text:
For nearly half a century after his stint as Nigeria’s military leader, Murtala Muhammed remained widely regarded as a dogged corruption fighter who took fearless steps against official graft.

As head of state, the army general dismissed more than 10, 000 public officials, charged many to court for malpractices, and moved against fraudulent firms.

Mr. Muhammed’s administration lasted six months before his assassination, but was long enough to convince many the 37-year-old was one leader who could have aggressively treated – if not cured – Nigeria of its chronic corruption, had he lived longer.

But to American diplomats, Mr. Muhammed was a strikingly different figure from the no-nonsense general many Nigerians respected.

They believed he was not only an arrogant mass murderer, but just as corrupt as those he went after.

And, although brilliant and daring, Mr. Muhammed was an erratic and impetuous ethnic chauvinist who lacked the unifying talent of his predecessor, Yakubu Gowon, American diplomats said at the time.

[John E. Reinhardt, former US ambassador to Nigeria.]
John E. Reinhardt, former US ambassador to Nigeria.
“The leader of the coup against General Yakubu Gowon is an erratic, vainglorious, impetuous, corrupt, vindictive, intelligent, articulate, daring Hausa,” a memorandum sent by then American Ambassador to Nigeria, John Reinhardt, to then United States Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, on August 18, 1975, said.

The memo, amongst several recently declassified U.S. diplomatic cables, painted a sordid picture of a man regarded by many Nigerians as a folk hero of sort, for his seeming relentless war against corruption.

Mr. Reinhardt delivered the damning appraisal on the request of Mr. Kissinger shortly after Mr. Muhammed deposed Mr. Gowon in a coup d’état.

The change of guard apparently triggered a feverish effort by the American government to obtain the character portraits of the new coup leaders of Africa’s most populous nation.

“Brigadier Murtala Muhammed was a prime force in the Nigerian coup of July 1966, which brought Gowon to power, and is one of the two principal plotters against Gowon for the past two years,” Mr. Reinhardt wrote.

“He commanded a division during the Nigerian civil war, was involved in the only documented case of genocide, won one important battle, and thereafter coasted for upwards of two years until Gowon finally removed him from command and placed him in charge of Army signals, a position which he held until last month…coup.”

[Dangote adbanner 728x90_2 (1)]

While Mr. Muhammed led Nigeria for less than a year before being overthrown, he featured for about a decade in the realms of military and political power.

He was also controversial. During the war against the secessionist Biafra Republic, Mr. Muhammed commanded the army’s second division which was accused of executing thousands of civilians in Asaba, Delta State, in what is now known as the Asaba Massacre.

The division was also accused of ordering the killing of several Biafran prisoners of war.

After he took office in 1975, Mr. Muhammed moved fiercely against corruption, earning praise.

But the U.S. cable depicted him differently.

One letter to Washington says Mr. Muhammed inherited from Mr. Gowon – and also contributed to – a “tradition of corrupt civilian and military officials, urban problems second only to those of Calcutta, drift and ineptitude in development, insoluble but containable ethnic problems, and a national temperament which combines pride, aggressiveness, arrogance and patriotism into a brand of xenophobia best labeled Nigerianism”.

“Almost six years after the civil war, Muhammed is probably ushering in a period of coups,” the cable said. “As a corrupt Hausa, he automatically attracts Ibo and Yoruba enmity, which he knows and has attempted to reduce by early appointments. As a Northerner and a Muslim, he will be expected to consolidate once and for all the leadership role which his fifty million brothers are certain is theirs. Muhammed will agree, of course, but will seem to the Hausas to vacillate as he sings ‘One Nigeria’.”

The Murtala Mohammed Foundation did not respond to a request for comment. Mr. Muhammed’s daughter, Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, who heads the foundation, could not be reached. Calls and a text message to her phone were not answered.

Balaraba Ramat Yakubu, author and younger sister of the former head of state, said she was not in a position to respond. She advised we contact the foundation’s head office in Lagos. Calls to available numbers to the office did not go through.

Michael Ogbeidi, professor and head of department of History and Strategic Studies, University of Lagos, who has researched and written extensively on political leadership and corruption in Nigeria since 1960, said he rejected the American assessment.

“America should put its house in order first and stop acting as the most honest nation in the world,” Mr. Ogbeidi said.

He said Mr. Reinhardt spoke “un-ambassadorially”, and suggested the Americans may have been unhappy with Mr. Murtala because of his tough stance against “corrupt” American companies that violated Nigerian laws.

“I completely disagree with that assessment because no country houses corrupt business entities like the USA; and this is evidenced in the collapse of the country’s housing, mortgage and auto sectors,” he said.

Eric Teniola, a veteran journalist, who was the Oyo State Bureau Chief for the Nigerian Herald at the time, also disagreed with the Americans.

“I am unable to agree with the Americans that he was corrupt because although there were lots of allegations at the time, they were never proven,” Mr. Teniola said. As far as I am concerned, he was a brave and committed administrator, never afraid of taking tough decisions and then standing firmly by them. He was a straightforward man. He was never sly.

“But it is true that he has high temper and was not much of a team player. He also displayed indiscipline in the way he related with Gowon during the war.”

Mr. Reinhardt, who was the U.S. top diplomat to Nigeria from 1971 to 1975, said while there was no reason to believe that Mr. Murtala could approach Mr. Gowon’s success in accommodating ethnic rivalries, there was also no reason to think that he would be any more successful in rapidly developing the country.

“…And rapidity is the great need if he is to avoid Gowon’s political problems stemming from stymied development,” he said. “Money is obviously plentiful, but absorptive capacity is low (corruption, unrealistic planning, confused priorities, and a demonstrated reluctance to turn to the outside).”

The cable had fewer words about Mr. Obasanjo, who later succeeded Mr. Muhammed after his death, and would later become Nigeria’s civilian president.

[12 Oct 1977, Manhattan, New York, USA: Lt. General Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria addressing the United Nations. [Photo Credit: CORBIS]]
12 Oct 1977, Manhattan, New York, USA: Lt. General Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria addressing the United Nations. [Photo Credit: CORBIS]
It pointed to the duo’s activism against apartheid in Southern Africa, and suspected they were anti-American.

“Finally, Muhammed and his co-plotter and now deputy, Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo, are the most militant of Nigerian military leaders on the Southern African question. Gowon and his principal lieutenants burned with the rage of all Africans when considering this issue, but they were realistic,” he said.

“Muhammed and Obasanjo are advocates of a NATO-type military command within the OAU having the avowed objective of strengthening liberation movements. More responsibility may bring more realism. On the other hand, formidable ethnic and developmental problems could convince the new leadership that they should deal repressively with the domestic scene while joining militant Arabs and Africans in organizing a Pan African jihad for liberation. (A large Libyan delegation visited Lagos last week.)

[Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo on 31 July,1975, a day after taking office. [Photo credit: Nigerian Bulletin]]
Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo on 31 July,1975, a day after taking office. [Photo credit: Nigerian Bulletin]
“Muhammed and Obasanjo are unlikely to bring any more inspiration to this enterprise than Nkrumah and Amin. At any rate they do not enhance their prospects for survival by any launchings on this uncharted course. Yorubas and Ibos, at least, will be disinclined to travel with them.”

Mr. Reinhardt said an early but “undocumented and probably inaccurate assessment” was that certainly Mr. Muhammed and perhaps Mr. Obasanjo were anti-American. He said that reaction was based on “an unfortunate U.S. visa restriction entered in Muhammed’s passport and Obasanjo’s impulsive move to evict our Embassy from prime Lagos property.”

“We are simply too far apart on the political issues which they exalt, mainly Southern Africa and the whole range of UN controversies,” he said.

He said the U.S. stood greater chance in the economic-commercial area, and noted that Mr. Muhammed had demonstrated some responsiveness in that regard.

“When the corrupt Muhammed succeeded the more corrupt J. S. Tarka as Commissioner of Communications, he immediately perceived that at least the telephones must operate properly if his fate were to be any different from Tarka’s.

“American businessmen, in extended conversations with me, described Muhammed as being un-Nigerian in his acceptance of their proposals. Specifically GTE and ITT were close to multi-million dollar contracts when Muhammed turned from communications to plotting.”

He assessed that Mr. Muhammed was intelligent enough to realise that he could not survive unless he converted oil revenues into tangible development.

“Among his considerable faults is not Idi Arminian stupidity,” he wrote. “His questionable maneuverings as Commissioner reveal a respect for American technology and a realization that capital markets do not begin and end in London. (British and Canadian communications interests have absorbed Nigerian revenues for years without producing a workable system. Other fields point up similar examples, as USG (Unites States Government) policy has deferred to a British sphere of influence.)

Amongst the recommendations Mr. Reinhardt sent to Washington, was an advice that the U.S. avoid even semblance of close political ties to the new regime, “until and unless it proves more durable than now seems likely”.

[Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon]
Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon
On the contrary, he advised the American government to maintain discreet and friendly state ties with Mr. Gowon, though avoiding commitments.

“After another coup or two, probably bloody, Gowon may seem more and more to be the indispensable military leader, or at least the only acceptable one,” he concluded.

Mr. Reinhardt was the first black U.S. ambassador to Nigeria. In 1977, he became the first career diplomat to lead the U.S. Information Agency.

He died on February 18, 2016 at 95.

