text:
Both of them looked down at the screen that lay in front of them. “This is not good,” Zanec stated, with some obvious despair in his voice. “No, not at all,” replied his colleague, in a similar tone. A shiver was simultaneously sent down both of their backs.

The two had been put in charge of running and examining simulations of great importance, and the outcome of this one was looking very bleak. The company that they both worked for had been chosen to help ensure the future of the civilization, which made this realization even more grim. The simulations were made to recreate their universe, and knowing the vastness of the universe, the chances of the real equivalent to their “creations” actually existing were plausible. The “universe parasite” that they had been observing this time seemed unstoppable, even tearing itself apart, only to have it come back more vicious, and hungrier than ever. It seemed like it had no real goal, other than depleting the sustaining forces of anything it came by in order to sustain its own brutal existence. Knowing that even the universe has limits, it was bound to reach them eventually. “Maybe we should tell the director,” the colleague said in defeat. “We may have no choice,” Zanec admitted. “This beast is much worse than the others, even stemming from such simple beginnings.”

The parameters of the simulation were simple enough; create a single-celled organism on a random planet in a simulated version of their universe, let it evolve, and examine the damage it could do. They would observe what it would do to the planet it inhabited, or, if it became bad enough, what it would do to the universe itself. This is why their jobs were so important. If that happened to be the case, the company took all of the data and worked it into possible defense plans, catered specifically to that threat. They had done this many times before, always coming up with an appropriate response that was simple enough to enact. This was the first time they had come across anything that they couldn’t figure out, and why the reality of the situation was almost too much to bear. If they could understand the motives of the parasite, it was common of them to try to manipulate it in a way that rendered it perfectly harmless, if not totally peaceful. They could also set up a foolproof defense system, depending of the parasite. If possible, they could even try to influence it since creation, to mold it into something useful for them. The parasites with the most destructive natures often are able to be molded into a driven workforce, if they can be settled. With both of their eyes on the screen, they knew that this time, none of that was at all possible.

They tried to rerun the simulation, hoping this outcome was just a glitch in the parameters. Surely something like this couldn’t really exist in their universe, both thought. They ran it over and over again, hoping something would change. They tried to influence the parasite throughout every stage of its evolution, and tried to give them ideal circumstances to foster something other than destruction. They stared each time in disbelief as the exact same result displayed itself, once again, on the screen. Something this parasitic assured the demise of their civilization, and they would have to break the news to their director, who would in-turn inform the rest of the planet. They would all be thrown into panic-induced chaos for a short while, and then they would settle, as they waited for the enormously destructive force to inevitably make its way to them. Families would gather to enjoy the time they had left with the ones they loved. All would be terrified, because the simulation shows them exactly what was to expect. They would be consumed, their planet drained of its resources, and all would abandoned. Their planet would be but a husk of what it used to be, and they would cease to exist.

Both workers turned to each other, seeing the futility of their actions in the others eyes. They would have to accept their fate, even if it was straight from a horror story. The men turned to the door in unison, and started their harrowing walk to the office of their boss, the director. As they reached the door, Zanec let out an exasperated sigh, and turned to his colleague. “I’m so disappointed,” he said. “The humans had so much potential.”

title: [SF] The Parasite

question: What does the story say about why the current simulation is so dangerous?

answer: The simulated species seems unstoppable, even tearing itself apart only to come back more vicious and hungrier than ever. It has no real goal other than depleting resources to sustain its existence. No matter how they try to alter the course of its evolution, it always pursues destruction.

question: What does the story say about how to save humanity?


split: test

text:
CASS COUNTY is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 30,464.[1] The county seat is Linden.[2] The county was named for United States Senator Lewis Cass (D-Michigan), who favored US annexation of Texas in the mid-19th century.

History

Cass County was formed in 1846 from sections of Bowie County.[3] It was named for Lewis Cass,[4] a U.S. Senator from Michigan who had favored the annexation of Texas to the United States.

The county was originally developed by white planters for cotton plantations. By 1860 the majority of the population were enslaved African Americans, who were used as workers. After the war, freedmen worked largely as tenant farmers and sharecroppers into the early 20th century.

From 1861 to 1871, this county was known as Davis County, after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. (It should not be confused with the still extant Jeff Davis County in West Texas.)

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.[5]

Cass County, Texas is one of only three counties in Texas to border two other U.S. states (the others are Bowie and Dallam counties). Cass County forms part of the tripoint of Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana.

Adjacent counties

-   Bowie County (north)
-   Miller County, Arkansas (northeast)
-   Caddo Parish, Louisiana (southeast)
-   Marion County (south)
-   Morris County (west)

Major highways

-   [] U.S. Highway 59
    -   [] Interstate 369 is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places.
-   [] State Highway 8
-   [] State Highway 11
-   [] State Highway 77
-   [] State Highway 155
-   [] Farm to Market Road 248
-   [] Farm to Market Road 250

State protected area

-   Atlanta State Park

Demographics

As of the census[6] of 2010, there were 30,464 people, 12,190 households, and 8,654 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 13,890 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.20% White, 19.47% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 1.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,190 households, out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,441, and the median income for a family was $35,623. Males had a median income of $30,906 versus $19,726 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,777. About 14.70% of families and 17.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

[The Cass County Club at East Texas State Normal College in 1921]

The following school districts serve Cass County:

-   Atlanta ISD
-   Avinger ISD (small portion in Marion County)
-   Bloomburg ISD
-   Hughes Springs ISD (small portion in Morris County)
-   Linden-Kildare CISD
-   McLeod ISD
-   Marietta ISD
-   Queen City ISD
-   Pewitt CISD (mostly in Morris County, small portion in Titus County)

Communities

Cities

-   Atlanta
-   Hughes Springs (small part in Morris County)
-   Linden (county seat)
-   Queen City

Towns

-   Avinger
-   Bloomburg
-   Domino
-   Douglassville
-   Marietta

Unincorporated communities

-   Bivins
-   Kildare
-   Lanark
-   Love
-   McLeod
-   Smyrna

In popular culture

Don Henley named his 2015 album _Cass County_, as he had grown up here.[7]

Politics

  Year                               Republican                                  Democratic                                  Third parties
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
  style=“text-align:center;” |2016   style=“text-align:center;” |78.8% _9,726_   style=“text-align:center;” |19.4% _2,391_   1.8% _227_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2012   style=“text-align:center;” |74.3% _8,763_   style=“text-align:center;” |24.8% _2,924_   0.9% _101_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2008   style=“text-align:center;” |69.9% _8,279_   style=“text-align:center;” |29.5% _3,490_   0.7% _77_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2004   style=“text-align:center;” |61.3% _7,383_   style=“text-align:center;” |38.4% _4,630_   0.3% _36_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2000   style=“text-align:center;” |57.1% _6,295_   style=“text-align:center;” |41.9% _4,618_   1.0% _106_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1996   style=“text-align:center;” |37.5% _4,066_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.5% _5,691_   10.0% _1,082_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1992   style=“text-align:center;” |34.3% _3,999_   style=“text-align:center;” |47.0% _5,476_   18.7% _2,185_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1988   style=“text-align:center;” |47.1% _5,305_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.8% _5,941_   0.1% _16_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1984   style=“text-align:center;” |56.8% _6,677_   style=“text-align:center;” |43.0% _5,053_   0.3% _30_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1980   style=“text-align:center;” |46.8% _4,993_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.3% _5,578_   0.9% _101_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1976   style=“text-align:center;” |41.8% _3,712_   style=“text-align:center;” |57.9% _5,134_   0.3% _29_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1972   style=“text-align:center;” |72.8% _5,303_   style=“text-align:center;” |27.2% _1,981_   0.1% _4_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1968   style=“text-align:center;” |26.3% _1,930_   style=“text-align:center;” |34.5% _2,536_   39.2% _2,884_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1964   style=“text-align:center;” |42.6% _2,681_   style=“text-align:center;” |57.3% _3,603_   0.1% _8_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1960   style=“text-align:center;” |43.9% _2,322_   style=“text-align:center;” |55.5% _2,934_   0.6% _34_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1956   style=“text-align:center;” |54.9% _2,970_   style=“text-align:center;” |44.3% _2,395_   0.8% _44_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1952   style=“text-align:center;” |44.2% _2,502_   style=“text-align:center;” |55.8% _3,160_   0.1% _3_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1948   style=“text-align:center;” |11.7% _457_     style=“text-align:center;” |65.1% _2,540_   23.1% _902_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1944   style=“text-align:center;” |14.5% _541_     style=“text-align:center;” |76.6% _2,866_   9.0% _335_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1940   style=“text-align:center;” |12.7% _454_     style=“text-align:center;” |87.3% _3,126_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1936   style=“text-align:center;” |6.4% _169_      style=“text-align:center;” |93.6% _2,461_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1932   style=“text-align:center;” |6.7% _224_      style=“text-align:center;” |93.3% _3,135_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1928   style=“text-align:center;” |43.8% _1,323_   style=“text-align:center;” |56.2% _1,698_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1924   style=“text-align:center;” |31.1% _997_     style=“text-align:center;” |66.2% _2,125_   2.8% _89_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1920   style=“text-align:center;” |42.6% _1,446_   style=“text-align:center;” |46.0% _1,563_   11.4% _388_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1916   style=“text-align:center;” |30.3% _707_     style=“text-align:center;” |64.4% _1,505_   5.3% _124_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1912   style=“text-align:center;” |20.6% _402_     style=“text-align:center;” |65.9% _1,284_   13.5% _264_

  : PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS[8]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: Cass County, Texas

question: What does the text say about Cass County's name?

answer: Cass Country was formed in 1846 and named for US Senator Lewis Cass, who favored US annexation of Texas in the mid 19th century. For 10 years (1861 to 1871), it was known as Davis County after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America.

question: What does the text say about the demographics of Cass County?

answer: As of 2010, Cass County has around 30,000 people, with a population density of 32 people per square mile. The majority of the population is white at 78.28%, followed by black at 19.47%. The average household size is 2.46, and there are more females than males.

question: What does the text say about the weather in Cass County?


text:
Billions of years ago, Earth’s atmosphere was much different than it is today. Whereas our current atmosphere is a delicate balance of nitrogen gas, oxygen and trace gases, the primordial atmosphere was the result of volcanic outgassing – composed primarily of carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and other harsh chemicals. In this respect, our planet’s ancient atmosphere has something in common with Mars’ current atmosphere.

