text:
Nothing better symbolised the passing of a great industry, referred to reverentially as "King Coal", than the lowering of one of the last chunks to have been cut at Maltby colliery next to the grave of the "unknown miner" in the town's cemetery last weekend. His had been the only body to be recovered when a gas explosion ripped through the underground galleries 90 years ago, killing 27 men. Those present wiped away tears, as last rites on an industry that had sustained this community for more than a century were read by the local priest. Wreaths were laid and the colliery brass band played the miners' hymn, Gresford, itself an anthem to another disaster. The short service had been billed as a "thanksgiving and prayer for the future", although the many newly redundant must have wondered what future there could be in an area where good jobs are scarce. Strangely, the closure of Maltby came days before Margaret Thatcher, widely seen as the butcher of the coal industry, passed away.

This South Yorkshire town was built on coal, and thanks to Maltby's huge reserves of "black gold", locals had held out some hope that despite the many closures that have hit the area over the past 30 years, they might just wash past the mine with its 540 or so employees. At its height, Maltby cut more than a million tonnes of coal each year – most of it going on the "merry-go-round" railway wagons to Drax power station, with the rest heading for the Monckton coke works near Barnsley.

Earlier in the day, in Worksop, north Nottinghamshire, the shopkeeper at a local bric-a-brac shop tells me that, although the local mines had closed in the late 1980s and early 90s, the area was still scarred by heavy unemployment. (They barely even burn coal around here any more: I ask him if he might know a coal merchant I could talk to. "You would be hard placed to find a local coal merchant around here," he replies.)

In today's Britain, the roll call of Yorkshire villages that once made nightly news in the early 80s as near civil war gripped the coalfields – places such as Dinnington, Thurcroft, Rossington, Wath, Armthorpe and Grimethorpe – have quietly slid away from public consciousness.

In the last 15 years, international coal prices have been buoyant, Britain's remaining privately operated deep mines becoming more productive and profitable, with a couple, including Hatfield Main in Ed Miliband's Doncaster constituency and the Unity Mine in South Wales even being reopened. The price of coal increased from around $30 per short ton in 2000 to around $150 per short ton in September 2008. But as of October 2008, the price per short ton had declined to $111.50. Prices further declined to $71.25, as of October 2010.

Even as this long winter extended its grip, over 40% of Britain's electricity needs have been met by coal – the bulk of it now imported. But earlier this year came news that work on a new seam at Maltby had had to be suspended, because of unusually high levels of gas, and the pit was to be shut. On top of a disastrous fire at Europe's biggest producing mine at Daw Mill in Warwickshire and the mothballing – closure with the option of reopening later – in January of Aberpergwm drift mine in South Wales, this means that there are only three remaining deep mines left in operation in Britain. These are Hatfield and Kellingley in Yorkshire, and Thorseby in Nottinghamshire. Another Notts pit, Harworth, is currently mothballed. This means we are on the verge of losing both an irreplaceable skills base and, potentially, access to all the remaining coal. And this in a country now virtually dependent on gas and oil supplies from elsewhere; Britain was recently awaiting a gas supply ship from Qatar, after being days away from running out of supplies altogether.

Chris Kitchen, general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), explains: "We are going to be beholden to other countries and suffer the consequences. Once upon a time profitable pits helped ones that weren't making profits because they were developing new coal faces. Now there is no slack." Those close to the industry speak bitterly about missed opportunities. Last year, the government turned its back on investing in a new combined heat and power plant, planned to be built next door to Hatfield colliery. EU Commission officials said the now-scrapped power station would have been 'the most advanced of its type in Europe'. Kitchen says: "For just a minuscule amount of the money wasted on the banks, thousands of jobs could have been created in cutting-edge energy production in South Yorkshire and Britain might have been ahead of the curve when it came to 'clean coal technology' and carbon capture."

[Hatfield Colliery in 2006 … a new 'clean' power station in the area was abandoned.]

Hatfield Colliery in 2006 … a new 'clean' power station in the area was abandoned. Photograph: Getty Images
The arguments may be old, but they are still relevant. One ex-miner, Mick (not his real name), still employed by Maltby's operating company, Hargreaves, says: "They've shut it, because coal prices have dipped. We all know that there are millions of tonnes of the stuff down there." Standing at the entrance to the pit, as the procession prepares to get under way, Kevin Barron, the area's MP, agrees. "We have seen far too many of these closures. Let's see where we are in 50 years' time when we really need these sources of energy," he says. Barron helped lead the charge for his old workplace when Michael Heseltine reeled off a list of planned closures in 1992, moving seamlessly in a Commons statement from "Maltby" to sonorously intone: "Point of Ayr in Scotland". Point of Ayr was, in fact, in North Wales. In response, a bunch of Frickley miners, also from the militant Yorkshire coalfield, headed south in retribution to Heseltine's country pile in Oxfordshire and blocked his gates with a lorryload of coal. Later, some of them dug up part of his front lawn, claiming to have located a large seam of coal running beneath. Maltby was reprieved back then, and it was so successful until recently that it hired 70 young apprentices. As Mick notes: "Many of the men had genuinely thought they would see out their working lives here."

Back at the parade in the town centre, the colliery band and the NUM banners lead a long procession cheered on by Saturday shoppers, perhaps remembering fathers or grandfathers, for most in Maltby will have had some connection with the industry. The final sendoff to more than 100 years of mining in the area has the feel of a procession winding its way through through Wootton Bassett.

It is astonishing to think how far the coal industry has fallen in just 40 years. The 1974 general election is remembered in Maltby chiefly for when Edward Heath asked the question: "Who governs Britain?", with the voters responding, "Clearly not you!" The incoming Labour government rapidly settled the second national coal dispute in as many years with the new energy secretary, a miners-sponsored MP, Eric Varley telling Labour's National Executive Committee: "King Coal is back on his throne again. He is firmly established on it. No one can knock him off. The only way he can lose is by abdication."

Varley was referring to the industry and most likely to the leadership of the NUM at that time – Joe Gormley and his gravelly voiced communist deputy, Mick McGahey. But if there was ever a human personification of King Coal, that must surely have been the late Alf Robens, chairman of the National Coal Board (NCB), whose Daimler number plate famously bore the letters "NCB 1" and who shuttled around the coalfields in an executive plane. It was Robens who may have presided over the shrinking of the industry by half in the 1960s, but it was also Robens who offered up a now-heretical nostrum that Britain should restrict cheap coal imports because it undermined the heavy investment in the domestic industry and threatened the jobs of those who mined it.

I first visited Maltby in 1982, where a friend's father was a face-worker in the colliery. This was before Margaret Thatcher coined the phrase "the enemy within" to describe miners who went on strike to halt her planned ideological assault on the industry. Maltby then was much as it is now, with its allotments, pigeon lofts and friendly banter. The street names next to the Miners Welfare Club are named after a succession of Labour leaders: Lansbury Grove, Attlee Close, Gaitskell Close and Hardie Close.

Britain's last remaining miners became industrial travellers over the past 15 years, moving from pit to pit as they shut. I meet Clare with her daughters at the Maltby march. Her husband has worked at a succession of local mines, and now commutes to one of the last remaining ones, Hatfield Main. "He wanted to be here today, but they wouldn't let him," she says, as we head with banners flying to the welfare club.

Sadly, the years of defeat had led finally to major recriminations among the dwindling membership of the once mighty NUM, whose battalions, Harold MacMillan once declared, should, like "Eton and the Guards", never be provoked. Steve Mace, a local official at Maltby, speaks darkly of impending battles with "the national leadership". That national leadership, in the shape of Chris Kitchen, recently saw off former NUM president Arthur Scargill in the courts over a bitter row involving his occupancy of a flat owned by the union in the Barbican.

Inside the Welfare Hall, a middle-aged couple are doing a brisk trade in commemorative coasters that read: "Keep calm, Maltby and carry on!" while the union banners are laid against the wall. The place is heaving, as queues snake inside to reach the bars. Outside, children play in Hardie Close in the first of the very late spring sunshine. In the distance, set back against a grey mountain of coal waste a century in the making, stands Maltby's monumental winding gear, silent and brooding.

• The subheading on this article was amended on 19 April 2013. The original said 40% of the UK's energy needs were met by coal. That has been corrected to 40% of electricity needs.

question: Summarize the reasons behind the decline of coal, according to the passage.

answer:
The price of coals has declined over the years. It was around $30 per short ton in 2000, but it eventually increased to $150 per short ton in 2008. However, it declined again to $7.25 as of 2010.

Also, Britain's dependency on gas has reduced its demand for coal. The country has also reduced its spending on coal, preferring to bail out banks and spend on other energy sources. Furthermore, some of Britain's government officials are ideologically opposed to coal, hence withdrawing funding from the industry, leading to loss of jobs and livelihoods.


split: test

text:
UARM™ proudly stands at the forefront of ballistic protection, body armor, and tactical equipment since 2014.

