text:
Any feedback on this first chapter of this short story is welcome. I just want to see if this is worth continuing writing or not. Thanks!

Chapter 1:
There’s nothing out here anymore. Occasionally we’ll pass a car or two pulled off to the side of the road, but for the most part, it’s just fields and hay bales.  We’re headed to Rainwood, North Carolina. Supposedly, there’s a safe haven there.

My shotgun’s in the back seat, and I’m holding onto my pistol, only because David told me that you can’t ever be too careful out here. You never know when you’ll come up on something that can take your life in an instant. Especially if you’re in the situation we’re in now. Our gas tank is empty, and our car is stopped, dead. David turns to me. “Alright,” he says as he unbuckles his seatbelt and grabs his gun from behind him, “let’s go.” I reach back, grab my gun, and put my pistol back in the holster on my hip. Luckily for us, there’s a several car pile-up on the highway about thirty yards from where we are. Maybe we can find some supplies, some gas, or even better, another car.

David slings his gun over his shoulder, and I do the same, and we begin to walk. The silence, aside form the slight buzzing of insects around us, is comforting. It makes me feel safe, like I know were alone out here. Like *they* aren’t one step behind us everywhere we go. When we arrive at the jam, David immediately tells me to start searching the abandoned cars for supplies. He walks to the semi-truck about a quarter mile away from me, and I begin searching the cars in front of me. There’s about nine or ten here, so it shouldn’t take too long. Or at least that’s what I thought until I opened the back seat of the first car. I stop, frozen in my tracks, staring. Toy cars, a teddy bear, a baby’s car seat… all covered in an unnatural amount of blood. I can feel tears welling up in my eyes, and even though it’s hard not to, I can’t cry. I have to be strong, or, at least pretend I am for David. I don’t want him to think I’m weak, or that he has to always protect this “innocent girl.” What the hell happened to the world though? “Stop.” I tell myself. “Stop questioning. It’s over. The damage has been done.”

David always tells me that you can question all you want, but questioning isn’t going to get you anywhere. You just need to deal with the circumstances the way they are. So I need to let this one go, as fucked up as it is. This can’t be our fault like the preacher on the radio said though, can it? He said, and I quote, “Sinners. You, your friends, your family, all of you. You are the cause. You’ve brought this on to yourselves. Almighty God has judged you, and this… this is your punishment.”  No, this can’t be my… our fault. There’s no way we can be blamed for the state of the world now. But when someone pins the blame on you like that, you feel bad. You feel bad for the death, the innocence, and the heartache that the world has come into.

“David?” I call out, and he answers almost immediately, “Yeah?” “Come help me search the rest of these cars.” I say, and he walks to where I am. As he arrives, he sees the car seat and toys, and I can tell that he feels just the same as I do about it. “Keep looking.” He tells me. “I got this one.” I can tell he doesn’t want it, the sadness is in his voice, but as I walk away, I’m thankful that he’s there for me. I’m glad I don’t have to look through the mess in that car anymore, though I can’t help feel bad for him. I walk to a Nineteen-Seventy’s looking pick-up truck, and peek over the edge of the bed to see if there’s anything worth taking. A toolbox. That could be good for something, you never know. I hop in to the bed of the truck and look at the small metal box in front of me, hoping, just hoping that there’s something useful in it. As I open the lid, I glance at David, now searching some sort of two-thousand’s SUV. He’s got the same serious, concerned look on his face that he always wears. I look back down at the box, now open, to see a pistol with two boxes of nine millimeter ammo next to it. The next thing out of my mouth is a cheer. “Shhh!” I hear David from behind me. He’s right. Those things, the dead, could be anywhere. I cover my mouth with both hands. “Sorry!” I say in a whisper, and wave at him to go back to his business.

In the normal world, back before the outbreak started and the virus spread, it was just some stories on the news. ‘Ya know, “A man viciously attacked another man at So-and-So Mall today, taking a bite out of his flesh…” or “So-and-So Prison was quarantined today after several inmates killed and ate two of the guards, displaying the same symptoms of those infected in Asia, Europe, Australia, Mexico, and America…” But after a while, things got more serious. The CDC called it a virus, religious groups called it the wrath of God, and apocalypse nuts called it the zombie apocalypse. Whatever it was, it spread like wildfire. Soon enough, ninety-percent of the world’s population (or, so reported the World News) was infected, and there really wasn’t any hope of a cure, or survival at all for that matter. The army moved in and they were overrun almost immediately by the infected. Civilians were told to stay indoors and wait for help, though it never came. Bombs were dropped on the streets, cities were devastated, highways piled up, and people were killed. So now we’re here. David and I could be some of the last living people on the planet. The rest are either dead or turned into those monsters. So we just try to survive. That’s our goal. Survival.

Naturally, when we heard word of a safe house in Rainwood, we thought it was the best possible thing that we could do for ourselves, considering that, prior to this, we set up shop in the storm cellar of a farm house, living off of 1 can of sardines a day, split between the two of us. You could say it was pretty hard for the first couple of weeks.

I pull the pistol out of the box, but immediately retract my hand when I feel what I know see is a sticky clear substance, kind of like saliva covering the handle. I don’t want to think about what that is or why it’s on this gun, so I just pull out my bandana and wipe the handle off. As I put the two boxes of ammo in my backpack and the gun in my belt, I hear David yell, “Sarah, we’ve gotta’ go, now!” Quickly, I stand to my feet and look toward where he’s yelling from, but I don’t see him anywhere. To my surprise, however, what I do see are the brake lights of a silver minivan. I hop out of the bed of the truck almost to excitedly, and run toward the van. I open the door, and sit it the seat trying to catch my breath. “Tank’s full.” David says, and I turn to him, smiling. He smiles back, and begins to drive.

This is the first good thing that’s happened to us since this all began.

As David drives, he asks me if I’ve found anything valuable. Without a word, I smile and pull out my backpack. “What?” He says with a chuckle. I know he’s going to like this. First, I pull out the gun and hand it to him. “Nice! Jericho nine-forty-one. This is good.” He says happily. “That’s not all buddy.” I say as I pull out both boxes of ammo. “What? Are you kidding me? This is awesome!” he says even more excitedly than before. He smiles and so do I. It feels so good to know he’s proud of me. Ever since this all started, and ever since I met him, he’s been the only person I’ve had, so it’s good to know that at least someone is.

And that’s it, we’re back on the road again. We’ve got a good ten-hour car ride ahead of us. That’s four and a half states to cross through, and that’s only if everything goes smoothly. Rainwood, here we come.

title: [AA] Dead

question: Explain Sarah's general feelings and observations about her surroundings as she travels with David.

answer:
Sarah noticed there is nothing out there as she and David drove towards Rainwood, North Carolina. Occasionally, the couple would go past a car or two laying by the roadside, but the scenery is mainly dominated by nature. The couple soon stopped and abandoned their car once the gas tank was empty. They took their guns and headed for a car-pileup thirty yards away to scavenge for supplies, gas, or a better car.
Sarah observed the silence around her and is comforted. She felt safe, though she knew that the infected people could spring on them anytime and turn them into zombies. She opened a car and notices a teddy bear, a baby car seat... all covered in blood. She felt like crying but restrained herself for David's sake. She did not want him to think of her as a weak person. Sarah checks out the back of a truck and found a pistol and two boxes of ammo. She was excited and cheered but David shushed her so that the zombies won't be attracted to their location.

question: Who is in charge of the safe place in Rainwood?


split: test

text:
The former US secretary of state John Kerry has warned that humanity risks marching off a cliff unless governments take immediate action to fight the climate emergency.

In a keynote address to the Global Table food and agriculture conference, Kerry made veiled swipes at the Australian government’s lack of climate and energy policy. He also weighed in on the heated debate about the massive Adani coalmine proposed for north Queensland.

“We just can’t sit on our asses and leave the political process to neanderthals who don’t want to believe in the future,” Kerry told the audience in Melbourne. “We have a dearth of leadership, but this will turn.”

The former US Democratic presidential candidate said it was not a choice between taking action on the climate emergency and securing jobs and growth.

“They are not separate. And anybody who persists in putting forward that notion that you have to make the choice – you can either have jobs plus prosperity or you can protect the environment and the future. That’s a lie.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of people running around trying to save the status quo – when the status quo is actually feeding a lot of jobs that don’t make sense.”

He said the transition to carbon emission-neutral economies would create better jobs and noted that the fastest growing employment opportunities in the US were for solar power and wind power turbine technicians.

He contrasted the growing US solar workforce of 300,000 people with the declining coal workforce of 50,000. Two years ago 75% of new electricity coming online in the US was renewable energy compared with 0.2% coal.

“We have to make better choices,” Kerry said.

He cast doubt over continued investment in the coal sector, acknowledging the controversy surrounding the Adani coalmine in Australia. “I got to tell you, we should not be moving to coal, we should not be encouraging coal, we should not be building infrastructure around coal,” he said to rousing applause from the audience.

He talked up the future of small-generation nuclear power, citing its safe use by the US Navy. But experts have cast doubt on the technology because of cost, technical limitations and its failure to be deployed commercially anywhere in the world.

Kerry said people arguing that the cost of action to fight the climate emergency was too great were not factoring in the massive storm and disaster damage bills.

In 2017 the category five hurricanes Irma and Maria and the category four hurricane Harvey cost $265bn to clean up.