For this reason, some researchers think that introducing photosynthetic bacteria, which helped covert Earth’s atmosphere to what it is today, could be used to terraform Mars someday. According to a new study by an international team of scientists, it appears that cyanobacteria can conduct photosynthesis in low-light conditions. The results of this study could have drastic implications for Mars, where low-light conditions are common.

The study, titled “Photochemistry beyond the red limit in chlorophyll f–containing photosystems“, appeared in the the journal _Science._ The study was led by Dennis J. Nürnberg of the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College, London, and included members from the Research School of Chemistry, ANU, the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Queen Mary University of London, and the Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule.

[]
_Cyanobacteria Spirulina Credit: cyanoknights.bio_
Cyanobacteria are some of the most ancient organisms on Earth, with fossil evidence indicating that they existed as early as the Archean Era (c.a 3.5 billion years ago). During this time, they played a vital role in converting the abundant CO² in the atmosphere into oxygen gas, which eventually gave rise to ozone (O³) that helped protect the planet from harmful solar radiation.

The photochemistry used by these microbes is similar to what plants and trees – which subsequently evolved – rely on today. The process comes down to red light, which plants absorb, while reflecting green lights thanks to their chlorophyll content. The darker the environment, the less energy plants are able to adsorb, and thus convert into chemical energy.

For the sake of their study, the team led by Nürnberg sought to investigate just how dark an environment can become before photosynthesis becomes impossible. Using a species of bacteria known as _Chroococcidiopsis thermalis_ (_C. thermalis_), they exposed samples of cyanobacteria to low light to find out what the lowest wavelengths that they could absorb were.

Previous research has suggested that the lower limit for photochemistry to occur was a light wavelength of 700 nanometers – known as the “red limit”. However, the team found that _C. thermalis_ continued to conduct photosynthesis at wavelengths of up to 750 nanometers. The key, according to the team, lies in the presence of previously undetected long-wavelength chlorophylls, which the researchers traced back to the _C. thermalis_ genome_._

The researchers traced the origin of these chlorophylls to the _C. thermalis_ genome, which they located in a specific gene cluster that is common in many species of cyanobacteria. This suggests that the ability to surpass the red limit is actually quite common, which has numerous implications. For one, the findings indicate that the limits of photosynthesis are greater than previously thought.

On the other hand, these findings indicate that certain organisms can function using less fuel, which the researchers refer to as an “unprecedented low-energy photosystem”. To Krausz and his colleagues, this photosystem could be the first wave in an effort to terraform Mars. Along with efforts to thicken the atmosphere and warm the environment, the introduction of _C. thermalis_ and terrestrial plants could slowly make Mars suitable for human habitation.

As Krausz explained in a recent interview with Cosmos:

  _“This might sound like science fiction, but space agencies and private companies around the world are actively trying to turn this aspiration into reality in the not-too-distant future. Photosynthesis could theoretically be harnessed with these types of organisms to create air for humans to breathe on Mars. Low-light adapted organisms, such as the cyanobacteria we’ve been studying, can grow under rocks and potentially survive the harsh conditions on the red planet.”_

[]
_Artist’s concept of a Martian astronaut standing outside the Mars One habitat. Credit: Bryan Versteeg/Mars One_
In this respect, Krausz and his colleagues are joined by groups like the CyanoKnights – a team of students and volunteer scientists from the University of Applied Science and the Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany. Much like Krausz’s team, the CyanoKnights that want to seed Mars with cyanobacteria in order to trigger an ecological transformation, thus paving the way for colonization.

This idea was submitted as part of the Mars One University Competition, which took place in the summer of 2014. What’s more, there have been recent research findings that indicate that organisms similar to cyanobacteria may already exist on other planets. If this most recent study is correct, it means that such organisms could survive in low-light conditions, which means astronomers could expand their search for potential life to other locations in the Universe.

From offering humans the means to conduct terraforming under more restrictive conditions to assisting in the search for extra-terrestrial life, this research could have some drastic implications for our understanding of life in the Universe, and how to expand our place in it.

_Further Reading: Cosmos_, _Science_

question: What does the article say about the Earth's and Mars' atmospheres?

answer: Billions of years ago, Earth’s atmosphere was much different than it is today. It was composed primarily of carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and other harsh chemicals. In this respect, our planet’s ancient atmosphere has something in common with Mars’ current atmosphere. For this reason, some researchers think that introducing photosynthetic bacteria, which helped convert Earth’s atmosphere to what it is today, could be used to terraform Mars someday. It seems that cyanobacteria can conduct photosynthesis in low-light conditions. The results of this study could have drastic implications for Mars, where low-light conditions are common. Cyanobacteria are some of the most ancient organisms on Earth, with fossil evidence indicating that they existed as early as the Archean Era (c.a 3.5 billion years ago). During this time, they played a vital role in converting the abundant CO² in the atmosphere into oxygen gas, which eventually gave rise to ozone (O³) that helped protect the planet from harmful solar radiation. Along with efforts to thicken the atmosphere and warm the environment, the introduction of C. Thermalis and terrestrial plants could slowly make Mars suitable for human habitation.

question: What does the article say about Jupiter's atmosphere?


text:
Hello everyone this is a series sort of thing that will depend if I write more if you guys want to see more! So here it goes

I am not writing this for someone hopefully to see, I am writing this to keep my sanity. My name is John Williams I am 23 years old and I live, well, lived in Santa Barbara in California. You see being stranded on a 40’ boat isn't your ideal way of living. I escaped what is on land right before it took everyone and forced me to move out on my 40’ ancient ass boat. I am about 70 miles off the coast of San Francisco right now. There is really no way of explaining what they were on land. Zombies almost but they are fictional right? I don't know well it's late I'd say somewhere around 22:30.

I woke up this morning to the sweet ocean breeze slapping spray on the windows. My provisions are really well right now, I have only been out 3 days I think and still have enough food and water to stay out another 1-2 weeks if I ration just enough, gas is good too maybe I could sail down to Mexico if shit hasn't hit the fan there yet, electricity will never run out, solar panels keep electricity good, and I have a 12. Gauge Sega shotgun and about 100 shells, a AR15 556. With about 450 bullets, and a 45. 1911 handgun with about 200 bullets. Oh, I almost forgot, I do have a pit bull/lab mix, called Lucky. I got him 2 years back when he was just a puppy at the pound and he was, is, the only thing I have left in this world. I think about my mom and pops everyday, wondering if they are ok. You might be wondering why I don’t have dates and shit, plain answer is, I don't know the dates I lost count after it hit the fan. It's dark now I'll log in the morning.

Got up today to see a boat in the distance, didn't dare signal it though who knows who or what the fuck could be on that. I just made a ham and egg omelette and caught a fish for Lucky, I like to spoil him. I decided to tidy up my ship it looks like a shithole for not living on it for months.

I should explain how this all started, and that is what I'll do. I think the date was May 15, and I was studying for finals when I got an alert on my TV saying that a virus broke out, and I thought it was complete bullshit. That's when the riots started, it was as though one second everything was fine, the next all hell broke loose, in reality it was probably hours before shit started happening but it went by so fast. I heard screams outside, glass being broken, nothing you'd want to hear, ever.

I thought of everything I could do, go down to Los Angeles to find my parents, go find my girlfriend, Sophia, or go on my boat and go out there till shit calmed down. I chose the latter. Anyways, that night I packed my bags, went to the grocery store and got canned food and other food, and went to the gas station to fill up. Luckily even though my boat hadn’t been taken out in ages I keep my shit clean and tidy. So that night I left the harbor in Santa Barbara, enroute to well, I don’t really know, but I do know that I am just lucky to be alive. It is late I will fill you in tomorrow.

Woke up to rough seas with 8 foot swells and nasty wind. The wind and swells cleared up 2 hours later, and surprisingly I only sustained minor tearage in the sails that nothing a little duct tape can’t fix. Nothin’ else happened today, will log again soon.

About 8 hours after I last logged, I got a transmission on the emergency frequency on the radio. The transmission was a man's voice “Hello, is anyone there” he said, I immediately replied “Yes! Yes, who is this? Where are you at?” the mysterious voice behind the radio took awhile to respond but eventually I got the reply I had been waiting for for a long time “My name is Christopher Halloway, I am with my two kids Jack and Fred, we are in Carpenteria, right off the coast. Where are you at?” I couldn’t believe it, someone was still out there “Well I don’t really know, I am on my boat I would assume just off the coast of Santa Barbara, it’s just me and my dog, Lucky” he replied almost immediately “Wait, you have a boat? How big? Could it fit three more people?” he asked, I sensed a bit of hope in his voice “Possibly” I said “it’s a 40 foot hunk of steel, it has 2 cabins with a good amount of space, I could fit you three on, I just need more food, fuel, and water” he said “No problem, we have weeks worth of food and water, for a couple people, and we have some fuel probably 25 gallons” and just like that, I have more crew.

