text:
It was a shitty day for fishing.  Even though it was only the second week of September, the sun’s rise had exposed a frost that was proving to be a hell of a stickler.  Jack cursed his bad luck for the thousandth time as he watched the first tendrils of orange and yellow branching out from his rear-view mirror, but he’d be damned if he was driving all the way back to Kittanning empty-handed.  “Ain’t nothin’ there but carp and poor tourists,” he’d muttered, half to himself and half to his friend Bernie, who was fast asleep in the passenger seat.  So he drove on, parked his beaten-down ’03 Durango on the shoulder of a back road, and took a long draw on his Chesterfield before stepping out onto the dirt.
Bernie didn’t take kindly to being woke up, but then again, Bernie didn’t really take too kindly to fishing either.  Or much of anything, for that matter – two tours in Afghanistan and a couple of brand spankin’ new prosthetic fingers had left him distant, like he was always trying to look through a person when they spoke.  But he and Jack had been friends since high school, and the two hadn’t seen each other since Bernie’s ass had been hauled off to Bagram on a C-130 to shoot at scorpions.
There was still enough wet in the air to make for a hell of a mist.  Even though Jack had grown up in the woods there was something about the fact that you couldn’t see the treetops that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  Bernie, for his part, didn’t seem to give two shits, which made sense – Jack hadn’t bothered to ask him much about his tour since he’d got back, but he knew that’s the way things had to be for now.
They reached the lake in due time and set about tying their lures.  Bernie wasn’t big on fishing, but he was big on jiggers, and it paid off.  He’d come back triumphant with 24 inches of trout to Jack’s empty net more than once, but Jack never held it against him.  Bernie had always appreciated the craftsmanship of a good homemade lure.  Jack swore on bait, and was a firm believer of ‘ya win some ya lose some’.  That being said, he did seem to be running a hell of a bad luck streak.
Bernie’s prosthetics played hell with his knot tying, and his line met the water a full ten minutes after Jack’s did.  Shortly thereafter rain started spitting, and Jack afforded himself a small smile – maybe he’d have a little good fortune after all.  Light rain meant the crawlers came out and he was hoping the rise in temperature would coax some fish a little closer to the surface.  The two men hadn’t said much in the car or on the way to their fishing hole – a few guttural commands and backhanded remarks about the damned weather.  It was fine that way, Jack thought, plain and simple as two men sharing a labor, shutting the hell up, and letting Mother Nature drive the conversation.
After an hour or so, Bernie showed a spark of his old self: “How’s you and that bitch of yours, huh?  Still living on the front of a honeymoon brochure?” He turned and looked at Jack, even showing a few teeth in a smile that made his face look like he’d forgotten long ago how to move your face when talking to civilized folk.  Jack smiled, though he felt his stomach sink down into his boots, “Ah, well man…funny story about that.  The brochure kinda burned to the ground after you left, man.” Bernie furrowed his brows and took his attention off his line.  “The hell you mean it burned down?  You were the happiest I’d ever seen ya when you were with her.  How’d you let it all go to shit?”

Jack sighed, his stomach felt like lead that just started on a slow boil.  “Things weren’t exactly peaches and cream all the time, man. And it got to be too much.”

“What got to be too much? C’mon, man, I didn’t get my fucking wedding ring shot off to hear your half-assed excuses for not wearing one. I thought she was gonna be it!”

“Yeah, me too, man. Me too.”

“Well, the fuck happened?”

At that moment, as if guided by some perverse natural timer, Jack’s line started to dance in the water. By the tug he put the fish at least two feet at the very least – he was a big sucker…  Jack let him be.

“Everything turned around.  Shit that made total sense before started becoming …complicated. Melodramatic.  There was… she just started getting jealous all of a sudden, and would start ripping into me for nothing.”

Bernie, God bless him, tried his best to cut in -“Jack, my brother, it’s normal for two people to fight, for things to go downhill, you know it’s just –“
“No, Bern, no, it was worse than that. Way worse. It was like a switch turned and she decided to become someone completely different.”  Jack’s line was still dancing on top of the water, tracing a thin line through the ripples of the lake.  “She finally found her way into the real world and she couldn’t take it, and it…it fucked her up man.”

“Okay, so you guys were going through a rough patch, then, or she was, I don’t know! The point is, if you wanna stick to your guns, you gotta –“
“You gotta WHAT?!” Jack screamed, though he had no idea where it had come from – it had erupted from his chest, and the lead in his stomach was now at a rolling boil.  “When you’re about to spend your life with a girl who decides to wake up and dedicate herself to running everything you’ve worked on together headfirst into the fucking dirt, without telling you a goddamn reason why, what the hell are you gonna do? Plead? Beg for understanding? Be supportive? You think I didn’t try all that?”

The fish was drawing on the line now. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see it – walleye, at least 28 inches, maybe even shy of a meter.  It had apparently become aware of its entrapment and was struggling with all its might against the hook embedded in its mouth.

“She threw it back into my face, but not straight up, ah no. She waited until she could methodically disassemble me with this kinda shit because she knew how.  And I knew it all along.  I could hear the boulder coming to crush me, and I ran like hell, Bern, I ran like hell.  But some forces of nature can’t be reasoned with and you know what I fucking did?”

Bernie was silent, barely holding onto the end of his pole as he gazed at Jack from his spot across the shore.
“I dropped her like a lit M80. I let her go and watched her burn out.  And you know what the worst part was?  I saw it, when I left her crying. I saw the fear and the pain, that despite her spite and hate and lies and backhanded bullshit I saw that she was truly sorry… and I LOVED what I was doing even more for it.  That’s the level she’d left me at, someone who takes pleasure in watching the person he loves fall apart.  Do you know how disgusting that is?”

Tears were flowing freely down Jack’s face at this point, joining the rain drops in the water and then vanishing, indistinguishable from the murk of the lake.  The walleye had made its way to the shallow water where Jack stood and was making a hell of a racket, splashing and gasping on the line.  Jack finally took notice of the fish, and leaned down over its flailing body.

“You’re a fighter, huh?” Jack scooped the fish out of the water, grasping it firmly under the jaw and below the dorsal fin.  As it squirmed and fought, he stared at it with what Bernie thought was awe, maybe appreciation? Or maybe his best friend of over 20 years had finally lost his goddamn mind and was gonna pull an Ozzy Osbourne.

“Maybe I should have taken a leaf or two out of your book, my friend. Maybe then things would have turned out differently. Or maybe I would have wound up with her too.” Jack sighed then…a long, painful sound that Bernie had heard once or twice back in Bagram on the face of an officer who just lost one of his own.  He then watched as Jack removed the hook from the walleye’s mouth, smiled at it once last time, and let it back into the water.

“I need to thank you, Bern.” Jack said, “it’s been six months to the day and I’m glad to have you here with me again. Forgive me for what I said?” Bernie nodded, still completely unsure of what the hell was going on.

…the nets were still empty at the end of the day – after Jack’s inadvertent catch nothing had deigned to so much as nibble on anything the two men threw in the water.  Though Bernie tried to make conversation again, Jack didn’t oblige him much, limiting himself to as few “uh-huh”s, “mm-hmm”s, and “you don’t say”s as possible.  It wasn’t until they were back at the truck that Bernie found it, tucked away in the back of the glovebox.  He was searching for a pack of smokes while Jack loaded the trunk and it tumbled out, gliding gently to the floor of the ‘03 Durango and settling near Bern’s right boot.  “Jesus Christ,” he murmured. There, clutched in his right hand was a newspaper clipping that featured a picture of Jack bent over what looked like a metal heap.

*LOCAL GIRL DIES IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT: DRUG USE SUSPECTED
Authorities have confirmed the death of one local woman, aged 26, whose name will not be disclosed at this time due to reasons of privacy.  The official cause of death has been identified as massive brain trauma.  The woman was pursued by policemen until her car suddenly veered off the road and collided with a large tree, resulting in the impact that took her life.  State Policeman Gerald Dalton was in active pursuit and reported that her vehicle was travelling at approximately 135 miles per hour at the time of the impact.  Though she had no antecedent history of prescription drug abuse, a blood screening returned positive for numerous anti-depressants and painkillers, which the victim seemingly took en masse before entering her vehicle.  Though the cause for the crash and reckless driving is ultimately unknown, law enforcement officials are investigating various leads.*

Bernie checked the date of publication at the bottom of the column.  Not surprisingly, it was six months to the day that the story was released.

title: Going Out on a Limb - My First One! (TL;DR alerts all around)

question: What does the story say about how Jack's last relationship fell apart?

answer: She and Jack were happy until one day she became a different person, melodramatic and jealous. He tried to be supportive, bargain, beg, plead, but nothing changed. Jack's mental state suffered to such a degree that he was happy to see her anguish when he left her, behind all the spite, hate, and backhanded lies. At some point, she took a lot of anti-depressants and painkillers and started to drive her car. She died while going 135 miles per hour, driving recklessly.

question: What does the story say about Bernie?

answer: Bernie doesn't talk much and seems like he's looking through a person. He lost two fingers in Afghanistan, where he served twice. He's good friends with Jack. They see each other after a while and go fishing, comforted by silence. Jack knows not to ask him about his tour, at least for a while. Bernie likes to use lures he makes himself while fishing as opposed to Jack, who uses a net. After a while, he asks Jack about what happened to Jack's girlfriend. Jack explains how they fell apart, which saddens Bernie, especially after he finds out that Jack's girlfriend died in a car crash in the end.

question: What does the story say about the Iraq war?


split: test

text:
On Tuesday, NASA announced that it completed its first full-power test of the Kilopower reactor, an experimental portable nuclear power plant that the agency hopes will one day power permanent settlements on Mars and the Moon. It’s a major milestone in the quest to establish a permanent human presence on other celestial bodies and launch energy intensive robotic missions to the outer solar system.

About the size of a refrigerator, each Kilopower reactor will be capable of delivering up to 10 kilowatts of energy when they are ready to be deployed in space. To put this in perspective, this means each Kilopower reactor produces enough energy to power about 10 average American homes on Earth. NASA estimates that an array of four Kilopower reactors would be enough to sustain a decent-sized outpost on the moon or Mars for about a decade.

