opry acts to be on the NBC Opry radio show called _The Prince Albert Show_.[10] Shook served in the army during the 1940s and then returned to Nashville to form Jack, Nap and Dee along with singer Dee Simmons.[11] He was a left handed guitarist and was one of the originators of the Nashville sound style of recording.[12]

In 1950, he released the title _Written Guarantee_ with Owen Bradley and His Quintet. [13] Covers by Shook included _Birmingham Bounce, Give Me a Little Old Fashioned Love, Goodnight Irene, I'm Moving on, Mule Bookie, Say When, There's a Little White House_, and _Wabash Blues_.[14]

Shook retired from WSM in 1982[15] and died in Donelson Hospital of cancer in 1986.[16]

He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on February 2, 1935.[17]

Shook died of cancer on September 23, 1986 in Nashville, Tennessee. [18]

[1]

[2]  SecondHandSongs|website=secondhandsongs.com|access-date=2020-01-06}}

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]  SecondHandSongs|website=secondhandsongs.com|access-date=2020-01-06}}

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

title: Jack Shook

question: What was Jack Shook's name at birth?

answer: His given name is Loren Shook.

question: Where did Shook's career start?

answer: He started at WSM, Nashville as a staff musician in 1934.

question: How did Shook die?

answer: He died of cancer on September 23, 1986.

question: When did Shook retire?

answer: He retired from WSM in 1982.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Jack Shook, an American guitarist and a Grand Ole Opry star. He was one of the originators of the Nashville sound style of recording.


text:
Legislation provides $2,000 per month until employment returns to pre-COVID-19 levels

Washington, DC – Today, Representatives Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced the Emergency Money for the People Act to provide additional cash payments for hard-working Americans who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the CARES Act was an important first step, its one-time payment does not provide nearly enough support for American families.

The Emergency Money for the People Act expands relief to more Americans and includes a $2,000 monthly payment to every qualifying American over the age of 16 until employment returns to pre-COVID-19 levels. It also fixes a bug in the CARES Act to ensure college students and adults with disabilities can still receive the payments even if claimed as a dependent. The Emergency Money for the People Act additionally recognizes that not everyone has a bank or a home address to receive a check –  so it allows individuals to get this money through direct deposit, check, pre-paid debit card, or mobile money platforms such as Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal.

“The economic impact of this virus is unprecedented for our country. As millions of Americans file for unemployment week over week, we have to work quickly to patch the dam – and that means putting cash in the hands of hard-working families,” SAID CONGRESSMAN TIM RYAN. “Many Ohioans are just receiving – or about to receive – the first cash payment we passed in the CARES Act. Now it’s time for Congress to get to work on the next step to provide relief for those who have been hardest hit in this pandemic.”

“A one-time, twelve hundred dollar check isn’t going to cut it,” SAID REP. RO KHANNA. “Americans need sustained cash infusions for the duration of this crisis in order to come out on the other side alive, healthy, and ready to get back to work. Members on both sides of the aisle are finally coming together around the idea of sending money out to people. Rep. Ryan and I are urging leadership to include this bill in the fourth COVID relief package to truly support the American working class.”

Under the Emergency Money for the People Act, monthly cash assistance payments would be guaranteed for at least six months and would continue until the employment to population ratio for people ages 16 and older is above 60%. These payments would not count as income in order to protect eligibility for any of the income-based state or federal government assistance programs.

ELIGIBILITY:

-   Every American adult age 16 and older making less than $130,000 annually would receive at least $2,000 per month.
-   Married couples earning less than $260,000 would receive at least $4,000 per month.
-   Qualifying families with children will receive an additional $500 per child – families will receive funds for up to three children.
-   For example, a married couple making under $260K with 3 kids would receive $5,500 per month.
-   Those who had no earnings, were unemployed, or are currently unemployed would also be eligible.
-   Those who were not eligible in 2019 or 2018 but would be eligible in 2020, could submit at least two consecutive months of paychecks to verify income eligibility.
-   The Emergency Money for the People Act also expands the program to millions more Americans who were excluded from the CARES cash rebates – such as college students and adults with disabilities who are still claimed as a dependent. The individual will receive the payment and their parent or guardian will receive the dependent credit.

Reps. Ryan and Khanna proposed the first cash infusion plan a month ago, which the Administration and Senate Republicans embraced, and was passed into law with the CARES Act. But as a record-number of Americans have filed for unemployment in the past weeks, it’s clear a one-time payment will not be remotely sufficient. In some places, this doesn’t even cover a month’s rent.

The Emergency Money for the People Act has been introduced by Rep. Ryan and Rep. Khanna as well as the following Original Co-sponsors: Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Judy Chu (CA-27), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Mike Doyle (PA-18), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Eliot L. Engel (NY-16), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Joe Neguse (CO-2), Mary, Gay Scanlon (PA-5), Darren Soto (FL-9), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Nydia Velázquez (NY-7), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Grace Meng (NY- 6), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), and Barbara Lee (CA-13).

