text:
BY JAMES GALLAGHER
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

image copyrightGetty Images

THE ULTIMATE LIMIT OF HUMAN ENDURANCE HAS BEEN WORKED OUT BY SCIENTISTS ANALYSING A 3,000 MILE RUN, THE TOUR DE FRANCE AND OTHER ELITE EVENTS.

They showed the cap was 2.5 times the body's resting metabolic rate, or 4,000 calories a day for an average person.

Anything higher than that was not sustainable in the long term.

The research, by Duke University, also showed pregnant women were endurance specialists, living at nearly the limit of what the human body can cope with.

The study started with the Race Across the USA in which athletes ran 3,080 miles from California to Washington DC in 140 days.

Competitors were running six marathons a week for months, and scientists were investigating the effect on their bodies.

image copyrightBryce Carlson

image captionA Race Across the USA runner has his resting energy expenditure measured

Resting metabolic rate - the calories the body burns through when it is relaxing - was recorded before and during the race.

And calories burned in the extreme endurance event were recorded.

The study, in Science Advances, showed energy use started off high but eventually levelled off at 2.5 times the resting metabolic rate.

The study found a pattern between the length of a sporting event and energy expenditure - the longer the event, the harder it is to burn through the calories.

So people can go far beyond their base metabolic rate while doing a short bout of exercise, it becomes unsustainable in the long term.

The study also shows that while running a marathon may be beyond many, it is nowhere near the limit of human endurance.

-   Marathon (just the one) runners used 15.6 times their resting metabolic rate
-   Cyclists during the 23 days of the Tour de France used 4.9 times their resting metabolic rate
-   A 95-day Antarctic trekker used 3.5 times the resting metabolic rate

"You can do really intense stuff for a couple of days, but if you want to last longer then you have to dial it back," Dr Herman Pontzer, from Duke University, told BBC News.

He added: "Every data point, for every event, is all mapped onto this beautifully crisp barrier of human endurance.

"Nobody we know of has ever pushed through it."

During pregnancy, women's energy use peaks at 2.2 times their resting metabolic rate, the study showed.

image copyrightBryce Carlson

image captionRunners on the 3,080 mile Race Across the USA in 2015.

The researchers argue the 2.5 figure may be down to the human digestive system, rather than anything to do with the heart, lungs or muscles.

They found the body cannot digest, absorb and process enough calories and nutrients to sustain a higher level of energy use.

The body can use up its own resources burning through fat or muscle mass - which can be recovered afterwards - in shorter events.

But in extreme events - at the limits of human exhaustion - the body has to balance its energy use, the researchers argue.

Dr Pontzer said the findings could eventually help athletes.

"In the Tour de France, knowing where your ceiling is allows you to pace yourself smartly.

"Secondly, we're talking about endurance over days and weeks and months, so it is most applicable to training regimens and thinking whether they fit with the long-term metabolic limits of the body."

More on this story

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question: Summarize everything relating to recovery.

answer: The body is able to use its own resources burning through fat or muscle mass. In shorter events, these resources can be recovered. However, in extreme events which are at the limits of human exhaustion, the body has to balance its energy use. This infers that those resources are harder to be recovered in these events.

question: What does the text say about pregnant women?

answer: In research regarding the ultimate limit of human endurance, pregnant women were also studied. The studies showed that pregnant women were endurance specialist. They can live at nearly the limit of what the human body can cope with. The human body can cope with 2.5 times their resting metabolic rate. During pregnancy, women's energy use peaks at 2.2 times their resting metabolic rate.

question: What does the text say about the Tour de France?

answer: Analysis from the Tour de France helped work out the ultimate limit of human endurance. It showed that cyclists during the 23 days of the Tour de France used 4.9 times their resting metabolic rate. This showed that running a marathon isn't anywhere near the limit of human endurance despite its difficulty. In the case of the Tour de France, intense exercise for longer than a couple of days can be done only if one dials it back a bit. These athletes can pace themselves smartly if they know where there ceiling is.

question: What does the text say about swimming?


split: test

text:
Sam Nunberg says he’s mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore. Special counsel Robert Mueller may have other ideas.

The former senior campaign aide to President Trump launched a bizarre media blitz Monday in response to a subpoena from Mueller seeking Nunberg’s appearance before a grand jury and records of years of correspondence with people associated with Trump. Nunberg spent several hours giving a series of fiery interviews that left observers questioning his mental state and sobriety. The unconventional press tour culminated in an expletive-filled phone conversation with Yahoo News in which Nunberg addressed his critics and explained what drove him to air his grievances.

“What my point is, is that I’m sick of this s***,” Nunberg said.

Nunberg could be an important witness in Mueller’s investigation. He was one of Trump’s first campaign staffers, having been an associate of longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone. Stone is a central figure in the allegations of collusion with Russia because of his interactions with WikiLeaks, which published emails that hackers linked to Russian intelligence stolen from Trump’s Democratic rivals.

[Sam Nunberg and Robert Mueller. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: file, AP)]

Sam Nunberg and Robert Mueller. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: file, AP)
Nunberg kicked things off with a Washington Post interview in which he disclosed that he’d been served with a subpoena and that he did not intend to comply. Nunberg subsequently repeated that assertion in interviews with outlets including CNN, MSNBC, the website Vox, and a local New York City news channel.

Yahoo News reached Nunberg as he sped through Manhattan in a taxi after leaving CNN’s studios.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” Nunberg asked.

Nunberg entered Trump’s orbit in 2010, when Stone was mounting one of his infamous political stunts — managing a quixotic gubernatorial bid that had a pro-pot, pro-prostitution platform. In a 2016 interview with Yahoo News, Stone said Nunberg, who was 30 at the time, approached him with some ideas for the campaign.

“He comes on a bit strong, as you know,” Stone said of Nunberg. “I mean, within a week of my meeting him he was going around telling people I was his mentor. He’s got chutzpah, as they say.”

Nunberg stuck with Stone, and when Trump launched his presidential campaign in June 2015, Nunberg was one of the top advisers on a skeleton crew. He helped write many of Trump’s early speeches, strategy memos and tweets. He claims that he and Stone came up with Trump’s signature policy proposal — the wall on America’s southern border.

In his conversation with Yahoo News on Monday evening, Nunberg suggested his media blitz was inspired by Stone and Trump’s smashmouth style of politics.

“Like, how ballsy is this?” Nunberg asked. “This is like Donald Trump Roger Stone. Right?”

Much of the call with Nunberg consisted of him seeking reassurance about his performance in interviews but not pausing to listen to responses.

“Notice how I go on TV and say, ‘I hate Trump?’”

Nunberg and Trump have had a tumultuous relationship. The ex-aide was hired and fired by Trump multiple times before the election. In early 2014, he was ousted after encouraging Trump to cooperate with a BuzzFeed article that proved highly critical of the real estate mogul. He rejoined Trump’s circle and was dismissed again shortly after Trump formally began his campaign in 2015, when Business Insider uncovered a series of racially charged Facebook posts Nunberg had written. In July 2016, Trump sued him for $10 million, alleging that Nunberg had violated a confidentiality agreement. Nunberg claimed that the lawsuit was settled “amicably.”

During his conversation with Yahoo News, Nunberg brought up comments he had made about White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in one of his many Monday media appearances.

“Do you like how I said that she should shut her fat mouth?”

Yahoo News reached out to Sanders for reaction to Nunberg’s comments. Sanders and other White House staff members did not respond to our request.

“She should stop talking s***,” Nunberg said of Sanders. “They’ve been putting out all day that I’m a drunk and a drug addict.”

[]

In an interview with CNN earlier in the evening, host Erin Burnett told Nunberg that someone she described as “a Trump ally” had suggested to her that Nunberg was “drunk “ or “off his meds.” Burnett claimed that other CNN reporters had received similar accusations about Nunberg’s sobriety from sources close to the White House. Later in their conversation, Burnett told Nunberg that she “smelled alcohol” on his breath. Nunberg, who has been candid about his past struggles with alcohol, said he was not drunk and had taken “antidepressants” only as prescribed.

Nunberg told Yahoo News that Stone was the main factor behind his decision to take to the airwaves after being subpoenaed.

“I’m doing this to defend … Roger,” Nunberg said. “I’m not going to let them just hurt Roger for no reason.”

Nunberg said that he had first heard from Mueller’s team in January, when they asked to interview him. He said their questions focused on Stone.

“They asked about if I knew about Roger’s business, what Roger does, which I didn’t like,” Nunberg said. “I don’t think it’s fair.”

Stone did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.

Nunberg said Mueller’s team had also asked him “s*** about Trump.” He said he had not personally witnessed any inappropriate actions by Trump during his time on the campaign, although in some of his earlier interviews Nunberg did say he believes Mueller has “something” on the president.

In response to a question, Nunberg acknowledged to Yahoo News that some of Mueller’s questions had concerned the firing of FBI Director James Comey and a meeting Trump’s son and other top aides had with a Kremlin-linked lawyer in the run-up to the election.

In one of the more eye-popping comments from his media blitz, Nunberg told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he believes another former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page, “was colluding with the Russians.” Page did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.

Nunberg told Yahoo News that he was refusing Mueller’s document request because it came with an unrealistic deadline, considering the large amount of material requested. Nunberg said he had extensive correspondence with former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon.

