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These days, I mostly think of this blog as a time capsule to my past life as a scientist. Every so often though, I’m tempted out of retirement for _one more post_. This time I’ve actually been asked to bring back my JABBA awards by Martin Hunt (@martibartfast)…and with good reason!

There is a new preprint in bioRxiv…

-   CHEER: hierarCHical taxonomic classification for viral mEtagEnomic data via deep leaRning

I’m almost lost for words about this one. You know that it is a tenuous attempt at an acronym or initialism when you don’t use any letters from the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th words of the full software name!

The approach here is very close to just choosing a random five-letter word. The authors could also have had:

  CLAMP: hierarChical taxonomic cLassification for virAl Metagenomic data via deeP learning

  HOTEL: hierarcHical taxOnomic classificaTion for viral mEtagenomic data via deep Learning

  RAVEN: hieraRchical tAxonomic classification for Viral metagenomic data via dEep learNing

  ALIEN: hierArchical taxonomic cLassification for vIral metagEnomic data via deep learniNg

  LARVA: hierarchicaL taxonomic classificAtion for viRal metagenomic data Via deep leArning

Okay, as this might be my only blog post of 2020, I’ll say CHEERio!

[jabba logo.png]

So I was meant to have retired myself from handing out JABBA awards to recognise instances of ‘Just Another Bogus Bioinformatics Algorithm’. However, I saw something this week which clearly merits an award.

And so, from a new paper recently published in PLoS ONE I give you:

-   GRASShopPER—An algorithm for de novo assembly based on GPU alignments

The three lower-case letters signal that there is going to be some name wrangling going on…so let’s see how the authors arrive at this name:

  GRASShopPER: GPU overlap GRaph ASSembler using Paired End Reads

That’s how it is described in the paper, so I guess it could have also been called ‘GOGAUPER’? I find this is another example of a clumsily constructed acronym that could have been avoided altogether.

‘Grasshopper’ is a cool, and catchy, name for any software tool and it doesn’t really need to be retconned into making an awkward acronym.

It does, however, give me one new animal for the JABBA menagerie!

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I really wasn't intending to hand out any more JABBA awards. The last time I gave out an award for a bogus bioinformatics acronym was back in February 2016 and that was meant to be that.

However, I recently saw something that sent a shiver down my spine and I felt obliged to dust off the JABBA award one more time (for now anyway).

Let's get straight to the point. Published in bioarXiv is a new preprint:

-   BURRITO: An interactive multi-omic tool for visualizing taxa-function relationships in microbiome data

Now don't get me wrong, I love burritos and I think it's kind of a fun name for a piece of software. I just happen to think that in this case it is a somewhat tenuous acronym. So how do you get to make BURRITO the name of your tool?

  Browser Utility for Relating micRobiome Information on Taxonomy and functiOn

It's the inclusion of 'O' from 'functiOn' that gets me.I guess 'BURMITF' didn't have such a good ring to it.

Note that BURRITO shouldn't be confused with the QIIME application controller code called burrito-fillings or the electronic lab notebook software for computational researchers known as Burrito.

Also, you get bonus points if you can use BURRITO with SALSA. Of course, if BURRITO doesn't work out for you, then maybe try TACO or…er, TACO.

[jabba logo.png]

All good things come to an end…and, more importantly, all _bad_ things come to an end. For that reason, I have, with some sadness, decided to bring my series of JABBA awards (Just Another Bogus Bioinformatics Acronym) to an end.

This is partly because my new job means that I am no longer a bioinformatician. It is also partly because it seems that the flood of bogus bioinformatics acronyms will never cease.

I've tried campaigning to raise awareness of why these acronyms are often awkward, tenuous, and generally unhelpful to the wider community. Hopefully, I've made some of you think about naming your software just a little bit.

I can't go without presenting you with a bumper crop of recently minted JABBA awards…

1.  Kicking us off, from BMC Bioinformatics we have a paper titled SPARTA: Simple Program for Automated reference-based bacterial RNA-seq Transcriptome Analysis. This is not excessively bogus, but omitting any contributions to the acronym from the words 'reference-based bacterial' is what gets this earns a tool a JABBA award. Oh, and don't confuse this tool with the 2014 bioinformatics tool called sPARTA. Who would make that mistake?

2.  From Nucleic Acids Research we have the following paper…DIDA: A curated and annotated digenic diseases database. DIDA is derived from DIgenic diseases Database. Never a good sign when an acronym only takes letters from two of the three words. Also never a good sign when there is a completely different piece of bioinformatics software that uses the same name (although I think the software mentioned here may have been around first).

3.  From Genome Research we have a new paper: SCRaMbLE generates designed combinatorial stochastic diversity in synthetic chromosomes. SCRaMbLE is derived from Synthetic Chromosome Rearrangement and Modification By _LoxP_-mediated Evolution. They really could have just gone for 'SCRAMBLE' (all upper-case) as it would be a legitimate acronym. However, my dislike of this name is because it is just a little too tenuous. Oh, and the fact that is already a bioinformatics tool called Scramble.

4.  Next up, from the journal BMC Bioinformatics we have NEAT: a framework for building fully automated NGS pipelines and analyses. NEAT derives from NExt generation Analysis Toolbox. Leaving aside the general issue of how I feel about NGS as a phrase, this name is bogus for taking two letters from 'next' and none from 'generation'. Oh, and there is also a bioinformatics tool called NeAT.

5.  From the journal Bioinformatics we have…ParTIES: a toolbox for Paramecium interspersed DNA elimination studies. Let's break that acronym down: PARamecium Toolbox for Interspersed dna Elimination Studies. As I've always said, ain't no party like a Paramecium party.

6.  Okay, are you sitting down? Next we have a paper published in the journal Bioinformatics. The title is going to make you very curious…SUPER-FOCUS: a tool for agile functional analysis of shotgun metagenomic data. Surely nobody was seriously going to try to make an acronym called SUPER-FOCUS? Oh wait they have…SUbsystems Profile by databasE Reduction using FOCUS. Any time you have the word 'database' as part of your software name and you choose to use just the last letter of this word…that's a bogus acronym, or should I say SUPER-BOGUS?

That is your lot. I reserve the right to maybe come back with one more JABBA-related post to present my top 10 JABBA awards. I'll end with a brief summary of the advice that I've tried to impart many times before:

1.  Not all software needs to have an acronym…you could choose to call your novel transcriptome validator 'Keith' rather than tenuously coming up with KEITH: Kmer-Enriched Inspection of Transcript deptH.
2.  Preferably, do not name your acronym after animals …especially when your software has no connection with that animal.
3.  CHECK: has anyone else has used that name before? Search Google with your intended name plus the word 'bioinformatics'.
4.  CHECK: is your name pronounceable? Tell the name to your parents over the phone and ask them if they can spell it correctly.
5.  CHECK: are you using random capitalisation to be cool (or 'KeWL' even)? Will other people who reference your software likely bother to use the italicised superscript font that you unwisely chose to use for every other letter in your software name?

question: Describe the JABBA award.

answer: The JABBA award stood for 'Just Another Bogus Bioinformatics Acronym' awarded to softwares with clever acronyms but had been put into retirement. However there had been new instances that merited the award in which the author was considering bringing out of retirement. The author goes on to present his top 10 awards, although considering it would be the last time as software acronyms will never cease.


split: test

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WIBAUX COUNTY ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 1,017[1] making it the fourth-least populous county in Montana. Its county seat is Wibaux.[2]

History

Wibaux County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1914 from parts of Dawson, Fallon, and Richland Counties. The name comes from Pierre Wibaux (1858–1913),[3] a late 19th-century cattle baron and friend of Theodore Roosevelt whose ranch was just over the border (in Dakota Territory, later North Dakota). According to legend, Pierre Wibaux's cowboys surrounded the town of Mingusville, and wouldn't let anyone enter or leave town unless they signed a petition changing the name of the town to Wibaux. Upon his death, his ashes were spread over a hill west of Wibaux. Today, a statue of Pierre Wibaux stands on that hill.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.07%) is water.[4] It is the third-smallest county in Montana by land area.

Adjacent counties

-   Richland County – north
-   Dawson County – northwest
-   Prairie County – west
-   Fallon County – south
-   Golden Valley County, North Dakota – east
-   McKenzie County, North Dakota – northeast

Major highways

-   [] Interstate 94
-   [] U.S. Highway 10 (Former)
-   [] Montana Highway 7
-

National protected area

-   Lamesteer National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census,[5] there were 1,068 people, 421 households, and 287 families in the county. The population density was less than 1 person per square mile (1/km²). There were 587 housing units at an average density of 0.7/square mile (0.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.03% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.4% were of German, 18.7% Norwegian, 13.3% Polish, 6.7% English and 6.4% Irish ancestry.

There were 421 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 29.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.90% 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 3.02.

The county population contained 25.80% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 21.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,224, and the median income for a family was $34,265. Males had a median income of $22,750 versus $18,667 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,121. About 8.60% of families and 15.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.70% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,017 people, 457 households, and 281 families in the county.[6] The population density was . There were 538 housing units at an average density of 0.6/square mile (0.2/km²).[7] The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population.[8] In terms of ancestry, 46.3% were German, 13.7% were Polish, 13.4% were Irish, 12.1% were American, 9.5% were English, 8.0% were Norwegian, and 5.3% were Dutch.[9]

Of the 457 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.5% were non-families, and 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 49.0 years.[10]

The median income for a household in the county was $40,417 and the median income for a family was $51,354. Males had a median income of $43,438 versus $24,821 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,579. About 7.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.[11]

Politics

Wibaux County voters are reliably Republican. Since 1964 they have selected the Democratic Party candidate in only one national election (as of 2016).