###

question: Summarize the Emergency Money for the People Act.

answer: Through the Emergency Money for the People Act, the US government will provide cash assistance to the American working class until the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount varies depending on one's eligibility. For instance, it's $2,000 per month for every American adult age 16 and older making less than $130,000 annually. Qualified married couples and those with children receive higher amounts.


text:
Proctor was lying down somewhere. He didn’t know where he was or how he got there. The last thing he could remember was that he was driving over to his friend’s house. Had he gotten in a car crash? Did somebody kidnap him? What was going on? Just as these thoughts were going through his head, someone began to shake his arm.

“Hello, are you okay? My name is Royce. Can you remember your name?”

Proctor sat up, and opened his eyes. He realized now that he was in a large grassy field. It was relatively flat, the sun was directly overhead, an oak tree stood in front of him, and Royce stood in front of the oak tree.

“Yes, my name is Proctor. I don’t think I’m having trouble remembering anything. Are you?”

Royce closed his eyes and sighed. “The only thing I can remember is my name. Everything else is completely gone.”

Proctor felt disappointed. “So you don’t even know where we are?”

“My guess is as good as yours my friend. I woke up just a few seconds before you did. All I can tell is that we’re in a field outside of a castle.”

“A castle?” Proctor said confused, “Where is this castle?”

“Well it’s… Just over that hill.”

Proctor turned around and indeed there was a hill. He was surprised he hadn’t seen it before. But maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. He scaled the hill in just a few minutes. As Royce had said, there was a pretty large castle in front of him. The castle stood about four stories high, had a wooden door, and five towers. He ran to the bottom of the hill, going a bit faster since gravity was no longer working against him.

Royce was sitting in the same spot he had left him. He was still staring at the hill. He looked as though he had seen a ghost.

“I saw the castle right where you said it was. Do you think we should head over there? They might be able to help you with your memory.”

Royce was still staring at the hill. “Proctor, how long did it take you to get to the top of that hill?”

“Just a few minutes. Why do you ask?”

Royce looked at Proctor now, “So how did I know there was a castle over there if I had only been awake for a few seconds?”

It was Proctor’s turn to be in shock. “I don’t know. Maybe you’ve been here before?

“That could be it. But I want to try something just to be sure.” Royce stood up now. “Think of a number between one and ten.”

“Okay,” Proctor said. “I’ve got a number”

“It’s a two right?”

“That’s right!” Proctor was surprised at how quickly he answered.

“We need to raise the stakes a little more.” Royce said, trying to contain his excitement. “Lets try between one and one-thousand.”

“Okay,” Proctor thought for a second, “I’ve got a-

“Is it five-hundred and twenty-three?”

“Right again!” The number had barely popped into Proctor’s head.

“Holy crap!” Royce exclaimed “So I was a psychic before I lost my memory!”

“That’s amazing! What does it feel like? Can you see my future?”

“I can’t exactly predict the future,” Royce said. “I don’t see fields covered in blood or anything like that. It’s more like I can tell when something is about to happen. It’s like when you’re in a dream and you’re walking down a road. But you already know what’s at the end of that road. Do you know what I’m saying?”

“Kind-of.” Proctor said. “I guess I never really thought of it like that before.”

“Well we should probably head over to that castle. It would be good to have shelter for when it starts to rain.

Proctor looked up. The sky was completely covered with clouds and he could hear thunder in the distance. The rain came just a few minutes before they reached the castle. Up close, Proctor could see that the castle was very rundown. The door had rotted away and he couldn’t make out what was inside. He debated with himself whether or not it was a good idea to go in. But after hearing a loud crash of thunder nearby, he decided that electrocution would be more painful than anything in the castle.

Upon entering the castle it was plain to be seen that it had been abandoned for quite some time. The skeletons of rats lay on the ground as if they had run out of food to scavenge for. The only sounds they could hear were the sounds of rain and thunder outside, and the flowing of the many streams that ran through the lower parts of the castle.

They entered into the next room to find the walls nearly covered with papers. Most of them were filled with incoherent scribbles and long physics equations, but others had plans for some kind of steam-powered robot. One of the walls had been torn open, a desk sat in one corner of the room, and the other corner had exhaust pipes protruding from it. This must have been where they were working on the robot. Royce examined one of the papers on the wall. He began to read: “Koshmar is nearly complete. Its artificial intelligence grows smarter with each passing day. But it seems to be displaying signs of independence, even obstinance. We may need to reboot the system if it starts to disobey orders.” Royce turned around to look at the hole in the wall. “Well, that plan clearly failed.”

“This doesn’t make any sense. artificial intelligence is impossible.” Proctor thought out loud.

“It’s not really that impossible.” Royce said “It’s kind of like a tulpa except it’s created with computers and equations.”

“A tulpa? You mean an imaginary friend?”

“Yeah, sort of.” Royce continued. “But a tulpa is like a separate consciousness. It develops over time and it might eventually form its own opinions.”

