text:
The rules were simple, but the game itself impacts a lot thought. I have played this game with lots of people. I remember my first time. I told him, ‘here are the cards. There are five of them.’

The idea of the game is to have a card with a high number, but as you turn over a new card, you must discard the previous one. I tell him that every time I’ve showed someone else this game, they mostly make the same mistakes. I turn over the first card and reveal the very first number: [76]. When I first played even I thought, ‘is it out of a hundred?’ If it were out of a hundred, everyone would stick with the first card. But what if it were out of a thousand, or a million? It’s the uncertainty that makes people pick a second card. If they stuck with just seventy-six, and found out that the next card was in the thousands, they’d kick themselves.

Pete asked, “another card please?” Perhaps it was my long hair, but he wasn’t paying attention to me when I boldly said that almost everyone makes the same mistakes. The next card shows: [32]. The second card is about half the first value, but just below. People still think that it could possibly be out of a much larger number, and no matter what, thirty-two appears to be a scam. Without much delay, “another.”

I like to think that these cards represent opportunities in life. No one wants to look like a fool and stick with something when they don’t know its relative value. You’re offered five cards in this game, and they could hold any number, why stick with the first one? The next card reveals the number: [1]. “What? That’s horrible, I got the lowest number!” With two cards left, Pete’s next choice was predictable.

People are given first opportunities in many aspects of life. Whether it’s a job or love, people always wonder if there’s a better one out there. With no ability to compare, we are unable to decide if something is worth committing to. When Pete drew the number one, he felt bad for not sticking with either of the first two cards. Like a homeless person, he appreciates whatever he had before much more so.

Obviously the seventy-six would be most ideal, but normally if people are given the choice to go back to thirty-two or draw a new card, some would go back. “Well there’s nothing lower than one… I may as well turn over a new card. If it’s anywhere near around seventy-six I’m sticking with that.” By this point his hope for a thousand or maybe a million is gone, he now appreciates what he was given before. I turn over the new card, knowing what was coming. It’s never what people expect.

The new card shows: [0.01]. Pete’s assumption that one was the lowest number was a common mistake. Before he thought that things couldn’t be worse. While it would be nice if the next card were a million, or even just anything close to thirty, it really doesn’t matter anymore, he would accept a two. People with big dreams are unable to appreciate what they have. Why shouldn’t a child hope to be a millionaire or marry the most beautiful girl in the world? What is wrong with hoping for the best, and giving up on what you have to make room for something better? To Pete, seventy-six is now a large number, whereas before he doubted if it was even a fraction of the other cards held.

“I really should have stuck with seventy-six!” Pete laughs, as I smile. Perhaps this was all a lesson? Perhaps all it was for him to understand his mistakes, learn to appreciate what he’s given, and now he’ll be rewarded for that. Whether or not life treats him to a larger opportunity, he would walk away from this with a lesson learnt. Without waiting for him, I give him the final card. It’s blank.

I hope Pete, whoever he is, takes from this game a valuable lesson. Whether wealthy or poor, I hope he appreciates what he has. In the struggle to become better versions of ourselves, we put ourselves at risk of loss. Some would argue that, so long as we have our health it’s okay, that everything else is superficial; why not take the risk? But the fact is that we will only feel bad if we give up something we once had, not what we could have had. I tell Pete to enjoy the rest of his time at the fair, and give a bow to say goodbye.

When I looked up, he was gone. He turned over the card that had nothing on it, so as I packed them up I collected all of the other cards first. I put them face down over the fifth card to put it away in the small box they came in. But before I do, I glanced at the bottom of the fifth card. Seventy-six was written in ink.

read more: www.mostthings.net

title: [MF] Five Cards

question: What game are the characters playing?

answer: The name of the game is not given.

question: What is the objective of the game?

answer: To stop drawing cards at the highest number

question: What is the significance of the number 76 on the final card?

answer: It is the number Pete first drew, and by writing it out himself on the blank card he shows that we have agency in our lives and that we should appreciate what we are given.

question: What is the symbolism of the game, as insinuated by the author?

answer: It represents the choices we make to improve ourselves while not always knowing how those choices will turn out.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Pete plays a card game at a carnival, trying to draw the biggest number he can from a deck. Each card he draws after the first is a smaller number, but when he gets a blank card he writes his original value.


split: test

text:
LEMIERRE'S SYNDROME refers to infectious thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein.[1] It most often develops as a complication of a bacterial sore throat infection in young, otherwise healthy adults. The thrombophlebitis is a serious condition and may lead to further systemic complications such as bacteria in the blood or septic emboli.

Lemierre's syndrome occurs most often when a bacterial (e.g., _Fusobacterium necrophorum_) throat infection progresses to the formation of a peritonsillar abscess. Deep in the abscess, anaerobic bacteria can flourish. When the abscess wall ruptures internally, the drainage carrying bacteria seeps through the soft tissue and infects the nearby structures. Spread of infection to the nearby internal jugular vein provides a gateway for the spread of bacteria through the bloodstream. The inflammation surrounding the vein and compression of the vein may lead to blood clot formation. Pieces of the potentially infected clot can break off and travel through the right heart into the lungs as emboli, blocking branches of the pulmonary artery that carry blood with little oxygen from the right side of the heart to the lungs.

Sepsis following a throat infection was described by Schottmuller in 1918.[2] However, it was André Lemierre, in 1936, who published a series of 20 cases where throat infections were followed by identified anaerobic sepsis, of whom 18 died.[3]

Signs and symptoms

The signs and symptoms of Lemierre's syndrome vary, but usually start with a sore throat, fever, and general body weakness. These are followed by extreme lethargy, spiked fevers, rigors, swollen cervical lymph nodes, and a swollen, tender or painful neck. Often there is abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting during this phase. These signs and symptoms usually occur several days to 2 weeks after the initial symptoms. Symptoms of pulmonary involvement can be shortness of breath, cough and painful breathing (pleuritic chest pain). Rarely, blood is coughed up. Painful or inflamed joints can occur when the joints are involved.

Septic shock can also arise. This presents with low blood pressure, increased heart rate, decreased urine output and an increased rate of breathing. Some cases will also present with meningitis, which will typically manifest as neck stiffness, headache and sensitivity of the eyes to light.Liver enlargement and spleen enlargement can be found, but are not always associated with liver or spleen abscesses.[4][5]Other signs and symptoms that may occur:

-   Headache (unrelated to meningitis)
-   Memory loss
-   Muscle pain
-   Jaundice
-   Decreased ability to open the jaw
-   Crepitations are sometimes heard over the lungs
-   Pericardial friction rubs as a sign of pericarditis (rare)
-   Cranial nerve paralysis and Horner's syndrome (both rare)

Cause

The bacteria causing the thrombophlebitis are anaerobic bacteria that are typically normal components of the microorganisms that inhabit the mouth and throat. Species of _Fusobacterium_, specifically _Fusobacterium necrophorum_, are most commonly the causative bacteria, but various bacteria have been implicated. One 1989 study found that 81% of Lemierres's syndrome had been infected with _Fusobacterium necrophorum_, while 11% were caused by other Fusobacterium species.[6] MRSA might also be an issue in Lemierre infections.[7] Rarely Lemierre's syndrome is caused by other (usually Gram-negative) bacteria, which include _Bacteroides fragilis_ and _Bacteroides melaninogenicus_, _Peptostreptococcus spp._, _Streptococcus microaerophile_, _Staphylococcus aureus_, _Streptococcus pyogenes_, and _Eikenella corrodens_.[8][9]

Pathophysiology

Lemierre's syndrome begins with an infection of the head and neck region. Usually this infection is a pharyngitis (which occurred in 87.1% of patients as reported by a literature review[10]), but it can also be initiated by infections of the ear, mastoid bone, sinuses, or saliva glands.

During the primary infection, _F. necrophorum_ colonizes the infection site and the infection spreads to the parapharyngeal space. The bacteria then invade the peritonsillar blood vessels where they can spread to the internal jugular vein.[11] In this vein, the bacteria cause the formation of a thrombus containing these bacteria. Furthermore, the internal jugular vein becomes inflamed. This septic thrombophlebitis can give rise to septic microemboli[12] that disseminate to other parts of the body where they can form abscesses and septic infarctions. The first capillaries that the emboli encounter where they can nestle themselves are the pulmonary capillaries. As a consequence, the most frequently involved site of septic metastases are the lungs, followed by the joints (knee, hip, sternoclavicular joint, shoulder and elbow[13]). In the lungs, the bacteria cause abscesses, nodulary and cavitary lesions. Pleural effusion is often present.[14] Other sites involved in septic metastasis and abscess formation are the muscles and soft tissues, liver, spleen, kidneys and nervous system (intracranial abscesses, meningitis).[15]

Production of bacterial toxins such as lipopolysaccharide leads to secretion of cytokines by white blood cells which then both lead to symptoms of sepsis. _F. necrophorum_ produces hemagglutinin which causes platelet aggregation that can lead to diffuse intravascular coagulation and thrombocytopenia.[16][17]

Diagnosis

Diagnosis and the imaging (and laboratory) studies to be ordered largely depend on the patient history, signs and symptoms. If a persistent sore throat with signs of sepsis are found, physicians are cautioned to screen for Lemierre's syndrome.

Laboratory investigations reveal signs of a bacterial infection with elevated C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and white blood cells (notably neutrophils). Platelet count can be low or high. Liver and kidney function tests are often abnormal.

Thrombosis of the internal jugular vein can be displayed with sonography. Thrombi that have developed recently have low echogenicity or echogenicity similar to the flowing blood, and in such cases pressure with the ultrasound probe show a non-compressible jugular vein - a sure sign of thrombosis. Also color or power Doppler ultrasound identify a low echogenicity blood clot. A CT scan or an MRI scan is more sensitive in displaying the thrombus of the intra-thoracic retrosternal veins, but are rarely needed.

Chest X-ray and chest CT may show pleural effusion, nodules, infiltrates, abscesses and cavitations.

Bacterial cultures taken from the blood, joint aspirates or other sites can identify the causative agent of the disease.