  Year                               Republican                                Democratic                                Third parties
  ---------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ---------------
  style=“text-align:center;” |2016   style=“text-align:center;” |85.6% _463_   style=“text-align:center;” |10.2% _55_    4.3% _23_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2012   style=“text-align:center;” |77.4% _421_   style=“text-align:center;” |18.0% _98_    4.6% _25_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2008   style=“text-align:center;” |67.3% _379_   style=“text-align:center;” |25.9% _146_   6.8% _38_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2004   style=“text-align:center;” |72.7% _407_   style=“text-align:center;” |25.7% _144_   1.6% _9_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2000   style=“text-align:center;” |71.2% _369_   style=“text-align:center;” |23.4% _121_   5.4% _28_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1996   style=“text-align:center;” |46.3% _284_   style=“text-align:center;” |32.1% _197_   21.5% _132_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1992   style=“text-align:center;” |38.6% _234_   style=“text-align:center;” |32.1% _195_   29.3% _178_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1988   style=“text-align:center;” |56.9% _358_   style=“text-align:center;” |41.0% _258_   2.1% _13_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1984   style=“text-align:center;” |65.0% _423_   style=“text-align:center;” |33.2% _216_   1.8% _12_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1980   style=“text-align:center;” |61.6% _450_   style=“text-align:center;” |30.0% _219_   8.5% _62_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1976   style=“text-align:center;” |44.6% _308_   style=“text-align:center;” |50.9% _352_   4.5% _31_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1972   style=“text-align:center;” |55.5% _390_   style=“text-align:center;” |40.3% _283_   4.3% _30_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1968   style=“text-align:center;” |53.0% _347_   style=“text-align:center;” |38.5% _252_   8.6% _56_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1964   style=“text-align:center;” |41.8% _308_   style=“text-align:center;” |57.9% _427_   0.3% _2_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1960   style=“text-align:center;” |48.0% _387_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.0% _419_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1956   style=“text-align:center;” |52.5% _431_   style=“text-align:center;” |47.5% _390_   0.0% _0_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1952   style=“text-align:center;” |62.8% _556_   style=“text-align:center;” |36.6% _324_   0.6% _5_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1948   style=“text-align:center;” |46.5% _421_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.0% _471_   1.4% _13_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1944   style=“text-align:center;” |50.3% _432_   style=“text-align:center;” |49.5% _425_   0.2% _2_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1940   style=“text-align:center;” |44.2% _461_   style=“text-align:center;” |55.2% _576_   0.6% _6_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1936   style=“text-align:center;” |31.2% _362_   style=“text-align:center;” |68.0% _790_   0.8% _9_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1932   style=“text-align:center;” |35.5% _445_   style=“text-align:center;” |63.7% _798_   0.7% _9_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1928   style=“text-align:center;” |56.3% _583_   style=“text-align:center;” |43.2% _448_   0.5% _5_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1924   style=“text-align:center;” |56.9% _505_   style=“text-align:center;” |21.3% _189_   21.8% _193_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1920   style=“text-align:center;” |71.6% _692_   style=“text-align:center;” |23.1% _223_   5.3% _51_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1916   style=“text-align:center;” |42.1% _466_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.9% _585_   5.0% _55_

  : PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS[12]

Communities

Town

-   Wibaux (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

-   Carlyle
-   St. Phillip[13]
-   Yates

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13] [https://www.google.com/maps/place/St+Phillip,+MT+59353/@46.684032,-104.3349036,9.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x53257391a30ef417:0x7278ab943a26ff70!8m2!3d46.8316793!4d-104.1454893 _St Phillip MT_ Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)]

title: Wibaux County, Montana

question: Discuss the population of Wibaux County.

answer: The population of Wibaux county was 1,017 in 2010 making it the fourth least populous county in Montana. In the 2000 census there were 1068 people, 421 households and 287 families in the county. The population density was less than 1 person per square mile. However, there were 587 housing units at an average density of 0.7/square mile.

question: Describe the relationship Wibaux county has to adjacent counties.

answer: In 1914, Wibaux county was created from parts of Dawson county, to the Northwest, Fallon county, to the South, and Richland county, to the North. It also borders Golden Valley County and McKenzie County in North Dakota in the east and northeast respectively, as well as Prairie County in Montana to the west.

question: Why is Wibaux county named Wibaux?

answer: According to legend the name comes from Pierre Wibaux, a late 19th century cattle baron, whose cowboys surrounded the town of Mingusville and would not let anyone enter of leave unless they signed a petition to change the name to Wibaux. Today, a statue of Pierre Wibaux stands on the hill they decamped on.


text:
	He pulled the sytrofoam cup to his chapped lips and took a drink. The warm coffee engulfed his throat with the beautiful poison keeping him awake on a morning like this. The morning dew barely left traces of its beauty as he scanned over the desolate park. His weary eyes didn’t see much but his knowledge helped him fill in the gaps. He was nearing the ripe old age of 60 but he sure didn’t feel it. At least, not now; he was too happy. He looked around again before taking another long drag from his bitter black beverage. He glanced at his scratched up watch and took note that he had a few more minutes of the pure bliss before him. He chuckled out loud, knowing full well that the watch stopped working a while ago. He just assumed it was time to go and he took another long sip of the warm coffee before sighing, this was going to be a long day.

	The wise but old man started walking to the gate of the park with his briefcase loyally at his side. He crossed the park, getting his worn shoes wet but the he didn’t care; the morning dew was a rare occurrence in this busy city. He reached the edge of the park and left, throwing away his empty cup and mentally preparing himself for the day before him. As he walked along the empty sidewalks, he couldn’t help but admire the true beauty of the city before him. He had seen the city too many times to admire skyscrapers reaching toward the sky, yet he couldn’t help but feel relieved; almost safe.

	He reached a crosswalk and waited, seeing his destination rise before him. A small woman stopped next to him, talking on the phone with someone about drapes. He couldn’t help but overhear since the young lady was making sure everyone in the city could hear what color her dining room drapes would be. The old man looked both ways before leaving the annoying amateur decorator. He made it four steps, four steps exactly before he heard a loud noise. A noise he knew way before he turned to face the monstrous machine rumbling toward him. His wide eyes couldn’t help but stare as the semi hurtled toward him. He stumbled toward the other of the street before diving out of the way, narrowly missing his inevitable death. He cheated death too many times before; he just didn’t think it would catch up to him this quickly. He stood up and brushed himself off, making sure all his pieces were still attached and healthy. He somewhat chuckled to himself, he couldn’t believe what happened. The lady from across the street was stunned, barely believing herself what just happened. He threw her a quick smile before picking up his briefcase and entering his job. He saw his watch as he opened the door to the superfluous lobby and saw one more scratch added to his timepiece. One more scratch, one more memory, one more wrinkle he laughed to himself.

	The receptionist saw the old man and beckoned him to go sit down and wait for his appointment with the boss. He sat down and eagerly grabbed the nearest magazine he could get his hands on. On the outside he looked nervous, he anxiously kept looking around for someone to break up the awkward silence he was sharing with the receptionist. On the inside he was confident; he knew what he was doing, he’s been doing this for over fifteen years and this was just a part of the act. He was the director of his own play and he had the lines for all the actors. From beginning to end, he controlled the whole play. Except this play was a con. It was somewhat simple, go drink at the bars near the big business buildings. The perfect timing was lunch or an hour or two after businesses closed their white collar doors. He would go make rounds around the bar, being friendly to different groups of people, finding, no…searching for the one person he could instill trust in and reap the benefits for. He would then find a drunk in a suit and buy another round for him and his buddies. Then the waiting game ensued, picking up on subtle hints to project the perfect business plan for their company. Give the business card to the drunken idiot with a monkey suit on and let the rest of the part play out. Wait a couple days and receive a call wanting to get in business. His business was purely artificial, ranging from the fake business cards and the fake website to the fake business plan. He was a confidence man, and he had had fooled everyone from the west coast to the big apple. He was on his last legs and needed one last score to go into retirement for good.

	“Harvey Calvin?” the receptionist asked. I don’t know why she didn’t just stand up and lead the way for the only person in the lobby but the old man nervously stood up, before dropping all the contents in his briefcase. He quickly shuffled on the papers and pens back into the worn leather case and walked toward the desk.
	“Mr. Holloway will see you now.” She smiled, leading the way with her hand toward the elevator. He quickly nodded and quietly made his way toward the elevator.
	“Sir, it’s floor fifteen, room is at the end of the hall.” He replied back with a small thank you but he was well aware where his office was, along with how big it was, security checkpoints were as well as how fast he could get out of there without being seen. He knew they were watching him from the minute he stepped into the building but he knew his little act wasn’t going to be enough.

	He stepped into the elevator and hit the 15th floor button before sighing again. The hard part was coming up and he knew it had to be a homerun or else he would lose all the time and effort he put into this score.  He lost the will to enjoy the con game. It started out fun, scam people out of money through a simple lie and just keeps going along with it. Each con brought more money but more problems. He lost too many things throughout his fifteen year tenure.

	The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor and his weary eyes laid upon an angel. Her dirty blonde hair fell upon her shoulders with time itself stopping gravity from affecting such a fine piece of art. She was busy looking down at the portfolio as she entered the elevator, telling him to go to floor 15 as well. She looked up to say thanks and she froze. Her lips trembled before smiling.
	“William? What are you doing here?” she closed the portfolio and reached for a hug. The old man was reluctant after hearing his real name after a long while. He was caught up in some many aliases he sometimes forgot what his real name was. He accepted the hug before glancing up at the floors and wishing the 15th floor was a lot closer.
	“I’m here for business” he muttered, knowing full well that he wasn’t. He was here to scam the legal pigs out of their pensions for his own retirement. Her smile became less and less as time went on because she knew the truth.
	“I thought you stopped?” the four words cut through his soul with ice daggers and hit his heart with full force. He stumbled over his words trying to convey that this was the last time and he truly cared for her even since that horrible night eight years ago. All that left his dirty mouth were the words I’m sorry. She scoffed at the response and her warm face turned ice cold and she stared at the elevator doors, waiting for the earliest attempt to leave him once again. The doors opened on floor seven and she rushed out and letting a couple young businessmen in the elevator. His thoughts were clouded as he barley heard the young men tell him floor twelve.