“Wait and see what happens with Dorian,” Kerry said.

He likened the money needed for climate action to the scale of the Marshall plan to rebuild Europe after the second world war.

The Australian government has resisted calls to invest more cash in the UN’s Green Climate Fund. Australia has previously pledged $200m to the fund to help developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change and cut their own greenhouse gas emissions.

“It’s to help those developing nations leapfrog the mistakes and get modern technology,” Kerry said. “We said we would put $100bn in that fund to help these smaller nations do this transition … But do you know how much money is in that fund? Less than $5bn. Come on, folks, that’s not serious.”

He compared the global response to “lemmings marching off the cliff into the sea”.

Kerry was critical of the Trump administration’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate change action pact but said state governors and mayors across the country were stepping up to the plate.

The Global Table conference continues until Friday.

question: What was John Kerry's concern with the environment?

answer: He believes the government isn't doing enough to prioritize our climate situation.

question: What does John Kerry mean when he says the status quo is actually feeding a lot of jobs that don't make sense?

answer: He believes that a lot of funding goes into jobs that don't offer much help environmentally. He said the transition to carbon emission-neutral economies would create better jobs and noted that the fastest-growing employment opportunities in the US were for solar power and wind power turbine technicians.

question: Why do experts doubt his promises?

answer: Because of cost and technical limitations.

question: Why did Austalia resist calls to invest more cash in the UN's Green Climate Fund?

answer: Information can't be found.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Former US Secretary State John Kerry claims the government is not doing enough to fight the current climate emergency. Although he promises to prioritize this, experts doubt him because of cost and technical limitations.


text:
Duality

(second half is in the comments- it was too long for me to post up in one piece and I'm not cool enough to have a blog to post this on)

He must have fallen asleep. Suddenly awake, he sat up, the bed bobbed back and forth. Until he awoke he hadn’t realized that he was sleeping. He wondered if enlightenment was like that. Then he remembered his predicament, how the days just blurred together. White walls, white floors, white sheets, it all blurred together like foamy white bubbles, just white interrupted by more white. It all was beginning to feel normal now.

Even the nurse had white skin, white hair, white scrubs and a little white voice that innocently asked him, as it always did, “Are you going to get out of bed today Donald?"

Oh no, he knew what this girl-- parading around in white—was up to. He wasn’t insane in the ways they thought he was. He could see the truth through their lies. He could see everything. He saw her little white cap, her bleached white teeth, and her white little name tag that had the name Becky imprinted on it.

“Donald,” her voice sounded so sweet, so sincere, but even though her voice sounded sweet he knew it was salty, he knew it was the voice of a white lie. That was all it was. “Your daughter is here to see you. She’d really like it if you came and said hi to her.”

No, no, no! His daughter was dead. He knew that, washed away in the water, the terrible water. It took her away from him. Now with its white lies, with its feigned innocence, it wanted to take him to her, to the bottom of it all.

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

Alone and adrift, at first it’s a completely new experience, so open yet so confined. It felt like he had been lying in the raft for so long, it smelled of him, it was beginning to contour to his body. He looked out to see the little waves getting their tops blown off. They blurred together, one white cap after another, an unending sea of white broken waves. The salt from the ocean was all that was left behind as the sun evaporated the water from the raft, a powdery sheet of white. That colour had become his nemesis. Why did I have to wear a white shirt that morning? Even the sky was white, in every direction, like white walls boxing him in.

His thoughts were past the point of scaring him. He was becoming used to their frantic and panicked way of bounding around in his head, the same way they would in the head of a psych ward patient. Now dehydration felt like it was setting in, his dry mouth tasted like hospital food, like tap water. His thoughts were moving slower and slower, as if he was on some sort of mind numbing drug, but it was just the lack of water, the drying of his brain.

He wondered about his daughter, she had been with him. Was she safe now? As the cruise ship was sinking he had looked for her. That’s why he was stuck here on a second-thought life raft, it was the only thing he found floating when the ship finally left him.

Trying to remember more was like being in an unfamiliar city in bad weather, his mind was foggy and sluggish. “What’s my name?” he asked himself over and over. If only he could remember…

He looked down at his shirt. He still had his name badge on from the cruise check-in, “Mister Gray, that’s right. I’m Mister Gray”

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

Donald rocked back and forth in his white bed holding his knees to his chest, repeating what had been his mantra for as long as he could remember, “Can’t get out. Can't get out.” Salty tears streamed down his face, how much longer could he hold on?

The doctor looked as if he had done this every day of his life, leaning unenthusiastically against the solid white door frame, his eyes were focused on his iPhone instead of the white clipboard, “Donald, you can't stay in bed forever. It would be good for you to get up and stretch your legs for a bit."

Donald knew better. Just because his name tag said ‘Dr.’ on it didn't mean he could trust him. Oh no, he couldn’t trust this whitewashed liar one bit; no more than he could trust the rest of them. The doctor lied as boldly as his eyes did, telling him he was safe when he knew he wasn’t. Oh no, he wouldn’t give in…

“You’re not real. You just want me to get back into the water. You’re just tempting me to let go of it all! No! I won’t!”

The doctor sighed and slipped his phone back into the top pocket of his white coat, “Donald, look around. There isn’t any water in here. It’s an empty room. Until you come to grips with that, there is nothing anyone can do for you.”

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

The waves rocked his tiny boat back and forth. “Mr. Gray,” he muttered to himself, he felt the need to remember. “My name is Mr. Gray.”

Remember the boat? It was so beautiful, so big, amazing. Its white hull reflected the sunlight, it was so bright he had to shield his eyes at first, dazzling. It was the first time he had been on a cruise... and it definitely would be the last, whether he lived or not.

The cabin they gave him was small, plain. Just a room of white walls, a white bed, white pillows, it was so plain and boring. Then again, he would have to be insane to want to remain in that room for any waking moment on the cruise. Everything was outside of that room, a world so beautiful, full of colours, not boring, not white.

Sandy, his daughter, booked the whole trip. It would be their vacation, just for them. His girlfriend was upset about the whole thing, but this was his daughter, she would always be more important than any other woman in his life.

Seconds ticked by slowly, he felt like he was staring at a clock whose hands never moved. The sun beat down on him, a florescent white globe in the sky. Minutes seemed to stand still, with that same white light burning his skin. Did the hours even pass, or did they just hang in the air like the sun, burning holes into his psyche? He didn't know how much longer his mind could make it.

The cool, refreshing, water lapped at him asking, telling, demanding, him to take a dip in it, wash all that sweat off, get cleaned up. It would be safe, just try it. It tempted him.

In the distance he saw rippling black clouds, glimmering with lightning, like weasels in a plastic garbage bag striding towards him. They inspired fear, fear that made him think he may start seeing his life flash before his eyes.

He smiled to himself; they never mentioned this in the brochure. Never told you how unforgiving the ocean was without man-made comforts. They forgot to bring that up. Once you checked in, you didn’t get to choose when you checked back out, only the ocean did.

The waters were getting choppier and choppier, tilting the raft more and more. It was like they were trying to get his attention, telling him, warning him, about the task they were planning to undertake. Maybe this was the end of his cruise?

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

"I NEED TO STAY ON!" He yelled it, he thought it, it consumed him. The men were grabbing and pulling him to "bathe him", they said. But Donald knew if fell off it would be his end, he may never be able to get back on. They grabbed and pulled at him, with an erratic and unsuspecting rhythm.

White sleeves, white pants, white arms. He struggled against the colour. It tried to consume him, tried to wash over everything that was. In the struggle they were all becoming a sweaty white mess. He could taste salt as an arm brushed against his face. He could feel the cold sweat wash down his forehead and cheeks.

Then he felt a shockingly cold splash of water. He had known it was there, under all of this, the real daemon of this nightmare. The water got everywhere, down his legs and up his shirt.

That was when one of the male nurses shook his head and said with disgust, “He pissed himself again.”

They stepped away for a moment. One pulled out a radio and said something into it that Donald couldn’t hear over the heaving of his breath. The struggle had taken a lot out of him.

A moment of calm passed. Then, in through the white door frame stepped the largest black man Donald had ever seen. He billowed through gracefully, like a fog or a mist. With each step he seemed to glide, ominously, closer to him.

In the end, they ended up winning. There wasn't much he could do, except cling to his piss yellow and sweat drenched pillow for dear life.

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

Half drowned and dying of thirst. If that’s not irony...

It took all he had to crawl back onto the life raft. The yellow life vest was the only thing that kept him from sinking to the bottom. His arms were still wrapped tightly around it. They would probably leave an imprint on it forever. Mr. Grey wondered if it would make it to shore after he died out here. Could that be the last little thing he leaves an imprint on for the world to see?

He set the vest at the end of the raft, and then lay down, using it as a makeshift pillow. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing the cruise offered him, but right now any comfort helped keep him sane.

His lips were dry and cracked. Still, the irony was not lost on him, so much water, but his skin was drying out. He ran his tongue across his broken lips and tasted the salt and blood that was on their surface. He brought his hand to them and looked at the deep crimson that was left on his fingertips after touching them.

The rest of his skin was burnt to a cherry pink, it felt like he had been scrubbed down by hands that did a rough, sloppy job. His shirt was still white as ever though, as was that damned florescent sun that kept blazing down on him. He looked down to his name tag again, it had been bleached all white, the only way he could remember his name was from the white imprint that was left on it.