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[PT Mag Campaign AD]

question: What are the opinions of the US officials about Murtala Muhammed?

answer: The US ambassador to Nigeria at the time of Muhammed's coup thinks that he's in charge of a corrupt group of officials in a country teeming with ethnic problems, xenophobia, and incompetent governance. He describes Muhammed as erratic, vainglorious, impetuous, corrupt, vindictive, intelligent, articulate, and daring. He's also thought to attract enmity from the parts of Nigerians that aren't Hausa. Even though Muhammed is seen as a champion against corruption in Nigeria, the US officials and media portray him just as corrupt as those he deposed of. Among the contributing factors are his military leadership for his predecessor Gowon, whom he deposed of. His division is thought to be involved with the only documented genocide during the Nigerian civil war. His division was also accused of being responsible for the Asaba Massacre.

question: What does the article say about Murtala Muhammed's reputation in Nigeria?

answer: He's considered to be a champion against corruption by the locals. His rule lasted only six months before he was assassinated, but even in that time he took lots of public officials to court for malpractices and made moves against fraudulent firms. He's considered to be a brave and committed administrator who can take tough decisions and stand by them.

question: What does the article say about John E. Reinhardt?

answer: He's the first black ambassador to Nigeria and the first career diplomat to lead the US Information Agency. He served in Nigeria from 1971 to 1975 and reported on Murtala Muhammed's coup, advising the US to avoid making ties until they prove themselves durable. Conversely, he advised the US to have discreet but friendly ties with Muhammed's predecessor Gowon. His general take on Muhammed was that he was both clever and volatile, likely to attract a series of coups. Reinhardt died on 18 February 2016 at age 95.

question: What does the text say about Reinhardt's views on international law?


split: test

text:
NOVY ISTOCHNIK () is a rural locality (a settlement) in Sosnovskoye Rural Settlement, Vologodsky District, Vologda Oblast, Russia. The population was 35 as of 2002.[1] There are 2 streets.

Geography

The distance to Vologda is 25.5 km, to Sosnovka is 6 km. Koryukino is the nearest rural locality.

[1] Данные переписи 2002 года: таблица 2С. М.: Федеральная служба государственной статистики, 2004.

title: Novy Istochnik

question: How many people lived in Novy Istochnik in 2002?

answer: 35


text:
[600 px|Adoration of the Three Kings from České Budějovice, Aleš South Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou] This late Gothic relief with a scene showing the ADORATION OF THE THREE KINGS came from the defunct hospital Church of St Wenceslaus in České Budějovice.[1] It was carved between 1500 and 1510, most likely in the workshop of the _Monogrammist AI_ who is often identified with _Master Alexander_ (Alexandr Schniczer).[2] The relief is on show at the permanent collection of the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou.

History

The Hospital and Church of St Wenceslaus in České Budějovice was founded in 1327 and ceased to exist in 1840. The relief of the Adoration of the Three Kings was put on show every Christmas at the Church of St Nicholas. It was later the property of the family of municipal scribe Illing, passing on to his daughter and then to his granddaughter. It was from his granddaughter that the relief was purchased in 1910 by the Town Museum, from where it was transferred to the collection of the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou.

Description and classification

It is a high relief in lime wood with partly preserved original polychromy. It measures 73 x 98 x 22cm. It was restored by Jiří Blažej (1953-1954) and Ludmila Slánská (Prague, 1965).

Against the relief’s background, comprising an indicated wall made up of cube-shaped stones, there are five almost separate figures centred around the focus of the composition – the figure of the Infant Jesus. Left of the seated Virgin Mary, there is an open shed with the heads of a donkey and ox. Joseph is standing behind Mary; with a gesture of his arm, he guards the mother and leans over the child. The restless child, whom Mary cradles in her lap, holds his mother’s veil with his right hand and holds out his left hand to the cup held by the kneeling King Caspar. The king has placed his crown on the ground and looks up at the faces of Mary and Joseph. Behind the kneeling oldest Wise Man there stands the middle figure, Melchior, who bears a small decorated chest of gold. Behind him there stands Balthazar, who is clearly holding a vessel filled with incense. The hem of his cloak is inscribed with the _monogram AI_.

The overall composition is based on a print by Master E.S. and Martin Schongauer,[3] and the style of its carving is formally connected with that of the Master of the Kefermarkt Altarpiece. The strongly ornamental stylisation of the hair, whiskers and crumpled folds of the clothes is typical of his work. Jesus’s and Balthazar’s fluttering drapery could have its source of inspiration in the early work of Lucas Cranach the Elder.[4]

The Three Kings, who are portrayed as representatives of the three continents that were known at that time (Europe, Asia and Africa) were first-hand witnesses to the Epiphany and announced hope throughout the world. According to medieval ideas, they could hope for early salvation. Sculpture signatures also appear on the scenes of the Adoration from the workshops of other sculptors. It can be assumed that, with the depiction of this scene, the sculptor identifies with the harbingers of the Gospel.[5]

This work, which was ascribed in earlier literature to the Master of the Lamentation from Žebrák, stands out from regional sculpture production.[6] It could have been made by Master Alexander, who most probably came to Bohemia from the Upper Rhineland and was a member of the České Budějovice guild of goldsmiths, painters and sculptors.[7] The conception and modelling of the relief, the genre motif of the restless child and the typology of the figures, have a close affinity to the stylistic circle of the Viennese followers of Nicolaus Gerhaert van Leyden.[8] In contrast to the works of the Master of the Žebrák Lamentation, the relief of the Adoration is characterised by a celebratory style free of pathos as well as by precise carving that features details observed from reality (the wrinkles and the suppleness of the child’s body).[9]

File:Klanění tří králů z Českých Budějovic (detail I), AJG Hluboká nad Vltavou.jpg File:Klanění tří králů z Českých Budějovic (detail III), AJG Hluboká nad Vltavou.jpg File:Klanění tří králů z Českých Budějovic (detail II), AJG Hluboká nad Vltavou.jpg

[1] Jaroslav Kadlec, Špitál sv. Václava v Českých Budějovicích. Acta regionalia. 1970—1971, p 65—76

[2] Mudra A, Ottová M, 2013, p. 341

[3] Mudra A, Ottová M, 2013, p. 344

[4] Kropáček J, 1965, s. 211

[5] Mudra A, Ottová M, 2013, p. 342

[6] Rulíšek H, NG, 1989, p. 31

[7] Látal H, 2016, no. 29

[8] Kropáček J, 1965, p. 210

[9] Kutal A, 1966, pp. 226-227

question: Summarize the significance of the Adoration of the Three Kings.

answer: This gothic relief is noted for its workmanship and historical value. Estimated to have been made between 1500 to 1510,its age alone makes it very important. As a relief, it is part of an equally historical structure, the now defunct church of St. Wenceslaus. While the original artist of the relief is not known, it is often attributed to Master Alexander Schniczer, who, as the title implies, is an important artist.


text:
At the top of a slow incline of a road, a van started to roll. It started to roll left, and then right, and eventually it fixated itself down the middle of the street. The van rolled down the hill slowly. It traveled past the 9 acre hilltop manor in which nobody knew who lived. The papers were left on the doorstep each morning, and gone by night. Nobody ever saw who took them, and nobody ever saw the inhabitant leave for anything either. The groceries were left on the porch by a strange man in a suit. Nobody bothered to interfere, therefore nobody knew who he was either. This day, while the van rolled slowly past the home, somebody saw something inside. A curtain had been lifted on the left side of the manor. Something moved slightly towards the left side of the window. The somebody who saw this something ran outside and called to the rest of the neighborhood. They gathered outside to see what had happened. The somebody who saw something said “Look! Look! There’s something moving!” The rest of the neighborhood turned towards the house and squinted. Surely they would notice, the somebody thought to themselves quietly. “Go back inside you loon. There’s nothing but dusty curtains!” The neighborhood dispersed and the somebody looked back to the manor. The curtains were drawn and the something had disappeared back into the mysterious ancient building. The next day, the somebody received a letter. It read, “Hello there somebody. I am the strange man in a suit. My patron has asked me to tell you of their vested interest in your immediate future. Although I have been asked to refrain from explaining this in detail, I must ask that you heed my patrons words with a great deal of importance. Thank you, somebody. Expect to hear again shortly.”
This blossomed into a weekly one-way correspondence between somebody and a strange man in a suit. Though somebody had no way of contacting or responding to the strange man in a suit, he seemed to have all of somebody’s questions answered by the time the next letter appeared. Somebody became obsessed with the letters he would receive. Somebody stopped leaving their home, eventually leaving their job and abandoning their old life altogether. They stopped paying their bills. The electricity was turned off, the water as well. Yet, for some reason, nobody ever came to evict. Somebody had forgotten about the outside world, and it had forgotten about somebody too. Somebody was so transfixed with the letters that seemed to know every answer somebody had. Somebody began to rely on the strange man in a suit for their needs such as food, water, and other necessities. Somebody started to grow older. The strange man in a suit had slowly stopped writing somebody, but would however still bring their food and water every week. Somebody wanted a new friend. Somebody started peeking outside their window. Somebody saw a van roll down the hill, and when the van had continued on, somebody opened the curtain, and somebody looked back. Somebody had the strange man in a suit write to the somebody, hoping to strike a new friendship with them. Somebody never heard from the strange man in a suit ever again.

title: [SP] Somebody

question: Explain the twist regarding the identity of the man in the suit.

answer: The man in the suit and somebody are actually the same person.


text:
_CRUEL INTENTIONS_ is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the novel _Les Liaisons dangereuses_, written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos in 1782, but set among wealthy teenagers attending high school in New York City instead of 18th-century France.[1] In a 2016 interview with Sarah Michelle Gellar, she revealed that the original title of the movie was to be “Cruel Inventions”.[2]

The film started as a smaller budget independent film, but was picked up by Columbia Pictures and released on March 5, 1999. Despite mixed critical reviews, the performances of Gellar, Philippe, and Witherspoon were praised. _Cruel Intentions_ was a box office success, earning $76 million and spawning two further films, both direct-to-video.

Plot

In an upscale New York City mansion, wealthy and popular teenager Kathryn Merteuil discusses her prep school with Mrs. Caldwell and her daughter, Cecile. Kathryn promises Mrs. Caldwell that she will look out for the naive Cecile. When Kathryn's stepbrother Sebastian Valmont enters the room, Mrs. Caldwell reacts to him coldly and leaves with Cecile.

Kathryn tells Sebastian that she intends to use Cecile to take revenge on her ex-lover Court Reynolds, who dumped her for Cecile. Kathryn asks Sebastian to seduce Cecile, thereby spoiling her in Court's eyes. Sebastian refuses because he is planning to seduce Annette Hargrove, the headmaster's virgin daughter, who has published an essay in support of chastity until marriage.

