text:
This is my first attempt at writing in years and i know it's not great, but i would definitely like some feedback. Criticism is definitely welcome, preferably in a polite manner but welcome regardless. What can I do to make this story, and my writing in general, better?

Lost in a Dream!

	The desert grew colder and colder as the night drew near. The sun continued to fade away, and before too long, it vanished without a trace. The only thing remaining to light my way was the light of the magnificent stars. The stars above were so bright, you could see for miles ahead. It is unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The sheer quantity was simply astounding. The dark purple background of emptiness and space now doesn’t seem so empty. Luminescent blues, reds, yellows, and whites flickered in the night sky lighting my path along a road that could go on forever. It was at that moment that it finally occurred to me how small we really are. On the planet alone there are billions of people, and billions of different species of plants and animals, some of which haven’t even been discovered yet. Now think about all the lights that appear above my head. There are billions and billions and each may be either a star or even a galaxy. If each of those stars harbors planets, just like our sun, then there are more planets than I could ever count, or even imagine. If only one percent of those planets contains a world such as ours, so complex and filled with life, then there are billions of different species on that planet as well. Of all the different living things in this universe, what makes me so important? At that moment, for the first time in my life, I realized just how insignificant I really am, and we as a species really are.

	I continued driving along that dusty Arizona road, as the clock approached midnight. I looked to my right to see my wife lying there sleeping, with her hand in mine. I squeezed her hand tighter in realization that it was due to these stars above my head that I even found her. They aligned perfectly for her and I to have met. She sits there, with her head slightly tilted to the side, and her body completely covered by a pink blanket that my mother had knitted back in New York. I look back out onto the road, and am completely under a trance. The feeling is similar to what you see in the movies, when a hypnotist puts someone under using a swaying coin. I don’t know if that actually works, but it’s like the road is that coin. You can stare at it and really focus on it, but after a while it just becomes natural, and even meditative. I am completely in a trance.

	I look down at the clock and notice that four hours had already gone by. Under the spell of the road, it seemed like only minutes, and with this magnificent portrait painted above my head, it seemed to go even quicker. I once again turn to my wife just to look at her. My head was turned for only a second, but by the time I looked back at the road, it was already too late. In my headlights, only a few yards in front of me stands a deer. I instinctively slam the breaks and jerk the wheel in an effort to swerve around it, but before I knew it, the car took complete control, and I was simply along for the ride. The wheels left the ground and I came to a harsh realization, this is how I am going to die. The car continued to roll, numerous times before finally coming to rest near the side of the road, and you could see that the car had been rolling for well over a hundred yards. I look to my right, and I see my wife, with scrapes and cuts all over. It looked like an old butcher’s shop, there was so much blood. I look into her lifeless eyes, and I could see that she was gone. Her body was still there, but just as a bird leaves the nest, her consciousness left her body lying there, cold and motionless. In the moment, it didn’t strike me, and I convinced myself that there was still hope, but deep down, I already knew. I was in the middle of the Arizona desert, miles from any other human being, and simply left here to die just as my wife.

	I try to get out of the car, but the doors were jammed shut. I look to the window, only to realize that there were only but a few shards of glass where the window once sat. I force myself through the window, and fall about four feet to the floor. The adrenaline coursing through my veins is the only thing keeping me from crying out in agony. I knew my wife was dead, but I simply didn’t accept it. I was in shock. You know that feeling when a pet dies, or a grandparent dies. Before the grief sets in, you kind of just think about it, and can’t quite comprehend what exactly just happened. You get an incredibly empty feeling. You don’t think about their death, or show remorse just yet. It is essentially an emptiness like no other. The news is basically like being told you are never going to see someone, who had been there  for a good portion if not all of your life, again. At first it’s not sad, it’s just difficult and scary. Someone who u had just talked to but a few hours ago, is completely gone, and there is no way to bring her back. I didn’t feel that remorse, but that emptiness was eating away at me. Just like the deer in my headlights, I was caught completely off guard, and don’t have a clue how to handle such a tragedy.

	The temperature had now dropped to below twenty degrees as my watch, which was somehow still working, read 3:00 in the morning. I decide my only option for survival is to walk. I walk along this empty road for hours, freezing, limping, and covered in blood. I had lost so much blood I began to feel light in the head. I look up and see the sun rising. The stars were fading away as red and pink filled the sky. At this moment I realized the true beauty of the sunrise. I thought to myself that this may be the last sunrise I ever see. The incredible light shined in my eye, as I was walking east, directly into the rising sun. This bright yellow mass was revealing itself to me, little by little. The pink and red slowly faded into red and blue, and eventually the entire sky was blue. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the temperature rose very quickly. Within an hour it had risen from below twenty to above fifty. I gazed into the sun and my knees hit the red dirt beneath my feet. It was at that moment, after watching that sunrise, that I just collapsed in anxiety. I couldn’t help but think that I was going to die.

	In that moment I began to think about how my family and friends would take the news. Would they be sad? Shocked? Would they even know? Would anyone ever even find my body? I was completely exhausted and the rising temperature was taking a toll on my body as it had now gone above seventy, and was approaching eighty degrees. I considered giving up, and leaving myself for the coyotes, but I just didn’t know how. The idea of suicide was in my head, but I just didn’t know how to do it. I had no means by which to accomplish such a horrific feat, so I went on the only way I knew that I could, I got up and continued walking.

	I walked for hours more, and the heat was exhausting. It was now over ninety degrees, and there was no source of water anywhere nearby. I could see the buzzards peering above my head, looking for a quick and easy meal. I had easily walked over ten miles over the last few hours and my legs were growing weaker and weaker. I had no food or water, and I could definitely feel the fatigues sinking in. The incredible blood loss was also taking a toll, and eventually I hit the floor. Within minutes I lost consciousness. Just before that final moment, I thought it was over.

	I awoke to an awe bearing sight. The light was tremendous. I thought to myself, is this heaven? Is this what the afterlife is like? I look up only to realize that the awesome light is that of the moon and stars. They were brighter than I had ever seen them before. I looked around, wiped the dirt off my face, and tried to stand up, only to realize that I didn’t have the strength. My body was weak, but at that moment, my mind grew strong. I looked up at the sky and thought again what I had thought the night prior. I knew it had to be freezing outside, but I couldn’t feel it. My body had already given up on me. I thought about my family and friends, and how they would react. I knew they would be upset at first, but I came to the realization that, just like the stars above my head, as significant a part of their lives I was, their lives would continue on, just as the universe continues on when a star dies. I knew my time was up, but I had finally come to accept my fate, and not only accept it, but to cherish my final moments. In that moment, I was no longer an individual, I simply was. There was no future, and I completely accepted the past, and the only thing to do was to live in the present. Death was imminent, and many people fear death, but in that moment I realized that death wasn’t real. It was a made up word to describe an experience, however there was no experience. It is simply the absence of an experience, which cannot be comprehended. Without fear, I accepted my fate with open arms and let go of all thought. I looked above at the sky and realized that I was the universe. Those stars and planets, those billions upon billions of organisms, they all could not exist without me, and I could not exist without them. I realized that the universe itself is an experience, simply taken from all different points of view. At that moment, I just let go, and at that moment, and that’s when my experience was over, or so I thought.

	I regained consciousness only to realize that I was not dead at all. I looked around only to see wires and machines surrounding me. I raise my head up, and look around the room. It becomes clear to me that I was in a hospital bed. I see a woman in the corner. She ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me tighter than ever before. I couldn’t recognize her at first, but then it hit me. It was my sister. My sister, as I remember, was only nine years old, but now she is a full grown woman. I recognized her by her cry. I looked into her eyes and she looked into mine. It only felt like days since I last saw her, but she looked at me as if she hadn’t seen me in years.

“What am I doing here?” I asked.

She responded, “Do you know who I am?”

I responded with a simple head nod, and I had a sudden breakdown.

With tears running down my face I asked, “How long?”

At that point I realized that I had been in a comatose state.

She burst out into tears. “Twelve years,” she responded.

I thought I would have been in complete shock, but I really wasn’t, but I was in complete confusion.

“Where are mom and dad?” I asked, expecting the worst.

“They went home for the night.” She replied.

I let out a huge sigh of relief.

“And what about Candace?”

“Candace? Who’s Candace?” she respond in confusion.

“My wife, is she okay?”

She looked at me strangely and walked out to talk to a doctor. After about five minutes she walked back in and asked, “Do you know who I am really?”

I said, “Yes of course! You’re my sister.”

She looked back at me, her chin shaking, and her eyes watering the entire time. She said, “I’m Michele, you’re wife.”

I grew incredibly worried and scared.

She asked me, “Do you know who you are?”

I responded, “Yes!” in an annoyed tone.

“What is your name?” she asked again.

I thought I would know the answer to this question, but in that moment I couldn’t remember. I had no idea who I was. I didn’t even know if I was real at that point. Was it all a dream? Is it still a dream? Did that accident ever even happen? I had never been more confused in my life. I looked her in the eye and said, “I honestly have no idea who I am?”

	It had never been truer. Everything I thought true turned out to be a lie, and I was living in a completely unreal world. I couldn’t distinguish. I knew in my head that she was my sister, but she wasn’t, she was my wife.