Other illnesses that can be included in the differential diagnosis are:

-   Q fever
-   Tuberculosis
-   Pneumonia

Treatment

Lemierre's syndrome is primarily treated with antibiotics given intravenously. _Fusobacterium necrophorum_ is generally highly susceptible to beta-lactam antibiotics, metronidazole, clindamycin and third generation cephalosporins while the other fusobacteria have varying degrees of resistance to beta-lactams and clindamycin.[18] Additionally, there may exist a co-infection by another bacterium. For these reasons is often advised not to use monotherapy in treating Lemierre's syndrome. Penicillin and penicillin-derived antibiotics can thus be combined with a beta-lactamase inhibitor such as clavulanic acid or with metronidazole.[19][20] Clindamycin can be given as monotherapy.

If antibiotic therapy does not improve the clinical picture, it may prove useful to drain any abscesses and/or perform ligation of the internal jugular vein where the antibiotic can not penetrate.[21][22][23] There is no evidence to opt for or against the use of anticoagulation therapy. The low incidence of Lemierre's syndrome has not made it possible to set up clinical trials to study the disease.[24]The disease can often be untreatable, especially if other negative factors occur, i.e. various diseases occurring at the same time, such as meningitis, pneumonia.

Prognosis

The mortality rate was 90% prior to antibiotic therapy. In the contemporary era, a mortality of 4% has been estimated.[25] Since this disease is not well known and often remains undiagnosed, mortality might be much higher. Approximately 10% of survivors suffer from clinical sequelae, including cranial nerve palsy and orthopaedic limitations.[26]

Epidemiology

Lemierre's syndrome is currently rare, but was more common in the early 20th century before the discovery of penicillin. The reduced use of antibiotics for sore throats may have increased the risk of this disease, with 19 cases in 1997 and 34 cases in 1999 reported in the UK.[27] The estimated incidence rate is 0.8 to 3.6 cases per million in the general population, but is higher in healthy young adults. The number of cases reported is increasing; however, because of its rarity, physicians may be unaware of its existence, possibly leading to underdiagnosis.[28]

History

Sepsis following from a throat infection was described by Scottmuller in 1918.[29] However, it was Andre Lemierre, in 1936, who published a series of 20 cases where throat infections were followed by identified anaerobic sepsis, of whom 18 patients died.[30]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27] UK Chief Medical Officer Update 29 February 2001 (CMO Update29 Feb 2001)

[28]

[29]

[30]

title: Lemierre's syndrome

question: Summarize how Lemierre's syndrome is diagnosed.

answer: Laboratory and imaging studies are required to diagnose patients who present with symptoms of the infection, particularly if they have a sore throat with signs of sepsis. These studies reveal signs of a bacterial infection with elevated C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and white blood cells (notably neutrophils). Liver and kidney function tests are often abnormal. Sonography can be used to identify thrombosis. A CT or MRI scan may show more details of thrombosis, but are rarely necessary. Differential diagnosis can include Q fever, tuberculosis, and pneumonia.

question: What does the text say about the history of Lemierre's syndrome?

answer: Sepsis following from a throat infection was described by Scottmuller in 1918. In 1936, André Lemierre published a series of 20 cases where throat infections were followed by identified anaerobic sepsis, of which 18 patients died.

question: What does the text say about the eighteenth century?

question: What does the text say about antibiotics?

answer: Lemierre's syndrome is primarily treated with intravenous antibiotics. The mortality rate was 90% prior to antibiotic therapy, and is currently 4%. The most common causative bacteria (Fusobacterium necrophorum) is generally susceptible to beta-lactam antibiotics and clindamycin. Penicillin and penicillin-derived antibiotics can be combined with a beta-lactamase inhibitor such as clavulanic acid or with metronidazole. The reduced use of antibiotics for sore throats may have increased the risk of this disease.

question: What does the text say about viral infection?

question: What does the text say about massive blood loss?


text:
DIGHIRPAR is a census town and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Canning police station in the Canning I CD block in the Canning subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Geography

Area overview

Canning subdivision has a very low level of urbanization. Only 12.37% of the population lives in the urban areas and 87.63% lives in the rural areas. There are 8 census towns in Canning I CD block and only 2 in the rest of the subdivision. The entire district is situated in the Ganges Delta with numerous islands in the southern part of the region. The area (shown in the map alongside) borders on the Sundarbans National Park and a major portion of it is a part of the Sundarbans settlements. It is a flat low-lying area in the South Bidyadhari plains. The Matla River is prominent and there are many streams and water channels locally known as _khals_. A comparatively recent country-wide development is the guarding of the coastal areas with a special coastal force.[1][2][3]

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Location

Dighirpar is located at

Rajapur, Taldi, Bayarsingh, Matla and Dighirpar form a cluster of census towns in Canning I CD block, as per the map of the Canning I CD block on page 333 of the _District Census Handbook_ 2011. Canning is not identified as a separate place in the 2011 census records. The map of CD block Canning I in the _District Census Handbook_ for the South 24 Parganas shows Canning as being a part of Matla and Dighirpar census towns.[4]

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Dighirpar had a total population of 15,881, of which 8,106 (51%) were males and 7,775 (49%) were females. There were 1,509 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate persons in Dighirpar was 11,453 (86.65% of the population over 6 years).[5]

Infrastructure

According to the District Census Handbook 2011, Dighirpar covered an area of 2.7742 km². Among the civic amenities, it had 3 km roads with open drain, the protected water supply involved overhead tank and service reservoir. It had 1,524 domestic electric connections. Among the medical facilities it had were 2 dispensaries/ health centres, 1 nursing home and 6 medicine shops. Among the educational facilities it had were 10 primary schools, 2 middle school, 1 secondary school.[6]

Transport

Baruipur-Canning Road links Dighirpar to the State Highway 1

Canning railway station is located nearby.[7]

Education

De Paul School is a Bengali-medium coeducational school at Dighirpar. It was established in 2008 and has facilities for teaching from class I to class VIII.[8]

Healthcare

Ghutiari Sharif Block Primary Health Centre at Ghutiari Sharif, with 10 beds, is the major government medical facility in the Canning I CD block.[9]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

title: Dighirpar

question: What is Dighirpar?

answer: Dighirpar is a census town and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Canning police station in the Canning I CD block in the Canning subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

question: Describe the area.

answer: Dighirpar covered an area of 2.7742 km² and is situated in the Ganges Delta with numerous islands in the southern part of the region.

question: Where is Dighirpar located?

answer: It is within the jurisdiction of the Canning police station in the Canning I CD block.

question: Write a short description of the area's demographics.

answer: According to the 2011 Census of India, Dighirpar had a total population of 15,881, 51% were males and 49% were females.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Dighirpar is a census town and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Canning police station in the Canning I CD block in the Canning subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Dighirpar covered an area of 2.7742 km² and is situated in the Ganges Delta with numerous islands in the southern part of the region.


text:
I grow more and more baffled by the priorities of the news world. Last week the chief of Britain’s electronic spying agency, GCHQ, quit without warning or adequate reason. Robert Hannigan, we were briefly told, left his ultra-sensitive £160,000-a- year post after just two years for ‘personal reasons’ . Mr Hannigan is 51 and has previously worked as ‘director general of defence and intelligence’ at the Foreign Office. He can hardly have expected the GCHQ job to allow him to spend a lot of time at home with his family. One has to suspect a controversy. (***NOTE: On Monday 30th January Charles Moore in his Daily Telegraph column said Mr Hannigan had retired because of a 'family illness'. I have not seen any other reference to this, and was not aware of it when I wrote the article. PH***)

But far more has been written in the British press about the departure of Alexandra Shulman as editor of Vogue than about the departure of Robert Hannigan as boss of GCHQ.

Now we are all in a tizz about President Trump’s (frankly bizarre) executive orders about immigration.

Just because a lot of squeaky liberals are against these measures, it does not mean they are sensible or right. Indeed, this must be the wise person’s motto in dealing with all controversies of the Trump presidency.

As someone who has for some time openly expressed doubts about the virtue of universal suffrage democracy, and suggested ways by which it could be moderated, I am stuck in a paradox.

The people who are now most appalled by the effects of that universal suffrage democracy are exactly the same people who used to gasp or mutter ‘fascist’ when I suggested that it might have risks.

Yet here I am, annoying my own supporters by refusing to support or take part in the EU referendum, and expressing doubts about the outcome; and also annoying some of my regular readers by failing to fall in love with Mr Trump.

It isn’t Mr Trump’s politics that put me off. There’s no point telling me that he has been sound on some topic or other where we seem to share a view. I don’t think he really has any politics, apart from a vague and ill-thought-out opposition to free trade.  That’s why I am not specially heartened by the occasional sensible things he has said (and now retracted or forgotten) about Russia and NATO. I suspected, and events have so far proved me right, that the foreign policy establishment would rapidly turn him into a reliable Natopolitan,  gargling on about the need to defend Europe from a non-existent Russian threat.

He is learning what his minders will put up with, and what they won’t. He managed to tame himself quite effectively during Mrs May’s visit, which I think will come to be seen as a premature mistake, over time.

His cautious behaviour was presumably caused by his desire to spend a night in Buckingham Palace and have his picture taken with the Queen. He is, I think,  in the White House as a rather grand souvenir-collector (he keeps the lunch-menus, we learned at the weekend) . I have long thought that when he has got enough such souvenirs, he will leave, and so become the first President to resign the office voluntarily.

The NATO issue was resolved because it really matters to his minders and doesn’t really matter to him. He’d like to have people tortured . He’s probably seen ‘Jack Bauer’ on the TV in ‘24’ saving America by torturing people. He may even get his ‘ideas’ from such shows) . His occasional escapes over the White House wall will in future be on other subjects, as we saw on Saturday. He can do damage, but as long as he does not upset the juggernaut of continuing policy, they can put up with quite a bit of this.

NATO *IS* obsolete. A child could see it. You might as well maintain an alliance against the Austro-Hungarian Empire as maintain an alliance against the Soviet Union. Both have vanished, and their successor states bear no relation to the empires they once ruled.