Although the Kilopower reactor has been in development since 2012, testing on a 1- kilowatt prototype only began in November. The testing program, called the Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY), was undertaken at the Nevada National Security Site and meant to study the integrity of the reactor design in conditions similar to those in deep space. After placing the reactor in a vacuum chamber, researchers subjected the device to all kinds of critical failure scenarios, like power reduction, engine failure, and heat pipe failure. The experiments culminated in a full-power test that kept the reactor online for 28 hours.

Everything worked flawlessly, even when the reactor was dealing with several failures at once.

“We put the system through its paces,” Marc Gibson, the lead Kilopower engineer at NASA Glenn, said in a statement. “We understand the reactor very well, and this test proved that the system works the way we designed it to work. No matter what environment we expose it to, the reactor performs very well.”

This is great news for NASA, which has struggled since its inception to integrate nuclear reactors and space exploration. After billions of dollars spent on nuclear reactor designs that never made it to orbit, much less the moon, the KRUSTY program was the first successful test of a nuclear reactor intended for space applications over half-a-century. In fact, it is the first new operable fission reactor concept designed in the US in over 40 years. It heralds the beginning of a nuclear-powered era of space exploration, which will open the door to previously impossible missions into deep space, whether this is powering settlements on Mars or using robotic submarines to explore the icy oceans of Jovian moons.

On the moon and Mars, the most likely candidates for future human settlements, sources of energy are hard to come by. Unless Mars was once home to organic life, we’re not going to find any oil or coal there since these fossil fuels are mostly formed from dead plant matter. (Although Mars may harbor pockets of methane gas.) If Mars ever had an ocean or rivers, they have long since dried up, so no hydropower. The moon has no atmosphere and thus no way to harvest wind energy. Parts of the face of the moon can be shaded from the sun for stretches lasting up to 14 days, whereas Mars’ distance from the sun makes it hard to harvest enough solar power on the surface to power a rover, much less an entire settlement.

“When we start sending astronauts for long stays on the Moon and to other planets, that’s going to require a new class of power that we’ve never needed before,” Gibson said.

An artist's depiction of a Kilopower reactor on the lunar surface. Image: NASA

Shipping oil, coal, or the components for vast solar arrays to the moon or Mars is far too resource intensive to be practical—that stuff is heavy, and every pound sent to space costs about $10,000 to get there. NASA needed a relatively lightweight, yet highly efficient energy source if it ever hoped to establish a long-term human presence on the moon or Mars.

Enter uranium-235, the radioactive material that powers nuclear power plants around the world and is one of the most energy dense materials known on Earth. In fact, just one pound of enriched uranium fuel can produce as much energy as about 3 million pounds of coal.

  READ MORE: WHAT IS URANIUM?

NASA only needs a few dozen kilowatts worth of power for its initial lunar or Martian outposts. Since most nuclear power plants on Earth are designed to produce hundreds of kilowatts electricity, this meant that Gibson and his colleagues would have to come up with a new fission reactor design. Not only would it have to be compact enough to fit in a rocket fairing, it would also have to be powerful enough to host a settlement and designed in such a way that it could withstand the harsh space environment. If Gibson and his colleagues were successful, it would be an unprecedented feat of nuclear engineering.

In the last half century, over 40 nuclear reactors have been sent to space and almost all of them were Soviet. The only nuclear reactor that the US has ever sent to space was the SNAP-10A, a reactor developed by the Atomic Energy Agency and launched in 1965 to test its feasibility as a power supply for the CORONA satellite spy program. The reactor was able to produce 500 watts of power and was in low earth orbit for 43 days before the Air Force decommissioned the satellite. It is still in orbit as a piece of space junk and is predicted to remain there for another 4,000 years. Nevertheless, nuclear power continued to play a major role in US space exploration, even if reactors had been tossed to the wayside.

[]

Since the 1960s, almost every major NASA mission into deep space has relied on electricity produced by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). These types of electric generators have no moving parts and don’t rely on nuclear fission. Instead, an array of electric conductors harvest the heat released by the natural decay of radioactive material (usually plutonium) and convert this heat into electrical energy.

RTGs powered the Voyager 1, the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space; they powered the Cassini mission to Saturn for 20 years; they powered the New Horizons mission to Pluto and beyond; and continue to power a number of satellites and rovers on and around Mars. They are an ideal power supply for spacecraft insofar as they can produce a steady supply of electrical energy for decades with a relatively small amount of fuel. RTGs are, however, limited to an output of a few hundred watts. While this is enough to meet the demands of most spacecraft, which need to take measurements and communicate with Earth, more demanding robotic missions, like sending a submarine into the oceans of Europa, will demand a lot more energy.

Nuclear fission is the process of splitting the nucleus of an atom, usually with a neutron, which releases a tremendous amount of energy. At the same time, the split knocks other neutrons loose from the nucleus, which themselves split other atoms. This results in a cascading process of nuclear fission and a constant supply of heat energy. This process has been used to make the most destructive weapons ever created, as well as providing a relatively clean source of energy for civilian applications. (The downside of nuclear energy is that we still don’t know how to properly dispose of the waste, which remains radioactive for tens of thousands of years.) In a nuclear reactor, the heat released by splitting the nucleus of an atom—usually uranium-235—is used to heat water and generate steam, which turns a turbine to generate electricity.

While this works well enough on Earth, conventional power plants are too big to build on the moon or Mars, and definitely wouldn’t fit inside a spacecraft. Smaller fission reactors are found on naval vessels like aircraft carriers and submarines, but these types of reactors also use steam to generate electricity. This precludes them from being adapted to space applications because they require a lot of water to work and water is a precious commodity in space.

NASA considered various reactor designs for space applications after launching its only reactor in 1965, but most of these designs were considered too expensive to make and would require too much of a runway to ever be made in time for particular missions. The SP-100 reactor prototype developed in the 1980s was terminated after a decade and more than a billion dollars was spent on research. NASA’s Project Prometheus began in the early 2000s to investigate the use of nuclear reactors in space for propulsion and powering flight systems, but was terminated after nearly $400 million was spent on research and development.

The Kilopower reactor is put in a vacuum chamber for the KRUSTY project. Image: NASA

BUILDING A BETTER NUCLEAR REACTOR

After decades of failing to take a reactor design from paper into orbit, NASA joined forces with the Department of Energy and Lockheed Martin in 2008 to pursue a nuclear power source called an advanced Stirling radioisotope generator (ASRG) that would be four times as efficient as RTGs. The efficiency gains result from using a Stirling converter, a type of engine that relies on the heating and cooling of a gas to convert heat energy into electricity. The basic idea was that energy released by natural radioactive decay would be used to heat a gas, which would then expand. This pressure created by the expanding gas would be used to power an electric generator to produce electricity for a spacecraft. It was a novel design, but the research program on ASRG was mothballed in 2012 after costs began to drift tens of millions of dollars over budget without an end in sight.

That same year, however, researchers at NASA Glenn and the DOE’s Los Alamos National Laboratory achieved a breakthrough in a different type of nuclear power source that also relied on a Stirling converter. Keeping with the _Simpsons_ themed acronyms, the Demonstration Using Flattop Fissions (DUFF) used nuclear fission, rather than natural radioactive decay, as an energy source for a Stirling converter. The energy produced during fission is used to heat a sodium fluid in a “heat pipe,” and this heat is used to drive a Stirling converter which converts the heat energy into the mechanical motion needed to drive an electrical generator.

Although DUFF only produced about 24 watts of power during its tests—not enough to power most light bulbs—it was the first successful test of a nuclear reactor intended for space applications made by NASA in nearly half-a-century. Its design prefigured Kilopower, which built on insights gleaned from the experiment to create a working prototype.

The Kilowatt reactor prototype that has been tested over the last few months uses two Stirling converters (the reactors that will eventually be sent to space will have eight converters) to produce up to 1 kilowatt of power. It’s core is a solid piece of uranium-235 that is about the size of a paper towel roll and a rod of boron carbide acts as a neutron moderator to control the bombardment of the uranium by neutrons. Before flight, the boron carbide would be fully inserted into the reactor to prevent a fission reaction. Once it is extracted, however, the fission reaction will begin and cannot be stopped completely, although the rate of fission—and hence heat output—can be controlled by the depth of the boron rod in the reactor. The heat from the fission reaction is used to heat liquid sodium, which transfers this heat to eight Stirling engines that convert the heat into mechanical motion to drive electric generators and produce electricity. The StirlingStriling engines used in the prototype were repurposed from the failed ASRG experiments, although McClure said custom Stirling engines will be developed for missions in the future.

One of the most staggering things about this design, however, is that this working nuclear reactor prototype was produced for only $18 million, an order of magnitude less than previous designs that never made it beyond the drawing board.

“When we got started, we looked at all the projects that had gone on before us,” Patrick McClure, the lead Kilopower engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory told me on the phone. “We felt they made some mistakes by trying to build what I’m going to call a ‘sporty’ reactor. By sporty I mean they’re trying to get a lot of power for as low of a weight as possible. Some of their design choices were really pushing the bounds of engineering.”

An artist conception of four Kilopower units on Mars. NASA estimates that four reactors could power an initial outpost for a decade. Image: NASA

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, McClure said he and his colleagues working on Kilopower opted for more simple, cost effective reactor designs.

“We’d much rather have a reactor that’s real then one that’s a great design, but only exists on paper," McClure said. "We don’t want this to die.”

McClure told me that he and his colleagues are excited that the reactor works, but that there’s still a lot of work to do before it gets to space, much less a lunar or Martian colony. In addition to a safety review by NASA and an “ independent, interagency nuclear safety review panel,” it will need to be integrated into a specific mission so that the prototype can be designed to accommodate that mission’s needs. He said the Kilopower team is working with NASA management to determine the future of Kilopower, which will need to be tested in space before it's brought to the surface of the moon or Mars.

“We're excited and relieved that we got the test done, but anxious about where we go next,” McClure said. “Our ultimate goal is to get a nuclear reactor back in space, and if NASA’s ever going to use the reactor, you have to prove to the folks doing missions that it will really work in space.”

