text:
	Fifty more MISSING posters came out of the office’s copier. “Thanks Mr. Reynolds.” The nervous man straightened out the stack of papers, hands shaking.
	“Not a problem Ed, anything to help find your boy.”
	“I promise I’ll pay the company back for all the paper-”
	Mr. Reynolds cut him off, “Fuck the company Ed.”
	Ed lowered his head and nodded, “Right, right.”
	He left the office feeling the same way he had for several days: drained, drained but determined. Police were on the case, or so they said, but Ed was glad his boss was doing what he could to help, it meant he didn’t have to carry the whole weight on his own. They hadn’t always gotten along and it was nice to not butt heads in a situation like this. Usually they bickered about the company’s finances or ways to keep clients, but Mr. Reynolds, a stern man, knew those things were petty compared to a missing person.
	Much later, as Ed drowsily stapled a poster to a telephone pole, a woman in high-heels and a poofy fur coat slithered over to him, “You lookin’ for some action sweetheart? It’s awful chilly tonight,” she crossed her arms and rubbed the sleeves up and down, “I’m nice n’ warm.” Ed’s eyes were unwelcoming. Hers fell to the posters clutched in his hand and then drifted to the pole, “Shit, never mind mistah.” She turned away but he grabbed her by the shoulder.
	“I used to be a cop, I know a girl like you has connections. Pimp, governor, somebody.” He handed her a poster.
	“Yeah, yeah sure, no problem.” Into the night he walked, the woman looking after him, sorrowful, “Good luck mistah old cop,” she said to herself, “good luck.”
	She sighed and looked over the paper. MISSING was in bold letters, there was a phone number and a picture of a young man aged 25. His name was Daniel Braunstein, (”That’s stein like clean, not stein like spine” often said Ed) in Universe Code: #Orange-White a father sought a son. In UC: #Beta-12 however, the poster read WANTED for Extra-Spatial Abduction and Space-Time Tampering.

-

	He felt cold and wet for a second, but back to unconsciousness Danny slipped.
	“Wake up!” Splash!
	Cold and wet again, Danny began to stir, “Wha’s going on?” The back of his captor’s hand struck his face. When he went to rub his cheek, he found his wrists bound to the chair he was sitting in, legs also. He could make out a figure in the darkness.
	“Not another peep!”
	“Just gag…him.” A woman somewhere behind Danny made herself known. “You won’t…” she struggled, “need him until…the end anyway.” Turning his head to find her, all Danny could see was blackness. A few lights glowed here and there, but nothing bright enough to see the whole room.
	“Oh, you probably would like to see mommy again.” Dropping something metal with a clang, the captor twisted his abductee’s head toward the woman and shined a flashlight on her. A hand clamped on Danny’s mouth before his yell of surprise hit the air.
	A metal , almost crown-like ring was screwed into her skull, blood coming from the punctures.
	“I couldn’t use yours obviously, but my own will work just fine. Just had to say I loved her and she was stupid enough to come.”
	“Any…thing for my boy.” She gave a weak smile, tears streaking involuntarily from the pain.
	“Years of drugs warping her mind convinced her to come as well.” He removed his hand and went to her, Danny unable to see his face. The captor reached into his pocket and brought out a small baggie of white powder. He carefully shook some onto the flashlight, “Like warm milk.” And put it up to Mrs. Braunstein’s nose. She snorted immediately and laughed.
	With the drug given, he killed the flashlight and stood at a cluster of small lights. Fiddling with something or just observing, Danny didn’t know: the shock of seeing his mother alive wouldn’t let his eyes function properly enough to tell.
	“How…my mom’s been dead for six years.”
	“Pay attention, my own, not yours.” A silhouette walked to Danny. A click, light, and a familiar smile he had seen in the mirror his entire life.
	“Boo. Guess who?” His own face.

-

	Prof. Lehrer drew a straight horizontal line on the lecture hall’s large chalkboard and tried to explain again to Ed parallel universes, “This line, yes? Our timeline and universe.” Ed was already lost, his deceased wife, Anne, was where Danny got his smarts from. Still, Lehrer continued, “This other line on top,” he drew a parallel line above the first, “this is a parallel and alternate world separate from our own.”
	“Speak English.” Ed was getting frustrated.
	“Okay um…ah! Say you flip a coin and you get heads,” Lehrer wrote an ‘H’ on the bottom line, “and now in the alternate reality where your son was taken, Beta-twelve, you might have gotten tails instead.” He drew a ‘T’ now on the top line and dusted the chalk off his hands, “Quite simple.”
	“So how many are there?”
	“How many what?”
	“The lines, worlds.”
	“An infinite number. You ate dinner later than usual one day here and skipped desert or another you ate early and had a banana split or another you can’t even chew dinner because your teeth rotted away. Every possibility.”
	“And Beta-twelve is where Danny is? How the hell do you know that?”
	“Alpha, the first universe that the known realities concluded was the first to contact a parallel world. John F. Kennedy from Alpha spoke to a grieving Jackie the day after he was killed in what we call now Universe Beta. Alpha does its best to monitor communication since it seems to know the most about contacting alternates.”
	“Did the Alphas tip our Earth off to something fishy? Do they know how my son got taken?” Ed had a load of questions firing in his head all at once.
	“Yes, and you’re not going to like this. A Daniel Braunstein from the Beta group was the first person to break through into the Color group, more specifically here, Orange-White.”
	“’Break through’? What…?”
	“Contact is relatively easy to us now, but physically moving realities…well let’s just say it can get complicated. The known groups have agreed visitation is off-limits because of the…currently known procedure. But enough about that, too complicated.”
	“Complicated how Lehrer?” Impatience growing.
	The professor paced back and forth for a brief moment before finally slumping down into a seat in the lecture hall, “It requires a neurological implosion, I know I know, English. Imagine a human brain as a bullet, kind of, you fire it, killing the person, and the shot can take you to an alternate reality…with other equipment of course.”
	“Who took Danny? Who took my son Lehrer?!” Ed bent down at the professor and held his shoulders firmly as he yelled at him.
	“Your son’s alternate from Beta-twelve. The one that broke through before. He essentially kidnapped himself. For the trip back he used a pair of twins,” he sighed and put his face in his hands, “he needed two to bring this Danny with him.”
	Ed could hardly speak, his head felt like a carnival strongman whacked it with a mallet. Finally he asked, “Why take him? Why take my boy?”
	“That’s what we don’t know.”