	He finally made it to his destination and stepped out of the elevator. He completely forgot why he was even there before Mr. Holloway yelled at him from across the entire floor that he was late. He hurried over to the office and he sat down on the uncomfortable chair that the big boss at the corporation made sure was there. Josh Holloway, or Mr. Holloway to many people, was a sick, twisted man. He swindled money out of poor people to finance his second yacht sitting out on the river, just waiting for him after a successful business deal with a nervous amateur with a secret. Holloway treated his employees like dirt, but ensuring them enough money to stay and work for him. He was a cold man with only one goal in mind: money. He beckoned the old amateur in and told him to sit down.

	“We took a look at the investment you offered us last night, and I have to say: we’re not amazed. We’re happy, yes. But amazed? No. You’re plan is brilliant but it needs some tweaking. We cannot offer a big deal unless we start with something small. Low risk might bring us low reward but it will also build a sense of high trust between me and you, Mr. Calvin.” The boss finished his monologue and looked across the rich, walnut desk to the trembling man in the uncomfortable chair. This was his time to shine, the old man thought to himself. He opened his briefcase and handed him a couple papers, detailing what all the rival companies did and explained that what Mr. Holloway wanted to do was safe and low risk but also common. Of course, the papers were all forged. If the boss was smart enough he could call up the New York Stock Exchange and question these numbers and the old man would be thrown out without a moment’s hesitation. But the boss was greedy. He wanted money but above all else; he wanted to be the winner. He wanted to crush his opponents and if his opponents were doing the same thing and barely scraping by, he had two options. The old man knew that this was the worst part of the con because it was all up to Mr. Holloway or any CEO’s to make a moral decision: stay the same course as the rest of his rivals and go low risk and maybe come out on top of his competitors or trust the nervous man and invest a high risk situation for a high reward.

	“Mr. Holloway, all your competitors did the very exact thing you are about to do. That’s a good idea, it would be better to be on the same level that to fall behind. I’ll talk to the investors and have them set up another $50,000 investment.” The old man was barley done finishing his closing arguments before the boss stopped him. The boss chuckled before telling him that wasn’t necessary. He called his receptionist in and a briefcase. They both knew what the contents had and they both couldn’t be more excited about the transaction between the two.
“Mr. Calvin, I worked too damn hard to be stagnant with my competitors. I need to be better than them and demolish them in the process.” He opened the briefcase and smiled.
	“Tell your investors to invest $500,000 and make sure we don’t get caught” The old man smiled as he reached across to shake the stupendously stupid boss’s hand. They shook hands and they both smiled, shortly after the old man reassuring him that the return rate will be exponential compared to his competitors. But, before he could leave, the boss had a question.
	“I’m so glad your calm now, but why were you nervous before? You are an excellent sales person. If this deal goes well, I might just get a job with you here.” The old man smiled. He had heard this countless times before and he would always defend his nervousness with how he always dealt with small businesses and never with big corporations with futures. But this time was the response was different.
	“I was walking this morning and this truck almost hit me. I could’ve died today but what struck me was that there was no moment where I relived all the good moments in my life. There was no time where I saw all the memories from my past and I just felt uneasy.” The old man paused, keeping the small tear in his eye and trying to finish his discussion so he wouldn’t lose the sale. “I guess I thought today was my day of bad luck and I wasn’t going to secure a sale. My boss was disappointed by my numbers and I needed a smart man with money to turn my day around.” The old man smiled. A genuine smile he hadn’t felt in years. The boss walked around the desk, handed the old man the briefcase and assured him that this was the turning point in his life. He was bound to be great someday, this was his day.
	The old man left the building with the money in tow, ready for his retirement to start. He smiled to himself, tapping the briefcase he worked so hard to achieve. Crossing the street, he realized that he never counted the money; he didn’t even take a look at it making sure it was there. His happiness turned sour as he looked around for somewhere he could count it. He saw a bar about a block away and casually hurried to the door. He rushed through the bar and ran straight for the bathroom. He closed the door and locked it, making sure that no one was in any of the stalls before opening the case and checking the contents. Someone started to walk in and then knocking was heard, signaling him to hurry up. He made sure at least $100,000 was there before he closed the case and unlocked the door. Some old drunk, even though it wasn’t even noon yet, rushed to the urinals as the old man cheerfully left the bathroom.

title: The Watch (short story I wrote for school)

question: What does the protagonist hope to earn?

answer: A briefcase full of over $100,000


text:
"What is this?!" For the first time in my life l think I felt fear.

Newspaper clippings bearing my name and face on them were stashed in crumpled heaps underneath my parents bed. It was too much for me to process. I began hyperventilating as I dashed to the stairs.

l tripped at the top and went flying down them crashing into the floor below. To my surprise, the stone floor cracked under me. I slowly lost conciousness as a warm red light flashed in my vision.

-Error 438. Cannot compute. Eror: 438..-

-o3o-

"I think we should burn those clippings. Or at least find a better hiding place," a gruff voice suggested.

"I-l can't. I don't want to lose him again. But l cant rid myself of our real son," a woman weeped.

"Shh. Sh. I think he's waking up."

title: [TH] Newspaper

question: What is in the newspaper clippings?

answer: Unclear, but it is stated that the narrator's name face are on them. The narrator finds them under their parent's bed.

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: Unclear.

question: Who is the gruff voice?

answer: Unclear, but it is suggested that this is the narrator's father.

question: Who is waking up?

answer: Unclear, but it seems as though it is the narrator that is waking up.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator finds a stash of newspaper clippings with his name and face on them. The narrator begins to hyperventilate and trips down the stairs. He lose consciousness. The narrator's parents stand over him, and the mother laments that she can't bring herself to get rid of her real son.


text:
VITALY ALEKSEEVICH NUIKIN (; 5 April 1939 - 1998) was a Soviet intelligence officer, and colonel of the KGB of the USSR.

Biography

Nuikin was born on 5 April 1939 in the village of Mokhovskoye in the of the Altai Krai in the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union in a family of employees.

In 1960 he graduated from the Faculty of International Relations of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

Since 1960, in a special reserve - Office “C” (illegal intelligence) of the First Chief Directorate (CCGT, foreign intelligence) of the State Security Committee (KGB) under the Council of Ministers of the USSR - KGB of the USSR - Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

The English slang language of Nuikin was individually taught by the legendary scout Konon Molodoy, and Danish by Oleg Gordievsky.[1]

Together with his wife Lyudmila, until 1986, Vitaly Nuykin worked in more than 18 countries. According to the official SVR certificate of the Russian Federation, published in January 2020, “illegal intelligence officers worked in states with a tough administrative-police regime in conditions involving a risk to life”.[2] According to the BBC Russian Service, the Nuikin couple pretended to be natives of French-speaking countries, their main activity took place in France, as well as in Africa and Southeast Asia. They specialized mainly in industrial intelligence.

In particular, in the 1960s, the Nuikins stole technology in the West that allowed them to produce drills for drilling oil and gas wells, which dramatically increased their margin of safety, and the use of drills became possible within 3–4 days, while the drills Soviet production when drilling wells failed after 3–4 hours of operation. Mastering the innovative, at that time, technology to increase the life cycle of drills allowed to increase productivity in Soviet oil and gas fields several times. This brought the Soviet Union profit, many times paying off the costs of maintaining dozens of illegal intelligence agents abroad. In France, in the 1970s, the Nuikins were able to register a company and steal military-industrial secrets for the Soviet missile and space complex. The spouses of Nuikin also collected information on the military-political situation in Western Europe.[3]

According to the official opinion of the Foreign Intelligence Service, “Vitaly Nuikin organized an agent apparatus, through which he regularly obtained particularly valuable information on strategic aspects of the policies of leading Western countries and scientific and technical issues.”

After the disclosure in the UK by fugitive colonel of the PSU of the KGB of the USSR Oleg Gordievsky of information about Soviet agents, Vitaly Nuikin, in order to avoid arrest, was forced to hide in the hold of a Soviet ship moored in port for several days. On the way to the USSR, Nuikin nearly drowned in a severe storm, but the ship was able to safely reach its destination. His wife had returned to the USSR a little earlier. After returning, the Nuikins continued to work at the Center. They retired in 1993.

In 1997, the ex-intelligence officer suffered a heart attack, doctors were able to extend his life only for a year. Vitaly Nuykin suddenly died in February 1998.

The Nuikin spouses had two sons - Yuri and Andrei (Andre), two grandchildren and two granddaughters. Of their sons, Yuri Vitalievich Nuikin was a colonel, while Andrey Vitalievich Nuikin (born 5 December 1976) graduated from the and as of 2020 is the head of the information systems security department of the global mining and metallurgical company Evraz.[4]

Until January 2020, the name of Vitaly Nuikin was classified. In 2018, Lyudmila Nuykina, without giving her spouse's name, spoke in detail about her husband's work in illegal intelligence and the joint production of foreign military and technical developments in an interview with RIA Novosti and Russia-1 TV program host .