“There's clearly a desire to try to put one on the moon, but that might not happen until the mid-2020s,” McClure added. “The team would like to get one in space before then, but in the meantime we’ve got to convince some people.”

question: Summarize the context of the first full power test of the Kilopower reactor being a major milestone.

answer: The first full power test of the Kilopower reactor is a major milestone in the quest to establish a permanent human presence on other celestial bodies and launch intensive robotic missions to the outer solar system. The reactor is an experimental portable nuclear power plant that could possibly one day power permanent settlements on Mars and the Moon. NASA estimates that an array of four of these reactors could be enough to sustain a decent sized outpost for a decade in space. This successful test shows that the system works the way its supposed to. It's a milestone for NASA as well, as it heralds the beginning of a nuclear powered era of space exploration.

question: Summarize a description of the Kilopower reactor.

answer: The Kilopower reactor is about the size of a refrigerator. Each reactor is able to deliver up to 10 kilowatts of energy, which can power about 10 average American homes on Earth. Four of these reactors could sustain a decent sized outpost on the moon or Mars for about a decade. Its design is a simple and cost effective one, as the developers wanted something that's real. It had been in development since 2012, but it took until the time of the article to actually test it.

question: Summarize the state of NASA at the time of the article.

answer: NASA has struggled since it was created to integrate nuclear reactors and space exploration. They spent billions of dollars through the KRUSTY program on nuclear reactor designs that never made it into orbit. This is why it's good news that the first test of the Kilopower reactor was successful. Additionally, it means that NASA could begin a new nuclear-powered era of space exploration, as opposed to the electricity it usually relies on.

question: What does the text say about the relationship between a settlement on Mars  and the Kilopower reactor?

answer: Mars is one of the most likely candidates for future human settlements. However, sources of energy are hard to come by there. Fossil fuel, hydropower, and solar power cannot be obtained on Mars. Additionally, shipping oil or coal would be too resource intensive. This is where the reactor and uranium-235 come into play, as it's a lightweight and highly efficient energy source. The reactor also needed to be compact enough to fit a rocket fairing, powerful enough to host a settlement, and able to withstand the harsh space environment. Four of the Kilopower reactors would be enough to sustain a decent sized outpost on Mars for about a decade.

question: Summarize Trump's thoughts on NASA.


text:
NETFLIX’S new Robert the Bruce epic, Outlaw King, shows Edward I (played by Stephen Dillane of Game of Thrones) responding to Bruce’s (Chris Pine) coronation in 1306 by “raising the dragon”, a black flag with a red dragon whose use meant that no mercy was to be shown to Bruce or his supporters. This dramatic episode may seem like an invention of Hollywood, but England’s medieval kings did indeed have a dragon banner. New research undertaken at the University of St Andrews has begun to reveal the history behind this medieval war banner.

The first description of an English dragon banner was in 1244, when Henry III ordered his goldsmith, Edward Fitz Odo, to make a banner of a dragon in red fabric embroidered with gold. The dragon’s tongue was to burn with flames and to look as if it was always moving and its eyes were to be made of sapphires. It was to be kept in the church of Westminster Abbey.

Another description of the flag, from 1245, says that it had a head made of gold. The design was based on that of the Anglo-Saxon dragon banner. Rather than being a piece of fabric attached to a pole, like a normal flag, the dragon banner was instead shaped much like a windsock. The metal head of the dragon was mounted to a pole and when the head’s open mouth was aimed towards the wind, the red fabric attached to it would inflate and writhe.

Just such a banner can be seen on the Bayeux Tapestry, carried by an Anglo-Saxon standing beside Harold Godwinson as he is hit in the eye with an arrow. The Anglo-Saxons had used these banners since at least the eighth century, where it was used by the king of Wessex in a battle against the king of Mercia in 752. The dragon was used by the Saxons again in 1016, this time against King Cnut and, of course, at Hastings in 1066, as shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.

England’s new Norman kings seem to have rejected the dragon banner, perhaps afraid of its links to the Anglo-Saxons who they now ruled. In fact, the first use of the banner after the Norman conquest was not by an English king, but by a Scottish one, David I. In January 1138, David invaded Northumberland, which the Scottish kings had claimed since the reign of Malcolm III (r. 1058-93).

As well as to gain land, David was also acting in support of his niece Matilda’s claim to the English throne. Matilda’s father, Henry I, had made his lords swear to accept her as queen after him but when Henry died most of the nobles chose his nephew, Stephen. Civil war broke out and David sided with Matilda. After raiding Durham and winning a battle at Craven in Yorkshire in June, David fought an English army at Northallerton on the 22nd August.

This was called the Battle of the Standard, named for the pole mounted on a cart and decorated with religious flags around which the English fought. But David I had his own banner “which, formed in the shape of a dragon, was easy to recognise”. That it was “formed” and in the “shape” of a dragon, rather than just “bearing” or “showing” a dragon suggests that this banner was modelled on the windsock-like Anglo-Saxon dragon banner. David’s use of the banner was no coincidence.

Through his mother, Queen Margaret, David was heir to the Anglo-Saxon kings which the Normans had overthrown. Using the Saxons’ dragon banner in his invasion of England was a clear statement of his own claims to the English throne. David lost the battle but did succeed in gaining Northumberland for his son, Henry, in 1139. No other Scottish king is known to have used the dragon banner.

It is not until the reign of Richard the Lionheart that we have evidence of this tradition being revived by an English king. Richard used the flag on the Third Crusade when fighting Saladin at Arsuf in 1191. King John used it against his rebellious barons in 1216 and Henry III raised the banner against the Welsh in 1245 and in 1257 and his own baronial rebels, led by Simon de Montfort, at the Battle of Lewes in 1264.

The dragon did not return to Scotland until 1306. In February that year, as depicted in Outlaw King, Robert the Bruce killed John Comyn, lord of Badenoch and his rival for the Scottish throne, at Greyfriars in Dumfries and then was crowned at Scone the following month. John Barbour’s epic poem about Robert’s life, The Brus, claims that Edward summoned Aymer de Valence, earl of Pembroke, and ordered him to “Scotland ga, and byrn and slay and rais dragoun”, to go to Scotland and burn and kill and raise the dragon banner.

English records bear out the truth of Barbour’s account, showing that de Valence was ordered to take no prisoners. Only later was the earl allowed to accept the surrenders of lesser allies of Bruce, but not those of any who had played a part in the killing of John Comyn. The last use of the medieval English dragon banner was during the Hundred Years War when Edward III raised it at the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

FOR the Anglo-Saxons and for David I, the dragon banner seems to have simply represented the king of England, who traditionally stood between the dragon and the standard. For Richard the Lionheart and his successors, it was a declaration of guerre mortelle, mortal war, warfare where both soldiers and civilians lost all privileges. The dragon banner of Henry III was described as “foretelling a sentence of death”.

In 1257, its use “threatened the general extermination of Wales”. Like the Oriflamme, the banner of the French kings, its unfurling meant that no mercy would be shown. The legitimate targets of medieval mortal war were infidels and rebels, and from Richard I onwards, the dragon was used only used against such enemies – Richard against the Muslim Saracens, John against rebel barons, Henry III against rebel barons and the Welsh he saw as rebels, Edward I against the Scots he claimed to be ruler of, and Edward III against the French, whose throne he claimed.

If the banner did mean no mercy, then England’s kings sometimes regretted it. Edward I was angered by his son’s violence to Scottish non-combatants. After the Battle of Crécy, Edward III berated some of his Cornish and Welsh soldiers for killing several wounded men-at-arms, depriving him of the ransom money they could bring. Other rulers clearly used it only for show. Henry III’s 1245 Welsh campaign ended with a peace treaty and he quickly withdrew his 1257 expedition.

The dragon banner seems to have fallen out of use by the late 14th century, perhaps because the adoption of St George as England’s patron saint clashed with glorifying a dragon in this way. Its last recorded use was against the Covenanters in the 17th century. William Watts, an English priest, recalled seeing a dragon banner in 1639 when serving as chaplain to Thomas Howard, earl of Arundel, who led Charles I’s failed invasion of Scotland that year.

_Rory MacLellan is working towards a PhD in medieval history at the University of St Andrews_

question: Who plays the role of Edward I?

answer: Stephen Dillane

question: Did Matilda become the queen?

answer: No, when Henry died, the nobles chose his nephew, Stephen.

question: What did the banner mean for Henry III?

answer: The banner for Henry III was described as "foretelling a sentence of death."

question: When was the banner last used?

answer: The banner was last used against the Covenantors.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
The Netflix show, Outlaw King, shows a black flag with a red dragon. The banner was first described by Henry III in 1244. Another description is from 1245 with a head made of gold.

The tradition of using the flag was revived during the reign of Richard the Lionheart. He used the flag while fighting Saladin at Arsuf.

The dragon banner has fallen out of use since the 14th century perhaps because the adoption of St. George as England's patron saint clashed with glorifying a dragon.


text:
THE GLENHOLME SCHOOL, also known as DEVEREUX GLENHOLME SCHOOL, is an independent coeducational therapeutic boarding school situated on over in Washington, Connecticut. The school aims to provide a highly structured environment for children ages 10 to 21 who face challenges from various conditions, including high functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and Asperger syndrome; ADHD, OCD, Tourette syndrome, depression, anxiety, and emotional and learning disabilities.

Program

Services include a comprehensive academic curriculum, sports, fine arts, and an emphasis on community service. The program includes residential treatment, day treatment, summer program and post-secondary college and transitional living services.

The school's milieu therapy is intended to address varying levels of academic, social and special needs development for boys and girls ages 10 to 21. Glenholme aims to prepare graduates for higher education and post-secondary career opportunities.

Faculty

The school has 1 psychiatrist, 1 psychologist, 7 clinicians, 34 boarding instructors, and 28 education faculty including teachers, aides, and special programs. All teachers are either certified in Special Education in Connecticut or are content-area certified in Connecticut. While the student-to-staff ratio is 10:1:1, the student-to-on-duty staff ratio is considerably lower.