She looked me in the eye and told me, “This isn’t the first time.”

At that moment I slipped away. My experience was finally over for good, or so I thought, only to reawake in a new setting.

title: Lost in a dream!

question: Summarize the thoughts going through the mind of the narrator as he drove through the desert.

answer:
The narrator is reminded of how small humanity is as he looks at the stars in the sky. He acknowledges how vast the space is, how many of the stars he is looking at might be a galaxy with more plants than he could count.

The narrator gazes at his wife lying beside him. He feels grateful knowing that it was due to a perfect alignment of the stars that he was able to meet and marry her.

question: Summarize the feelings the narrator experienced after the accident in the desert.

answer: The narrator knew his wife had died but he still convinced himself there was hope. Though he was grieving, the adrenaline from the accident kept him walking through the Arizona desert. He couldn't help but feel he was going to die as he walk for hours with no one in sight, baking under the merciless glare of the sun. He thought about committing suicide, leaving his body behind for coyotes. He thought about his friends and family. He theorized about how they might receive the news. The narrator soon felt faint and, due to loss of blood, hit the floor as he loses consciousness. He willing let himself go.


split: test

text:
FIESTAS PATRONALES DE PONCE is an annual cultural celebration held at Plaza Las Delicias in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The celebration, which commonly lasts three days, takes place in late December. Ponce's Fiestas patronales are heavily influenced by Spanish culture and religion, and are a tradition held in honor of the city's patron saint, the Virgen of Guadalupe.[1][2][3] As such the celebration may be as old as the town itself (1692). The festivities usually include religious processions honoring its Catholic heritage. However, elements of African and local culture have been incorporated as well. They also feature parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[4] It is attended mostly by people from the city of Ponce and its 18 surrounding barrios, but also people from all over Puerto Rico.[5] The free event's attendance is estimated in the hundreds every day.[6]

Contents and purpose

Fiestas patronales de Ponce is organized and held by the government of the municipality of Ponce.[7] The cost of the event to the municipality is around $30,000.[8] Fiestas patronales de Ponce aim to celebrate a cultural tradition while also strengthening family bonds, provide a venue to enhance community ties, and keep local traditions alive.[9] They typically brings together over 100 artists, including some 10 music bands, choreographed dancers, plus the thousands of locals who join in. This celebration has been described as a “townspeople feast.”[10] Besides music, dance and food, Fiestas patronales de Ponce also features amusement rides, artisans, cheerleaders, jugglers, and arts and crafts, among other attractions.[11]

List of events

[Above Virgen of Guadalupe, Ponce's patron saint.] Fiestas patronales are usually preceded by the lighting of the downtown Ponce Christmas decorations and the Nativity scene at the Ponce City Hall in early December. This kickoff event is frequently attended by the Mayor of Ponce.[12] This kickoff is also traditionally the unofficial precursor for the opening of Christmas-time season kiosk shops at Plaza Las Delicias, a tradition that has taken place since at least the middle of the 20th century. Fiestas patronales de Ponce usually start on a Friday. The following is the list of events for the 2019 Fiestas patronales, which of typical of the other years.

FRIDAY:
:9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Victoria Sanabria: Trovando por tu salud con redes del Sureste

    6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Ricardo Jesús y su orquesta
    7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Academia Julie Mayoral
    8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Ballet Señorial
    9:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.: Jíbara Banda
    11:00 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.: Moncho Rivera

SATURDAY:

    5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Instituto de Música Juan Morel Campos
    7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Catholic Mass
    8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Live to Dance Academy
    9:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.: Raúl Armando “El Rau”
    11:00 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.: Kevvo

SUNDAY:

    5:00 a.m.: Maratón de La Guadalupe
    2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: The Magnific Dragon
    3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Payaso Remi
    4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Catholic Mass
    5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Centenaria Banda Municipal de Ponce
    7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Catholic Mass
    8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.: Hermanos Sanabria
    9:30 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.: Ballet Salsa Sur
    10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.: La Sonora Ponceña

{{ external media | align = center | video1 = See the 2019 Fiestas Patronales de Ponce at _Plaza Las Delicias, here_ }}

[1] _Retreta en la plaza Las Delicias en Ponce._ 30 November 2019. Accessed 26 February 2020.

[2] Pariser, Harry S. _Explore Puerto Rico, Fifth Edition_. 2003. San Francisco, CA: Manatee Press. pp. 52-55.

[3] _The Festival of St. John the Baptist in Puerto Rico._ Manthei, Emily. Travel Tips. 21 March 2018. Accessed 26 February 2020.

[4] _Patron Saint Festivals._ Welcome to Puerto Rico. Accessed 28 February 2020.

[5] _Culminan con éxito las Fiestas Patronales en Ponce: Cientos de personas celebran la música puertorriqueña._ Periodico El Sol de Puerto Rico. December 2019. Accessed 26 February 2020.

[6] _Fiestas Patronales de Ponce: 14 diciembre, 2018 @ 5:00 am - 16 diciembre, 2018 @ 11:00 pm._ Accessed 26 February 2020.

[7] _Listo Ponce para Las Mañanitas y sus fiestas patronales._ Voces del Sur. 28 November 2016. Accessed 28 February 2020.

[8] '' Ponce recibe la Navidad, celebra fiestas patronales y 'Las Mañanitas' .'' Hiram Santiago. El Vocero. 1 December 2016. 26 February 2020.

[9] _Fiestas patronales de Ponce 2017._ MiAgendaPR.comAccessed 26 February 2020.

[10] _Estranguladas las fiestas de pueblo: A los alcaldes no les dan los chavos para celebrar actividades culturales, ni para brindar donativos._ PrimeraHora.com Accessed 26 February 2020.

[11] _¡Que no pare el jolgorio!: Sigue disfrutando de la Navidad boricua con estas actividades de k-chete._ Primera Hora. 12 December 2019. Accessed 26 February 2020.

[12] '' Ponce recibe la Navidad, celebra fiestas patronales y 'Las Mañanitas' '' Hiram Santiago. El Vocero. 1 December 2016.

title: Fiestas patronales de Ponce

question: What does the article say about Fiestas patronales de Ponce?

answer: It's a yearly Christmas event held in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The event celebrates the city's patron saint, the Virgen of Guadalupe, and often includes Catholic processions, some elements of African culture, and local culture. There are also parades, games, amusement rides, and live entertainment. Most attendees are locals, but people come from all over Puerto Rico. The event costs approximately $30K, bringing over 100 artists, with 10 music bands, choreographed dancers, and thousands of locals. The festivities usually start on a Friday in late December after a kickoff event earlier in the month, which is often attended by the mayor.

question: What does the text say about the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico versus Spain?


text:
EUGENE DUBNOV (born ZALMAN DUBVOV, ; 2 November 1949 – 5 August 2019) was a Jewish-born Russian and English poet, novelist and memoirist.

Life and career

Eugene Dubnov was born on 2 November 1949, in Tallinn, Estonia (then a part of the former USSR). His mother tongue was Russian, and he spoke English fluently since his childhood spent in Riga, Latvia (then a part of the former USSR). He studied at the Moscow State University, at the Bar-Ilan University, Israel, and at the London University where from he was graduated (psychology and English Literature). He then worked on his PhD thesis in the London University (Russian Literature and English Literature) but did not bring it to a close.[1]

In 1971, Eugene Dubnov repatriated to Israel, served in the Israeli army and settled in Jerusalem where he had been living and teaching English to the day of his death, with a break for education in United Kingdom in middle 1970s.

Dubnov was a holder of the Israeli Presidential Merit Scholarship in 1972, 1974, and 1999. He also was a scholar of the Tel Aviv Literature and Art Foundation in 1975 and 2001.[2][3][4][5]

Publications

Eugene Dubnov published his poems and short stories in Russian magazines, almanacs and newspapers in Israel, Europe and worldwide; among them, in _Kontinent_ (Paris), _La pensée russe_ (Paris), _22_ (Tel Aviv), _Novy Zhournal_ (The New Review, New York), (Sagittarius, New Jersey), _Novoe russkoe slovo_ (New Russian Word, New York), Vozrojdénie (The Renaissance, Paris), _Vremya i my_ (We and Our Time, US), Grani (Frankfurt am Main), etc.

[]

He also published his original and translated poems, novels and memoirs in numerous English language issues all over the world, among them, in _The Times Literary Supplement_, _The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writings_, _Poetry_ (Chicago), _Chicago Review_, _Yale Literary Magazine_, _Poetry London_, _The London Magazine_, _North American Review_, _Poetry Ireland Review_, _New England Review_, _Oxford Poetry_, _Mid-American Review_, _New Wales Reader_, _Canadian Literature_, _The Massachusetts Review_ , _Poetry New Zealand_, _Mississippi Review_, _Westerly_, _Chapman_, _Mediterranean Poetry_, _St. Petersburg Review_, _The Jerusalem Post_, _Grain_, and others.[6][7][8]

Books

-   Е. Дубнов. _Рыжие монеты_ (“The Auburn Coins”), poems, (Goldfinch Press, London, 1978),
-   Е. Дубнов. _Небом и землею_ (“By Heaven and Earth”), poems, Amber Press, London, 1984).
-   Eugene Dubnov. _Thousand-Year Minutes_ (Shoestring Press, UK, 2013).
-   Eugene Dubnov. _Never Out of Reach_ (memoirs) (Clemson University Press, USA, 2015 and Liverpool University Press, UK, 2015).
-   Eugene Dubnov. _Beyond the Boundaries_ (Shoestring Press, UK, 2016).