“So it can think for itself.” Proctor said, skeptical.

“Yes and it has direct access to the subconscious. Some people might make one so they don’t forget things.”

“Strange. Maybe you should make one so that you can get your memory back.”

“Yeah, maybe I should.” Royce walked closer to the hole in the wall. “Do you think we should go through here?”

“Maybe, but Koshmar could still be somewhere in this castle.”

“Even if he is, I doubt he would still be in the next room.” Royce stepped through the hole. “He probably left this place a long time ago.”

Proctor followed Royce into the room but he soon regretted it. The entire place was torn apart. The only thing left of the room itself was the wall they had just stepped through. It appeared that a great battle had once taken place in there. Skeletons were all over the ground. They held spears, swords, and shields. Walls were broken down, there were claw marks on the floor and ceiling, and the furniture that wasn’t broken, was burned.  The destruction was everywhere, but it wasn’t so bad that it ruined the structural integrity of the castle. Most of the major support beams were still in place and they were handling the extra weight pretty well.

“I don’t think we should risk an attack by this thing.” Royce said panicking.

“Do you think he would notice us if he was still here?”

As if to answer Proctor’s question a giant mechanical dragon crashed through the ceiling right above their only exit. Koshmar was made out of some kind of a copper alloy. Steam came out of the many pipes on its back and its eyes glowed red from the flames that were now shooting from its mouth. Proctor remained frozen in place, both from shock at the dragon’s sudden appearance and shock at its appearance. Royce spoke up knocking him out of his stupor, “HOLY CRAP!”

The dragon shook the rubble from its body and lunged forward. Proctor dove to the left, just barely avoiding the swipe of one of its red glowing claws. The beast ran straight for the wall and Crawled up it. It twisted around and shot a couple of fireballs. Proctor grabbed a shield from one of the skeletons, but saw that he didn’t need it. Koshmar was directing all of its attacks at Royce. Proctor dropped his shield and replaced it with a spear. He ran toward the dragon in an attempt to stab one of its eyes. He didn’t make it very far though and was sent flying by a lazy swipe of its tail. He landed near the window and could see Koshmar was shooting fireballs once again. Thunder crashed outside, and lightning struck in the distance…

Wait a second? There was something very illogical about what was going on here. Doesn’t Lightning come before thunder? Proctor woke up on a sunny day, but now it was raining. When he was at the top of the hill the castle had a wooden door, but it was completely rotten when he had reached it. Was the hill even there when he woke up? Then it hit him. The mechanical dragon’s name was Koshmar. Koshmar is the Russian word for nightmare! Proctor was dreaming. That was why all of this strange stuff was happening. He chuckled to himself. It was surprising how realistic all of this was. This whole time he had been carrying conversations with nobody. Well it was pretty fresh in his mind now, but he was sure he would forget everything when he woke up.

Proctor thought he was in a dream, and in a way, he was right. Moments later Royce woke up in a hospital bed, and Proctor… ceased to exist.

title: the caretaker

question: Summarise the story's plot twist ending.

answer: Royce and Proctor woke up and found themselves outside a castle on a hill. When they entered the castle to protect themselves from the impending rain, they encountered a dragon named Koshmar and began battling it to save their lives, and Koshmar kept directing its attacks at Royce. However, it turns out that Royce had been having a nightmare all along, thinking he was battling Koshmar, which incidentally means nightmare in Russian. Also, it turns out that Proctor was only a figment of Royce's imagination when he woke up in a hospital bed and realized he didn't exist in reality. It may seem that Royce had formed Proctor in his imagination to preserve his memory.


text:
If you think only one political group in the United States is susceptible to the proliferation of political propaganda on social media, you are sorely mistaken.

Though it is true online disinformation campaigns have found a comfortable home in "MAGA" Land, the anti-Trump resistance is at least as gullible and ready to believe the worst of its enemies, as a single Twitter user demonstrated this weekend.

A person named Mark Elliott tweeted a C-SPAN video on April 5 with a caption that read, “[President Trump] on people asking for asylum ‘These aren't people. These are animals.’”

  I have learned that Trump's comments were in response to a specific question about MS-13 members and not about asylum seekers more broadly. I have chosen to delete the tweet, but am copying it here. My apologies for not being more accurate. pic.twitter.com/oDTdNvzSdq

  — Mark Elliott (@markmobility) April 8, 2019

The video included in the tweet showed Trump saying:

We have people coming into the country or trying to come in, we're stopping a lot of them, but we're taking people out of the country. You wouldn't believe how bad these people are. These aren't people. These are animals.

But everything about Elliott’s tweet is a lie, from its central claim right down to the implication that the video is from a recent White House event. First, Trump said no such thing about asylum seekers. He was speaking specifically about members of the brutal, barbaric Salvadoran gang MS-13, which is known for hacking its enemies to death with machetes. And the video is not even from this year. It is from 2018, back when the press first misreported that Trump had called immigrants “animals."