History

Devereux Glenholme was established in 1968[1] on the country estate of the Van Sinderen family, which had been donated to the Devereux Foundation by Jean White Van Sinderen, who had learned of the work of special education pioneer Helena T. Devereux and desired to create a school where children with special behavioral and learning needs could develop their potential.[2] The school's administrative offices are in a colonial revival house originally called Glen Holme, designed by architect Ehrick Rossiter for industrialist William Leslie Van Sinderen (1856–1909) and completed in 1898.[3]

In subsequent years the school was supported by Mrs. Van Sinderen's son, Alfred W. Van Sinderen, one-time Chief Executive Officer of Southern New England Telephone Company who died in 1998.[4]

Accreditation and affiliations

Glenholme is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.[5] It also is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools and holds approvals from the California Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Connecticut Department of Education, District of Columbia Department of Education, Massachusetts Department of Education, New Jersey Department of Education, Illinois Department of Education, and New York Department of Education.[6]

Innovative programs

During the 1990s, Devereux Glenholme was successful in instituting staff training that resulted in significant reductions in its use of physical restraints and time-outs, in spite of an increase in the severity of behavioral symptoms among its students. More recently, the school participated in a project supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration aimed at further reducing the use of restraints and seclusion in residential behavioral health care settings.[7] The Communities of Character program for character education was developed by Devereux Glenholme, as the first school to bring the effort of positive school climate and character education to Connecticut in the mid-90s.[8][9]

In the news

The school frequently enlists celebrities to assist in fundraising, thus garnering publicity.

In May 2009, the school received media attention when it broke ground for a new arts center and held an auction fundraiser with the support of James Marsden and Jessica Biel.[10]

In August 2010, special culinary guests Johnny Iuzinni, of Bravo TV's _Top Chef_, and David Arnold, director of the French Culinary Institute's technology department, shared their passion for science and the culinary craft to concoct several out-of-this-world creations for the culinary connoisseurs at Glenholme.[11]

In May 2011 comedians Jim Carrey and Tracy Morgan participated in the school's annual Parents' Weekend and the opening events for the school's Center for the Arts.[12]

In 2012, Glenholme culinary students enjoyed a private demonstration and hands-on lesson with chef Barbara Lynch of Barbara Lynch Gruppo (formerly No. 9 Group).[13]

In 2012, David O. Russell publicly supported the school's fundraising efforts while promoting his movie, _Silver Linings Playbook_.[14][15] _Vanity Fair_, Barneys New York and Weinstein Co. celebrated _Silver Linings Playbook_ in support of the Glenholme School on Wednesday February 20, 2013 as part of pre-Oscar week in Los Angeles.[16][17] Russell and _Parenthood_ producer Jason Katims assisted in another New York City Fundraiser to benefit the school's scholarship fund in October 2013, enlisting the support of actress Natalie Dormer.[18]

In 2015, Russell enlisted numerous celebrities to support the school's fifth New York City fundraiser. Guests included Robert De Niro, Grace Hightower, Harvey Weinstein, Dascha Polanco, Cristin Milioti and Isabella Rossellini.[19]

Russell and Dascha Polanco returned to Glenholme's New York City fundraiser in 2016 to support the cause and honor Joe Hall, President of Ghetto Film School.[20][21] Glenholme also receives local media attention for campus activities including annual events such as Grandparents' Day,[22] Alumni Day,[23] Boarding Recognition Week,[24] Canine Collection,[25] guest presenters including Ally Del Monte, who spoke with students about bullying in October 2015,[26] and Krista Weltner, who discussed harnessing the strength of her learning disability to complete an MFA in the Puppet Arts Program at the University of Connecticut,[27] as well as various community service efforts including a fundraiser by the school's culinary program,[28] traditional food drives,[29] promoting tourism and the arts,[30] and the honoring of American heroes in conjunction with Wreaths Across America every December.[31][32][33] In recent years, the school generated awareness and community spirit with a 5K Run for Autism.[34][35] In 2016, the school's annual autism run continued to generate awareness.[36][37]

In 2017, Glenhole became the subject of a child abuse sex scandal dating to 2001.[38] A fifteen-year-old male was forced into a sexual relationship with an older female staff member. When the student reported the crime, Judith Cooper, the executive administrator, denied the affair and took no measures to protect the student. The student's parents eventually removed him and have sued the school.

In June 2018, Glenholme celebrated 50 years as a special needs boarding school with a jubilee gala. Filmmaker David O. Russell and _Good Morning America_’s Robin Roberts hosted the evening gala. [39]

Notable former students

-   Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of Sid Vicious, attended in 1970–1971.[40]

[1] School Overview, Peterson's Guide, accessed March 16, 2009

[2] Devereux Glenholem press release, May 15, 2000

[3] Scott J. Tilden, Visions of summer: Ehrick Rossiter in Washington, Connecticut, _Magazine Antiques_, August 2007

[4]

[5] 1, Natsap.org, accessed December 21, 2015

[6] “The Glenholme School”, NATSAP

[7] Mary Guilfoile (2003), “Closeup: The Devereux Glenholme School,” _Residential Group Care Quarterly_ 3:3 , page 5

[8] Communities of Character website, archived August 13, 2007

[9]

[10] Glenholme School arts center earns the spotlight", _CT Post_, September 24, 2009.

[11] “A Tasty Treat at Glenholme” , _Housatonic Times_, September 10, 2010

[12] “Glenholme Milestone”, _New Milford Spectrum_, June 2011

[13] “Glenholme Students Get Visit From Chef Barbara Lynch”, _Litchfield County Times_, December 6, 2012.

[14] “Big Bashes, Intimate Affairs”, _The Wall Street Journal_, October 5, 2012.

[15] “Q&A: Silver Linings Playbook's Bradley Cooper and David O. Russell”, _Time Magazine_, November 15, 2012.

[16] “All The Rage”, _Los Angeles Times_, February 22, 2013.

[17] “Highlights from Vanity Fair's Campaign Hollywood” , _Vanity Fair_, March 13, 2013.

[18] “David O. Russell Honored By, Raises Money for, School for Kids With Special Needs”, _Hollywood Reporter_, October 24, 2013.

[19] “Stars Open Doors For Students With Learning Differences”, Look to the Stars, November 4, 2015.

[20] “David O. Russell, Ghetto Film School President Talk 'Two-Way' Benefits of Working With Special-Needs Kids”, October 22, 2016

[21] “David O. Russell Does Good Work: Ghetto Film School Partners with Glenholm”, November 4, 2016.

[22] “Grandparents' Day”, _New Milford Spectrum_, October 14, 2011

[23] _Alumni day_,_New Milford Spectrum_, August 26, 2011

[24] _The Glenholme Grizzly delivered special cheer_, _News Times Danbury_, October 14, 2011

[25] “The canine collection”,_New Milford Spectrum_, October 19, 2011

[26] “#BeBrave”, _New Milford Spectrum_, December 2, 2015

[27] “The Glenholme School Welcomed Artist-Speaker, Krista Weltner” , June 9, 2016.

[28] “Glenholme café to donate to food bank”, _New Milford Spectrum_, September 28, 2011

[29] “Glenholme Students Collect Food”, _Litchfield County Times_, November 28, 2012

[30] “All Aboard Litchfield County art project helps promote tourism”, August 15, 2015

[31] “Service Members Honored by Students at Glenholme School”, _Voices News_, December 28, 2011

[32] “Groups to place veterans' wreaths”, _New Milford Spectrum_, December 26, 2012.

[33] “Students of The Glenholme School Participate in Wreaths Across America Tribute to Our Nation's Heroes”, _The Hartford Courant_, December 14, 2015

[34] “5K for Autism raises money for Glenholme School performing arts program”, _Register Citizen_, November 23, 2014

[35] [http://www.primepublishers.com/voicesnews/multimedia/videos/video_98f37ea0-8fb5-11e5-bedd-6f9f37ca0167.html, “Glenholme 5K Run For Autism”, _Voices_, November 20, 2015]

[36] “Canines Join Humans in 5K Run for Autism”, December 3, 2016.

[37] “Glenholme School hosts 5K Run for Autism”, November 20, 2016.

[38] “Suit alleges sex abuse at Washington’s Glenholme school”, September 25, 2017.

[39] “The Glenholme School celebrates its 50th Anniversary”, July 16, 2018.

[40] Nancy Spungen, 1958–1978 , accessed January 12, 2009

title: Devereux Glenholme School

question: What programs are included at the Glenholme School?

answer: Services at the Glenholme School include comprehensive academic curriculum, sports, fine arts, and an emphasis on community service, as well as residential treatment, day treatment, summer program and post-secondary college and transitional living services.

question: Summarize the history of the Devereux Glenholme School.

answer: Devereux Glenholme was established in 1968 on the country estate of the Van Sinderen family. The family desired to create a school where children with special behavioral and learning needs could develop their potential.

question: What are some of the innovative programs that Glenholme has developed?

answer: During the 1990s, new staff training resulted in significant reductions in the use of physical restrains and time-outs on students, despite an increase in the severity of behavioral symptoms among its students.

question: What are the costs of attending the Devereux Glenholme School?


text:
Before time existed, there was a forest. No animals lived in the forest, & one ever entered the forest. It remained silent & still for eons.
That is of course, until one rainy night. A raindrop, just like any other raindrop, hit the ground. More & more raindrops fell, and a puddle appeared. From the puddle, a small, chubby hand reached out. It grabbed the dirt & pulled itself out. The small hand was attracted to a young girl.
She blinked.
In front of her stood thin, spindly trees. They were golden, like the harp strings whom’s music echos faintly in her mind.
Silence & rain.
No more rain.
Silence.
A flash of white fur struck the corner of her eye.
Suddenly there in front of her stood a stag.

“Hello?” The little girl trembled.
The stag stood watching. Then, it lowered it’s head. It’s eyes were as black as obsidian.
It placed it’s head in her arms. “I made you, & I will keep you safe.” The stag said, “I love you very much.”

“What is your name?” She asked.

“I am who I am,” the stag bellowed, “I will call you Lucy.”

“I like the name Lucy. You are very beautiful Mr. Stag.”

The rain, which had stopped briefly, returned.

“Walk with me, Lucy.” The Stag stomped the ground, & an umbrella emerged.

Lucy grabbed it, & winced slightly at the sudden pause of rain.

She got up, & neared the Stag. She held his on to him to keep herself steady.

They walked for a minutes, or hours, or seconds. No one could really be sure. “I wish to be like you, Mr Stag. You are so lovely with your white fur.”

“You don’t know what you ask.”

However long they were walking, the trees were now as large as the pillars from the heaven Lucy came from, but no longer recalls.

The Stag laid down to rest, & beckoned Lucy to come rest with him.

As he laid down to rest, Lucy took a piece of his horn, and used it to cut off his flesh, which she wrapped over herself. Lucy was now covered in rich, soft white fur.
When the Stag awoke, he noticed his fur was gone, and he was naked. He knew what had happened.
This cursed Lucy to be a doe of mere flesh and bone, condemned to die.
Time was set into motion. Death was the first clock.
Lucy hid from the stag till her death.