“Mr. Gray”, he muttered to himself.

He remembered driving to the ship with his daughter and his girlfriend. He didn’t like when they were together, they seemed to fight endlessly. But they needed someone to drop them off, she was the logical choice. The ride was a nightmare. They just kept yelling at each other, kept throwing insults back and forth. By the time they got to the ship it felt like he was about to snap.

His mind wandered again, back to the beautiful views from the ship. Now they seemed like only a dream, did he just make up how pleasant the whole thing was? From the ship the ocean seemed so peaceful, so calm. He never could have imagined it could become so chaotic and fierce. The turmoil that lay beneath its blue façade amazed him. That same turmoil also dominated him. He was at its mercy.

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

title: Duality (3100 words)

question: Where is the protagonist?

answer: A mental health institution or hospital ward.

question: Did the protagonist really experience a tragedy at sea?

answer: Unclear whether he's just hallucinating it or whether it really happened.


text:
GREELEY COUNTY is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,538.[1] Its county seat is Greeley.[2]

In the Nebraska license plate system, Greeley County is represented by the prefix 62 (it had the 62nd-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Greeley County was created in 1871 and organized in 1872.[3][4][5] It was named after Horace Greeley, a newspaper editor and politician of the mid-19th century. Greeley encouraged western settlement with the motto “Go West, young man”.[6][7][8]

Geography

The Cedar River flows southeastward through the NE corner of Greeley County, and the North Loup River flows SSE through the SW corner of the county.

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.[9]

Major highways

-   [] U.S. Highway 281
-   [] Nebraska Highway 11
-   [] Nebraska Highway 22
-   [] Nebraska Highway 56
-   [] Nebraska Highway 91

Adjacent counties

-   Wheeler County (north)
-   Boone County (northeast)
-   Nance County (southeast)
-   Howard County (south)
-   Sherman County (southwest)
-   Valley County (west)

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census,[10] there were 2,714 people, 1,077 households, and 734 families in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 1,199 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.94% White, 0.66% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.77% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,077 households, out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 30.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.08.

The county population contained 26.90% under the age of 18, 5.90% from 18 to 24, 21.60% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 23.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,375, and the median income for a family was $34,159. Males had a median income of $22,036 versus $17,056 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,731. About 11.90% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.10% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

-   Belfast
-   Brayton
-   Greeley Center (county seat)
-   O'Connor
-   Scotia
-   Scotia Junction
-   Spalding
-   Wolbach
-   Horace

Politics

Greeley County Residents tend to vote Republican. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

  Year                               Republican                                  Democratic                                  Third Parties
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
  style=“text-align:center;” |2016   style=“text-align:center;” |77.6% _912_     style=“text-align:center;” |17.9% _210_     4.5% _53_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2012   style=“text-align:center;” |69.2% _820_     style=“text-align:center;” |28.7% _340_     2.1% _25_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2008   style=“text-align:center;” |59.6% _715_     style=“text-align:center;” |38.2% _458_     2.2% _26_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2004   style=“text-align:center;” |69.3% _865_     style=“text-align:center;” |28.9% _361_     1.8% _22_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2000   style=“text-align:center;” |64.1% _839_     style=“text-align:center;” |31.8% _416_     4.2% _55_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1996   style=“text-align:center;” |50.3% _642_     style=“text-align:center;” |37.0% _472_     12.8% _163_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1992   style=“text-align:center;” |41.4% _588_     style=“text-align:center;” |30.7% _435_     27.9% _396_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1988   style=“text-align:center;” |53.1% _763_     style=“text-align:center;” |46.6% _670_     0.4% _5_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1984   style=“text-align:center;” |65.7% _948_     style=“text-align:center;” |33.6% _485_     0.6% _9_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1980   style=“text-align:center;” |63.3% _1,028_   style=“text-align:center;” |30.5% _495_     6.3% _102_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1976   style=“text-align:center;” |46.1% _787_     style=“text-align:center;” |51.3% _877_     2.6% _45_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1972   style=“text-align:center;” |56.9% _1,005_   style=“text-align:center;” |43.1% _760_     style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1968   style=“text-align:center;” |50.0% _882_     style=“text-align:center;” |41.9% _739_     8.1% _142_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1964   style=“text-align:center;” |37.3% _775_     style=“text-align:center;” |62.7% _1,305_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1960   style=“text-align:center;” |43.2% _960_     style=“text-align:center;” |56.8% _1,263_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1956   style=“text-align:center;” |57.7% _1,240_   style=“text-align:center;” |42.3% _910_     style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1952   style=“text-align:center;” |62.6% _1,543_   style=“text-align:center;” |37.5% _924_     style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1948   style=“text-align:center;” |39.6% _829_     style=“text-align:center;” |60.4% _1,265_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1944   style=“text-align:center;” |49.5% _1,242_   style=“text-align:center;” |50.5% _1,265_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1940   style=“text-align:center;” |50.5% _1,530_   style=“text-align:center;” |49.5% _1,502_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1936   style=“text-align:center;” |31.4% _1,107_   style=“text-align:center;” |56.4% _1,988_   12.2% _430_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1932   style=“text-align:center;” |21.8% _817_     style=“text-align:center;” |75.7% _2,832_   2.5% _94_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1928   style=“text-align:center;” |40.9% _1,457_   style=“text-align:center;” |58.9% _2,098_   0.3% _9_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1924   style=“text-align:center;” |26.5% _773_     style=“text-align:center;” |41.8% _1,220_   31.7% _926_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1920   style=“text-align:center;” |51.4% _1,345_   style=“text-align:center;” |45.1% _1,180_   3.6% _93_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1916   style=“text-align:center;” |31.6% _627_     style=“text-align:center;” |65.0% _1,289_   3.4% _68_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1912   style=“text-align:center;” |21.3% _371_     style=“text-align:center;” |52.3% _913_     26.5% _462_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1908   style=“text-align:center;” |38.3% _691_     style=“text-align:center;” |59.4% _1,072_   2.4% _43_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1904   style=“text-align:center;” |54.3% _836_     style=“text-align:center;” |29.0% _447_     16.7% _258_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1900   style=“text-align:center;” |34.2% _463_     style=“text-align:center;” |64.9% _880_     0.9% _12_

  : PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS[11]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8] Greeley County. Nebraska Association of County Officials. Retrieved 14 March 2008.

[9]

[10]

[11] Election Results

title: Greeley County, Nebraska

question: What does the text say about Route 66?

question: Summarize what the text says about Greeley County.

answer: Greeley County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska with a population of 2,538 as of 2010. Named after newspaper editor and mid-19th century politician Horace Greeley, the county was created in 1871 and organized in 1872. The Cedar River flows southeastward through the NE corner of Greeley County and the North Loup River flows SSE through the SW corner of the county. There are five major highways in Greeley County, namely U.S. Highway 281 and Nebraska Highways 11, 22, 56, and 91. Residents of the county tend to vote Republican.

question: Summarize interesting facts about Greeley County?

answer: Greeley County's county seat is Greeley. In the Nebraska license plate system, Greeley County is represented by the prefix 62, meaning it had the 62nd-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922. Horace Greeley encouraged western settlement with the motto "Go West, young man". Only 0.1% of the county's total land area is water. The county has only elected a Democratic Party candidate once in 1964.

question: What does the text say about the possible disadvantages of living in Greeley County?

answer: Greeley County is predominantly White, making up 97.94% of the total population versus all the other races combined. This may not bode well for minorities (*speculative). The per capita income of the county is only $13,731 and the median income for a household in the county was $28,375. About 11.90% of families and 14.60% of the population live below the poverty line, including 22.10% of those under the age of 18 and 10.50% of those aged 65 and over.


text:
_NEW SCHOOL_ is an Italian sitcom television series produced by DeA Kids in collaboration with Beachwood Canyon Productions and Maestro Production.[1][2][3][4] The series started in December 2017. In 2019 BBC made an accord with DeAgostini and in future the series will be aired also in other Countries.[5]

Plot

The series talks about the adventures of a group of freshmen of the McGaffin International Middle School, an international middle school in which there is a legendary flush toilet. This is a broken flush toilet in which is kept the Wall of Celebrities, a wall on which are hung the photos of the 12 Legends of the school, that are the most popular students that during the course of the years were able to accomplish feats so memorable to become myths. To become part of the Wall of Celebrities, students need to accomplish feats and be voted by other students through an app called App of the Wall of Celebrities. Only who will receive one million of points will be able to be part of the Wall of Celebrities.[6]