DEVELOPED AND MADE FOR PROFESSIONAL USE

We work close with military, special forces and law enforcement officers to constantly optimize and improve our products.

SUPPORTING PATRIOTS AND THOSE WHO SERVE FOR GOOD

From the very beginning, UARM™ has been devoted to protecting the lives of those fighting for freedom and patriotism – a sentiment that continues to drive us today.

I am amazed. I expected this to be boxy and cumbersome similar to a bomb suit, but it is more like a winter jacket. It is completely easy to move in and most items can be set to perfect size. I propose for everyone to do a couple of exercises with the armor on, because some things like the thighs and shoulders need more space than you think.

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As I can’t state how well they protect as we haven’t yet had a firefight, but what I do know that they can be worn 8 to 10 hours without any issues, and that they look amazing in front of the clients. Buying it was a strain to our budget but the amount of work we got with full gear is great.

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Nikola Johnny Simov

28 Oct 2020

I absolutely love this plate, it fits in my ANA M2 very well and after training with it, my body adapted to the weight in no time. Defenitly well worth the money.

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This pouch is a fantastic product, however, I’m leaving a 3 star review for customer service. I ordered this pouch in a Lvl IIIa protection and it shipped from Europe with level II insert. The price has been changed on the website. I have inquired via email for a change request, but nothing. I also asked a question about this product before I ordered, and no response. Due to the mistake, and non-responsiveness to the inquiries, I can’t fully recommend this product because you may not reliably receive what you ordered. That being said, the design and ruggedness of this pouch is excellent. There is no other product I’m aware of in US that compares. Offering Medical gear and also armoring up, that alone was worth the price. My old IFAK pouch was large and stuck out like a tumor on my kit. There was no where to put it where it wasn’t in the way and I could get to it easily. This pouch solved the problem. The included medical supplies are well sealed and while I haven’t opened them to inspect, they seem robust and as advertised. The shears included are adequate, but you could always replace them with your own pair. I was able to also stuff this pouch with some additional medical supplies in addition to what was provided. An exterior pouch could also accommodate extra tools. The velcro fasteners are well designed and you have the ability to pull a tab and get whatever emergency kit you need. There is even a loop in the back so you can secure this to your belt so it’s not flapping on your stomach when you run. Very well thought out. Would have rated 5 stars if not for bad customer experience and quality control.

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text:
        I don't really know much about anything. I can't point out where I come from on a map. I can't do your taxes. I don't know much about growing crops. My life has been very sheltered, you see. I never really had the chance to go out much. When I did, it was just for a quick bite and then I came back. I don't want to say I'm shy or anti-social, but if I am, it's genetic.

        You see, growing up as a Vampire has some serious drawbacks. I would even go as far as to call it a handicap. We're not at all what you read about or see in the movies. Do you think we could afford a castle like Dracula? I grew up in a studio apartment in Queens with my parents. I was home schooled to the fullest extent of their knowledge, but they worked nights and slept days so to say the least I was left on my own for education. I was to follow in the family business, whether I wanted to or not. My father wanted me to join him in working the graveyard shift at our neighborhood 7/11. I've never really been much for serving people. Plus, running home at 5 in the morning to escape the sunrise wasn't my idea of a good career choice.

        Growing up, I had a lot of free time to think and ponder the meaning of my existence. In other words, I spent a lot of time drinking the blood of high teenagers outside my father's 7/11 late at night and it made me feel like a prophet. It really gave me a craving for dorritos and other chips, too. What's so strange about that is that my family follows a strict, traditional, Vampire diet consisting of mainly blood and meat. I never had much exposure to processed food. Sometimes, I would float down in front of the Burger King drive-thru and scare the customers into giving me their food. I would say something like, "Your food or your blood, fool!" They always gave me the food. Well, most of them.

        I wasn't totally useless, though. I didn't know much, but I could dream. I wanted to become more than what was expected of a young vampire. I always wanted to break away from the life my family had planned for me. The whole vampire thing just didn't have much potential. You can laugh at this if you want, but my dream was to become a cowboy. I spent most of my teenage years watching old western movies on tv while my parents were at work and I wanted to be the cowboys. To be on horseback in the open range with the sun filling the horizon was a life I would never be able to live, despite anything I could dream. Being young as I was, though, I'd had enough of my life and decided to take off. One night shortly after my 18th birthday, I left a note and walked out the door.

        I won't tell you how I got there, but I made it to Montana. I'll just tell you that getting there with no money required doing some things that are beyond embarrassing. I'll save that story for another time. I started working at a ranch where my main responsibility was doing the bitch work no one else wanted to do. I got fired when I didn't show up on the first morning I was supposed to work. I told you it would be hard to become a vampire cowboy. I didn't give up hope, though. Eventually I found a 24/7 ranch that was run by humans in the day and vampires at night.

        I fit right in with my crew. It was almost as if I had been born to work on a ranch. Sometimes, the humans played pranks on us and left piles of horse and cow droppings to be cleaned up. When this happened, we just laughed and drank the humans' blood while they slept. Nothing says, "got'cha!" like waking up as a member of another species. The ranch owner put an end to our prank wars when we converted most of his day staff to vampires.

        I didn't sleep much during my time at the ranch. I would stare out my window during the afternoon and watch the humans work. I wanted so badly to be out there with them, riding horses around the ranch and sweating under the sun. One afternoon, I witnessed a good downpour. The ranch hands returned to their quarters and I watched the animals cool off under the rain. The sun returned from behind the clouds and left this breath-taking beam of colors in the sky. In all the history of my people, we have been afraid of the light. For good reason, too. But this light was amazing. I followed the shape from where it began at our ranch and tried to imagine how long it could be, and what could be at the end of it. I imprinted its size and location in my memory. I was going to find the end of the light.

        That night, I left the ranch with our best horse and followed the trail of the light by memory. I rode for hours and the horse hated me for it. It threw me off a couple times so it could rest. I'd never bitten a horse and was considering it, but was afraid of starting a new superior race of hybrid flying, blood-drinking horses. Finally, when I felt that I had reached the end of the trail, I got off the horse and began to look around. After hours of searching, I gave up and started to make camp.

        I heard noise coming from the woods, and emerging from it was a small, delicate, and beautiful creature. Her green hat matched her jacket. She was far too well-dressed to be a homeless person. My presence surprised her, and she stared at me in confusion.

        "Are you here for the gold?" She asked.
        "The gold?" I replied. "I've been following a beam of light. Do you know of it?"
         Her face brightened and she beamed a smile towards me. I was beginning to forget more and more about the light. I'd found what I had been looking for for so very long.
         "Of course I do, silly," she laughed at me. "It's my rainbow and you've found it. No one ever comes     looking for me these days. We are real, you know. I'm not like the Easter Bunny. I've got a lot of gold in this pot here. It's all yours now, sugar."
         "What if I want something else?" I asked her, gazing deeply into her green eyes.
         She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "Now what else could you want?"
         I paused and began to approach her. I reached down to hold her little hand.
         "You."

        Ok, I know what you're thinking right now. I admit that falling in love with a leprechaun is destined for failure no matter what species you are, even if you're a leprechaun. There were some serious flaws in my logic back in the day. But go to hell. I was a vampire in love. We left together later that week. I hadn't realized it during my trip, but I had crossed the Canadian border while searching for the end of the rainbow. When we went through customs to re-enter the United States, I had to smuggle my new lady love in one of my duffel bags. Rather than becoming intimate with each other throughout our trip, my beaming and beautiful bride to be spent our first couple of days together in my bag wrapped in my intimates and dirty socks.

        Love is an adventure, but settling down is a chore. My mini-lover and I found a quiet town in South Carolina where we could be together in peace. By peace, I mean we were constantly receiving death threats and bricks through our windows. Our relationship was what some people would call an abomination. We weren't allowed to marry. My ittie-bittie-amore wanted to move up north to Massachusetts. We weren't gay, I had to remind her. We were just of different species.

        We lived off of her gold for a few years until it began to run out. Desperate, my slight and slender lady friend found a job as an elf at Santa's Village in the local mini-mall. During the winter, she worked overtime taking pictures with children and Santa. Defeated, I found work at a local 7/11. I first tried my luck as a stand-up comic, but no one found the musings of a destroyer of lives to be very humorous. Because of our work hours and my fatal reaction to sunlight, our relationship suffered. In public, my teeny-tiny sweetheart constantly had to prove her age to keep me from becoming a registered sex-offender. The public stigma of our relationship kept us inside for most of the time.

        Again, the world felt like a prison to me. I began to think more often of the ranch and being a cowboy. This wasn't why I left home. I didn't leave to work the graveyard shift at a 7/11 and sleep with a pretty but puny honeybun. To tell you the truth, we rarely slept together. Like I mentioned before, the scheduling conflicts of our lifestyles made it all very difficult. She got us into marriage counseling. Let me tell you what was wrong with that idea. First, we weren't married. We got thrown out of our first marriage counseling session and had to re-schedule to be seen for "couple counseling." Four weeks later we saw the same man. Second, it hurt me to go to those sessions. I mean that literally. You would think that venturing out during the middle of the day was enough to prove my love to that microscopic midget.