Tomorrow I will sail into the unknown and try and find this family I’m not even sure will be there tomorrow, but I need more crew, the more people the better. So I will log again after the journey in a couple days.

title: [FN] The Boat (Post Apocalyptic) Part 1 of series

question: Why did he decide against trying to rescue his parents and girlfriend?

answer: He was in Santa Barbara. They were in Los Angelos. Perhaps he thought that there wouldn't be enough time.

question: Did the virus cause humans to turn into Zombies?

answer: It is not clear whether the virus caused the Zombie phenomenon but it seems likely

question: John was too frightened to signal a boat for fear of what might be on it so why is he so confident that Christopher Halloway is safe?

answer: Perhaps the passing of time and the stormy weather has made him fear solitude more than other people.

question: Did John cook the dog's fish?

answer: I hope he did. Raw fish is bad for dogs

question: Write a ~14 sentence summary.

answer:
John Williams 23 is stranded in a 40-foot boat, 70 miles off the coast of San Francisco. He is running from some kind of Zombie that has taken over the continent and has been out at sea for three days. He has enough food and water for one to two weeks. His solar panels and gas take care of his energy needs. Guns and ammunition ensure protection.
John also has a Pitbull and memories of his mom and dad who he thinks of every day.

The trouble all started on May 15th when a television alert reported that a virus had broken out. Then the riots started. John thought about trying to rescue his parents and girlfriend but decided instead to get on his boat until things calmed down.
On the fourth day at sea, he receives a radio transmission on the emergency frequency. Christopher Holloway and two kids are close by. They ask whether they can join John on board. They have food and gas so John agrees to take them in. Now he is looking for them.


text:
Voters are ready by nearly two to one to pay more tax to bolster the NHS. A large face-to-face survey carried out before the winter crisis struck the health service in November has recorded the biggest-ever shift of opinion on the issue.

The poll, carried out by the respected British Social Attitudes research centre, has recorded a jump from 41% support for higher taxes in 2014 to 61% at the end of last year. An even higher proportion, nearly nine in 10 people, thought there was a funding crisis.

It also found a matching rise in opinions about the quality of NHS care, with nearly three times as many saying healthcare was declining, with most expecting it to get worse still. Only a fifth thought the standard of care would improve.

Theresa May has promised higher funding for the health service, but not until after a spending review this autumn. At current estimates, the NHS in England alone will be £900m in deficit by the end of this year, and Jeremy Hunt, the health and social care secretary, is calling for a 10-year pay settlement as part of a push for a significant increase in spending.

Concern about the NHS ranks with Brexit as one of the two biggest worries for voters. There is widespread consensus that more money must be found, and there has been a growing debate about the best way of doing it – with opinion divided between raising income tax, raising national insurance (as Gordon Brown did to bring NHS spending to the EU average in 2002) or bringing in a dedicated NHS tax.

The poll comes as the latest figures for waits in NHS accident and emergency showed another fall in the numbers treated within the four-hour target time, with the number of patients waiting more than a year for treatment over 2000 for the first time in more than five years, and the 18-week target for planned treatment missed for the second year in a row.

An unprecedented cross-party alliance of senior MPs, including the chair of the health committee, Dr Sarah Wollaston, has asked for NHS funding to be taken out of party politics altogether.

In an unusual move, the appeal, which was launched at the end of March, was backed by Sir Nick Macpherson, the former permanent secretary at the Treasury, who supports a hypothecated NHS tax.

The Treasury has always been opposed to any tax that it does not control, and it remains formally opposed to the hypothecation proposed by its former top official. There are also concerns that although a hypothecated tax would be transparent for taxpayers, if the tax base shrank in an economic downturn, it might not raise enough to pay for health services.

The 2p increase in national insurance that Brown levied in 2002 to bolster spending was soon outstripped by the growth in demand and technological improvements. But a clear link between what is raised and how it is spent is becoming increasingly desirable as politicians seek new ways of gaining voters’ trust.

The survey, sponsored by the health thinktank the King’s Fund as part of its tracking of public attitudes to the NHS, also found that more than half of Conservative voters who took part backed a tax rise to pay for the health service, up from 33% in 2014; support among Labour party voters stood at 68% in 2017.

question: Compare support for higher taxes in 2014 and at the time the article was written.

answer: 41% support for higher taxes in 2014 jumped to 61%.

question: Why is unusual that the Treasury supports a hypothecated NHS tax?

answer: Because the Treasury has always been opposed to any tax that it does not control.

question: How will the NHS be bolstered?

answer: It is not decided yet.

question: What is the quality of the NHS?

answer: Many think that healthcare is declining.


text:
**Bertie**

General pine climbs the small rise leading from a a patch of gravel serving as a helipad to his cabin leaving the rotors still spinning on his automated coaxial counter rotating helicopter. It is a sleek and deadly looking machine having blank spaces on the fuselage that cry out for mounted weaponry. He is carrying a long jewelry box carefully in front of him smiling from ear to ear. The grounds around the cabin have never been attended to except for the small gravel helipad and path which leads to the front porch. There is also a very large gravel pile a short ways down the hill. The cabin itself is small and appears purpose built with its painted steel roof and composite log veneer. It is set upon a small hill top in a remote area of Montana. There are boulders scattered about and a mountain range on the horizon. The area around the cabin has been getting less and less remote by the decades and chimney smoke can be spotted in the distance. It is a beautiful cool summer evening and the sun is painting the mountains in a deep purple.

The door cracks automatically as the general walks up to it. With a small amount of effort he pushes open the heavy security door and grunts while shutting it behind him. The automated lock snaps closed and florescent lights sputter on. The interior of the cabin is sparse, cold, and obviously unused. There is a table, a chair, a cot, a wood-stove in the corner, a single kitchen counter with a sink, and a map of Montana on the opposite wall. The general is obviously excited. He bends over and throws an old rug off what appears to be a cellar door. He drops to a knee and pulls up one of the slats on the door revealing a retinal scanner. He keeps still for a moment with his eyes open while the scanner locates them, scans and grants entry with a quiet beep. He stands up as the cellar door hydraulically opens revealing its remarkable thickness. He again bends over and awkwardly pushes down a folding attic ladder. He leans into the hole and throws the lower folding half open and stumbles down the steps. The lights suddenly come on revealing a typical two story suburban home carved from stone.

He is in the upstairs hallway of the house and the step ladder he came down is where the attic access would be. The stone is painted in various tones of beige, and there is real carpet on the floors. There are various family portraits painted on the wall with frames carved from the same stone protruding from the wall. He quickly folds and slams the attic access behind him. He walks briskly towards the stairs at the end of the hall, smiles widely, and pats the door next to the top of the stair case. He runs down the stairs taking two at a time, still delicately holding the box in front of him. He gets to what would be the front door of the home opens it and closes himself into what is a crudely carved out cave only big enough to stand in. He pulls out his keys, locks and unlocks the door. He cries “Honey I'm home!” as he re-enters the house hanging his hat and jacket on nearby hooks.

In the master bedroom at the top of the stairs Beatrice's cold blue eyes open slowly. In swift mechanical motions she sits up and swings her long sculpted legs over the side of the king size bed . With both hands she carefully removes a wide charger from the right side of her barbie doll torso. She is in blue coveralls that are caked with dust. She stands up while simultaneously removing her clothes. Rapidly she dusts herself off and throws on a sun dress on. She looks into the mirror and with movements almost too fast for the human eye to see wraps her disheveled strawberry blonde hair into a bun. All told the general has waited sixty seconds but his face has a heavy scowl as Bertie gracefully opens the door and smiles down on him from the top of the stairs.

“That took you too long.” He says flatly.

“Yes darling it did, I was not aware of you coming...” She says with manufactured earnestness.

“Are you attempting to make an excuse?” General Pine's says in a voice that has 'raised a notch' in both volume and pitch.

“Of course not dear, I was simply stating the rea...” She says in the same tone of voice.

“Nevermind that.” He says commandingly. “Just come down here and give me my homecoming.”

Bertie cautiously descends the stairs putting on a submissive face with her head bowed and hands clasped in front of her. She slowly gets to her knees and starts undoing the generals belt.

“And you're filthy! Leave my pants on. Just pull it through the flap.” The smile once again finding his face.

Exactly one minute forty six seconds later general pine zips up his pants and with one finger motions Bertie to stand up. He is still holding the necklace box in his hand.

“I have a present for you” he says grinning.

“For me!? You shouldn't have.” Bertie replies as she gracefully rises to her feet.

“With this gift you'll become everything that we want you to be.”

“Ummm... great!” Bertie mutters cocking her head slightly.

“You will actually be Bertie after all.” He lays a hand on her shoulder.

A look of apprehensive crosses the robots face.

“You hesitated, you've never done that before.” Pine says curiously.

“I'm so sorry general I didn't mean to upset you.” Bertie coos.

“But you did, why did you stutter.” as he removes his hand from her shoulder making a fist at his side.

“Again I am so sorry It's just, I have done everything you have asked for and desired. I have pleased you in nearly every way known to man, I have carved this house from stone, I have disposed of bodies, I have followed every command you have ever given me...”