“Here’s the other thing I didn’t find fair — they sent it to me on a Friday and they wanted it by Monday at 3 p.m. And I’m sitting there, I’m trying to earn a living,” said Nunberg, who now works as a consultant. “What do I have to go over? … Do you know how many emails I email with Steve Bannon? I didn’t think it was fair. Do you think it was fair?”

Bannon did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Yahoo News asked Nunberg whether he or his lawyer had tried to get an extension on the document request before he decided not to cooperate. Nunberg indicated that he hadn’t pursued an extension.

“My lawyer is so pissed,” he said.

Nunberg said he hadn’t cleared the interviews with his lawyer and declined to say when he had last spoken to his attorney. Nunberg’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.

Nunberg denied speculation that he had been drinking or taking drugs, which he attributed to White House officials seeking to undermine him, or to his former mentor, Stone.

“Do you think I was high and drunk?” Nunberg asked. “You saw the interview. What did you think? I’m not high and drunk. I was not high and drunk. What I’m doing is what nobody else has ever done.”

Yahoo News asked Nunberg to characterize his relationship with Stone.

“He always treats me like s***, and he hates me,” Nunberg said.

Commentators made the obvious point that in the context of a serious criminal investigation, giving interviews without checking with a lawyer seemed at the very least self-defeating. CNN editor at large Chris Cillizza skewered Nunberg as a “D-list” political talent who is not “sophisticated.”

“My response is Chris Cillizza can go f*** himself and he dresses like s***,” Nunberg told Yahoo News. “I’m not having a meltdown. In fact, I’m the first person ever standing up for themselves.”

About the Trump campaign and administration, Nunberg declared: “They treated me like s***.”

“Didn’t I say that Trump was a disloyal a**hole tonight?” he asked.

Nunberg said he’s made no recent attempts to contact the president.

“I despise him,” Nunberg said of Trump.

Nunberg blatantly contradicted himself at points in his marathon series of interviews with Yahoo News and others. Minutes before getting on the phone with Yahoo News, he suggested to the Associated Press that he would most likely cooperate with Mueller after all.

[]

However, near the end of his conversation with Yahoo News, Nunberg said he wasn’t worried about Mueller having him arrested for contempt.

“He’s not going to arrest me,” he said. “You know how stupid it is if he arrests me? It’ll be the funniest thing. … I’ll make a spectacle out of it. No justice no peace!”

About an hour later, Nunberg told MSNBC’s Ari Melber that he did not plan to comply with the request to testify.

Yahoo News asked Nunberg how he thought he would fare in jail. He repeated the question.

“How would they treat me?”

Nunberg paused briefly and suddenly said he had run into someone on the street.

“Let me talk to somebody, a friend of mine,” he said.

Yahoo News could overhear Nunberg speaking to another man, whose voice was muffled.

“How awesome was this? You ever see anything like this?” Nunberg asked.

Nunberg left the phone on for several minutes, transmitting scraps of his conversation. Shortly before he hung up, he proclaimed his status as a trending topic on social media.

“No. 1 on Twitter!” Nunberg yelled.

_____

READ MORE FROM YAHOO NEWS:

-   Democrat reiterates doubts about Jared Kushner’s loyalty to the U.S.

-   A new generation of anti-gentrification radicals are on the march in Los Angeles — and around the country

-   In exile with Bill Kristol, the Republican resister-in-chief

-   Seven days in Trumpland: Confusion, scandals and indictments

-   Photos: Nor’easter slams East Coast

question: What does the text say about Nunberg's employment at Yahoo News?

question: What does the text say about Nunberg's opinion of Trump?

answer: The text indicates that even though Nunberg worked on Trump's campaign team, he does not think highly of Trump. Nunberg and Trump have a complicated relationship. Nunberg calls Trump disloyal and claims to despise him. Additionally, Nunberg claims that the Trump campaign and administration mistreated him.


text:
“I accept your nomination for President of the United States.”

With those few words, the young, ambitious New York Senator accepted the nomination on the grand stage of the Democratic National Convention in front of a robust crowd of his peers and fans. The venue glimmered with blue confetti and ribbon after the Senator’s response. Fellow Democrats applauded, fans cheered, and the entire room erupted with excitement. The Republicans had held the Presidency for four years already, and the conglomerate of Democrats across the nation had set their sights on 2016. They saw opportunity for change and options for success. They saw a chance to welcome a new era in American history. Their hopes rested on the back of one man: Patrick Ipsum.

Patrick had always fostered an interest in politics. He liked the interaction, the pressure, the importance of the job. All through his years of schooling, Patrick could be seen at the head of student government. It was in these early years of adolescence that Patrick developed his genuine personality, charisma, and honest aura, three characteristics that now stood at the foundation of Patrick’s image. People described Patrick as a people person: someone everyone knew, someone everyone had talked to, someone everyone could relate to.

Patrick graduated from New York University at the top of his class, double majoring in Political Science and International Affairs. He spent summers interning at city halls, mayor’s offices, and even the Governor’s office. Friends and family often praised Patrick for his ambition, confidence, and eloquence. Patrick could look at someone and instantly connect with his or her situation. It did not matter if they were friends for a lifetime or strangers off the street.

His mother supported him all throughout his life, helping him draw election posters in middle school, listening to campaign speeches in high school, commenting on slogan ideas. His father, on the other hand, a stoic, reserved man, remained aloof for most of his son’s endeavors. It seemed as if nothing Patrick had accomplished pleased his father, and this hurt Patrick tremendously.

“Mr. Ipsum, the question now goes to you. What is your stance on gay marriage?”

Patrick stood up straight behind the mahogany podium that shielded his lower body from the audience. His hands rested gently upon the sides of the dark wood as if cushioned by the softest of pillows. Not a blemish could be seen on his face and not a wrinkle could be spotted on his fine-pressed navy suit. The lights illuminated his soft face and the blue tie that sat with a perfect knot under his collar.

“I have said it before, and I will say it again. I believe that gay marriage should be legal in all of our glorious states. This is not a religious issue. This is an issue of equality. I would like to describe our nation as a place where all types of people can seek haven. No matter their sexuality. Gay or straight. If elected, I will continually support the passage of gay marriage laws until we reach a state of complete equality. Thank you.”

Patrick rested himself and looked to his opponent for a rebuttal. George Stultus, the hardcore conservative Senator of Alabama, stood at the other end of the stage behind a podium just like Patrick’s. His face showed the expression of an old, experienced man. A man who had spent a lifetime in politics, while Patrick had only begun his political career.

“This guy knows the game. He goes up there and makes me look like an inexperienced ass during the debate. He has been in politics for so long; he has an exact understanding of how to become President. Me, I’m some young Senator who decided to run and see what happens.”

“Listen to me, Patrick. I want you to shut the hell up for once second and take a deep breath. Why do you think I would sign on to run your campaign if I didn’t have a great deal of confidence in you? You need to stop this stuff right now and focus on the matter at hand. I don’t want to hear another word about this again. You understand me?” uttered Patrick’s campaign manager as he stormed of to attend to more pressing matters.

No one could ever prepare a presidential candidate for the rigorous campaign. Patrick began his campaign with rays of excitement, eagerness, and wonder. Traveling from town to town, city to city, state to state appealed to Patrick because it meant he could do what he did best: personal interaction.

“Why aren’t you that candidate for president? The Democratic one?” said an eager man standing above the table Patrick was seated at.

“Patrick Ipsum, pleased to meet you!” he said as he lifted the napkin from his lap and stood up to the great the fellow. “I am the man you are thinking of. I am trying to become the next president. You do have that right. Now, my friend, what is your name?”

“Joe, sir. Joe Burns.”

“Nice to meet you, Joe. What do you do for a living, Joe?”

“Well,” after a long pause, “I’m actually unemployed for the moment. I was laid off about six months ago, and I haven’t been able to get back on my feet. This economy is just killing me right now.”

“Joe, I am going to make you a promise. You elect me as president, and I will make it my duty to end this unemployment that continues to plague this glorious nation. I will put my word on that, my friend. You believe in me, and I pledge to make things better for you.”

“Mr. Ipsum,” taking a long gaze at the trusting eyes and genuine face that provided him with an unexpected warmth and connection, “I would just like to say thank you. You have my vote, for sure. Some of these big politicians in Washington don’t give a damn about the real Americans, but you seem different. God bless you.”

Even to the brightest of politicians, the campaign takes its toll and has different effects on everyone. The presidential race puts enormous stresses on the candidates and ultimately requires strength, resilience, and intelligence at all stages of the process.

“Are you kidding me? That is the second media attack this week. Why do they keep running these stories on us? God forbid, they run one harsh story on our opponent. I swear, I don’t think I’ve seen one negative story about that man. What, is he perfect? His campaign is flawless?”

“Patrick, the media is one of the craziest things in America. They make up fat lies based on whispers of mendacity. If they hear even an iota of a somewhat juicy story, they will run it. I know it looks bad for us now, but you just have to wait. Stultus is going to be hit by some bad press soon, and you can mark my words on that. Nobody said this campaign would be easy, Patrick. I’ve run lots of campaigns, and one is more work than the last.”

“It’s just so much damn stress. Everyday, I wake up and have to hope that the media isn’t against me. I have to hope that the public will still support me. I have to hope that nothing goes wrong. I don’t know if it is this media attack or the campaign in general, but I don’t feel too good about this whole thing anymore.”