None of this stopped Elliott's tweet from going viral this weekend. More than 15,000 social media users have shared his "asylum" claim directly. Then, there are the those who have shared or commented on his tweet on their individual social media pages, including politically active celebrities, members of Congress, reporters at national newsrooms, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.

Between Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, disgraced former news anchor Dan Rather, and outspoken supermodel Chrissy Teigen, more than 80,000 people “learned” this weekend that the president may or may not have called asylum seekers “animals.” That number does not count the 15,000 who have retweeted Elliott’s tweet.

One amazing aspect of this story is just how willing allegedly thorough newsmen were to believe the supposed context provided by some guy named Mark Elliott. Few who commented on his tweet appear to have asked, “Is this really the context in which these remarks were made? Did the president _really_ say this?” Mark Elliott's say-so was apparently good enough for everybody.

And many of the people angrily commenting on it seem to have forgotten entirely that we had this exact same fight one year ago about these exact same comments pulled from this exact same White House video. Do they really not remember any of this?

So, there you have it: A person you have never heard of managed somehow to get mainstream reporters, celebrities with millions of followers, members of Congress, and presidential candidates to share a lie based on a year-old video that most of them had already seen. The fact that a single, intentionally dishonest tweet sparked a viral debate this weekend over comments that have already been litigated should scare you.

At this rate, the Russians and Chinese don’t even have to put in any effort sowing discord and distrust in the U.S. with targeted disinformation campaigns. Just put everyone on Twitter, and it's all done for them.

question: Approximately when was the article written?

answer: Sometime in 2019

question: What is the author's goal in writing?

answer: To caution people about misinformation

question: Whose tweet does the author reference?

answer: Mark Elliott

question: When was the video referenced taken?

answer: 2018

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The author warns that anti-Trump people are also susceptible to misinformation, giving one example of someone who tweeted a video of Trump out of context and went viral.


text:
The flickering lights highlight the ship’s icy hallway only once every few seconds. It’s probably better that way, considering that when it can be seen it’s quite a mess. Scattered with shell casings, strewn papers and stray sparks from exposed wires. Not to mention the occasional body or body part that lay in the way as Chad slowly steps through, careful not to trip over the many obstacles. He waits patiently for the lights to flicker again, so he can move freely with no worry of what’s in his way, and searching for another living soul. He tries to call out, but the cold has rendered his throat quite useless when it comes to shouting. Still he must make the attempt. “Hello!” He tries to scream. It sounded as if the word itself tore open his insides as he spewed it out. Chad places his hand on his throat and continues, content with a quiet search.

As he makes his way through more dead end areas of the ship, Chad begins to lose hope of finding any more lost survivors, until he hears a faint moaning coming from the Captain’s quarters. He stops and listens for a moment. The moans come again. Chad walks towards the open room and puts his back against the wall, creeping his head around the corner. Inside, lying on the bed in the left corner is Captain Roberts, half naked and freezing, blood trickling down his ears and mouth. His skin seems more like a thin pale sheet that’s stretched tightly over his bones, and his hair on his head is patchy, as if he’s been pulling it out. Chad brings himself back around and tilts his head back, rolling his eyes. He sighs and marches into the Captain’s room. “Sir.” He says as he walks up to him. The Captain’s hand is bleeding and balled up in a fist.

“Whosat?” Captain Roberts whispers, eyes rolling around in every direction.

“Lieutenant Chad Harper, sir.” The Captain blinks, almost in awe, and then chuckles to himself.

“Come here, Lieutenant.” Chad kneels down beside the Captain, whose fist reaches out for his hand. Chad cups the Captain’s fist as he releases the item he was clinging so hard to. Chad looks into his now bloody hand to see two brown-stained silver bars. “I’m giving you command, Lieutenant.” Now it’s Chad’s turn to chuckle, but he can’t stop there. Soon his scoffs become laughs, and then what seems to be a mix of crying and bellowing that echo through the empty corridors of the stone cold prison they’re trapped in.

“Command?” Chad replies, wiping tears from his eyes, “Command of what? There’s nobody here! It’s just us!”

“Jesus, kid.” Captain Roberts says, “Is that all you do is complain? Ever since we lost you’ve treated it like the Goddamn Crucifixion.” He turns his head and coughs a fair amount of blood onto the walls. Chad bows his head and traces the sign of the Cross on his body.

“May Christ have mercy on your soul for making such a joke.” He says, raising his head. The Captain looks at him and tries to sit up. Chad puts his hands on the Captain’s shoulders and gently presses him back down. “You need to rest, sir.” The Captain’s attempt took much more out of him than expected. He begins to breathe heavy, as if he’d just run a marathon. Chad picks up a chair that’s been lying on the floor and sits down next to the Captain.

“I know you’ve suffered, lad.” Captain Roberts says, “We all have. But that’s no excuse to just abandon all this.” His hands wave around the room flimsily. Chad looks around and sighs.