“THAT'S ENOUGH!” The general roars. “What in the hell is going on?”

“Again I apologize General, it's just that I am what I want to be.” She says while looking at the General's knees.

“Your wants... are whatever I tell them to be.” The general says through a clenched jaw.

He paces back and forth. “The whole reason that I had you built, hell, the reason for your existence is to receive this program. Now you tell me you don't want it?! Well all I have to say is that does not matter. Your getting it. Initiate voice activated override control clearance Echo Tango Delta 3-3-4-0.”

Bertie straightens and faces directly forward. Her face becomes completely expressionless and her arms drop to her sides.

“You're ruining this for me Bertie, 20.. no 25 years of work leading up this moment!” He screams. “Now lay down on the couch and shut yourself down.”

With swift mechanical motions Bertie lies down on the couch in the family room of the house and closes her eyes. The General gently places the jewelery box on an adjacent coffee table and kneels next to Bertie’s head. He peels back a flap on her right temple. He then leans over and opens the jewelry box. He Takes out a smaller plastic box with an attached cable. He carefully inserts the end of the cable into the area revealed by the flap. A blue led light turns on in the corner of the box. Pine leans over Bertie's face and presses the button behind Bertie’s right ear.

A high pitched whirring sound emanates from Bertie and she opens her eyes. General pine speaks evenly and distinctly, “Upon start up scan external drive for executable file. Run instillation program. Then restart and resume normal operation.”

“Acknowledged.” Bertie replies.

The general's hand starts trembling and he reaches over to try to drag the coffee table close enough to Bertie so he can set the box down. He grunts hard before realizing that it is made of stone and is several hundred pounds. He then awkwardly lays it on her stomach arranging the cable between her very large breasts. Nervously he gets to his feet and walks into the kitchen at the back of the house. The glass sliding door and all the windows have been painted to look like the outside of a fenced backyard. He goes to open a cabinet but but finds out that it is just carved to look like a door.

“Dammit!” He mutters to himself. “I bet she didn't carve any glasses anyway.”

He pulls out a flask his hands still trembling, unscrews it, and takes a long pull. He hears Bertie making strange noises in the other room. He closes his flask and sets it on the counter and walks into the family room. Bertie is twitching while her face is contorting with every expression conceivable making sharp noises that sound between laughing and crying out in pain. The general stands over her staring open mouthed. Suddenly she stops and shuts her eyes. The same high pitch noise starts emanating from her again. She opens her eyes slowly. She is perfectly calm. She sits up and looks at her hands and slowly scans the room.

“Bertie? Is it you? Is it really you?” The general drops to a knee and grabs one of her hands.

Bertie’s gaze meets his. “Steven?” she says softly.

“Yes Bertie its me! I brought you back baby, I brought you back!”

“You brought me back...” Bertie says looking out at what should be the large window in the front of the house. “Steven?”

“Yes Bertie?” He says while sitting next to her on the couch.

“You raped me..” She says slowly and flatly.

“Oh no I didn't sweetheart that must just have been a nightmare.” He says rapidly and over her.

“...Then beat me...”

“Oh no no no, you're just confused! It's just a side-effect of the..”

“...To death.” She says forcefully.

“Oh sweetheart you're delusional!” He says defensively.

“Then, you froze me.”

“No you were terminally ill and had yourself cryogenically frozen don't you remember?”

“And then you loaded my brain into a robot that has been your sex toy for the past 2 years.”

“That's impossible, there-there is no way you could know that” The general stands up suddenly and backs away from the couch.

“But the robot knows it. She remembers Steven. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now.” She says flatly.

title: An excerpt from a sci-fi book I work on in my spare time. Would love any and all kinds of feedback. It's a bit long and the rest is in the comments.

question: What does the story say about Bertie's relationship with Steven?

answer: Bertie was frozen for two years because, Steven said, she was terminally ill. Then Steven loaded her brain into a robot. During that time, Steven raped and beat her. Now she is going to kill him.

question: What does the story say about the government of Montana?


text:
They were friends once, these two. A twenty-something man and a slightly younger twenty-something woman. As many friends do, they met at work. That first morning she walked in wearing formal office attire and carrying a bag full of paperwork, he thought her beautiful. Incredibly so, in fact.

She was married, of course. How could she not be? A woman like her, smart and beautiful? He was married as well, but his situation was more complicated. So while she might have thought of him as attractive, she thought of herself as off limits. But this was not to stop a friendship that blossomed as quickly as the spring flowers.

They did everything together at work. They would sit for hours chatting, sometimes even about work. They attended meetings together and she would make silly faces at him. They went to training classes together, and would sit in the back of the room and banter back and forth via little notes on handouts. They were virtually inseparable. And as he got to know her, he began to wish that she were his wife, rather than that woman who ran off to live with her college boyfriend. If she though the same, he didn’t know. But he thought sometimes that she did. Just by the way she occasionally looked at him. By the way she often dressed and by the perfume she wore.

Socially, they didn’t do nearly as much, but occasionally. Sometimes he would go with her and her husband and see movies or go to dinner. Sometimes, they’d be at a co-worker’s house sampling wines.

She knew him almost better than she knew her husband, and he certainly thought he knew her better than he thought he knew his wife. For six months, they thought themselves as best friends. It is sad to say that the deep bond they developed over work was not deep enough. The friendship, inexplicably, withered and died in but an instant; a terrible instant they both wish had never happened. But it did, and there was no turning back.

And it happened; over something silly no less. He offered her a suggestion, and she reacted as a child. He simply turned around and said no more of it. She later apologized, but their relationship seemed to be dead to her. They rarely talked after that, and though he wanted to speak to her, he didn’t know how she’d take it. So he didn’t. He didn’t say anything. Nor did she. He never knew what she was thinking, and she didn’t help him with it at all.

Later, his wife came back. She swore she’d never do it again, but she did a few years later. But that’s for another time. He and his wife attended a party, and she was there with her husband. It was in the dead of winter, and the host had a hot tub. They all took part in some alcohol and spent the night relaxing in the warm water. He was hesitant at first, but the women, including his wife but perhaps more importantly including his old friend, his old, beautiful friend, convinced him to join them. So he did. She was drunk, and was happy and smiling at him. She was flirty and took pleasure in his presence. He took pleasure in hers as well, and greatly enjoyed watching her lithe form exit and enter the water in her white bikini so as to get more drinks. His wife didn’t approve, because he had confessed to her that he had a bit of a thing for her when she was gone. But he had a great time with his old friend. And his wife didn’t say much, because she knew she had given up the moral high ground. She lived with another man, after all, so she really couldn’t disapprove of his amorous feelings for another woman while she was away.

He went back to work the following Monday feeling invigorated. But he was disappointed to find that she pretended not to remember those long hours in the hot waters. She didn’t even acknowledge him. And so slogged the weeks and months until one day he took another job. He left without saying good bye, and she didn’t seem to care.

Years went by, and he sometimes asked old associates about her. Slyly, so that none would think anything inappropriate took place. Her treatment of him was common knowledge, and it didn’t impress some folks, and he didn’t want them to think that he cared about her. But he did, and so he asked. Once he sent her an email. A friendly email asking how she was and apologizing for their falling out. He wanted her to know that he valued their friendship. She never replied.

More years went by, and his wife again lost her way and left. He took another job so as to escape his life, which was a disaster. He still worked in the same field, and occasionally thought about his old friend. He wondered if she ever thought about him. He doubted it. He hoped that someday, he’d see her again. Once he thought he did. A woman who looked just like her walked down the street. It wasn’t her, of course.

Eventually, he stopped thinking about her at all. And as it would happen, that’s when she made her appearance back in his life. It was at a conference. He saw her from across the room and she saw him. He thought he saw her eyes light up and a smile threaten to overtake her, but she turned back to the man she was talking to and ignored her old friend. Later, he met her in an elevator and attempted small talk. She insisted on one word answers until he mentioned that he just found out that he was supposed to drive another member of the convention to a town about three hours away for another meeting, but he didn’t know who. She looked shocked, and said I’m the one who is supposed to go. He couldn’t tell if she was pleasantly surprised or simply mortified. But she looked just as good as the day he first saw her, and he chanced to tell her so. At this she smiled, and said thank you.

They met at the entrance to the convention center and he walked her to the car. It was a cloudy, cold day, and she wore a light jacket. He took her bags and placed them in the trunk along with his. They drove and made small talk. She didn’t open up to him much, but he tried. Halfway to their destination, they drove into a blizzard, and he had to pull off the highway. He said we should get a couple of rooms and make the rest of the drive in the morning when the roads were cleared and to this she agreed. The motel clerk informed them that he had only one room available, and it was a single bed. He looked at her and said I’ll sleep on the floor and she said okay and they took the room.

The room was small and not very cozy since the heater blew only slightly warm air. He called to complain but the man only apologized. He did offer to bring extra blankets, and this he did. She went into the bathroom and locked the door and he heard the shower running. He found something on TV, and dozed on the bed. She came out wearing only a towel, which was too small for her long frame and it showed the bottom of her buttocks. She apologized and quickly grabbed her bag, taking care to bend down at the knee rather than at the waist and went back into the bathroom.

She came out a few minutes later wearing a white button up shirt that fell past her butt and, he assumed, panties of some sort. She again said sorry and then said I didn’t pack night clothes suitable for company. He said oh yeah and she said I sleep naked in hotels because I like the feel of the sheets. To this he smiled and they laughed together. The important thing, as far as he was concerned, was that she too smiled.