After some negotiation, they agree on a wager: if Sebastian fails to seduce Annette, Kathryn gets Sebastian's vintage Jaguar XK140; if he succeeds, Kathryn will have sex with him, suggesting possibility of anal as well, since Kathryn is the only girl Sebastian has failed to bed.

Sebastian's first attempt to seduce Annette fails, as she already knows about his bad reputation. Sebastian discovers that Mrs. Caldwell, Cecile's mother, warned Annette about him. He finally agrees to corrupt Cecile out of revenge.

Meanwhile, Cecile confides in Kathryn about her romance with her same age music teacher, Ronald Clifford. Kathryn reveals the romance to Mrs. Caldwell, who orders Cecile to end the relationship, her disapproval arising out of his race. Sebastian lures Cecile to his house, offering a letter from Ronald. He then gets Cecile drunk and blackmails her in order to trick her into allowing him to perform oral sex on her. The next day, Cecile confides in Kathryn, who advises her to be as promiscuous as possible to learn how to please Ronald.

Sebastian begins to truly fall in love with Annette, who returns his feelings but is still hesitant. Sebastian calls her a hypocrite because although she claims to be waiting for her one true love, she resists him when he chooses to love her back. Annette finally relents. But Sebastian, confused about his own feelings, now refuses her. Annette flees to the estate of her friend's parents. Sebastian finds her and professes his love, and they consummate their relationship.

Kathryn offers herself to Sebastian after he wins the 'bet', but he rejects her: he now only wants Annette. Enraged and jealous, Kathryn insults his masculinity. Stung, Sebastian informs her that he was planning to tell Annette the truth. Kathryn warns him that doing so will destroy both his and Annette's reputations. Sebastian lies to Annette, claiming he just wanted to see what she was like in bed, and that he has no real feelings for her. Devastated, Annette tells him to leave.

Sebastian informs Kathryn that he has broken up with Annette and now wants his reward for winning the bet. Kathryn reveals that he, and not Annette, was the true victim of her scheme: for her own amusement, she manipulated him into abandoning Annette once she realized that he truly loved her. She then dismisses him, telling him that she doesn't sleep with “losers.”

Sebastian desperately tries to contact Annette to confess the truth and beg her forgiveness, but she refuses to see him. He gives her his journal, in which he has detailed Kathryn's manipulative schemes, their bet, and his true feelings for Annette.

Ronald starts a fist fight with Sebastian after Kathryn tells him that Sebastian hit her and violated Cecile. Annette tries to intervene, but is thrown into traffic; Sebastian is hit by a car when he pushes her to safety. Before dying, Sebastian confesses his love for her and Annette tells him she loves him too. Ronald leaves the scene in shame, realizing Kathryn manipulated him.

In her eulogy at Sebastian's funeral, Kathryn claims she tried to set an example for her late brother. When people start leaving midway through her speech, Kathryn rushes outside to find Cecile handing out copies of Sebastian's journal. As the details of her manipulations and drug abuse are made public, Kathryn's reputation is finally destroyed and it is implied that the disapproving headmaster will expel her from the school.

In the final scene, Annette drives away in Sebastian's car with his journal at her side, remembering the good moments they shared together.

Cast

-   Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kathryn Merteuil, based on the Marquise de Merteuil
-   Ryan Phillippe as Sebastian Valmont, based on the Vicomte de Valmont
-   Reese Witherspoon as Annette Hargrove, based on Madame de Tourvel
-   Selma Blair as Cecile Caldwell, based on Cécile Volanges
-   Louise Fletcher as Helen Rosemond, based on Madame de Rosemonde
-   Joshua Jackson as Blaine Tuttle
-   Eric Mabius as Greg McConnell
-   Sean Patrick Thomas as Ronald Clifford, based on the Chevalier Danceny
-   Swoosie Kurtz as Dr. Regina Greenbaum (Kurtz notably portrayed Madame de Volanges in the 1988 film version of _Dangerous Liaisons_)
-   Christine Baranski as Bunny Caldwell, based on Madame de Volanges
-   Alaina Reed Hall as Nurse
-   Deborah Offner as Mrs. Michalak
-   Tara Reid as Marci Greenbaum
-   Hiep Thi Le as Mai-Lee
-   Herta Ware as Mrs. Sugarman
-   Drew Snyder as Headmaster Hargrove
-   Charlie O'Connell as Court Reynolds, based on the Comte de Gercourt
-   Fred Norris as Meter Maid

Production

[Old Westbury Gardens was one of the filming locations] One of the filming locations was Old Westbury Gardens in Nassau County, New York, as well as the Harry F. Sinclair House in New York City.[3]

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 54%, based on reviews from 114 critics, with an average score of 5.26/10. The site's consensus stated: “This darkly comic drama and its attractive young cast are easy on the eyes, but uneven performances and an uninspired script conspire to foil _Cruel Intentions._”[4] Metacritic gave the film an average score of 56% based on reviews from 24 critics.[5] Charles Taylor of _Salon.com_ described the film as “The dirtiest-minded American movie in recent memory - and an honestly corrupt entertaining picture is never anything to sneeze at.”[6] Stephen Holden of _The New York Times_ stated, “You have the queasy sense that the whole thing is just an elaborate stunt and, in this case, an exploitative one.”[7] Despite this, Roger Ebert, a noted film critic for _The Chicago Sun-Times,_ praised _Cruel Intentions_ and gave the film three out of four stars in his review, stating that it was “smart and merciless in the tradition of the original story.”[8] _Cruel Intentions_ was a commercial success, grossing $13,020,565 in its opening weekend, ranking #2 behind _Analyze This_; released in 2,312 theaters, the movie raked in $76.3 worldwide against a $10.5 million budget.[9][10]

The movie was nominated for Worst Remake at the 1999 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, but lost to _The Haunting_.[11]

Awards

The film received the following awards and nominations:

  Year                                                           Ceremony                                          Category                                          Result
  -------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- --------
  2000                                                           Blockbuster Entertainment Awards                  Favorite Supporting Actress (Reese Witherspoon)
  Golden Slate Awards                                            Best Original Score
  Best Actress in a Leading Role (Sarah Michelle Gellar)
  Best Movie
  Best Movie Soundtrack
  Best Teen Movie
  MTV Movie Awards                                               Best Female Performance (Sarah Michelle Gellar)
  Best Kiss (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Selma Blair)
  Best Male Performance (Ryan Phillippe)
  Best Villain (Sarah Michelle Gellar)
  Teen Choice Awards                                             Choice Movie: Drama
  Choice Movie Actor (Ryan Phillippe)
  Choice Movie Actress (Reese Witherspoon)
  Choice Movie: Love Scene (Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe)
  Choice Movie: Villain (Sarah Michelle Gellar)
  Choice Movie: Soundtrack
  Stinkers Bad Movie Awards                                      Worst Remake

Soundtrack

The _Cruel Intentions_ soundtrack is a compilation soundtrack released on March 9, 1999 by Arista/Virgin Records. It reached number 60 on the Billboard chart.[12] The lead track for the film was “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by rock band The Verve.

Prequel and sequels

The film received two direct-to-video follow-ups—a prequel titled _Cruel Intentions 2_ in 2001 and a sequel titled _Cruel Intentions 3_ in 2004. Written and directed by Roger Kumble, _Cruel Intentions 2_ was assembled from _Manchester Prep,_ a scrapped prequel series by Fox, of which three episodes had been filmed. It features younger versions of the characters of Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil played by Robin Dunne and Amy Adams, respectively, alongside Sarah Thompson and Keri Lynn Pratt. _Cruel Intentions 3_ was directed by Scott Ziehl and features Kerr Smith, Kristina Anapau, Nathan Wetherington, Melissa Yvonne Lewis, Natalie Ramsey and Tom Parker.

Cancelled television series

NBC announced in October 2015 that they had picked up a television pilot for a continuation of the film's storyline, which was to be written by Kumble, Jordan Ross and Lindsey Rosin, with Sebastian Valmont and Annette Hargrove's son being the main character.[13] In February 2016, Taylor John Smith and Samantha Logan were cast, with Smith playing the male lead role of Bash Casey, Sebastian Valmont and Annette Hargrove's son.[14] Gellar reached a deal with producers to reprise her role as the female lead, Kathryn Merteuil.[15] In March, Kate Levering was cast in the role of Annette Hargrove.[16] On October 31, 2016, NBC announced that they decided not to go through with the series.[17]

Musical

_Cruel Intentions: The Musical_ is a 1990s jukebox musical also by Ross, Rosin and Kumble, based on the film. After two runs in Los Angeles and a pop-up engagement in New York, the show made its Off-Broadway debut at the Greenwich Village nightclub Le Poisson Rouge in November 2017 and ran through April 2018. Set to pop and rock hits of the 1990s and songs from the film's soundtrack, the plot concern the manipulations of Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil. The diabolical step-siblings place a bet on whether or not Sebastian can deflower their incoming headmaster's daughter, Annette Hargrove.[18]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4] “Cruel Intentions”. _Rotten Tomatoes_. Retrieved 2020-06-12.

[5] “Cruel Intentions Reviews, Ratings, Credits”. _Metacritic_. Retrieved 2011-06-30.

[6] Taylor, Charles. (1999-03-05). “Cruel Intentions”. _Salon.com_. Retrieved 2014-06-14.

[7] Holden, Stephen. (1999-03-05). “'Cruel Intentions': Back to Their Old Tricks, but a Whole Lot Younger”. _The New York Times_. Retrieved 2011-06-30.

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

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[13]

[14]

[15]

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[18] Lefkowitz, Andy. “Cruel Intentions Musical Extends Off-Broadway Run for Third & Final Time”, Broadway.com, February 20, 2018

title: Cruel Intentions

question: What does the article say about Cruel Intentions as a franchise?

answer: The film received two direct-to-video follow-ups: a prequel and a sequel. A television series was also planned but was ultimately cancelled. A musical, Cruel Intentions: The Musical, was also spawned based on the film.

question: What does the article say about the history of the movie?

answer: The movie is an adaptation of a 1782 novel titled Les Liaisons dangereuses. Its original title was going to be "Cruel Inventions". It began as a smaller budget indie film but was picked up by Columbia Pictures.

question: What does the article say about Cruel Intentions 4?