Worse,  an alliance against Russia, which in 1991 withdrew into the narrowest borders it could possibly tolerate, has to be aggressive, not defensive. The former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, writing in ‘Time’ magazine, is plainly greatly alarmed, saying : ‘Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defence doctrines more dangerous. Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war.’ Mr Gorbachev is one of the last really big people alive in world politics. If he thinks so, it’s worth worrying.

NATO’s chief virtue was that it was unarguably defensive. Now it is an aggressive body, promoting the very tension it claims to soothe, like a quack doctor keeping his patient ill to ensure that he carries on buying the expensive drugs he sells, and attending the costly appointments.

 But Mr Trump has now clearly given up his childishly clear vision, and his sensible view that it is obsolete, , and become one of the conformist grown-ups, believing and repeating the official untruth. The Emperor has a very fine suit of clothes, after all. I’ve long thought and said the Andersen story about the Emperor’s clothes ended misleadingly. In real life the little boy and his family would have been attacked by the crowd, arrested, tortured and then (when the bruises had faded),  paraded to confirm that the Emperor’s new clothes were very fine indeed, before being exiled to some pig-farm.

Now we get this stuff about banning Muslims. My response? It just isn’t serious, even though it affects quite a lot of individuals very seriously indeed.  I am hilariously accused on this blog of being in some unexplained way a sympathiser with Islam, and no doubt what I say now will thicken and deepen this particular stream of ignorant, stupid drivel.  My actual position is that ,if the ‘west’ really wishes to limit the influence of Islam over its societies, it needs to rediscover the Christian faith in a big way. And that crude, ignorant attacks on Muslims themselves naturally make any intelligent open-minded person come to their defence when he can, whatever he thinks of their faith.

And as long as the ‘west’ doesn’t rediscover Christianity, it flails dangerously about, mistaking strength and wealth for virtue.  It puts its faith in reeking tube and iron shard, in bigger weapons, and in ‘tougher’ ‘securidee’ (which bears the same relation to true security as does ‘charidee’ to true charity), in consumer goods and in its own luxurious hedonism. This will not work. As I’ve said before, when George W. Bush used to say that Muslim militants ‘hate our way of life’, I could not forebear to chime in ‘But I also hate our way of life!’.

For I do. The ‘West’ only exists as a coherent part of the world because of the Christian morals,  and the extremely high levels of trust and lawfulness based upon them, which allowed Europe and the Anglosphere to develop as they have.  Islam has virtues (they have much, for instance, to teach us about hospitality and the care of the old). But Islamic societies have simply not managed to achieve levels of trust and law comparable to those in Christian lands. This could explain why Islam (if you discount oil) has not achieved any great economic success, why education,  publishing, freedom of speech and thought do not greatly flourish under its influence - and I am sceptical of claims of Islamic paradises in the distant past.

But our advantages, like our infrastructure and our other stores of wealth, material and moral, are inherited.  We are not replenishing them. We are wearing them out. We have drawn heavily on our balances and obtained a great deal of moral and political credit on the basis of a reputation won by others which we no longer deserve.

 In military terms, our scientific advances have stalled, if not gone backwards. Modern TV techniques combined with the methods of ‘people power’ which are increasingly the main weapon in international conflict, have completely (for example) neutralised Israel’s former military superiority over her neighbours. In Iraq and Libya we merely demonstrated that superior physical force can destroy but not create. Russia’s genius in Syria was to use its superior weaponry *ALONGSIDE* an existing polity which could make good use of airpower. Our stupidity in Libya was to lend our airpower to the forces of anarchy, who knew what they didn’t want but had no ability to take advantage of the victory we gave them.

I see no sign that  Mr Trump, or anyone else in Washington or London, has yet understood this. His wild pledge to eradicate Islamist terror from the earth, at his inauguration, was actively alarming.  How can any mentally coherent person make such boasts? But it is dispiritingly similar to the rhetorical ‘we will find these cowards and punish them’ view emitted by Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush, and British leaders, not to mention the French -  now living under an absurd and futile state of emergency which shows every sign of becoming permanent.

Since Mr Trump so famously doesn’t read, can someone arrange for him to have a late-night viewing of Gille Pontecorvo’s brilliant, rending film (based on researched facts and thinly fictionalised) about terror, counter-terror, torture and propaganda ‘The Battle of Algiers’.  Maybe he’ll miss the point. But perhaps he might get it, see what might be wrong with the Jack Bauer view of life, and so save us all a lot of trouble.

He is plainly listening to some establishment voices, even while appearing to be off the leash. This does not mean he is prepared to be sensible for its own sake (his Russian opinions, as discussed, were more sensible than those of the establishment), just that he will listen to others when the issue isn’t especially dear to his heart.  As he revealed his chaotic, illogical and foolish ‘extreme vetting’ plan, Mr Trump mentioned the September 11 2001 attacks as its ultimate justification. But most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. All of these are Arab countries with which the USA maintains close military and political relations. But none of these countries was on Mr Trump’s list, which did by contrast contain Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.  You got a sense of someone saying ‘OK, have your stupid immigration ban, if you must, as long as you don’t annoy these people while you’re doing it’.

Then there’s the question of whether Mr Trump should be a guest of the Queen. I find it hard to see a principle at stake here. Her Majesty has had to spend time with Martin McGuinness, with the appalling old waxworks who run China, with the Romanian despot Nicolae Ceausescu, with Robert Mugabe (and plenty of other horrors who attend Commonwealth conferences). But I think it might be wise to set the visit quite a long way off, so that we have some leverage.  Mr Trump will understand that. It is Britain’s biggest asset in any bargain with Mr Trump, he really wants it, and it should not be given away until we can be quite sure we will get something in return.

Meanwhile I think events have so far shown that Mr Trump is pretty much as bad as he looked, but will moderate and restrain his behaviour whenever the issue at stake doesn’t really bother him. Not much to rejoice about but ,hey, this wasn’t my idea.

question: What does the text say about Trump?

answer: The author finds Trump's immigration orders bizarre. Trump is mentioned in relation to his politics, occasional sensibility, his political maneuvering, his inability to read, and his ability to fit in when he wants to. The author is neither completely at odds with nor in favor of Trump. The author thinks Trump sees part of foreign affairs and immigration with majority Muslim countries from a "Jack Bauer" point of view.

question: What does the text say about NATO?

answer: Nato is referenced by the author in relation to Trump making it a talking point. The author says it is obvious that NATO is obsolete. The author says NATO's former virtue was that it was defensive but now it is aggressive, promoting tension in order to maintain existence and power.

question: What does the text say about Trump's hotels?


text:
Here’s the slogan Democrats should run on: “Support Checks and Balances. Elect Democrats.”

Americans overwhelmingly support checks and balances. That should be the focus of the midterms.

-   By
-   on July 19, 2018 3:30 pm

_This post is part of POLYARCHY, an independent blog produced by the political reform program at NEW AMERICA, a Washington think tank devoted to developing new ideas and new voices._

Democrats have a new slogan for the midterms: “For the People.”

I hate it. It’s one of those slogans that tries to mean everything and therefore means nothing. Sort of like the previous slogan, “A Better Deal” — another meaningless cliché that apparently proved inadequate to the task.

I’ve got a better one: “Support Checks and Balances. Elect Democrats”

After all, you can turn on any news channel and witness the charade. Republicans in Congress are bending over backward and upside down and sideways to figure out how to excuse away the inexcusable — siding with a foreign enemy when all intelligence experts are screaming that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and plans to again in the 2018 election.

I’m typically hesitant to invoke the “country over party” dichotomy because it’s usually meaningless (“country” typically means whatever _I_ think is right). But in this case, it’s unusually apt. Republicans actually are being forced to choose between country and party. And party is winning.

SEPARATION OF POWERS REQUIRES DIVIDED GOVERNMENT

American democracy is a separation-of-powers system, in which Congress and the presidency are independent branches, but Congress has many more powers. The problem with separation of powers in practice is that it only works with divided government. The framers thought that by spreading power across independent branches of government, they would make it hard for parties to form, and institutional allegiances would triumph and balance each other. They were wrong.

For those who keep hoping Republicans in Congress will abandon their president and fulfill their constitutional role, it’s wishful thinking. In a two-party system, especially a polarized two-party system organized around a presidency, Republicans in Congress are essentially trapped. If they turn against the president, either a) they lose in a primary because the president is still popular among Republicans; or b) they bring the president down and they go tumbling down with him. This is the fatal flaw in America’s highly unusual two-party, presidentialist system.

CHECKS AND BALANCES ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR

In theory, this creates an opportunity for Democrats. That’s because checks and balances are really popular.

In a recent Democracy Fund Voter Study Group report I wrote with Larry Diamond and Joe Goldman, called “Testing the Limits Examining Public Support for Checks on Presidential Power,” we found: “Eighty-one percent of respondents say that ‘members of Congress should provide oversight of the president and executive branch, even if the president is in their same party.’” The remaining 19 percent say that “members of Congress should give the president freedom to make the decisions he feels are right for the country.”

In other words, Americans really, really like Congress as a check on presidential power.

Let me repeat that finding: 81 percent of Americans want Congress to check presidential power. Even wide majorities of Trump supporters agree.

DEMOCRATS NEED TO WIN OVER SOME REPUBLICANS TO WIN THE MIDTERMS

Democrats face an imposing midterm. Over at the Upshot, Nate Cohn and Dominic Kesterton estimate that Democrats need a blue wave of epic proportions in the popular vote to overcome a tremendous disadvantage in districting. As they write, “Even a wave as powerful as those in 2006 or 2010 might not give Democrats control of the House.” At FiveThirtyEight, David Wasserman has estimated that there is almost 6-point pro-GOP bias built into the House and Senate, a “historic high.”

This is partly because of gerrymandering, but also because of geography: Democrats overconcentrate their voters in big cities, which gives them many lopsided districts, while Republicans spread out their voters more evenly.