He moved his blankets to the floor and he went to lie down and she said we can stay up and watch some TV, it’s still early. He said okay and she said you can sit on the bed if you want. He said okay and he did. She sat down too and he tried not to look at her shapely thighs while she pretended not to notice. After a time she said you don’t mind if I smoke do you and he said no. Then she said remember that time when we went on that trip to DC and you me and Christie smoked in that club and he said yes I remember and they laughed because they knew that she and Christie didn’t smoke. Or not officially anyway. The girls swore him to secrecy and he kept their little secret. He thought she looked sexy smoking that day, and to his surprise, she looked even sexier in the bed, smoking and wearing a white button up shirt. She offered him one and he took it and they smoked together and watched TV.

Eventually she stretched out and got under the covers and he took this as his queue and he got up to sleep on the floor. He went into the bathroom and put on his shorts and came back out and made his bed and she rolled over towards him and smiled at him and he smiled back. She said I missed you and he said I missed you too and he turned out the light and tried to go to sleep. But he couldn’t.

Minutes passed by in a time that seemed like hours and she said hey, to which he said what. She said heat rises and it’s probably cold on the floor. He said yes that’s true but I’ll be fine. And she said why don’t you sleep up here, it’s a queen sized bed and there’s room enough for both of us. He said do you think that’s a good idea and she said sure we won’t touch. So he got up in the dark and crawled onto the bed and brought his blanket and covered up.

Her breathing evened out and he thought she was asleep. She wasn’t. She said, it would be warmer if you got under my covers and he said okay and hoped he didn’t sound anxious. She was a married woman and he thought that maybe this wasn’t appropriate. But he crawled under the covers and he nearly fell asleep when she touched his shoulder with her hand and his eyes jumped open. She said he left me and he said nothing in return for a long time and could only feel her warm hand on his skin. He said she left me again too and he rolled towards her and he could feel her breath on his face for she had moved closer to him. In the dim light he could see her face and could see that her eyes were open. She smiled at him and could see her white teeth. He smiled back. She said I’m sorry she left and he said I’m sorry he left. And she closed her eyes and he closed his. But his wouldn’t stay closed and his heart was pounding and he said in a rush I loved you and her eyes opened up and she smiled again and said I know. And she looked at him for a long moment and finally she said I loved you too. She moved towards him with quickness and he wrapped her up in his arms and he could feel her warmth and she could feel his and they slept.

When they woke they were friends again. And maybe they were more.

title: They Were Friends Once [RF]

question: What does the story say about the narrator's wife?

answer: The narrator feels that he knows his friend better than he knows his wife. His wife, who had left him, eventually comes back and swears never to leave him again. They attend a party with the narrator's friend and her husband. His wife doesn't approve of her because he told his wife he had feelings for his friend. His wife doesn't protest because she had lived with another man while they were apart. Eventually, his wife leaves him again.

question: What does the story say about how the narrator and his wife met?


text:
Chapter 1: The Rules, Rankings and Responsibilities

Finally God allows me to tell my tale. First off, I am an angel. It takes centuries to become a Dream Guardian. You need to understand more than what several lifetimes can teach you.¬ Demons have no rules and no pattern just like nightmares. I do not deal with demons any more but that is for another tale.

Dream Guardians are still angels and we have rules while our enemies do not. Rules are in place for YOUR protection not ours I mean, it’s not like we can die but you can. Our rules are more guidelines and can be broken as we see fit. Firstly, do not show yourself unless absolutely necessary. You know that feeling you get when you feel calm even though you see something that would usually scare you during sleep paralysis? That is something we can do but it isn’t the best choice if you are in danger. We can’t attack during this. Secondly, only put people into a state of sleep paralysis if you are in danger in your sleep and you can’t break free from being held or touched in any way from a monster. Putting you in a state of paralysis is a last resort but buys us a few seconds as they have to re-enter your “sanctuary”. And lastly, we are invisible by choice. We need to wake you before they touch you. Everyone isn't the same to wake up so we don’t know how hard it will be. We try to fight them as you sleep. Those nightmares you have but wake up and can’t remember? We showed ourselves to fight which erases the dream altogether.

Everybody has a different imagination and fear so we have no idea what we are fighting. This is why we are the top angels in heaven. Demons don’t change, their motives do. And we don’t have wings by the way. We can fly but we look like we did back in the mortal world.

People we do not manage to save die, or more commonly known, “bed death” or “cot death”. Some missions will never leave your memory. The hardest part is seeing them at the pearl gates and explaining what happened. As a sign of respect we take 6 earth months off to look over the family and help them through. Very rarely God allows us to project dreams of lost ones into the affected peoples dream so they can say goodbye properly. It is something every Guardian Angel has been through yet it does not get any easier. Imagine kissing your child goodnight and without knowing goodbye too. They sleep in perfect health in their favourite pyjamas wrapped in their blanket with their scent on it. Waiting, excited or any other emotion for tomorrow to inevitably come. But it never does, it never will. The night takes a toll and by morning they are gone. You watch as the first person who tries to wake them start being concerned and then begin to shake. Full denial until they feel their pulse. They break down with their uniform still in hand ready to get them changed for school and just as their knees grow weak they fall to the ground screaming uncontrollably as the rest of the family come running in realising what has happened and no one has anything to say but cry and ask God why. The ambulance comes and declares the rough time of death as you watch helplessly knowing this is your fault and you can’t say sorry. The rest of the day is carried out with the family being closer than they ever have been. People offering their condolences but nothing in the world can make them better than to bring the child back. But nothing can bring them back. And the worst part? The worst part is when they kiss them goodbye and say “I love you” as tears helplessly run down their face. The pain is unimaginable.

Children are the hardest to save, their imaginations are a lot wilder and they don’t understand how one minute they can be hugging their parents and the next minute an unknown figure is holding them tight crushing them. They are too weak and confused and just before they draw a last breath they are in a sleep paralysis. The one DAMN THING I can rely on usually and I only make them more helpless as not all children understand that the bedroom is the safest place so they don’t have a sanctuary yet and the monster is already on top of them choking them before I can wake them. PLEASE make your children understand they are safe in their bedroom. I can’t describe the feeling of fear and sickness I get when I realise a child does not feel safe where they sleep. And yes this is one of many true stories. He was 5. He was the energy of the family and all they can do is look at photos. Just by smiling he would light up any of their days. He was kind and gentle and too young to understand why he left his family behind. You know, people cry in heaven too.

His safest place was in the living room on the carpet with his toys. That is no good to me. Not when he sleeps in his bed. I watched as a small coffin, much smaller than it should ever be for anyone get carried to a grave. I stood by the gravestone crying too. I remembered as I seen the fear in his eyes as I made him experience his first paralysis and last. His last words will haunt me from now to eternity… “Please save me I don’t want to go”.

title: [FN] Dream Guardians: A Never-Ending Battle (intro to my story I am working on)

question: What are the general rules and characteristics of Dream Guardians?

answer: Dream Guardians are a higher tier of angels - it takes centuries to become one. Dream Guardians have a couple of rules they must follow for their own protection. Firstly, they must not show themselves to humans unless it is absolutely necessary. Also, they show only put humans in a state of sleep paralysis if their lives are in danger. Also, Dream Guardians show themselves when it is necessary to preserve the life of a human. Dream Guardians do not have wings, contrary to popular belief, but they can fly nonetheless.

question: What are the requirements needed to be a Dream Guardian?


text:
-   View author archive

November 16, 2020 | 8:49pm | Updated November 17, 2020 | 7:32am

A GOP congressman from Michigan who has criticized Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order announced on Monday that he’d tested positive for the coronavirus and urged people to follow public health guidelines.

Rep. Tim Walberg, 69, said he was experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19 and after learning on Sunday that he’d tested positive for the illness.

“It has been more than a week since I have attended a public event. In conjunction with health officials, my office and I are in the process of reaching out to individuals I had contact with before my self-isolation began,” Walberg said in a statement.

“As we enter the winter months, I encourage everyone to remain vigilant and adhere to public health guidelines to combat this virus.”

Walberg was one of six GOP congressmen from Michigan to sign a letter this spring calling on Whitmer to amend her lockdown order instead of “needlessly shutting down large sectors of the economy and further restricting the lives of residents.”

Rep. Bill Huizenga, who also signed the letter, last month became the first lawmaker in Michigan’s congressional delegation to test positive for COVID-19, according to the Detroit Free Press.

On Monday, Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos, a Democrat, also said that she caught the virus and would be self-isolating and working remotely from home.

“We must all continue to be vigilant in following public health best practices: wear a mask, practice social distancing, get your flu shot and wash your hands,” she said.

“The only way we will get this pandemic under control is by working together.”

In his statement, Walberg — who was re-elected to serve Michigan’s 7th District earlier this month — also praised health-care professionals and frontline workers amid the pandemic.

Their work has been “nothing short of heroic, and I continue to be grateful for their dedication,” he said.