Cast and characters

-   Matteo Valentini as Nick Rivellini, an 11 years old boy that wants to be on the Wall to be more popular and overcome his insecurity. He is friend with Rudy and is in an unreciprocated love with Anna. He is very good in singing but terrible in dancing.[7]
-   Edoardo Tarantini as Rudy Hansen, an 11 years old boy that is friend with Nick, that he knows from when they were in kindergarten. He is also the older brother of Alice. He is bungling but quite creative and very kind despite a little childish. He is not very much interested in popularity and girls but he is very appassionate of sci-fi movies and superheroes, and his favorite superhero is Ragazzo Lupo. He is hopeless in singing but very good in dancing and he has a web channel in which he publishes his dance tutorials.
-   Cloe Romagnoli as Anna De Martino, a 12 years old girl that is friend of Nick and Rudy and that is in love with Justin. She is quite intelligent and pragmatic but her love for Justin get her really easily distracted.
-   Noemi Brazzoli as Vivien Mandelli, a 12 years old girl very popular in the school and that indeed is always stably in the firsts positions on the App. Thanks to her popularity almost no one dares to contradict her. She is also the head cheerleader. She is very egocentric and self-regarding and always talk of herself in third person and often takes selfies. In the first season she starts to date Justin not much for love but just because she thinks that is natural that the most attractive girl would date the most attractive boy. She is allergic to cats.
-   Diego Delpiano as Justin Price, a 12 years old boy very popular. He loves a lot sports and takes a lot of care about his look and shape and constantly exercise to be in good shape and develop a good muscular system but he is not very intelligent and is quite naive. He has a teddy bear, Orso. He also has some immature mannerisms like being afraid of darkness, still needing to keep near him his teddy bear to sleep and sometimes he starts to laugh without motivation.
-   Alice Papes as Alice Hansen, a 9 years old girl, little sister of Rudy and a genius. Very often she spends time in labs, with test tubes or reading and she is able to put a point on surprising inventions and cutting-edge scientific research. She still sleeps with her peluche, Piripocchio. But she really wishes to be more included and to have friends.
-   Andrea Castronovo and Paolo Castronovo as Tim and Tom, two identical twins. They don't study much but thanks to their cunning, physical strength and coordination are almost always able to obtain what they wish and compensate their lack of study by being sure to obtain others' work or by cheating. Despite not being interested to be part of the Wall, very often they challenge others, especially Nick and Rudy, for fun and the sake of it. They are almost impossible to distinguish from each other, but, while Tim is allergic to cats, Tom isn't.
-   Nicole Di Julio as Charlotte. She started to appear during the second season. She is a gruff bully and is able to scare everyone, included the principal, and her only weak spot is her big crush on Nick, that she nicknamed Sogliola.
-   Alberto Torquati as Mr. Peter Spencer, the principal of the school. He tries to always adopt a rigid and severe attitude with his students who, however, do not respect him much. Precisely for this reason the best way to get something from him is to congratulate and please him. Mr. Spencer has only two weapons to try to be respected by the students that are to send them to his office as punishment and seize their belongings. He is very scared of the superintendent, that control him remotely. He has a lot of hobbies and passions like baking but his life outside school is mysterious. Mr. Spencer loves traditions and the story of the school, the rites, the special days and the ceremonies. He has in high regard the founder of the school, Mr. McGaffin. One of his duties is to give the announces at the start of every day with the mic in his office.
-   Federica Fabiani as Miss Mastermind, the cook of the school. She is a very cold woman and doesn't smile very often. She also treats often with sarcasm the students. But the reason behind her attitude is how in the past a love story she had with Mr. Spencer didn't end well.
-   Riccardo Diana as the superintendent. He never appears phisically but he is heard during calls. He controls the work of the school.

Episodes

  Season          Episodes   Original air
  --------------- ---------- --------------
  First Season    26         2017-2018
  Second Season   26         2018-2019
  Third Season    26         2019-2020

Soundtrack

The theme song of the series is _My New School_, written and composed by Teresa Pascarelli and Giovanni Maria Lori and sung by Matteo Valentini.

In the episode of the first season “il Vivienfest”, Nick, Anna and Rudy perform in the fictitious robes of the Bandos. _Let the Music in_ is presented, an unreleased song written by Teresa Pascarelli and Giovanni Maria Lori and sung by Matteo Valentini.

In the episode of the first season “Il grande talent show”, Rudy (out of tune) sings in playback _Listen to Me_, actually sung by Nick: it is an unpublished song written by Teresa Pascarelli and Giovanni Maria Lori and sung by Matteo Valentini

In the second season episode “Il ballo di San Valentino - Seconda parte”, the young singer Matteo Markus Bok performs with his hit _In the Middle_.

In the second season episode “Vita da rocker” Nick, Rudy and Vivien perform as the rock group “Gli schiaffi” with their biggest hit _Slaps_, an unpublished song written and composed by Teresa Pascarelli and Giovanni Maria Lori and sung by Matteo Valentini.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

title: New School (TV series)

question: Summarize the plot of the series.

answer: The series is about the adventures of a group of freshmen of the McGaffin International Middle School. The school has a legendary broken flush toilet that holds the Wall of Celebrities. The wall has pictures of 12 students who did memorable things. Students need to be voted through an app called App of the Wall of Celebrities to become a part of this wall.

question: What does Matteo do in order to be on the Wall?

question: Summarize what the text says about Nicole Di Julio.

answer: Nicole plays the character of Charlotte. She appears in the second season of the show. Her character is a gruff bully who is able to scare everyone, including the principal. Charlotte's weak spot is her crush Nick, who she has nicknamed Sogliola.

question: Summarize the soundtrack of the series.

answer: My New School is the theme song of the series, it is written and composed by Teresa Pascarelli and Giovanni Lori. The first season has two soundtracks - Let the Music in and Listen to Me. The second season also has two songs - In the Middle and Slaps.


text:
This is a list of the MAMMAL SPECIES RECORDED IN THE MALDIVES. There are eleven mammal species in the Maldives, of which one is vulnerable.[1]

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

  ---- ----------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  EX   EXTINCT                 No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
  EW   EXTINCT IN THE WILD     Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
  CR   CRITICALLY ENDANGERED   The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
  EN   ENDANGERED              The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
  VU   VULNERABLE              The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
  NT   NEAR THREATENED         The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
  LC   LEAST CONCERN           There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
  DD   DATA DEFICIENT          There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.
  ---- ----------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria. Species assessed using this system have the following instead of near threatened and least concern categories:

  ------- ----------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  LR/cd   LOWER RISK/CONSERVATION DEPENDENT   Species which were the focus of conservation programmes and may have moved into a higher risk category if that programme was discontinued.
  LR/nt   LOWER RISK/NEAR THREATENED          Species which are close to being classified as vulnerable but are not the subject of conservation programmes.
  LR/lc   LOWER RISK/LEAST CONCERN            Species for which there are no identifiable risks.
  ------- ----------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

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

[Dugongs] Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered.

-   Family: Dugongidae
    -   Genus: _Dugong_
        -   Dugong, _Dugong dugon_ VU

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

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

The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

-   Family: Pteropodidae (flying foxes, Old World fruit bats)
    -   Subfamily: Pteropodinae
        -   Genus: _Pteropus_
            -   Indian flying-fox, _Pteropus giganteus_ LR/lc
            -   Small flying-fox, _Pteropus hypomelanus_ LR/lc

Order: Cetacea (whales)

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

[Short-finned pilot whales off Maldives] [Bottlenose dolphins off Baa Atoll] [Spinner dolphin off Alifu Dhaalu Atoll] [Spinner dolphins porpoising off Alifu Dhaalu Atoll] The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

-   Suborder: Mysticeti
    -   Family: Balaenopteridae
        -   Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
            -   Genus: _Balaenoptera_
                -   Minke whale, _Balaenoptera acutorostrata_ LR/nt
                -   Bryde's whale, _Balaenoptera edeni_ DD
                -   Sei whale, _Balaenoptera borealis_ EN
                -   Fin whale, _Balaenoptera physalus_ EN
                -   Blue whale, _Balaenoptera musculus_ EN
        -   Subfamily: Megapterinae
            -   Genus: _Megaptera_
                -   Humpback whale, _Megaptera novaeangliae_ CR (Arabian Sea Population)[2]
-   Suborder: Odontoceti
    -   -   Family: Physeteridae
            -   Genus: _Physeter_
                -   Sperm whale, _Physeter macrocephalus_ VU

    -   Superfamily: Platanistoidea
        -   Family: Kogiidae
            -   Genus: _Kogia_
                -   Pygmy sperm whale, _Kogia breviceps_ LR/lc
        -   Family: Ziphidae
            -   Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
                -   Genus: _Indopacetus_
                    -   Longman's beaked whale, _Indopacetus pacificus_ DD
        -   Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
            -   Genus: _Stenella_
                -   Pantropical spotted dolphin, _Stenella attenuata_ LR/cd
                -   Striped dolphin, _Stenella coeruleoalba_ LR/cd
                -   Spinner dolphin, _Stenella longirostris_ LR/cd
            -   Genus: _Lagenodelphis_
                -   Fraser's dolphin, _Lagenodelphis hosei_ DD
            -   Genus: _Grampus_
                -   Risso's dolphin, _Grampus griseus_ DD
            -   Genus: _Peponocephala_
                -   Melon-headed whale, _Peponocephala electra_ LR/lc
    -   Superfamily Ziphioidea
        -   Family: Ziphiidae
            -   Genus: _Mesoplodon_
                -   Deraniyagala's beaked whale, _Mesoplodon hotaula_ DD

Notes

[1] This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 21 May 2007 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institution, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.