The Stag found Lucy three hundred & sixty five days later while he was rounding the forest. He was crushed.

He decided to call her demise a year.
He was so moved, he decided to lay down by her one last time. He fell into a deep sleep.
The trees, saw the Stag’s mourning. They were crushed, because they felt the pure love the Stag had for his creation.
The trees mourned as well. They rid themselves of their leaves, turning them into a blood red, before they fell off. This was the first time they had done anything so risky. The Stag would later call this Fall.

When the Stag woke up, the sky was sunny & blue. The trees were full of leaves & heavy with a bright red fruit. He walked up to one & tasted it. The fruit was sweet. he called it an apple.
That’s when the Stag saw him.

The boy jumped. He had just opened his eyes. In front of him was the corpse of a deer, long dead and rotting.
A few paces behind the rotting deer, stood a stag.
The Stag looked at the boy. His empty skull showing no expression.

“A-are you Death? Did you kill that deer?” The boy asked.

“No I am not death,” the stag answered.

“Who are you?”

“I am a friend. May I sit with you?”

The boy glanced warily at the Stag for several moments before nodding.
“You May call me Ternate,” said the Stag,” for I am the sky, the forest’s trees, & this stag.”

“You’re the sky? I came from the sky, I think,” the boy pointed upward,” can I have an apple?” Ternate nodded.

“Ternate, are you sure you aren’t death? You seem very scary.”

The Stag, realizing that he was currently nothing but bones, shook the trees down, and dressed himself in leaves.
They sat together, until the sun set.
The boy eyed Lucy.

“Am I going to die like that deer, Ternate?”
The stag looked over at Lucy’s body, seeing himself in her fur.

“I don’t know. Only time will tell.”

“Oh.”

“Can we go somewhere else? It’s getting dark.”

The stag nodded, lifting its heavy frame up from where it sat.
The Stag walked up to Lucy one last time and pressed his forehead to hers. The ground opened up and took her in.
The leaves the stag wore turned back to white fur.
Without hesitating, the boy’s eyes lit up “You’re beautiful, Mr. Stag.”

title: [MF] The Stag

question: Where did the stag come from?

answer: Unknown.

question: Is the stag the lord and creator of the forest?

answer: Unknown; though it seems to have some sort of creative powers.


text:
 Dong Wang et al. Neuron. 2018.

Free PMC article

Abstract

Cellular interactions between delta and mu opioid receptors (DORs and MORs), including heteromerization, are thought to regulate opioid analgesia. However, the identity of the nociceptive neurons in which such interactions could occur in vivo remains elusive. Here we show that DOR-MOR co-expression is limited to small populations of excitatory interneurons and projection neurons in the spinal cord dorsal horn and unexpectedly predominates in ventral horn motor circuits. Similarly, DOR-MOR co-expression is rare in parabrachial, amygdalar, and cortical brain regions processing nociceptive information. We further demonstrate that in the discrete DOR-MOR co-expressing nociceptive neurons, the two receptors internalize and function independently. Finally, conditional knockout experiments revealed that DORs selectively regulate mechanical pain by controlling the excitability of somatostatin-positive dorsal horn interneurons. Collectively, our results illuminate the functional organization of DORs and MORs in CNS pain circuits and reappraise the importance of DOR-MOR cellular interactions for developing novel opioid analgesics.

KEYWORDS: G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels; analgesia; brain; co-expression; distribution; internalization; mu and delta opioid receptors; neurons; pain neural circuits; spinal cord.

Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Figures

[Figure 1]
FIGURE 1
Receptor Trafficking in DORGFP Mouse Reveals DOR+ Neurons in Spinal Cord (A) Staining with an anti-GFP antibody in spinal cord sections from either untreated or SNC80-pretreated (10 mg/kg, s.c., 2 hr before tissue collection) DORGFP knockin mice. (B) _Oprd1_ mRNA in spinal cord sections from wild-type mice. (C) Co-localization of DORGFP with the neuronal marker NeuN. (D) DORGFP+ cells do not express the microglia marker IBA-1. (E) Deltorphin II activates GIRK channels in spinal cord dorsal horn neurons in wild-type mice. (F) Schematic map showing the location of all recorded dorsal horn neurons in wild-type (n = 68) or DOR knockout mice (n = 26). Green recorded neurons presented deltorphin II-induced GIRK currents. (G) Quantification of peak GIRK channel currents from deltorphin II-responsive neurons in (F). Data are presented as mean ± SEM with dots showing individual neurons. Scale bars represent 50 μM. See also Figure S1.

[Figure 2]
FIGURE 2
Most DOR-Expressing Neurons in the Dorsal Horn are Lamina II Excitatory Interneurons (A) DORGFP+ neurons frequently co-express TLX3 (white arrowheads). (B) DORGFP+ neurons rarely express PAX2. (C) Most DORGFP+ neurons express VGLUT2/tdTomato (white arrowheads). (D) Few DORGFP+ neurons express VGAT/tdTomato (white arrowheads). (E) Quantification of (A)–(D). Dots represent individual counts in spinal cord sections from 3–6 mice. (F) Schematic map of the location of VGLUT2+ or VGAT+ neurons that responded to deltorphin II (i.e., DOR+, green). n = 16 neurons for each. (G) Whole-cell recording indicated different AP firing patterns in deltorphin II-responsive neurons in wild-type mice. (H) Proportions of DOR+ or DOR- neurons showing the different AP firing patterns. (I) DOR+ neurons have a more negative resting membrane potential compared to DOR− neurons. ∗∗∗p < 0.001 with unpaired t test. (J) DORGFP+ lamina II neurons frequently co-express somatostatin (white arrowheads). (K) Quantification of DORGFP+ neuron co-expression with multiple other neuronal markers. Dots represent individual counts in spinal cord sections from 3–6 mice. (L) DOR is expressed by a subpopulation of lamina I NK1R+ projection neurons. Data are presented as mean ± SEM in (E), (I), and (K). Scale bars represent 50 μM. See also Figure S2.

[Figure 3]
FIGURE 3
DOR Agonist Inhibits SOM+ Interneurons to Decrease Mechanical Pain (A) Noxious mechanical stimulation of the hindpaw of DORGFP mice induced Fos expression in DORGFP+ dorsal horn neurons (white arrowheads). (B) Quantification of (A). Dots represent individual counts in spinal cord sections from 3 mice. (C) Representative traces showing Aβ and Aδ fiber input to DORGFP+ neurons. (D) Summary of (C). n = 27 neurons. (E) Morphology of a DOR+ neuron during recording. (F) Decreased effect of intrathecal deltorphin II (1 μg) against acute mechanical nociception in DOR cKO mice. Von Frey threshold test: n = 13 control mice and 14 DOR cKO mice; pinprick and von Frey frequency tests: n = 7 control mice and 7 DOR cKO mice. (G) Diminished anti-allodynic effect of intrathecal deltorphin II (15 μg) against SNI-induced neuropathic hypersensitivity in DOR cKO mice. Von Frey threshold and pinprick tests: n = 7 control mice and 7 DOR cKO mice; von Frey frequency test: n = 6 control mice and 7 DOR cKO mice. (H) The antinociceptive action of intrathecal deltorphin II (1 μg) against heat nociception (hotplate and tail immersion tests) is intact in DOR cKO mice. Hotplate test: n = 13 control mice and 14 DOR cKO mice); tail immersion test: n = 7 control mice and 7 DOR cKO mice. (I) Representative trace showing deltorphin II-induced GIRK currents (labeled in green) in tdTomato+ lamina II neuron in slices from _Som__Cre__;Rosa26__LSL-tdTomato_ mice. (J) Deltorphin II reduces the AP firing rate and increases the AP firing threshold in SOM/tdTomato+ neurons (n = 7). ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, ∗∗∗p < 0.001, (F)–(H), repeated-measures, two-way ANOVA + Bonferroni; (J), paired t test. Data are presented as mean ± SEM in (B) and (F)–(H). Scale bars represent 50 μM. See also Figures S3 and S4.

[Figure 4]
FIGURE 4
DOR Is Expressed by Several Classes of Spinal Neurons Regulating Motor Control (A and B) Staining of sections from VGAT-tdTomato (A) or VGAT-Zsgreen (B) reporter mice crossed with DORGFP mice with an anti-GFP antibody indicates that ventral horn DOR+ neurons are inhibitory interneurons. (C and D) DOR is expressed by En1+ V1 inhibitory neurons (D) including calbindin+ Renshaw cells (C). (E) DOR is rarely expressed by motor neurons. (F) DOR is expressed by cholinergic V0c neurons (white arrowheads). CC, central canal. (G and H) Expression of DOR in Clarke’s column neurons that project to the cerebellum in naive (G) and SNC80-treated (H) DORGFP mice. Scale bars represent 50 μM. See also Figure S5.

[Figure 5]
FIGURE 5
Distribution of MOR-Expressing Spinal Neurons (A) Staining with an anti-RFP antibody in spinal cord sections from MORmCherry knockin mice shows MOR presence in primary afferent terminals. (B) Double labeling of RFP and CGRP shows MORmCherry+ neurons (white arrowheads) present in laminae I and II outer. (C) MORmCherry+ neurons (white arrowheads) are also found in lamina II inner dorsal where IB4+ primary afferent project. (D) MOR is also expressed by lamina I NK1R+ neurons (white arrowhead). (E) Representative traces of MOR agonist DAMGO induced GIRK channel activation in spinal dorsal horn neurons from wild-type or MOR knockout mice. The outward current can be blocked by the MOR antagonist CTOP. (F) Schematic map showing the location of all recorded dorsal horn neurons from wild-type (n = 71) or MOR knockout (n = 11) mice. DAMGO-induced GIRK currents were observed in those neurons filled with red. (G) MOR+ neuron distribution in dorsal horn laminae I and II outer (CGRP), lamina II inner dorsal (IB4), and lamina II inner ventral (PKCγ). (H) Quantification of (G). Data are presented as mean ± SEM with dots showing individual counts in spinal cord sections from 3 mice. (I and J) Sample traces (I) show C fiber input to MORmCherry+ neurons (n = 11). Summary table (J) indicates that the majority of MORmCherry+ neurons receive input from C/Aδ, but not Aβ, fibers. Scale bars represent 50 μM. See also Figure S4.