“Right now, I am going to talk to you as a friend, not as your official campaign manager. The only way for you to feel better and for the people to feel better about supporting you is to regain that sense of confidence that made you known. Get back the charm. Get back the old Patrick that everyone used to know and love. You do that, and I am willing to bet that you will have success in this race.”
Patrick often remembered his father during the campaign. He remembered the blank face he’d always had when Patrick told him about his day at school. Patrick would tell his father about how he’d won the high school election, how he’d finally gotten that internship at the Governor’s office. Numerous achievements that all left his father apparently unchanged.

“Dad, I won the class election at school. You’re looking at the new Eleventh Grade Class President!”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“It was a total landslide. The other candidate only got, like, twenty votes. I swept the entire election! I think it was my speech. I really tried to connect with the students. I think it worked. It might have been the awesome posters that Mom and I made.”

“That’s great.”

“Thanks,” Patrick said as he turned away from his father and made his way upstairs.

The fact that his father never truly took pride in his son utterly tormented Patrick. This torment fermented into a deep, uninhibited drive for success in Patrick. Everything he had done, everything he would do was, in an effort to bring some sort of change to the blank, cold face of his father.

Patrick realized that his whole life had been an attempt to impress his father and finally gain his true pride. Patrick pushed himself to the limits with the hopes of attaining some sort of satisfaction. He desired a form of gratification; he wanted to hear an appreciation for all his hard work. Patrick Ipsum, a man who had already experienced a great amount of success in his life, could not accept the fact that his father never expressed pride for him. Patrick’s cold paternal relationship remained the sole problem in his life. To some extent, all that he had accomplished thus far, his stellar performance throughout school, his early success in the game of American politics, his chances of becoming the next United States’ President, did not mean anything to Patrick without a sense of love and pride.

“My name is Patrick Ipsum. Believe in me. Believe in this nation. Vote Ipsum tomorrow!”

Those words echoed over the loudspeaker at the high school stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. Patrick stood upon the stage for what seemed like hours, smiling at the crowd of cheering supporters and waving feverishly at every single one. The effects of the campaign could be seen on Patrick as he stood on that stage. The youthful face that once glimmered with excitement was now speckled with blemishes and the occasional wrinkle. Patrick’s eyes did not show the expression of a hopeful, young Senator, but rather they depicted the expression of a man who had been changed. A man who had experienced firsthand the hardships and troubles with a political career. A young man who had come into this race with just too much on his plate. Patrick Ipsum represented a man who had tried to do everything but had not realized the difficulties of it all.

 Patrick dealt with the long nights, tiring commutes from state to state, and constant attention easily. The physical constraints of the campaign proved tough for the candidate, but rather the mental hardships of the campaign had broken down the once hopeful Senator. It was the doubt and the thought that all of the endless, stressful work could possibly amount to nothing that tormented Patrick. This factor, the unpredictability of the entire election, remained the only idea that infected Patrick’s brain and altered his mentality during the campaign.

The staff sat around the coffee table in Patrick Ipsum’s suite at the Hilton Hotel. Takeout food containers littered the floor, paper coffee cups spotted the tables and desks around the room, and individuals sat in chairs and on the floor. Faces were illuminated by the white glow of laptops and iPhones. The sound of vibrating phones and clattering keyboards buzzed around the room as members of the campaign calculated the probabilities and attempted to look up the current standings. The candidate, Patrick Ipsum, sat in an armchair, staring at the CNN broadcast on the television. Patrick looked at the screen with the blankest of expressions.

The race remained close for the entire night. Ipsum took the lead early, but then Stultus inched ahead. It went back and forth between the two hopeful candidates, but neither of the two achieved a substantial lead. The staff knew it would be a close one, but they had severely underestimated their opponent. Stultus took states that the staff had assured Ipsum he would sweep. Moods remained optimistic until Stultus took Florida. Once the state filled with red, the staff’s chat died to a silence. Everyone in the room knew how the night would turn out.

Patrick remained in his armchair for the remainder of the night. He remained in it when they announced Stultus’ victory. He remained in it when his staff began their work on a concession speech. He sat there, speechless with the same blank expression on his face. He reviewed the events of the last year of his life. He thought about the unthinkable amount of work he and his staff had put into this campaign for this, a loss. He was disappointed in himself.

A phone began vibrating on the coffee table. Once. Twice. Three times. Four. Patrick’s eyes jumped to the phone, realizing it was his own. He pulled himself up, slowly as if he were stuck to the chair. He read the name on the screen: Dad. His hand grasped the phone and pulled it close to his ear.

Patrick stared in disbelief at the phone for a second but then accepted the call.

“Son, It’s me, Dad. I know we haven’t talked in a while. I just wanted to call and let you know that I’m proud of you...”

The phone slowly slipped from Patrick’s grasp. As it fell to the floor, Patrick remained standing for a moment. He then returned to his relaxed position in the armchair. Patrick closed his eyes and smiled, wiping away the tears on his cheek.

title: [RF] The Candidate (any feedback would be wonderful)

question: Summarize Patrick's upbringing and education.

answer: In middle and high school, Patrick was very involved in school politics, winning the class election in the 11th grade. He attended New York University and graduated at the top of his class, double majoring in Political Science and International Affairs. He spent his summer interning at various political establishments, including the Governor's office.

question: What is Patrick's stance on gay marriage?

answer: Patrick believes that gay marriage should be legal in all of the states in the U.S.

question: Why does Patrick feel tormented?

answer: Patrick is tormented by the lack of paternal support he has received throughout his life. His entire life is an attempt to impress his father and gain his respect. Though Patrick has already achieved a great level of success in his life, the one thing he desires more than anything is recognition from his father.

question: What is the resolution of the story?

answer: Patrick ends up losing the presidential election. However, as the news sets in, Patrick receives a phone call from his father. His father tells him that he is proud of him, and Patrick begins to cry.

question: How much money does Patrick make?


text:
[Profile Image for David Edelberg]

-   David Edelberg
-   11-24-12

Use an audiobook to really enjoy Satanic Verses

Unfortunately, quite a few people abandon Satanic Verses in book form as being "incomprehensible" and strangely "flat." The problem is that although "Verses" is a difficult book, rightly compared with the complexity of Joyce's "Ulysses," it's not "impossible" by any means. It simply needs to be read aloud.
Each of the very memorable characters has a unique accent, coming as they do from different parts of India, the U.K., and even (for one brief moment) the U.S. To try to read these without an accent takes away much of the joy of this book.
Actor Sam Dastor is probably the world's expert on Indian accents and from the first minutes of the audiobook (definitely listen to the sample!) you know you'll be in for a treat.
Yes, the novel is complex. Yes, you may need to check the plot outline on wiki, or even consider a study guide (not needed but probably would add a lot). However, as Satanic Verses progresses and characters transmogrify into angels and goats, and a goddess with her butterlies guide a devoted village to a very wet redemption, you'll also see how this novel offended every fundamentalist Muslim on the planet and remains banned in every Muslim country except the secular Turkey.
If you were once put off by this very important book, by all means download the audiobook and prepare yourself for a good time

89 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for Darwin8u]

-   Darwin8u
-   09-17-12

Writing you don't climb down, you fly off

A near perfect novel. I loved the writing. I loved the characters. I loved how Rushdie was able to master Heaven and Hell, saint and sinner, the welkin and earth in this dreamlike exploration of what it means to be an immigrant, an angel, a saint and a sinner. At times he writes like a post-modern satirist cum Pynchon, then suddenly he melts into his best post-colonial Achebe, and then off again on his magical realist, literary carpet à la Gabriel García Márquez. Rushdie's writing is a mountain you don't climb down, you fly off.

40 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for Peregrine]

-   Peregrine
-   09-10-11

Brilliant novel, brilliant reader

Any additional comments?

I can't answer any of the dumb questions Audible now wants to ask. I first read the Satanic Verses in '92, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. I was astounded to discover a hilarious yet harrowing set of interlocking stories that upended my ideas about colonialism, Islam and India. 20 years later, it was just as great as the first time. I read my old copy at home and listened in the car to a great performance by a reader who does great Indian and English accents while conveying the tale's irony. I still believe this is one of the great novels of the 20th century.

56 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for A F]

-   A F
-   06-04-12

Audiobook perfection?

Not for the feint of heart, but immensely rewarding, it's everything I love in a novel. Motifs weave their way in and out of the narrative effortlessly, and plays on words sometimes raise eyebrows, sometimes induce a guilty snicker. The language and ideas are quite playful while being earnest at the same time.

Although it is very challenging, the book can be enjoyed on many different levels. It's the only audiobook I've listened to more than once, and I always find new things to appreciate with each listen. If you can be content with enjoying the work for its simpler pleasures the first time through, you may find yourself enjoying it a second time, too.

If you find it challenging, I encourage you to enjoy it for whatever you can take out of it the first time. You may find yourself, like me, compelled to give it another listen, and dive deeper into the historical and cultural themes that I found quite slippery the first time through. I used a bit of help I found online when I got too lost. If, like me, you are completely ignorant of the history of Islam (including the Old Testament stories of Abraham, Hagar, Ishmael, etc...) you may want to find a primer online.

A note about the performance: This book, more than others, depends on a strong performance, and Dastor delivered in spades. He brought the characters to life and added to the richness of the book. He finessed, spun, chortled, and deadpanned the language as necessary to give the listener the best opportunity to get everything the book has to offer out of the audiobook. Bravo, bravo, bravo.