[2]

title: List of mammals of the Maldives

question: Summarize the major tags for species conservation.

answer:
There are a number of tags being used for each species' conservation, some of them are -
Extinct
Extinct in the wild
Critically endangered
Endangered
Vulnerable
Near threatened
Least concern
Data deficient
Lower risk/conservation dependent
Lower risk/near threatened
Lower risk/least concern

question: Summarize things about Sirenia.

answer: Sirenia includes herbivorous mammals who live in rivers and coastal marine waters, among other wetlands. These include dugong and manatees and all the four species in this order are endangered.

question: Summarize information about the insects living in the Maldives.


text:
_Welcome to The Craft, a serial look inside the world of player development in the NBA._

Myles Turner, at 19 years old, had everything he needed in his game but the nuance. The jumper was there, light and lofting. Turning away opponents at the rim was as simple as a reach. To be skilled, athletic, and 6'11" makes so much of basketball so easy. Yet for most of his rookie campaign, Turner’s game was rich in allure and light on connective tissue, his big-ticket skills reduced to tantalizing glimpses.

What we see now is the bridge. Brick by brick, Turner is starting to establish the structural tools necessary to carry a starring skill set.  It’s less about making the shots than finding ways to help create them. Getting stops isn’t the issue so much as being in position to do so even more often. Emerging in the NBA is so much a matter of manufacturing access. Everyone who’s drafted—particularly in the lottery, like Turner—can do something. Making a career of it means finding ways to do it well often enough to really matter.

It’s easier said than done. Even players as talented as Turner have coasted in and out of the league, forgotten beyond what could have been. But there’s a reason why Clippers coach Doc Rivers said just this week that Turner is bound for superstardom. There’s validation in the fact that his own coach, Nate McMillan, says he saw enough from Turner in his first year-plus in the league to recalibrate his already high expectations for the upstart center. Turner didn’t play all that much at Texas (in what he calls an “awkward system”) and didn’t even play big minutes for some of his AAU teams growing up. But he’s come into the NBA just as the league is at its most aware of how to utilize his talents. The results are telling: 18.5 points (on 53.2% shooting), 9.2 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes for a Pacers team intent on featuring the developing Turner more than it did last year. There’s never been a better time to be a big man with a decidedly modern lean, and the process is in place to make good on the range and abilities Turner has already showcased.

“I feel like the way Karl [Towns] plays, the way I play, [Kristaps] Porzingis plays, that's kinda the way the NBA is transitioning into,” Turner said.

[myles-turner-pacers-cavs.jpg]

The process of fulfilling his place in that transition starts with defense. Given the way of the small-ball zeitgeist, much is made of players shifting up a position—wings working as stretch fours, career power forwards making the move to center. Those are moves that can tailor a roster to a preferred style. Turner, out of a similar specific need, actually spent his first year with the Pacers playing down a position.

“I had never really guarded quicker guys on the perimeter, guys who could spread the floor and shoot,” Turner said. “That was probably the toughest part for me—learning to play shell defense, move, pass off, be in the right position.”

It made sense for the Pacers, then, to find Turner minutes wherever they could. Some came at center, where he was schematically most comfortable but at the mercy of bruising NBA bigs. More came as a nominal power forward alongside then-Pacer Ian Mahinmi. Experience out of one’s natural position can sometimes be instructive for a developing player. In Turner’s case, it resulted mostly in confusion. “If you look at film,” Turner said, “I was jumping around a lot, doing a lot of guessing.” Call it a case of the rookies.

As a result, Turner is only now getting a feel for positioning at the spot in the lineup where he’s most effective. “This is really a crash course for him in defending the center position,” McMillan said. “Being a second-year player, that's a tough task.” Some matchups are overwhelming. When the Hawks came to Indianapolis in November, Turner was tabbed as the defender primarily responsible for containing Dwight Howard. He was nudged out of the way on rebounds, left standing on alley-oops, and held off as Howard picked his spots around the rim. Catch Turner on most other game night, however, and you’ll find him blanketing some poor, undersized center from getting up any plausible shot around the basket. Just look at what he did to late Lakers backup Tarik Black:

[youtube:https://youtu.be/t4_e0e40ESo]

The smaller the league trends, the more that Turner—who already leads the NBA in block percentage—can exercise his length to its greatest effect. This is easily his most pronounced defensive skill. Turner is a shot-swatting natural, though he spent most of his rookie year trying to pin down the timing of the NBA game so that he could actually be in the right place at the right time. Think of the luxuries that a player with Turner’s shot-blocking radius would have at every other level of basketball. Fundamentals? Very much optional. Proper positioning? Secondary to the fact that Turner held every physical advantage.

That mindset informed Turner’s rookie play. Some eager shot-blockers are guilty of leaping and lunging at every opportunity. If anything, Turner had the opposite problem; he forsook staying in front of the play last season because he always thought he could jump and swat his way back into it. That led him to give up all kinds of angles to the basket – even on possessions he could have contained.

“You can't really cheat it as much [in the NBA],” Turner said. “You've got guys like Russell Westbrook who are stupid athletic. If you're not there in time—if you're trying to late-block it—he's gonna dunk it. This year, I have to be in that help position a lot sooner, opposed to waiting for it or timing to try and go get it. That's one thing I had to change: Not cheating, just being there right away. Not relying on my length, just relying on my timing.”

Turner’s getting there. He seems noticeably more prepared to track opposing ball-handlers step by step, punching up his defense with the power of deterrence. Being on top of the play also positions Turner to just swallow up all kinds of passing angles. Everything from pocket passes to lobs becomes a tougher pull when Turner is square to the ball with his arms spread. A little proactivity is the tangible difference between stalling out a possession at the point of attack and watching, a few steps off to the side, as the primary operations complete.

Some mistakes are inevitable. But on balance, the Pacers defend capably with Turner feeling his way through his newfound responsibilities (“traffic cop” communication included) and buckle into a misshapen, out-of-sorts mess without him. So much has come to rest on Turner so soon.

Indiana’s offense has a similar dependence on its young centerpiece; the margin of Turner’s presence is that between an average output and the league’s worst, according to NBA.com. Getting to that point took individual growth. As a rookie, Turner made his entrance into the rotation as a role player acclimating to the first pro-scale system. Good intentions often gave way to the restlessness of a young prospect eager to prove himself. There wasn’t even enough time to square up a shot before Turner had hurried his way through hoisting one up.

Then And Now: The Evolution Of LeBron James

“Last year, it was like as soon as I touched [the ball], it was like a hot potato,” Turner said. “I had to get rid of it.” Part of Turner’s progress this season has come in finding room in his game to slow down. It must be enticing to know that you can fire off a shot cleanly over the top of a defender whenever you’d like. Settling in means learning to live comfortably with that infinite airspace.

McMillan sees some LaMarcus Aldridge in Turner, which is both a convenient comparison (given that McMillan coached Aldridge in Portland, while Aldridge and Turner share an alma mater) and a sensible one. Turner drills post footwork with assistant coach Popeye Jones and resident low-block guru Al Jefferson, though you don’t often see him bust out those moves in-game. Lower body strength (as you may remember from the strange running gait subplot at the time of Turner’s drafting) is a particular issue; Turner just doesn’t have the heft to really bump and displace defenders at this stage, though having the face-up jumper as a fall-back allows him to get by. It wasn’t until coming to the NBA that Aldridge (or for a different flavor of comparison, Jermaine O’Neal) came into his own as an iso-post scorer. That kind of evolution could make sense for Turner a few years down the line. Players this precocious are always pushing to add another layer to an already rich game.

[myles-turner-pacers-celtics.jpg]
Ron Hoskins/Getty Images

There’s also something to be said for Turner’s commitment to the process of actually carving out a quality attempt from within an offense this year. Indiana began its season playing loose, read-and-react basketball but has since gone back to calling more plays. “We realized we needed some more structure,” Turner said. From that comes different kinds of opportunities—namely, schemed pick-and-pops with programmed floor spacing.

Public interest in the pick-and-roll game is decidedly back-heavy. We care about the rollers rumbling in for dunks and the shooters popping out for threes, in part because those are the mechanisms that make defenses squirm. But Turner isn’t shooting worlds better out of the pick-and-roll this season (up to 58.1% effective field goal percentage, according to Synergy Sports, from 41.7% last season) because of a revamped jumper. Change came through greater precision in the process itself, starting with the screen.

“Watching film, I never really hit anybody last year,” Turner said. “This year, that's what I'm starting to get better at that. The biggest thing is first, you've gotta sprint into the screen. Then you've gotta set it at a lower angle. A lot of guards kinda try to cheat and run under it, and you've got to be at a complete stop because refs are calling moving screens all the time now."

Turner still whiffs on more picks than he might like. But even the best, most physical screeners don't make hard contact every time. What matters is keeping the ideal in mind to understand the goals of actually setting a screen in any given situation. The rest comes down to gradual improvement in technique.

“If they're at the three-point line, you might want to set it at the top of the key and you've gotta kind of set it at a 45-degree angle instead of just straight ahead. If you set it at that angle, it's kind of hard for that guard—especially if it's a solid screen—to fight over it. They can't really go under because you're angled diagonally.”

McMillan, who worked as an assistant for the Pacers last season under Frank Vogel, also noticed that the more minutes Turner logged in a game as a rookie, the less effective his screens seemed to become. “If you set 75 screens and the guard tries to bust through 50 times while you're trying to pick-and-pop,” he said, “you've got to have the body makeup to be able to tolerate that.” Turner didn’t; he was a rail thin teenager in a league where some guards and wings charge in like battering rams. He took hits, he wore down, and soon enough his screens were making even less contact. Turner is working on strengthening his core and body to deal with the hits, but bulking up safely requires a slow, deliberate course. “Over time, he'll grow into his man's body and become stronger and be able to endure more,” McMillan said. “You can't rush that process.”