        I'd like to tell you that it all had a happy ending. I'd like to tell you that we reconciled and everything is perfect. I'd rather tell you that we ended up back at the ranch and I followed my dream of becoming a cowboy. We ran into an unexpected problem shortly after we began counseling. I didn't think that different species could reproduce, so safe sex wasn't really my thing. Nine months later, my dwarfish devil of a lady gave birth to a hybrid vampire/leprechaun. You may read that and think it's very cool, but let me tell you it's not. My son really got the worst of both worlds, being a runt of a blood sucker. When he began teething, he turned my little leprechaun into a shrimp sized vampire. I don't know, maybe that is kind of a happy ending after all. At least we can finally spend some time together now.

title: [HM] Under the Lovely Bloody Rainbow

question: Summarize everything to do with vampires biting people.

answer: The narrator spent a lot of his time growing up drinking the blood of high teenagers. He eventually got a job at a ranch, and he and the other vampires drank the humans' blood while they slept, turning the day staff into vampires. When he left the ranch with its best horse, he considered biting the horse. Later on in the story, his leprechaun girlfriend gives birth to a leprechaun-vampire hybrid. The baby bites her, turning her into a vampire.

question: What does the story say about how vampires are different from humans?

answer: Vampires work nights and sleep days. Their diet consists mainly of blood and meat. They are also afraid of the light of the sun.

question: What does the story say about the difficulties in the narrator's relationship?

answer: Their relationship suffered because of their different work hours. They rarely slept together due to scheduling conflicts. His wife had to constantly prove her age in public so that he wouldn't be mistaken as a sex offender. They also unexpectedly had a child, which turned the wife into a vampire.

question: What does the story say about a cure for vampirism?


text:
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Getty Images

The NFL’s new rules designed to reduce the impacts on kickoffs represent a last-gasp effort to keep the play in the sport.

That’s the word from former head of officiating Mike Pereira, who believes that if this year’s rule changes don’t result in the desired reduction in kickoffs, the NFL will just abolish the play entirely.

“If at the end of this year there are more concussions on kickoffs, forget it. It’s gone,” Pereira said this morning on _PFT Live_.

The flip side is, the new rules have the potential to save the kickoff and keep it in the sport for good.

“If we have more returns and less concussions then the kickoff is here to stay, maybe forever,” Pereira said.

Pereira believes that if the NFL scraps kickoffs, the most likely replacement would be the “Greg Schiano rule,” in which teams would face a fourth-and-15 from their own 35-yard line and could either punt the ball as the new equivalent of a kickoff, or go for it as the new equivalent of an onside kick.

question: What new rules has NFL brought about?

answer: NFL brought about new rules that reduce impacts on kickoffs.

question: Who is Mike Pereira?

answer: Mike Pereira is the former head of officiating.

question: What does Pereira believe will be the effect of the new rules?

answer: Pereira believes that if the changed rules do not result in the desired reduction in kickoffs, the NFL will have to abolish the play entirely.

question: What would happen if NFL scraps kickoffs?

answer: According to Pereira, if NFL scraps kickoffs, it will most likely be replaced by the "Greg Schiano rule."

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
The new rules for kickoff by NFL seem to be the last gasp of effort to keep it in the sport. According to the former head of officiating, Mike Pereira, if the new rules do not bring about desired results, kickoffs might just have to be abolished completely.

Pereria also believes that if kickoffs are to be abolished, the next best replacement would be the "Greg Schiano rule."


text:
The grey sky wept heavy tears as an old man creeps along a smooth marble path, clutching his coat tightly with white knuckles to keep the frosted wind from stealing it. His head hung low against the rain, joints aching and lungs burning from the cold air, he walks on under the gaze of the silent marble guardians that stand all around.  They are placed in concentric ranks, evenly spaced and facing inwards, ever vigilant. There are thousands of them; tens of thousands even, covering an area miles wide. They are spaced evenly throughout their rings with a gap just wide enough for two people to slip in between with twice that distance between each layer. Small engraved platinum plaques rest at the base of each, meticulously produced and maintained.

At the center is an open space dominated by a large sphere which floats reverently above the ground. The Earth in all its glory, with its greens, blues, and browns – meticulously detailed. White clouds swirl and dance in real time in a never ending show that matches reality. If an observer looks closely, they see small ripples throughout the vast blue oceans as the moon engages in its eternal struggle with the tides. Yellow points of civilization dot the night side, ever struggling against the darkness which creeps steadily west. Giant black scars and craters run along its surface, an eternal reminder of events not long passed.

Once in awhile the old man sees another like himself, walking solemnly through this holiest of places. He places a hand onto the cold stone of a statue to steady himself as a strong gust smashes into his fragile frame. He pulls back his hand as if bitten, a numbness spreading throughout his soul. As he continues forward he looks into the faces around him even as the rain soaks his face. He doesn’t notice as it slips down his coat, and doesn’t care as the cold steals the feeling from his skin. He is beyond knowing discomfort. It has been many months since he felt.

Each face is alive with hand crafted detail down to the very pores of the shining stone skin. Their expressions are serious yet hopeful, sad but inspiring. They stand life sized and uniformed, medals and ribbons adorning their chests. Over each stone heart is a small pin with the shape and detail of the Earth. Had they not been made of lifeless stone, each likeness could be mistaken for a living being. They are the holiest relics of the human race, in a place that has become a religious site that has no priests and belongs to no church. They stand at attention in eternal watch over the planet in their midst and the pilgrims who walk through their home.

As the old man draws nearer to his destination he slows his all ready careful pace to the barest of movements. He has entered the space of his nightmares, the place he visits each night in sleep and each day in life. It is a familiar place, one he has navigated through hundreds of times in the few short months since its completion. It has become routine in a sense. His path is always the same; the same stones, the same steps, the same faces, the same emptiness.

He stops at each monument and memorizes every face before reading the plaque under it. Each one is long since engraved in his mind. They are his link to the past, to better times before.  Some of the names he knows from the old letters. They are his most cherished possessions and the only thing of value he has. He falls asleep each night with a stack of them in his bed, only escaping into the embrace of sleep when he is too tired to remain awake any longer.

After a time that may have been as long as hours or as short as minutes, the old man arrives at what has become both his hell and his salvation. It is a statue of a young woman, so perfectly detailed that the sight of it tears through his soul. He stares at her face and struggles to look away. The plaque at her feet tells only the barest of stories; that she was an officer; that she served all of humanity; that she died protecting her home. That she will be forever remembered. She has a face the old man is intimately familiar with. Her name is the same as his.

He remembers how it all started. How smart and happy and full of life she was. How she glowed and seemed to brighten a room just by being present. How he always pushed her to strive for more, to live up to her full potential. How he had wanted a better life for her than he had ever had for himself. How she had applied on an off chance and been accepted into the program, and how she had gone with his blessing and his encouragement. How she had written every day after she left, and how utterly proud he was. How she was his only child.

He remembers too how it all ended. How the Earth had been decimated. How she had been called up. He watched the live video as it all unfolded, remembers how three billion voices screamed as one when they were victorious. He remembers how none of those thousands of Earth’s children who had left ever came back. He remembers the guilt and the pain so heavy it crushed the air from his lungs.

Amidst the howling wind, he trembles violently and falls to his knees. The rain washes the tears from his face as he sobs uncontrollably. The old man curls up at the feet of his life and waits to die.

title: Pilgrim

question: Where is the old man?

answer: The old man is walking down a marble path under the gaze of marble statues — thousands of them.

question: Where is the old man headed?

answer: The old man is headed towards a place that he visits in his nightmares daily. His path to this destination is always the same.

question: Whose statues are they?

answer: The statues are of people — some of whom the old man knows from his old letters.

question: Summarize the old man's feeling on seeing the statue of the woman.

answer: The old man remembers the past of the woman. She was an officer who served humanity. He's sad and remembers her life; he reminisces how he wanted a better life for her than she did. She was his only child and had the same name as him. He also remembers how he was very proud of her.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: An old man is walking down a marble path that's lined with thousands of statues of people. He's visited this place in his nightmares. At the heart of this path is the statue of a woman — his dead child. She had gone to save the Earth, but died for the same. The old man feels sad and starts sobbing. He curls up at the statue's feet and waits to die.


text:
_THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN_ is a 1954 American romantic comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan, and Maggie McNamara, and featuring Rossano Brazzi. Written by John Patrick, the film is about three American women working in Rome who dream of finding romance in the Eternal City.[1]

The film's main title song “Three Coins in the Fountain”, sung by an uncredited Frank Sinatra, went on to become an enduring standard. The story was adapted by John Patrick from the novel _Coins in the Fountain_ by John H. Secondari. It was made in Italy during the “Hollywood on the Tiber” era.