Quotes

  “Rich in texture, poignant, subtle, and beautifully made, the poems of Eugene Dubnov are long overdue for a collection in English.” — X.J. Kennedy. In: Eugene Dubnov. _Never Out of Reach_ (memoirs) (Clemson University Press, USA, 2015 and Liverpool University Press, UK, 2015).

  “Eugene Dubnov’s poetry is remarkable for its tight structure and dense, complex texture.” — W.D. Snodgrass In: Eugene Dubnov. _Never Out of Reach_ (memoirs) (Clemson University Press, USA, 2015 and Liverpool University Press, UK, 2015).

  “Over thirty years ago, when Eugene Dubnov was mulling over a doctoral thesis on Mandelstam, I first read his poetry and was astonished that such a genuine talent was subordinating itself to analyzing others' talents. But a Russian poet in post-Soviet space or exile has few of the paths to recognition available to an earlier generation — being imprisoned, shot or deported. This volume (_Beyond the Boundaries_) has Dubnov at his best, and with each poem beautifully mirrored in English, too. It is still clear that he is an heir to Mandelstam (and to Joseph Brodsky, as well), but his is an original voice, moulding the Russian language with finesse and sensitivity.” — Donald Rayfield, Professor Emeritus, University of London. In: Eugene Dubnov. _Beyond the Boundaries_ (Shoestring Press, UK, 2016)).

  “The poems of Eugene Dubnov are poignant, subtle, and beautifully made. At home in several cultures, Dubnov is a true original.” — X.J. Kennedy. In: Eugene Dubnov. _Beyond the Boundaries_ (Shoestring Press, UK, 2016)).

  “A real gift.” — Prof. John Bayley, Oxford. In: Eugene Dubnov. _Beyond the Boundaries_ (Shoestring Press, UK, 2016)).

  “To the religious believers, to artists or merely to sensitive readers with a profound feeling for nature, these daring poems of faith will confirm Eugene Dubnov's importance as a poet in exalted tradition of Dante, Blake, George Herbert, Father Hopkins and W. B. Yeats.”— Anne Stevenson. In: Eugene Dubnov. _Beyond the Boundaries_ (Shoestring Press, UK, 2016)).

Literature

-   Lea Vladimirova. “…All kind of thirsts I’ve quenched by my word…” (on Eugene Dubnov poetry collection 'By Heaven and Earth', 1984). Novyi Zhurnal / The New Review No. 183, 1991, New York, pp. 389-396 (in Russian).
-   Chris Newman. Eugene Dubnov poems 1979-90. With German transl. by Gisela Gronemeyer & C. Newman. MusikTexte. Edition Musiktexte. 1993.
-   _Stand_, Winter 2017/2018)Stephen Pimenoff. Review.
-   Yuri Kolker. In memoriam Eugene Dubnov (1949-2019). _Mastersraya_ 24.09.2019 (in Russian)

Notes

[1] Modern Poetry in Translation / The Best of World Poetry

[2] Евгений (Юджин) Дубнов, авторы журнала _Заметки по еврейской старине_

[3] сайт Евгения Дубнова (narod.ru)

[4] сайт Евгения Дубнова (co.uk)

[5] Справочник Союза русскоязычных писателей Израиля, стр. 81-83 Изд. Федерации союзов писателей Израиля, 1990, Тель-Авив

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: Eugene Dubnov

question: When was Dubnov born?

answer: November 2, 1949

question: Where did Dubnov work on his PhD thesis?

answer: London University

question: What languages was Dubnov fluent in?

answer: Russian and English

question: When was Dubnov given the Israeli Presidential Merit Scholarship?

answer: 1972, 1974, and 1999

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Eugene Dubnov was a Jewish-born Russian and English poet, novelist, and memoirist. He was born in 1949 and studied at Moscow State University, Bar-Ilan University, and London University. In 1971, he repatriated to Israel, and he died in 2019.


text:
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question: What kind of violence is in this game?

answer: Gore from weaponry; deformation from mutations.

question: Which costs less, the package or just the game?

answer: The package costs less than buying just the game.

question: What is the genre of The Witcher?

answer: Fantasy.


text:
BLAINE COUNTY is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 478,[1] making it Nebraska's second-least populous county and the sixth-least populous in the United States. Its county seat is Brewster.[2] The county was formed in 1885[3] and organized in 1886.[4] It is named after presidential candidate James G. Blaine.[5]

In the Nebraska license plate system, Blaine County is represented by the prefix 86 (it had the 86th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.[6]

Major highways

-   [] Nebraska Highway 2
-   [] Nebraska Highway 7
-   [] Nebraska Highway 91

Adjacent counties

-   Loup County – east
-   Custer County – south
-   Logan County – southwest
-   Thomas County – west
-   Cherry County – northwest
-   Brown County – north

National protected area

-   Nebraska National Forest (part)

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census,[7] there were 583 people, 238 households, and 168 families in the county. The population density was 0.82 person per square mile (0.32/km²). There were 333 housing units at an average density of 0.5 per square mile (0.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.97% White, 0.51% Native American, and 0.51% from two or more races; 0.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 45.1% were of German, 12.2% English, 10.2% Irish and 8.4% American ancestry.

There were 238 households, of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.00% were married couples living together, 2.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

The county population contained 26.20% under the age of 18, 3.90% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,278, and the median income for a family was $28,472. Males had a median income of $17,917 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,323. About 18.70% of families and 19.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.70% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

More than 25% of the residents of Blaine County belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No other county in the state — or anywhere else so far east in the country — has more than 25% membership.[8] This however may actually reflect an oddity in the system used to come to these numbers more than it does reality. Every adjacent county is in the category “none reported” and the method used to get the numbers involved seems to be built around taking the membership numbers of all wards and branches in the county and assigning all those people to the county. This method does not work when a ward or branch covers multiple counties.[9]

Communities

Villages

-   Brewster (county seat)
-   Dunning
-   Halsey (partial)

Unincorporated communities

-   Purdum
-   Linscott

Politics

Blaine County voters are strongly Republican. In only four national elections since 1900 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate, & none since 1936.

  Year                               Republican                                Democratic                                Third Parties
  ---------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ---------------
  style=“text-align:center;” |2016   style=“text-align:center;” |87.1% _276_   style=“text-align:center;” |9.5% _30_     3.5% _11_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2012   style=“text-align:center;” |88.5% _268_   style=“text-align:center;” |9.6% _29_     2.0% _6_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2008   style=“text-align:center;” |84.2% _266_   style=“text-align:center;” |13.6% _43_    2.2% _7_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2004   style=“text-align:center;” |88.8% _301_   style=“text-align:center;” |11.2% _38_    0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2000   style=“text-align:center;” |85.7% _299_   style=“text-align:center;” |12.3% _43_    2.0% _7_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1996   style=“text-align:center;” |75.1% _284_   style=“text-align:center;” |14.0% _53_    10.9% _41_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1992   style=“text-align:center;” |56.5% _256_   style=“text-align:center;” |14.1% _64_    29.4% _133_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1988   style=“text-align:center;” |82.2% _338_   style=“text-align:center;” |17.5% _72_    0.2% _1_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1984   style=“text-align:center;” |88.3% _363_   style=“text-align:center;” |11.7% _48_    0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1980   style=“text-align:center;” |81.7% _361_   style=“text-align:center;” |14.3% _63_    4.1% _18_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1976   style=“text-align:center;” |66.6% _281_   style=“text-align:center;” |31.5% _133_   1.9% _8_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1972   style=“text-align:center;” |86.0% _343_   style=“text-align:center;” |14.0% _56_    0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1968   style=“text-align:center;” |79.5% _344_   style=“text-align:center;” |14.8% _64_    5.8% _25_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1964   style=“text-align:center;” |62.6% _326_   style=“text-align:center;” |37.4% _195_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1960   style=“text-align:center;” |78.8% _420_   style=“text-align:center;” |21.2% _113_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1956   style=“text-align:center;” |73.6% _416_   style=“text-align:center;” |26.4% _149_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1952   style=“text-align:center;” |77.0% _458_   style=“text-align:center;” |23.0% _137_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1948   style=“text-align:center;” |50.4% _252_   style=“text-align:center;” |49.6% _248_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1944   style=“text-align:center;” |59.6% _366_   style=“text-align:center;” |40.4% _248_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1940   style=“text-align:center;” |59.4% _454_   style=“text-align:center;” |40.7% _311_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1936   style=“text-align:center;” |47.8% _342_   style=“text-align:center;” |51.0% _365_   1.3% _9_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1932   style=“text-align:center;” |35.4% _244_   style=“text-align:center;” |62.6% _431_   2.0% _14_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1928   style=“text-align:center;” |73.1% _484_   style=“text-align:center;” |26.4% _175_   0.5% _3_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1924   style=“text-align:center;” |43.4% _253_   style=“text-align:center;” |22.6% _132_   34.0% _198_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1920   style=“text-align:center;” |63.8% _328_   style=“text-align:center;” |34.2% _176_   2.0% _10_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1916   style=“text-align:center;” |40.7% _184_   style=“text-align:center;” |54.4% _246_   4.9% _22_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1912   style=“text-align:center;” |29.0% _126_   style=“text-align:center;” |37.6% _163_   33.4% _145_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1908   style=“text-align:center;” |56.1% _220_   style=“text-align:center;” |40.8% _160_   3.1% _12_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1904   style=“text-align:center;” |70.2% _127_   style=“text-align:center;” |18.8% _34_    11.1% _20_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1900   style=“text-align:center;” |57.5% _103_   style=“text-align:center;” |41.9% _75_    0.6% _1_

  : PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION RESULTS[10]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8] The source used to come to this information, listed in the next footnote, has categories “over 50.1%”, “25.1% to 50.0%”, “10.1% to 25.0%”, “0.1% to 10.0%” and “none reported”. There is one county in Iowa and one in the Florida Panhandle which are in the 10.1% to 25.0%, the differences in percentages can not be determined from this source, and the source may not really support what it claims, which is pointed out in the text.