Like it or not, that’s the map Democrats are stuck with for now, which means Democrats need to expand into Republican territory to win. (Counting on young people to turn out seems like an increasingly risky strategy —only 28 percent of young voters say they will certainly vote in the midterms, compared to 74 percent of seniors.)

That means Democrats will need to pick up the small but still sizable share of Republicans who are increasingly aghast at both how President Trump is behaving and how congressional Republicans are spinelessly failing to use the considerable constitutional authority vested in Congress to do anything about it.

DEMOCRATS NEED A BETTER SLOGAN

“For the People”? Really? As a slogan, “Support Checks and Balances. Elect Democrats.” is far better.

It’s simple, straightforward, and understandable. You don’t have to vote for the Democrat because you like Democrats’ policies or program. With a Republican in the White House (could be Trump, could be Pence, who knows?), Democrats won’t be passing many bills into law anyway.

You just have to vote for the Democrat because you believe in the American system of checks and balances, and it’s clear that without Democrats in charge of one or both chambers of Congress, there are no checks and balances.

Tactically, it means Democrats will need to keep the focus on Trump’s capitulations to Putin and Russian electoral meddling for a few months. This shouldn’t be too hard. They can continue to demand votes on any of a laundry list of issues where Congress could act meaningfully but Republicans won’t for the reasons mentioned above.

With a slogan like this, Democrats don’t have to unify on an economic program or an immigration position. Instead, they can let individual candidates take on positions that fit their districts. A simple message like “Support Checks and Balances” puts the focus on our basic system of government, and the ways Republicans are failing to uphold it. Simple as that. It’s as American as, well, checks and balances.

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question: Why are political slogans considered a cliche?

answer: It might be because they are considered generally impractical and unrealistic. Most times, political parties adopt these slogans as a way to appeal to the people. However, they fail in their stride to live up to their expectations.

question: Why is the American two-party system considered a fatal flaw, and how does it affect the Republicans in Congress?

answer: The American two-party system is considered a fatal flaw largely because the system doesn't give other parties room to challenge the ruling party's legislative decision. Expectedly, Republicans in Congress would have to stay allegiant to the system because if they turn away from the ruling president, not only will it affect the reputation of the president, it will equally have a lethal blow on their standing in Congress.

question: What mood is the author trying to evoke from the readers of this article?

answer: The writer might be trying to make the readers of this article be reflective of the topic of discourse.


text:
CHURCH CROOKHAM is a large suburban village and civil parish contiguous with the town of Fleet, in northeast Hampshire, England, located southwest of London. Formerly a separate village and now generally considered as a southern suburb of Fleet, the area comprises one of the 18 wards of the Hart District, in addition to parts of two others. The southwest of the village incorporates the Zebon Copse housing development constructed in the late 1980s.

History

Crookham (formerly Crokeham) dates back at least as far as the Domesday Book, though Church Crookham and Crookham Village did not become distinct entities until the founding of the Christ Church in 1840.[1] It is this church for which Church Crookham is named.

The region had few inhabitants at this time, with the 1831 edition of Samuel Lewis's “Topographical Dictionary of England” claiming Crookham had 623 inhabitants and not even mentioning the (at the time) much smaller Fleet.[2]

The Second World War

[Dragons teeth at Crookham Wharf on the Basingstoke Canal.]

Church Crookham lies on GHQ Line – the most important of a number of fortified stop lines constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations of World War II – and was at one of the most heavily fortified sections of that line.[3][4]

Notes of interest

Motorists entering Fleet from the south and west are met with signs welcoming them to Church Crookham, whereas those entering the town from the north and east are welcomed to Fleet instead.

The Basingstoke Canal passes through Church Crookham.

Vertu mobile phones were made at the company headquarters, located in Church Crookham until the company closed in 2014. The HSES Group headquarters are located in Church Crookham. The head office of Ferranti Thomson Sonar Systems was on the Redfields Industrial Estate, to the south of the town, this site closed in 2004.

John Keble was a regular visitor to Church Crookham's Christ Church.[5]

Queen Elizabeth Barracks was military installation in the village used by the British Army from 1938 to 2000.[6][7] It has now been replaced with a new housing estate.

Tweseldown race course

Tweseldown race course was a point-to-point horse racing track. This race track was used for the eventing steeplechase in the 1948 London Olympics.[8]

Filming location

Church Crookham has been used as a filming location for several films. These include the 2002 James Bond movie _Die Another Day_, which used woodland and flat ground in between Church Crookham and Aldershot to represent the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.[9] Church Crookham was also one of several English towns and villages (others including nearby Aldershot, Farnham, and Chobham) that served as filming locations for the 2006 movie _Children of Men_.

Tobacco

Church Crookham was the location for the only commercially successful tobacco plantation in Britain, which produced among other brands “Blue Pryor” cigarettes and pipe tobacco. Production finished in 1938 and the plantation site is now occupied by Redfields Garden Centre, but Redfields House is part of the buildings that now encompass St Nicholas' School.[10]

Redfields was also the centre for the British Pioneer Tobacco Growers Association (BPTGA) after the Second World War. Tobacco was grown there, cured and a commercial brand 'Trowards Rayon D'or' was produced alongside the main purpose of supplying plants to members, curing and shredding their final product before returning to the appropriate members. Among members of the staff were Charles Baggs, general manager throughout their existence, and Admiral Sir Clement Moody. A BBC film was made during the 1950s entitled _Tobacco Road_ which featured the Redfields site and their site in nearby Crondall. The Association closed after the death of Mr Troward, although Charles Baggs did continue to supply plants and cure the members' product for a further period after his death. The works at Redfields employed some twenty to thirty local staff, which demonstrated its importance at that time in history.

Education

For a list of local schools see the list of Hampshire schools.

[1]

[2]

[3] Foot, 2006, p335-341

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

title: Church Crookham

question: What is Church Crookham notable for?

answer: Church Crookham is home to the Basingstoke Canal and the Tweseldown race course. It has been a filming location in several films. It was also the site of the only successful tobacco plantation in Britain.


title: [MF] Five Cards

question: What does the story say about card counting?

question: What does the story say about the narrator?

answer: The narrator seems to be a fortune teller or some kind of card reader who has set up shop at the fair. However, instead of tarot cards or regular cards, the narrator uses only five cards taken from a small box. The narrator, who has long hair, seems to know something about the cards and the nature of the game Pete is playing but doesn't give any hints to what it is or what will happen if he wins or loses. The narrator just gives a vague warning that everyone who plays the game mostly makes the same mistakes, but never elaborates as to what those mistakes are.

question: Summarize how the game is played.

answer: The player can choose up to five cards from the dealer. The values of the cards are unknown to the player and the dealer doesn't tell the player how many cards are in the deck. The idea of the game is to have a card with a high number and players can theoretically pick a card until they get a number they think is high enough or when the five cards run out. Players will need to discard the previous card every time they choose a new one. However, the dealer never says what will happen if the player gets the highest or lowest card.

question: What does the story say about what the cards represent?

answer: The cards represent opportunities in life. The narrator thinks that like the five cards, people get several opportunities in life, and they fool themselves into thinking that they can get a better opportunity if they take risks instead of appreciating what they already have. When Pete drew the number 1 for his third card, he felt bad for not sticking to his first two cards. Like a homeless person, he appreciates whatever he had before. The narrator says that life opportunities, no matter how big or small, must be appreciated because there will be a reward.


text:
KALONYMUS BEN KALONYMUS ben Meir (Hebrew: קלונימוס בן קלונימוס), also romanized as QALONYMOS BEN QALONYMOS or CALONYM BEN CALONYM, also known as MAESTRO CALO (Arles, 1286 – died after 1328) was a Jewish philosopher and translator from Hachmei Provence (now Provence, France). He studied philosophy and rabbinical literature at Thessaloniki under the direction of Abba Mari ben Eligdor and Moses ben Solomon of Beaucaire. He also studied medicine, although he seems never to have practised it.

He was from a prominent and distinguished Provençal Jewish family. The father of Kalonymus and Kalonymus himself each bore the title “Nasi” (prince).

At Rome

About 1314 Kalonymus settled at Avignon, where he later became associated with Robert, King of Naples, who sent him, provided with letters of recommendation, on a scientific mission to Rome. Kalonymus' learning and character gained for him the consideration of the Roman Jewish notables; and when his family, finding that his sojourn at Rome was longer than had been anticipated, recalled him, the poet Immanuel the Roman wrote a letter to Nasi Samuel of Arles, protesting in the name of the Jewish community of Rome against Kalonymus' return.[1] According to Steinschneider and Gross, Kalonymus was the poet referred to by Immanuel (ib. p. 28) as having pleaded the cause of the Roman Jews before the pope at Avignon in 1321, but this assertion needs confirmation since the exact dates of Kalonymus' stay in Rome can not be ascertained. Heinrich Graetz and Adolf Neubauer believe that Kalonymus went to Rome after his sojourn in Catalonia, which was in 1322; and the fact that he does not mention Rome in his _Eben Boḥan_ confirms their supposition. In 1328 Kalonymus was in Arles, where he probably remained until his death, the exact date of which is unknown.