At the 27th Academy Awards in 1955, the film received two Academy Awards — for Best Cinematography and Best Song — and was nominated for Best Picture.[2]

Plot

Young American secretary Maria Williams arrives in Rome and is greeted by Anita Hutchins, the woman whom she is replacing at the United States Distribution Agency. They drive to the Villa Eden, which Anita shares with Miss Frances, the longtime secretary of the American author John Frederick Shadwell, an expatriate living in Rome. On their way into town, the three women stop at the famous Trevi Fountain. Frances and Anita tell Maria that according to legend, if she throws a coin in the fountain and makes a wish to return to Rome, she will. Maria and Frances throw in their coins, but Anita, who is planning to return to the United States to marry, declines.

Anita takes Maria to the agency and introduces her to Giorgio Bianchi, a translator with whom she works. Maria senses that Anita and Giorgio are attracted to each other, though Anita states that the agency forbids its American and Italian employees to fraternize. Later that evening at a party, Maria is attracted by the handsome Prince Dino di Cessi, despite being warned by Frances and Anita about him being a notorious womanizer. His girlfriends become known as “Venice girls” after he takes them to Venice for romantic trysts. Dino charms Maria, telling her to ignore what she's heard about him.

After the party, Anita and Maria walk home and Anita admits that she has no fiancé waiting back in the United States. She's leaving because she believes she has a better chance of finding a husband in America; wealthy Italian men are not interested in mere secretaries, and the men who are interested are too poor. As they walk, Maria is pinched by a man who pesters her until she is rescued by Giorgio, who then asks Anita to go with him the next day to his family's country farm to attend a celebration. Anita reluctantly agrees.

The next morning, Giorgio picks Anita up in his cousin's dilapidated truck. On their way out of town, they are spotted by her boss, Burgoyne. On Giorgio's family farm, Giorgio tells Anita that he hopes to become a lawyer, despite his poverty. Anita then climbs into the truck and is almost killed when it rolls down the hill. After Giorgio rescues her, the breathless couple give in to their attraction and they kiss. Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Dino calls for Maria and asks if she will accompany him to Venice. Desiring to see Venice but not wanting to lose Dino's respect, Maria arranges for Frances to chaperone them to Dino's disappointment.

At the agency on Monday, Burgoyne questions Maria about Anita's weekend with Giorgio and although she maintains that Anita did nothing wrong, Burgoyne assumes Anita is having an affair with Giorgio. The following day he fires Giorgio. When Anita finds out, she blames Maria for betraying her confidence and insists on moving out of their apartment. She visits Giorgio, worried that she may have ruined his chances of becoming a lawyer. Giorgio has no regrets.

Meanwhile, Maria sets out to attract Dino's affections. She learns about the modern art he loves, his favorite food and wine, and pretends to learn the piccolo (his favorite instrument). Maria even lies about her background, telling Dino she is three-quarters Italian. Beguiled by how much he apparently has in common with Maria, Dino introduces her to his mother, the Principessa, who expresses her approval. Later, Dino confides in Maria that she is the only girl whom he has ever completely trusted. Troubled by her deception, Maria confesses her subterfuge, even showing Dino her notebook listing his interests. He angrily takes her home.

Frances meets Anita, who admits that she and Giorgio are in love but will not marry because he is too poor. Frances returns home to comfort the guilt-stricken Maria, who is also determined to leave Rome because Dino has not contacted her since her admission. Frances tells her she is glad she is no longer young and susceptible to romance. The next morning, however, Frances suddenly announces to Shadwell that she is returning to the United States, explaining that she does not want to end up as an old maid in a foreign country. Shadwell, unaware that Frances has been deeply in love with him for fifteen years, offers her a marriage of convenience based on mutual respect. Eager to be with him under any circumstances, Frances accepts.

The next day, Shadwell learns that he is terminally ill and has less than a year to live unless he goes to America for experimental treatment. Shadwell returns to his villa and coldly breaks off his engagement to Frances. After Shadwell leaves, Frances learns from his doctor the truth about Shadwell's condition, and then follows him to a café, where she proceeds to match him drink for drink while bickering about whether he should pursue treatment. Completely drunk, Frances climbs into a nearby fountain and sobs about her life. After Shadwell takes her back to the villa and tucks her in, he goes to see Dino at the di Cessi palace. Shadwell tells Dino he is leaving for the United States where he will marry Frances. He uses reverse psychology to provoke Dino into realizing that he loves Maria.

After Anita and Maria are packed and ready to leave, Frances telephones and asks to meet them at the Trevi Fountain. When they arrive, Maria and Anita are disappointed to see the fountain emptied for cleaning. When they are joined by Frances, however, the water springs up again and the women are thrilled by its beauty. Dino and Giorgio then arrive, and as the men embrace their girlfriends, Frances is joined by Shadwell, and they happily admire the fountain, which has proved lucky to them all.

Cast

-   Clifton Webb as John Frederick Shadwell
-   Dorothy McGuire as Miss Frances
-   Jean Peters as Anita Hutchins
-   Louis Jourdan as Prince Dino di Cessi
-   Rossano Brazzi as Georgio Bianchi
-   Maggie McNamara as Maria Williams
-   Howard St. John as Burgoyne
-   Kathryn Givney as Mrs. Burgoyne
-   Cathleen Nesbitt as Principessa[3]

Reception

Critical response

Upon its theatrical release, the film received generally positive reviews, particularly for its color and CinemaScope widescreen cinematography of Italian filming locations. In his review in _The New York Times_, Bosley Crowther wrote, “_Three Coins in the Fountain_ is quite clearly a film in which the locale comes first. However, the nonsense of its fable tumbles nicely within the picture frame.” Crowther underscored the film's visual appeal to the audiences of his time.

_Variety_ noted that the film “... has warmth, humor, a rich dose of romance and almost incredible pictorial appeal.”[4]

On Rotten Tomatoes, as of 2020 the film has a 60% positive rating based on 10 reviews.[5]

Awards and honors

Academy Awards:

-   WON: 1955 Best Cinematography, Color (Milton R. Krasner)
-   WON: 1955 Academy Award for Best Song (Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn)
-   Nominated: 1955 Academy Award for Best Motion Picture (Sol C. Siegel)

Directors Guild of America Award:

-   Nominated: 1955 for Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film (Jean Negulesco)[6]

The film was recognized by the American Film Institute in these lists:

-   2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated[7]
-   2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
    -   “Three Coins in the Fountain” (song) – Nominated[8]

Remakes

Three other films based on the same novel have been released. The first was the 1964 musical _The Pleasure Seekers_ starring Ann-Margret, Carol Lynley and Pamela Tiffin, directed by Jean Negulesco. The second was a 1966 20th Century Fox pilot for an unsold television series, which was directed by Hal Kanter, written by Kanter and Melville Sherelson and starred Cynthia Pepper, Yvonne Craig and Joanna Moore. The television film was finally broadcast in 1970. Sergio Franchi sang the title song. The third was the 1990 television film _Coins in the Fountain_ starring Loni Anderson.

_Three Coins in the Fountain_ also inspired the 2010 film _When in Rome_, which tells the story of a woman who takes coins from a love fountain in Rome and finds unwanted love.

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title: Three Coins in the Fountain (film)

question: What does the article say about which movies were based on the novel "Coins in the Fountain" by John H. Secondari.

answer: The article mentions four movies that are based on the novel. "Three Coins in the Fountain", a romantic comedy movie directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan, and Maggie McNamara; "The Pleasure Seekers", a musical starring Ann-Margret, Carol Lynley, and Pamela Tiffin, directed by Jean Negulesco; a 1966 20th Century Fox pilot for an unsold television series, which was directed by Hal Kanter, written by Kanter and Melville Sherelson, and starred Cynthia Pepper, Yvonne Craig, and Joanna Moore; television film "Coins in the Fountain" starring Loni Anderson.

question: What does the article say about Maria's relationship with Dino?

answer: They are attracted to each other, and Maria sets out to attract Dino's affections pretending that she loves things he loves and lying about herself. Dino introduces her to his mother, the Principessa, who expresses her approval. Troubled by her deception, Maria confesses her subterfuge, and Dino angrily takes her home but forgives her later.

question: What does the story say about Anita's relationship with Giorgio?

answer: Anita, an American young woman, and Giorgio, Italian, a translator with whom she works, are attracted to each other. Their agency forbids its American and Italian employees to fraternize. One day, their boss spots them together and fires Giorgio. Anita and Giorgio are in love but will not marry because he is too poor. Anita intends to leave Rome and go back to the United States because she believes she has a better chance of finding a husband in America changes her mind and stays with Giorgio.

question: What does the article say about Anita's parents?


text:
_DROMOPUS_ is a reptilian ichnogenus commonly found in assemblages of ichnofossils dating to the late Pennsylvanian (Moscovian stage) to the early Permian (Changhsingian stage). It has been found throughout Europe, as well as in the United States, Canada, and Morocco. Several ichnospecies have been named; only the type ichnospecies _D. LACERTOIDES_ is definitively recognized.[1]