On 28 January 2020 the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin, at a press conference with the news agency _Rossiya Segodnya_, named the Russian illegal intelligence agents who made a significant contribution to ensuring the country's security and protecting its interests. Among those named was Vitaly Nuikin. Data on the identity of the wife of Nuikin Lyudmila Ivanovna in illegal intelligence was officially announced by the SVR in September 2017.[5]

Family

Wife Lyudmila Nuikina - illegal intelligence officer, retired foreign service colonel.

Awards

-   Order of the October Revolution;
-   Order of the Red Banner (06/06/1984);
-   Medals of the USSR and the Russian Federation;
-   Badge “For service in intelligence.”[6]

[1] Русская разведчица-нелегал описала роды за границей

[2] Разведчица-нелегал Людмила Нуйкина: 8 марта мы втайне отмечали пельменями

[3] Рассекреченные шпионы СССР. СВР назвала их имена, но что еще о них известно?

[4] Андрей Нуйкин

[5] ДИРЕКТОР СВР РОССИИ С.Е. НАРЫШКИН НАЗВАЛ НОВЫЕ ИМЕНА РАЗВЕДЧИКОВ

[6] НУЙКИН ВИТАЛИЙ АЛЕКСЕЕВИЧ

title: Vitaly Nuikin

question: Why did Nuikin have to hide in a Soviet ship for several days?

answer: Oleg Gordievsky told the UK information about Soviet agents and Nuikin would have been arrested if he did not hide.

question: What would have happened if Kuikin was caught in the 1960s?

answer: If Kuikin was caught in the 1960s, he probably would've been arrested for industrial espionage, and the Soviets would not have had technologies such as safer oil and gas drills, and secrets for the Soviet missile and space complex.


text:
_LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING_ is a 1955 Deluxe color American drama-romance film in CinemaScope. Set in 1949–50 in Hong Kong, it tells the story of a married, but separated, American reporter Mark Elliot (played by William Holden), who falls in love with a Eurasian doctor originally from China, Han Suyin (played by Jennifer Jones), only to encounter prejudice from her family and from Hong Kong society.

The film was adapted by John Patrick from the 1952 autobiographical novel _A Many-Splendoured Thing_ by Han Suyin. The film was directed by Henry King.

The film later inspired a television soap opera in 1967, though without the hyphen in the show's title.

Summary

A widowed Eurasian doctor Han Suyin (Jones) falls in love with a married-but-separated American correspondent Mark Elliott (Holden) in Hong Kong, during the period of China's Civil War in the late 1940s. Although they find brief happiness together, she is ostracized by the greater Chinese community. After losing her position at the hospital, Suyin and her adopted daughter go to live with a friend while Mark is on an assignment during the Korean War. They write to each other constantly. She receives word Mark was killed and she goes to visit their favorite hilltop meeting place.

Cast

[Jennifer Jones as Dr. Han Suyin]

-   William Holden as Mark Elliott
-   Jennifer Jones as Dr. Han Suyin
-   Torin Thatcher as Humphrey Palmer-Jones
-   Isobel Elsom as Adeline Palmer-Jones
-   Murray Matheson as Dr. John Keith
-   Virginia Gregg as Anne Richards
-   Richard Loo as Robert Hung
-   Soo Yong as Nora Hung
-   Philip Ahn as Third Uncle
-   Donna Martell as Suchen, Suyin's sister

Production

The rights to the novel were bought by David Brown of 20th Century Fox for the producer Sol C. Siegel.[1] However, when he left the company the project was given to Buddy Adler. The screenplay struggled to get Motion Picture Production Code approval due to its themes of adultery and miscegenation.[2]

Parts of the film were shot on location in Hong Kong by second-unit director Otto Lang, which was unusual for its time. Two weeks of location filming in Hong Kong had been completed before the final screenplay had been finished by screenwriter John Patrick. He then had to adapt the screenplay to include as many of the shots as possible.

Despite the film's romantic subject and their chemistry on the screen, Holden and Jones could barely stand each other on set. Holden was turned off by Jones' obsessive involvement with her character and complaints about her makeup (which she said made her “look old”), about her costumes and about her dialogue. Soon they were barely speaking to one another. According to Holden's biography, Jones was also generally rude and abrasive to everyone involved in the production.[3] Their relationship was also not helped by Jones' worries about Holden's reputation as a womanizer. Holden claimed she chewed garlic before her love scenes, which she may have done to discourage him.[4] Once, Holden tried to make peace, offering Jones a bouquet of white roses, which she tossed back in his face.

The film was completed on time, within the planned three months schedule.

Locations

[The Foreign Correspondents' Club, then located at 41A Conduit Road, is portrayed in the film as a hospital. The building was demolished in the late 1960s.]

-   The former Mok residence located at 41A Conduit Road became the Foreign Correspondents' Club in 1951. In the film it is portrayed as a hospital. The building is now demolished and Realty Gardens apartment complex has occupied the site since 1970.[5]
-   The former colonial-style Repulse Bay Hotel, demolished in 1982, and now the site of The Repulse Bay apartment building.[6]
-   The Tai Pak Floating Restaurant, now part of the Jumbo Kingdom.[7]
-   The famous hill-top meeting place where the lovers used to meet was located in rural California and not in Hong Kong.

Reception

_Variety_ characterized it as “beautiful, absorbing.”

The film earned rentals of $4 million in the United States of America and Canada.[8]

In Ireland and Quebec (Canada), the censors did not like the suggestions of divorce and cut the film to make it appear that Holden was single.[9]

Awards and nominations

  Award                                          Category                                                                  Nominee(s)                          Result
  ---------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- --------
  Academy Awards[10][11]                         Best Motion Picture                                                       Buddy Adler
  Best Actress                                   Jennifer Jones
  Best Art Direction – Color                     Lyle R. Wheeler, George Davis, Walter M. Scott and Jack Stubbs
  Best Cinematography – Color                    Leon Shamroy
  Best Costume Design – Color                    Charles LeMaire
  Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture   Alfred Newman
  Best Song                                      “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” – Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster
  Best Sound Recording                           Carlton W. Faulkner
  Golden Globe Awards                            Best Film Promoting International Understanding                           _Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing_
  New York Film Critics Circle Awards            Best Actress                                                              Jennifer Jones
  Photoplay Awards                               Gold Medal                                                                _Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing_

Soundtrack

The music was initially commissioned from Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster as background music. It was extensively developed and woven into the film's orchestral score by Alfred Newman and his choral director Ken Darby. To make it eligible for the Best Original Song category of the Academy Awards lyrics were subsequently added. The original lyrics were rejected by the studio so new ones were written.[12] The resulting sentimental and upbeat song, “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing” was one of the first songs written for a movie to become No. 1 in the charts in the same year.

The song was subsequently recorded by The Four Aces and also by Jerry Vale, Nat King Cole, Danny Williams, and Frank Sinatra, among others. Italian-language versions were recorded by Nancy Cuomo, Neil Sedaka, and Connie Francis. Francis also recorded the song with its original English lyrics, and a German-language version, _Sag, weißt du denn, was Liebe ist_.

Here is a sample of the song's lyrics:

In the film, charged romantic moments occur on a high grassy, windswept hill in Hong Kong. In the bittersweet final scene on the hilltop, the song (heard on the sound track) recalls the earlier encounters:

The theme song won the Academy Award for Best Song, and the recording by The Four Aces went to #1 on the charts for three weeks in 1955, shortly before rock and roll became a dominant force on the charts. Newman's orchestral score, which made heavy use of Fain's tune, also received an Oscar.

[1] Epstein. Page 317.

[2]

[3]

[4] Epstein. Page 321.

[5] Foreign Correspondents' Club - History - 41A Conduit Road

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12] Epstein. Page 322.

title: Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (film)

question: What are the obstacles faced by the production team of the film "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing"?

answer:
Though the rights to the movie were bought by David Brown of 20th Century Fx for producer Sol C. Siegel, the project was given to Buddy Adler. The film also struggled to get Motion Picture Production Code approval because of its themes of adultery.

The production team had to employ a different director to shoot separate scenes in Hong Kong which caused the screenwriter to adapt the screenplay so as to include many of the Hong Kong shots. Furthermore, the main actor and actress hated each other offset, which made filming a bit difficult. However, with all these obstacles, the film was completed on time.


text:
“Whiskey. Just a pinch,” Kyle asks, gesturing the amount with thumb and index finger.

The bartender obliged and  poured two fingers in a glass; Kyle hands him a five and two singles and waves off the change when he divvies up the remainder.

Thank the gods that day is over, Kyle thinks. It was a long, hard day at the store and of course, as most days when it is expected to be busy, the manager calls in 'sick'.

“Fucking cunt,” he says aloud; louder then he had expected and a woman sitting on a stool next to him overhears.

“Excuse me?” she says, her tone: annoyed.

“Sorry,” Kyle replies, “long day at work. Sort of ranting in my head about my boss. Guess some words slipped out.”

“Oh. I'm sorry then,” she slides back in her regular spot: facing the array of bottles on the various shelves behind the bar.

A few minutes pass and Kyle remains on the stool, whiskey still untouched. He swirls his glass in a circular motion until the golden colored liquid begins to spiral. Watching the whiskey spin about in the small crystal glass, he is reminded – for some reason – of the opening scene of Doctor Who; the moment when the Tardis is flying through space and time, through a vortex with an unknown destination. He takes a sip and the drink tells him to take another, then another, and then finally, the glass is empty and he finds himself waving the bartender back to pour another.

By the time he is on his third drink, the effects of the whiskey are coming alive inside him, leaving a warm sensation growing in his stomach and spreading up through his cheeks. A myriad of ways to get back at his boss brew in his whiskey-treading mind. The first and most relevant would be to call in sick this Friday; the last Friday before Christmas. His boss had told him that he had a family event to go to and he might not be able to make it in. Fuck you and your family, Kyle thinks and gulps another drink down and waves for another.