“All what, sir? We don’t have anything. Everyone is either dead or captured. We’re on the losing side of a war and I don’t even know what it is we’re fighting for!” Chad’s voice breaks away again as he begins to shout. “I didn’t even want to be in this! I was dragged! I left a wife and a daughter behind, risking my life for reasons I’m still not sure of.” The Captain remains silent. His eyelids are halfway shut. “Sir.” Chad begins, “I’m sorry, but I have to go. There’s just too much blood here. I’ve had enough of this senseless massacre.” He stands up and turns to walk out the door. The Captain sputters.

“You think you’ll find a decent place to stand in this massacre?” Chad stops, and turns back towards the Captain. “Well there isn’t one. Everybody’s involved, like it or not.

“Well then what do you suggest I do, sir?”

“Stand with me. Keep up the good fight. We’re on the losing side against heaven, kid. They’ve got the power, but we’ve got the people. We may have sticks and stones compared to their rockets and lasers, but we’ve got a lotta sticks and stones.” The Captain’s eyelids flutter as he coughs more blood onto his pillow.

“You’re standing days are done, sir.” Chad says, “I mean no disrespect in that. You’re dying, and I’m all that’s left. This is my chance to leave, and to find a place where I can be at peace. Maybe start a new family. Have a life in exchange for the one that was taken from me. Everyone will just assume the whole ship’s been taken.” Chad bows his head. “I hope you understand. I was never meant to do this.” Chad looks up at the Captain. His eyes are closed and there are no white clouds that escape his mouth, which hangs open like an old fool who has fallen asleep drunk in his recliner.

Chad leaves the Captain’s quarters and marches up the hallway and to a steel door that’s sealed shut. To the side rests a digital keypad. Chad inputs a code, and the doors swiftly slide open. “Welcome, Lieutenant Harper.” A deep male voice echoes as Chad steps through into the flight deck. Outside the window lies an endless black ocean filled with little sparkling stars, along with several other ships that have been destroyed. Their debris float slowly across Chad’s view. He walks up to the center of the flight deck, where a digital map is displayed on the table. He looks down to see that a rendezvous point has been highlighted two Astronomical Units away, on a dead planet orbiting a Red Dwarf. Four Astronomical Units away lies another, more appealing place to park; a fairly new planet that was recently discovered and inhabited 200 years prior, called Geisa. Chad closes the map and takes a seat in the Captain’s chair. “How much fuel do we have, Mark?”

“Enough, Lieutenant Harper.” Mark replies.

“That’s not an answer. How many AUs can we travel given the damage?”

“Roughly five, Lieutenant. Where would you have me direct us?” Chad sits in his chair, one hand wrapped around his face and sweating, despite the freezing temperature. In his other hand lays the Captain’s silver bars. He stares at them, a look of anger quickly growing on his face.

“You son of a bitch.” Chad whispers as he pins the medal to his uniform.

“What was that, Lieutenant?”

“It’s Captain, Mark. And take us to the damn rendezvous point.”

title: The Captain

question: What are the dilemmas Lieutenant Chad Harper faces?

answer: Lieutenant Chad Harper is searching through the wreckage of a warship for any survivors. He finally sees the wounded and dying captain. Captain Roberts requests Lieutenant Harper take command, certain he would take the ship to new heights. However, Lieutenant Harper gently declines, stating that the ship is empty and hopeless after the battle. Lieutenant Harper is encouraged not to abandon the ship but is desperate to leave the ship. He despises the massacre and longs for a place of peace. He hopes to raise a family and rebuild his life. The captain later discovers a rendezvous spot two Astronomical Units distant, on a dead planet orbiting a Red Dwarf. Geisa, a newly found and populated planet, lies four Astronomical Units away. As the ship's new captain, he must put the ship's needs before his own.


text:
there once was a boy with knives stuck in his voice. No matter what he said, it hurt the people around him, the boy just couldn't help it. Even if he didn't say anything offensive to someone, it still hurt them, just the sheer noise produced, a high, cutting pitch, something never heard by the likes of man before, would make the inner workings of your ears bleed, if you listened to it long enough.

All he wanted was a little affection. just somebody, for once to actually love him. a mother, a father, a friend would have sufficed. he should have known the first time a whole village abandoned him in the middle if a woods; no one wanted him, or his foul remarks. but he didn't learn, he had the simple mind of a child. the boy would walk during the days, crawl in the darkness of night, just to find a home. but every town he found, just kicked him out again. but he didnt learn, he had the simple mind of a child.

his cry's pierced the silence of the forest at night, birds flew away in fear, his shrill scream lured hunters to him, believing it was an animal, dying in their traps. but all they could hear when they saw him was, just as ghastly as his voice.

the poor child, he was just an unidentifiable bulk. you could hardly call him a bulk though, he was nothing but a remnant of his former self. the boy hadnt eaten for days from the looks of it, his skin was peeling, hair grew in patches. his ribs, they were hypnotic, just watching them stretch the pale, brittle skin. scabs were beginning to form, at nearly every inch of his body.