After The Process: Meet Sam Hinkie 2.0

In the meantime, Turner put a lot of preparation into rounding out the cerebral side of the two-man game. Reading the floor is not solely the responsibility of the ball handler; from the moment Turner turns off his screen, he has to take a snapshot of the floor and instantly analyze the intentions of the defense. There's no easy, straightforward way to train yourself into those reads. It can only come with instruction and experience, over and over, until every little tell in a defense's positioning and movement jumps out on first glance.

“It's kind of hard to do it in a one-on-one setting," Turner said. "But when you start playing in practice, you've gotta read the help side, the weak side. Are they stunting at you? Are they heavy stunting? Are they there right away? Then you've gotta just stay in the guard's window—their window of vision is what we call it."

As the guard moves, so does the passing lane. Every step deeper into the paint means another bit that Turner has to adjust, all to maintain that straight line of possible connection. "He can't just blindly throw a pass," Turner said, "so you've got to be able to get to those positions really quickly. It's not just knocking down the shot. There's a couple things that go into it.”

To add another layer, the Pacers run a diversified offense that counts on all three of Paul George, Jeff Teague, and Monta Ellis to handle the ball as the situation allows. All four of his fellow starters (including Thaddeus Young) have assisted Turner at least 10 times this season. Dip into the reserves and there are even more pick-and-roll partners to work with, and thus more that Turner needs to fully understand. "Just think about a quarterback having to adjust to four or five different receivers and know their tendencies," McMillan said.

What Will The NBA Look Like In 2020?

Basketball acquaintances can get the basic steps down without issue. But the reason why pick-and-roll basketball is central to the workings of every NBA offense is because of the subtlety afforded by the familiar. It's a basic play elevated by two players who know each other's game on a more intricate, rhythmic level. For now, Turner is taking mental notes.

"When you have someone like PG, obviously defenses are worried about him and his abilities," Turner said. "So a lot of guys focus a lot of their attention on him—especially when he's coming off a ball screen, which leaves me wide open. Whereas you have guys like Jeff who can attack and penetrate, but he's a little bit shorter so guys have their hands up and he makes lower passes. Monta's a dominant right-hand driver so you've gotta get out of his window to his left."

Contrast that involved approach with the pick-and-stand technique of a rookie Turner, who was guilty of just holding his spot at the point of the screen and waiting for a jumper to fall in his lap:

Opponents this season want to stay attached to Turner as much as possible, and have actually resorted to holding and shoving him a bit more in the midst of their defensive exchange. Consider it a sign of respect.

Those signs will only come in greater volume. Turner should be prominently featured in scouting reports for years based on the special attention that the strengths of his game demand. A typical close-out will not do. A casual drive in Turner's vicinity is doomed. His skills will heighten and their application broaden over time, likely in the kind of arc that will make his stardom inevitable. The next step is there. All that's left is for Turner to work his way through, taking it in his own time.

question: Who is Myles Turner?

answer: Myles Turner is a young basketball player that plays on the Pacers. He is a young talent that some have said is destined for superstardom.

question: Who is LaMarcus Aldridge?

answer: LaMarcus Aldridge is a basketball player who attended the same college as Myles Turner. They both share similar skillsets.


text:
[www.fueleconomy.gov - the official government source for fuel economy information]

-   _Fuel Economy_
-   _Energy and Environment_
-   _Safety_
-   _Specs_

  --------------- ---------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
                  X                                  X                                                   X                                         X

                  2014 Toyota RAV4 EV                2017 Porsche Cayenne S e-Hybrid                     2017 BMW X5 xDrive40e                     2017 Mercedes-Benz GLE550e 4matic

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                  Automatic (variable gear ratios)   3.0 L, 6 cyl, Automatic (AM8), Supercharger         2.0 L, 4 cyl, Automatic (S8), Turbo       3.0 L, 6 cyl, Automatic 7-spd, Turbo

                  MSRP: $49,800                      MSRP: $78,700 - $81,600 Plug-in Hybrid Calculator   MSRP: $63,200 Plug-in Hybrid Calculator   MSRP: $66,300 Plug-in Hybrid Calculator
                                                                                Possible Tax Break                        Possible Tax Break
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EPA Fuel Economy
1 gallon of gasoline=33.7 kWh

Show electric charging stations near me

Electricity
Electricity

Prem. Gas

Elec + Gas

Prem. Gas

Elec + Gas

Prem. Gas

Combined MPG:76
MPGe
City MPGe:78
Highway MPGe:74
combined
city/highway
city
highway
Combined MPG on Electricity:46
MPGe
Combined MPG on Gas Only:22
MPG
combined
city/highway
combined
city/highway
Combined MPG on Electricity:56
MPGe
Combined MPG on Gas Only:24
MPG
combined
city/highway
combined
city/highway
Combined MPG on Electricity:43
MPGe
Combined MPG on Gas Only:21
MPG
combined
city/highway
combined
city/highway
 44 kWh/100 mi
71 kWh/100mi

4.5 gal/100mi

.0 gal/100mi of gas + 59 kWh/100mi

4.2 gal/100mi

.3 gal/100mi of gas + 69 kWh/100mi

4.8 gal/100mi

[EPA range: 103 miles]

103 miles
Total Range

[EPA range: 14 miles on Electricity and 480miles total]

14 miles
Electricity

480 miles
Total Range [Additional Information]

[EPA range: 14 miles on Elec + Gas and 540miles total]

14 miles
Elec + Gas
All Elec: 0-13 mi

540 miles
Total Range [Additional Information]

[EPA range: 12 miles on Elec + Gas and 460miles total]

12 miles
Elec + Gas
All Elec: 0-10 mi

460 miles
Total Range [Additional Information]

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You save or spend*
Note: The average 2021 vehicle
gets 27 MPG

You SAVE

$1,500

in fuel costs over 5 years

compared to the
average new vehicle

You SPEND

$2,750

more in fuel costs over 5 years

compared to the
average new vehicle

You SPEND

$2,000

more in fuel costs over 5 years

compared to the
average new vehicle

You SPEND

$3,250

more in fuel costs over 5 years

compared to the
average new vehicle

Annual Fuel Cost*
$850
Electricity + Gasoline: $1,700
Electricity + Gasoline: $1,550
Electricity + Gasoline: $1,800
Cost to Drive 25 Miles
$1.43
$2.68 (driving on elec only)
$2.35 (on a single charge) [Additional Information]
$2.91 (on a single charge) [Additional Information]
$3.16 (driving on gas only)
$2.90 (driving on gas only)
$3.31 (driving on gas only)
Cost to Fill the Tank
$59 (gas only)
$61 (gas only)
$59 (gas only)
Tank Size
21.1 gallons
21.9 gallons
21.1 gallons
*Based on 45% highway, 55% city driving, 15,000 annual miles and current fuel prices. Personalize.

MSRP and tank size data provided by Edmunds.com, Inc.

Range on a tank and refueling costs assume 100% of fuel in tank will be used before refueling.

Energy Impact Score [Additional Information]
Annual Petroleum Consumption

[] - U.S. barrel
[] - Imported barrel

1 barrel = 42 gallons

Electricity
Electricity + Gasoline
Electricity + Gasoline
Electricity + Gasoline
[]
[]
[]
[]
0.3 barrels
9.5 barrels
9.2 barrels
10.9 barrels
Greenhouse Gas Emissions [Additional Information]
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Electricity
Electricity + Gasoline
Electricity + Gasoline
Electricity + Gasoline
0 grams per mile[]

258 grams per mile[]

248 grams per mile[]

296 grams per mile[]

EPA Smog Rating [Additional Information]
State of purchase:
*Based on 45% highway, 55% city driving, 15,000 annual miles and current fuel prices. Personalize.

NHTSA Crash Test Results
Safety Ratings

For more information visit:
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X5
Overall
[5 5 star rating]
Front
[5 5 star rating]
Side
[5 5 star rating]
Rollover
[4 4 star rating]
Not Available

When fully charged, this vehicle can go about 14 miles on electricity alone, costing you about 9.2� per mile.

After the first 14 miles, the vehicle will function like a regular hybrid and consume only gasoline, costing about 12.5�/mile.

This vehicle did not use any gasoline for the first 14 miles in EPA tests. It may use gasoline depending on how you drive.

When fully charged, you will pay about 7.8� per mile for the first 14 miles you drive ($1.09 for the electricity and $.00 for the gasoline).

After the first 14 miles, the vehicle will function like a regular hybrid and consume only gasoline, costing about 11.7�/mile.

You will spend $1.07 on electricity and $1.27 on gasoline. This calculation assumes that your vehicle is fully charged when you begin your 25 mile trip and that you do not recharge during the trip.

This vehicle did not use any gasoline for the first 12 miles in EPA tests. It may use gasoline depending on how you drive.

When fully charged, you will pay about 9.8� per mile for the first 12 miles you drive ($1.07 for the electricity and $.11 for the gasoline).

After the first 12 miles, the vehicle will function like a regular hybrid and consume only gasoline, costing about 13.1�/mile.

You will spend $1.08 on electricity and $1.83 on gasoline. This calculation assumes that your vehicle is fully charged when you begin your 25 mile trip and that you do not recharge during the trip.

Miles on a tank and refueling cost for gasoline only assumes 90% of fuel in tank will be used before refueling.