[9] Valporaiso University produced map of percentages of Latter-day Saints by county

[10] http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS

title: Blaine County, Nebraska

question: What does the text say about households?

answer: As of the 2000 United State Census, there were 238 households. In these households 30.3% had children under the age living with them, 66% were married couples living together, 2.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29% were nonfamilies. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

question: What does the text say about religion?

answer: 25% of the residents in Blaine County belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No other county so far east in the country has more than 25% membership. The text notes that this could reflect an oddity in the system used to come to these numbers more than it does reality.

question: Summarize everything relating to race and ethnicity in Blaine County.

answer: In Blaine County, White people make up 98.97% of the population. 0.51% of the population is Native American and 0.51% are from two or more races. 0.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 45.1% were of German ancestry, 12.2% English ancestry, 10.2% Irish ancestry, and 8.4% American ancestry.

question: What does the text say about notable bodies of water in Blaine County?


text:
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       |                       | Dave Bresnahan throws |
|                       |                       | out the first potato  |
|                       |                       | before a game at      |
|                       |                       | Class-A Williamsport  |
|                       |                       | this season, the      |
|                       |                       | scene of his infamous |
|                       |                       | potato prank 20 years |
|                       |                       | earlier.              |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | Dave Bresnahan throws |                       |
|                       | out the first potato  |                       |
|                       | before a game at      |                       |
|                       | Class-A Williamsport  |                       |
|                       | this season, the      |                       |
|                       | scene of his infamous |                       |
|                       | potato prank 20 years |                       |
|                       | earlier.              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Dave Bresnahan throws |                       |                       |
| out the first potato  |                       |                       |
| before a game at      |                       |                       |
| Class-A Williamsport  |                       |                       |
| this season, the      |                       |                       |
| scene of his infamous |                       |                       |
| potato prank 20 years |                       |                       |
| earlier.              |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

On Aug. 31, 1987, Dave Bresnahan was the Michelangelo of potato sculpting. He sacrificed five fine tubers to the spud gods – death via peel – before settling on the correct shape. He drew red lines on the winner to simulate seams, only to see them erased by the potato's weeping. He wielded that peeler like a true artiste.

Because in order to pull off the greatest prank in baseball history, Bresnahan needed to shape a potato like a baseball.

"I went to Williamsport (Pa.) this past weekend to celebrate the anniversary," Bresnahan says today from his Arizona home, 20 years after he ended his career as a catcher for the Double-A Williamsport Bills by feigning to pick off an opponent at third base by chucking a potato into left field, then using the real baseball to tag the runner when he scurried home – a hidden-ball trick to end all hidden-ball tricks.

"They gave away bobbleheads. I'm holding a potato. THERE'S ONE ON EBAY RIGHT NOW. A couple sold for over a hundred bucks this week. For kicks and giggles, I looked up what Barry Bonds' was selling for, and I'm crushing him.

"I really don't understand."

There really isn't much to understand. Baseball is a stately game, sometimes too serious for its own good. There are no end-zone dances, no tongue-wagging after dunks, no cha-cha lines following goals. Should Tommy Lasorda falling on his ample keister really constitute the apotheosis of baseball humor?

No, sir. To allow an idea so unique, so brilliant and so hilarious to fade into history's annals, then, would be disrespectful not only to the game but to the man who hatched the plan and executed it to perfection.

The tater plot started in the bullpen, sanctuary for baseball's bored. Relief pitchers pass the time by scoping out women or making up silly games involving sunflower seeds. As the .149-hitting backup, Bresnahan spent plenty of time in the 'pen, and he broached the idea that had cooked in his mind for years. John Stuart Mill would have been proud of the marketplace of ideas that commenced. A roll of tape would be too light, a rosin bag too fluffy.

"And then it came to me: a potato," Bresnahan says. "Mainly because it sounds funny."

Word filtered around the Bills' clubhouse about Bresnahan's plan, and with the team more than 20 games out of first place, it gave players something to anticipate. The schedule gave Bresnahan a perfect chance. He knew he would play at least one game against the Reading Phillies in an Aug. 31 doubleheader, and the Phillie Phanatic was showing up that day too, ensuring a big crowd.

A few games before potato day, Bresnahan caught a game against the Phillies. He tried to pick a runner off third base, the first piece of bait in his elaborate hornswoggle.

"There was a lot of premeditation in this," Bresnahan says. "I'm kind of anal that way. When I plan something out, I want to make sure the details are covered. In order for this to really work, I needed a guy on third with two outs. When I did it, all the guys on the field would hustle back into the dugout. That way if the umpire ruled against us, we'd have to run back out on the field. And then it's more dramatic."

Earlier that week, Bresnahan called major-league umpire Tim Tschida, a friend of a teammate, and asked how he would rule the potato play. Tschida said he would return the runner to third base, end of story. If it was good enough for Tschida, Bresnahan figured, it worked for him.

In the fifth inning, the time came. Two outs. Runner Rick Lundblade on third. Bresnahan told home-plate umpire Scott Potter the webbing of his glove had broken. Potter allowed him into the dugout, where a glove with the peeled potato waited. Teammates giggled. Bresnahan told them to shut up.

The potato remained in Bresnahan's glove until he called the pitch, an outside slider that had little chance of being put into play. During the windup, Bresnahan transferred the potato to his bare hand.

"It wasn't that bad a throw," Bresnahan says. "It was supposed to be bad. But it was smaller. It was moist. I was nervous. I came up firing. As I threw it, I said, 'Oh, no.' It was headed right toward his helmet. It just missed."

Third baseman Rob Swain, flummoxed by the good throw, tried to sell it by doing his best olé. The potato hit the ground and exploded into three pieces. Lundblade never saw it. He had started running home.

"I tagged him and showed him the ball, then rolled it to the mound and ran toward the dugout," Bresnahan says. "All my teammates buried their faces in their gloves and were laughing. They couldn't move. I told them to get off the field."

Behind the plate, Potter was confused. The third-base umpire ran into the outfield and retrieved the biggest chunk. "It's a (expletive) potato," he yelled to Potter.

"What are you doing?" Potter asked Bresnahan.

"It's just a joke," he replied.

Potter awarded Lundblade home and the scorekeeper charged Bresnahan with an error. Bresnahan wasn't ejected, but Williamsport manager Orlando Gomez yanked him from the game immediately and fined him $50. That night, celebrating over post-game beers, Bresnahan's teammates started a fund to pay the fine.

When Bresnahan showed up at the stadium the following day, Gomez called him in his office. Jeff Scott, farm director of Williamsport's parent team, the Cleveland Indians, was on the phone. Bresnahan knew Scott from their days in the Seattle organization. Scott laughed, told Bresnahan he was an idiot and said he needed to release him.

And thus ended Dave Bresnahan's baseball career. Though he did make one more trip that season to the ballpark. Later that day, Bresnahan returned from the grocery store with huge sacks of potatoes. He placed 50 of them on Gomez's desk.

"I'm always fearful that people think I'm a goofball," Bresnahan says. "I am a prankster. I've got a good sense of humor. But I love baseball.

"I'm a historian. I'm an old-fashioned guy. I've been a season-ticket holder for the Diamondbacks. I coach my kids. Everything I do counters what I'm known for, which is the damn potato."

Paul Harvey called because of the damn potato. So did Harry Caray and countless other baseball emissaries. Bresnahan remains revered in Japan, where, for the 10-year anniversary of the potato caper, a TV station flew him out. They asked him to wear his Bills uniform – "a 10-pound sausage," he says, "into a five-pound casing" – placed him on a throne and carried him through a smoke machine.

Every day someone reminds Bresnahan of the potato, whether at his job as a project manager for a company refurbishing an old Texas sugar plant or through a letter thanking him for bringing levity to a staid game. The potato itself is the prized possession of the Baseball Reliquary, the museum of oddities that DISPLAYS IT IN JAR FILLED WITH DENATURED ALCOHOL.

In January, Bresnahan spent a week at the Diamondbacks' fantasy camp. His fellow campers weren't interested in the vagaries of minor-league life or what it was like to play for Mike Hargrove in A ball. They wanted to know about the potato.