40 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for DIANE]

-   DIANE
-   03-22-14

This is your chance to read the unreadable

Would you listen to The Satanic Verses again? Why?

There is no other way I'd read a densely written piece of world fiction with my time constraints. Listening to "Satanic Verses" helped me understand why the Ayatollah was so peeved. When you listen to it, it becomes a performance play and I feel I now understand a great deal more about why Salman Rushdie is so revered. I use Audible only for Pulitzer Prize or Nobel prize winning fiction I wouldn't read in book form, nor on a Kindle.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think the narrator gets that award.

Have you listened to any of Sam Dastor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have also read Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" narrated by Dastor. In that case it was by Audiobook CD from the library with late fees... that was when I started Audible.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The return of Khomeini to Iran was extraordinarily conceived.

Any additional comments?

I used to think Audible was just low brow novels... but anything the library has on its lists of award winning books Audible has, and I now depend on it for books I can read while I am doing tasks like driving... or in my case, painting. Audible gets them all, and more and more quality books are now narrated as well. A true performance... as the narrator makes the text come alive. I've read "Crime and Punishment", but will enjoy 24 hours of quality narration from the version where the narrator is highly recommended.... on Audible.

15 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for Mel]

-   Mel
-   09-17-12

A Migrant's Eye View

*Magical realism fiction,* or a head-on collision between Joseph Campbell, Aesop, and Christopher Hitchens. A thoughful, intoxicating, hilarious work filled with boatloads of allusions and multicultural symbols. Rushdie is a word-slinging wordsmith and his use of the language is comparable to Eco's, amazing laser-precision with words.

A literary feast, but a very demanding listen. I found I went with it best when I could just sit down and listen--without interruptions! (Had to re-listen to the first 2 chapters 3 x.) Rushdie himself said of this book,
"...it requires a long period of intense reading. It's a quarter of a million words"
(some of which you'll be looking up unless you understand the many cultures: Indian, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, etc.). I can appreciate the fact that this is a nearly perfect novel--I enjoyed it immensely, but I'm done with it... Scratch one off my *booket list*

*[If you're interested...Andrew Anthony wrote a fascinating piece for The Observer (10 Jan. 2009) entitled "How one book ignited a culture war"--looking back through the years since the publication of The Satanic Verses.]

31 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for Bette]

-   Bette
-   09-19-12

Preparing for Joseph Anton!

Wanting to prepare to read Joseph Anton, I found that Sam Dastor’s reading of Satanic Verses brought the book alive for me. Having bought the hardcover, in my little private feud with censors, the day Khomeini issued his death verdict for Rushdie, I have periodically attempted to read it but have never been able to “get into it”.

Dastor changed all that as I listened and followed along with the print, enjoying the examination of differences in countries, religious tales, dream sequences, people in personal jealousies, divided cultural yearnings and loyalties, and mental confusion and illness--all with humor and literary references. Rushdie is a master of language and Dastor’s reading reflects his intelligence.

I am now eager to hear Dastor read Rusdie’s memoir, Joseph Anton, about his life after Khomeini’s edict. Since the heart of Satanic Verses is about the life of the “alien” or “exile” I expect a deep connection of its real message to Rushdie’s life.

Note: There is a transposition of a section in the chapter “Ayesha” p. 214 -225 (starting in Part 2 of the download, Chapter 3 of 6 at 26:20 minutes) that the audible version moves to p.240, concluding the “Ayesha” section. I found it confusing, but it is part of the “serial visions” of Gibreel so if you feel a little confused without a text in front of you, don’t worry--it is all there and will be understandable in the end.

16 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for january]

-   january
-   05-08-12

What kind of idea am I?

I cannot judge this book harshly on the basis of my limited understanding. At once I understood, and did not understand. In order to get the most from the listening of this book, I looked up resources online. (google search: how to understand the satanic verses) I found some notes that were very helpful. Sometimes it's nice to find a book that makes you work for it. This is one such book. I now feel that my world view has broadened.

Even when the book was difficult to follow, there were so many things that made me stick with it. For instance, little jewels like these:

"A poet's work," he answers. "To name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep."

“From the beginning men used God to justify the unjustifiable.”

This is a powerful story on it's own, but it also seemed to me to be a conversation Rushdie was having with himself, struggling to find answers and his own place in the world. I think it's a conversation that many of us have had with ourselves at one time or another. Where do I fit in? Are any of these "truths" true? What kind of idea am I?

I have borrowed The Satanic Verses from the library, and stood in the bookstore with it in my hands, but I had never read it until now. I think I just wasn't ready for it. I am ready now. This book can move mountains if you will open your mind and let it in.

30 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for Khal Drogo]

-   Khal Drogo
-   02-05-15

A Masterpiece of Magical Realism!

Would you listen to The Satanic Verses again? Why?

Yes sir! The story is fantastic, the writing is majestic and the narration is flawless. So why I heck wouldn't I?

What did you like best about this story?

The beautiful mixture of fancy and reality. It's like the spicy Chinese noodles with a touch of vodka ...Delicious! Leaves you wondering what was real and what was not. Throw in the typical Salman Rushdie sense of humor and you've got a classic in your hands.

Which character – as performed by Sam Dastor – was your favorite?

It was my first book on Audible and only after completing the novel did I realize that all voices were done by a solitary person and I was taken aback. Sam Dastor is that good! Indian accent, British accent, American accent, Persian accent, females, children, old people - he does it all incredibly well and smooth.
If I had to choose one character though it'll be Gibreel Farishta, his accent is pretty humorous.

If you could take any character from The Satanic Verses out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Zeeny Vakil sounds hot! I wouldn't mind Allie, Pamela, Ayesha or even Gibreel and Saladin - they're all extremely interesting characters.

Any additional comments?

Knowledge of India and Islam is crucial or you'll miss out on a lot of jokes and references.

2 people found this helpful

[Profile Image for danseiden]

-   danseiden
-   10-29-12

Confusing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book is fascinating at times but you better have wikipedia ready and, more so, a knowledge of world religions. Especially, as a listen, where you can't really (or at least on my little ipod shuffle) stop and linger over confusing passages, this book is very difficult to comprehend. For example, after the plane crash, when he shifts right to Jahilia, I thought I had literally lost my place in the novel.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I really loved the twang of the various dialects. Rushdie is a genius of language and Dastor reads amazingly.

Which character – as performed by Sam Dastor – was your favorite?

I loved the way Jabril spoke to Saladin.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

If there was a movie of this book it would start world war three!

Any additional comments?

My incredible, life long educator, fiercely agnostic, grandmother, since past, was a great admirer of Rushdie. I wanted to try him out. For now I have no plans to go on reading him. I need folks like Franzen, Irving, TC Boyle, and Eugenedes. Maybe when I've reached a more scholarly level I'll get more out of the work of this brave and masterful writer.

8 people found this helpful

question: What is this article about

answer: This is a series of reviews from people who have listened to the audiobook on Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses. The audiobook was read by actor, Sam Dastor. Both the "magical" writing and incredible verbal acting receive accolades from everyone that has read it.

question: Why is the audiobook easier to comprehend than the written version of the novel?

answer: Many people find the Satanic Verses difficult to understand and flat. This is because each of the characters has a unique accent because they come from different parts of the world. The actor, Sam Dastor, who reads the book is able to give each of these characters life and ensure that the listener connects with the story and enjoys the magic.


text:
PROINSULIN is the prohormone precursor to insulin made in the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans, specialized regions of the pancreas. In humans, proinsulin is encoded by the _INS_ gene.[1][2] The islets of Langerhans only secrete between 1% and 3% of proinsulin intact.[3] However, because proinsulin has a longer half life than insulin, it can account for anywhere from 5–30% of the insulin-like structures circulating in the blood.[4] There are higher concentrations of proinsulin after meals and lower levels when a person is fasting.[5] Additionally, while proinsulin and insulin have structural differences, proinsulin does demonstrate some affinity for the insulin receptor. Due to the relative similarities in structure, proinsulin can produce between 5% and 10% of the metabolic activity similarly induced by insulin.[6]

Proinsulin is the final single chain protein structure secreted by cells before cleavage into mature insulin.[7] Proinsulin was discovered by Professor Donald F. Steiner of the University of Chicago in 1967.[8]

Structure

Proinsulin is made up of 81 residues (in cows, 86 in humans[9]), and formed by three distinct chains.[10] The A chain, B chain, and the area connecting the two named the C peptide.[11] The correct structure of proinsulin is crucial for the correct folding of mature insulin, as the placement of the C peptide sets the molecule up to create correctly positioned disulfide bonds in and between the A and B chains.[12][13] There are three disulfide bonds that are necessary for mature insulin to be the correct structure. Two of these disulfide bonds are between the A and B chains, and one is an intra-A chain bond.[14] The disulfide bonds occur between the seventh residues of the A and B chain, the 19th residue of the A chain and the 20th residue of the B chain, and the 6th and 11th residues of the A chain.[15]

The C peptide is between the A and B chains of proinsulin.[16] The connection between the A chain and C peptide is much more stable than the junction between the C peptide and B chain, with alpha helical features being exhibited near the C peptide-A chain connection.[17] The C peptide-A chain junction occurs between residues 64 and 65 of proinsulin. These are lysine and arginine molecules, respectively.[18] The C peptide-B chain connection is between two arginine residues at positions 31 and 32 of proinsulin.[19]

There is conservation of much of the structure of proinsulin among mammalian species, with much of the residue changes seen from one species to another present in the C peptide.[20][21] That said, the residues of the C peptide that are conserved across species interact with similarly conserved residues on the A and B chains.[22] Thus, it is hypothesized that these conserved residues are important for the functionality of mature insulin.[23]

File:Proinsulin 3.png

Synthesis and Post-translational Modification

Proinsulin is synthesized on membrane associated ribosomes found on the rough endoplasmic reticulum, where it is folded and its disulfide bonds are oxidized. It is then transported to the Golgi apparatus where it is packaged into secretory vesicles, and where it is processed by a series of proteases to form mature insulin. Mature insulin has 35 fewer amino acids; 4 are removed altogether, and the remaining 31 form the C-peptide. The C-peptide is abstracted from the center of the proinsulin sequence; the two other ends (the B chain and A chain) remain connected by disulfide bonds.