History

Species

Originally named as an ichnospecies of _Saurichnites_ by Hanns Bruno Geinitz in 1861, _S. lacertoides_ was transferred to the newly created genus _Dromopus_ by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1894, along with a new ichnospecies _D. agilis_ from the United States.[2]

In 1929, Roy Moodie described two-digit traces from the Red Beds of Texas under the ichnospecies _Varanopus palmatus_, _V. impressus_, _V. elrodi_, and _V. didactylus_.[3] However, these were subsequently considered to represent a single ichnospecies of _Dromopus_ by William Sarjeant. Because the type specimen of _V. palmatus_ is broken, and _V. impressus_ and _V. elrodi_ are incomplete, _Dromopus didactylus_ is generally the preferred name.[4]

In 1963 and 1964, Paul Ellenberger described many ichnospecies of _Dromopus_: _D. neooctavianensis_, _D. brevidigitatus_, _D. duidigitatus_, _D. octavianensis_, _D. bidigitatus_, _D. curtidigitus_, _D. inversidigitulifer_, _D. rabejacensis_, _D. rectidigitus_, _D. rectangulus_, _D. exsultans_, and _D. cursor_. Harmut Haubold considered them invalid in a 2000 review.[5]

There have been disagreements about whether the North American _D. agilis_ represents a separate ichnospecies.[6] More recently, based on the fact that there is no satisfactory anatomical diagnosis distinguishing various ichnospecies of _Dromopus_, only the type ichnospecies _D. lacertoides_ has been agreed to be valid.[7][8]

Synonyms

In 1892, Pohlig used the new ichnogenus _Protritonichnites_ for the ichnospecies _Saurichnites lacertoides_, before Marsh had named _Dromopus_. By the principles of synonymy, _Protritonichnites_ should have priority over _Dromopus_. However, in 1970, Haubold argued that this name was largely unused by this point, and it was also based on a less taxonomically sound definition. Although some European researchers during the 1980s persisted in using the name _Protritonichnites_, _Dromopus_ has generally found more widespread adoption.[9] Other synonyms include _Eumekichnium_, named by Franz Nopcsa in 1923, including the type ichnospecies _E. longipollex_, as well as _E. gampsodactylum_ and _E. pachydactylum_ (both formerly _Ichnium_); and _Gampsodactylum_, also named by Nopcsa in 1923, including the type ichnospecies _G. alberdorfense_ as well as _G. friedrichrodanum_ and _G. kabarzense_.[10]

Description

_Dromopus lacertoides_ tracks are characterized by five-fingered hand and foot imprints up to long, about a third longer than they are wide, with a short palm and long, slender, tapered digits. The length of the digits increases from the first to the fourth, with the fifth having the same length as the second. The hand and foot imprints are not particularly distinct.[11] _D. didactylus_ tracks are based on similar tracks, but where the imprints of all but two digits are faint.[12]

_Dromopus_ tracks have been ascribed to lizard-like reptiles, including the diapsid Araeoscelidia and the parareptilian Bolosauridae.[13][14][15]

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title: Dromopus

question: What does the text say about S. lacertoides?

answer: It is an ichnospecies of Saurichnites identified by Hanns Brune Geinitz in 1861, moved to the genus Dromopus by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1894. It is the only type of ichnospecies that is definitively recognized. The tracks of the species are characterized by five-fingered hand- and foot-prints that are longer than they are wide with long digits and a short palm. The digits increase in length from the first to the fourth, and the last one is equal in length to the second.

question: What does the text say about ichor?


text:
[Fast and Furious Whistleblower Destroys “Botched Investigation” Lie]
Despite the Obama administration’s fiendish efforts to censor the truth, Special Agent John Dodson, one of the key ATF whistleblowers who exposed the “Fast and Furious” plot to arm Mexican drug cartels, recently offered more explosive insight into the deadly scheme. In addition to further demolishing the bogus “botched-investigation” narrative peddled by the embattled administration and its allies in the establishment press, Dodson also shed light on various elements of the gun-running operation that disgraced Attorney General Eric Holder and the president have been conspiring to keep secret.

All along, the administration’s plan was to put American weapons in the hands of Mexican cartels. Instead of some sort of half-baked but legitimate law-enforcement operation to bust criminal syndicates, however — the official narrative still parroted by much of the increasingly discredited media — lawmakers, whistleblowers, and analysts point to growing amounts of evidenceshowing that Fast and Furious was really aimed at undermining the Second Amendment; nothing more. Now, a section of Dodson’s book on the gun-running operation, published this month in the _New York Post_, supplied further confirmation.

One of the gaping holes in the “botched investigation” myth is the fact that there was never actually any plan to catch any criminals, as Dodson somewhat humorously explains in his book _The Unarmed Truth: My Fight to Blow the Whistle and Expose Fast and Furious_. In fact, as _The New American_ has documented extensively and Dodson highlights in the excerpt from his book in the _Post_, the top criminals supposedly being “investigated” in Fast and Furious were already working for the FBI. The FBI operatives were also buying the weapons for distribution to cartels with U.S. taxpayer funds.

The ATF whistleblower cited a comparison with the cartoon South Park used by one of his colleagues to describe the absurdity of the whole plot. “There’s this episode where all the boys get their underwear stolen by these underwear gnomes,” ATF agent Lee Casa is quoted as saying. “They track them down to get it back and one of them asks why they are stealing everyone’s underwear. The gnomes break out this PowerPoint and reveal their master plan: Phase One: Collect underpants. Phase Two: ? Phase Three: Profit. We’re doing the same thing: We know Phase One is ‘Walk guns’ and Phase Three is ‘Take down a big cartel!’ … Just nobody can figure out what the f–k Phase Two is!”

Indeed, the reason nobody could figure out what “Phase Two” was turns out to be simple: There never was a “Phase Two.” The supposed “Phase Three,” meanwhile — “take down a big cartel!” — was almost certainly a deceptive fairytale employed by senior administration officials to get well-meaning ATF agents to participate in the murderous plot to arm Mexican cartels at U.S. taxpayer expense. Dodson and many of his colleagues realized the absurdity of it all, but almost certainly assumed that there really was some ultimate master plan to catch criminals in the end.

“What was happening did at times almost seem like a spoof,” Dodson wrote in the book, a piece of which was published on December 1 in the _Post_ despite widely criticized efforts by the administration to censor it. “Letting guns ‘walk’ was a tactic that I had never before seen or even contemplated. It simply wasn’t done. I couldn’t understand how anyone could argue that allowing guns that ought to have been in law-enforcement custody to go to known or suspected criminals — people who shouldn’t have been near a gun, people who almost certainly would be passing them on to Mexico’s most brutal drug cartels — wasn’t madness.”

Dodson was absolutely right to be suspicious, it turns out. After highlighting his realization that the supposed “plan” was ridiculous, the ATF whistleblower delves into one of the key facts in the saga that should permanently and entirely demolish the “botched investigation” lie. As the ATF and the DEA continued their supposed “investigation” by allowing ever-greater quantities of weapons to flow into criminal hands, they were also learning about the low-level networks they were helping. Then they stumbled upon the truth, detailed in a section of Dodson’s work subtitled “Circle of Idiocy.”

The minor criminal figure running a gun-purchasing operation the ATF was facilitating, Manuel Celis-Acosta, was already being “investigated” by other federal agencies, Dodson found out. “Then DEA dropped a bomb: Through their own deconfliction protocols, they had learned that those two suspects, both above Acosta in hierarchy, were already subjects of a joint DEA-FBI investigation being worked out of another division that had begun back on Dec. 9, 2009,” Dodson wrote.

It gets much more sinister, though, as the ATF whistleblower would soon discover. “Later we learned that these folks Acosta was reporting to weren’t just targets of the joint DEA-FBI investigation; they had been cultivated as informants and were in fact assets of the FBI,” he wrote. “More shocking, they had been using FBI money to ultimately purchase a significant portion of the firearms.” Indeed, as reported by _The New American_ early last year, the FBI “drug lords” were considered “national security assets” who were “off limits” and “untouchable.”

In other words, the FBI was working with its “assets” to use U.S. taxpayer dollars to help arm Mexican drug cartels with weapons bought at American gun stores under orders from the ATF. “Take the government out of this equation and nothing gets done,” Dodson noted. “No guns get purchased, because there is no FBI money to pay for them; no guns get sold, because ATF is not coercing the gun dealers to sell them; and no guns get trafficked, because ATF is not using the guise of a ‘big case’ to allow it all to happen. And yet the Justice Department was happy to let the farce continue, telling my ATF bosses they were doing a great job.”

As Dodson explained, it would be impossible to make up such absurdities, but from the Justice Department’s point of view, the ATF was doing a great job — thousands of American weapons were flooding into Mexico destined for criminals, providing a perfect rationale to demonize gun rights. Still, years after the blood-drenched scandal was exposed to lawmakers, the press, and the American public, none of the high-level officials responsible for the scheme has been held accountable.