[Figure 6]
FIGURE 6
Spinal Neurons Co-expressing DOR and MOR (A) Limited co-expression of DOR and MOR in laminae I-II dorsal horn neurons. White arrows indicate DORGFP+ neurons, and arrowheads indicate MORmCherry+ neurons. (B) Quantification of (A). Data are presented as mean ± SEM from 6 mice. (C) Representative trace showing that DAMGO and deltorphin II very rarely induced GIRK channel activation in the same lamina II neurons. (D and E) Schematic map (D) and bar graph (E) showing the location and proportion of the neurons that responded to both deltorphin II and DAMGO (black) in wild-type mice. (F) Immunostaining for DORGFP and MOR in DORGFP mice confirms the segregated expression of DOR and MOR in the dorsal horn. (G) Co-expression of DOR and MOR in lamina I projection neurons (n = 166 neurons from 3 mice). (H) Representative trace showing that both deltorphin II and DAMGO induced GIRK channel activation in a lamina I projection neuron. Summarized data from 15 recorded projection neurons indicates that 46.7% of them responded to both agonists. (I) Triple labeling with an anti-GFP antibody, an anti-RFP antibody, and VGAT-Zsgreen in sections from _Oprd1__gfp/gfp__;Oprm1__mCherry/mCherry__;Vgat__Cre__;Rosa26__LSL-Zsgreen_ mice indicating that DOR and MOR are highly co-expressed in ventral horn inhibitory interneurons. Scale bars represent 50 μM. See also Figure S6.

[Figure 7]
FIGURE 7
DOR and MOR Divergent Distribution in Brain Pain Circuits (A) DOR and MOR are expressed by neurons located in different subnuclei of the lateral parabrachial nucleus. LPBD, lateral parabrachial nucleus, dorsal; LPBE, lateral parabrachial nucleus, external; LPBC, lateral parabrachial nucleus, central; LPBV, lateral parabrachial nucleus, ventral; scp, superior cerebellar peduncle. (B) Segregated expression of DOR- and MOR-expressing neurons in distinct amygdalar nuclei. BLA, basolateral amygdala; ITC, intercalated cells; CeC, central amygdala, capsular; CeM, central amygdala, medial; CeL, central amygdala, lateral; MeA, medial amygdala; Pir, piriform cortex; CP, caudate putamen. (C) Preferential distribution of neurons expressing DOR or MOR in layer II/III and V of the anterior cingulate cortex, respectively. Scale bars represent 50 μM. See also Figure S7.

[Figure 8]
FIGURE 8
MOR Is Not Co-internalized and Co-degraded with DOR in Response to DOR Agonists (A) Co-staining with anti-GFP and anti-MOR antibodies in spinal cord sections from DORGFP mice indicates that the DOR agonist SNC80 (10 mg/kg, s.c., 2 hr before tissue collection) causes DOR, but not MOR, internalization. White arrowheads indicate DOR+ MOR+ neurons. Scale bars represent 20 μM. (B) Quantification of (A). Data are presented as mean ± SEM with dots showing individual neurons from 3 mice. ∗∗∗p < 0.001, one-way ANOVA. (C) DOR+MOR+ neurons are visually identified by GFP and mCherry fluorescence prior to recording. (D) Despite SNC80 treatment, DAMGO, but not deltorphin II, still causes GIRK channels activation in spinal neurons that co-express DOR and MOR (n = 8). (E) Effect

question: What does the article say about other works published by Elsevier Inc?

question: What does the text say about mice?

answer: Mice are referenced in the article as part of scientific research. Types of mice mentioned include wild-type mice, knockout mice, and knockin mice. The mice are used in research testing neuron activity, particularly DOR-MOR co-expression.

question: What is the purpose of the research in this article?

answer: The purpose of the research appears to be to pinpoint the function and organization of delta and mu opioid receptors (DORs and MORs). An understanding of this information is necessary to develop novel, effective opioid analgesics.


text:
_ECHO IN THE CANYON_ is a soundtrack for the documentary film of the same name.[1]

Reception

Aidin Vaziri of the _San Francisco Chronicle_ said the soundtrack “rings hollow”.[2]

Track listing

All lead by Jakob Dylan

1.  Jade Castrinos: Go Where You Wanna Go
2.  Beck: The Bells of Rhymney
3.  Cat Power: You Showed Me
4.  Josh Homme: She
5.  Fiona Apple: In My Room
6.  Beck: Goin’ Back
7.  Norah Jones: Never My Love
8.  Fiona Apple: It Won’t Be Wrong
9.  Regina Spektor: No Matter What You Do
10. Eric Clapton & Stephen Stills: Questions
11. Neil Young: I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
12. Regina Spektor: Expecting to Fly
13. Neil Young: What’s Happening

Track listing adapted from Pitchfork[3]

Credits and personnel

Produced by Andrew Slater Engineered by Dave Way Mastered by Ted Jensen

Credits from the album's liner notes.[4]

1. Go Where You Wanna Go

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Jade Castrinos
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   Electric and Acoustic Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Mellotron and Chamberlin – Jordan Summers
-   Electric Guitar, Solo Guitar, Glockenspiel, Percussion – Fernando Perdomo
-   Background Vocals – Dan Rothchild, Justine Bennett
-   Strings – Patrick Warren
-   Piano – Jawn Star

2. The Bells of Rhymney

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Beck
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   12 String Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Hammond Organ – Jordan Summers
-   Baritone, Electric Guitar, Coral Sitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Acoustic Guitar, Banjo – Greg Leisz
-   Background Vocals – Beck, Justine Bennett

3. You Showed Me

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Cat Power
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   12 String Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Mellotron Vibes – Jordan Summers
-   Baritone Guitar, Electric Guitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Chamberlin Strings, Hammond Organ, Minimoog – Patrick Warren

4. She

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Josh Homme
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   12 String Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Vox Organ – Jordan Summers
-   Electric Guitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Electric Guitar Solo – Josh Homme
-   Background Vocals – Dan Rothchild, Justine Bennett

5. In My Room

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Fiona Apple
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   Electric Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Glockenspiel – Fernando Perdomo
-   Hammond Organ – Jordan Summers
-   Background Vocals – Jade Castrinos, Dan Rothchild, Justine Bennett
-   Chamberlin – Patrick Warren
-   Violin – Daphne Chen, Eric Gorfain
-   Viola – Leah Katz
-   Cello – Richard Dodd

6. Going Back

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Beck
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   12 String Guitar and Acoustic Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Hammond Organ – Jordan Summers
-   Baritone Elecric Guitar, Coral Sitar, 12 String Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Harpsichord – Aaron Embry
-   Background Vocals – Dan Rothchild, Justine Bennett

7. Never My Love

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Norah Jones
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   12 String Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Mellotron Vibes and Strings – Jordan Summers
-   Baritone Guitar, Electric Guitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Acoustic Guitar – Greg Leisz
-   Chamberlin – Patrick Warren
-   Percussion – Lenny Castro
-   Background Vocals – Jade Castrinos, Dan Rothchild, Justine Bennett

8. It Wont Be Wrong

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Fiona Apple
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   12 String Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Vox Organ – Jordan Summers
-   Electric Guitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Background Vocals – Dan Rothchild

9. No Matter What You Do

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Regina Spektor
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   12 String Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Vox Organ – Jordan Summers
-   Electric Guitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Percussion – Lenny Castro
-   Background Vocals – Dann Rothchild

10. Questions

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Eric Clapton
-   Drums – Matt Chamberlain
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   Electric Guitar – Geoff Pearlman, Fernando Perdomo, Eric Clapton , Stephen Stills
-   Hammond Organ – Jordan Summers
-   Piano – Aaron Embry
-   Percussion – Lenny Castro
-   Background Vocals – Jade Castrinos, Dan Rothchild, Justine Bennnett

11. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan , Neil Young
-   Acoustic Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   Leslie Guitar, Percussion , Hammond Organ – Fernando Perdomo
-   Orchestral Instrumentation and Percussion – Patrick Warren

12. Expecting To Fly

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan, Regina Spektor
-   Drums – Matt Chambelain
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   Acoustic Guitar, Lap Steel, Slide Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Baritone and Electric Guitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Acoustic Guitar – Andrew Slater
-   Vibraphone – Dj Bonebrake
-   Piano – Aaron Embry
-   Pedal Steel – Greg Leisz
-   Violin – Daphne Chen, Eric Gorfain
-   Viola – Leah Katz
-   Cello – Richard Dodd
-   Background Vocals – Fiona Apple, Maude Maggart, Dan Rothchild

13. What's Happening

-   Vocals – Jakob Dylan
-   Drums – Matt Tecu
-   Bass – Dan Rothchild
-   12 String Guitar – Geoff Pearlman
-   Baritone and Electric Guitar, Coral Sitar – Fernando Perdomo
-   Piano – Jordan Summers
-   Fuzz Guitar – Andrew Slater
-   Pedal Steel, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo – Greg Leisz
-   Sampled Strings – Patrick Warren
-   Congas – Lenny Castro
-   Background Vocals – Dan Rothchild
-   Solo Electric Guitar – Neil Young

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]  Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2020-01-12}}

title: Echo in the Canyon (soundtrack)

question: The soundtrack belongs to which documentary film?

answer: Echo in the Canyon.

question: Who is on the vocals for "Go Where You Wanna Go"?

answer: Jakob Dylan and Jade Castrinos

question: Who is playing the Guitar for "The Bells of Rhymney"?

answer: The twelve-string guitar is played by Geoff Pearlman and the Acoustic Guitar is played by Greg Leisz.

question: Who is playing the drums for "In My Room"?

answer: Matt Tecu.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A Wikipedia page on the soundtrack - Echo in the Canyon.


text:
There were elections in 1909 to the United States House of Representatives:

|- | | Robert C. Davey | | Democratic | 1892
1894
1896 | | Incumbent member-elect died during previous congress.
New member elected MARCH 30, 1909.
Democratic hold. | nowrap |

|- | | Theodore E. Burton | | Republican | | | Incumbent member-elect resigned during previous congress.
New member elected APRIL 20, 1909.
Republican hold. | nowrap |

|- | | William Lorimer | | Republican | | | Incumbent resigned June 17, 1909, after being elected to the U.S. Senate.
New member elected NOVEMBER 23, 1909.
Republican hold. | nowrap |

|- | | Francis W. Cushman | | Republican | 1898 | | Incumbent died July 6, 1909.
New member elected NOVEMBER 2, 1909.
Republican hold. | nowrap |

|- | | Pablo Ocampo | | Democratic | 1907 | | Term ended November 22, 1909.
New delegate elected NOVEMBER 23, 1909.
UNIONIST GAIN. | nowrap |

|}

question: Who are in the Democratic Party in the 1909 United States House of Representatives?

answer: Robert C. Davey and Pablo Ocampo.

question: Who are in the Republican Party in the 1909 United States House of Representatives?

answer: Theodore E. Burton, William Lorimer, and Francis W. Cushman.

question: Why did William Lorimer resign after being elected to the U.S. Senate?

answer: This is not in the article.

question: was there a woman elected in the 1909 United States House of Representatives elections?

answer: No.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The incumbents in the 1909 elections to the United States House of Representatives were Robert C. Davey (Democratic), Theodore E. Burton (Republican), William Lorimer (Republican), Francis W. Cushman (Republican), Pablo Ocampo (Democratic).


text:
THE TRIPLE C
(The Crouches Chicken Coop)

Hi everyone, I decided to post some pictures of our adventure building our coop. It's been a trying experience, but a rewarding one. The structure is an 8'x12' with the coop part being a 4'x8'. We have 8 Plymouth Barred Rocks, and I can't wait till we get the coop done so we can put our girls out in their new home. Here goes:

Dug out 8'x12' area to put treated 4'x4's as framing:

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Notice our supervisor, lol....that's Butterball our 16 yr old cat.