The post translational modification of proinsulin to mature insulin only occurs in the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans.[24] When proinsulin is transported through the Golgi apparatus the C-peptide is cleaved.[25] This cleavage occurs with the aid of two endoproteases.[26] Type I endoproteases, PC1 and PC3, disrupt the C peptide-B chain connection.[27] PC2, a type II endoprotease, cleaves the C peptide-A chain bond.[28] The resulting molecule, now mature insulin, is stored as a hexamer in secretory vesicles and is stabilized with Zn2+ ions until it is secreted.[29]

File:Proinsulin evolution.png

Immunogenicity

When insulin was originally purified from bovine or porcine pancreata, all the proinsulin was not fully removed.[30][31] When some people used these insulins, the proinsulin may have caused the body to react with a rash, to resist the insulin, or even to make dents or lumps in the skin at the place where the insulin was injected. This can be described as an iatrogenic injury due to slight differences between the proinsulin of different species. Since the late 1970s, when highly purified porcine insulin was introduced, and the level of insulin purity reached 99%, this ceased to be a significant clinical issue.[32] It should also be noted that in respect of their influence on insulin pharmacokinetics, moderate concentrations of certain insulin antibodies may, in fact, be of positive advantage to all diabetics without endogenous insulin secretion (e.g. people with type 1 diabetes) because insulin binding antibodies effectively increase the insulin's clearance rate and distribution space and therefore helps to prolong its pharmacological and biological half lives.[33]

Medical Relevance

Historically, the focus of many insulin related metabolic diseases has focused on mature insulin. However, in recent years the importance of studying the structure and function of proinsulin in relation to these diseases has become increasingly clear.

Diabetes Mellitus

Increased levels of proinsulin in the circulatory system relative to mature insulin concentrations can indicate impending insulin resistance and the development of type 2 diabetes.[34] Additional problems with proinsulin that can lead to diabetes include mutations in the number of cysteines present, which could affect correct folding.[35] If the mutation causes only a mild change it could simply stress the endoplasmic reticulum’s ability to properly fold the protein.[36] This stress, after a while, would lead to a decrease in the number of β-cells producing mature insulin, and would then lead to diabetes mellitus.[37]

Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus

Postnatal proinsulin is crucial for metabolic regulation. However, proinsulin in neonates is important for normal development of the nerves of the eye, development of the heart, and general survival of embryonic cells.[38] Regulation of the concentration of proinsulin during embryonic development is crucial, as too much or too little of the peptide can cause defects and death of the fetus.[39] Thus far in the study of neonatal diabetes mellitus, only amino acid change mutations found in the B domain lead to the disease.[40]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

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[29]

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[40]

title: Proinsulin

question: What relationship does proinsulin have to insulin?

answer: Proinsulin is the pro-hormone precursor to insulin. It is the pro-hormone that is produced to tell the body to produce more insulin. It is common in the body after a meal, and less common after fasting. The correct structure of proinsulin is crucial for the correct folding of mature insulin.

question: Summarize the immunogenicity problems proinsulin once created in patients.

answer: Insulin was originally removed from the pancreases of cows and pigs. The proinsulin was not fully removed in this case, and its presence caused some patients to develop a rash, and even dents or lumps at the site of injection. This is due to the fact that the proinsulin was formed slightly differently between the different species, although the insulin was similar. Later, the proinsulin was removed through purification.


text:
From the time I first started writing about XRP and Ripple, one of my to-do items was to consolidate the main news stories into a timeline of sorts, to form a well-rounded history.

I’ve found different resources on this topic, and while some provide great line-by-line descriptions of events during _some_ of the time, none of them captured the way my own mental map worked.   So I created my own company-and-crypto biography, merging what I know and experienced during that time with some of the official news coverage that took place.  This blog is part one of that effort, and I’ll be working on the subsequent chapters to complete my task over the next couple weeks.

Before There was Ripple…

The original concept behind Ripple started with Ryan Fugger.

Fading into history is his creation of a credit network called Ripplepay.  It was a site that enabled individuals to extend credit lines to friends and family.  It also supported traditional online payments as well as payment of online currency.  The original credit network in its separate incarnation is still around, and it’s open source.  If you’re interested in learning more about it, I stumbled upon a web-page with a potpourri of resources:  http://ripple.ryanfugger.com/Main/Implementations.html

The original Ripplepay site is still up and running, with a reference that seems contemporary only through the lens of 2013: ¹

  “The next version of the Ripple service is being developed at Ripple.com. It uses the principles of Ripplepay.com to create financial services that provide secure payment options to members of an online community via a global computer network through the use of traditional currency and virtual currency.”

Ripplepay seems very idealistic and noble – the idea of a community that shares credit with one another; it reminds me of a utopian tool for finance in a community.  [spock]

In the fictional universe of Star Trek, characters were motivated by their work – not because they were motivated by profit.  They wanted to contribute to the greater good of society.

An essay on the Ripplepay website describes the original concept, and how it extends credit to friends and neighbors:  https://classic.ripplepay.com/essay/  The concept was created in 2004, and then in 2005 the RipplePay website was launched.

Who knows?  Perhaps humanity is just slow to catch on; we _do_ know that Ripplepay is used, and according to the site, there have actually been over seven thousand payments processed.  While not a significant level of commerce, it definitely proves the concept.

Where is Ryan Fugger now?  According to one source, he is currently with the team at Clout. ²

The Early Years

Not much is mentioned about how the team of Arthur Britto, Jed McCaleb, and David Schwartz came together in the spring of 2011.  For more than a year, it was this small team that worked on the development of the XRP Ledger.  It was during this time that the team sought to innovate away from Bitcoin’s proof-of-work model and create something that was the opposite – a system that relied on consensus among members of the network rather than competitive mining.  This would eliminate the danger of a “51%” attack, along with the concept of mining.

In August of 2012, they were joined by Chris Larsen, who had previously participated in and led projects for E-Loan and Prosper, two other fintech disruptors. ³

It was after Chris Larsen joined the team that McCaleb and Larsen approached Ryan Fugger about joining their digital currency with his credit network.  Fugger agreed to support the new effort, and the team founded a new company known as OpenCoin.

The team put the finishing touches on their combined digital asset & credit network, and then sought to debut it to the crypto market along with the banking and fintech industry.  The hard work of marketing and promoting their creation would now be the next step, and this was a challenging task.

Before ICOs were Invented

The early years of Ripple and XRP happened before the concept of an “initial coin offering” or “ICO.”  Because of this, traditional modes of financing were pursued, including investment rounds where venture capitalists poured money into their project.

The funding for Ripple’s early operations translated into the percentages of ownership of the new company, much of which is still kept private.  (Ripple continues to operate as a private company in the United States) When looking at these early funding rounds, even though we don’t know for sure how each of these ended in terms of company ownership, we can surmise that the earlier the investor, the greater the potential share, generally; however, the significant amount of money infused in later rounds might have resulted in a material share of the company ownership as well; only company insiders really know for sure.

Here’s what we _do_ know – the funding rounds proceeded in the following order: ⁴

[Round_One]

While the names above are impressive, keep in mind that these early investors only put up nine million dollars.

That’s right – only $ 9 MILLION sustained Ripple… for three years.  This team was on a shoestring budget when compared to most other Silicon Valley startups and initial coin offerings.  Typically, an ICO will pick up close to one hundred million in funding for new ventures.  But in the pre-ICO days, fintech funding was much more limited:  It typically involved established Silicon Valley players investing their own capital in other startups.

Founders’ Shares of Ripple

Much has been made of Ripple’s founders owning XRP, but what is sometimes overlooked is the fact that they also hold significant percentages of _Ripple’s_ ownership.  Chris Larsen, for example, owns 17% of Ripple itself, and stands to make money from the value of the company, as well as his holdings of XRP. ⁵ It’s unknown how much the other Ripple founders own.

Founders’ XRP

While nine million dollars may seem like a lot of money to any ordinary person, it’s not enough to propel a Silicon valley startup for very long.  The team knew that the network and the company needed to have the resources and flexibility to promote adoption of its native currency, XRP.

To assist efforts, the founders of Ripple and XRP decided to donate most of their digital currency to the company, saving a portion for themselves in the process.  The INITIAL distribution of XRP was something like this:

-   Company (OpenCoin): 80 BILLION
-   Jed McCaleb: 9 BILLION  ⁶
-   Chris Larsen: 7 BILLION ⁷
-   Other Founders: 4 BILLION ⁸

The above distribution was the necessary starting point for doing business – and they had to start somewhere.  Looking backwards, there is no shortage of people that would make suggestions on how to handle the distribution of XRP differently, but there was really no precedent for them to follow – they were navigating through uncharted waters.