Personalized estimates are currently not available for this vehicle.

DISCLAIMER: Average user estimates are based on data from My MPG users rather than official sources. Since the source data cannot be verified, neither DOE nor EPA guarantees the accuracy of these estimates.

This vehicle did not use any gasoline for the first 21 miles in EPA tests. However, depending on how you drive the vehicle, you may use both gasoline and electricity during the first 21 miles following a full charge.

This vehicle did not use any gasoline for the first 21 miles in EPA tests. However, depending on how you drive the vehicle, you may use both gasoline and electricity during the first 21 miles following a full charge.

question: What does the text say about fuel efficiency?

answer: The text compares fuel efficiency between four hybrid or electric vehicles and total money saved or spent over 5 years. Performance details show that the vehicles can go up to 14 miles on electricity alone. After the first 14 miles, the costs per mile vary for each vehicle. Other specifications detail the greenhouse emissions for each vehicle ranging from 0-296 grams per mile driven.


text:
The scrawny guy in a tux barely glanced at me.

"A table for lunch."

"I'm afraid we've nothing available."

I stared at the empty tables while I flashed my P.I. license. "I'm meeting a client."

He sniffed. "Very well. This way."

He led me to a corner. A slender, brunette waitress appeared. She eyed my off-the-rack suit with distaste.

"Need a menu?"

"Just coffee." I winked.

She sneered and hurried away.

Two minutes later I was still waiting for my coffee when my lunch date arrived. She spoke with the host, who indicated me with a surprised look. She headed my way.

She was leggy, wrapped in a red dress that hugged her curves like a Porsche hugged a mountain road. Diamonds worth more than I saw in a year dangled from her ears. Her blonde hair shone. She wore it long. I like that. She stopped at my table, pulled off her shades and stuffed them into her Gucci bag. She was something else.

"Mr. Raines."

"The same." I inclined my head. "Please, have a seat."

She hesitated, then reluctantly sat. The waitress appeared, fawning now.

"Your usual, Mrs. Richardson?"

Mrs. Richardson waved her off. "Just coffee. I won't be long."

"Yes, ma'am." The waitress disappeared.

"I don't have time to waste." Mrs. Libertine said. "I came because you said it was important. *Very* important." She fished a pack of Virginia Slims out of her handbag, shook one out, and fired it with a gold lighter.

I shrugged. Hard and fast was fine with me. "As I said on the phone, I'm a private investigator, hired by your husband. I want to show you something."

I pulled a manila envelope out of my coat pocket and slid it to her. She picked it up, manicured fingernails gleaming, peered inside, then pulled out the photographs. Except for a slight widening of her eyes, she might have been thumbing through the latest issue of Vogue.

"Whoever that guy is, he must be a good friend."

She stuffed the pictures back. Her hands shook. "Has my husband seen these?" She stared, eyes hard, though I saw worry behind them.

The waitress appeared, setting a cup of coffee on the table in front of her. Mine remain missing.

I waited until the waitress was gone, then hung it out there. "Not yet."

She dragged on her cigarette, blowing out a thin stream of smoke from the corner of her mouth. "What do you want? Money?"

"Money's nice, but no, not money. Believe it or not, I'm comfortable."

"What then?"

"You're very attractive Mrs. Richardson." I met her stare and smiled slightly. "I'm no Robert Redford, but I'm not that bad, do you think?"

She puffed her cigarette, scowling. "What are you talking about?"

"Is your afternoon free? I live nearby."

I saw understanding hit. She drew herself up, glaring. I thought she might refuse. Was sure she'd say no. Then she sagged, just collapsed like wet cardboard. She snuffed her cigarette in the crystal ashtray next to her untouched cup of coffee.

"Well?"

"I'm free." She wouldn't look at me.

I put the envelope back in my coat.

"I want the pictures and the negatives."

"We'll talk about that later." We stood. I threw a five on the table.

I never did get my coffee.

title: [MF] Just Coffee

question: Why was the narrator meeting with Mrs. Richardson?

answer: The narrator was a PI hired by Mr. Richardson, Mrs. Richardson's husband. It may be implied that Mrs. Richardson was having a secret affair with someone else, and her husband wanted to get to the bottom of it, thus, hired the narrator's services. However, instead of showing loyalty to Mr. Richardson, he chose to meet with Mrs. Richardson and show her the pictures of the unidentified man. He then proceeded to seduce Mrs. Richardson, who evidently fell for it.

question: Describe the unprofessional behaviors displayed in the story.

answer: When the narrator walked into the restaurant, the host appeared ragged. He also lied about the availability of a table, whereas there were empty tables in the restaurant. Then the brunette waitress expressed her disgust to the narrator by eyeing his off-the-rack suit. After taking his order for a coffee, she sneered at him before disappearing. When the narrator's client, Mrs. Richardson, arrived, the waitress was happy to respond to her and brought her coffee but still kept the narrator on hold. The narrator then seduced Mrs. Richardson into sleeping with him after revealing to her his findings, and she reluctantly agreed. After the meeting, the narrator paid for Mrs. Richardson's untouched coffee but never received his.

question: What does the text say about restaurant policies?


text:
Something Bad

“We’re leaving. We’re going somewhere where our talents will be appreciated.”

The Healer, Jazhira, looked at the members of her party, arms crossed and a frown prominent upon her face.

The other defector, the Supporter, whose name was Gavin, nodded in silent agreement.

“We didn’t want to do this, but you’ve really left us no choice,” He rumbled quietly.

These two were the most ignored, belittled, and insulted in the whole group, and as many chances as they’d given their comrades, none had really been used.

“Oh, come on. You can’t be serious. This has to be a joke,” The Captain of the party said, a dark warrior elf, sheathing his blade and walking over to his horse.

“Now, if you two are done horsing around, we have a mission to get back to.”

“We’re serious, Matthias,” Jazhira replied, her mouth mashed into a tight white line. “We’re joining another party.”

“Oh yeah?” Matthias replied. “Which one?”

For his part, he was unbothered; this was probably a bluff to get him and the rest of the party feeling bad about how they were treated.

“The Carrion Crows.”

There was a brief, pregnant silence, thick with tension.

“You mean the dark party that everyone is afraid of, across the Empire? You must be joking.” Matthias scoffed, and there were a few titters of disbelief.

Why would The Carrion Crows, of all people, take their weakest party members?

“We set out for their headquarters in the morning,” Gavin rumbled, shrugging. “This will be our last night with you lot, and good riddance.”

\*\*

When the dawn came, Jazhira and Gavin were gone; they’d left nothing behind. It was as if they’d never been.

But as the day went on, Matthias and the others kept receiving correspondence: The Carrion Crows had two new members, and they were powerful. The Healer had become a bringer of darkness and death, with people becoming fatally ill in droves. Gavin, their barbarian orc warrior, had his own quickly climbing body count, destroying towns and ports.

It appeared that Matthias and his friends were going to have to help clean up this mess they’d made.

\*\*

When Matthias and the others finally made it to the site of the carnage, it was nothing less than an utter massacre.

Jazhira stood at the center of the town, in the square, orchestrating the chaos like a conductor leads a symphony.

She was glorious and terrifying, her long chestnut hair waving in the magical wind she’d created like a banner, her fingers glowing a bright, sickly green. A dark, miasmic fog had settled over the town like a thick wool blanket, and all around her, people were dropping like flies. Her wild, manic laughter reached the group, music from a nightmare, and Matthias gripped his horse’s mane in his hands.

Underestimating them had been an awful, irrevocable mistake they could not take back.

Gavin, however, was deep in the thick of it. The Empire’s soldiers had surrounded him in a clump, but he swung his club at them like he was having the time of his life; there were screams, and the sound of rending flesh, skulls being crushed. He, too, was laughing.

“Why did we stay with those saps again?” He called over the din to Jazhira, and she grinned at him, raising her arms.

“This is so much fun!” She hollered back in agreement.

Then she caught the sight of her old friends.

“Look who showed up to stop us, Gavin?” She asked, her bright eyes aglow with glee.

“Let them try!” Gavin roared, a savage grin on his lips. “Their bodies will join the others. Enjoy your afterlives, old pals!”