Halfway through his next drink, the woman comes back over, and by this time, he finds himself to be quite drunk and far too drunk to be able to conceal the audaciousness of it.

“I'm Clara by the way. Clara Oswald,” she says smiling and offering her hand.

“I'm Kyle Barnaby. Nice to meet you.” he extends his hand and shakes hers. As his hand is entangled in hers, he looks into her eyes and senses a strange familiarity in them; his mind and memory tells him he has seen them before; somewhere for sure but the time and place seem to be missing. Jesus I'm not that drink am I? He thinks and then says: “I'm sorry, but have we met before. I get the strangest feeling that I know you from somewhere. And that accent. British?”

“I don't believe we have met but I think we may have a mutual friend. And yes, I'm British,” she says as a hand runs through her hair to conceal the reddening of her cheeks and a faint smile.

“Who might this friend be? I'm sure I'd remember you if we've ever crossed paths. Your eyes are bright and beautiful and unlikely to slip my mind.” He takes another sip of the whiskey and decides beer will be the next drink.

“I don't know his name. He only goes by the Doctor.”

Okay that's odd, Kyle thinks and nearly spits the whiskey in the girls face.

“Something the matter?” She asks.

“No no. Course not. I'm fine. I'm sorry, did you say your name was Clara Oswald?”

“Yes,” she replies.

Then it had come back to him; she was from the show: Doctor Who.

I'm dreaming, he thinks – I have to be –  either that I'm losing my mind. Maybe shes just fucking with me, a look-a-like fucking around with a drunk. “Okay, say I do know the Doctor …  What do you – and him apparently – want with me?”

“I don't want anything with you. It's him. He's outside now – well, in the Tardis I mean – waiting for you. C'mon lets go,” she says hopping off the stool.

Kyle, confused as ever, downs his drink and hops off  his stool as well and turns towards Clara – or at least, the woman whom claimed to be her; a character from a T.V show. Fuck it, he thinks, what's the worst that could happen? She's just a tiny girl and even if I am losing my mind – or if she is – at least there's a chance I could get laid if nothing else.

“So which way are we heading?”

“Outside you bloke. Through the front door. The Tardis is next to a phone booth. Not like anyone is going to recognize it. A big plain old police telephone booth next to a regular one.”

“Unless they've seen the show,” Kyle mumbles.

“What show? Is there a show about big blue telephone boxes? Aha that sounds kind of silly. What kind of show are they going to think of next? One with sparkling vampires and werewolves with abs? Haha”

“Your telling me,” Kyle says, thinking about grabbing another drink – a shot maybe – before plundering into the abyss of what would either turn out to be the thrill of his life or a journey that would land him in a place his grandmother used to call the 'looney bin'. Before he had time to order the shot, Clara snatched the sleeve of his left arm and began hauling him toward the exit. Here we go, he thinks dubiously, time travel or a padded room.

Clara walking ahead of him, still gripping his sleeve, pushes the door open with her free hand; a cluster of bells hanging above the door begin to chime as the door collides into them – then, the peal of the bells stop abruptly as if there was more to be sang; the entire world freezes, all is still, and now Clara – who had once been dragging him outside – stood perfectly still halfway through the door with her hand still outstretched, gripping Kyle's sleeve.

“Sir?” A voice echoes from somewhere – everywhere. “Sir?” It says again.
Glancing around at his surroundings to find the source of the sound, he begins to feel a strange rubbing sensation on his right shoulder resembling a light massage.

“Sir? Hello? Wake up,” a cute waitress says standing next to Kyle, her hand rests on his shoulder. “Sir you fell asleep and my manager asked if I could wake you. I'm sorry.”

“No. no. It's fine. I'm the one who's sorry,” he replies looking at the waitress’s eyes and then glancing down to her name-tag which read: Clara.

“Do you want me to call you a cab?”

“No it's fine. I will. I need to go out for a smoke anyways. Thank you though.”

title: [OC] Whiskey Who

question: Summarize the kind of story Whiskey Who is.

answer: The story is very representative of the "it was all just a dream" kind of storytelling -one where the entirety of the tension and mystery is eventually undermined by the revelation that everything interesting that happened actually did not. For the passage, the dream was induced by a state of being intoxicated.

question: Who is the Doctor?

answer: The Doctor is Clara Oswald's companion, and he is aboard the Tardis which is outside the bar. His actual name is never given. He is also a character in a show that the narrator watches, Doctor Who.

question: Summarize why the narrator was hesitating to go with Clara.

answer: The narrator considered the possibility that he was being pranked or that he was losing his mind, so he was not able to quickly decide that the chance for adventure was worth the risk.


text:
A group of attorneys from the conservative group Checks & Balances have slammed Attorney General William Barr after he responded critically to the findings of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report on the FBI investigation into President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Although the 476-page report highlighted "misconduct" by lower-level FBI officials and "clear abuse of the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] process" to obtain a warrant to surveil a Trump campaign official, it largely discredited allegations that the FBI's leaders acted improperly to launch the probe. The findings concluded that the FBI had adequate reason to open the investigation because of valid concerns about Russian interference in the election.

Despite the independent inspector's findings, Barr voiced criticism of the FBI and its probe. "The FBI launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken," he said Monday.

In statements emailed to _Newsweek_, attorneys from Checks & Balances strongly criticized the attorney general's response to the report, while some also took aim at Trump. On its website, the organization describes its members as "a group of attorneys who would traditionally be considered conservative or libertarian." (_Newsweek_ reached out to the Justice Department for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.)

"Bill Barr has grossly mischaracterized and subverted the findings of the IG investigation report addressing the FBI investigation into Russian interference in our 2016 election," said Donald Ayer, a former deputy attorney general, former deputy solicitor general and former U.S. attorney, in his statement.

"The report's headline findings are that the investigation was properly initiated based on a sound factual basis, and that the allegations of 'witch hunt' and bias on the part of those overseeing it are without foundation," Ayer added. Trump and his supporters have routinely described the investigations into his 2016 campaign as a "witch hunt."

The attorney referred to Trump as Barr's "client," arguing that the president and the attorney general disregarded the independent inspector general's findings because the "outcome he reaches is not the one desired" by the president.

[William Barr]

U.S. Attorney General William Barr waits to speak during an event to present the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service in Policing on December 3. Drew Angerer/Getty
"The attorney general has returned to his playbook of distortion and obfuscation in a transparent effort to undermine the IG's meticulous, fact-based conclusions," former associate deputy attorney general Jonathan Rose, who also served as a special assistant to President Richard Nixon, said.

Carrie Cordero, a former counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security, pointed out that the report demonstrated that there was no "evidence of political bias or systematic abuse of surveillance authorities on the part of the FBI." The president and some of his supporters have continued to push such claims, despite the inspector general's findings.

"There was no evidence, testimonial or documentary, that political bias improperly motivated the FBI's decision to continue a counterintelligence investigation focused on Russian attempts to subvert the American political process and, most importantly, that there was sufficient probable cause from the outset to undertake that investigation," asserted Stuart Gerson, a former assistant and acting attorney general.

Responding to the report on Monday, Trump said: "It's a disgrace what's happened with respect to the things that were done to our country. It should never again happen to another president." On Tuesday, Trump also attacked FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom he appointed, after the bureau head gave his assessment of the report's findings, which was at odds with that of the president and the attorney general.

"I don't know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn't the one given to me. With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken despite having some of the greatest men & women working there!" Trump tweeted.

Cordero strongly criticized the president's attack on Wray, saying it betrayed the president's "own bias." She argued that Trump favors "personal loyalty and blind partisanship instead of dedication to mission and country."

"We should not accept as normal or acceptable a political leader who routinely seeks to damage the credibility of the leadership and institutions dedicated to keeping Americans safe," she said.

[Donald Trump and William Barr]

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Attorney General William Barr before presenting the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor during a ceremony on May 22. Chip Somodevilla/Getty

question: What does the article say about Russian interference?

answer: A report issued stated that the FBI had adequate reason to open an investigation into the Trump campaign because there were valid reasons to believe that there may have been Russian interference in the elections. "There was no evidence, testimonial or documentary, that political bias improperly motivated the FBI's decision to continue a counterintelligence investigation focused on Russian attempts to subvert the American political process and, most importantly, that there was sufficient probable cause from the outset to undertake that investigation," asserted Stuart Gerson, a former assistant and acting attorney general.


text:
DAWSON COUNTY is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 13,833.[1] The county seat is Lamesa.[2] The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1905.[3] It is named for Nicholas Mosby Dawson,[4] a soldier of the Texas Revolution. Dawson County comprises the Lamesa, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

A Dawson County was founded in 1856 from Kinney County, Maverick County and Uvalde County, but was divided in 1866 between Kinney County and Uvalde County. The current Dawson County was founded in 1876.

In 1943, the discovery well for the Spraberry Trend, the third-largest oil field in the United States by remaining reserves,[5] was drilled in Dawson County on land owned by farmer Abner Spraberry, for whom the geological formation and associated field were named. While most of the oil fields are in the counties to the south, a small portion of the Spraberry Trend is in Dawson County. Production on the field did not begin until 1949, and by 1951, an oil boom was underway in the area, with Midland at its center.[6]

Like all Texas counties as stipulated in the Texas Constitution of 1876, Dawson County has four commissioners chosen by single-member district and a countywide-elected county judge, the chief administrator of the county.