Marketing XRP

The team knew they had to do a lot with very little, so they proceeded to get the word out about XRP and the XRP Ledger the best way they could – by using XRP itself as a mechanism for publicity and adoption; what Ripple lacked in its initial funding, it made up for in the amount of XRP available for use.

On February 20th, 2013, OpenCoin started its Bitcointalk promotion, which went on for multiple months; the rules were straight-forward.  If you were a member of Bitcointalk before February 19th, you were eligible to receive 1,000 XRP.  And many members of Bitcointalk signed up to receive their free XRP; the list went on for hundreds of pages and lasted through the summer of 2013. ⁹

[Original_promotion]

The result served to generate a tremendous amount of interest and buzz for both OpenCoin and XRP, the digital asset that was being air dropped to forum participants.

Early Bitcoin Investors Push Back

One wealthy Bitcoin investor was so concerned that XRP would take over cryptocurrency, that he offered a _BRIBE_ to posters on Bitcointalk to post lies about Ripple and XRP.  At the time, the terms of the bribe were “5 bitcoins to post specific language that Ripple is a scam.”  The _current_ value of that bribe is approximately $35,000 at today’s Bitcoin prices.  Even at the time, using Bitcoin’s historical valuation, it was a big enough incentive for some posters to take the money and post the message. ¹⁰

Looking back on it, I wonder how many posters are now ashamed of their participation in the bribe to defame XRP and Ripple.  Perhaps they rationalized their behavior in some way to themselves, but it’s become fairly obvious that the wild claims made in 2013 have now been proven incorrect – time and history have a way of setting things straight in a way that immediate responses sometimes fail to accomplish.

It was an ugly chapter for crypto generally, and a dark chapter in the history of XRP and Ripple.  Crypto is still trying to right itself and emerge from this ‘win-lose’ type of mentality.

OpenCoin Changes to Ripple Labs

The Money 2020 Expo of 2013 provided opportune timing for OpenCoin to announce that they were officially changing the name of the company from OpenCoin to Ripple Labs. ¹¹ The move solidified the branding of the company directly behind the industry nickname that had been given to the cryptocurrency up to that point, and emphasized the grounding in hard mathematics and cryptography science that the network was based on.

It wouldn’t be the last time for re-branding.  With all of these promotional and marketing moves in 2013, along with a consistent public-facing message, the company founders were also starting to be known for something else: Hard work, determination, and a certain “stick-to-it-ive-ness” that would form the basis for Ripple’s company culture.

World Community Grid

The first XRP promotion and airdrop was successful in promoting XRP. ¹² However, Ripple Labs needed something more to keep the momentum going.  In late November of 2013, Ripple Labs released a promotion that worked to collaborate with Georgia Tech’s Computing for Good (C4G) initiative.  Computing for Good put up a registration page that would link up volunteers’ XRP wallets with how much time that they ended up donating for the World Community Grid (WCG). 13\ 14

The World Community Grid (WCG) is software that users could run on their computers that would join with other computers throughout the world to leverage the power of decentralized processing.  Participants who donated their computer’s CPU cycles could pick a variety of worthy causes to support.

Once users registered for the promotion, they would receive a reward of XRP for their participation.  The promotion lasted months, and it helped to increase the World Community Grid’s processing power and speed.

Although the program eventually ended, it was a win-win combination for XRP investors, Ripple Labs, and the worthy causes supported by Computing for Good and the World Community Grid.

Ripple’s History – from Founders’ Perspectives

We don’t have insight into all aspects of Ripple’s history, and that’s understandable.  They are a private company, and as such, are under no obligation to report much of anything to the public.  But because of the high profile nature of crypto, along with many XRP fans’ interest in the trivia behind Ripple and XRP, they’ve seen fit to release some benign stories about the company origins.

I’ve watched all of these videos – and they certainly have some entertaining points hidden in the various interviews.  Here is a link to a video that features Chris Larsen’s take on the early years:

The Story Continues

The popular saying – and one which I believe in – is to “DYOR in crypto.”  DYOR stands for Do Your Own Research.  It’s a maxim that reminds crypto investors that good, unbiased information about digital assets and ICOs is hard to find; it’s best to catalogue your own discoveries, and methodically compare choices before making investment decisions.

Part of this research should always be looking at the history of a coin or ICO, and learning as much as you can about a company’s origins & its founding members; a lot can be revealed by understanding the early days of how a company evolved.  Ripple is no different, and despite the fact that it’s 2018, crypto investors will benefit from following the timeline of Ripple and XRP from its origins until now.

I truly believe that when investors look deep at the origins of Ripple and XRP, and compare to other choices, they start to understand the key differentiators between the choices.  While some of these differentiators are obvious, such as XRP’s incredible performance metrics versus competing digital assets, other factors may be more subtle, such as the high quality of the team that’s been assembled at Ripple, along with the consistent leadership that we’ve seen.  It’s my hope that by spending some time looking at Ripple and XRP’s history, readers will be able to gain a more well-rounded and accurate understanding of what Team Ripple hopes to achieve. [ripple-symbol3]

Sources:

1.

    https://classic.ripplepay.com/
2.

    https://www.newsbtc.com/2017/11/10/ryan-fugger-clout/
3.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripple_%28payment_protocol%29
4.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripple_(company)
5.

    http://time.com/money/5087142/ripple-chris-larsen-cryptocurrency/
6.

    http://time.com/money/5087142/ripple-chris-larsen-cryptocurrency/
7.

    https://www.ccn.com/ripple-ceo-chris-larsen-to-donate-7-billion-xrp-to-the-underbanked/
8.

    https://wiki.ripple.com/Ripple_credits
9.

    https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=145506.0
10.

    https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=145506.msg1544079#msg1544079
11.

    https://www.nfcworld.com/event/money-2020-expo-2013/
12.

    https://ripple.com/insights/computing-for-good-ripple-labs-launches-global-xrp-giveaway/
13.

    https://ripple.com/insights/world-community-grid-welcomes-ripple-labs-as-a-partner/
14.

    https://forum.ripple.com/viewforum.php?f=18

question: Summarize the development of Ripple.

answer: The Ripple cryptocurrency developed from a credit network service called Ripplepay. The site enabled user to extend credit lines to friends and family. The launch of Ripple was before the concept of "initial coin offering" and therefore was financed by investment rounds. In its early operations, funding translated into percentages of ownership of the company.


text:
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, unlike many cities in the United States, has an official program for recognizing official neighborhoods. Under the Neighborhood Organization Recognition Program, [1] over 60 distinct neighborhoods have received official recognition from the city. An additional 25-30 neighborhoods exist without official recognition, although the city's neighborhood map displays them as well.

+-----------------+-------------------+-------------------+------------+
| -   Bal Harbour | -   Edgewood      | -   Lauderdale    | -   River  |
| -   Bay Colony  | -   Flagler       |     Isles         |     Oaks   |
| -   Bay Colony  |     Village       | -   Lauderdale    | -   River  |
|     Club        | -   Flamingo Park |     Manors        |     Run    |
| -   Bermuda     | -   Galt Ocean    | -   Lauderdale    | -   Riverl |
|     Riviera     |     Mile          |     West          | and        |
| -   Beverly     | -   Golden        | -   Laudergate    | -   Riverl |
|     Heights     |     Heights       |     Isles         | and        |
| -   Birch       | -   Harbor Beach  | -   Lofts of Palm |     Manors |
|     Park-Finger | -   Harbor Drive  |     Aire Village  | -   Riverl |
|     Streets     | -   Harbordale    | -   Melrose       | and        |
| -   Boulevard   | -   Harbour Inlet |     Manors        |     Villag |
|     Park Isles  | -   Harbour Isles | -   Melrose Park  | e          |
| -   Breakwater  | -   Hendricks and | -   Middle River  | -   Riverl |
|     Surf Club   |     Venice Isles  |     Terrace       | and        |
| -   Central     | -   Himmarshee    | -   Montego Bay   |     Woods  |
|     Beach       |     Village       | -   Navarro Isle  | -   Riverl |
| -   Chula Vista |     (Historic     | -   North Beach   | andings    |
|     Isles       |     District)     |     Island        | -   Rivers |
| -   City View   | -   Home          | -   North Golf    | ide        |
| -   Colee       |     Beautiful     |     Estates       |     Park   |
|     Hammock     |     Park          | -   Nurmi Isles   | -   Rivier |
| -   Coral Ridge | -   Idlewyld      | -   Oak River     | a          |
| -   Coral Ridge | -   Imperial      | -   Palm Aire     |     Isles  |
|     Country     |     Point         |     Village East  | -   Rock   |
|     Club        | -   Knoll Ridge   | -   Palm Aire     |     Island |
|     Estates     | -   Lake          |     Village West  | -   Sailbo |
| -   Coral Ridge |     Aire-Palm     | -   Poinciana     | at         |
|     Isles       |     View          |     Park          |     Bend   |
| -   Coral       | -   Lake Estates  | -   Poinsettia    | -   Seven  |
|     Shores      | -   Lake Ridge    |     Heights       |     Isles  |
| -   Croissant   | -   Landings      | -   Port Royale   | -   Shady  |
|     Park        | -   Las Olas      | -   Progresso     |     Banks  |
| -   Dillard     |     Isles         |     Village       | -   South  |
|     Park        | -   Lauderdale    | -   Rio Vista     |     (Laude |
| -   Dolphin     |     Beach         | -   River         | rdale)     |
|     Isles       | -   Lauderdale    |     Garden/Sweeti |     Beach  |
| -   Dorsey      |     Harbours      | ng                | -   South  |
|     Riverbend   |                   |     Estates       |     Middle |
| -   Downtown    |                   |                   |     River  |
|     Fort        |                   |                   | -   Sunris |
|     Lauderdale  |                   |                   | e          |
| -   Durrs       |                   |                   |     Intrac |
|                 |                   |                   | oastal     |
|                 |                   |                   | -   Sunris |
|                 |                   |                   | e          |
|                 |                   |                   |     Key    |
|                 |                   |                   | -   Sunset |
|                 |                   |                   | -   Tarpon |
|                 |                   |                   |     River  |
|                 |                   |                   | -   Tropic |
|                 |                   |                   | al         |
|                 |                   |                   |     Point  |
|                 |                   |                   | -   Twin   |
|                 |                   |                   |     Lakes  |
|                 |                   |                   |     North  |
|                 |                   |                   | -   Victor |
|                 |                   |                   | ia         |
|                 |                   |                   |     Park   |
+-----------------+-------------------+-------------------+------------+