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You might not realize it, but smooth camera movement is key to making great videos. The problem is capturing smooth moment is hard and requires special tools normally used by hollywood professionals. ROV brings this technology to the everyday user and makes it as easy as pressing record. Your phone moves and captures cinematic video or time-lapse simultaneously.

[Shot on iPhone 7 Plus]
Shot on iPhone 7 Plus

Use a DSLR or Mirrorless camera on ROV PRO to capture amazing video and time-lapses.

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[ROV & ROV PRO come in the Everyday length]
ROV & ROV PRO come in the Everyday length

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[ROV & ROV PRO come in the Traveler length]
ROV & ROV PRO come in the Traveler length

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App-connected devices are only good as the apps that control it. ROV uses two distinctly different apps to control it based on what you’re filming with. Our apps are heavily tested, and available for download. You can even use Rhino Storyteller without ROV to create amazing videos.

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1) NIGHT LAPSE

This mode is amazing. Have you ever seen beautiful DSLR night time-lapses and thought “How'd they shoot that?”. Well, now you can shoot those on your iPhone with ease. Use the full manual controls to get the perfect exposure. ROV even moves your camera between shots to ensure motion blur doesn't ruin your shot. After your time-lapse is done, Rhino Storyteller automatically creates a video and plays it back for you to review. No rendering or downloading your images, just an instantly rendered time-lapse.

[Night Lapse from Manhattan Bridge]
Night Lapse from Manhattan Bridge

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2) TIME-LAPSE

In Time-lapse mode, select how long you want to shoot for and the length of your final clip. Press record and your time-lapse will begin. It's that simple. Choose a longer exposure during the day for an amazing effect. Use the Moment Wide V2 lens to capture more of your landscape with amazing clarity.

When a Time-Lapse is started the screen auto dims and only shows the most recent picture captured to save your phone's battery life. We've taken 8 hour time-lapses with our iPhone 7 Plus.

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3) SLOMO

In Slomo mode, choose your frame rate and increase the speed of your move for amazing actions sports shots. Checkout the scene below we shot with Shonduras at a remote mountain skate park in Utah. You can trigger your shot to start with a timer, by clapping your hands or using a bluetooth trigger.

[Shonduras skating with ROV]
Shonduras skating with ROV

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4) VIDEO

In video mode you can use auto controls or easily enable manual mode by swiping up/down or left/right for focus and exposure. Use the loupe tool to make sure your focus is tack sharp. Set your shutter speed, ISO, and White Balance all manually if your shoot requires it. An electronic level makes sure your shot is level even when your slider isn't.

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Setting up ROV in the app is extremely easy. By default the direction is set to “Auto” which moves to the opposite end of the slider each move and the speed is set to Medium. You can change the direction, speed, and even have your move loop from end to end if you’re shooting a vlog or interview.

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TRIM & REARRANGE

We couldn’t find an intuitive editor that we loved on the app store so we built one ourselves. The editor in Rhino Storyteller allows you to easily trim and rearrange clips using a vertical-style editing system. It makes it much easier to manage your edit on a mobile device. If you want to try it out, download the app now and work on the sample project to see how you like it.

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EXPOSURE, SPEED, MUTING & MUSIC

On each clip, you’re able to adjust the exposure, speed and mute it if the audio is annoying. When you’re finished with your edit, add a compelling audio track and export your finished work.

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If you’re using a DLSR or Mirrorless camera with ROV PRO, ROV Motion gives you control over your direction, speed, ramp, and allows you to loop if you’re shooting a vlog or and interview.

If you want to film with your GoPro or use another app to record like the standard Apple app or Filmic Pro you can control ROV with ROV Motion.

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Time-Lapse mode let’s you setup a time-lapse in seconds. The intuitive interface lets you program just like you do in Rhino Motion. Set your shutter speed, test your exposure, set your clip length and increase your duration if needed.

Once your time-lapse starts, feel free to close the app and reconnect anytime for your status. The status LEDs will turn turquoise when a time-lapse is active so you know you can put your phone away and rest easy.

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ALL-METAL UNIBODY RAIL

The unibody design of ROV sets it apart from any other camera slider ever made. Extruded from a single piece of aircraft grade aluminum and CNC milled to perfection, the ROV rail allowed us to store the motor, electronics, battery, and drive system all within the itself. From the outside all that remains is an ultra sleek, beautiful shape. Other sliders put their electronics on top of the rail which raises the center of gravity and makes it much less easy to pack.

ROV PRO comes in an exclusive gunmetal color that is polished and then bead blasted before being hard anodized.

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HIGH END CORELESS MOTOR

We agonized over the motor selection for ROV. It had to be small but torquey, fast but quiet, and draw very little power. After testing dozens of stepper and DC motors we found a motor commonly used in medical and aerospace applications: Coreless DC technology. At low speeds it’s super quiet and can still pull a 5lb DSLR up a 30 degree incline during a time-lapse. Money.

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INSANE BATTERY LIFE

Raise your hand if you like charging your gadgets. That’s what we thought. No one. That’s why we built in a high capacity li-po battery into ROV. During normal use, you can expect to shoot for at least 24 hours without recharging (normal usage at medium speeds).

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LOW PROFILE IPHONE MOUNT

Your iPhone is a beautifully designed piece of hardware, so why shouldn’t your phone mount be also? We designed the iPhone mount on ROV from scratch. It has an integrated ball head so you can adjust the angle of your shot with ease. The internal spring is strong enough to hold your camera secure during long time lapses but easy enough to mount with a single hand.

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It also has a built in cold shoe mount so you can use accessories like the ROV Shotgun Mic without needing a special case.

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FLUSH FOLDING ALL-TERRAIN LEGS

We pioneered flush folding, all-terrain legs on our high end sliders. They’re there if you need them, but they fold out of the way when you want to mount to a tripod. The legs on ROV us a click-lock mechanism that allows you to easily adjust the angle of the legs while still holding strong.

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TRIPOD MOUNTING (ON CENTER)

Being able to center mount your camera slider is crucial when you’re filmmaking on the go. We bolted a solid piece of aluminum to the bottom of the rail to ensure your slider doesn’t flex when mounting to a tripod. It’s tapped for both 3/8-16 and 1/4-20 and works perfectly with the ROV Tripod.

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PROFESSIONAL 1/4-20 BALL HEAD (YOU GET THE IPHONE MOUNT TOO)

ROV PRO includes both the iPhone mount and a rock solid, silky smooth ball head. It features a a quick release plate that makes mounting your DSLR or Mirrorless camera as easy as a click. The ball head and the iPhone Mount both attach via 3/8-16 thread on the carriage which allows you to use them to shoot b-roll on the ROV Tripod when you’re using the other mount on your slider.

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[Sony A7s mounted on ROV PRO]
Sony A7s mounted on ROV PRO

DSLR TIME-LAPSE

ROV PRO is capable of capturing the same beautiful time-lapses our high end EVO gear is known for. Using an intervalometer built into the hardware, ROV PRO triggers you camera to take photos when it’s not moving to eliminate motion blur. Since the carriage is moving a lot less in this mode, the battery life will provide you with multiple days and nights of filming. An optional cable is required to trigger your DSLR during time-lapses. After campaign ends, we’ll send out a survey that will allow you to purchase the specific cable needed for your camera.

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[Long exposure time-lapse at Mt. Rainier]
Long exposure time-lapse at Mt. Rainier

PREMIUM GUNMETAL FINISH

ROV PRO features a beautiful, unmistakable gunmetal gray finish. We're still tweaking the final spec of the pantone and gloss level but it's unreal in person. It also has a hard anodize coating that makes it more scratch resistant than the coating on ROV.

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ROV BACKPACKS _($80/$100 MSRP)_

Backpacks and carrying cases are normally an afterthought for most companies. Not for Rhino. Our product cases are an integral part of the user experience. We went through countless revisions making sure every detail was perfect.

The ROV Backpack has room to store your slider, tripod, mic, lenses, filters and two side pockets for anything else you want to bring along. All of your filming equipment can be stored in a single bag.

Our professional pack when filming with a DSLR weighs upwards of 20lbs. Our complete ROV pack with 4 lenses, ND filters, mic, and tripod weighs under 6lbs.

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[ROV Everyday Backpack]
ROV Everyday Backpack

[ROV Everyday Backpack with ROV Mic, ROV Tripod, and Moment Lens set]
ROV Everyday Backpack with ROV Mic, ROV Tripod, and Moment Lens set

ROV TRIPOD _($70 MSRP)_

If you’re serious about using a slider, getting a solid tripod is critical. We partnered with a well known tripod manufacturer to create a simple and strong tripod that was affordable.

We hate twist lock tripod legs. You know the ones that you spin forever to get tight that still slip when you put weight on them? That’s why the leg locks on the ROV Tripod are cam based. The cams are recessed so they won’t catch on other gear when you’re storing it. The telescoping legs have 4 sections which allows it to pack down smaller than normal 3 section tripods. The octoganal tubing is thick wall extruded aluminum for better rigidity.

The ROV Tripod supports both ROV Everyday and Traveler but can only support a 2lb camera on the Traveler (heavier cameras will tip it over).

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ROV SHOTGUN MIC _($60 MSRP)_

Here at Rhino we have a saying that might surprise you, “Audio is everything”. If you have poor video quality and great audio, your audience will forgive you. But, if you have even the best visuals and your audio quality or soundtrack is terrible it’s all for not.

A good quality shotgun mic is one of the absolute essentials for an aspiring filmmaker. It allows you to capture great quality audio from either a subject in an interview or ambient sounds.

The ROV Mic is a battery-free shotgun mic that can clip on top of your DSLR or the phone mount that’s included with ROV & ROV PRO. It includes cables for both, a windscreen, and a nice padded case, although it’ll fit better stashed away in your ROV Backpack.