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Next we decided to put a full hardware cloth layer underneath the framing instead of the apron so no predators could dig up and under the coop (a little pricey, but worth peace of mind).

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we used zip ties to piece together the hardware cloth. Since it will be buried under gravel and sand, we're not worried about how it looks, lol.

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Oh, btw, here is a picture of our little fuzzy butts when we first got them (only a day old):

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Next came framing the walls. We had one day where some of my family came up to help out and socialize. Much fun was had by all, LOL!

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We used non treated 2"x4"s for the rest of the framing. The front wall of the coop is 7' high, and the back wall is 6' high to give us a nice slope. Here's my husband hard at work!

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Next we put the framing up for the actual 4'x8' coop part. We used 4'x8' plywood for the floor and ceiling:

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We checked all of our local flooring stores for remnants of vinyl flooring (linoleum), and this was the cheapest we could find (not the prettiest, but who's going to see it? lol)

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At this point we started putting some hardware cloth up in the run, but not everywhere yet. Need some open panels to make it easier to put the sand in the run. Now the next picture shows the door that we made by using 1"x4"s. We basically made 2 door frames using the 1"x4"s and sandwiched hardware cloth in between the 2 layers. When finished, it is the same thickness as the 2"x4" framing. (I'm so proud of myself, lol.....it took quite a while for us to figure out how to put the door together. I think it turned out pretty good If I do say so myself, hahaha!)

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By this time, our chickies are not quite so little. They are quickly out growing the hutch we've been using as a brooder. Here they are at 6wks:

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We better get crackin!
So, now the exciting part.....we put up walls of the coop! It's taking shape nicely.

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We cut out the holes for the windows, vents, nest box doors, and pop door before putting the walls up. You'll notice in the picture above that we had also added the 2"x2" strips (purlins) for the roof.
OK...now we start with putting the trim work around all the openings (pop door, windows, etc.)
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I love how the pop door turned out!
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On to the nest box doors:
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Next, the vents....we've made them similar to the pop door. We used the trim as a framing for the vent door so we can slide them open and closed.
Here's open:
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Here's closed:
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On to the windows.....we hinged them at the top so we could just swing them open. During the colder months we're going to put plexi-glass on the inside to block the cold air but still allow the chickens some light. Right now, we're using the paint stirers we used during this adventure to prop them open, lol. They're working pretty well.
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You'll notice we had a wee bit of an issue with the trim covering the door hinge, lol. We just had to move the screws for the trim work to avoid hitting the hinge. It all worked out. May not be perfect, but we keep reminding ourselves....."IT'S JUST A CHICKEN COOP!" hahahaha
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At this point we're getting so close to being done we can taste it, woo hoo! Wouldn't you know it, we ran into another problem, and it was a doozie! My husband and I decided to do the roofing next. We purchased green sea coaster corrugated Tuftex panels for the roof. Being novices to any building what so ever, we had no clue to what we were doing, but we pressed on. In order to put the panels up, you have to pre-drill the nail holes so the panels don't crack or split. Our problem was, in our desire to get the roof done, we lined up one panel and drilled the holes for that one, then decided to use that one as a template for the other panels. (MISTAKE) It turns out our drill line wasn't completely straight and when we went to put the other panels up the drill holes didn't line up with the purlins underneath (YIKES). Now what? We were quite upset with ourselves (especially because we couldn't afford to buy more panels), but after a couple days of cooling off, we came up with a solution that isn't pretty, but works (I think, lol). We had some scrap panels that weren't going to be used, so we used those to cut 2" strips to cover the drill holes using silicone. Only time will tell wether it holds up or not. Let's hope so! (You'll see the finished pictures at the end) For now, let's move on to the ramp, we used a 6 foot 10 inch plank, and used the scrap 1"x4"s cut up into 1 inch sections:
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The picture above was also the first day we let the chickens out of the coop into the run for the first time. They weren't too excited about the sand at first. They wanted no part of it. It took 2 days before anyone was brave enough to set foot on it, lol.
Here is an exterior shot of the finished coop. My 4yr old son is showing it off. You can also see the finished roof:

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OK....now the inside. The next picture shows the roosts that we made using stair risers and 2"x4"s set on the flat side to keep our chickies feet toasty warm during the cold months. We put them 18" above the ground.
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We used scraps of wood left over to put in front of and behind the 2"x4"s. That way we don't have to nail or screw the 2"x4"s down and we can take them out to clean and hose off when needed.
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This next picture shows the roosts with the 30"x30" poop tray (bought at TSC) as well as the light we installed it mainly for egg laying, not warmth. We are using a 40 watt bulb and a timer. Right now we have the lights coming on at 6am and shutting off at 8am, then again at 7pm and 9pm. Seems to be working great!
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This picture is of the sensor for The Weather Channel temperature gauge that we have inside our home. We can monitor the temperature and humidity of the coop from inside our house. Very nice!
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Here at the other end of the coop is our nest boxes, which we purchased at Lowe's for $7.90 each. Since taking the picture we've taken them out of the coop since the girls aren't old enough to be laying eggs. When they get closet to that age, we'll put them back in. We just don't want them sleeping in them and thinking that's what they are for. We'll be cutting round circles big enough for our hands to reach through the backside and retrieve the eggs from outside the coop.
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That pretty much covers everything, I hope! Here a few bonus pictures, lol!
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I hope this helps others in their process of building a coop, just like the BYC coop design page helped us in our building process! We love BYC and couldn't have done this without all the great information that was available to us through everyone's expertise. Here is just a few of the designs that inspired us and helped us in our process. We want to make sure to give credit where credit is due.
THE FEATHER FACTORY ; LA CAGE MAHAL ; "CHICHEN PARADISE" COOP;"TWO DOG FARMS"

9/12/2014
I THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE EVERYONE AN UPDATE ON OUR ADVENTURE WITH CHICKENS! HERE IS A LINK TO OUR ADDITION:

HTTPS://WWW.BACKYARDCHICKENS.COM/T/898093/2ND-TRIPLE-C-COOP-FINISHED#POST_14075792

YOU'LL NEED TO SCROLL UP TO THE TOP OF THE ORIGINAL POST TO SEE THE PICTURES.

question: What are fuzzy butts?

answer: The article does not directly explain what they are but it is implied that they are chicks/baby chickens -specifically, of the PlyMouth Barred Rocks.

question: What does Butterball do in relation to the Triple C project?

answer: The article jokingly mentions that Butterball is the supervisor. But since Butterball is a cat, it does not do anything directly related to the progression of the project. Its presence is likely a source of positive moral support for the writer and their family.


text:
We pulled into the parking lot and there they were. The guys in the suv that were trying to throw up their little hood at me and my cousin. It looked like there was about four of them or so. My cousin and I quickly glanced at eachother after seeing them.

"Fuck it ey. Lets do this." I said finally breaking the silence.

We both got out of my cousins suv and took a few steps forward. All the while I had the thought in my head that we were about to get our asses kicked. Whatever, it's not like I've never been jumped before. I've even been stabbed so it's not a big deal.

"What's up foo?! Y'all are talking that shit." My cousin said to them.

They noticed us when we stepped out of the vehicle. They had a look of surprise on their faces. Perhaps they weren't expecting two people going and stepping up to them. They may have just had that mantality of trying to bully people around thinking no one would do anything about it.

Then someone crept from the back of their suv. He was behind them all and stepped out infront. He said nothing and pointed a gun at my cousin.

"Woah like that, you gotta pull a gun out?" My cousin said in surprise.

He stood there pointing his gun at my cousin for what seemed like an eternity. I'm guessing it was only about ten or fifteen seconds though. He was about twenty feet away clutching the polished metal firearm. I could just bearly hear the people around all of us talking and moving away for fear of being shot.

"What a little bitch. Why don't you stop being a pussy." I said loudly for everyone around to hear.

I see him move slightly to face me. Then a sudden push hits me in my neck. And my vision goes extremely blurry. As though I'm in a pool with my eyes open underwater. I reach up and place my hand over my neck. A sudden weakness befalls me and I beging to kneel down. I can hear the very slightest of people yelling but can't make out the words. Then I feel a pull. I'm flipped around onto my back with a thud. It was my cousin trying to help me.

"Oh shit!" He shouted in a voice of panic. "Your gonna be alright cuz!" He said while franticly placing his hands over my neck.

I could feel his weight on me as he was trying to apply pressure to my neck. The warm wetness began to run down past my shoulder and chest.

"Ah fuck." I simply said while lying on my back.

I could hear the paniced cries of some women that were just off to the side of us.

"Your gonna be alright, your gonna be alright!" Again trying to reassure me.

Then cousin turned his head to see that an ambulance had pulled up behind him. But the were just sitting in the truck and not rushing to get out. I was looking over at them also just wondering what was going on. My cousin takes my hand and places it over my neck. Once I'm doing this he quickly dashes over to the ambulance and looks to be arguing with them. Then he hurridely comes back to me.