Incredibly, Obama and Attorney General Holder — the latter of whom has already been held in criminal contempt of Congress on a bipartisan vote, with formal Articles of Impeachment introduced in the House — continue unlawfully refusing to provide subpoenaed documents to Congress. Now the administration is fighting to legalize its cover-up in federal courts, absurdly claiming nobody has the authority to investigate government gun-running because of “executive privilege.” The Justice Department, meanwhile, is refusing to prosecute its boss on the criminal contempt charges.

Amid all of the ongoing deception, though, the facts are starting to become clear. With hundreds of murders perpetrated with the Fast and Furious weapons supplied by U.S. authorities, the administration was hoping to step up its relentless attack on gun rights — in fact, it had already begun before the scandal was exposed, with top administration officials repeatedly claiming that the Second Amendment was responsible for the carnage in Mexico. Then, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed with a Fast and Furious weapon. Brave ATF agents such as Dodson knew it was time to blow the whistle.

In the end, the administration was exposed, and the whole gun-running plot, which multiple analysts have referred to as a “false flag,” blew up in their faces. Amid the ham-handed cover-up, top officials, including Holder, lied under oath about it. Instead of taking action, though, the press appears to be largely asleep at the wheel amid a never-ending stream of mega-scandalsplaguing the administration. Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, are apparently too busy voting in favor of more unconstitutional gun controlto hold anyone accountable.

“Some politicians and the media like to think the Fast and Furious scandal is over, that we know what happened and it’s no big deal,” Dodson wrote. “But three years later, the White House still refuses to release all documents on the operation. Officials refuse to say who knew about the gun walking. The Mexican government says 211 people have been killed by guns from Fast and Furious, including police officers. The body count will only increase. And Attorney General Eric Holder, despite being held in contempt by Congress, still has a job. We gave thousands of guns to Mexican drug cartels. Americans died. Where is the outrage?”

Of course, the president and his allies have endlessly parroted the mantra that “weapons of war” do not belong on the streets. Based on growing amounts of undeniable evidence, however, it appears that, in the minds of people in Obama’s circle at least, restrictions on weapons should apply only to everyday Americans not in government service. Mexican drug cartels, al-Qaeda linked jihadists in Syria and Libya, and local police departments across America are all being lawlessly showered with endless supplies of “weapons of war” by the administration.

At the same time, the Obama administration is fiendishly persecuting whistleblowers who dare to expose the lunacy, most recently threatening them with a “firing squad” — supposedly a “joke,” according to officials. It is past time for Congress to put its foot down, protect the rights of Americans, and hold lawless officials accountable for their scheming. As the “Fast and Furious” body count continues to rise, the victimsdeserve justice.

_Alex Newman is a correspondent for_ The New American_, covering economics, politics, and more._ _He can be reached at anewman@thenewamerican.com._

_Related articles:_

Obama ATF Tries to Censor Fast and Furious Whistleblower

Guns and Grenades for Cartels; Firing Squad for Whistleblowers

“Drug Lords” Targeted in Fast & Furious Worked for FBI

Obama Flooding U.S. Streets With “Weapons of War” for Local Police

Lawmakers Introduce Articles of Impeachment Targeting AG Holder

AG Holder Demands U.S. Court Allow Fast and Furious Coverup

House Votes to Hold Holder in Contempt

CIA “Manages” Drug Trade, Mexican Official Says

Feds Let Mexican Cartel Hit Men Kill in U.S., Senior Lawman Told Stratfor

Fast and Furious Massacres Spark Fresh Pressure on AG Holder to Resign

Issa: Gun-Control Agenda Behind Fast and Furious

Holder Admits Lies in Fast and Furious, Refuses to Resign

White House Was Briefed About “Fast and Furious” Gunwalker Scandal

Documents Show Top Officials Lied About Fast & Furious

Project Gunrunner Part of Plan to Institute Gun Control

Impeachment Support Soars as Voters Say Feds “Out of Control”

question: Summarize the Obama administration's stand on gun laws.

answer: The Obama administration does not believe guns should be owned by the general public, and it is relentless in attacking gun rights. It blames the Second Amendment for the deaths in Mexico caused by weapons of war in the hands of criminals.

question: What does the text say about the drug cartels in Mexico?

answer: According to Special Agent John Dodson, a whistleblower, the Mexican drug cartels are being provided with weapons by the American government through the "Fast and Furious" operation. The government makes it look like they are investigating a big cartel, but in reality, they are allowing criminals to purchase weapons to undermine the Second Amendment. The cartels' possession of weapons of war has resulted in mass murder in Mexico and the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

question: Summarize what went wrong with the "Fast and Furious" plot.

answer: The idea of the government's "Fast and Furious" operation is to allow guns to be sold to criminals so the government can track them and take down the big Mexican drug cartels and get the weapons back. However, the operation failed to achieve the goal of taking down the Mexican drug cartels. Instead, what it did was arm them.

question: What does the text say about how the weapons sold to criminals are retrieved?


text:
-   -   -   -    Your Choice of Luxury Hotel in Times Square New York

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MODERN TIMES SQUARE HOTEL IN THE HEART OF TIMES SQUARE.

Intercontinental New York Times Square

Escape the bustle of New York's streets in the tranquil surroundings of the InterContinental® New York Times Square hotel, where tree-inspired columns and lush decor connect you to the natural beauty and energy of New York City. Savor signature cocktails in The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen before exploring the city’s dining, shopping and theater scenes. Host your next refined event with ease in our beautifully customizable meeting spaces with our dedicated team assuring every detail.

CHECK IN: 3pm (Early check in available)

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-   Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
-   Estimated taxi Cost : 75 USD
-   Estimated time by taxi : 30-40 minutes

-   Car parking is available
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-   Self-parking for $44 plus tax, per 24 hours, with no in and out privileges. SUV's and oversize vehicles will be charged additional fees. Due to COVID precautions there is no Valet parking services

This review was written in English. Translations have been provided by a third-party service.

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The Intercontinental New York Times Square pairs modern luxury with the hustle and bustle of New York's most desirable neighborhood. Take a look inside our hotel for well appointed rooms, contemporary dining, a variety of meeting space, and our famous and luxurious penthouse suite.

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Find the bright lights of Broadway from the InterContinental New York Times Square Hotel, located steps from Times Square and the Theatre District. This vibrant neighborhood boasts 39 legendary theaters, where you can experience iconic Broadway shows and musicals, and enjoy dinner and drinks before the curtain rises.

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The InterContinental New York Times Square is pleased to partner with NOMI Beauty, the premier in-room hair and makeup service provider. Get ready with ease for your business meeting, social event, or an exciting night out in the city.

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e are committed to your wellness while you are on the road. Innovation, design, craftsmanship and careful attention to every detail merge in our 24-hour cardio fitness center featuring the latest exercise equipment to ensure you get in a full workout.

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for only $5!

For those guests who are driving into NYC. This package includes accomdations and parking only $5 more.

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Second Room Free

Allow us to be your home for the holidays. Buy one king and get a connecting double room complimentary.

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Packaged with your accomodation, guests can enjoy family style continental breakfasts. Baskets include pastries, bagels, juices and cold options.

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We can’t wait to welcome you for a staycation in Manhattan. Guests enjoy accomodations with a $25 gift card and 4000 IHG bonus points.

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Upgrade your stay and book one of our studio suites. When you buy two nights, the third night is free. It's a 'suite' life at the Intercontinental.

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Now offering more flexible rate options for when plans change.

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Get your creative juices flowing in our newly renovated, 350 square foot, “home” offices. All you need to get away and get work done.

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[The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen]

The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen

The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen

Dine

Currently Stinger Bar and Restaurant is closed due to COVID 19 precautions.

[The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen]

The Stinger Bar and Lounge is currenly closed due to COVID 19 precautions.

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[The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen]

The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen

The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen

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Rooms

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Offering striking Manhattan views through panoramic windows, our chic Classic rooms feature muted tones and luxurious fabrics. Indulgent rain showers and blue mosaic tiles give bathrooms the feel of an upmarket spa. Catch up with emails at the workstation or unwind with a movie on the 42-inch HDTV.

All guestrooms boast floor-to-ceiling windows offering various views of the city streets, Manhattan skyline, Times Square, and the Hudson River.

Wireless Internet, In-Room Touch Screen Computers, 42” HDTV, Keurig® Coffee Maker, In-Room Safe, Spacious Work Station, Large Spa-Inspired Bathroom, Walk-In Rain Shower, Agraria® Bath Products, iPod Docking Station

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Executive Rooms

Panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows offer a five-corner, 270-degree view highlighting the Manhattan skyline, as well as views of uptown and downtown.

Separate sleeping area and lounge space, two 42” HDTV’s, a panoramic floor-to-ceiling five corner view

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Suites

Our four luxurious suites occupy the hotel’s upper floors and provide stunning views of the New York skyline through expansive picture windows. The bath includes a stress soothing rain shower, and spacious living quarters feature elegant, modern furniture and contemporary art.