Works

Kalonymus acquired a high reputation both as an original writer and as a translator. He began his literary career when only twenty years old. His translations, which, with the exception of one that was printed, are all still in manuscript, include the following (arranged in chronological order, the Hebrew titles being those of the translations):

-   _Ha-'Ammud be-Shoroshe ha-Refuah_, translation of the Arabic work _Kitab al-'Imad fl Uṣul al-Ṭibb_ of Ali ibn Ridwan. This translation, completed at Arles Oct. 10, 1307, was the second made by Kalonymus, the first having been lost in 1306 during the banishment of the Jews from France.
-   _Sefer Galyanus be-Ḥaḳna ube-Kulga_, Galen's work on clysters and colic, from the Arabic version of Hunayn ibn Ishaq.
-   _Sefer Galyanus be-Haḳḳazah_, Galen's work on bleeding, probably made from the Arabic version of Hunayn ibn Ishaq.
-   Treatise on the five geometrical bodies by Euclid, in relation to the theory of Apollonius of Perga, and the commentary of Simplicius of Cilicia.
-   _Ha-Dibbur ha-Meshullash_, treatise on the triangle, by Abu Sa'adan.
-   _Sefer Meshalim be-Tishboret_, on mathematical propositions.
-   _Sefer ha-Temunah ha-Ḥittukit_, a work on geometry, entitled _Fi al-Shakl al-Ḳuṭṭa_, by Thābit ibn Qurra.
-   _Ma'amar be-Iẓṭawwonot ube-Ḥiddudim_, treatise on cylinders and cones.
-   _Bi'ur Sefer Ṭobiḳi_, Averroes's commentary on the topics.
-   _Bi'ur Sufisṭiḳi_, Averroes' commentary on sophisms.
-   _Bi'ur Sefer ha-Mofet_, Averroes' large commentary on the second analytics.
-   _Sefer ha-Ẓemaḥim_, treatise on the plants, attributed to Aristotle, with the commentary thereon by Averroes.
-   _Ma'amar be-Sekel weha-Muskal_, treatise on the intellect and the intelligible, by al-Farabi.
-   _Ma'amar be-Mispar ha-Ḥokmot_, on the division of the sciences, by Al-Farabi.
-   _Sefer ha-Peri ha-Niḳra Meah Dibburim_, commentary on the _Centiloquium_ of (Pseudo-)Ptolemy, translated from the Arabic version of Ahmad ibn Yusuf.
-   _Iggeret be-Ḳiẓẓur ha-Ma'amar be-Moladot_, short treatise on nativities, by al-Kindi.
-   _Iggeret be-'Illot_, treatise on the influence of the heavenly bodies on rain, by Al-Kindi.
-   The middle commentary of Averroes on physics.
-   _Sefer ha-Hawayh weha-Hippased_, Averroes' middle commentary on generation and corruption.
-   _Sefer Otot ha-Shamayim_, Averroes' middle commentary on meteors.
-   _Iggeret Ba'ale Ḥayyim_, (_“Treatise on Animals”_), translated from the twenty-first treatise of the _Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity_, published in 1557 at Mantua, and in 1704 at Frankfort-on-the-Main. This translation was rendered into Judæo-German by Enoch ben Ẓebi (Hanover, 1718) and into German, under the title _Abhandlung über die Thiere_, by Julius Landsberger (Darmstadt, 1882).
-   ''Sefer Mah-she-aḥar ha-Ṭeba' '', Averroes' middle commentary on metaphysics.
-   Treatise on arithmetic by Nicomachus, accompanied by a commentary of Abu Sulaiman Rabiya ibn Yaḥya.
-   _Be-'Inyane ha-Kokabim ha-Nebukim_, translation of Ptolemy's treatise on the planets.
-   _Sefer Arshmidah_, Archimedes's treatise on the sphere and the cylinder, translated from the Arabic version of Costa ibn Luḳah.
-   _Iggeret be-Laḥiyt ube-Maṭar_, Al-Kindi's treatise on humidity and rain.
-   Averroes' dissertations on the first book of the _Prior Analytics_.
-   _Iggeret be-Siddur Ḳeri'at ha-Ḥokmot_, Al-Farabi's treatise on the method of studying philosophy.
-   _Destructio Destructionis_, a Latin translation from the Arabic _Tahafut al-Tahafut_ (_“The Incoherence of the Incoherence”_) written by Averroes against al-Ghazali.

Kalonymus' original works are as follows:

-   An answer in Hebrew addressed to Joseph Caspi, in opposition to the latter's _Ḳundreṣim_ (_Quinterniones_). The answer refers chiefly to Caspi's work on the Bible, entitled _Ṭirat Kesef_, or _Sefer ha-Sod_. After having paid homage to the talent and learning of Caspi, Kalonymus criticizes the book, in which he claims to have detected many errors. He states that in any case, even if the work were perfect, it ought not to have been published, on account of its disrespectful treatment of Biblical personages. The answer was published by Joseph Perles under the title _Kalonymos ben Kalonymos Sendschreiben an Joseph Caspi_ (Munich, 1879).
-   _Sefer Melakim_, a treatise on arithmetic, geometry, and astrology, of which only a fragment has been discovered by Steinschneider (Munich MS. No. 290). This treatise was composed at the request of a “great king,” whom Steinschneider believes to have been Robert of Anjou.
-   _Even Boḥan_, an ethical treatise composed in the year 1322. The treatise is written in cadenced prose, imitating, though with less elegance, the style of Jedaiah Bedersi in his _Beḥinat 'Olam_. The author intended in the _Even Boḥan_ to show the perversities of his contemporaries, as well as his own. He passes in review all the social positions of which men are proud, and argues they are vanity. At the end he enumerates the sufferings of Israel and expresses the hope that God will have pity on His people who, in the three years (1319-22) during which time the _Even Boḥan_ was written, had suffered persecution at the hands of the shepherds and of the leprous, besides an _auto-da-fé_ of the Talmud at Toulouse. The book also contains a poem expressing Kalonymus's lament at being born a man and desire to be a woman[2] The _Even Boḥan_ was first published at Naples in 1489, and passed through many editions. It was twice translated into German, first by Moses Eisenstadt, or, according to Joseph Zedner, by Katzenellenbogen (Sulzbach, 1705), and then in cadenced prose by W. Meisel (Budapest, 1878).
-   _Masekhet Purim_ (“Tractate of Purim”), a Purim Torah, a parody intended to be read during Purim,[3] written at Rome. Caricaturing the rabbinical style of argument, the author humorously criticizes everyone, not excluding himself. This kind of parody found many imitators. The _Masseket Purim_ was first published at Pesaro (1507–20).

A great number of other works have been wrongly attributed to Kalonymus ben Kalonymus.

Transgender legacy

In one poem in _Even Boḥan_, Kalonymus expresses lament at and curses having been born a boy, referring to his penis as a מוּם (_múm_), a “defect”, and wishes to have been created as a woman.[4] This poem has been increasingly embraced by some in the LGBT+ Jewish community as an expression of gender dysphoria and transgender identity, suggesting that the poet may have been a trans woman.[5][6] Judaism traditionally recognizes a number of gender or (inter)sex categories besides man and woman,[7] and it is impossible to know the gender identity of this person who lived in the 14th century for certain.[8] Some scholars view Kalonymus ben Kalonymus as a possible example of a transgender person in Jewish history.[9] Steven Greenberg acknowledges this possibility but also suggests another, that Kalonymus might have been homosexual, asking: “might it be that for Kalonymus the only way to make sense of the desire to be loved by a man is to fantasize being a woman?”[10]

[1] _Maḥberot_, p. 23

[2]

[3] “Ask the Rabbi: Are all costumes allowed on Purim?”, The Jerusalem Post, 03/11/11

[4] Steven Greenberg, _Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition_ (2004, ), pp. 118-121.

[5]

[6]

[7] Melanie J. Wright, _Studying Judaism: The Critical Issues_ (2013, ), p. 33

[8]

[9]

[10]

title: Kalonymus ben Kalonymus

question: What does the text say about Kalonymus' reputation?

answer: Kalonymous was known as a Jewish philosopher and translator from Hachmei Provence. He acquired a high reputation both as an original writer and as a translator. All of his translations except for one are still in manuscript. Kalonymous is also known for a poem that hinted at being a possible transgender person due to his lamenting of having been born a man instead of a woman.

question: What does the text say about Kalonymus' family?

answer: Kalonymus came from a prominent and distinguished Provencal Jewish family. His father and himself each bore the title "Nasi", which means "prince". His family recalled him after finding his trip to Rome was longer than anticipated. This caused the poet Immanuel the Roman to write a letter to Nasi Samuel of Arles protesting in the name of the Jewish community of Rome against Kalonymous's return.

question: Summarize everything that happened in the 1320s.

answer: In 1321, the poet Immanuel the Roman referred to Kalonymus as having pleaded the cause of the Roman Jews before the pope according to some. This claim goes into question as others believe Kalonymus went to Rome after his sojourn in Catalonia in 1322. In the same year he wrote an ethical treatise in cadenced prose. In 1328 he was in Arles where he probably remained until his death.

question: What does the text say about Kalonymus' wife?


text:
[A protester holding a photo of Xu Zhiyong outside the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong in 2014.]

Credit...Vincent Yu/Associated Press

-   Sept. 18, 2018
-

Xu Zhiyong was one of China’s most prominent rights advocates when he was arrested in 2013 and then sentenced to prison for his role in founding the New Citizens Movement, a grass-roots group that sought to work within China’s system to improve the rule of law.

Mr. Xu described his imprisonment, part of a broader crackdown on Chinese civil society under President Xi Jinping, in an essay translated and published this week on the website China Change. In recent years, hundreds of rights activists and lawyers have been imprisoned or disappeared. Many have retreated into silence or fled overseas. But a few, including Mr. Xu, who was released in mid-2017, are still speaking out.

Here are excerpts from his essay, titled “Four Years Afar” and originally published in Chinese on Mr. Xu’s blog:

‘Are you done performing?’

While being held before his trial at Beijing’s No. 3 Detention Center, Mr. Xu was subjected to long interrogations on the New Citizens Movement, including on who else was involved. Mr. Xu said he spoke about the movement’s ideas — like its demand for disclosure of senior officials’ personal wealth and for better access to education for migrant workers’ children — but refused to incriminate anyone, even when deprived of sleep.

Mr. Xu had been interrogated many times before, like in 2005, when he was beat up in the city of Linyi for visiting the blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng. But this time, his interrogators tried a different tactic.

  As soon as I sat down in the interrogation room, a new face, a man in his thirties, unleashed a torrent of invective and abuse.

  Who do you think you are? Scum, bastard, degenerate … he exhausted almost all of the insulting words there are in the Chinese language. He paced back and forth, waving his arms, stomping his feet, twisting out his cigarette butts, making threatening gestures and monstrously screaming. It seemed that he was about to tear me to pieces and gobble me up. Both my hands were shackled to the iron chair, and I sat quietly. This went on for about an hour. Then he stopped. The room became quiet.