[1]

title: List of neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

question: How many neighborhoods exist in Fort Lauderdale?

answer: Under the Neighborhood Organization Recognition Program, 60 neighborhoods have officially been recognized. However, an additional 25-30 neighborhoods exist unofficially. The city's neighborhood map displays them all.


text:
By and Jess Cagle

Updated January 23, 2017 at 10:30 AM EST

Meredith has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Meredith may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.

[]

_To read more on Ryan Murphy and his new show,_ Feud: Bette and Joan_, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday or buy it here now — and subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW._

The _American Horror Story_ crossover season creator Ryan Murphy has previously teased isn’t happening “anytime soon,” but he did preview what it will entail in a recent interview with EW.

“It’s a character from season 1 that will be thrust into the world that you are left with at the end of _Coven_, which is sort of like the male/female/witch academy,” Murphy says of the future season of _American Horror Story_. “And then all of those characters will intertwine, which is confusing because some of them are from seasons 1 and 3. Like, Sarah Paulson will probably be playing 18 characters.”

FOR MORE ON THIS WEEK’S COVER STORY, WATCH _EW: THE SHOW_, AVAILABLE NOW HERE, ON THE NEW PEOPLE/ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY NETWORK (PEN). GO TO PEOPLE.COM/PEN, OR DOWNLOAD THE FREE APP ON YOUR SMART TV, MOBILE AND WEB DEVICES.

Last year, Murphy revealed he was planning the crossover season at EW PopFest in Los Angeles. “It’s not going to be next season, but we are going to do a season that’s a crossover between _Murder House_ and _Coven_ together, which is very bizarre,” the executive producer said at the time.

Since then, _AHS_ has been renewed for two more seasons — meaning the anthology series will air new episodes on FX through at least 2019.

“We know explicitly what next season is about, which is seven, but we don’t know what the eighth and ninth seasons are about,” FX CEO John Landgraf said in a statement last week in announcing the two-season renewal. “We’re extending it out of trust and goodwill but also, Ryan made a commitment that he would continue to run that show and that he would be involved as he has been in the past with… designing and building the show from the ground up. So I honestly couldn’t tell you what seasons 8 or 9 [could] be, but I can only tell you that I’m really excited about season 7 and I’m utterly confident that seasons 8 and 9 will be equally original and interesting.”

Paulson being a key part of _American Horror Story_ is nothing new. She’s appeared in all six seasons and was cast in season 7 alongside Evan Peters this month. (That new cycle will take place in modern times.)

_American Horror Story_ season 7 will debut on FX this year; _Feud_, Murphy’s latest anthology series, debuts on March 5.

Episode Recaps

-   []

    S9 E3 Recap

    _American Horror Story_ recap: It's an impale-a-thon

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S8 E10 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Apocalypse_ finale recap: Gotta get back in time

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S8 E9 Recap

    _American Horror Story _recap: Need some help bringing on the Apocalypse?

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S8 E8 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Apocalypse_ recap: Does the Antichrist like turkey meatballs?

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S8 E7 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Apocalypse_ recap: Who's your voodoo daddy

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S8 E6 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Apocalypse_ recap: Ain't no house party like a Murder House party

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S8 E3 Recap

    'American Horror Story: Apocalypse' recap: Surprise, witch!

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S8 E1 Recap

    _American Horror Story_ premiere recap: This is the end and everybody looks fabulous

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E11 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult_ finale recap: 'Great Again'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E10 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult_ recap: 'Charles (Manson) in Charge'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E9 Recap

    _America Horror Story: Cult_ recap: 'Drink the Kool-Aid'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E8 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult_ recap: 'Winter of Our Discontent'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E7 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult_ recap: 'Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E5 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult _recap: 'Holes'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E4 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult_ recap: '11/9'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E3 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult _recap: 'Neighbors From Hell'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E2 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult _recap: 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S7 E1 Recap

    _American Horror Story: Cult _premiere recap: 'Election Night'

    By Kat Rosenfield

-   []

    S6 E10 Recap

    American Horror Story: Roanoke finale recap: Season 6, Episode 10

    By Marc Snetiker

-   []

    S6 E9 Recap

    American Horror Story: Roanoke recap: Season 6, Episode 9

    By Amanda Bell

-   []

    S6 E8 Recap

    American Horror Story: Roanoke recap: Season 6, Episode 8

    By Marc Snetiker

-   []

    S6 E7 Recap

    American Horror Story: Roanoke recap: Season 6, Episode 7

    By Marc Snetiker

-   []

    S6 E6 Recap

    American Horror Story: Roanoke recap: Season 6, Episode 6

    By Marc Snetiker

[]

American Horror Story

An anthology series that centers on different characters and locations, including a haunted house, an insane asylum, a witch coven, a freak show, and a hotel.

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| type                              | -   TV Show                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| seasons                           | -   9                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| rating                            | -   TV-MA                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| creator                           | -   Ryan Murphy                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| network                           | -   FX                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| stream service                    | -   Netflix                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

question: What does the text say about Sarah Paulson?

answer: Sarah Paulson is an actress on American Horror story. She's been a key part of it, as she's appeared in all six seasons. She was cast in season 7 alongside Evan Peters. Ryan Murphy hints what in a crossover season, Paulson would probably be playing 18 different characters.

question: Summarize Landgraf's thoughts on American Horror Story?

answer: FX CEO John Landgraf said that they explicitly know what the next season of American Horror Story is about. However, they don't know what the eighth and ninth seasons are about. Landgraf is excited about season 7, and is confident that seasons 8 and 9 will be equally original and interesting regardless. He notes that they're extending the show out of trust and goodwill. They are also extending it because Ryan Murphy made a commitment that he would continue to run the show, and be as involved in designing and building the show from the ground up as he had in the past.

question: Summarize what Ryan Murphy says about a crossover.

answer: Ryan Murphy describes the American Horror Story crossover as having a character from season 1 that will be thrust into the world that viewers left off at the end of Coven, which is a witch academy. He then says all those characters from season 1 and 3 will intertwine, which will be confusing. He also says that Sarah Paulson will probably play 18 characters. Despite this, the crossover won't be happening anytime soon.

question: What does the text say about Jessica Lange?


text:
PDXoriginals

Portland Airport Bench Collaboration Auction

[]

When we started PDXoriginals, we wanted to use our business as a vehicle for positive change. We reached out to the Portland design community, offering benches as a blank canvas to express a unique vision. We were overwhelmed by the response. Each team selected are specialists in a variety of design disciplines, from a digital media to woodworking. This impressive array of collaborators worked tirelessly to produce impeccable works of art, all for a good cause.

After debuting at Design Week Portland and TEDxPortland, and a gallery at the Fair-Haired Dumbbell Building, the auctions ended on May 31st and generated $7524 in proceeds for New Avenues for Youth. We can't think our collaboration partners enough, each of the 10 benches brought a level of creativity and craftsmanship that was as impressive as it was humbling. Additionally, we have to extend our gratitude to David Rae and the TEDxPortland team, Rachel Coddington and the Design Week Portland team, and Kevin Cavenaugh and the Guerrilla Development team for their generosity and guidance thru this exhausting, yet rewarding project.

Stay tuned for future collaboration projects that help benefit the Portland community. We have some amazing work in the pipeline. Click on the projects below to take a look at the gorgeous benches our collaboration partners produced.

- The PDXoriginals Team

[]

Felling Furniture Studio

[]

[]

[]

[]

[]

[]

[]

[]

question: What are PDXoriginals?

answer: It may be implied that PDXoriginals is a business associated with design.

question: Where did PDXoriginals debut?

answer: They debuted at Design Week Portland, TEXxPortland, and at a gallery at the Fair-Haired Dumbbell Building.

question: How much did they earn from the auctions?

answer: They generated $7526.

question: Who started PXDoriginals?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
PDXoriginals is a business that wants to see itself as a vehicle for positive change. They offered blank benches to the Portland Design Community, each bench produced impeccable works of art.