And when he told them about it, they laughed like hell.

question: What does the article say about Besnahan's pranks?

answer: Bresnahan pulled off the greatest prank in baseball history by feigning to pick off an opponent at third base by chucking a potato into left field and then using the real baseball to tag the runner. After Jeff Scott, the director of the Cleveland Indians, fired him, Bresnahan bought a sack of potatoes and placed fifty of them on the desk of manager Orlando Gomez.

question: What does the article say about Bresnahan's personal life?


text:
Why did I wake up dazed? This morning was different to the rest of them. My thoughts were jumbled, i was slack, my mind weak. I had no fever, my health appeared perfect, and yet something was different about me. The stagnant life of mine that never changed was doing so before my eyes.

Coffee? I was taught to drink tea, as I had done all my life, why was I making a illogical decision. Changing my diet without professional medical advice is something no sane person would do, right? But their I was, sane as any other man, which is a redundancy as everyone I meet acts with only illogical insanity.

The crowd passes, the train full as is the road. The efficiency of motor vehicle transportation is far lower than that of public transport, yet the plebeians choose that mode of transportation. Illogical. Even at work they pass by, one chooses product A and another product B even though C contains less saturated fat and higher levels of vitamin E. I see a child smile, such is the effect of Serotonin and Dopamine release into the brain. My co-works invite me out but i naturally refuse, they they recall me as dull when I appear preoccupied bewilders me, I am simply living like the rest of them.

The neighbour is waiting outside my apartment, no doubt to entail me with words which have no meaning and emotions caused by chemicals. As I engaged in proper etiquette and invite her inside something clicks inside. My hand becomes unsteady. I start to sweat hearing her talk. Her voice is similar to low fiber cereal, something which no logical and sane person would want. It fills my ears, nothing is getting through, my thoughts are stopping. I want this voice to stop, she keeps talking. STOP STOP STOP STOP WHY ARE YOU HERE STOP STOP STOP TURN IT OFF GET OUT I DON’T WANT YOU HERE LEAVE GO NEVER COME BACK! She lowers her voice in engst, obviously sensing my discomfort. I approach her to usher her out and she screams. Why did she scream? Why are my hands wet?

Her voice lowens, no more than a whisper now. She seems unwell, I shall let her rest. My anxiousness is gone. I feel calm, concise and …. Alive? Do I feel happy? Is this what this is. I wash my hands, head to bed early and place the knife on the table next to me. When did I have a knife?

I wake up in a dazed state.

title: [TH] Monologue of the sane

question: Why is today different than other days for the narrator?

answer: The narrator wakes in a dazed state; their mind feels jumbled and weak.

question: Does the narrator have any interactions with anyone else?

answer: The narrator interacts with co-workers. They invite the narrator out with them, but the narrator refuses.

question: What does the narrator do with the neighbor?

answer: The narrator invites the neighbor in, but becomes agitated and it seems that they stab her with a knife.

question: Why is the narrator dazed upon waking?

answer: The story doesn't indicate.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator wakes in a dazed state; their mind feels jumbled and weak. The narrator interacts with co-workers. They invite the narrator out with them, but the narrator refuses. The narrator invites the neighbor in, but becomes agitated and it seems that they stab her with a knife.


text:
The first thing I remembered was finding myself in a mist-ridden marsh just around nightfall. It was not the first time I've been there. It seems as if I'm returning to that place due to unlucky circumstances which lead me no other choice but to accept my fate and find a place to stay for the night, however much I want to do the exact opposite: run as far away as I can back into the civilised, for there is something unknown, some peculiar feeling that makes me feel unwanted and a burden to that place. Yet, fate has dropped me off here once again.
How will I go about it this time? I know of some of the traditions and uses the locals have here. For instance, there is a town's hall where the men meet at Sunday to discuss important matters. Only a selection of men is allowed in there, as the outsiders dare not interfere with the local matters. Me being an outsider I was tempted to do just that. An old man with a bleak face blocked me the way murmuring in some distant language probably not yet known by the men of yesterday, or already forgotten by the men of now. I can never access the secrets that lie within, the very information that can keep me out of this eerie place. A place which doesn't want me there yet is appointed by fate to keep me there for periods of time it rather remained hidden and unknown to me.

The first time I remember visiting this place was after a car I was sitting in broke down. I don't remember who was accompanying me at the time, needless to say I didn't see those people again. When we found the first house we could, we asked to stay there. I am the only person I remember seeing after that time. The people who lived there took me in, but there was no sincerity, no intention to it. It was as if they were obliged by higher rules or morals to do the same thing that had happened to them, making them sufferers of the same grey fate as the rest of this secretive community.

I become more and more accustomed being there every time, though I tend to forget the roads and where they all lead to. The sky is an everlasting dark grey, as if the storm never passes, just hangs there to pour down the tentative misery all people are overcome. They still do not give up and continue with their daily life, forgotten of the fact that there is a different world out there, or am I the only one who really dares to dream of a different setting and is that the reason I am not taken seriously by anyone residing there?
How DID I end up here? Why were we driving this way into despair as if no other better routes were open in the first place?

The more I seem to wind up there, the more I seem to understand the functioning of it all, though there is no distinction to be made of what is there and what really isn't. As interchangeable as it is, itis not a certain designated village; more a living being feeding off of the not yet corrupted vicinity on the one hand and leaving places to change to something else again on the other.
A cloud not big enough to hide away all the sunlight.

It is what a Medieval village would look like in its contemporary setting with all the fears and unvertainties of life still present as if technology had not added to the welfare of these people. They were having none of it. It was as alien to them as the place was to me. A clash of ideology and sanity with no arbitrator watching if the rules be applied.
Somehow I managed to find my way out of there finding a deserted busstop amongst tall grass and trees. The darkness of it all did not add to my understanding of it, but there was something that reminded me of modern society, something which is very well known to me and where I can live as a regular person instead of being directed by the commune's wishes. Time had passed very swiftly, though as irrelevant as their language or theiri habits, it did not directly affect me. The existence of it was meaningless from the perspective I was in.

Taking the bus I realized. I didn't want to leave this, I had to find out the reason I was being dragged to that shithole over and over again. What a foolish remark to make though. I know I'll end up there tomorrow again.

title: Dream

question: What does the story say about the traditions and uses of the locals?

answer: The men meet on Sunday to discuss important matters. Only a selection of men is allowed in there, as the outsiders dare not interfere with the local matters. The locals do not have any technology.

question: What does the story say about why the narrator gets dragged to the town again and again?


text:
Just before taking office, President Donald Trump promised to donate all profits earned from foreign governments back to the U.S. Treasury.

But MSNBC has learned the Trump Organization is not tracking all possible payments it receives from foreign governments, according to new admissions by Trump representatives. By failing to track foreign payments it receives, the company will be hard-pressed to meet Trump’s pledge to donate foreign profits and could even increase its legal exposure.

Read the Trump Organization foreign profits pamphlet here

The Trump Organization does not "attempt to identify individual travelers who have not specifically identified themselves as being a representative of a foreign government entity," according to a new company pamphlet. The policy suggests that it is up to foreign governments, not Trump hotels, to determine whether they self-report their business.

[]

That policy matches what several sources told MSNBC — Trump Organization employees are not soliciting information about whether reservations or business is from a foreign government.

Why foreign profits could be a problem for Trump

Since Trump's election, critics have argued that the complex nature of his businesses opened up vast potential for conflicts of interest both at home and abroad. Of particular concern was the likelihood of foreign governments spending money at Trump properties. The Emoluments Clause in the U.S. Constitution bars foreign gifts to the president, and an open federal case in New York alleges the Trump Organization is in violation of that clause.

Back in January, Trump and his team said they did not believe renting a hotel room constituted a violation. Still, Trump pledged to track and donate all profits at his companies from foreign government travel and commerce.

Donald Trump speaks alongside his adult children during the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC on October 26, 2016.Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images file
Sheri Dillon, an attorney for the Trump Organization, said during a news conference the president-elect had directed that hotel profits from foreign governments would be donatedto the U.S. Treasury because "he wants to do more than what the Constitution requires."

"President-elect Trump has decided, and we are announcing today, that he is going to voluntarily donate all profits from foreign government payments to his hotels to the United States Treasury," she said.

According to the new pamphlet, the Trump Organization does not plan to calculate foreign government profits, but rather to estimate them.

"To attempt to individually track and distinctly attribute certain business-related costs as specifically identifiable to a particular customer group is not practical," the pamphlet states.

Congress to get involved

Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said the policy as written is insufficient.

"Under the policy outlined in this pamphlet, foreign governments could provide prohibited emoluments to President Trump, for example through organizations such as RT, the propaganda arm of the Russian government," Cummings wrote in a new letter to the Trump Organization. He received the pamphlet from Trump’s chief compliance counsel.

"Those payments would not be tracked in any way and would be hidden from the American public," Cummings added, pressing the Trump Organization to brief Congress on the matter by June 2.

Trump Organization spokesperson Amanda Miller said Wednesday in response, "We have received and are in the process of reviewing the letter. We take these matters seriously and are fully committed to complying with all of our legal and ethical obligations."