Whether enjoying unobstructed views of the Hudson River or breathtaking panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline from the two-story, floor-to-ceiling windows in the Penthouse, our Suites let guests sightsee without moving their feet.

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Services

Fee Based and Staff Assisted Services

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[meetings-events]

Our flexible event spaces are ideal for intimate meetings, celebratory dinners and grand galas. As well as the grand Gotham Ballroom, we have 13 rooms named after Manhattan’s parks, featuring designs inspired by nature and a subtle color palette.

question: Summarize the perks and benefits of staying at the Modern Times Square Hotel in New York.

answer: The hotel allows you to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. It has wheelchair-accessible rooms, routes, and closets. Service animals are allowed. High-speed wifi is also available to those who need them and a 24-hour cardio fitness center is open to those who need them. The hotel boasts lush decor, a cocktail bar, and a kitchen.

question: What is the most expensive room in the Moder Times Square Hotel?


text:
[Photo by Bill Ohl]
Photo by Bill Ohl
There has been a lot of talk about magic lately in critical, cultural and technological spaces; what it does, who it is for, and who are the ones to control or enact it. As a way of unpacking a few elements of this thinking, this essay follows on from the conversations that Tobias Revell and I, and a whole host of great participants had at Haunted Machines, a conference as part of FutureEverything 2015 which examined the proliferation of magical narratives in technology. With our speakers we discussed where these stories and mythologies reveal our anxieties around technology, who are the ones casting the spells, and where – if possible – these narratives can be applied in useful ways.

As an ex-literature student, I’m quite interested in ghost stories as analogy, because they can reveal, or be an interesting way of exploring, these anxieties; where the voices in the static are coming from, where the pipes are creaking, and what they tell us about what our technology is doing or can potentially do to us.

I’m going to use a load of slightly ham-fisted contemporary narratives to signpost the anxieties that come out of two personal and increasingly algorithmically mediated spaces: the social network and in the home. Where does the role of narrative in magic, the supernatural, and the unknown allow us to get a better grasp of technology’s power over us?  Where are the uncertain terrains of our technologies creating the capacity for hauntings, and where can techniques used to imagine future scenarios better equip us for the ghosts to come? When we think of a haunting, we think of the unseen forces acting upon our domestic space, and when considering technology, a reappropriation of Clarke’s third law that Tobias Revell summoned with his work on Haunted Machines can apply– _Any sufficiently advanced hacking is indistinguishable from a haunting._ But where else are we haunted?

During the Victorian era, the belief and practise of spiritualism reached a peak as a result of the anxieties and fears about the technological advancements of the industrial revolution, where machines had taken over control that was previously held by humans. In spiritualist circles, the great beyond was supposedly contacted, and therefore became rife for fraud and the abuse of our most sensitive worries about the afterlife. One of the most famous mediums of the time was the Boston Medium Mina ‘Margery’ Crandon who, through the use of sleight of hand and small, crudely technical devices, conned hundreds into thinking she was channeling the dead. Crandon’s trickery was eventually debunked by Harry Houdini as part of his great spiritualist hunt – where he challenged spiritualists to prove they were contacting the dead – subjecting her tactics to sophisticated and rigorous testing. People watching believed (or wanted to believe) in her spiritual gifts, not the technological techniques she used, but once they were revealed, the magic disappeared.

During this period, writers like Edgar Allen Poe published stories such as The Tell Tale Heart, which explored these supernatural worries of the unseen, and the unknown, allegories for the rapidly changing world around them at the time. These narratives conjured up a situation where the potentially spiritually dangerous could be investigated, and found out, as an imagined resolution to that which they could not understand.

Fast forward a hundred years to the 1950s, when technology was marketed to us as an accelerated entry into a world of science fiction. Now jump briefly to the 1980s and 90s, when technology shifted into the realm of magic.

[Picture1]

In this advertisement by Honeywell, a spectral presence escapes from the machines. Emails, you say? How do they work! Solution: Magic! Like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the hard things you don’t want to deal with, like emails, are passed off to magical processes.

Motifs of individual empowerment-through-magical-computers can still be found in Apple’s sloganeering. Their phrase ‘It just works’ angers me the most. “You don’t need to worry how it works,” Apple tells you, “just that it does.” The implication is that you don’t need to know what you’re agreeing to when you allow this device or software to work around you. You are positioned as the magician’s assistant, or rather, you’re not even that. You’re the nervous audience member dragged on stage that makes the magician look better, or clever, or supernatural. The advertisement for their most recent public campaign, ‘You’re more powerful than you think’, is nothing but a insidious obfuscation technique, making you think that you are doing the magic when in fact you’re a component, and an ingredient, in a much more complex set of darker magical happenings. When you choose to be part of the magic, accepting the terms and conditions of use, are you allowing yourself to be possessed?

Possession, in the magical sense, is the loss of control of your own personal faculties. In the case of algorithmically mediated culture, we can see where these problems of agency, control and intent – where our power is compromised – create the capacity for ghosts to take hold of us. The fact that companies are pushing forward this narrative as a source of empowerment, making things _easier,_ is one for us to analyse why pulling apart these technologies is difficult for us.

I am by no means the only person to experience algorithmic gaslighting. After being the victim of rape, student Retaeh Parsons was bullied for months on and offline and eventually took her own life. Her image was circulated across media channels, blogs, and social media sites, where it was eventually collected into the databanks of an image scraping algorithm used by a third party service. Months later, photos of herappeared months later in a Canadian dating advert on Facebook. Her family, friends, and others that knew her story were rightly horrified. At first they blamed the algorithm, a natural reaction when you’re not quite sure how this error happened. When things like this occur, we imagine there is something, or someone, to prevent this behaviour, we don’t anticipate that this decision was governed by an algorithm blindly gathering images of women from a specific demographic.

Algorithms do not know the context of a photograph. They don’t understand, or anticipate the social consequences of their own function. They do not have our faulty methodology, the algorithm is blameless; it is us as creators who are essentially at fault, it is our faulty application. However, this consistent failure to understand the wider systems at work means that the algorithm will continue to act against us unknowingly (as well as with us). It is becoming the benign ghost on the network, walking about without even knowing we are there, or of our fear of it.

[Picture2]

Perhaps it was only a matter of time before movie studios tried to one-up social media companies in producing disturbing, digitally mediated, moments. _Unfriended_ (trailer)_,_ recently released in the US, is a horror film in which a dead women supposedly ‘haunts’ her friends through various social media channels, which isn’t that different to how death actually operates in social media spaces. Algorithms have a way of animating the long-past choices of the recently departed.

In traditional ghost stories, or people’s accounts of the more conventional hauntings, we hear accounts of spectres that follow you around and knock over the things in your house. But disrupting the environments we create online provides the digital poltergeist with a brand new range of possibilities for emotional violence.

The problem here is that you don’t really see the ghost until you notice it, and once you notice it you don’t know what to do with it. You become powerless. What would an exorcist look like in this context?

Leaving the digital to look at a physical personal space, the retrofitted smart kitchen, once lovingly owned and upgraded, but now vacated, becomes an algorithmically populated tomb of needs, wants, aspirations. Some paranormal investigators – those who use often highly technological instruments to investigate the existence of the spiritual – believe that the house is a stone tape. Proposed by Thomas Charles Lethridge, the stone tape theory states that life can be stored in rock, brick, and other items, and “replayed” under certain conditions such as emotional triggers or historic anniversaries and events. Of course, the idea of stone recording memory is under scrutiny, but if there are systems, software and cables—from Nest thermostats to instrumented materials–inside the ‘stone’ that are recording your movements, your shopping and temperature preferences, always listening and acting upon your day-to-day life, then this is no longer a mythology. While you’re living in this connected home, you are inviting these houseguests in.

Sometimes digital poltergeists enroll the living to enact their violence. We’ve all experienced this a little when a bank automatically freezes your bank account when you’re traveling because a security analyst instructs that this is irregular, and therefore ‘suspicious’ behaviour for a human to have. Then there’s the more extreme cases, those systems that put together your search history into a potential terrorist threat. The story of Michelle Catalano and her husband, who became the targets of a visit by federal officials based on nothing more than their Google history, seem disturbingly close as you learn about the case. Search terms including ‘backpack’ and ‘pressure cookers’, together with news articles their son had looked up out of curiosity, had supposedly identified them as a target of counter-terrorism. In this case, the NSA denied using the data and search history of ‘average’ citizens. Must have been the ghosts.

And although you can hard-reset your kitchen, and delete your browser history, the profile you’ve built up could still exist in corporate clouds and government repositories, stacks of temporary files mounting up on each other like layers of sediment, each one a frozen profile.

Artist Wesley Goatley, in programming his black boxes for Wireless Fidelity, an artwork that maps sounds to SSIDs to sonify a city’s wifi networks, had firsthand experience of this phenomena. On the last day, his boxes stopped working, because a file on the USB wifi adaptor was filled up with temporary data and metadata. Identifying the errant data, or even knowing where to look can only be solved by and through specialist knowledge.