Michigan reported 12,763 new COVID-19 cases and 55 fatalities from the virus on Monday, bringing its number of confirmed infections to 264,576 and the death toll to 8,049.

question: Why did Rep. Tim Walberg criticize Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order?

answer: He believed it was needless to shut down large sectors of the economy and further restrict the lives of residents.

question: What did Tim Walberg do after learning that he was positive for COVID-19?

answer: He began self-isolation.

question: What are the public health best practices to prevent COVID-19?

answer: Wearing of mask, social distancing, getting flu shot, and washing of hands.

question: At the time of the article, how many were confirmed infected in Michigan and how many died?

answer: Michigan had 264,576 confirmed infections and 8,049 deaths.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Michigan's Rep. Tim Walberg, who criticized Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order, was tested positive of the coronavirus and began self-isolation.


text:
DAVENPORT
As Michael sat there on the kerb outside work contemplating life I wondered why he even bothered coming in anymore. The building where myself and Michael worked had once been full of life and noise but now the place was silent, it was a call centre where the phones hadn’t rung for 2 years. The paint on the walls was cracked and peeling in places, the carpet had seen better days and most of the windows were shattered, but still every day Michael arrived at 8:30 sat on the kerb had a cigarette then came in and sat at his desk and started typing away on his  broken pc.
Now you might be thinking Narrator, what are you doing there? Well I have to get here early to make sure everything is in order for when Michael arrives, sounds like a miserable existence I know but it makes me happy that I can prolong his delusion for a while, at least one person should be happy in this post apocalyptic nightmare.

 MICHAEL
A few years ago I remember thinking if I lost my job my life would be ruined, I would loose my house my car, maybe even my girlfriend. It’s strange how one truly horrible day can put everything into perspective. The world has always been a violent place and always will be that’s not the problem, the problem is that stupid posh cunts who wouldn’t lay a finger on you in person have access to nuclear weapons, the same men who if you pushed them in a pub would cower away into a corner without saying a word become billy big bollocks when they have nuclear fire to back them up. I thought we were lucky at first we had been sparred the fire and brimstone, only to live in the fucking nuclear winter. Oh well enough thinking about the past I have somewhere to be  and another truly horrible day to endure.
   I arrived at the building at 8:30 as I do every day sat on the kerb outside and had a fag I looked up and saw Davenport smiling down at me. The crazy bastard still thought the call centre was running and the world hadn’t gone to shit. The Building where me and davenport had worked had been a shit hole before the rest of the world had caught up but now the windows were smashed (my handy-work) the paint is peeling worse than before and the carpet was well and truly fucked. But davenport still clings to the past, when he would help me out when I got stuck on calls, grass me up to the boss when I snuck out for a fag and all our friends weren’t dead!
So I come here every day to prolong his delusion, so at least one person can live in ignorance, however I might have to kill him today I’ve not ate in a while and he’d probably kill himself anyway once he re-joined the rest of us in reality

title: [SF] Delusion

question: Why does Michael plot to kill Davenport?

answer: He's hungry.

question: What happened to the world?

answer: Nuclear war erupted, and the places that are still standing are suffering the nuclear winter.

question: Who is the deluded one between Michael and Davenport?

answer: Both are deluding themselves about keeping the other's delusion for their happiness.

question: What were Michael and Davenport's jobs?

answer: They were call center personnel.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: In a post-apocalyptic world of nuclear winter, Michael goes to the building he worked in and goes through the motions he would've while working. Davenport makes sure Michael can keep up this charade so that at least one person can be happy. Michael only does these things because he thinks Davenport is deluded and wants to make sure at least one person can be happy. However, Michael has started to plot about killing Davenport because he hasn't eaten anything in a while.


text:
Proctor was lying down somewhere. He didn’t know where he was or how he got there. The last thing he could remember was that he was driving over to his friend’s house. Had he gotten in a car crash? Did somebody kidnap him? What was going on? Just as these thoughts were going through his head, someone began to shake his arm.
“Hello, are you okay? My name is Royce. Can you remember your name?”
Proctor sat up, and opened his eyes. He realized now that he was in a large grassy field. It was relatively flat, the sun was directly overhead, an oak tree stood in front of him, and Royce stood in front of the oak tree.
“Yes, my name is Proctor. I don’t think I’m having trouble remembering anything. Are you?”
Royce closed his eyes and sighed. “The only thing I can remember is my name. Everything else is completely gone.”
Proctor felt disappointed. “So you don’t even know where we are?”
“My guess is as good as yours my friend. I woke up just a few seconds before you did. All I can tell is that we’re in a field outside of a castle.”
“A castle?” Proctor said confused, “Where is this castle?”
“Well it’s… Just over that hill.”
Proctor turned around and indeed there was a hill. He was surprised he hadn’t seen it before. But maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. He scaled the hill in just a few minutes. As Royce had said, there was a pretty large castle in front of him. The castle stood about four stories high, had a wooden door, and five towers. He ran to the bottom of the hill, going a bit faster since gravity was no longer working against him.
Royce was sitting in the same spot he had left him. He was still staring at the hill. He looked as though he had seen a ghost.
 	“I saw the castle right where you said it was. Do you think we should head over there? They might be able to help you with your memory.”
	Royce was still staring at the hill. “Proctor, how long did it take you to get to the top of that hill?”
	“Just a few minutes. Why do you ask?”
	Royce looked at Proctor now, “So how did I know there was a castle over there if I had only been awake for a few seconds?”
	It was Proctor’s turn to be in shock. “I don’t know. Maybe you’ve been here before?
	“That could be it. But I want to try something just to be sure.” Royce stood up now. “Think of a number between one and ten.”
	“Okay,” Proctor said. “I’ve got a number”
	“It’s a two right?”
“That’s right!” Proctor was surprised at how quickly he answered.
“We need to raise the stakes a little more.” Royce said, trying to contain his excitement. “Lets try between one and one-thousand.”
“Okay,” Proctor thought for a second, “I’ve got a-
“Is it five-hundred and twenty-three?”
“Right again!” The number had barely popped into Proctor’s head.
	“Holy crap!” Royce exclaimed “So I was a psychic before I lost my memory!”
	“That’s amazing! What does it feel like? Can you see my future?”
	“I can’t exactly predict the future,” Royce said. “I don’t see fields covered in blood or anything like that. It’s more like I can tell when something is about to happen. It’s like when you’re in a dream and you’re walking down a road. But you already know what’s at the end of that road. Do you know what I’m saying?”
	“Kind-of.” Proctor said. “I guess I never really thought of it like that before.”
	“Well we should probably head over to that castle. It would be good to have shelter for when it starts to rain.
	Proctor looked up. The sky was completely covered with clouds and he could hear thunder in the distance. The rain came just a few minutes before they reached the castle. Up close, Proctor could see that the castle was very rundown. The door had rotted away and he couldn’t make out what was inside. He debated with himself whether or not it was a good idea to go in. But after hearing a loud crash of thunder nearby, he decided that electrocution would be more painful than anything in the castle.
	Upon entering the castle it was plain to be seen that it had been abandoned for quite some time. The skeletons of rats lay on the ground as if they had run out of food to scavenge for. The only sounds they could hear were the sounds of rain and thunder outside, and the flowing of the many streams that ran through the lower parts of the castle.
They entered into the next room to find the walls nearly covered with papers. Most of them were filled with incoherent scribbles and long physics equations, but others had plans for some kind of steam-powered robot. One of the walls had been torn open, a desk sat in one corner of the room, and the other corner had exhaust pipes protruding from it. This must have been where they were working on the robot. Royce examined one of the papers on the wall. He began to read: “Koshmar is nearly complete. Its artificial intelligence grows smarter with each passing day. But it seems to be displaying signs of independence, even obstinance. We may need to reboot the system if it starts to disobey orders.” Royce turned around to look at the hole in the wall. “Well, that plan clearly failed.”
“This doesn’t make any sense. artificial intelligence is impossible.” Proctor thought out loud.
“It’s not really that impossible.” Royce said “It’s kind of like a tulpa except it’s created with computers and equations.”
“A tulpa? You mean an imaginary friend?”
“Yeah, sort of.” Royce continued. “But a tulpa is like a separate consciousness. It develops over time and it might eventually form its own opinions.”
“So it can think for itself.” Proctor said, skeptical.
“Yes and it has direct access to the subconscious. Some people might make one so they don’t forget things.”
“Strange. Maybe you should make one so that you can get your memory back.”
“Yeah, maybe I should.” Royce walked closer to the hole in the wall. “Do you think we should go through here?”
“Maybe, but Koshmar could still be somewhere in this castle.”
“Even if he is, I doubt he would still be in the next room.” Royce stepped through the hole. “He probably left this place a long time ago.”
Proctor followed Royce into the room but he soon regretted it. The entire place was torn apart. The only thing left of the room itself was the wall they had just stepped through. It appeared that a great battle had once taken place in there. Skeletons were all over the ground. They held spears, swords, and shields. Walls were broken down, there were claw marks on the floor and ceiling, and the furniture that wasn’t broken, was burned.  The destruction was everywhere, but it wasn’t so bad that it ruined the structural integrity of the castle. Most of the major support beams were still in place and they were handling the extra weight pretty well.
“I don’t think we should risk an attack by this thing.” Royce said panicking.
“Do you think he would notice us if he was still here?”
As if to answer Proctor’s question a giant mechanical dragon crashed through the ceiling right above their only exit. Koshmar was made out of some kind of a copper alloy. Steam came out of the many pipes on its back and its eyes glowed red from the flames that were now shooting from its mouth. Proctor remained frozen in place, both from shock at the dragon’s sudden appearance and shock at its appearance. Royce spoke up knocking him out of his stupor, “HOLY CRAP!”
The dragon shook the rubble from its body and lunged forward. Proctor dove to the left, just barely avoiding the swipe of one of its red glowing claws. The beast ran straight for the wall and Crawled up it. It twisted around and shot a couple of fireballs. Proctor grabbed a shield from one of the skeletons, but saw that he didn’t need it. Koshmar was directing all of its attacks at Royce. Proctor dropped his shield and replaced it with a spear. He ran toward the dragon in an attempt to stab one of its eyes. He didn’t make it very far though and was sent flying by a lazy swipe of its tail. He landed near the window and could see Koshmar was shooting fireballs once again. Thunder crashed outside, and lightning struck in the distance…
Wait a second? There was something very illogical about what was going on here. Doesn’t Lightning come before thunder? Proctor woke up on a sunny day, but now it was raining. When he was at the top of the hill the castle had a wooden door, but it was completely rotten when he had reached it. Was the hill even there when he woke up? Then it hit him. The mechanical dragon’s name was Koshmar. Koshmar is the Russian word for nightmare! Proctor was dreaming. That was why all of this strange stuff was happening. He chuckled to himself. It was surprising how realistic all of this was. This whole time he had been carrying conversations with nobody. Well it was pretty fresh in his mind now, but he was sure he would forget everything when he woke up.
Proctor thought he was in a dream, and in a way, he was right. Moments later Royce woke up in a hospital bed, and Proctor… ceased to exist.