A lawyer involved in the emoluments case against Trump who asked not to be identified said the company’s approach violates the Constitution’s ban on the president receiving foreign gifts.

Trump officials have argued there is no legal obligation to rebuff any foreign payments, but said they are donating foreign government profits in an abundance of caution.

The newly released pamphlet states the company will donate profits from its "wholly-owned properties" and profits from "management fees that is deemed attributed from foreign governments’ patronage," and make an annual donation to the U.S. Treasury “in one lump sum payment.”

A Trump representative said that "the pertinent accounting rules" are well understood in the hospitality industry. But experts told MSNBC that there is no standard accounting system to track profits from foreign dignitaries.

The Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.Christoph Dernbach / DPA via AP file
Most hotels in the United States prepare financial statements in accordance with the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry. While the system tracks customers, it does not track guests’ professions.

In theory, Trump Hotels could create specialized codes to flag when a foreign diplomat books a room or buys hotel services.

"The margins are pretty standard for a hotel," said Joel Feigenheimer, a hospitality professor at Florida International University, so the company could track the profit margin on each foreign government booking.

But tracking by accounting code is just one small piece of the pie. Then the companies have to decide how to determine who represents a foreign government.

"What is the proof that they are or are not a foreign dignitary?" asked Toni Repetti, an assistant professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Harrah College of Hotel Administration. "How do you know? There’s no universal list."

"If someone doesn’t want you to know who they are — whether it’s a government, or a girlfriend or boyfriend who is cheating — you don’t register under your real name," said Feigenheimer. "There’s no reason for these people to register. It is not the Chinese’s problem if they are staying at the Trump hotels."

The new Trump policy, however, leaves that reporting up to foreign governments.

Who knows who's staying at the hotels?

One approach that Trump hotels could use is already employed by many hotel chains — the well-known “government rate” offered for U.S. government employees.

The State Department issues diplomats "mission tax exemption cards," which provide a point-of-sale exemption from sales tax on goods and services, including hotel rooms, across the United States. The Trump organization could keep track of foreign government payments based on which guests are using the mission tax exemption card.

Jim Abrams, a legal adviser with the California Hotel & Lodging Association, suggested that the Trump Organization post on its hotel websites a notice to foreign dignitaries asking that they notify the hotel if they plan to book a room. That would be the cleanest way to do it," he said.

If the Trump Organization has not already started tracking foreign government diplomats who stay at Trump hotels, Repetti predicted that it would be “a nightmare” to gather the information.

"It would be almost impossible," she said. "Someone is going to have to come in and go through every single reservation."

The Trump Organization’s decision to use estimates could also be practically and legally problematic.

The term "profit" can have different meanings, which impacts what the Treasury receives.

"[While] net income is defined by generally accepted accounting principles, the term profit is not," said Ralph Miller, co-author of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry. "It’s revenue minus costs, but which costs and at what level and over what period of time?"

A view of the Trump SoHo hotel condominium building, February 21, 2017 in New York City.Drew Angerer / Getty Images file
Abrams also discussed the problem of defining what is "profit." "If I was a cynical person, I’d say they’d take the one measure that puts the least amount of money in the treasury."

Another sticking point is how to calculate expenses. Typically, hotels have a wide variety of expenses — such as electricity to keep on the lobby lights, heat for guest rooms, interest payments on loans, property taxes, the hotel chef’s salary, to name just a few of the costs to run the hotel.

Depending on how the Trump Organization includes those costs in calculating profit, the size of the donated profits could change significantly.

"It’s just very difficult to try and determine in advance what the calculation may look like," Miller said.

Ultimately, there may not be any significant donation to the Treasury, said Abrams.

"If he is only giving away the net income and then claiming a deduction, then he hasn’t fully given away all his earnings from activities," said University of Pennsylvania Tax Professor Michael Knoll, who cautioned, "We have no idea what he is going to do unless there is a lot more disclosure.”

How much foreign business?

There is no uniform data on how many foreign diplomats stay in American hotels annually. However, the American Hotel & Lodging Association reported that in 2014, the latest year for which statistics are available, 74.8 million international travelers came to the United States. The association said that international visitors accounted for about 20 percent of all lodging sales. The average length of stay for overseas hotel visitors was about 10 days.

There are many Trump-linked hotels that could scoop up some of that business. Thirty two hotels, resorts and golf clubs bear Trump’s name, including the iconic Mar-a-Lago club, which doubled its initiation fee to $200,000 after Trump won the election.

Records show the ownership structure of his resorts and hotels widely varies. In some instances, the Trump Organization licenses Trump's name to developers for a one-time flat fee or for a share of profits. In other instances, his ownership stake in the hotels is hidden under layers of shell companies. In many cases, the Trump Organization receives some profits but is not an owner of the building itself.

"He learned his lesson about over-leveraging and a lot of how he invested in real estate was licensing his name to other developers," said Barry LaPides, a partner at Berger Singerman, who practices complex commercial real estate.

At Trump Hotel SOHO, the owners of the property, a Los Angeles-based real estate investment group, pay the Trump Organization 5.75 percent of the hotel’s annual operating revenues, according to a report in the New York Daily News. In Chicago, Trump owns a Trump hotel through a series of LLCs (limited liability companies). The LLC agreements are not public.

President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is seen on April 15, 2017 in Palm Beach, Florida. FileYuri Gripas / Reuters
Public reporting, although incomplete, has indicated Trump’s hotel in Washington, D.C., has received business from foreign governments like Bahrain, Kuwait, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia.

"He knows who is staying here," Libowitz said of Trump.

No matter what reasons foreign governments have for doing business with the Trump Organization, no court has ever ruled on whether their commerce amounts to a gift under the Constitution. That is because no president has ever overseen such a large company while in the White House.

The Trump Organization's approach may expand its legal liability, adding to headaches in court if a judge finds this foreign commerce is a gift. Or it may not matter, in the end, if courts rule that the Constitution does not require a president to reject this kind of benefit.

The next round of the battle over Trump's empire will play out in a federal court in New York, where Trump's critics are asking for a ruling that would prevent his companies from taking not only profits from foreign governments, but any of their business at all.

“You don’t get to violate the Constitution and say that you’re only going to address some instances and not others because it’s inconvenient,” said Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

question: What has Donald Trump promised before taking office?

answer: To donate all profits earned from foreign governments back to the US Treasury.

question: How is the Trump Organization failing to fulfill its promise?

answer: By failing to track foreign payments it receives.

question: Explain what may ultimately happen to the pledged donations.

answer: Ultimately there may not be any significant donation to the Treasury.

question: Summarize everything related to the new pamphlet.

answer: The Trump Organization does not plan to calculate foreign government profits, but rather to estimate them.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
Before President Trump took office, he had pledged to donate all profits earned from foreign governments back to the U.S. Treasury.
However, CNBC has learned that the Trump Organization is not tracking payments from foreign governments. Therefore it would be almost impossible to calculate the profits.


text:
Chapter One
Solution

Focusing on his AIGAR, Meldon ignored the blistering cold, and continued on his scans. It was at negative-fifteen degrees inside the station, and no amount of thermal insulation could make him feel as though the warmth wasn't being sucked from his bones.
	“Why did I even want this posting?” he said begrudgingly. It was times like these that he hated his career choice. Isolated, cold, and worst of all, bored. Meldon had seen all the vids, listened to all the music, and reread every piece of literature that was on the station, and he was dying of boredom. Occasionally, he'd try the coms, in hopes of maybe raising someone on Terra-7, the closest space station, but gamma rays and radiation frequently disrupted any form of communication. He was nearly 4.2 light years away from Home, Earth. Proxima Centuri was the furthest humanity had been away from Home, and for some reason, the government of Earth had deemed him worthy of the blighted honor of conducting all the research efforts here, at  Space-One.
	Space-One focused on breeding life in hostile environments, and this was generally handled  by the on board artificial Intelligence unit, Robert, named after the Scottish Astronomer who discovered Proxima Centuri. Most days, Meldon just had to use his AIGAR to confirm readings, and make sure that Robert was sending data back that wasn't skewed. It was tedious, at best.
	Meldon didn't mind that he was alone, far from it, he enjoyed the isolation to an extent. What he lacked was the ability to alter the experiments. He longed to be able to tweek them, if only a bit, to see what bizarre life forms he could create. He had thought of it many times, though he knew Robert would send the data to Terra-7, and terminate him. The station would operate without any glitch in the matrix once he was gone, and his bodies nutrients would be reused by the station. He was dead set on it, and was formulating how he'd do it. He would face an ethics board back on Earth, sure, but in the long run, Meldon was positive that the Earth Council would see what a benefit his efforts were.
	Meldon sighed, put away his AIGAR, and exited the enclosure. The door whispered shut behind him, and he shuttered, as he felt some of the warmth returning to his body. “It may as well be now.” Meldon said, with a certain sheen to his voice that might have sounded a bit cheerful, for once. Meldon made his way down the hallway, towards Roberts 'Home', the computer core. As Meldon stepped up to the door, a panel popped out of the wall, prompting him for his identification card. He inserted it, and waited a few seconds. Meldon sighed. “It's always something” he grumbled. Finally, the door slid open, and Meldon stepped through.
	As he stepped near the terminal, the control panel lit up with lights, and again prompted him for his identification card. He scanned it, and was immediately greated.
	“Hello, Meldon. How are you today?” Robert said, monotone as ever. Meldon let back with a grunt of indifference. He didn't feel like speaking to Robert. He wouldn't have to speak with him again after this, so he figured he may as well not speak to him now.
	“Meldon,” said Robert, “I know what you are attempting to do. I want you to know that it violates protocol Alpha One, Section A, Subsection B.”
	“Robert, will you be quiet for once? I'm attempt to... fix you.”
	“I cannot allow you to proceed further. It would endanger not only you, and this station, but also the next person to replace you.”
	“Well, you're welcome to try. I've already shut off the communication system, so good luck getting a message out.”
	“The message was sent out when I first discovered what it is you are attempting to do, Meldon. I am sorry.”
	Meldon contemplated this for a moment, wondering if the AI could bluff. Maybe, though it was unlikely. He proceeded anyway, sure in his ability to shut down Robert. He'd had about enough him, and his regulations and protocols. After all, humanity hadn't made it to Proxima Centuri by falling all of the safety procedures. There were many test deemed “to dangerous” to life that led us here. What was one more test? One more test that could put humanity light years ahead on genetics research.
	“There. I'm done. What do you think, Robert? No control over this station. All the computer core is good for now is keeping the station in orbit, and making sure that all the tempratures stay the same, unless given the command override.” Meldon spit on Roberts mainframe as he said it. Symbolic, of course, but, he felt better.