"Bullshit!" He shouted, placing his hands on my neck again.

"The fuck happened?" I asked in a surprisingly calm voice as the ambulance drove off.

"Bullshit man! They said they can't just get out and help you out. We need to call it in first they can't do anything.

"Wow." I said while chuckling a bit. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, ... A! Call the cops!" He yelled out to the women that were still there.

"Ahh man, I'm gonna die in a parking lot. Hahaha." I said. "Thats gonna suck ey."

"You're not gonna die it's gonna be alright." He said arguementatively.

Now I can feel the blood that is seeping through my cousin's fingers beginning to pool under me. It's hot and I'm dripping with sweat. The heat I had been feeling was increasing the entire time I had been on my back. For two a-m it was incredibly hot.

"A cuz, a I think I see a light man. I think I see one." I said looking up.

"Theres no light dude, the ambulance is coming." He said worridely.

"I do man, its bright... Oh wait spensa, that's just the street light." I said to my cousin.

He looked at me confused then turned his head up. After seeing the street light he turned back to me angerly.

"Are you fucking serious?! Don't mess with me like that fucker." He said while I was laughing.

When he turned back to me he accidently removed his hands and the blood from my neck began to shoot out like a drinking fountain. Then he pushed his hands back onto my neck while I continued to laugh.

Then finally the ambulance came back. The same ambulance with the same two medics. Again just laughing to myself thinking it only took them about ten minutes to return. The two paramedics came rushing with the gurney and got to work immediately. I started blacking out slightly. They loaded me onto the gurney and put me into the ambulance. The paramedic contained the bleeding for the moment as he cut my shirt off. Then my vision begins to get blurry again.

I open my eyes and I see a white ceiling. It took me a minute to realize where I was and what was going on. I felt woozy and looked around to see where i was. The emegency room was busy but a nurse noticed I had awoken.

"Hey, your up. You had us worried there for a minute."

title: True Story (NF)

question: Summarize the story.

answer: The narrator and his cousin encounter a group in a parking lot, and in defiance of being bullied, they get out and face them. Another man behind the group comes out of their SUV, holds a gun at the narrator's cousin, shocking them. The narrator teases the man for pulling out a guy, calling him a coward, and the man shoots him in return. As the narrator bleeds, an ambulance passes by, but they say they can't get involved unless the situation is called in. They ask a passer-by to call the cops, and the ambulance comes back ten minutes later. The narrator almost dies, almost, and wakes up in the hospital, greeted by a nurse.

question: What does the text say about urban warfare?


text:
[Former US Secretary of State John Kerry. Photo: State Department.]

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry. Photo: State Department.

On November 16, 2014, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took the unusual step of designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Muslim American Society (MAS) as terrorist organizations.

They were among 83 groups named for their connections to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

This outraged CAIR officials, who immediately began efforts to get their organization removed from the list. They found a powerful ally in Secretary of State John Kerry, who authorized State Department officials to meet regularly with UAE officials to lobby on behalf of CAIR and MAS.

CAIR already had a sympathetic ear in the Obama administration, including the State Department, which had openly embraced and legitimized the entire spectrum of radical Islamist groups falsely posing as religious or civil rights groups, which both CAIR and MAS had done.

Related coverage

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November 30, 2020 1:41 pm

At a daily State Department press briefing two days after the UAE released its list, a spokesman said that the State Department did not “consider CAIR or MAS to be terrorist groups” but that it was seeking more information from UAE about their decision. The official added that “as part of our routine engagement with a broad spectrum of faith based organizations, a range of US government officials have met with officials of CAIR and MAS. We at the State Department regularly meet with a wide range of faith based groups to hear their views even if some of their views expressed at times are controversial.”

In making that admission, the State Department official effectively affirmed the Obama administration policy of embracing radical Islamist group under the euphemism of calling them “faith based groups.”

The UAE had good reason to designate CAIR as a terror organization. For instance, records obtained by the FBI indicate that CAIR was created as a front group for a Hamas support network. While CAIR bills itself as “the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization,” the reality is quite different.

Before helping launch CAIR, Executive Director Nihad Awad worked as public relations director for the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), a Hamas propaganda arm in the United States. A 2001 Immigration and Naturalization Service memo documented IAP’s support for Hamas and found that the “facts strongly suggest” that IAP was “part of Hamas’ propaganda apparatus.”

IAP was part of the “Palestine Committee,” created by the Muslim Brotherhood to support Hamas politically and financially. CAIR was added to the Palestine Committee’s roster just after its 1994 creation.

In 2008, the FBI cut off official contact with CAIR, citing evidence from the Holy Land Foundation terror funding trial, which documented the connections between CAIR and its founders to Hamas.

In a letter to Senator Jon Kyl, the FBI explained, “Until we [the FBI] can resolve whether there continues to be a connection between CAIR or its executives and HAMAS, the FBI does not view CAIR as an appropriate liaison partner.”

During a 2003 Senate hearing, Senator Charles Schumer, D-NY, said that CAIR is known “to have ties to terrorism.” In 2009 correspondence with the FBI, he wrote that cutting off contact with the Islamist group “should be government-wide policy.”

CAIR and its representatives, meanwhile, often espouse radical ideology and propagate the jihadist narrative that the United States is waging a “war on Islam.” Awad repeated that message as recently as September 2016, when he denounced legislation allowing the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia.

CAIR officials also often side with Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists.

CAIR-New York board member Lamis Deek, an attorney, tweeted during the 2012 war between Israel and Hamas that Gaza is a “beacon of resistance, exposes shackles, awakens dignity, inspires revolution, reaffirms our oneness – the reason ‘israel’ won’t last.”

During a 2009 fundraiser for an effort to break Israel’s embargo against the Hamas government in Gaza, Deek explained that Palestinian support for Hamas is a choice for “one united Palestinian state on all of the 1948 territories from the north to the very south. That is what Palestinians chose. And in supporting Palestinian choice we are saying we support their right to liberation from violent colonialism.”

Just days before the UAE’s 2014 designation of CAIR as a terrorist group, the organization’s San Francisco chapter bestowed its “Promoting Justice” award to Sami Al-Arian and his family. Al-Arian secretly ran an American support network for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group in the late 1980s and early 1990s. PIJ was responsible for terrorist attacks that killed dozens of Israelis and several Americans.

Al-Arian pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide goods or services to the PIJ. His plea agreement included an admission that he was associated with the PIJ. US District Judge James S. Moody went further in sentencing Al Arian: “The evidence was clear in this case that you were a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” Moody said. “You were on the board of directors and an officer, the secretary. Directors control the actions of an organization, even the PIJ; and you were an active leader.”

Since 2001, six CAIR officials have been convicted of terror-related charges. A longtime national board member was deported in part because of his Hamas support.

Yet despite the massive evidence linking CAIR to Hamas and other terror groups, the Obama administration repeatedly invited CAIR officials and other radical Islamist groups to the White House.

In December 2014, CAIR met with top officials of the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, asking them to pressure the UAE to remove them from the list, according to reliable sources intimately familiar with the communications. On December 22, 2014, CAIR issued a press release asserting that “the two American Muslim organizations and the US government pledged to work together to achieve a positive solution to the UAE designations.”

In response to a letter sent by CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad to Secretary Kerry protesting the UAE designation, Kerry responded on May 5, 2015, in a letter to Awad stating, “Let me reiterate, first, that the US government clearly does not consider CAIR to be a terrorist organization. As your letter noted, the Department of State rejected this allegation immediately after the UAE designations were announced in November, and we will continue to do so. … US officials have raised the issue of CAIR’s inclusion on the UAE’s terror list with UAE officials on multiple occasions…”

That portion of the letter now appears on CAIR’s website. But at the time that the letter was sent to CAIR, according to knowledgeable sources, there was an agreement between CAIR and the State Department to keep the letter secret. An excerpt from it was posted on CAIR’s website only in May 2016, a year after it was received. The IPT has learned that Kerry and CAIR agreed to keep the letter secret so as to protect Kerry from public embarrassment. In light of CAIR’s numerous ties to Hamas and other unsavory aspects of its record, Kerry had good reason to believe that the letter could cause a public relations disaster for him.

Whatever influence the State Department exerted on the UAE did not work. There has been no indication that CAIR and MAS were removed from the Gulf state’s terrorist list.

When the UAE list was published, CAIR realized that it was going to be a public relations disaster for them as well. So they published a FAQ attacking the UAE as a “politically ‘authoritarian’ regime.”

The organization seemed more comfortable with this authoritarian regime in 2006, when Awad and CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper led a delegation on a fundraising trip to the UAE. State Department cables show that the delegation, led by the public relations firm Hill and Knowlton, sought millions of dollars from UAE donors.

The cables, obtained by the IPT through the Freedom of Information Act, show that CAIR officials met with top UAE leaders and attended an evening reception “in honor of the CAIR group” hosted by a top presidential adviser. The cable also noted that “UAE press has reported that Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Makhtoum Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance and Industry, ‘has endorsed a proposal to build a property in the US to serve as an endowment for CAIR.'” The cable added that CAIR had already received substantial contributions from several wealthy UAE donors, including one who had already given CAIR $1 million.

The Muslim American Society, meanwhile, has its own lengthy record of defending accused terrorists and terror supporters. It was formed as the Muslim Brotherhood’s overt arm in the United States. Co-founder Abdurrahman Alamoudi, who pleaded guilty in 2004 to engaging in illegal transactions with Libya and facilitating a Libyan plot to assassinate then-Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, testified in 2012 that MAS’s connection with the Brotherhood cannot be disputed.

This sordid episode of going to bat for a Hamas-support organization is emblematic of the larger problem of the Obama’s Administration’s inability to pinpoint the heart of the impasse between the Palestinians and the Israelis: unceasing Palestinian terrorism, continued Palestinian subsidies paid to terrorist families, incendiary glorification of terrorists who kill Jews and massive antisemitic incitement in Palestinian schools and media.

The outgoing Secretary of State recently crowed in the _New York Times_ about what he got right. This episode is a stark example of what he got wrong.

question: What was the source of the outrage within the Muslim community?

answer: Outrage sparked when the United Arab Emirates designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim American Society as terrorist organizations. In a briefing, the US state department stated that it did not consider the organizations to be terrorist groups. However, records show that CAIR was created as a front for a Hamas support network.