JAMES EDWARD “J. E.” AIRHART, SR. (1915-2007), served for 30 years from 1935 to 1985 on the Dawson County Commissioners Court, in which capacity he worked to obtain the county livestock and fair barn, the general aviation airport, and numerous highway improvements. He was instrumental in the successful negotiation of rights-of-way for U.S. Highway 87 north to O'Donnell and south to Ackerly. A farmer and rancher, Airhart also served on the board of the Klondike Independent School District and was a Baptist deacon.[7] J. E. “JIMMY” AIRHART, JR. (1935-2016), the oldest of Airhart's six children, was a farmer/rancher and educator, who was superintendent of the Dawson County Independent School District.[8] DONALD RAY AIRHART (1937-2017) was a cattleman in Dawson County who like his father, served on the Klondike School Board and worked with youth in stock shows and other agricultural pursuits.[9]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which are land and (0.2%) are covered by water.[10]

Major highways

-   [] U.S. Highway 87
-   [] U.S. Highway 180
-   [] State Highway 83
-   [] State Highway 137

Adjacent counties

-   Lynn County (north)
-   Borden County (east)
-   Martin County (south)
-   Gaines County (west)
-   Terry County (northwest)
-   Andrews County (southwest)
-   Howard County (southeast)

Demographics

As of the census[11] of 2000, 14,985 people, 4,726 households, and 3,501 families resided in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 5,500 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.47% White, 8.66% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 16.56% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. About 48.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 4,726 households, 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were not families. About 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 124.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 129.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,211, and for a family was $32,745. Males had a median income of $27,259 versus $16,739 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,011. About 16.40% of families and 19.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.20% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

[Medical Arts Hospital in Lamesa serves Dawson County residents.]

Cities

-   Ackerly (partly in Martin County)
-   Lamesa (county seat)
-   Los Ybanez
-   O'Donnell (mostly in Lynn County)

Census-designated place

-   Welch

Unincorporated communities

-   Klondike
-   Patricia

Politics

  Year                               Republican                                  Democratic                                  Third parties
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
  style=“text-align:center;” |2016   style=“text-align:center;” |74.0% _2,636_   style=“text-align:center;” |23.4% _835_     2.6% _92_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2012   style=“text-align:center;” |71.1% _2,591_   style=“text-align:center;” |28.0% _1,019_   0.9% _32_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2008   style=“text-align:center;” |71.0% _2,906_   style=“text-align:center;” |28.1% _1,152_   0.9% _38_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2004   style=“text-align:center;” |75.2% _3,419_   style=“text-align:center;” |24.5% _1,114_   0.3% _12_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2000   style=“text-align:center;” |69.0% _3,337_   style=“text-align:center;” |30.2% _1,463_   0.8% _39_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1996   style=“text-align:center;” |55.5% _2,319_   style=“text-align:center;” |38.6% _1,612_   5.9% _245_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1992   style=“text-align:center;” |55.4% _2,691_   style=“text-align:center;” |33.8% _1,639_   10.8% _525_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1988   style=“text-align:center;” |59.3% _3,154_   style=“text-align:center;” |40.5% _2,155_   0.2% _8_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1984   style=“text-align:center;” |67.2% _3,685_   style=“text-align:center;” |32.5% _1,781_   0.3% _17_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1980   style=“text-align:center;” |62.8% _3,267_   style=“text-align:center;” |35.9% _1,867_   1.4% _71_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1976   style=“text-align:center;” |53.2% _2,474_   style=“text-align:center;” |46.5% _2,162_   0.4% _17_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1972   style=“text-align:center;” |79.3% _3,247_   style=“text-align:center;” |20.7% _846_     0.1% _2_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1968   style=“text-align:center;” |46.3% _2,091_   style=“text-align:center;” |33.7% _1,522_   19.9% _900_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1964   style=“text-align:center;” |34.7% _1,691_   style=“text-align:center;” |65.1% _3,171_   0.1% _6_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1960   style=“text-align:center;” |50.9% _2,161_   style=“text-align:center;” |48.6% _2,063_   0.5% _22_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1956   style=“text-align:center;” |44.0% _1,615_   style=“text-align:center;” |55.8% _2,049_   0.2% _6_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1952   style=“text-align:center;” |53.3% _2,388_   style=“text-align:center;” |46.7% _2,093_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1948   style=“text-align:center;” |12.5% _393_     style=“text-align:center;” |82.9% _2,605_   4.6% _143_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1944   style=“text-align:center;” |16.4% _472_     style=“text-align:center;” |74.8% _2,149_   8.7% _251_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1940   style=“text-align:center;” |11.4% _361_     style=“text-align:center;” |88.5% _2,808_   0.2% _5_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1936   style=“text-align:center;” |7.8% _156_      style=“text-align:center;” |91.8% _1,829_   0.4% _7_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1932   style=“text-align:center;” |8.4% _153_      style=“text-align:center;” |91.5% _1,659_   0.1% _1_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1928   style=“text-align:center;” |77.2% _1,448_   style=“text-align:center;” |22.8% _427_     style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1924   style=“text-align:center;” |14.2% _185_     style=“text-align:center;” |83.1% _1,079_   2.7% _35_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1920   style=“text-align:center;” |17.9% _75_      style=“text-align:center;” |70.6% _296_     11.5% _48_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1916   style=“text-align:center;” |4.4% _14_       style=“text-align:center;” |90.6% _288_     5.0% _16_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1912   style=“text-align:center;” |8.1% _7_        style=“text-align:center;” |86.1% _74_      5.8% _5_

  : PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS[12]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5] Top 100 Oil and Gas Fields

[6] Handbook of Texas Online: Spraberry Oil Field

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[11]

[12]

title: Dawson County, Texas

question: Summarize the history of Dawson County, Texas.

answer: A Dawson County was created in 1856 from Kinney County, Maverick County and Uvalde County. Ten years later, it was divided between Kinney and Uvalde counties. The current Dawson County was founded in 1876. As stipulated in the Texas constitution of 1876, it has four commissioners chosen by a single-member district, and a country-wide elected county judge called the chief administrator of the county. The discovery well for the Spraberry Trend, the third-largest oil field in the United States, was drilled in Dawson County on Abner Spraberry's land in 1943. Most of the oil fields are in the southern counties, while a small portion of the Spraberry Trend is in Dawson County, and production didn't start until 1949. By 1951, an oil boom was underway in the area, with midland at its center.

question: What does the text say about James Edward Airhart, SR?

answer: Born in 1915 and died in 2007, James Airhart SR served on the Dawson County Commissioners Court for 30 years, from 1935 to 1985. Airhart also served on the Klondike International School District board and was a Baptist deacon. He worked to acquire the county livestock and fair barn, general aviation airport, and numerous highway improvements during his time. Airhart was also influential in the successful negotiation of rights-of-way for U.S Highway 87 north to O'Donnell and south to Ackerly. He had six children, the oldest J.E "Jimmy" JR was a farmer, educator and superintendent of the Dawson County Independent School District, while his younger son, Donald, followed in his footsteps and served on the Klondike School Board, and worked with the youths in stock shows and other agric pursuits.

question: What does the text say about Republicans from Dawson County?


text:
CARL WEBER (born 1964) is an American author and publisher.

He owns Urban Books, a publishing company, and formerly owned Urban Knowledge, a chain of bookstores.[1][2]

Weber is from Jamaica, Queens, New York.[3] He attended Virginia State University, where he received a B.S., and the University of Virginia, where he received an MBA.[4][5]

He published his first book, _Lookin' for Luv_, in 2000. _Man on the Run_ was a _Library Journal_ pick of the month;[6] _So You Call Yourself a Man_ was a _Library Journal_ bestseller.[7]

His _The Family Business_ series was made into a television series on BET.[8][9] The first season aired in 2018.[10] A second season set to air in 2020 was announced in 2019.[11] Weber's novel _Influence_ was adapted for BET Plus.[12]

Selected works

-   _Lookin' for Luv_. Dafina, 2000.
-   _Married Men_. Dafina, 2001.[13]
-   _Baby Momma Drama_. Kensington/Dafina, 2003 [14]
-   _Player Haters_. Kensington/Dafina, 2004.[15]

-   _The Preacher's Son_. Kensington/Dafina, 2005.[16]
-   _So You Call Yourself a Man_. Kensington/Dafina, 2006.[17]
-   _She Ain't the One_. Dafina, 2006.[18]
-   _Something on the Side_. Kensington/Dafina, 2008.[19]
-   _Up to No Good_. Kensington/Dafina, 2009.[20]
-   _Big Girls Do Cry_. Dafina Books, 2010.[21]
-   _Town between Two Lovers_. Kensington/Dafina, 2010.[22]
-   _Choir Director_. Kensington/Dafina, 2011.[23]
-   _The Man in 3B_. Grand Central, 2013.[24]
-   _Man on the Run_. Grand Central Publishing, 2017.[25]
-   _Influence_. Urban Books, 2018.

The Family Business series

-   _The Family Business_. With Eric Pete. Urban Books, 2012.
-   _The Family Business 2_. With Treasure Hernandez. Urban Books, 2013.
-   _The Family Business 3: The Return of Vegas_. With Treasure Hernandez. Urban Books, 2014.
-   _The Family Business 4_. With C.N. Phillips. Urban Books, 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4] Gale Literature: _Contemporary Authors_. Updated 2011-02-03.

[5]

[6]  African American Fiction (and More)|last=Welch|first=Rollie|website=Library Journal|access-date=2020-04-19}}

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

title: Carl Weber (American author)

question: What does the article say about Carl Weber's career?

answer: Carl Weber is an American author and publisher. He owns a publishing company Urban Books, and formerly owned a chain of bookstores 'Urban Knowledge'. His most notable books are Lookin' for Luv, Married Men, Baby Momma Drama, and Player Haters. His The Family Business series was made into a television series.

question: What does the story say about Weber's private life?


text:
[Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, left, in Geneva on Monday. “The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable,” he said.]