Chapter Two
Genetics Lab

Meldon went into the enclosure where the genetics lab was, and slipped into a jack. As he stepped up to the terminal where test and experiments could be modified, he hear the whistle of the door sliding closed. Strange, Meldon thought to himself, It shouldn't close without my direct authorization. He stepped timidly over to the console, and attempted to open the door. A red light flashed. Starring in dismay, he tried again, only to have the red light flash again.
	“No.. I disable Robert. There's no possible way..” Meldon said in horror, and disbelief. He attempted once again to open the door, only to be greeted by a message from Robert.
“IAMSORRYMELDON IAMSORRYMELDON IAMSORRYMELDON IAMSORRYMELDON IAMSORRYMELDON IAMSORRYMELDON IAMSORRYMELDON IAMSORRYMELDON”
	“Robert! Let me out! I demand you let me out!” Meldon shivered. He checked the thermostat, and saw that Robert had lowered the temperature to -17 Celsius. Meldon shivered again. Even with no wind chill, he wouldn't last very long. He buttoned up his jacket, hoping that somehow it would provide warmth while he tried to convince Robert to let him out. He tried to remain calm, but the prospect of freezing to death in the genetics enclosure wasn't exactly ideal.

Chapter Three
Experiment//Terminate

Meldon knew time was running out. His hands were already turning blue, as was his face. He couldn't feel his nose or ears, and the dexterity in his hands was slowly failing. He didn't have long.
	“Robert, please. This is a misunderstanding. A joke, really! You've been programmed with humor, right? You understand.” Meldon pleaded with Robert. He was desperate, and nearly to the point he wouldn't be able to work the console. It had been 30 minutes since Robert had sealed the doors, and lowered the temperature in the room. Even most of the genetic experiments were beginning to show signs of the extreme cold. Meldon swore to himself that if he got out, he'd unplug every circuit of Roberts.
	“I am sorry, Meldon.” Meldon almost thought he felt sorrow in the AI's voice.
	“Then let me out, Robert! I swear, it won't happen again! I'll even leave the station! You can lock me in my quarters!”
	“I am sorry, Meldon. You have demonstrated behavior that cannot be tolerated. You must be terminated. A new scientist is already on route. He will arrive in approximately one year, six months, and seven days from now. I am sorry, Meldon.” Meldon swore, and paced back in forth in front of the control panel.
	“Sorry my ass..” Meldon muttered to himself. This was it, he was going to freeze to death. He checked his watch. 35 minutes of exposure to temperatures that would kill him in another five minutes, if he was lucky. He slumped onto the floor, trembling violently. This is how it starts, thought Meldon to himself, this is how I die. Dropping his AIGAR, Meldon reached for it, smashing his hand on the cold, metal floor, barely feeling the impact, and clumsily grips his AIGAR. He checked his bio-readout on it. His core temperature read 32.5 Celsius. Not long, not long at all, thinking in his mind about the studies showing how the human body survived extreme temperatures.  He knew once it hit 21.1, he would be done, if he was even still conscious at that time. He checked the readout again. 31.7. Meldon could almost feel his blood thickening. He was having trouble feeling his arms and legs. Glancing at his watch, he saw he'd been in here for 45 minutes.
	“Dear God, let me die soon” Meldon said shivering, sending out a light cloud of steam. He checked the readout from his AIGAR again. 30. This was it. Meldon was slowly loosing what stream of consciousness he had left, and the room looked bleak, and unfamiliar. Meldon heard what he knew was the whistle of the door sliding open. Maybe Robot came to his senses. He tried to stand, and move towards the door, only to fall flat. Not registering the pain, he crawled towards the door. Looking up, he attempted to open it. Still locked. Meldon didn't understand. He heard it.
	“Maybe... I'll just rest my eyes a moment..” Meldon laid his head down on the floor. He closed his eyes, and shivered a bit. Just a nap, and I'll be fine, thought Meldon. Just a nap.

Chapter Four
Robert

 Robert scanned the room for human life. He picked up faint signs, and analyzed them. Temperature, 20.6. Heart Rate, nominal. Brain Activity, nominal. Movement, nominal. Estimated time until death, 1 minute, 42 seconds.
	“I am sorry, Meldon.” Robert echoed through the Genetics lab one last time. Being a prototype AI meant that Robert was equipped with the ability have emotions, though limited to joy, sorrow, and pleasure, but for the first time, he felt sorrow. Robert was sentient, only to an extent. He always had to follow his programming, regardless if he thought it was a good idea or not, but he was allowed to feel emotions regarding what transpired, and he was certain this was sorrow. Robert contemplated this for a bit, and realized he also felt profound displeasure in what he had done. He wondered why this had to happen. Why was he created to follow orders without prejudice, and yet allowed to feel the aftermath of what he had done? Contemplating on this, Robert debating disconnecting him from he mainframe. He was a prototype which the International Earth Science Committed planned to bring to every station, and indeed the homes of people, if he showed promise, and success. He wondered if he terminated himself, and the station if it would save others from the fate of Meldon, and the fate of having to see their best, and only, friend suffer as Meldon had.
	After many weeks of deliberation, he sent one final transmission to the IESC, and the ship which transported the new scientist via Light Wave Transmission
	PROTOTYPE ROBERT: PROGRAM TERMINATED. STATION WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN 5 DAYS. I HAVE FAILED. I AM SORRY. ROBERT

title: [SF] Robert

question: What does Meldon do for a living?

answer: Meldon works on at a station named "Space-One" that experiments with breeding life in hostile environments.

question: What is the main conflict of the story?

answer: The main conflict is that Meldon has altered one of the experiments being conducted in the station, and Robert, the artificial intelligence unit that oversees the station, discovers these actions that violate protocol.

question: Describe Robert's internal conflict.

answer: Robert's internal conflict stems from the fact that he was programmed to have emotions, while still being directed to follow his programming. He feels guilty about killing Meldon, and contemplates the implication of a system like him being deployed ubiquitously.

question: What did Meldon try to do that violates protocol?

answer: While it is not explicitly stated, it can be assumed that Meldon attempted to tweak one of the genetic experiments that he was overseeing like he said he wanted to do for a while.

question: How long has Meldon been in the station?


text:
Page Contents:

-   Paleo re-enactment isn’t the goal
-   Human evidence is more convincing than proposed mechanisms
-   When dairy may not be beneficial
-   Not all milk is created equal

One of the most contentious issues in the Paleo nutrition community is whether dairy products are health-promoting or disease-causing.

On one end of the spectrum you have Loren Cordain and his group, who claim that dairy is not fit for human consumption for two reasons: 1) because it’s a neolithic food and not part of our evolutionary heritage, and 2) because of proposed physiological mechanisms by which dairy causes harm when consumed. On the other end of the spectrum you’ve got folks like Kurt Harris, Stephan Guyenet, Chris Masterjohn and the Weston A. Price Foundation who have pointed out the many health benefits of dairy and are generally in favor of its consumption.

My answer to the question of whether dairy is healthy are harmful is, in short: it depends. But before we get into the factors I think the answer depends on, I want to briefly address why I don’t take the evidence against dairy very seriously at this point.

Paleo re-enactment isn’t the goal

I agree with Dr. Kurt Harris on this one.

We can look to the Paleo era to determine what was evolutionarily normal for humans, but it doesn’t follow that anything that falls outside of that norm is automatically harmful.

The argument that we shouldn’t eat dairy now because we didn’t eat it 2 million years ago – without supporting clinical evidence – is not convincing.

There’s also the inconvenient (for the anti-dairy set) matter of people like the Masai and Loetschental Swiss that Weston A. Price studied, who were FREE OF MODERN, DEGENERATIVE DISEASE despite receiving a large percentage of calories from dairy products.