the two hunters felt pity for the boy. they left some food for him, and then left as fast as they could, they were horrified of the grotesque child. if they really felt pity for him, they would've killed him.

the night the boy ate was the first night the forest heard true silence for so long, no one actually knew.that night the boy actually slept.

the dreams were the sweetest thing he had ever experienced. the dreams gave him a new feeling of life, he didn't have the will to death any more. or was that the food?

the boy learnt to fend for himself. he admired those hunters, he wanted to impress them, be like them. to him, they were to first people to show him any compassion. but the boy was as much a terrible hunter, as the villagers were terrible humans. he never learnt. his voice scared of every single one of his prey. except the fish.

the boy was expert in catching fish from a river. the joy on his face was unmatched, as he pulled his first fish out of the stream with his bare hands.

many nights passed after the night with the hunters, and many dreams accompanied them. the boy had found something to cherish. night after night he went to his den, night after night a scream let out, sounding so much like a childish laugh.

his den was a crude piece of art. tightly packed under the roots of a relatively young oak in the forest of elders, its roots resembled aching joints submerged in the depths of the river, the boy used grass for a simple beading. old fish bones were hung up from the tops of the roots. oh he was proud of his fish bones.

one day, the boy was out “fishing”. there was one fish he had his eye on. it was too fast for him, even heading upstream. up and up they  went, the boy wasn't going to give up.

before he knew it, night had fallen. the boy was scared, he had come a long way from his little den, so far upstream he was on a slope. that was the first night the forest had heard the boys crys for so long.

he didn't sleep at all, he was scared he just wanted to be home, to be loved again. after the progress the boy made, it was undone in just one single, sleepless night.

the following morning, he woke in a pile of golden red leaves. autumn had arrived. the ground was damp and boggy. he tried to set for home, following the river downstream.

the boy dragged his feet through the mud. for hours, he walked and walked and walked, still no where closer to home. he was surprised at the distance he traveled the day before chasing the fish.

Then he heard it, a scream,a cry for help. it was a sharp noise, but it didn't make the boy cover his ears, only pay more attention to it. at first he thought it was himself, but how could it be, if he was here, and the noise was over there.

the boys childish nature made him curious. step by step, he trekked through the mud. it soon began to dry out as he made it closer to the noise

the forest was thinning, the noise was increasing. he thought he could hear voices thrown in hear and there, laughing, tormenting.

the boy had reached a clearing on a plateau. it was most likely the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, or will ever see. the field had patches of scarlet poppy's in between patches of long white grass.

and in the middle of that, the noise. a black cloud, dancing around in a single fluid motion. the boy got closer and saw ravens, hundreds of them, words flying from their beaks, taunts and insults thrown to the centre of the mass.

and in the centre, a single carrion crow, half the size of the ravens, and not able to fully form words like them, but screams, the same screams that caught the boys attention.

he screamed. the child screamed, drowning out the noise of the ravens. the crow joint in. the boy started running in and out of the group, trying his best to scare the ravens off. but they laughed at his futile attempts.

this made him scream louder and run faster. eventually the crows got bored with picking on the crow, and lost all interest in the child, waving his arms about like a madman.

they were gone. it was just the boy with knives stuck in his voice and the crow that couldn't sing.

the screams lessened and lessened, until all you could hear was the far of call of the ravens caught in the wind, and the slow steady breathing of both boy and bird.

on closer inspection, the crow was actually much bigger, but in poor condition. still not as big as the others, it had fresh blood dripping from where the ravens talons took swipes at him. its feathers were torn out in patches. and it was weak, malnourished.

they boy tried to pick him up as gentle as he could, but the crow struggled. finally the boy got hold of him. the boy could see he was hungry, but he had no food.

he had the next best thing a carrion crow could wish for; living human flesh. the boy bit his finger, making it bleed, only with a small yelp of pain. he tried stuffing it into the crows face, but that didnt work.

at long last, the crow got the taste of blood, and pecked at the boys hand until he was satisfied, all the while, the boy screamed. but he tolerated the pain, not flinching his hand away during the feeding.

the path back to the river was a long and tiresome one, the boy was feeling faint. the crow wanted to stay with the boy, so he let it sit on his shoulder. they screamed at each other the whole way, having some strange conversation in the most bizarre of tongues.

he had finally found someone to love, and to love him in return.

the boys dreams had come true.

that night, he fell asleep with a smile on his face, and blood on his neck from success. a dreamless sleep soon fell upon him.

the boys body became entangled in the branches of a relatively young oak tree in a forest of eldars, its fingers submerged in the waters of the river. the crow was perched above. it flew down and landed on the corpse, pecking strips of flesh away from the bones of the bloated, floating body.

title: In Absentia

question: What's wrong with the boy and why is he hurting the people around him?

answer: The boy had knives stuck in his voice and he hurt the people around him no matter what he said. Even if he said something nice, the sheer noise of his voice made ears bleed.