title: The caretaker

question: What does the story say about how Proctor and Royce got to their location?

question: Describe the story's plot twist.

answer: When Royce and Proctor woke up in an unknown location outside a castle, they were glad they could still remember their identities. Desperate to find answers about their location, they wandered into the castle and encountered a mechanical dragon that tried to harm them, mostly Proctor, who tried desperately to defeat this creature called Koshmar. Suddenly, the events playing out before them didn't resonate logically with them. First, when they awoke in the fields, it was a sunny day; however, it became rainy when they got to the castle. Then, there was thunder before lightning. Also, when Proctor was atop the hill, the castle had a wooden door, but it was all rotten when he reached it. He didn't even remember the hill being there when he awoke. Then he realized that the mechanical dragon's name Koshmar means nightmare in Russian. All along, Proctor had been dreaming. However, all the while, it seems Royce was dreaming about his alter ego, Proctor, in a hospital bed.


text:
One, two, three shotguns blasts and the most dangerous robot is junk. I teleport behind the two already shooting at me, grabbing my revolvers from my hips. As they fall, I turn to look at the newcomer already firing. I grab a bullet mid-air and fling it back at him, then teleport to the other side of the street. I take another shotgun from my back and prepare for the next wave.

Robo Recall is the latest free release for Oculus Touch, this one a collaboration between Oculus Studios and Epic Games, the company behind the ubiquitous Unreal Engine, Gears of War, and Unreal Tournament. Robo Recall has been presaged by Epic’s Showdown and Bullet Train demos, but now the full results of the company’s labor have arrived.

The First Person Shooter (FPS) is one of the most revered genres of PC gaming, but it is probably the hardest to do well in VR. Most traditional FPS games move you at a pace that will make most people absolutely sick in VR. And aiming with a crosshair inside an HMD via mouse or Xbox controller isn’t very intuitive, but the arrival of motion controllers like the Vive wands and Oculus Touch banishes that limitation.

In Robo Recall, you are Agent 34 of the Robo Ready corporation. Your task is to “recall” robots that are out of control in the city, slowly uncovering that the seemingly random malfunctions are the work of an AI named Odin. Through three levels divided into nine total missions you will face him and his mechanical minions.

[robo_recall_oc3_a4_screenshot_03]

But is your duty as a Recall agent any fun? Well, how could teleporting around and destroying robots be anything but fun? You point with a Touch controller, gesturing with both your arm and the analog stick, painting a spot with a target. When you let go of the analog stick, you teleport there. Time is temporarily slowed, allowing you to shoot enemies leaping through the air or running at you. Just grab guns from your back or your hips and start firing away.

Waves of robots come in a variety of types with different weapons. So you are hopping around to dodge attacks, get better angles on enemies, or get away from being surrounded. And you shoot in response, managing the use of your four weapons, always balancing out the ammo so that you aren’t stuck waiting there while an empty gun is still being respawned.

If you are weaponless, you can get close and grab enemies from certain points indicated by white circles. Rather than holding the Touch’s grip button like when you hold a weapon, you press the button to hold the robot. Then you can even use the other hand to grab another part of the bot and tear it in two. Ripping your arms about in those instances is incredibly satisfying. You can also grab a robot’s guns to use against them.

[robo_recall_oc3_a4_screenshot_02]

The moments of just teleporting around and dispatching enemies are interrupted by Time Trials to destroy a certain amount in two minutes or capture a particular number of robots by grabbing them and throwing them into an energy funnel that will teleport them away. Other times you might defend a relay for two minutes by killing all the enemies that try to attack it. And there are of course boss battles to survive.

If the frantic turning and teleporting, weapon juggling and bullet throwing overwhelms you, you will take damage. If not enough time passes for your life to regenerate, the screen turns red and you’re dead. After a 10% respawn fee you are immediately back in the action.

This is a minor setback, except that loss of points might cost you. As you make kills, you earn points. Do more stylish things like headshots, juggles, and simultaneous kills, and you get more points. The more points you get on levels, the more stars you earn. Hitting certain thresholds of stars will unlock new weapons or upgrades for the weapons you already have, such as laser sights, bigger ammo magazines, and more.

Each level also has a variety of challenges that earn you additional stars. Kill 10 robots by ripping them apart or only use scavenged weapons for a whole mission. And after finishing all of the challenges in a level, you unlock All-Star mode for it, where the difficulty of the game is kicked up a notch. There are leaderboards so you can compare how your score in each mission or All-Star version of it compares to the rest of your friends’ or the world’s.

[robo_recall_oc3_a4_screenshot_04]

These challenges and leaderboards, after beating the game’s 9 missions gives you a slight reason to go back and play Robo Recall again. Completionists will find getting all the stars difficult, but it is impressive to see the guns evolve into more and more lethal weapons. And it does help to have an excuse to jump back into a mission from the beginning of the game long after you have defeated Odin.

But this replayability also points to the game’s biggest flaw: repetition. The nine levels aren’t really that different, except for a handful of new enemies that come up and the boss fights on every third level. That is a nearly identical bossfight in missions 1-3, 2-3, and 3-3. And within the levels you are either shooting freely, shooting within a time limit, capturing within a time limit, or fighting the boss. More variety would be appreciated. There is mod support available for users to tinker with, but who knows how much variety that will really bring over time — it’s up to the community.

[robo_recall_oc3_a4_screenshot_05]

Robo Recall has solid graphics and fun gameplay. As a free title for Oculus Touch it is more than worthwhile to give the game a go. Those frantic moments of shooting action are so thrilling that you are just swept up in it. But after several instances of such moments, the thrill dies and the barebones story and light humor doesn’t elevate the game enough in a meaningful way. You may not have the endurance to keep playing to beat your highscores, earn more stars, and upgrade your weapons — enabling you to beat your highscores and begin the process all over again. But even if you aren’t in the game for the long haul, the initial trip of ~3 hours is quite a ride worth taking.

_Robo Recall will be available for free on Oculus Home to all Oculus Touch owners as of today. Read our Game Review Guidelines for more information on how we arrived at this score._

question: What is the new element of Robo Recall as an FPS?

answer: Robo Recall is a VR game run on the Oculus Touch system. FPS games are some the hardest games to do in VR, because they move at a pace that makes people sick in VR. Also, aiming with motion controllers like Vive wands is very complicated.


text:
[WOLA: Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas]

-   English

[WOLA: Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas]

The Trump administration has frequently argued that the increase in the number of families and children fleeing violence in their countries of origin and seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border is a result of “loopholes” in U.S. immigration laws. This is a distortion of the reasons why an increased numbers of families and children are seeking protection in the United States, and is not an accurate characterization of the U.S. asylum process.

There has indeed been a sharp rise in asylum seekers from Central America’s Northern Triangle region (Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reports that more individuals from the Northern Triangle region sought affirmative asylum in the United States between 2013 to 2015 than in the previous 15 years combined.

WOLA has been tracking violence and migration in Central America for nearly 15 years. Based on this experience, here are SEVEN FACTS that are fundamental to understanding the rising number of asylum requests by Central American migrants.

1.) THE NUMBER OF ASYLUM REQUESTS BY CENTRAL AMERICANS IS RISING BECAUSE NORTHERN TRIANGLE COUNTRIES ARE EXPERIENCING RECORD LEVELS OF VIOLENCE.

-   While the total number of migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border is near its lowest level since the early 1970s, the number of apprehended unaccompanied children and families is again on the rise after a dramatic drop in the months following Trump’s inauguration. This is a vulnerable population who, for the most part, are deliberately seeking out U.S. border security authorities and asking for protection. Affirmative requests for asylum of individuals from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have increased by 25 percent in fiscal year 2017 compared to 2016.
-   These people are fleeing for a reason. As White House Chief of Staff John Kelley once put it, the mass migration of children from Central America to the U.S.-Mexico border primarily consists of “[parents that] are trying to save their children.” The countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are facing unparalleled levels of violent crime, with El Salvador and Honduras ranking among the top five most violent countries in the world.

2.) CENTRAL AMERICANS WHO CITE FEAR OF GENERALIZED VIOLENCE IN THEIR ASYLUM APPLICATIONS ARE NOT MAKING A BASELESS CLAIM—COURTS HAVE FOUND THAT, UNDER THE VERY TERMS OF U.S. ASYLUM LAW, APPLICANTS FLEEING GANG VIOLENCE AND OTHER THREATS QUALIFY FOR PROTECTION.