The business debuted at the Design Week Portland and TEDxPortland, they generated proceeds worth $7524.


text:
Scrubs

In a college cafeteria, a young woman (her friends call her Scrubs) sits at a table and eats her lunch with her eyes unfocused and staring ahead. She sits up straight, even though she looks like she’s going to collapse. She chews her food mechanically. Her light blue nurse’s scrubs are clean and wrinkle free; her white shoes are as bright as the first day she proudly bought them. Her Mom and Pop back home in Kansas would be impressed if they could see her now. She comes from a family of farmers whose education never exceeded high school. Ever since she was a little girl, she dreamt of becoming a nurse in the big city. She traveled from her small town in Kansas full of determination and hope; the things that she’s afraid might disappear since the incident at her apartment building.

She pushes the incident out of her thoughts for now. She pretends that it never happened. Her life is going perfectly. She has a job that helps her pay for school and she found a boyfriend. His name is Georgeo. “He’s such a caring person,” she thinks to herself. Her and Georgeo went to an animal shelter when they were first dating, and picked out a dog that could keep her company in her lonely apartment. She’s not sure what breed of dog he is, but he has been a loyal companion, she named him Champion.

She finishes her day at school and is walking towards the bus stop when she gets a call from Georgeo on her cell phone. “Hey, I’m sorry about what happened. I have a surprise that might cheer you up though.” He says.

“An engagement ring!” she thinks to herself.

They had been seeing each other for months now. He is the kindest, sweetest man she has ever known. She knows that Georgeo was the perfect man for her. She can see him and her growing old together and having children. Her life could be perfect with him, she thought, even more perfect than it is now.

“I can’t wait!” She replied.

On her way home, she fantasizes about her bright future. When she enters her apartment, Champion does not greet her at the door like he usually does. “Champ’s getting lazy,” she thinks to herself. She puts down her bag and reclines on the couch. She picks up the remote control, points it at the television and presses the button, but there’s no effect. She pushes the button once more; still no effect. She focuses her eyes away from her daydreaming to the television.
Champion is sitting like a statue before the television in the dark room; his steel-grey eyes are fixed upon her. “What are you doing Champ? Come here boy.” She says. Champion does not move. His eyes are still focused on her in the darkness, unblinking; she can feel him peering into her soul. She turns her head away. “He knows” She thinks, “of course he knows, he was there when it happened.” She slowly opens her mind, letting in the memories of the day of the incident. “Poor Missus Agatha Watson, if only I had paid more attention to her, she might still be alive today. Why did I have such a loose grip?” she repeats over and over in her head. “Maybe if Georgeo hadn’t been flirting with me and my heart was not racing,” she thought. “Only Champion knows that I wasn’t focused while walking Mrs. Watson’s wheelchair. If I were paying more attention, Mrs. Watson wouldn’t have slipped down those stairs. It… it was an accident...”

She replays the incident in her mind. She was leaving her apartment to take Champion for a walk before her date with Georgeo later that evening. She was thinking about the naughty things that he said to her on the phone earlier, and she was unable to calm herself down. Just as Scrubs was coming out of her apartment, Agatha Watson, the elderly woman in a wheelchair from a couple doors down was coming down the hall, with her feeble, quivering arms struggling to turn the wheels. “Be a dear and push my wheelchair for me,” she called out.

“Sure thing Agatha.” Scrubs replied, and she walked over to the wheelchair.

“Don’t call me Agatha, kiddo. It’s Mrs. Watson to you, and don’t you forget it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry Mrs. Watson.” Scrubs says, as she takes the wheelchair handles and starts to push.

“Say, what are you all dolled up for? A girl doesn’t put on her glad rags just to take her pup for a walk.”

“I, uh, just felt like dressing up today.”

“Says you!” cried Agatha Watson, “you look like you’re on cloud nine. I think you’re stuck on that ragamuffin I’ve seen coming into your apartment. I’ve seen you two necking out here in the hall.”

“You mean—my boyfriend?”

“You’re such a pushover. I’ll bet he’s gonna take you to a petting pantry and afterwards you’re gonna play backseat bingo in his old jalopy. Real original! Any swell daddy would take you out to a ritzy joint no matter how many rubes it costs. Back in my day--” old Agatha Watson kept jabbering on, making archaic criticisms and insults about Scrubs and Georgeo all the way down the hall to the elevator next to the stairs.

The strangest thing happened when they got to the elevator, something that she can’t forget no matter how hard she tries, Agatha Watson’s wheelchair started to inch toward the stairs. For some reason Scrubs watched it happen, paralyzed in place, she didn’t reach out to stop it. Agatha screamed out with her weak old lady voice as she and her wheelchair flipped end over end down the stairs. The wheelchair and the old lady took turns slamming against the stairs. The wheelchair created loud metallic bangs against the wooden staircase and the old lady just made dull thumps combined with the sound of fracturing bones. Agatha’s scream abruptly stopped halfway through the tumble when her head impacted a step. It all happened in an instant. At the bottom, the body of Mrs. Watson lay pinned under her wheelchair with the side of her face pressed against the floor. When the police questioned Scrubs about it, she said that she found her, already dead, after she heard a commotion in the hall.

“It was an… accident…” she repeats in the darkened room, “I used extra lotion so my hands would be oh so soft when I held hands with Georgeo on our date and the wheel chair just slipped out of my grasp, that’s all… nobody’s fault…”

The dog was still looking at her. This time he had an incriminatory look in his eyes, as if to say to her, “I know what you did.”

“But it was an accident, Champ. You have to believe me!” She shouted out. She was starting to cry, but Champion’s glare persisted, unblinking.

“Okay, okay, so what if I’m partly to blame?! I didn’t really mean to! I couldn’t move! You were there! You saw! I couldn’t move!” she shouted.

She remembered back, when the rage built up inside of her as Mrs. Watson talked in the hall. “How dare this uppity witch talk to me this way,” Scrubs thought. “What would happen if this lady just fell down these stairs? Would anyone care? The world would be so much better without this wrinkly old snob in it, maybe I should do everyone a favor.” There was supposed to be a separation of thought and action. It was supposed to only be fantasy. In this case, her fantasy dictated her actions. She pushed Agatha Watson down those stairs and only her and Champion knows the truth.

“I did it, Champion!” Scrubs cries, “I confess! It was my entire fault! I hated the old woman and I wished her dead and it happened. Can’t we just forget about it? Our life is perfect, Georgeo wants to marry me; I know it! Let’s forget it ever happened, it doesn’t make a difference. Don’t let this stand in our way of happiness!” Scrubs tearfully pleaded.
The dog’s grey eyes didn’t let up. Champion could see through her, no matter how hard she begged for mercy, he didn’t let go of his hold on her. He sat in the same spot, intently trying to force the evil out of her.

Scrubs broke down. She started crying unrestrained. She knew what she had to do.

She boarded the bus at the stop on the corner. Choking on her tears and shaking with her sobs on the crowded bus, she traveled to the police station where she turned herself in. One policeman was trying to console her, thinking that she was the victim of some horrible crime before she could slow her crying down enough to tell him that she was the one who committed a horrible crime and that she needed to be locked away forever. The police were astounded, but they locked her in a cell nonetheless, based on what she said.

“You get one phone call.” Said a policeman, as he guided her to the phone on the wall. She knew whom she was going to call, Georgeo, to tell him that their future was over. She dialed the number, he picked up, and she explained to him what she had done.

“You what!?” Said Georgeo, completely shocked.

“I killed that old lady in my apartment building… now we can’t ever get married… our future is wrecked, because of me.”

“Whoa there! You killed someone? And what’s this about marriage? Is this some kind of joke? Because it’s not funny.”

“But—that surprise you had for me—wasn’t that an… engagement ring?”

“What!? No. The other day when I came to your apartment and you weren’t there, I found your dog. Dead.”

“That… that doesn’t make any sense. Champion is alive. He’s the reason I’m here in the first place! What does that have to do with my surprise anyway?”

“umm… I thought you knew he was dead at the time… I took the liberty of taking him to a taxidermist, to get him stuffed… as a present. I know how much you loved that dog.”

There was a long pause.

“I… I have to go now…” whimpered Scrubs, as she carefully put the phone back on the wall. She turned around and slowly walked back into her cell. She had a long, long time to think about what happened, and how her life came to this.

title: Scrubs

question: What does the text say about Agatha?

answer: The protagonist, Scrubs, was taking care of a grumpy old lady named Agatha. On a day when she was supposed to meet with her boyfriend Georgeo, she pushed Agatha's wheelchair down the stairs. She claims this was an accident.

question: What does the story say about Scrubs and Georgeo?

answer: Scrubs and Georgeo are a couple. Georgeo called Scrubs to tell her he had a surprise for her and Scrubs assumed that he was going to propose. During her call with him, he tells her that the other day he came to her apartment and found her dog dead. He wanted to surprise her by telling her that he got her dog stuffed by a taxidermist.

question: What does the story say about Scrubs?

answer: Scrubs is a nurse with a dog named Champion. Her boyfriend, Georgeo, tells her that he has a surprise for her before she comes home. She then comes home to her dog who does not seem to be responding, and she assumes he is judging her with his cold eyes. Slowly, she begins to feel guilty. She cries, admitting to her dog that she did in fact push Agatha (a grumpy former patient) down the stairs to her death. She goes to the police station to admit what she's done out of guilt. She is given one phone call before getting sent to her cell and decides to call Georgeo. She admits everything to Georgeo who then tells her that her dog died and he had him stuffed by the taxidermist as a surprise for her. After the call she walks back to her cell slowly, reflecting on what she's done.