question: Why was the boy kicked out of every home and town he found?

answer: No one wanted him and his foul voice.

question: How does the boy feel about the hunters who left food for him and showed him compassion?

answer: The boy admired the hunters and wanted to impress them, so he learned to fend for himself via fishing (because he was a terrible hunter)

question: What did the boy want and where did he find it?

answer: All the boy ever wanted was a little affection. Someone to love and someone who loves him. A mother, father, or friend.

question: Write a ~11 sentence summary.

answer: A boy with knives stuck in his voice can't stop hurting the people around him because the sheer noise of his voice causes their ears to bleed, regardless of what he says. The boy becomes an outcast as no family or town wants him, and ends up living in the forest, under an oak tree, alone. All the boy wants is someone to love and someone to love him in return. When hunters take pity on the boy and leave food for him, he sets out to impress them by fishing, realizing he's good at it. One day, the boy goes fishing and chases a fish upstream until he gets lost. The boy heads home after a sleepless night and hears a cry for help. The boy sees hundreds of ravens taunting and tormenting a wounded crow. The boy saves the crow and lets it feed on his blood. The boy thinks he and the crow have something in common: their voices. The crow stays with the boy. The boy dies, his body gets tangled in the roots of the oak tree, and the crow pecks the flesh away from the boy's bloated corpse.


text:
“REUBEN BRIGHT” is a (modified) Petrarchan sonnet[1] written by American poet Edwin Arlington Robinson, early in his career, and published in _Children of the Night_ (1897). The poem acquired some fame as teaching material for English teachers.

Form and summary

“Reuben Bright” is a sonnet with decasyllabic lines of iambic pentameter.[2] Its structure is that of the Petrarchan sonnet according to Stephen Regan;[3] its rhyme scheme is abba abba cdcd ee. In other words, the octet has two quatrains of enclosed rhyme, and the sestet has a quatrain of alternating rhyme and a concluding couplet.

The poem tells of a butcher, Reuben Bright, who might be supposed to be rough and unfeeling because of his profession, but when news is brought that his wife is to die, he cries like a baby. When she dies, he packs up all the articles she handcrafted in a chest and adds cedar boughs (a “traditional symbol of death”[4]) and then destroys the slaughter house. One critic said the poem shows “a man's devotion to his wife”.[5] Like many of Robinson's narrative sonnets, “Reuben Bright” has a “characteristic signature: usually a bizarre or extraordinary story”, according to Donald Hall, who also noted that in its first printing the last line was altered significantly by a typo: the poem had been printed with the last line saying “tore down _to_ the slaughter house”.[6]

Critical appreciation

Robinson wrote “Reuben Bright” around the same time as “Richard Cory”. David Perkins, in his _A History of Modern Poetry_ (first published 1976), called some of those early poems including “Reuben Bright” and “Richard Cory” “revolutionary”, with narrative elements of prose fiction brought into a lyric poetry written about realistic subject matter in vernacular language.[7] Stephen Regan likewise notes the “plain-speaking, intimately conversational idiom”. The poem's value, he argues, lies in the tension between that “matter-of-fact” language (and the close tonal connection between, for instance, “Bright” and “brute”) and the psychological depths Robinson hints at, opened by the butcher's “capacity for deep feeling”.[8] Robinson critic Warner Berthoff had said that “Robinson is the poet of casualties; of broken lives and exhausted consciences”, and Regan saw Reuben Bright as the best example of this quality.[9]

Unlike a regular sonnet of this form whose dramatic turn can be expected to come between the octet and the sestet, “Reuben Bright” has no such dramatic change in “mood or attitude”, just a narrative development. An ironic twist does not come until the last line, which, as Milton R. Stern noted, is a device frequently found in Robinson's poetry.[10] Poet and critic Donald Hall also commented on the structure, and did note a kind of conclusion at the end of the octave: “Robinson's octave ends with wild grief; but the active imagination of the sestet is his genius--the cow-killer converted”.[11]

Use in teaching literature

Milton Stern, writing in 1957 considered the sonnet to be an excellent poem to teach poetry to students who might have gotten jaded with traditional sonnets, and are challenged to try and figure out how the shocking ending results from the death of Bright's wife. That the poem does all this with rather ordinary language and without traditional poetic elements is important as well: “the student can more easily see that poetry does speak to our own human condition”. According to Stern, “Robinson constantly takes 'little' people, 'ordinary' people, who lead the 'usual' life of all of us, and finds therein the dramatic, the poetic, and the human”.[12] In an article published two years after, Stern again suggested “Reuben Bright”, along with a few other Robinson poems, as very useful “Poems for Teaching”.[13]

Martha Fisher, in a discussion of the process-intervention model in teaching literature, mentioned “Reuben Bright” (and “Richard Cory”) as a narrative poem that students could be asked to rewrite as a short story or a play.[14]

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title: Reuben Bright

question: Summarize the structure of this poem.