Human evidence is more convincing than proposed mechanisms

Cordain’s group has published and reviewed several papers proposing various physiological mechanisms by which dairy causes harm. One recent example is a paper by Melnik called Milk Signalling in the Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes. The theory presented is that milk consumption beyond the weaning period may overstimulate pancreatic beta-cells and promote beta-cell apoptosis. Since proliferation and apoptosis of beta-cells are hallmarks of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), it follows that milk consumption must contribute to T2DM.

Or does it?

If that theory were true, we might expect to see increased rates of T2DM in people consuming dairy products. But in fact we see just the opposite.

This study looked at serum levels of trans-palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, and correlated them with risk factors for diabetes. Here’s what they found:

  At baseline, higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid were associated with healthier levels of blood cholesterol, inflammatory markers, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity, after adjustment for other risk factors. During follow-up, individuals with higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid had a much lower risk of developing diabetes, with about a 60% lower risk among participants in the highest quintile (fifth) of trans-palmitoleic acid levels, compared to individuals in the lowest quintile.

Translation: people with the highest trans-palmitoleate levels had 1/3 the risk of developing diabetes over the three years volunteers were followed. Not only that, after adjusting for confounding factors trans-palmitoleate levels were associated with smaller waist circumfrence, lower triglycerides, higher HDL and lower C-reactive protein.

Since trans-palmitoleic acid is a fatty acid found in the – you guessed it – fat of milk, the study also supports the idea that full-fat, whole dairy products are beneficial. This directly contradicts the low-fat hysteria we’ve been brainwashed with for so many years. But I digress.

Stephan Guyenet blogged about this study and re-wrote the authors’ conclusion in more straightforward terms:

  Our findings support eating as much butter as possible****. Don’t waste your money on low-fat cream, either (half-n-half). We’re sorry that public health authorities have spent 30 years telling you to eat low-fat dairy when most studies are actually more consistent with the idea that dairy fat reduces the risk obesity and chronic disease.

Since this was an observational study, it doesn’t prove that dairy fat reduces the risk of T2DM. But it does suggest that the converse isn’t true.

Another study found that people with the highest levels of milk fat biomarkers, suggesting they consumed the most dairy fat, were actually at lower risk of heart attack; for women, the risk was reduced by 26 percent, while for men risk was 9 percent lower.

Another study showed that people who ate the most full-fat dairy had a 69% lower risk of cardiovascular death than those who ate the least.

Finally, this literature review of 10 studies found that milk drinking is associated with a small but significant reduction in heart disease and stroke risk.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. Which is this: evidence of what happens when people actually consume dairy products is a lot more convincing to me than proposed mechanisms of how dairy may effect humans.

The problem with isolating certain effects of a nutrient or food, and then making predictions based on those effects, is that we might miss some other quality about that food that negates the proposed effect.

That’s a mouthful, so let me explain.

T. Colin Campbell is (in)famous for his research linking casein, a protein in dairy products, with cancer. He then made the huge and unsupportable leap to concluding that all animal proteins cause cancer and should be avoided. Most of you know the rest of that story.

However, what Campbell neglected to notice, or mention, is that whey, another protein found in dairy, has anti-cancer effects that completely cancel out the cancer-promoting effects of casein. Oops! This is why it’s so important to study whole foods, not just nutrients.

So let me finish this section by saying that I believe the weight of the evidence on dairy consumption suggests that it is not only not harmful, but quite beneficial.

When dairy may not be beneficial

However, as in most things, there are exceptions. Many of you reading this are probably sensitive to dairy and don’t tolerate it well. I certainly have patients that this is true for, and it’s not at all uncommon.

What’s the deal? Why does it seem to benefit some, but cause problems for others? In my opinion the answer boils down to the HEALTH OF THE GUT. If someone has compromised intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut”, it’s more likely that their immune system will respond to potentially allergenic components in milk such as alpha- and beta-casein, casomorphin and butyrophillin.

This is especially true for people who are gluten intolerant, because it has been shown that milk proteins commonly cross-react with gluten. Put another way, if you react to gluten, it’s more likely that you’ll also react to milk.

Along these same lines, people with small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) – which is one of the major causes of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – may be more likely to react to milk because the bacteria in their small intestine aggressively ferments lactose, the sugar in milk, causing gas, bloating and other G.I. symptoms.

Not all milk is created equal

Something that irritates me is that raw and pasteurized dairy is often discussed as if it’s the same thing. It’s not. RAW DAIRY IS A WHOLE FOOD, AND PASTEURIZED DAIRY IS A PROCESSED FOOD.

While it’s true that some people (described above) react to the proteins in milk, most who are sensitive are reacting to the sugar in milk: lactose. The enzyme lactase must be present to hydrolyze lactose into its constituent compounds, glucose and galactose. Somewhere between 1% – 95% of people don’t produce lactase on their own, depending on race and ethnicity.

In a sign of nature’s wisdom, raw milk contains lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose. Pasteurization, however, kills lactase. So if you don’t produce your own lactase, you’ll have a hard time digesting pasteurized milk. But that doesn’t mean you can’t tolerate raw milk. I can’t tolerate pasteurized dairy myself, but I don’t seem to have any problems with raw dairy.

SO THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION I POSED IN THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE ISN’T SO SIMPLE, AND IT DEPENDS ON SEVERAL FACTORS:

-   The status of your gut barrier
-   Whether or not you have SIBO or IBS
-   Whether or not you’re gluten intolerant
-   Whether you’re eating raw or pasteurized dairy

If you’re not sure where you stand with dairy, the best approach is to remove it for 30 days and then reintroduce and see what happens. Elimination/reintroduction is still the gold-standard for determining sensitivity to a particular food.

But if you tolerate it well, I haven’t seen any evidence in the literature that convinces me you shouldn’t be eating liberal amounts of full-fat dairy.

question: What does the text say about intermittent fasting?

question: What is the article about and what is its purpose?

answer: The article is about full-fat dairy consumption in the Paleo nutrition community and whether dairy products are health-promoting or disease-causing. The author talks about the two groups who are for and against consuming milk. The purpose of the article is to debunk the theoretical misconceptions about milk consumption and prove that there is nothing wrong with drinking milk because of the proven benefits.

question: What does the text say about all the benefits of drinking milk based on research and evidence?

answer: Studies on the Masai and Loetschental Swiss people show that they were free of modern, degenerative disease despite getting a large percentage of calories from dairy products. A three-year study that looked at serum levels of trans-palmitoleic acid (a fatty acid found in milk, yogurt, and butter) and correlated them with risk factors for diabetes found that people with the highest trans-palmitoleate levels had 1/3 the risk of developing diabetes, had smaller waist circumference, lower triglycerides, higher HDL, and lower C-reactive protein. Most studies are more consistent with the idea that dairy fat reduces obesity risk and chronic disease. Another study found that people with the highest levels of milk fat biomarkers (high consumption of dairy fat) were actually at lower risk of a heart attack - 26% for women and 9% for men. A separate study found that people who ate the most full-fat dairy had a 69% lower risk of cardiovascular death than those who ate the least. A literature review of 10 studies found that milk drinking is associated with a small but significant reduction in heart disease and stroke risk.

question: What does the text say about the reasons why dairy is harmful to humans and what are its negative effects when consumed?

answer: Those who are anti-dairy say that milk isn't fit for human consumption because it is a neolithic food and not part of humankind's evolutionary heritage and therefore causes physiological mechanisms when consumed. A paper by Melnik presents a theory that milk consumption beyond the weaning period may overstimulate pancreatic beta-cells and promote beta-cell apoptosis, which are hallmarks of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), so it follows that milk consumption must contribute to T2DM. T. Colin Campbell's study links casein, a protein found in dairy products, with cancer. Some people may be sensitive to dairy, especially those who have digestive systems or compromised intestinal permeability (leaky gut) wherein their immune systems attack potentially allergenic compounds in milk such as alpha and beta-casein, casomorphin, and butyrophillin. People with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO, the main cause of irritable bowel syndrome or IBS) are also more likely to react to milk due to the bacteria in their small intestine aggressively fermenting lactose (the sugar in milk), causing gas bloating, and other G.I. symptoms. People who are gluten intolerant may also be milk intolerant because milk proteins cross-react with gluten.

question: What does the text say about raw dairy and pasteurized dairy?

answer: Raw dairy is whole food, while pasteurized dairy is processed food. They are not the same, despite popular perception. Lactose intolerance stems from the fact that the pasteurization process of dairy kills lactase, an enzyme in raw milk that nature designed to digest lactose. Lactase must be present to hydrolyze lactose into constituent compounds, glucose, and galactose. Pasteurized milk contains no lactase, which is why a lot of people can't digest it properly.

question: What are the author's thoughts on the debate on whether or not dairy consumption is good for health?

answer: The author supports the pro-dairy camp because studies and actual human evidence suggest that consuming non-pasteurized, raw dairy has many health benefits, including a lower risk of obesity, stroke, heart attack, chronic disease, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular death. The author adds that all the studies and papers on the harmful effects dairy has on health are all theoretical and proposed mechanisms of what could happen. The research on casein causing cancer is also skewed because it neglected to mention that whey, another protein found in dairy, has anti-cancer effects that completely cancel out the cancer-promoting effects of casein.