\*\*

title: (FN) Something Bad

question: What does the story say about why Jazhira and Gavin turned evil?

answer: They were underappreciated, ignored, and belittled with their original group. Another party offered to take them in, and they were happy to leave their old party behind. The group they joined, the Carrion Crows, had a reputation for being evil. The story doesn't mention the characters' thought processes, but it's a safe assumption to think they started to let off steam in a brutal way.

question: What does the story say about the quality of merch and being humble?


text:
The LEICA M-A (TYP 127) is a purely mechanical 35 mm rangefinder camera released by Leica Camera AG in 2014.[1] The camera has no exposure meter, no electronic control, and no battery is required to operate it. The camera is Leica's first purely mechanical camera since the release of the Leica M4-P in 1981.[2]

Design

The Leica M-A is very similar to the Leica M3, which was produced by Leica from 1954 to 1966. The Leica “red dot” has been deliberately omitted. Viewed from the side the M-A is also noticeably slimmer than its digital counterparts. The camera is enclosed all-metal body with chromed brass top & bottom covers. The camera comes in black chrome or silver finish.[3]

Features

The stripped-down features of the M series cameras camera allows the photographer full manual control of all the settings without automation. The ISO dial at the back of the camera is purely decorative and serves only as a reminder. The camera is compatible with a wide range of M-mount Lens from 16 to 135 mm. A lever allows the photographer to change the framing lines to suit three different pairs of lenses: 28/90 mm, 35/135 mm, and 50/75 mm.[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: Leica M-A

question: List 3 features of the LEICA M-A camera.

answer: It has no exposure meter, no electric control, and no battery is required to use it.

question: In what years was the Leica M3 produced?

answer: 1954 to 1966.

question: What differentiates the Leica M-A from the Leica M3?

answer: The Leica M-A does not have a red dot, it is noticeably slimmer, and the camera is enclosed in an all-metal body.

question: What is an M-mount lens?

answer: The text doesn't explicitly say but it implies that it is a kind of interchangeable lens.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This text lists some details and distinctive features of the Leica M-A camera.


text:
LEE ELLIOT MAJOR, OBE, is Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter, Britain's first Professor in the field. His work is dedicated to improving the prospects of disadvantaged young people.[1]

Early life and education

He grew up in Feltham, west London and lived in a shared house on social security after his parents split up. [2] He worked as a dustman and street cleaner for a summer.[3] He attended Isleworth and Syon School and Richmond upon Thames College. He gained a BSc in physics and PhD in theoretical physics at the University of Sheffield, and an MSc Science Communication at Imperial College, London in 1994.

Books

His 2018 Penguin book _Social Mobility and Its Enemies,_ authored with Stephen Machin, documents the problem of Britain's low social mobility.[4][5][6] In his TEDx talk in 2019, Major describes an “escalating arms race of education” in which the poorest children are increasingly ill-equipped to fight.[7]

Major and Machin's follow-up book _What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Social Mobility?_ is being published by SAGE in 2020.[8] Major and Machin argue that the Covid-19 pandemic will widen education and economic inequalities.[9]

Major's 2019 Bloomsbury book _What Works?,_ authored with Steve Higgins, provides best bets to teachers for improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.[10] It extends the work of Major and Higgins as co-authors of the original Sutton Trust-EEF toolkit. Major advocates an evidence informed approach to teaching.[11]

Career

Major was an education journalist working for _The Guardian,_ _The Times Higher Education Supplement,_ and _Research Fortnight._ He was Director of Policy at the Wellcome Trust between 2002-04.

In 2006 he joined the Sutton Trust becoming its first Chief Executive in 2014.[12] From 2011 to 2019 he was a trustee of the Education Endowment Foundation. He was co-author of _What Makes Great Teaching._[13]

Appointed as a Professor of Practice at the University of Exeter's Graduate School of Education in 2019, he is focused on the impact of research, working closely with school leaders, universities, employers and policy makers. He regularly features in the national media. He argues that social mobility is about securing decent jobs in local communities not just catapulting a lucky few to the top.[14] He has warned that there will be a ‘clash of classes' as students compete for elite university places.[15][16] He has proposed a National Tutoring Service to help schools.[17]

He is an Associate Member of Nuffield College, University of Oxford, an Associate of LSE's Centre for Economic Performance, a Visiting Fellow at the LSE's International Inequalities Institute, and an Honorary Professor at the UCL Institute of Education.[18]

He serves as a Governor at William Ellis School, and a trustee of the Ted Wragg Trust.

Honours

He was awarded an OBE in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to social mobility.[19]

In 2017, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield for services to education.[20]

[1] https://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/education/staff/profile/index.php?web_id=lee_elliotmajor University of Exeter, Graduate School for Education

[2] https://inews.co.uk/news/long-reads/inequality-must-be-addressed-professor-social-mobility-1361715 Inequality must be addressed', says the UK's first professor of social mobility, The I Newspaper Friday, 10 January 2020

[3] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-it-feels-to-rise-from-bin-man-to-professor-lvz3j582n How it feels to... rise from bin man to professor, The Sunday Times, 3 November 2019

[4] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/27/social-mobility-good-education Social mobility requires far more than a good education, The Guardian, 27 Sep 2018

[5] https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/the-social-mobility-trap-education-schools-equality-jobs-work The social mobility trap, Prospect Magazine, December 2019

[6] https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n02/adam-swift/what-s-fair-about-that What's fair about that? London Review of Books, January 2020

[7] https://www.ted.com/talks/lee_elliott_major_how_can_we_level_the_playing_field_of_life/transcript?language=en How can we level the playing field of life? | Lee Elliot Major | TEDxExeter

[8] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/21/downward-mobility-a-reality-for-many-british-youngsters-today Downward mobility 'becoming a reality for much of British youth' The Guardian

[9] https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/04/29/covid-19-could-leave-disadvantaged-children-with-learning-loss-of-six-months/ Covid-19 ‘could leave disadvantaged children with learning loss of six months' Express and Star, 29 April 2020

[10] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/28/education-closing-private-schools-labour-inequality-league-tables Education needs an overhaul, but closing private schools is not the answer The Guardian

[11] https://play.acast.com/s/tes-the-education-podcast/380f1891-dac3-4a93-a3c6-9392432accf3 Podagogy - Season 7, Episode 2 - social mobility with Lee Elliot Major

[12] https://www.suttontrust.com/newsarchive/sutton-trust-appoints-first-chief-executive/ Sutton Trust appoints first Chief Executive

[13] https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/great-teaching/ What makes great teaching? October 2014

[14] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-37011068 A new model for social mobility? BBC News August 2016

[15] https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/mar/03/cuts-university-places-clash-classes-poorer-students-lose-loans Back-door cuts to university places could provoke “clash of the classes”, The Guardian, 3 March 2020

[16] https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/HEPI-Policy-Note-20-Social-Mobility-Challenge-FINAL.pdf Social mobility and elite universities, December 2019 (HEPI Policy Note 20)

[17] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/04/university-students-should-drafted-national-service-boost-social/ University students should be drafted into a 'national service' to boost social mobility, Government adviser says, The Daily Telegraph, 4 April 2020

[18] https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/staff/person.asp?id=10798; http://www.lse.ac.uk/International-Inequalities/People/Lee-Elliot-Major

[19] https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_719804_en.html Leading social mobility expert awarded OBE

[20] https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/cbeebies-honorary-graduations-sheffield-1.672305 University of Sheffield News

title: Lee Elliot Major

question: Where does Major teach?

answer: Major teaches at the University of Exeter.

question: What is Major's educational qualification?

answer: Major has a bachelor's degree in Physics, a Masters's degree in Science Communication, and a Ph.D. in theoretical physics.

question: Summarize the books Major has authored.

answer:
In 2018 Major co-authored the book "Social Mobility and Its Enemies" with Stephen Machin. The book documents the problem of Britain's low social mobility. They also wrote a follow-up book titled "What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Social Mobility?"

In 2019, Major along with Steve Higgins wrote: "What Works?" The book helps teachers to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils.

question: Has he been awarded for any of his work?

answer: Yes, Major was awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to social mobility.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
Lee Elliot Major is Britain's first professor teaching Social Mobility. Major currently teaches at the University of Exeter.

During his youth, he worked as a dustman and street cleaner for the summer. He now holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics.

Lee has co-authored three books on social mobility, two with Stephen Machin and one with Steve Higgins.

Major was awarded an OBE in 2019 for his services to social mobility.


text:
image copyrightGetty Images

image captionSwitzerland is famous for its frequent referendums

THE RESULT OF A NATIONWIDE REFERENDUM HAS BEEN OVERTURNED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MODERN SWITZERLAND'S HISTORY.

The poll, held in February 2016, asked the country's voters whether married couples and co-habiting partners should pay the same tax.

Voters rejected the proposal, with 50.8% against and 49.2% in favour.

But the supreme court has now voided the result on the grounds that voters were not given full information, and the vote must be re-run.

The information provided to the electorate was "incomplete" and therefore "violated the freedom of the vote", the court ruled.

Switzerland's direct democracy system frequently allows citizens to take part in decision-making.

During the referendum campaign, the Swiss government told voters just 80,000 of married couples were paying more tax than couples living together.

The true figure was almost half a million, the government later said.

media captionHow a Swiss referendum denied women the right to vote in 1959

"Keeping in mind the close result and the severe nature of the irregularities, it is possible that the outcome of the ballot could have been different," the court's statement says.

The Christian Democratic Party lodged an appeal against the result in June 2018, disputing the accuracy of the government's statistics.

Welcoming the court's decision, the party said the ruling was a "boost for the political rights of Swiss voters".

In contrast, those who oppose the ruling argue it could undermine Switzerland's political system, paving the way for frivolous appeals against referendums.

Under the Swiss system of direct democracy, a proposal needs 100,000 signatures before going to a referendum.

More on this story

-   -

question: Why did voters reject the proposal?

answer: They believe equal taxes could undermine Switzerland's political system.

question: What is the voting process in Switzerland?

answer: Information can't be found.

question: Why were married couples paying more tax than couples just living together?

answer: Information can't be found.

question: Why do most people oppose the ruling?

answer: Those who oppose the ruling argue it could undermine Switzerland's political system, paving the way for frivolous appeals against referendums.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: In 2016, there was a poll held on whether married couples and co-habiting partners should pay the same tax. Voters rejected the proposal, with 50.8% against and 49.2% in favor. Those who opposed the ruling believe it could undermine Switzerland's political system.