  I raised my head, and looking into his eyes, asked him, “Are you done performing?”

  I was genuinely concerned for this person. Who is he? What did he just do? For whom? How could he utter those words if he had the slightest sense of right and wrong? Unless he is mentally ill — he is not, he is putting on a show.

  It was like watching from high above as a little marionette shook and screamed loudly on the blue earth. He looked so pathetic that I had to show my concern.

  He suddenly fell apart. He said, in a succession of quick utterances, “Alas, I am really sorry; I was indeed performing; oh dear, I really can’t do this job! Why are they asking me to do this?”

  He had completely forgotten about his colleagues around him, as well as the watching eyes supervising them in another room. Later, we chatted for a while. He was a graduate of Renmin University. He repeatedly apologized, saying that he shouldn’t have cursed and insulted me, and that he had failed.

  If I had any fear, or felt humiliated, they would have won. Whatever worked on you, they would use it against you. For me, beating would only inspire me. In Linyi, Shandong Province, at the entrance of the black jail in the youth hostel, brutal violence did not make me submit. Nor did insults have any use.

  In a post-totalitarian society, ideology is dead. There is no more class hatred. Beating people is just a job, a role to play.

Image[A supporter of Mr. Xu being detained by police officers in early 2014 near the court where he was being tried in Beijing.]

Credit...Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

‘There is joy everywhere’

As his trial began in January 2014, Mr. Xu and his lawyers held no hope for a fair outcome. The judge had even refused to let their witnesses testify. So they decided to use silence as a means of protest until Mr. Xu tried to deliver a combative closing statement that was later widely circulated on Chinese social media.

In the end, the four-year sentence on charges of “gathering a crowd to disturb public order” was no surprise, he wrote. But for his wife, who had given birth to their daughter just two weeks earlier, “it was much too long.”

Still, Mr. Xu was ever the optimist.

  There is joy everywhere. My last days at the detention center were leisurely. There was a fundamental improvement in my _shuangsheng_ ability (a variation of poker). I could now remember cards.

Prison life and ‘The Federalist Papers’

One month into his term, Mr. Xu was transferred to Liulin Prison in Tianjin. Inmates were expected to work, but Mr. Xu also had access to the prison library.

  In my ward, the superintendent (the leader, later renamed ward captain) was a decent person. He said to me privately that all people have a conscience. He said in the minds of the prison guards, there are three categories of prisoners. “The first category is you,” he said, “so no need to explain.” The second category, he said, is those guilty of corruption — the larger social environment is just like this. The third category is ordinary criminals.

  A few days later, he said that the reading room was ready. We then took 200 some books from the prison library to the reading room, including traditional cultural classics such as “The Book of Songs,” “The Analects” and “Instructions for Practical Living,” as well as world classics such as “Les Misérables” and “War and Peace.”

  The one that I cherished the most and kept for the entire three years I was there was “The Federalist Papers.”

  Sixteen people lived in one cell. Robbery, murder, theft, drug trafficking, bribery and other crimes were all mixed together. A small society. These were hardened people to begin with, and when they were stuck together in such a harsh environment, they became worse — it was a vicious cycle.

  There were no mirrors in the prison. Anything that could injure a person was not allowed, so there was no glass, no bamboo sticks, etc.; they feared self-inflicted wounds.

  In the first month at Liulin Prison, the labor was weeding and turning up the soil. We removed the weeds on both sides of the road and then turned the soil over and over again. It was a perversity on the part of the prison: They wouldn’t allow anything to grow freely, including weeds.

‘I’m back, China’

In October 2014, Mr. Xu was transferred to nearby Kenhua Prison, where he served out the remainder of his sentence. There, Mr. Xu wrote, he had a lot of time to think (“real, quiet thinking”), discuss philosophy with midlevel officials who had been convicted of corruption and write in his notebook.

  The road is long — the road leading to a free China, a beautiful China.

  I’ve become a determined revolutionary. It’s not that I have changed my mind. It’s just that previously I always had illusions about others. It wasn’t that I put my faith in someone; what it was is that I was tempted by life and didn’t want to shoulder responsibility for this ancient people. But having watched CCTV “Evening News” for three years, a voice said: Stop evading your destiny.

  One can work anywhere. One can cultivate oneself anywhere. With three busy years, I completed the most important thing in my life. I wrote down more than 200,000 characters by hand, and hand-copied it twice. I had finished my mission two months before I was released from prison. I breathed a long sigh of relief.

  Carefully, I read “The Federalist Papers” one more time, and returned it to the library. I reread the Bible, the Quran and some Buddhist and Taoist books. I pondered the citizens’ movement, the political transformation and my beautiful China.

  North of the Great Wall, south of the Yangtze, the Kunlun Mountains, the East China Sea. The sun has risen in the east for 5,000 years. This vast and beautiful land has seen vicissitudes. I am your child, China; suffering and hardship belong to me, so do glory and pride.

  An honest, fair, and kindhearted people will sustain a new civilization. A perfect world under the sun. Freedom, justice, love, and a beautiful China. Freedom, justice, love, and a beautiful China.

  Exactly at midnight on July 15, 2017, the warden woke me up in a friendly voice: Hurry, get going, go home. I said, what about my notebooks? Earlier I had handed them over for examination. Let’s talk about it at the gate, he said. I was tricked. I went out the main gate and asked for my nine notebooks. They didn’t give them back to me, they didn’t even give me a receipt. I gave up after nearly two hours of impasse. Many friends were waiting for me, and some had to overcome layers of obstacles to get closer to the prison. Thank you all!

  I’m back, China.

question: Describe the events that led to Xu Zhiyong's imprisonment.

answer: Xu Zhiyong was one of China’s most prominent rights advocates when he was arrested in 2013 and then sentenced to prison for his role in founding the New Citizens Movement, a grassroots group that sought to work within China’s system to improve the rule of law. It was part of a broader crackdown on Chinese civil society.

question: How did Xu Zhiyong shame his ranting interrogator?

answer: Xu Zhiyong watched the man rant and rave. He just sat quietly and listened to his insults. He was genuinely concerned for the man and showed it. When he asked his interrogator whether he had done performing, the man fell apart and started to apologize.

question: Describe Xu Zhiyong's trial.

answer: As his trial began in January 2014, Mr. Xu and his lawyers held no hope for a fair outcome. The judge had even refused to let their witnesses testify. So they decided to use silence as a means of protest until Mr. Xu tried to deliver a combative closing statement that was later widely circulated on Chinese social media. He received a four-year sentence.

question: How did Xu Zhiyong keep himself busy in prison?

answer: Though the prisoners were expected to work, they also had some free time. Xu Zhiyong used the time to read. He also wrote down more than 200,000 characters by hand and copied them twice.


text:
How times have changed for Divock Origi.

A year ago, when the new season kicked off, he couldn’t even command a place on Liverpool’s bench. His days at Anfield appeared numbered.

Borussia Dortmund tried and failed to convince Liverpool to sanction a loan deal. Earlier in the summer, a £22 million fee had been agreed with promoted Wolves but the Belgium international wasn’t keen on a move to Molineux. Instead, he stayed put and vowed to redouble his efforts to force his way back into Jurgen Klopp’s plans. It proved to be an inspired decision.

Twelve months on, Origi hasn’t only achieved that target, he has written his name in Anfield folklore.

His heroics in the second half of last season, culminating in the goal that secured Liverpool’s sixth European Cup, catapulted him from nearly man to Kop icon.

The opening chapter of the 2019-20 campaign on Friday night was his homecoming and he was right in the...

question: Who is Divock Origi?

answer: A sports player in Liverpool.

question: What sport does this article concern?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Why did Divock's days at Anfield appear numbered?

answer: He couldn't even command a place on Liverpool's bench.

question: When was this article written?

answer: 2019, presumably (since this is at the start of the 2019-20 campaign).

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Divock Origi, an athlete from Liverpool, began the last season very poorly, with his days on the team seeming numbered. Over the past twelve months, he has written his name in Anfield folklore due to his heroics in the second half of the season. The opening of the 2019-20 campaign served as his homecoming.


text:
Mate, I said stop that.

>Sorry, I promised I would x

You did, you’re incorrigible

>Well if you’re going to encourage (ha ha) me, then I might give in and make you a ‘mate with benefits’ lol

Hmmmmmm

>When you say Hmmmm, I’m not sure if that is “Hmmm I’m not sure whether I like you saying that” or Hmmmmmmm “that’s nice” lol.  I’ll take a risk on the later.
I’m trying not to fall for this again.

>Again, lol. Well how can I help it if I when I close my eyes I can smell your perfume, feel your breathe on my cheek, taste the saltiness of your skin...  it’s so vivid it’s tangible.  I wish.

Are you saying that I’m sweaty? Lol

>You will be, he he. If I have my way.  No really, I would be soo gentle with you, taking all the time that you would allow me.  Do you know what? I do feel really close to you!  But not as close as the taxi I have sent to you and is waiting outside now.  Go on, throw caution to the wind, jump in for the ride of your life!!! Well a short drive to my hotel anyway. And don’t worry, I’ll be the perfect gentleman.  I have everything here that you might need. Just do it, open your door, get in the cab and come to me.

OMG, you said, you promised you would never turn up.

>I haven’t, my driver has. :-) See you soon??

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm  - OK xx

>Boing ….. xxx

Mike paced the room over and over again checking that he had covered for every eventuality.  “What if Sharon does just want to just have a quick drink and a chat”, he thought.  “that’s fine, that’s what I promised her anyway, after all, we are trying to be mates, huh, friends, Mike said to himself, whilst all along knowing, hoping, that when they got together the chemistry he so clearly felt, the likeminded flirty thoughts they enjoyed sharing during their text messaging, would bubble up and become a physical reality.

The 8 minutes 30 seconds that it took for Sharon to be driven to the hotel seemed like an eternity. The sudden knock at the door made him jump and made his heart race.  Oh god, he thought, is this a good idea? She might take one look at me and realise that fantasy is one thing, reality is another? Calm down, calm down, deep breathes, he told himself out load.