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MOMENT NEW WIDE LENS

Moment lenses are arguably the best glass around for mobile photography. Their new V2 line is even better than the originals and that’s saying a lot. They are built like tanks and the design and engineering that went into each one is second to none.

We partnered with Moment to include their New Wide lens in a couple of our bundles. It’s our favorite lens because the focal length of the standard iPhone lens is a bit to long for our taste. The Moment Wide is amazing for filming cities, landscapes, and even people.

A phone case is required to mount the lens to your phone and is included with the lens. You can pick out which one will fit your phone after the campaign ends (iPhone 6, 6+, 7, 7+, 8, 8+, X, Pixel, Pixel 2).

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ROV has changed a lot since our original concept from 2 years ago. Initially, all of the electronics, battery, and motor were going to be in the carriage. It would simplify the system but it would have been bulky and tall. So we pivoted and opted for putting the guts at each end of the slider. This allowed us to make an extremely streamlined shape that would be easy to store carry with you.

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We opted for using a DC motor over our usual stepper motors because we could get so much more torque with less power. We tested dozens of DC motors and they were all too noisy until we learned of Coreless DC technology. They’re quieter and more torquey all while using less power. All great news, but it came with a hefty price tag, 3x more expensive than our previous motor. The price you pay for quality is worth it.

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As we built out this system, we started testing heavier cameras on it which yielded harrowing results. The rails weren’t rigid enough and we were getting strange vibrations in our test footage. At a very late stage in development we made the call. Scrap it and start over.

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We completely reimagined what a slider could be and started iterating through different rail designs. It was this iteration that allowed our lead designer, Gabriel Collins to dream up the Unibody Rail, one of ROVs most striking features.

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Rhino is a group of photographers, filmmakers, and engineers that love making great gear. Our first Kickstarter campaign was 6 years ago when we launched the Rhino Steady stabilizer. Since then, our Kickstarter community has been standing behind us at every launch. We wouldn’t be a company if we didn’t have the support of our backers. Seriously.

We stand behind our products with a Lifetime Warranty (on hardware, 1 year on electronics). We pride ourselves in making intuitive, high quality gear that empowers you to tell amazing stories. Less is more in our world. If you can setup your gear faster and easier and spend more time on your story, that's a win for us.

We hope that you enjoyed learning more about ROV and how it can help you make better films. Feel free to reach out through a message or comment if you have any questions.

Kyle & Rhino Team

question: What does the text say about the importance of time lapse photography?

question: What does the text say about the original design for ROV?

answer: The electronics, battery, and motor were going to be built into the carriage. This was to keep the system simple, but it made it too bulky and tall.

question: What modes are available with ROV?

answer: The article lists four modes for the iPhone ROV: night lapse, time-lapse, slomo, and video. Auto controls and manual adjustments can be enabled in each mode. A time-lapse mode is also part of the ROV PRO for DSLR equipment.

question: What does the text say about the Rhino Storyteller app?

answer: Rhino's Storyteller app is heavily tested and available to download. It works with (or without) ROV to create amazing videos. Setting up ROV in the app is easy and there is no rendering or downloading necessary to play back time-lapses right away. The app allows users to edit exposure, speed, and audio in a video file.


text:
HELSINKI (AP) — American rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty to assault as his trial in Sweden opened Tuesday, a month after a street fight that landed him in jail and became a topic of U.S.-Swedish diplomacy.

Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused with two others of beating a 19-year-old man in Stockholm on June 30. Prosecutors played video footage in court that showed Mayers throwing a young man to the ground.

Wearing sweatpants and a green T-shirt in court, Mayers, 30, pleaded not guilty to an assault charge that carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. He says he acted in self-defense.

The Grammy-nominated artist’s extended detention prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to personally intervene on his behalf earlier this month. Mayers nevertheless remained behind bars, angering Trump.

Swedish news agency TT said Trump sent the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs to Stockholm to monitor the court proceedings and to show support for Mayers.

The special envoy, Ambassador Robert O’Brien, was seen at Stockholm District Court in the morning. A biographical statement on the State Department’s website says O’Brien “leads the U.S. government’s diplomatic efforts on overseas hostage-related matters.”

“He works closely with the families of American hostages and advises the senior leadership of the U.S. Government on hostage issues,” the website states.

A senior U.S. official in Washington described O’Brien’s presence as part of an effort to convey Trump’s concern about the case, support American citizens “and, to, hopefully, bring them home.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because they were not authorized to discuss it by name.

Fellow rapper RZA (RIHZ’-uh) of the Wu-Tang Clan told The Associated Press on Friday he was concerned about A$AP Rocky and “disappointed that a judge cannot discern that this is not a man you hold hostage.”

A$AP Rocky’s mother, Renee Black, also attended the proceedings. She said beforehand she was convinced her son is not guilty,

“This is a nightmare,” Black was quoted by Swedish media as saying.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers presented competing narratives on the trial’s opening day of what happened the night of the fight.

Prosecutors said 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari and a friend got into an argument with Mayers and one of his bodyguards near a fast-food restaurant where the rapper’s entourage had eaten.

Mayers has published videos on his Instagram account that showed him repeatedly pleading with the two to stop following him and his associates.

Defense lawyer Slobodan Jovicic stressed Tuesday that the rapper and his entourage “didn’t want any trouble” and alleged that Jafari and his friend had exhibited “aggressive and deeply provocative behavior.”

A$AP Rocky previously encountered violent situations because of his fame and “there are some people who don’t always wish him well.” Jovicic said.

“He’s has been harassed in the past. In this case, the bodyguard made the assessment that these people should move on ... and not to come close,” the lawyer said.

Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Mayers and the two other men thought to be part of his entourage beat and kicked Jafari while he was on the ground.

Jafari also was hit with parts of or a whole bottle, they alleged. The court file includes photos of Jafari’s cuts, bruises and blood-stained clothes.

Another lawyer representing A$AP Rocky in Sweden, Martin Persson, told public broadcaster SVT he would present evidence showing “no bottle has been used to hit or injure anyone.”

Any physical aggression by Mayers and his co-defendants was “within the limits of the law,” Persson said.

The trial is expected to continue with witness testimony on Thursday and could run through Friday, Stockholm District Court.

Mayers, along with two men thought to be members of his entourage, was jailed on July 3 and remains in custody.

His case has drawn the attention of American celebrities and Mayers’ fellow recording artists, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Bieber. A social media campaign for his release, #JusticeForRocky, was created soon after his arrest.

Trump also weighed in, asking for a phone call with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and offering to personally guarantee A$AP Rocky’s bail. The two leaders spoke, and the prime minister’s spokeswoman said Lofven stressed he couldn’t interfere in a legal case.

Sweden doesn’t have a bail system, so Mayers stayed behind bars despite Trump’s vouching for him. After prosecutors filed charges Thursday, Trump took to Twitter to criticize Lofven “for being unable to act.”

“Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM,” Trump added. “We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky.”

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

question: Summarize what A$AP Rocky was accused of.

answer: A$AP Rocky (Rakim Mayers) is accused of beating a 19-year-old man while he was on the ground. Prosecutors said that Mayers got into an argument with the 19-year-old near a restaurant where Mayers and his crew had eaten, but Mayers says the young man and his friend would not leave him alone. Mayers was also accused, with two of his bodyguards, of hitting the 19-year-old with a glass bottle.

question: What does the text say about Trump's involvement in A$AP Rocky's case?

answer: President Trump personally intervened on A$AP Rocky's behalf. Trump sent the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs to Stockholm to keep an eye on court proceedings. The envoy was also sent to convey public concern and show the support of American citizens. Trump also called the Swedish Prime Minister to guarantee A$AP Rocky's bail but Sweden doesn't have a bail system and the Prime Minister can't interfere in legal cases. Trump tweeted about the matter on Twitter, as well.


text:
The pink neon of the diner’s sign illuminated the first 300 feet in front of the man. Snow crept down from the sky tickling the man’s nose, making the hairs stand on the back of his neck as his memories faded back to all the times this had happened a hundred times before. His foot outlined the step before him as he began his trudge through the illuminant reflectant that was this blanket of white. A pair of eyes watch the man from the side of the diner waiting for him to turn his back towards his direction. The man headed for his car (with his step a bit slower than normal) as he turned towards the left side of the diner. The pair of eyes knew it was their time to strike they stalked quickly pouncing on their prey in a dark, subtle spot on the other side of the diner.

“Stop” the pair of eyes hurriedly whispered.

The man turned around slowly to the point where the pink of the diner sign cloaked the left half of his face while darkness consumed the right. The man looked down to see a 5 inch bowie knife pointed at his sternum behind it stood a middle aged man with brown eyes, and brown hair. The look in his eyes was not one anticipation but one of familiarity of such a situation.

“Sir I’m sorry to be bothering you on such a beautiful night but could you spare a few dollars” the pair of eyes demanded coyly

“That is quite a big knife to be waving at strangers” The man laughed wryly

“Sir please just be quick I do not like to wait because of dry trivial quips” The pair of eyes demanded in the same wry tone.

“Why yes I’m guessing you are wanting everything in my wallet” questioned the man

“Yes sir, I would like everything. Including cards, cash, and anything else monetarily related. Of course keep your driver’s license and insurance cards. I have no need of those.” Explained the pair of eyes

“That is very generous of you.” The man reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, showed it plainly to the pair of eyes slowly pulling out the money, and his credit/debit cards. “This should be all of it” he stated as he handed over his money to the pair of eyes.

The pair of eyes took the pile of cash, and credit cards looking them over to ensure their validity. It took him 15 seconds to be sure of himself. He shoved his rewards into his pocket and turned into the other direction, sliding his bowie knife in the front of his pants as he stomped away in the darkness for another unknown activity.

“Wait!” The man shouted

The pair of eyes turned around slow expecting some sort of ill fated retribution for what he had just accomplished.

“Do you want coffee?” The man continued in the same volume
The pair of eyes stared at the man through the darkness curious at such an odd suggestion.