These opaque systems suggest that algorithmically-mediated systems, even when they need a human’s help, will often obscure their inner workings. It is already hard enough to find a leaky pipe in a wall. Imagine how difficult it will be to find, patch, and clean up a leaky datastream from your fridge. And just like a water leak could lead to black mold hiding under sheetrock, so too could leaky data lead to dangerous but hard-to-detect consequences.

Thinking about the automated house as a haunted house can help us reassess imagined threats. We think it’s the hackers that we have to worry about, rather than the companies and organisations who are using algorithms, building backdoors into our technology, and enabling biased/prejudices modes of search in our homes. The NSA and GCHQ position themselves as friendly ghosts, house guardians to watch out for us, but we know that this supposed benevolence, isn’t.

It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine landlords and building managers gaslighting you or giving you up. We may soon be faced with a Faustian bargain that gives you a shiny smart kitchen, but at the cost of home monitoring equipment: sensors that know when you smoke in the house or sublet a room on AirBnB.

So what now?

[Picture3]

In many ghost narratives the ghost goes away, either exorcised or given closure (as in _Ghost,_ where Patrick Swayze disappears beyond the veil), but what if you can’t do that? We are realizing that algorithmic sorting, mediating, filtering and impact isn’t going to go away, because our contemporary networks are built on it. There are things that we can do to obstruct and confuse these systems – at the cost of our ability to benefit from it – by flooding our personal profiles with false and excess data to throw the systems off the scent, but how do we understand the longevity, and the potential and plausible futures, of algorithmic mediation?

There are a few examples of this acceptance and enactment of control on systems that we can’t banish in contemporary popular narratives. At the end of the recent Australian film _The Babadook,_ [EDITORS’ NOTE: Spoilers! Continued safe reading in the next paragraph.], the ghost doesn’t go away; instead it is kept, with caution, in the basement, where it is fed regularly, and strictly, and consistently understood as a potentially negative influence, while knowing exactly how much rope to give it. The owners of the house have learned how to control it, because they understand it.

So is there a place for invoking hauntings, in order to understand your role in creating ghosts? Because, as Derrida reflects (because you can’t discuss hauntings in contemporary culture without dropping him in there somewhere) ‘The ghost remains that which gives one the most to think about – and to do.’

We can abstract these terms ‘ghost’ and ‘haunting’ to also mean ‘there were things before you, and things after you that will haunt others’.  Technological ghosts are a constant reminder of the systems that came before, and particularly those ghost futures that we have cancelled and written over as their visions became outdated: a series of never-will-be moments. A better understanding of our capacity for haunting, may in turn allow us to better imagine the technological futures we want.

Is there a case for how the narratives of haunting, and the ghosts that can potentially emerge, can be helpful? I’m pondering a form of code-based foresight – a means of exploring possible near future worlds and scenarios – that allows for cross-disciplinary conversations in engineering to happen, creating narrative near futures to know where our technology could end up, and invoke the ghosts that appear as we lose control. Speculative scenarios and foresight are not new, but I are there specific methods that give engineers space to explore the impact of their work in non-technical, sociological ways? Computational systems are not neutral, as they are often presumed to be; they have political, cultural and social biases written in to their selection and application. It’s not just about making the products that will use these algorithms, but exploring the algorithms themselves as they are appropriated, applied, reused, misused. It is about exploring where our ghosts will exist, and how, and who, they will haunt.

_Natalie Kane is a curator, writer and researcher working across culture, futures and technology. She works at FutureEverything in Manchester, futures research lab Changeist, and together with Tobias Revell is co-organiser of Haunted Machines, a project interrogating narratives of magic and technology. _

question: What does the article say about questionable things that companies are doing?

answer: Apple states that their customers don't need to know how their devices work. Their campaign "You're more powerful than you think," is, according to the author, an obfuscation technique to make the user think they are doing the magic of the technology but are really just allowing themselves to be possessed. The companies push forward this possession as a source of empowerment.

question: What does the article say about victims?

answer: Retaeh Parsons was bullied after being a victim of rape and took her own life. Michelle Catalano and her husband were the targets of a visit by federal officials based on their Google history.

question: What does the article say about recorded incidents of hauntings?


text:
This article includes a list of commercial recordings of the motets of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach motets have often been recorded as a set (typically comprising the six motets catalogued as BWV225-230). However, other motets are attributed to Bach and there is some doubt about the authorship of _Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden_, BWV 230, one of the “six”.

A single CD has the capacity to contain the set of six motets plus some other works. For example, Maasaki Suzuki's 2009 recording with the Bach Collegium Japan on BIS includes _O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht_, BWV 118 (which at one time was categorised as a cantata) and _Ich lasse dich nicht_, BWV Anh. 159 (the authorship of which has been disputed).[1] The motets chosen for a particular recording project can reflect the way the balance of opinion changes regarding the status of particular work: given Bach's status as one of the great composers, a firm attribution to him is likely to result in more interest in recording the piece in question. For example, was not included by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir in their first set recorded in 1980. However, they included it in their 2011 recording,[2] by which time scholarly opinion had re-assessed the work.

Recordings have also been made of the less securely attributed and even spurious motets. For example, Wolfgang Helbich recorded _The Apocryphal Bach Motets_, sung by the Alsfelder Vokalensemble, in 1993 (released in 1994, re-issued 2014).[3][4]

Types of choirs

Choirs with one voice per part (OVPP) are used in some historically informed performances of Bach. However, OVPP recordings of the motets are in the minority. Exceptions include the Hilliard Ensemble's second set,[5] and Konrad Junghänel with the group Cantus Cölln.[6] Philippe Herreweghe's second set uses OVPP for some motets, for example _Jesus meine Freude_, and not others.[7]

At least some of the motets would have been first performed by singers from Leipzig's Thomanerchor, which comprises boys and young men. This choir has recorded the motets (initially under Günther Ramin in the 1950s),[8] as have other choirs with boys' voices such as the Choir of New College, Oxford.[9]

Instrumental accompaniment

Music directors need to make choices about the instrumental accompaniment, if any, to be used. There are three possible approaches:

-   _a cappella_, that is, without an accompaniment
-   instruments doubling the vocal lines, something which is described as playing _colla parte_
-   Basso continuo, or just an organ accompaniment, to provide some instrumental support for the singers

Surviving sources do not make it clear what Bach's approach was to the accompaniment of most of these pieces. In the case of _Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf_, BWV 226 orchestral parts are extant, indicating that choir I was doubled by strings and choir II by reeds (two oboes, taille and bassoon). There is also a basso continuo provided (separate violone and organ parts) which underlies both choirs.[10] An accompaniment is also specified for _Lobet den Herrn_.[11]

La Petite Bande and Bach Collegium Japan, for example, use the orchestration of _Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf_ for the other pieces for double choir. However, _a capella_ performance is long-established tradition,[12] which is also reflected in recordings. The Hilliard Ensemble's OVPP version is mainly _a capella_. They omit the instrumental parts of _Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf_, but sing _Lobet den Herrn_ to organ accompaniment.[13]

The recordings with continuo accompaniment include The Sixteen's version (the instruments are cello, violone, theorbo, organ) and the second recording by the Monteverdi Choir (cello, double bass, bassoon and organ).[14]

History

The first of the motets to be recorded was _Jesu meine Freude_ in 1927. This version was sung in English.[15]

Awards

In 2010, Suzuki and his ensemble were given a French award (Diapason d’Or de l’Année) and a German award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik) for their recording of Bach motets on BIS.

John Eliot Gardiner, who has won more Gramophone Awards than any other living artist, received one for his second recording of the motets with the Monteverdi Choir on SDG. It was one of the 2013 awards, the category being “Baroque Vocal”.

Grete Pedersen with the Norwegian choir Det Norske Solistkor won a Diapason d'Or in 2018 for their recording of the motets on BIS.

Discography

The intention has been to feature versions which are still available. The year given is that of recording. In the case of pre-1980s recordings, the date of reissue on CD can be significantly later than the original recording.

Notes

[1]

[2] _Bach: Motets_ and _Bach Motets_ at .

[3] _The Apocryphal Bach Motets: BWV Anh. 159–165_ at .

[4] The Sacred Apocryphal Bach (8 CD set) at ArkivMusic website.

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]  Accessed via JSTOR (subscription required)

[12] Emery, W. (1974). Bach in Practice. The Musical Times, 115(1578), 661-661. doi:10.2307/960490. Accessed via JSTOR (subscription required)

[13]

[14]

[15]

title: Motets by Johann Sebastian Bach, discography

question: What are the three possible approaches that music directors need to make choices about the instrumental accompaniment?

answer: The three possible approaches made start with thinking about an a capella, without an accompaniment. Next comes about instrument doubling the vocal lines, which is known as playing colla parte. And last but not least, it is important to consider just an organ accompaniment, to provide some instrumental support for the singers.

question: What other types of motets are there?