Taking a final look around the room to make sure that it was not overly romantic or too presumptuous in its setting, Mike walked to the door and peeped through the spyhole.  Oh god, there she is, even more gorgeous in the flesh than he had remembered.

With his knees like jelly, his head spinning and his insides all gooey :-), Mike opened the door.

Hi, said Sharon, her face warming to a soft crimson colour. This only served to enhance her beauty, drawing Mikes gaze to her bright, deep and smiling eyes. Trying to say hello back, Mike, stammered and in turn felt the heat rise in his cheeks.  “Come in, I’m really glad you were brave enough to accept my invitation” he eventually managed say.

Attempting a polite air kiss to the side of Sharon’s cheek, Mike tripped on her foot and clumsily stumbled forward pressing her against the corridor wall. For the briefest of moments the friends looked deep into each other’s eyes, allowed a small sigh, of what could have been pleasure, to escape them, before bursting into a fit of laughter and giggles.

To be continued….

title: [RO] Stop it mate!!

question: Who are the main characters in this story?

answer: Mike and Sharon

question: Why does Mike have doubts about himself in regards to Sharon?

answer: He fears that she may regret coming over for romantic reasons once she sees him. It's not clear if it's because of any insecurity he has about himself.

question: What messages between Mike and Sharon could be seen as flirting?

answer: The entire message exchange can be seen as clear flirting.

question: Based off this story, does it seem that Mike has experience with dating?

answer: It seems so because he makes a point to make sure his hotel room isn't overly romantic or presumptuous.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: After flirting over text, Mike spontaneously sends a cab to pick up Sharon and bring her to his hotel. He is nervous and hopes that their chemistry and flirtations they share over text would become a physical reality. When he lets Sharon into his room, he trips over her feet and accidentally presses her against the corridor wall. They erupt into laughter and it seems that the nerves have dissipated.


text:
  Against  the  blood  red  sky, a lone helicopter
  hovers around the city looking for any trace of   survivors that might  be below. Down on what used   to be the peaceful city, (now referred to as ground   zero) the horrific cries of death and fear bellow   throughout the city. Never stopping.. Like a record     stuck in a loop. The dead have poured out from the   deepest depths of hell and returned to the living.     Devouring every living soul that they come across.     The city is in ruins. Overturned and abandoned cars     littler the street, buildings turned to ash from the     riots and looting, death and gore fill the streets   turning the once pure black asphalt now to a deep   murky red. Over the pain filled screams of the living   and the mindless groans of the undead, Kenton and   Elizabeth hear a desperate shriek
 from the   helicopter, “Any survivors that can hear me, get to  the roof tops NOW!!” Elizabeth’s
eyes and face light up with a hopeful glee. “We can   get out!” she exclaimed. “They’re here to save us.”
 Kenton’s face however, had that horrified look that   had been there since the infection ravished the city.   “Yeah, if we can even make it that far” he silently said to himself.

Kenton gazed around the corner of the hunting
supplies shop they had been trying to gain access
to. “There is an old grocery store about a block from
here that they should be able to see us from.”
Kenton said. “I don’t care what it is, as long as we
get the hell out of here.” Elizabeth murmured. “We’re
going to need guns if we are even going to stand a
chance at getting over there.” Kenton exclaimed. So,
Kenton pulled the last bobby pin out of his pocket
and slowly slipped it into the lock on the door that
opened the gun store they’d been hiding behind
silently. Saying a prayer under his breath he ever so
carefully and slowly maneuvered it until he heard
the slight clicking sound. “Thank you” he whispered.
He placed his sweaty palm around the knob and
slowly turned it being careful not to make a sound.
With it opened, he and Elizabeth let out a sigh of
relief as there was no one in the store. Luckily this
one hadn’t been looted in the chaos in the
beginning.

They slowly moved in, Elizabeth so close behind
Kenton, he could feel the warmth of her moist
breath. They found where the weapons had been
displayed. Kenton picked off a twelve gauge from the wall along with four boxes of shells, from the
display case he picked a .454 magnum up surprised
by the weight and the how the cool steel and
plywood felt in his grip than walked behind the
counter, and picked up three boxes of ammunition.
When he noticed the M-16 automatic rifle propped
up against the back of the counter. The owner of the
store was obviously planning to use but never got
the opportunity to. “Good, better for us.” He thought.
When he did he hated himself a little for being so
heartless. But quickly dismissed the feeling and
found where the ammunition had been stored and
picked it up along with the sling that had been
placed next to it and attached the sling and placed it
around his back. After loading the weapons and
putting the rest in a place where he could easily
access, he put the .454 in the gun holster he had
looted off a corpse that had been thoroughly
executed with a bullet to the back of the head.
Kenton could still vividly see the pool of blood and
skull fragments that had quietly settled around the
poor man in the back of his subconscious. He
snapped out of the gruesome thought and placed
the excess ammunition in his bag and decided there
wasn’t anywhere else to hold another gun and
began to gather up his newly stocked bag.

As he and Elizabeth were exiting the shop, he
noticed a door that he somehow missed upon first
arrival. On the other side of the door, he heard a wet
slurping noise that almost sounded like a dehydrated dog attempting to drink from its bowl. He didn’t know why, but he had to know what was on the other side of that door… He felt the cool metal against his sweaty anxious palm. He slowly turned the knob and the door opened. He immediately regretted the decision. What he seen would forever burned into his memory. In the dark crowded room, a man with a noose around his thick neck hung a foot off the ground. And around the poor souls feet was a thick pool of blood with bits and pieces of torn flesh and a… a half-eaten hand with three missing fingers… It was then that Kenton noticed one of the undead on the man. Its hands digging into the stomach of the man ripping it open with ease. Kenton stared in shock as the man’s small intestine slowly slip out and dangled inches off the ground slowly swaying back and forth and the undead man took giant bites into the poor man’s flesh. And in a hypnotic gaze Kenton watched as the blood poured out of the man like a waterfall hitting the ground making the pool bigger. He had failed to notice Elizabeth screaming at him and the undead man now absent from the scene and who was now shambling towards him. And when he did, it was too late. The undead man fell onto Kenton with his full weight, taking all the breath out of him. In a panicked set of motions he desperately reached for the .454 that was in its holster. But as he did, time seemed to freeze. He stared into its lifeless eyes that were now pure glossy white, no pupil or lens left, which terrified Kenton. But when he looked upon the mouth of the creature he felt a fear that he had never experienced before, a mind numbing fear that sent a cold shiver to his very core. The undead man was grinning at him. An evil, soulless, demonic grin that took the color out of his face… He then seemed to float out of his body and watch the events unfold. Like a dream. He watched as he pulled out the .454, centered the gun against its temple, cocked the hammer back, and pulled the trigger spraying the opposing wall with thick murky blood, brain matter, and bits of skull fragment.

He snapped back into reality. He quickly jumped to his feet knowing the gunshot that still buzzed in his almost deafened ears would certainly alert more to their presence. He quickly grabbed Elizabeth and turned to run out the door. It was then he noticed the man who hung himself had reanimated, and was desperately trying to break free of the noose but to no success. He felt pity on the man. He pointed his magnum at his head and shot. There was now a gaping hole where the man’s left eyes once was. With that, they quickly evacuated the shop and made a desperate run towards the old grocery store. By the time Kenton and Elizabeth got halfway to the store dozens of the undead were running after them. “FASTER!” Kenton shouted as he was firing rounds off into the crowd. They reached the store, and put a little distance between themselves and the horde.

 But once they stepped inside they looked upon the store with horror. The undead were here. Hordes of them. They looked up from the piles of dead they were feasting on eyes fixed upon Kenton and Elizabeth. “Run!” screamed Kenton. They broke into a sprint with the undead not far behind running after them. Kenton managed to blow the heads off a couple with the .454 while firing into the horde behind them. They had finally reached the stairs and only one appeared on them. Kenton ran up next to it, took the 12 gauge that Elizabeth had been holding and shoved the barrel into its mouth as it let out a high pitched moan and fired. Completely blowing of the lower portion of the undead’s head sending it spiraling over the railing doing acrobatics as it flew down. They ran up the emergency stair well all the way to the roof and quickly slammed the door shut. Kenton took the opportunity to reload his various weapons. The nearby hovering chopper saw them and quickly flew over to the roof the couple was on. It flew close enough for the couple to get on board. Kenton picked up Elizabeth’s small figure with ease and quickly handed her to the soldier who was completely decked out in full protective body gear and a gas mask making him appear bulky and overweight. As she safely got aboard, Kenton slowly stepped back and gazed at her. She looked at him with confused gaze. “Kenton what in the hell are you doing?! Get up here NOW!!” She screamed almost crying now. He didn’t say anything. He just stood and looked at her perfect features. Her soft red hair flowing in the wind, her flawless complexion, her gorgeous face… Everything about her perfection he took in one last time. “I’m sorry my love I can’t go…” He said with tears rolling down his cheeks. Elizabeth only than noticed the deep bite mark that protruded his neck already making the skin around the wound decay. “NO!!!!” She screamed at the top of her lungs she was now bawling. She attempted to jump out to hug him but was stopped by the solider. “Please don’t cry my love. You are safe, that’s all that matters… I promised I’d keep you safe and I did. Be happy my love. I love you so much and I always will Elizabeth.” He took the wedding ring off his finger, and placed it in the palm of her hands and kissed her goodbye.