“You have no money sir. I must be on my way. I do appreciate your offer as ill-fated as it may be.” Replied the pair of eyes.

“Do you see this diner?!” Shouted the man as he erroneously continued
The pair of eyes stared down the diner with the pink neon laminating his face.
“I own this diner. I want to buy you a coffee my friend.” The man ended
The pair of eyes stood staring at the pink neon. “How do I know that this isn’t your attempt to turn the tables on me to reclaim some misconstrued sense of your ego?”

“Mister I put it on my wife and children. I want to eat, and speak with you as men have done for ages. You seem unique in your demeanor. I want to understand what an intelligent man such as yourself thinks about this and our world as a whole. If you decline my offer I will understand.” The man soliloquized

The pair of eyes continued staring at the pink of the neon sign letting the light burn his retinas as he thought of an appropriate response. The man crept back to the top of the steps grinning as he opened the door waiting for the pair of eyes to respond.

“How long have you owned this diner?” the pair of eyes inquired still staring at the pink neon sign

“15 years. The diner is named after what we would have named my first son if he hadn't been miscarried” informed the man coldly.

“Robert is a pretty average name” quipped back the pair of eyes

“My wife picked the name” replied the man as he smiled

The pair of eyes walked brazenly up the steps past the man into the diner. Their vision still scarred from staring in the sign for too long. The man led him to a booth 6 feet away from the door on the right side of the diner. The pair of eyes acceptingly sat down as the man sat across from him. Silence protruded the diner as the two lonely beings sat there. The man broke the icy silence.

“Martha!” The man yelled

A young blonde girl in her teens ran up to the man. Her eyes were as blue as the sky while her body’s youth irradiated warmness into the restaurant.

“Yes” she stated as she approached the two brooding men

“I want a black coffee for me with just two sugars and get this
man a….” The man paused

“I’ll have the same” The pair of eyes replied

“Right away” The blonde said as she hurried away to the back.
Silence stood for longer as both men looked around the diner as if seeing it for the first time. Within the minute the blonde had brought out the two coffees. Both men took a sip and nodded their approval as the blonde scurried away to the back of the diner once more. After a few sips the pair of eyes sat down his coffee.

“Sir I’ve walked by this diner so many times in my life and I have to say, this is my first experience being in it” explained the pair of eyes. The man sat listening. “I must say don’t you find it quite odd that we walk by places, people, and things not noticing the uniqueness of them. Not looking in the inside. Just seeing the outside and accepting that as how it must be. It is us just seeing the bricks and mortar without looking in to see the warmth and light that these things radiate.” The pair of eyes indulged as he held his coffee for effect.The man unblinking sat soaking in the pair of eyes words.

“We must accept the outer layer of what the world gives us my friend. We cannot accept what is inside of anything. It is too difficult of a task to ask of any human. It is easy for us to accept the outside because when you accept the outside you don’t ask questions of the validity of our existence. We simply see them as them and life as life. There are no inquiries.” The man elongated back

“But don’t you find that ignorant” The pair of eyes wondered

“People need easy. People need fast. That is why we must judge people in our society. It is for mere convenience so that we can be more effective in our lives. Think about how much a worker would get done if he worried about the inner workings of a co-worker’s emotions.” Explained the man

“Perhaps we shouldn’t settle for easy. Perhaps we shouldn’t settle for the difficulties of what being a human encompasses. The only thing that drives us away from getting to know the inner workings of a stranger’s mind is fear, not the advantage of convenience. We are scared to get to know others because of our fear to become one with oneself...” The pair of eyes finished.
Silence captured the room once more as both the pair of eyes and the man sat drinking their coffee.

“The night is growing old and I fear that I am needed elsewhere. I must excuse myself sir” The pair of eyes explained.

“That is very understandable my friend. Let me walk you out of here.” The man replied

The man walked to the door opening it for the pair of eyes. The pink neon light lit the first 300 feet in front of the pair of eyes. The cold of the snow hit his face as he stepped onto the now icy snow. The pair of eyes turned to the right heading back home. The man felt his leg to see if the cold presence still existed. It did. The pair of eyes casually kept strolling to his home ignoring the crunch of snow behind him. His mind was too full of thoughts to recognize the audio that played to his back.
BLAM!!!
The pair of eyes right knee buckled smacking the hard asphalt under the snow. Its body began to go into shock as it turned around to stare at the man (drowned in the pink neon light) in the eyes. The pair of eyes began an attempt to flee from the man. Its left leg carried the burden as it tried to hobble towards the side of a building adjacent to the diner.
BLAM!!!
A second shot rang out as it grazed the pair of eyes left side. It collapsed to the ground gasping for air in the great panic that had been created by this attack. The man stared deep into the pair of eyes. Looking inside for what was really there. Not the bricks and mortar but the substance that it was really made of. Soaking in their new pinkish shade. Soaking in their fear.
BLAM!!!
BLAM!!!
BLAM!!!

title: [TH] Pink

question: What does the story say about the color teal?

question: What does the story say about the man?

answer: The "man" in the story owns the diner with the pink neon sign. He is married with children and was supposed to name his first-born son Robert if his wife didn't suffer a miscarriage. He isn't afraid of the pair of eyes wielding a knife who robbed him of his cash and credit cards, freely giving these to the robber despite having a gun. The man even invited the guy who robbed him inside the diner for coffee and conversation.

question: What does the text say about the "pair of eyes" character?

answer: The "pair of eyes" is a middle-aged man with brown eyes and brown hair who is wielding a 5-inch bowie knife. He robbed the man who owned the diner at knifepoint, getting all the cash and credit/debit cards in the man's wallet. The pair of eyes seems intelligent and is capable of conversing with the man about life and the difficulties of being human. He has walked past the man's diner many times but has never been in it before accepting the man's invitation to have coffee.

question: Summarize the climactic event of the story.

answer: The owner of a diner gets robbed at knifepoint by a well-spoken and seemingly intelligent robber. After the deed is done, the man invites the guy for coffee in the nearby diner that he owns. After coffee and conversation, the man walks the robber to the door. When the guy who robbed him was walking away, the man pulls out a gun and shoots the robber, revealing that he was armed the entire time. The robber didn't stand a chance and was shot to death in the snow.


text:
HANNAH FOSTER was a 17-year-old British student who was abducted after a night out in Southampton in mid-March 2003. Murdered by Indian immigrant Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, who had come to the UK in 1993, her body was found in nearby West End, two days after she disappeared.[1] A few days later, Kohli fled to his family's home in Chandigarh, India, later assuming a new identity in Darjeeling, but was finally extradited in 2007 (becoming the first Indian citizen to be extradited to the UK).[2] He was found guilty of the crime in 2008, and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 24-year non-parole period.

Background

Hannah Claire Foster (31 August 1985 – 14 March 2003) was an A-Level student who had been preparing to study medicine at university. She lived with her parents, Hilary and Trevor, and younger sister, Sarah in Southampton. On 14 March 2003, she went out socialising with a friend in downtown Southampton visiting both The Hobbit and nearby Sobar.[3] At around 10:50 pm, her friend caught a bus home on Portswood Road, while Foster decided to walk the half-mile (800 metres) to her home alone. A sandwich delivery man, Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, had also been drinking in the area. While driving home in a company van, he noticed Foster alone on the darkened streets, and abducted her as she passed his parked vehicle.[4]

Investigation

Foster's parents noticed that she had not come home at around 5 o'clock the next morning, and by 10:30 am the local police were informed of her disappearance. Initial investigation focused on her prepaid mobile phone, which was still active, and were able to trace its movements south using signal tower records.[5] In Portsmouth, at a recycling centre, her phone and bag were found dumped in a bottle recycle bin.[6] On 16 March, Foster's body was found dumped in bushes on Allington Lane, West End, just outside Southampton. A post-mortem examination revealed she had been raped and strangled[7] but the semen found on her clothing could not be matched to anyone on the database.

Investigators also traced her phone calls. Unknown to Kohli, while driving south along the M27, Foster secretly made a 999 call to emergency services around 11:00 pm in the hope they would realise she was in trouble. However, as there was no direct communication with the operator, and as the voices were indistinct, the call was treated as a probable misdial and forwarded to Silent Solutions, a 2 minute-long recorded message telling people in need of assistance to dial 55.[8] Investigators then enhanced the recording, and were able to learn that Foster was in the back of a van being driven by a man with a south Asian accent.[9] After identifying seven vans on CCTV footage that might fit the route taken, a public appeal for information was made by the parents on 26 March via Crimewatch.[10]

A supervisor at Hazlewood Foods identified Kohli, one of the company's drivers as a possible suspect. He had taken a van home that night, as he did not own his own vehicle, had a similar delivery route, had a fresh scratch on his face, and was unable to complete his shift the next day.[11] Investigators, noting the same van on their shortlist, soon found blood and semen in the vehicle, and retraced its route in and around Southampton, the M27, Portsmouth, and the recycling centre. Now identified by investigators as the prime suspect, it was soon realised that Kohli had already travelled from Heathrow to Delhi on 18 March ostensibly to visit his comatose mother.[12] Finding his house vacated, they also interviewed his wife and took a DNA sample from one of his two sons.[13] Kohli's wife, a UK citizen, and his brother, a policeman in India, however, denied his involvement in the murder.