Credit...Magali Girardin/EPA, via Shutterstock

-   June 18, 2018

GENEVA — The United Nations’ top human rights official on Monday entered the mounting furor over the Trump administration’s policy of separating undocumented immigrant children from their parents, calling for an immediate halt to a practice he condemned as abuse.

United States immigration authorities have detained almost 2,000 children in the past six weeks, which may cause them irreparable harm with lifelong consequences, said Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights.

He cited an observation by the president of the American Association of Pediatrics that locking the children up separately from their parents constituted “government-sanctioned child abuse.”

“The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable,” Mr. al-Hussein said.

Video

transcript

transcript

How Trump’s Team Defends ‘Zero Tolerance’

The White House is responding to criticism of its policy against illegal border crossings in four very distinct ways.

    “No more free passes, no more get out of jail free cards, no more lawlessness.” “The United States will not be a migrant camp.” “What this administration is doing is inhumane.” “It is inconsistent with our American values.” “It’s barbaric.” “This I do think ought to be addressed.” “And I say it’s very strongly the Democrats’ fault.” “We would like to fix these loopholes. And if Democrats want to get serious about it, instead of playing political games, they’re welcome to come here and sit down with the president and actually do something about it.” “We cannot and will not encourage people to bring their children or other children to the country unlawfully by giving them immunity in the process.” “I have not been directed to do that for purposes of deterrence, no. My decision has been that anyone who breaks the law will be prosecuted.” “Our administration has had the same position since we started on Day 1, that we were going to enforce the law.” “... you to the apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.”

[Video player loading]

The White House is responding to criticism of its policy against illegal border crossings in four very distinct ways.CreditCredit...Tom Brenner/The New York Times
His intervention added to an escalating chorus of condemnation from people across the political spectrum in the United States, including the former first lady Laura Bush, who called the separations “cruel” and “immoral.” But Mr. al-Hussein risked retaliation by the Trump administration, widely believed to be pondering pulling out from the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

President Trump turned to Twitter early Monday to blame Democrats for the current situation: “Why don’t the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world’s worst immigration laws?” he wrote.

The high commissioner’s office had already condemned the practice of separating children from their parents this month, calling it a serious violation of children’s rights and international law. That drew an angry rebuke from Nikki R. Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, who accused the agency of ignorance and hypocrisy.

Her response illustrated the administration’s deepening impatience with United Nations human rights mechanisms that Ms. Haley has accused of “chronic bias” against Israel and of overlooking the abuses major human rights violators — even allowing them to become Human Rights Council members.

Image[A protest against thhe recent immigration policy of separating children from their families when they enter the United States as undocumented immigrants, in front of a Homeland Security facility in Elizabeth, N.J., on Sunday.]

Credit...Stephanie Keith/Reuters

Diplomats from the United States mission in Geneva attended the start of a new council session on Monday, but rights advocates and envoys of other countries continued to ask how long the Americans would remain there.

Mr. Trump has shown his disdain for the multilateral organizations and agreements that have long been central to world affairs, withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord, trade pacts and the Iran nuclear deal, imposing tariffs on trade, and undermining other international agreements.

Those tensions did not deter Mr. al-Hussein, an outspoken advocate for human rights, from raising the issue of families being pulled apart as they enter the United States, many of them illegally and others requesting asylum.

Opening the last session of the Human Rights Council before he steps down in August, he voiced deepening concern about a threat to global stability posed by the nationalist agendas of “self-serving, callous leaders.” Mr. al-Hussein warned that “the more pronounced their sense of self-importance, the more they glory in nationalism, the more unvarnished is the assault on the overall common good — on universal rights, on universal law and universal institutions, such as this one.”

The escalating attack on the multilateral system and its rules, he said, would only increase the risk “of further mischief on a grander scale.”

The high commissioner’s final overview of human rights around the world after four years in office earned a standing ovation from a packed council chamber.

question: What is the main subject of the article?

answer: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights's criticism of the Trump administration's policy of separating undocumented migrant children from their parents

question: Approximately when was the article written?

answer: June 2018

question: Who is Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein?

answer: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

question: How many children have been detained?

answer: Almost two thousand

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has condemned the Trump administration's practice of separating undocumented migrant children from their parents, calling it child abuse.


text:
The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that it intends to shovel taxpayer dollar bills into the furnace of the president*’s imbecilic rage in a futile attempt to kill the publication of John Bolton’s upcoming book. Predictably, the book has found its way into the hands of Peter Baker at _The New York Times._ Which is the perfect result, because we all get to read the good stuff without shoveling our dollar bills into Bolton’s pockets. Win-win.

And the good stuff is...so _gooooood._

  Mr. Bolton describes several episodes where the president expressed willingness to halt criminal investigations “to, in effect, give personal favors to dictators he liked,” citing cases involving major firms in China and Turkey. “The pattern looked like obstruction of justice as a way of life, which we couldn’t accept,” Mr. Bolton writes, adding that he reported his concerns to Attorney General William P. Barr...It is a withering portrait of a president ignorant of even basic facts about the world, susceptible to transparent flattery by authoritarian leaders manipulating him and prone to false statements, foul-mouthed eruptions and snap decisions that aides try to manage or reverse.

Oh, my.

  Mr. Trump did not seem to know, for example, that Britain is a nuclear power and asked if Finland is part of Russia, Mr. Bolton writes. He came closer to withdrawing the United States from NATO than previously known. Even top advisers who position themselves as unswervingly loyal mock him behind his back. During Mr. Trump’s 2018 meeting with North Korea’s leader, according to the book, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slipped Mr. Bolton a note disparaging the president, saying, “He is so full of shit.”

Truth is an absolute defense.

Make no mistake. Bolton is still the same neoconservative monger of war that he’s always been. According to Baker, one of Bolton’s primary goals within the administration* was to wreck the Iran nuclear deal and the treaty on intermediate-range missiles. And, in the long view of history, his reluctance to share all the good stuff under oath during the impeachment process marks him lousy as a poltroon, even though it was the Republicans in the Senate who blocked his testimony there. The guy was little more than a sunshine patriot, more grasping than most. But what he has written is important evidence that, yes, electing a reality-show dirigible accused of sexual assault and with a taste for bankruptcies as President* of the United States was not the best idea anyone ever has had.

  Mr. Bolton, however, had nothing [but] scorn for the House Democrats who impeached Mr. Trump, saying they committed “impeachment malpractice” by limiting their inquiry to the Ukraine matter and moving too quickly for their own political reasons. Instead, he said they should have also looked at how Mr. Trump was willing to intervene in investigations into companies like Turkey’s Halkbank to curry favor with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey or China’s ZTE to favor President Xi Jinping.

If only there had been some place Bolton could have taken all these concerns a few months back.

_Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page here._

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

question: What does the author say about Mr Bolton's character?

answer: The author is clearly not impressed by Mr Bolton. He calls him a "Neoconservative monger of war". He claims that one of Bolton’s primary goals within the administration* was to wreck the Iran nuclear deal and the treaty on intermediate-range missiles. He also suggests that Bolton is less than honest in his handling of matters to do with Trump.

question: What claims does Bolton make in his book?

answer: Mr. Bolton describes several episodes where the president expressed willingness to halt criminal investigations “to, in effect, give personal favors to dictators he liked,” citing cases involving major firms in China and Turkey. “The pattern looked like obstruction of justice as a way of life. The book is a withering portrait of a president ignorant of even basic facts about the world, susceptible to transparent flattery by authoritarian leaders. Mr. Trump did not seem to know, for example, that Britain is a nuclear power and asked if Finland is part of Russia. He came closer to withdrawing the United States from NATO than previously known.


text:
WASHINGTON — The eyes of the political world are focusing on Tuesday's closely fought special election between state Sen. Troy Balderson and Franklin County Recorder Danny O’Connor.

>>Read more: Do you live in the 12th district? Here’s what you need to know about the special election

A half-dozen factors to watch as the race for the open 12th Congressional District seat draws to a close:

1. The early vote

When the first results are announced Tuesday, Democrat O'Connor almost certainly will be ahead.

That's because early votes are unveiled shortly after the polls close, and Democrats have dominated those ballots. The rest of the evening is spent counting Election Day votes, which Balderson is likely to have more of.

Democrats got an early advantage by sending out their “request for absentee ballot” forms earlier than Republicans, and the hard work paid off: As of Thursday, 12,579 Democrats in the district had requested early ballots, with 10,565 actually returning them. By contrast, 11,398 Republicans had requested ballots, while 7,757 had returned them.

Through Friday, 55 percent of the early votes had come from registered Democrats in Franklin, Delaware and Licking counties — which contain about four-fifths of the 12th District's population — compared with 30 percent from Republicans, according to figures compiled by election statistics guru Mike Dawson. Compare that to a Republican advantage of 35 percent to 26 percent in the November 2016 vote, and the Democratic turnaround is obvious.

That means the outcome could come down to Democratic enthusiasm vs. late get-out-the-vote pushes by Republicans featuring President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the heavily GOP district.

>>Read more: For more 2018 election coverage visit Dispatch.com/Election-News

2. The timing

Aug. 7 is, according to one GOP operative, a “lousy” time to have an election. Not only is it in the dead of summer, it’s also the week before school begins for much of the state. That’s a key week for vacations.

But it’s also the only game in town — in fact, the last game in town — until November, meaning political reporters are destined to sweep in during the final days of the campaign for the inevitable state-of-the-midterms story. So while the population may be more sparse, the attention will be acute.

3. The turnout

This means the early vote may take on additional importance. It will definitely mean that turnout is everything in this election. Voters traditionally show up at a lower level during midterms. They vote at an even-lower level during special elections.