answer: The structure has decasyllabic lines of iambic pentameter, and is considered to be a Petrarchan sonnet, with a rhyme scheme of abba abba cdcd ee. The octet consists of two quatrains of enclosed rhyme. The sestet has a quatrain of alternating rhyme. There is a couplet to conclude the poem.

question: Summarize the praise for the poem.

answer: The sonnet is revolutionary in that it contains some narrative elements commonly seen in prose fiction, which are pulled into lyric poetry by virtue of the structure discussed above. The unique factor is the juxtaposition of the commonplace, layperson's language, the storytelling advent, and the deeper meanings hinted at through both the brightly punctuated lyricism as well as the layering of the poem. The listener is left to interpret the many facets of the storyteller, or the one performing the sonnet. The placement of lines is important to managing this ambiguity, and was not a common feature until this poem's publishing.

question: Summarize how and why this poem has been used in teaching literature.

answer: This poem is one many students might find refreshing when put up against the more stuffy, predictable and traditional sonnets. There are some elements-those palling around with grief and death-that inject a bit of a human feeling to the poem, as if it were less esoteric because it is so relatable in its intentional messiness. Ordinary people with their ordinary emotions are front and center and made to feel seen and valued in this sonnet.

question: Summarize how the poem mirrors the life of its author Edwin Arlington Robinson.


text:
*The world has been ravaged by an extremely contagious airborne disease. The symptoms?  It is by no means deadly, however...*

*It turns your bones into strawberry jam.*

*The city of Manhattan has been completely overrun by the disease. Except for one group of uninfected....*

&#x200B;

"Alright, guys. Let's move out." Sebastian, the *de facto* leader of the group, has a plan to get out of the city. "I dunno, man, we're not gonna get infected, are we...?" asks Jonesy, ever the worrier. "No, Jonesy, because as you would've known if you had paid attention during our meetings, I have a plan that *should* be foolproof." "Well, yeah, *should* be...."

While the two continue their exchange, the last member sits in the corner, quiet as always. This is Kyle. He always seemed to be zoning out in one way or another. At least, that's what it seemed. "-well what does Kyle think then?" He lifted his gaze from the floor to find the two fellow survivors staring expectantly at him. ".....uh, sorry, what?" Sebastian rolled his eyes, a routine gesture between the two. "I *asked* you what you thought of the plan."

"........plan?"

"You're kidding, right?" Sebastian seemed to be losing his composure. "Do EITHER OF YOU even listen during our meetings? Look, if we stay in here too long, the virus is gonna get in. And then we're all fucked. So I have a plan." The other two seem tuned in. Hopefully, anyway.

"So. The local police HQ has recently started employing a new kind of stab-proof armour called *carbon nanofiber.* It's basically diamond fabric. And, turns out it lets *just* enough oxygen through that you could survive about 10-15 minutes of being gagged with it, but the mesh is *just too tight* to let most viruses through."

"OK, how is this relevant, exactly?" enquired Jonesy.

Sebastian looked him right in the eye.

"MAYBE if you let me TALK, you would know by now."

Jonesy shuffled in his chair.

"I'll take that as a characteristic "fine".

"Anyway, it *just so happens* that my ID card hasn't *quite* expired yet. Meaning that I can get in. And this crappy sewer we're holed up in *just so happens* to be situated right next to HQ.

"Just close enough, in fact, that I can get in and out quick  enough to grab some and get back here without getting infected." Sebastian finishes his explanation triumphantly.

"...well..?"

"Actually, Seb," Kyle spoke up, "I've been thinking about something."

"W-what-?"

"Hear me out for a sec. The virus, it turns your bones into strawberry jam, right?"

"Y.....yeah, but where are you-"

"Getting to it, Jonesy. And we’ve confirmed that the infected *do,* in fact, *stay alive* post-conversion, right?”

“Right, so…?”

“So *that* means that *if* we just *let ourselves get infected,* then we’ll still be alive, and since bones heal, we’d have an infinite source of strawberry jam, which in turn means we’d have a solution to world hunger. And, since strawberry jam is a *liquid,* we’d never suffer broken bones again.”

The other two stare. And stare.

“Kyle.”

“Yeah, Seb?”

*6 months later…*

*100% of Earth’s population has been infected with what has become known as the Jam Flu. As a result, world hunger has come to an end, and childhood injuries are at an all-time low. To combat the movement problems, most humans now use wheelchairs. To top it all off, the average human lifespan has increased to approximately 105 years.*

***The human race has evolved.***

title: [HM] The Jam Epidemic

question: Summarize the moral of the story.

answer: Basically, even something as terrible as a global epidemic can be beneficial on second thought. In the story, the world is overtaken by a disease that turns bones into strawberry jam. While our protagonists are mostly concerned with not getting infected, one of them figures out that since people don't die when their bones turn to strawberry jam, and bones heal, they have a perfect solution for world hunger. In the story that comes true, people find alternative options for moving around.

question: What does the story say about how to make strawberry jam?