Extradition

The case stalled for the next 15 months after Indian police were not able to prioritise the crime and media attention was low. On 10 July 2004, however, Foster's parents went to Chandigarh themselves and made a public appeal for information of his whereabouts. During their 10-day visit, the Fosters held a series of press conferences as well as opening a telephone “hotline”. Their visit soon became a subject of high nation-wide interest in the Indian press.[14] Hampshire police, in conjunction with _The Sun_, announced a reward of ₹5 million to anyone whose information led to the arrest of Kohli.[15]

On 15 July, after a number of tip-offs, Kohli was arrested by an off-duty policeman in West Bengal's Darjeeling district (where he had been working under an alias for the Red Cross) while trying to board a bus from Kalimpong to Nepal with his new wife. While in police custody, Kohli stated he was “tired of running”. On 28 July, Kohli admitted to raping and murdering Foster in an interview with a private television channel, and said that he was forced to kill Foster after raping her because she refused to not report his crime. In August 2004, he retracted his statement saying it was “not by my own will”.[16] Kohli was then held in judicial custody in New Delhi pending extradition to the United Kingdom, and the case underwent 100 court proceedings and 35 appeals.[17] After three years of wrangling, a final decision to extradite him to the UK was handed down on 8 June 2007.[18]

Trial

On 28 July, Kohli arrived at Heathrow and was arrested and charged with the murder, kidnap, and rape of Foster. He was also charged with manslaughter, false imprisonment, and perverting the course of justice. On 10 December 2007, Kohli entered a plea of not guilty to the charges at Winchester Crown Court. Kohli initially argued he simply found someone had broken into his van and dumped Foster's body there, causing him to panic.[19] He later argued, after DNA evidence was produced, that criminals had forced him to rape and murder Foster.[20] On 25 November 2008, Kohli, then aged 41, was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a recommended minimum term of 24 years, two years less for time already served in the UK on remand.[21] Foster's family expressed their disappointment in the sentence, hoping that the killer would spend the rest of his life in prison.[22] Under the trial judge's recommendation, Kohli is expected to remain in prison until at least 2030 and the age of 63.

Legacy

An important link to the arrest of Kohli was information from taxi driver Jason Lepcha, who was regularly hired by Kohli partly because of his understanding of English. Lepcha, one of 12 reward recipients, received ₹367,000 for his role in the arrest.[23][24] He used this money to buy land to establish a school for disadvantaged children which was named The Hannah Memorial Academy in Foster's memory.[25][26] When visiting Darjeeling in 2006, Foster's parents heard his story, and on their return to England, worked with others to set up a registered charity which supports Lepcha's school.[27]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24] “School named after Hannah in Darjeeling” _The Times of India_ 30 September 2007

[25]

[26] “A wonderful tribute in India to Hannah Foster” _Southern Daily Echo_ 27 November 2008

[27]

title: Murder of Hannah Foster

question: What enterprise did Hannah Foster's parents support in India?

answer: Taxi driver Jason Lepcha, who helped catch Kohli because he was hired regularly by him, received more than three hundred thousand INR from his role in the arrest. He used this money to establish a school for disadvantaged children named The Hannah Memorial Academy in Foster's memory. While visiting Darjeeling in 2006, Foster's parents heard the story and worked with others on return to England to help support Lepcha's school.


text:
                                           Aspect: A Short Story
As they made their way out of town the sky opened up and a light drizzle began to spatter the windshield.
"Awesome. 40 degrees and raining. My kind of day," chirped Joe from the passenger seat.
Will shivered.
"Hey what's this?"
Joe was holding up a letter. Will snatched it from his hand.
"Relax! Who do you know in Boston anyway?"
       Will looked away. He knew Joe worked best when he was left in the dark.
The particular farm they were headed to today was owned by a man named Wilson Tucker. Both men had worked odd jobs for him in the past and Will respected him immensely.
Mr. Tucker was a widower with a grown son who had no interest in the workings of a farm. He must have been a man of sixty, but he could outwork a man half his age and twice his size. Which just so happened to describe Joe... Joe had a different opinion of the man.
"Why are we doing this? I thought you said we were done with the grunt work. This is your big plan?"
Will flicked on the radio.
There was something comforting in listening to his fellow citizens ripping into the Sox for stumbling through yet another post-season. A tragic story told for the hundredth time. The host was trying to explain to a caller that the pitching was the problem. The caller held the opposing view, that offense was what this team needed, pitching was the least of their concerns. Will considered the conflict.
"This guy's an idiot!" squawked Joe.
Will had forgotten he was there.
"Which one?" Joe furrowed his brow and took a long drag from his cigarette.
" The host! How do you expect to win if you don't score?"
Will flicked the radio off.
He eased on the accelerator as he manuevered up the long road to their destination. Tucker Farm was situated in the shadow of Mt. Brentman, on the North side. When Mr. Tucker bought the land he was led to believe that the state was going to build a new road that would cut through the pass and connect his land with Route 22. When the project was scrapped, people privately laughed at him for buying such a useless plot of land. Mr. Tucker never said a word, he simply built his own road. Perhaps more of a trail than a road. But if you had four wheel drive and weren't afraid of heights, it was an amazing example of determination. Will couldn't help but admire the man.
"Son of a bitch!"
Will had been day-dreaming with his foot on the gas and hit a particularly bad pot hole at 25mph and the rest of Joe's coffee was now soaking into his lap. Will winced at the sound of metal on metal as he pressed on the brake.
"I'm gonna make sure the trucks alright."
Joe was wiping the last of his precious coffee from the trucks armrest when Will reappeared at the window.
"You know how lucky we are? Come look at this."
As the pair approached the alleged pot-hole, it wasn't a pot-hole at all, but a 3-foot wide fissure running straight through the road with a 200 foot drop straight down the side of the mountain. It was invisible until you were almost right on top of it.
"Holy shit!"
Joe was leaning far out over the abyss to get a better view. The rain was coming down harder now.
"Get away from there! Look at it. Its crumbling. If I wasn't going so fast we woulda..."
Joe was kicking at the edges of the rift.
"Remember the time that miserable old bastard nearly ripped me outta my truck when I broke his 5mph speed limit? Ha! It's a good thing you got a lead foot or we'd be lyin' at the bottom of that hill right now!"
Mr. Tucker was what you would call an eccentric man. His land was riddled with projects in various stages of completion or disrepair, depending on your perspective. As a symbol to his unique personality, in the southwest corner, at the top of a small hill overlooking his home-made road, sat an exact replica of his farmhouse at 1/6 scale. Any visitor lucky enough to survive the winding trail was greeted by the welcome sight of a house off in the distance. Upon closing the gap on this mirage and passing by what amounted to a playhouse, they were astonished to find the same view they had seen minutes earlier. Only this time it was no mirage but his actual house, on a hill, off in the distance. If this confounding sense of humor wasnt enough to dissuade you from venturing further, Mr. Tucker assumed you had a good reason to be there.
Tucker Farm itself consisted of nothing more than a farmhouse in the middle of a large overgrown field. Nothing had grown there in the 20 odd years since his wife died and his son moved away. But Mr. Tucker was fiercely protective of his land and wouldn't move for anything. He was made several lucrative offers over the years and refused them all. Responding to them all the same way in neatly written cursive.
"You can have my land when I'm dead. Until then, please leave me alone."
It was well known that his land happened to sit in the path of a proposed super-highway that, if ever approved, would see the owner of the land profit very handsomely. As Will pulled up to the house he wondered how this lonely piece of land could possibly mean that much to anyone.
Mr. Tucker was waiting in the doorway when they reached the front steps.
"William! How are ya my boy!?"
Will reminded Mr. Tucker of his son, he had told him so on several occasions. The junior Tucker was a big shot lawyer down in Boston and didn't have time to tramp through the forest to visit his old man. It had been three years since he had seen his son and you could see the fatherly affection glint in his eyes when he shook Wills hand.
"I've been well Mr. Tucker. How are you?"
Joe kicked the ground and stared at his feet.
"And you! Are you ready to work this time? You're not gonna fall apart on me again are ya?" 	Fire danced in Joes eyes.
"You might wanna worry less about me and more about..."
Will cut him off.
"So I see you've been busy around here lately. The house looks great, did you paint the whole thing yourself?"
Mr. Tucker was glaring at Joe.
"Of course I did! I might be old but I'm not useless yet."
Joe was about to ask if he meant to leave all those bare patches but he felt Will's eyes on him and bit his tongue.
"Well, c'mon in. Have some breakfast before it gets cold."
Joe hesitated, looked at Will for the OK, then bolted inside.
Mr. Tucker was a gracious host even when the company was being paid to be there and he always made sure his employees were properly fed before starting the workday. It was the only reason Joe even agreed to come on this job.
"If you can guarantee me breakfast, I'll go," were his exact words when Will offered. And now he was taking full advantage of his perceived right. Several times Will had to kick him under the table to stop him from taking seconds or thirds.
After the meal they stepped out onto the deck overlooking the stacks of timber they were supposed to cut, split and stack.
"Well, there you go. Have at it." said Mr. Tucker as he lit his pipe.
There was something charming about an old farmer smoking his pipe that made Will smile.
"What? You're gonna sit up here and supervise," apparently Joe wasnt convinced of his charm. 	Will prodded Joe towards the stairs.
"You're Goddamn right im gonna supervise! That wood is the only thing that keeps me from freezing come winter. You think I'd let a knucklehead like you be responsible for my well being? Ha!" 	Joe had stopped listening and was already down the stairs cursing the old man with every foul word he could think of.
"Will, you're gonna watch him right? I have to go into town for awhile and I don't need him cutting his arm off or God knows what else while I'm gone. I can trust you right?"
Will could feel the weight in his words as they came out. I can trust you right? Will felt his pulse quicken as if this was the most important question he'd ever been asked.
"Of course. It'll be fine. No need to worry."
The words came out automatically.
"Will, can I tell you something?"
Will felt faint.
"I'm going through with it. I'm gonna sell this place. I'm not letting my son get his hands on it, the greedy bastard. It's too bad he's not more like you."
Several thoughts ran through Will's head.
Mr. Tucker looked up at the clouds roiling overhead and let out a low whistle.
"It's gonna get worse before it gets better. How was the road coming in?"
Will pondered the question and a small smile began to show at the corner of his mouth.
" A bit treacherous, just remember to take it slow."
He knew Mr. Tucker would appreciate the humor.

title: Aspect- A Short Story

question: How does Will feel about Mr. Tucker?

answer: Will admires and respects Mr. Tucker as a determined man. He seems fond of him, aware that Mr. Tucker sees Will as a sort of son.

question: What does the story say about bushland?


text:
According to new documents and reports, Donald Trump has apparently (allegedly) been committing financial fraud for years by lying to lenders about his assets. This is 100% illegal, and if it actually happened, these would easily be impeachable and prosecutable offenses that could end Trump’s presidency. And since he’s so secretive about his financial status, Democrats in the House are now working with the banks who leant him the money to find out what’s really happening. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains what’s going on.