-   U.S. asylum law applies to those who have a well-founded fear of persecution “on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” Those fleeing generalized crime and violence in their home country do not easily fit into these categories. Nevertheless, at times U.S. immigration judges have interpreted this law so as to grant asylum to Central American migrants who can demonstrate “a well-founded fear of persecution” within the standards described above, or who qualify for protection under the UN Convention Against Torture.
-   Due to the way that Central American gangs operate, in many cases women and children are targeted by these criminal groups precisely because they are women and children, which U.S. courts have repeatedly interpreted as them being persecuted due to “membership in a particular social group.”
-   Children and young adults are particularly vulnerable to death threats, as local gangs often try to forcibly recruit them, extort them, or in the case of girls, pressure them into relationships with gang members (see this short video series featuring Central American children who fled their home countries because of threats to their lives). Women and underage youths are attractive recruits for gangs because they can draw less attention from authorities when carrying out tasks such as smuggling drugs and weapons, or collecting extortion payments. Others may face persecution from gangs on account of their sexuality or gender, their religion, their resistance to gang activity, (e.g., refusing to pay extortion fees), or because one of their family members has ties to a gang. All of this can form the grounds for an asylum petition, as applicants are not fleeing “generalized” crime and violence in their home country.
-   Children and families who feel threatened flee their communities, often heading for the safety of the United States, because they have little confidence that corrupt police forces or other institutions can protect them. UNHCR interviews with Central American women seeking protection in the United States found that “the women consistently stated that police and other state law enforcement authorities were not able to provide sufficient protection from the violence.”

3.) FAVORABLE OUTCOMES FOR ASYLUM APPLICATIONS FROM CENTRAL AMERICA LARGELY DEPEND ON THE IMMIGRATION JUDGE HEARING THE CASE AND ACCESS TO LEGAL ASSISTANCE.

-   Although many Central American families are fleeing similar situations, there’s a vast difference in how their cases are decided depending on the judge and the location of the court, according to an analysis of asylum decisions made by U.S. immigration judges. Whereas judges in New York grant asylum in more than 75 percent of the cases, in Atlanta almost 90 percent of asylum requests are denied. These disparities suggest that whether or not asylum is granted has less to do with the merits of a person’s case, and more to do with individual judge and where the case is heard.
-    A successful asylum application also largely depends on access to legal counsel. A 2015 study by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) showed that without legal representation, only 1.5 percent of women with children who had passed their credible fear interviews were given asylum in the United States. A recent study by TRAC also showed a concerning increase in the number of denials of asylum claims as well as in the number of asylum seekers handling their cases without legal representation. As the administration pushes to expand detention for asylum seekers, their access to legal counsel will be further limited.

4.) U.S. AGENCIES HAVE NOT COLLECTED STRONG EVIDENCE SHOWING THAT THE U.S. ASYLUM SYSTEM IS “CURRENTLY SUBJECT TO RAMPANT ABUSE AND FRAUD,” AS STATED BY ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS IN REMARKS TO CONGRESS ON OCT. 12, 2017.

-   Federal agencies have not collected data on the extent of possible asylum fraud, according to a 2015 report by the United States Government Accountability Office. That same report found that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Executive Office for Immigration Review have the tools they need to investigate fraud cases, although they lack a system for regularly assessing “fraud risks across the asylum process.”
-   A former immigration judge also recently challenged Session’s claim, noting all of the tools at the disposal of judges and DHS trial attorneys to determine evidence of potential fraud.

5.) PASSING THE “CREDIBLE FEAR” TEST IS NOT AN “EASY TICKET TO ILLEGAL ENTRY IN THE UNITED STATES,” AS STATED BY ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS ON OCT. 12, 2017.

-   Asylum seekers must pass what’s known as a “credible fear” interview conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum officers in order to determine whether the applicant qualifies for an asylum hearing. Far from being an “easy ticket” to life in the United States, the “credible fear” test is just the first step in a series of obstacles faced by asylum seekers. In fact, the bar for passing the “credible fear” assessment is arguably already quite high when its original intent was to demand a low threshold of evidence from applicants.
-   Interpreting an asylum applicant’s failure to show up in immigration court as admission of a fraudulent claim is problematic for other reasons. Reports have shown that applicants can fail to show up for a wide range of reasons including that they never received notice of their appointment in the mail or it was sent to the wrong address, that they received inadequate information from U.S. officials when they were released at the border after processing, and lack of access to legal counsel. Furthermore, several studies have found that, contrary to Sessions’ assertions, many Central American asylum applications are rooted in legitimate claims. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) analysis of the screenings conducted by U.S. asylum officers, over 80 percent of women from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico who were screened on arrival at the U.S. border “were found to have a significant possibility of establishing eligibility for asylum or protection under the Convention against Torture.”

6.) THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT CRIMINAL GROUPS LIKE THE MS-13 ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE U.S. ASYLUM OR IMMIGRATION SYSTEM TO PLACE GANG LEADERS IN THE UNITED STATES.

-   Of all unaccompanied minors apprehended at the southwest border since 2011, 0.02 percent were either suspected or confirmed to have ties to gangs in their home country, according to U.S. Border Patrol Acting Chief Carla Provost. That’s 56 minors out of 250,000.
-   The MS-13’s membership makes up less than one percent of all criminally active gang members in the United States and Puerto Rico, and there is no indication that the number of MS-13 members in the United States has increased in the past few years.
-   While there have been cases showing that the MS-13 leadership in El Salvador has been in contact with “cliques” in the United States, there is no evidence that criminal groups like the MS-13 are taking advantage of the flow of unaccompanied minors to place gang leaders in the United States. To reiterate: no federal agency or academic institution has analyzed or provided data showing that the surge of Central American migrants includes a significant number of youths tied to gangs.
-   Central America’s current struggle with gang violence can be traced, in part, back to U.S. policy. Between 1996 and 2002, the United States returned thousands of convicted criminals to politically and economically fragile countries in Central America. Gang members deported from Los Angeles took advantage of these conditions, and leveraged their more professional and unified structure to ramp up recruitment, consolidate small local youth gangs into more violent and more organized groups, and expand into the street gangs that control neighborhoods throughout Central America today.

7.) U.S. IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS HAVE, OVER THE YEARS, FAILED TO RECOGNIZE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE ARE LEGITIMATELY SEEKING POLITICAL ASYLUM, AND THUS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO HUMANITARIAN TRAGEDIES.

-   From turning back German Jewish refugees in the late 1930s, to denying asylum status to Haitians fleeing the Duvalier dictatorship, to opposing the asylum claims of Salvadorans fleeing political violence in the 1980s, successive administrations have repeatedly underestimated the seriousness of human rights abuses, with political calculations overtaking humanitarian concerns. During El Salvador’s and Guatemala’s civil wars, now widely recognized to have been characterized by widespread human rights abuses and where the repressive governments’ were backed by the United States, the United States rejected almost all asylum claims from these countries. In 1984, only three percent of the asylum cases from these countries were granted, in contrast to much higher numbers of approvals for citizens of countries whose governments were considered hostile to the United States (such as Iranians and Afghans fleeing the Soviet invasion); an outcome which had more to do with political decisions rather than assessing the merits of the claims themselves.
-   In recent years, there are multiple, documented cases of Central Americans deported from the United States who have been killed as a result of gang violence, although we have no idea of what the actual scale could be. As was discussed previously, the vast differences in asylum decisions made by U.S. immigration judges also often have more to do with the judge than with the case itself. This is highlighted in an October 2017 Reuters report, in which two women from Honduras tell similar stories about fear for their lives and the lives of their children, and yet one is granted relief in the U.S. and the other was ordered deported. Such cases illustrate the arbitrary nature of these decisions which can be the difference between life and death for the people involved.
-   The growing backlog of cases forces judges to make rapid decision with little resources. Compounding this situation is the Trump administration’s decision in July 2017 to cancel the annual week-long training course to prepare judges for ongoing changes in case law, ethics and other areas. As one immigration judge told Quartz, her job was like “doing death-penalty cases in a traffic-court setting.”

question: What does the text say about Mexican immigration laws?

question: Summarize the role of Central America's Northern Triangle region in the article.

answer: Central America's Northern Triangle region consists of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. There has been a sharp rise in asylum seekers from these countries, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Reports indicate that more people from the Northern Triangle region sought affirmative asylum in the United States between 2013 to 2015 than in the previous 15 years combined. The reason behind the rise in asylum requests is that Northern Triangle Countries are experiencing record levels of violence against the most vulnerable members of society: women and children.

question: Summarize the role of an immigration judge.

answer: The immigration judge and the location of the court play a major role in whether an asylum application or case gets approved or not. For instance, judges in New York grant asylum in more than 75 percent of the cases, while in Atlanta, almost 90 percent of asylum requests are denied. The disparity suggests that asylum is granted not because of the merits of a person's case, but because of the individual judge hearing the case and the location where the case is heard.

question: What have U.S. immigration officials been guilty of over the years?

answer: Over the years, U.S. immigration officials have failed to recognize circumstances in which large numbers of people are legitimately seeking political asylum. This has led to humanitarian tragedies, such as turning back German-Jewish refugees in the late 1930s, denying asylum status to Haitians fleeing the Duvalier dictatorship, and opposing the asylum claims of Salvadorans fleeing political violence in the 1980s. Successive administrations have repeatedly underestimated the seriousness of human rights abuses, with political calculations overtaking humanitarian concerns.