 That’s when the door broke down and dozens of the undead poured out. “I love you” he cried as the helicopter lifted into the air and took off. He then turned and faced the now approaching undead horde. The 12 gauge in his hands and the M-16 dangling carelessly around his back. He opened fire into the horde blowing off limbs and sending groups of them spiraling backwards. Through the thick red mist created by their blood, he could see that demonic grin they all seemed to have. “Damn out of ammo he said.” He then dropped the weapon to his feet and pulled the M-16 from around his back and opened fire into the oncoming horde. He was unsure of how many he had actually killed. The blood spurting out of the undead bodies like water erupting from a geyser.  Spraying bullet after bullet into the undead mass that was now sprinting towards him, Kenton heard the distinct ping sound indicating that the gun was now out of ammo. Not wasting any time Kenton dropped the M-16 and pulled his .454 magnum out. Glancing down upon it the looking at the undead horde sprinting at him, he slowly lifted the gun to his temple, cocked the hammer back, whispered the words “I love you Elizabeth” one last time and gently pulled the trigger. The last thing that Elizabeth saw as the helicopter escaped the building that’s rooftop was now painted red was the faint red mist coming from Kenton’s skull and his body slowly falling into oblivion, than hitting the ground with a horrid thumping noise that would haunt her forever

title: Against the Blood Red Sky

question: How did Elizabeth escape from the zombie-infested city?

answer: She and Kenton hear a helicopter, someone screaming that survivors should go to the rooftops. They loot a hunting shop and proceed toward a roof when Kenton sees a hanged man being eaten by a zombie. He gets transfixed by the sight, and the zombie catches him. They barely manage to run away, but Kenton is bitten. When they reach the rooftop, Kenton ensures Elizabeth boards the helicopter.

question: How does the zombie epidemic start in the story?


text:
There are times when I think about how Paul Tibbets did it.  The man who flew the *Enola Gay* toward Hiroshima must have thought on what he was about to do.  Did pulling the lever to open the bomb doors take him more than once?  Did his hands shake?  After all, he would end the war.  More lives would be saved if many died sooner rather than later.  I have not read interviews, no more than a short biographical paragraph containing an anecdote on how his wife thought the physicists in the Manhattan Project were plumbers.  I am afraid I will be disturbed by what I find.  Times were different then, maybe dehumanizing propaganda made it easier for him.  Maybe he rested soundly knowing he had defeated evil.  That is a luxury one does not have in civil war.

I marched into the lobby with the case in hand.  It was a bulky thing, not like a normal briefcase that one swings about while strutting to work.  I held it out from my body.  When starting this assignment my shoulder would ache from carrying it but after these few months I was used to it.  The ache of my arm blurred into the routine.  Pick up the case, ride the transport, ignore the randomly chosen route, go through security and deliver the case, then wait to return it.  That’s just how this will go, like every other day of the past few months.  Eyes open and scanning the lobby, back straight, chin up.  The leather of my shined shoes squeaking as I stepped up to the security checkpoint.

“Lieutenant Palmer for Office 51.” I said, holding my badge forward.

The man behind the desk acknowledged my clearance.  I handed the case to him and he placed it to the side of the scanner.  The case was never scanned, never opened by anyone but the men in Office 51 and the general I took it back to.  I stepped into the scanner and the man behind the desk could see everything; the medals on my uniform, the writing on the to-do list in my pocket, the scar tissue going from the small of my back deep toward my spine from shrapnel, and the dead man switch surgically integrated into my left.  If I was killed or activated the switch the case would be destroyed along with its contents and anyone who may have hijacked it.  The war between Earth and the Seceded Colonies was in full swing.  There were many colony sympathizers and agents that had come to Earth before the civilian traffic was cut off.  Riots, sabotage and assassinations sprouted in the cities like weeds through the cracks of asphalt.  Security was tight.

“You’re clear Lieutenant.”

I stepped through the other side of the scanner and grasped the case firmly, lifting it up from the table and balancing the awkward load.  Eyes forward and chin up, I marched down my usual path away from the main elevators to the back of the building where two men guarded a secluded door with a 51 written on it in humble white paint.  One man nodded to me and opened the door.  I stepped through to the elevator behind it.  After entering a combination of codes into the keypad on the far wall of the elevator began its long lurching ride down into the bunker below the building, Office 51.  My fingertips itched when the keypad had taken my DNA sample.

There were no cameras in the elevator.  They didn’t want records of what came in and out of here.  Not much time.  I quickly dropped the case on the floor, threw off my cap and tore off the tight and starched uniform coat.

*Stop shaking, you knew there was no turning back.*

I had opened the case earlier on the drive over to place the items inside, in the secluded passenger section of the transport.  After a breath and a very quick prayer I pressed my thumb to the reader on top of the case.  They had complete confidence in me.  I had reason to hate the colonies; my parents were killed in the riots leading up to the war.  Decorated, wounded in combat, comrades lost.  My loyalty was without question.  But I couldn’t continue to ignore what was happening in Office 51.

It took me too long to catch on to what they were doing.  I am no physicist, but overtime I began to piece together snippets of conversation I shouldn’t have overheard and documents that I shouldn’t have seen out of the corner of my eye.  They printed things that were so sensitive no computer’s security could be trusted.  Inside Office 51 they were making a doomsday weapon, a planet-buster.  The war was going so poorly that the Earth regime would hold the lives of tens of billions hostage, after making an example of the Colonies’ capital first.  I could not allow it, not more mass murder.  I pulled out the pistol I had stashed earlier in the case and chambered a round.  My fingers felt numb.

The elevator chimed and the door slid open, slowly.  Every day for the last few months it had seemed to open more quickly.  Too many heartbeats filled the gap of time.  A guard was posted by the elevator, the same spot every day.  Cameron was standing there today.  The slide of my pistol rotated back and then forward, soundlessly expelling a smoking shell and replacing it.  I marched out of the elevator.  A door around the corner was cracked open, men were laughing inside.  I kicked the case into the small room where the physicists were working and raced back to the elevator.  Crouching in the corner I tapped out the sequence on my thumb to activate the switch.  Pointer, middle, pointer, ring finger.

title: En Masse (scifi) Feedback greatly appreciated

question: What does the text say about Nagasaki?

question: What does the text say about Paul Tibbets?

answer: Paul Tibbets was the man who flew the "Enola Gay" (a bomber) toward Hiroshima and dropped the bomb. The narrator, Lt. Palmer, wonders if Tibbets thought about what he was about to do. He's wondering if pulling open the bomb doors took Tibbets more than once and if his hands were shaking when he was doing it. Tibbets was the man who ended the war because of the bombs dropped because more lives would be saved if many died sooner rather than later.

question: Describe the setting of the story.

answer: The story is set in a future where a civil war is raging between the Earth and the Seceded Colonies. Civilian traffic was cut off between the Earth and the colonies, but many colony sympathizers and agents were able to slip through before it was. These people caused riots, sabotage, and assassinations in cities. Security was tight.

question: What does the text say about Lieutenant Palmer?

answer: Lieutenant Palmer is a soldier entrusted with a briefcase with top-secret documents. The documents are so sensitive that Palmer has a surgically implanted dead man switch in his left hand. If he is killed, the case would be destroyed along with its contents and anyone who hijacked it. He reports to the general and men of Office 51, located in a bunker below the building. Palmer's parents were killed in the riots leading up to the war.  He is a decorated soldier who was wounded in combat and had lost his comrades. Palmer's loyalty to the Earth regime was supposed to be without question until he got wind of their plans to build a doomsday weapon, a planet-buster, to wipe out the colonies. Palmer couldn't ignore what was happening and detonated the briefcase inside Office 51.


text:
The second anniversary of the white supremacist riots in Charlottesville, Virginia, is a time to reflect on what HeatherHeyer’s death should have meant to America.

When 32 year-old Heyer fell victim to racist violence, losing her life while protesting against hate, there should have been a consensus that this tragedy was antithetical to American values.

What should have happened in the wake of Heyer’s killing was change, but nothing has changed. Instead, the very rhetoric that killed Heyer has continued to pervade our national discourse.

In the aftermath of Charlottesville, people came together to mourn, but there was little political or cultural mobilization. It was almost as if the nation was too paralyzed by shock to acknowledge exactly what it meant to have white supremacists killing anti-racist Americans.

After a couple of candlelight vigils, Americans moved on with their lives and returned to work as if this would be an isolated incident. There was no demanding massive change, accountability, and action in the name of Heather Heyer. This complacency allowed white nationalists, already emboldened and legitimised by the election of president Trump in 2016, to infect our nation's core with their toxic ideology.

In fact, Charlottesville did turn out to be a turning point in the modern fight against racism – just not the one so many of us had hoped. When white nationalists did not see widespread resistance to their ideology, it was understood that this violence was seen as acceptable, or even normal. After all, Trump himself said there were “very fine people on both sides” after Heyer’s death. I would say “very fine people” don’t run over anti-racist protesters with their cars.

Charlottesville: Donald Trump says there were 'fine people on both sides'

When the El Paso shooter targeted Hispanic immigrant families and allegedly cited Trump’s rhetoric as a call to violence in his manifesto, when the Dayton shooter may have targeted his closeted transgender brother, when places of Jewish worship are attacked, it is clear that America has failed Heather Heyer.

Heather died two years ago today. Now, the Anti-Defamation League determine that right-wing extremists were tied to at least 50 killings in 2019. Women, people of colour and LGBT+ people are living in fear. I am one of them and it is both terrifying and exhausting.

I am tired of being hyper-concious of being a black, queer, and Jewish woman in public spaces. I’m terrified of my identity making me fear that I am a likely target of white nationalist violence. I look for the best exit when I attend religious services and conferences. I fear that, as a woman in journalism writing about white nationalism, I may paint a target on my own back, but I cannot allow that fear to silence me.

Heather Heyer was not silent. She stood against racism and paid the ultimate price for her activism. In her memory, we can’t allow right-wing, white supremacist extremism to be seen as acceptable or welcome in America.

Together, as Americans, we can mobilise against violence. We should all be more like Heather and actively stand in opposition to the racism and violence which is tearing our country apart.

question: Who is Heather Heyer?

answer: Heyer fell victim to racist violence while protesting against hate.Where

question: Where did the violence occur?

answer: The violence was during white supremacist riots in Charlottesville, Virginia.

question: Explain how Heyer's death changed things.

answer: There was demanding massive change and Americans returned to normal.

question: What was Donald Trump's response to the violence?

answer: Trump said there were "fine people on both sides".

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
It has been two years since Heather Heyer fell victim to racist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
She lost her life while protesting against hate, however very little changed after. After the mourning, Americans moved on with their lives whole there was little political and cultural mobilization.