Transcript:

_*This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos._

So obviously we’ve had a week now since William Barr sent his little four page summary of the Mueller report. Everybody on one side says, it says this, everybody on the other side says there’s a big cover up we won’t know until, and if we get that final report from Mueller fully released to the public shall we can all see for ourselves. But nonetheless, you’ve actually had plenty of Democrats this week talking about impeachment and it’s impeachment based on the Mueller. Report it to that. I actually have to say stop. Stop right there cause we don’t even need the Mueller report.

If your goal is impeachment, if your goal is to get Donald Trump out of office by proving that he committed crimes, you’re looking in the wrong place. The place you need to be looking for 100% concrete evidence is that his bank records. And in fact there are Democrats in the House of Representatives right now who are focused on that, on the financial services committee who have been working with Deutsche Bank, a bank that we know Donald Trump lied to in order to secure a loan. They got documents from Deutsche Bank this rate week regarding those loans they gave to Donald Trump. They are already on it. Meanwhile, you have the other half out here screaming. We’ve got an mph on the Mueller report. Slow your roll guys. We need the release of the Mueller report 100% but to go ahead and say we should start impeachment on this. No, I disagree.

But over here in the financial services committee, the work they’re doing with these banks that Donald Trump lied to, to secure loans, essentially committed bank fraud. That’s the route. Those crimes are a hell of a lot easier to prove because there is documentation of them. Then anything you’d find in the Mueller report, cause that could be argued one way or another regardless of what’s in the port in this bank fraud. No, you can’t argue that. And earlier this week the Washington Post put out a phenomenal new report that actually detailed even more financial fraud from Donald Trump. Then we had already known about from the Deutsche Bank story that came out a few weeks ago, and here it is a Trump’s financial statement for 2001 said he had 55 home lots to sell at his golf course in southern California. Those lots would sell for 3 million or more of the statement said, but Trump only had 31 lots ready for sale at the course according to city records, he claimed credit for 24 lots and at least 72 million in future revenue that he didn’t have.

He lied to investors to get them to put money in his project. That’s illegal. You can’t do that. Another one here, he also claimed his Virginia vineyard had 2000 acres when it really has about 1200 now, that may seem like a small lie lying about 800 acres, but if you told that lie to investors to get them to put money in your project, you’re going to prison. If you told that lie to a bank in order to secure funding for your project, you would also be going to prison in another big lie to investors and bankers. He claimed that Trump tower had 68 stories when it only has 58 I, this is who are the guy lived. And he still thought it was cool to lie about how many stories the building actually had. The entire Washington Post articles available in the link in the description of this video.

Speaker 1: (03:43)
And I encourage everybody to go look at it cause this is just a small snack snapshot of what I’ve given you right here. There are more, and these are documented. The records are there. And more importantly, the banks are now working with the Democrats turning over their documents to the House of Representatives. That’s not gonna end well for Trump. And while he’s still taking his big victory lap off that Mueller Report Summary by William Barr, what he needs to be doing is going back through his head and thinking about all the lies he’s told to banks over the last few decades. Because the Democrats in the House of Representatives who are serious about accountability, that’s what they’re focused on. They’re not doing this media side show about the Mueller report. They’re sitting there working on real issues where Trump possibly defrauded investors, committed bank fraud, and a whole host of other easily prosecutable crimes crimes that by the way, he wouldn’t be able to pardon himself for doing so. I’m going to go ahead and say that these Democrats over here are the ones who are taking the threat of Donald Trump far more serious than the ones who are just trying to grab a little bit of media spotlight off of the Mueller report that still nobody has even seen.

question: What is the article about?

answer: The article is a transcript of Farron Cousins discussing the best strategy for the impeachment of Donald Trump

question: What does Farron Cousins say?

answer: That anyone aiming for the impeachment of Trump should focus on the bank records instead of the Mueller report.

question: Why does Cousins say they should focus on the bank records?

answer: He says that this is how they can prove that Trump committed bank fraud.

question: What is the speaker aiming for?

answer: Possibly to help start a change in the government system by getting involved in the impeachment process.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Farron Cousins claims that the Mueller Report is not going to be useful in impeaching Donald Trump. He suggests they should focus on proving that Trump committed bank fraud and lied to his investors.


text:
_(Photo: ESL)_

_By Taras Bortnik_

_Special to VPEsports_

Another Major and another trophy for Astralis. Following the squads hosting of the trophy, VPEsports sat down with Danny “zonic” Sørensen, the teams coach.

zonic discussed the teams success, his role as coach, what he’s had to sacrifice, and the competition. You can read the full interview below.

VPESPORTS: AFTER ALL THESE VICTORIES, YOU ARE PROBABLY A BIG REASON WHY ASTRALIS ARE SO GOOD. WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL AMONG ALL THE COACHES?

zonic: I don’t know how Zews is doing his job in MIBR or Kane in Na’Vi, for example. I can see what I see when they stand behind the players and how they are talking in time-outs.

But for me it’s… I don’t look to other coaches that much. I trying to focus on making sure that my players are motivated, evolve themselves, and that we have a high quality of practice so we keep being innovative, being able to learn from our mistakes. I feel like I am putting my heart and soul into this team so when we playing on stage and I’ve been preparing for certain opponents or when we are practicing at home or boot camp or when I have personal conversations with players – every time we go on the server, I still want to make sure that I give 100% of myself to make sure that we win. And the only one thing I can do at the end when I stand behind them is to roar and make sure that I am there for them.

VPESPORTS:  HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO KEEP THE PLAYERS MOTIVATED AND FOCUSED AFTER SO MUCH SUCCESS?

zonic: I think it comes down to after each Major or any other tournament we go home and then we evaluate – what was really nice for us, what was wrong, where is a room for improvement? And then one thing that I think we do really well so far is that we skip a lot of events, comparing to other teams. We don’t want to attend all events, we want to have a break, for example after this tournament players will have 4-5 days of break. For me it’s really important that players get to see their families, friends, girlfriends, cause I think that will play a huge part in their being hungry and motivated all the time. I think a leader should go first and for me it’s really important that I’ll go first to show them that even if I have two kids at home and wife, I still work 100% for them.

There are a lot of things that I missed – my kids first walk for example or first day in school. I missed that for being with Astralis. For me, it’s really important that they also know it. So they would feel like ‘Ok, we somehow owe this to Dani because he’s really working hard for us’. I am super proud of what they have become.

VPESPORTS:  PRIOR TO THE MATCH YOU SAID THAT YOU HAD A HARD TIME BEFORE THE GRAND FINAL. WHY?

zonic
: It was difficult because usually I have an idea of how Na’Vi plays or how Liquid plays because we’ve played them at events. But if you would ask me before the Major who’s playing for ENCE, I would probably remember but it but it wouldn’t be as fast as with Liquid for example. After we won against MIBR and we saw that in the grand final we are going to play against ENCE, we knew that they don’t like Cache, but I really expected that they wouldn’t ban it, cause they are the underdog. So I had to prepare five maps and that’s from scratch.

VPESPORTS:  DO YOU BELIEVE ONE OF THE REASONS THAT ASTRALIS IS SO UNBEATABLE IS BECAUSE COBBLESTONE ISN’T IN A MAP POOL ANYMORE?

zonic
: Of course it helped us when Cobblestone was removed, but Astralis was a completely different team back then. If Valve

bring
Cobblestone back into the map pool of competitive CS

:GO
we would definitely play it. We can play all seven maps and I am pretty sure that if Cobble would have been here we would still have been playing now with this roster, because Magisk was really good on this map, if you can remember. It’s tough work, it’s dedication that makes us that strong.

VPESPORTS:  WE ALL KNOW ABOUT DUPREEH’S LOSS. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU MANAGED TO KEEP HIM IN GOOD SHAPE AND MOOD FOR THIS TOURNAMENT?

zonic
: It was all about the talking and supporting. ‘How you doing today, Peter? Do you want to have breakfast with a team? Do you feel like practicing?’ Just having some talks. We’ve been having our sports psychologist at home to talk everyday and then It was up to me so I could give a sense of how Peter’s doing.

VPESPORTS: DID YOU HAVE ANY INDIVIDUAL TALKS?

zonic
: We had a couple. It was important that he talk to someone from home. For me, it was just about giving him space and making sure that we are here for him.

VPESPORTS:  WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT PEOPLE TRYING TO COPY YOUR PLAYSTYLE?

zonic: I think it’s normal when you are the best team in the world. You keep being the best team for a certain amount of time and it’s normal that people will mold their playstyle around how you play. If you are a team that keeps having success, then I guess at some point people will focus on you, copy your strats and know the way you are playing. Because for every tier-2 team, their goal is ‘okay, let’s play like Astralis and see how it works out’.

Related article:

question: What does the text say about the gaming computers Astralis uses?

question: What does the text say about Astralis?

answer:
Astralis is a professional e-sports team that plays competitive Counter-Strike (CS), a video game created by Valve.
The team's coach is Danny “zonic” Sørensen, who is married and has two kids. The Astralis roster includes Magisk and Peter "Dupreeh". The team has won another Major and trophy, but it isn't because the "Cobblestone" map was removed. Zonic said the map's removal helped the team because Astralis was a different team back then, but they would definitely play the map now.

question: What does the text say about the reasons for Astralis' continued success?

answer: According to Astralis head coach Sørensen, he doesn't look at what the other coaches are doing. He only tries to focus on making sure his players are motivated. Sørensen says the team's practice sessions are high quality and innovative so they can learn from their mistakes. After each Major or any other tournament, the team goes home to evaluate their performance and see if there is room for improvement. Astralis also skips a lot of events compared to other teams. Sørensen says that they don't want to attend all the events because they need a break to see loved ones. These scheduled breaks are important to keep the team hungry and motivated all the time.