The winner will be the one who motivates voters to get out at a time when casting a ballot is at the bottom of most people’s list of priorities. Republicans already concede that, in retrospect, they wish they’d spent more time on get–out–the–vote efforts.

That's why President Trump's visit Saturday to Olentangy Orange High School was regarded as so important. Trump delivered his usual mix of praise for local Republicans who support him, braggadocio, harsh condemnation of O'Connor and the news media and factual misstatements in an attempt to gin up lackluster GOP interest.

>> Related story: Balderson won’t address Kasich claim he did not invite Trump to central Ohio

However, on the day after the president's rally, the totals for traditionally Republican Delaware County early in-person voters from Sunday were 158 Democrat, 157 Republican and 125 unaffiliated.

Democrats continued to dominate Franklin County early voting; it was 556 to 127 over the GOP on Sunday.

>> Q&A: Danny O’Connor and Troy Balderson respond to the Dispatch Voters Guide

4. The cash

Way back when he was in Congress last year, Rep. Pat Tiberi was a big reason that incumbents had such a heavy cash advantage over challengers. When he announced he was leaving Congress in October, the Genoa Township Republican had $6.6 million in his campaign coffers — more than four times as much as any other Ohio U.S. House incumbent.

Times have changed.

Between July 1 and July 18, O’Connor raised $587,875. Balderson raised $138,776. O’Connor had $129,201 in the bank, while Balderson had $208,032. And, in a sign of broader Democratic enthusiasm, O'Connor was just one of six Democrats in Republican-held Ohio congressional districts that outraised a GOP incumbent.

In other words, the Democratic grassroots are motivated this year to put their own resources into November. But will it be enough in districts gerrymandered by the GOP?

5. Delaware County

Republicans concede that O’Connor will likely win Franklin County handily. They’re confident about Muskingum, Marion, Licking, Morrow and Richland counties.

The X-factor, however, is Delaware County — a big reason Trump visited there Saturday.

The county supported Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton by 15 points in 2016. But while that seems a solid lead, it was narrower than in most other counties in Ohio. The county is also heavily populated by a more business-friendly, moderate breed of Republican than the populist Trump.

“It’s not a question of whether Balderson carries Delaware or Licking counties,” said Herb Asher, a political science professor emeritus at Ohio State University. “It really is the margins. O’Connor can make some in-roads there.”

>>Read more: Get complete coverage at Dispatch.com/politics

6. Surrogate city

Balderson has gotten endorsements from Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — possibly the first time in months the two have agreed on anything significant. The Zanesville lawmaker got Trump to come in for him last weekend and Vice President Mike Pence to visit twice. And he’s drawn the support of the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super-PAC affiliated with House Speaker Paul Ryan, which has poured more than $2.5 million into his race.

O’Connor has key endorsements from Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Joyce Beatty and Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady, but O'Connor hasn’t brought in the sort of political celebrities Balderson has. The Democrat was left off a list of candidates former President Barack Obama endorsed last week.

O'Connor has received outside support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but the amount pales in comparison to what the CLF and the NRCC have dumped into the race. And, most notably, he’s shunned House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

If Balderson wins, it means the Republican establishment — pretty much all of it, including Trump supporters and never-Trumpers — successfully united to defend a long-held GOP district. If O’Connor wins, it’s a sign that the GOP can throw everything but the proverbial kitchen sink at a race in friendly territory and still go down this year. And O'Connor's running criticism of the GOP tax revamp as a campaign issue could provide a road map for Democratic campaigns for November.

“The 12th is the canary in the coal mine for Republicans,” said David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron. “And if the canary dies, I think many Republican Congress people are going to be looking for jobs.”

jwehrman@dispatch.com

@JessicaWehrman

question: What does the text say about overseas voting?

question: What does the text say about Danny O'Connor?

answer: Danny O'Connor is the Franklin County Recorder who is running for the open 12th Congressional District seat in the state of Ohio. O'Connor, a Democrat, has an early lead against state Sen. Troy Balderson, a Republican, because of early voting returns. In terms of campaign funding, O'Connor was able to raise $587,875 and had $129,201 in the bank between July 1 and July 18. Although O'Connor has key endorsements from Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Joyce Beatty, and Franklin County Commissioner John  O'Grady, he wasn't on the list of candidates former President Barack Obama endorsed. O'Connor has also shunned House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. One of O'Connor's campaign issues is his running criticism of the GOP tax revamp.

question: What does the text say about Troy Balderson?

answer: State Sen. Troy Balderson is the Republican candidate for the 12th Congressional District of Franklin County, Ohio. He is being endorsed by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence because of the lackluster GOP interest in him. Balderson has also gotten endorsement and support from Ohio Gov. John Kasich and the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super-PAC affiliated with House Speaker Paul Ryan. However, Balderson is behind Democratic candidate Danny O'Connor in early voting, 556 to 127. He is also behind his rival when it comes to campaign fundraising, only raising $138,776 while having $208,032 in the bank.

question: What does the text say about the timing of the election?

answer: According to one GOP operative, the August 7 date is a "lousy" time to have an election. It is the dead of summer and it's also the week before school begins for much of the state. It is the week when vacations take place. While the population might be more sparse, the attention will be acute.


text:
Today, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that married same-sex couples should have the same parenting rights as different sex couples in a Lambda Legal case on behalf of Chris Strickland, a non-biological lesbian mother who was denied legal parentage for children she and her now ex-wife planned for and raised together.

The court remanded the appeal, filed with local counsel Dianne Ellis, back to the trial court.

Justice David M. Ishee wrote: “Under Mississippi law, an anonymous sperm donor does not possess any parental right…” “As for Christina’s parental rights…we reverse the chancery court finding that Christina acted in loco parentis, but was not an equal parent with parental rights to Z.S.”

“This is a great day. Even though I’ve been a mom since the beginning, taking care of them and loving them, today the Court made me their parent in every sense of the word,” said Chris Strickland. “It is a relief that my status as a parent in my son’s life can never be questioned or stripped away.”

“Today’s ruling is confirmation for thousands of married couples in Mississippi who know that the love, care, and responsibility that comes with being a mom or dad goes far beyond the blood relationship of an anonymous sperm donor,” said Beth Littrell, Lambda Legal Counsel. “The Court recognized that marriage equality as the law of the land in Mississippi. No matter the gender of your spouse, all married couples and their children now receive the same respect for their parent-child relationships when they bring children into their families through reproductive technology.”

Today’s ruling by the Mississippi Supreme Court adheres to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage ruling in _Obergefell v. Hodges_ by calling for greater respect for the families formed by same-sex couples and their recognition as full-fledged parents of their children. The Court reversed the trial court’s ruling that Strickland was a non-parent and named her on her son’s birth certificate as a parent. The two moms will return to the trial court on equal footing to determine custody.

Chris Strickland and her former spouse Kimberly Day began dating in 1999, and soon decided to start a family together despite Mississippi’s ban on marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. Because of the adoption ban, they decided that Kim alone would adopt their first son.

The couple married in Massachusetts in 2009 and then began planning to expand their family, this time using reproductive technology. They agreed that Kim would carry the child, and she became pregnant in 2010 using an anonymous donor.

When their second son was born, Chris was the first to hold him. Because the state did not recognize their marriage, only Kim was listed on the birth certificate, but the baby boy was given Chris’ last name. Both Chris and Kim are named as his parents on his birth announcement. Chris and Kim raised their two children together, and for the first year of his life, Chris was the baby’s primary caretaker. The boys call Kim ‘mom’ and they call Chris ‘mama.’

When the couple’s relationship ended in 2013, Chris continued to parent their boys, visiting with and providing support for both children until Kim abruptly decided to cut all contact in August 2015. Kim married her current spouse on August 13 and Chris filed for divorce on August 31.

In October 2016, in the divorce final judgment, Kim’s husband was blocked from adopting the children and Chris was awarded visitation rights and ordered to pay child support for both children, but the court went further and ruled that Chris was not the full legal parent to her second son because the anonymous sperm donor’s rights as a father supersede Chris’ rights as his second parent.

In June, Lambda Legal filed an appeal in the Mississippi Supreme Court arguing that the chancery court did not rule in the best interests of the child and violated the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution by ignoring the bond between Chris and her son and dismissing the needs of married couples who use assisted reproductive technology to create families.

By denying Chris’ status as the full legal parent of the children, the Court has marked Chris and her children as unworthy of the usual parenting protections that come with marriage. In November, Lambda Legal argued that the lower court ruling carved out an exception to the family law rules and did not account for the myriad ways that people make families, including same-sex couples, and that to consider anonymous sperm donor’s “rights” as a parent over the non-biological parents who have cared for the children since birth is not in the best interest of these children.

In 2016, Lambda Legal won a landmark victory in New York striking down a 25-year-old court ruling that preventing non-biological parents from seeking custody of their children. Lambda Legal has been successful in similar cases in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Iowa.

question: Who is Chris Strickland?

answer: A non-biological lesbian mother fighting for the legal parental rights of the children she is raising.

question: When was this article published?

answer: The text doesn't explicitly say but sometime after 2016.

question: Explain all information specific to Obergefell v. Hodges in this text.

answer: Obergefell v. Hodges refers to a 2015 case taken to the U.S. Supreme Court that had to do with marriage laws.

question: Who is Kim in relationship to Chris?

answer: Kim (Kimberly Day) was married to Chris (Christina Strickland) and is now her ex.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article follows the journey of Chris Strickland in fighting for the parental rights of her children against her ex-spouse, Kim. The report seems to have been prompted by the ruling of the Mississippi Supreme Court that same-sex couples should have the same rights as different-sex couples, a case brought to court by Lambda Legal on Chris's behalf.