-

	The police had flooded the derelict, decrepit warehouse with lights aimed through the windows,  and Danny could now see what Daniel had called “my way out.” As Daniel began firing up what Danny believed to be the machine’s power source, someone outside with a bullhorn barked, “We have the place covered Frankenstein! Get out here now!”
	“Ugh, these fuckers again. Like annoying gnats, know what I mean Danny boy?”
	Danny’s head was throbbing. Seeing his mother again, even if it wasn’t really his mother, made his heart feel sore. Why did this madman still get to have her in his life? This frustration made his headache worse. Tinkering with a console of dials and buttons, Daniel began rubbing his forehead and groaned.
	“You too, Frankenstein?” mocked Danny.
	Daniel looked at him with disdain. He hated that name, “Do not call me that. If you knew the things I’ve done to earn that mutilation of our last name, you’d be frightened into silence. And the reason why our heads hurt is because we’re existing at the same time. Nature doesn’t like that.”
	“That nickname doesn’t work though, does it? Because it’s stein like clean-”
	“Not stein like spine. I guess some things aren’t so different. The headaches will go away once I’m gone, though prison might give you another one.” He crossed the room to a large, metal cylinder with two doors on it that were closed. Daniel knocked on it, “Last train to Lime-Teal. I used dad to get there the first time.”
	Danny’s heartache doubled, “Was it fucking worth it?”
	“Don’t judge me when you don’t even know how horrible he was. He deserved to die.” He turned away from Danny and turned a dial, “We’re dead in Lime-Teal, stillborn. Nature has forgotten Daniel Braunstein, I’ll have a fresh start.”
	Daniel’s mother began to cough violently and after the fit she collapsed to the floor.
	Daniel stormed over to her, “You better be alive you cunt.” He checked for a pulse but cursed when he couldn’t find one.
	“Untie me, quick!” said Danny, “I know CPR!”
	Daniel pulled out a small gun held by his belt, “Try something and you’re dead, I can just get another you from someplace else.”
	“Fine, just hurry up she doesn’t have much time.”
	Outside, the policeman barked again, “This is a final warning! Thirty more seconds and we’re coming in to light you up!”
	Daniel shot out a window. He could hear the “get down” order and that bought him more time. Furiously, he untied Danny from the chair. Once free, he and Daniel rolled Beta-12 Anne Braunstein over onto her back. Frantically pumping and giving mouth-to-mouth, Danny mimicked what he had seen in countless movies, and to his surprise, Anne’s eyes flickered open.
	“Holy shit I did it.”
	“Back in the chair, now!”
	The rusty, metal folding chair was Danny’s chance. As soon as he was close enough, he gripped the back of it and swung it wildly around. It hit Daniel with a solid blow to the head. Feeling relieved and satisfied, Danny picked up the gun. Boom. Boom. Someone was trying to bust down the door from the outside. The police would be inside soon.
	“Use…me to get…home.” Daniel’s mother said weakly, “They’ll kill you…both,…won’t take any…chances.”
	“No.” Danny’s eyes began to water, “You can’t die again.” Tears ran down his face now, “I’ve missed you so much mom.” He walked over and kissed her on the forehead.
	“I’m not her.”
	With those words, it was as if he had seen his mother disappear. He realized a stranger was in front of him, and she was right, she wasn’t her at all. He took a deep breath, wiped his face with his hands, and dropped the gun. Approaching the machine, he marveled at it, “He made all this…” Next to the console was a computer screen. Currently, LIME-TEAL was the set destination, “I wonder…” His fingers hovered over the keyboard. They began to tingle.
	“You want to do it, don’t you?” Daniel’s head was bleeding, but he managed to lift it slightly, “Go ahead, I know how curious you are. We are the same, we both want to know what else is out there, who we are in other realities. We were born to be scientists Danny!”
	Danny closed his eyes and sighed, it scared him how right Daniel was. He had to choose, “I will not be Frankenstein.” He scrolled through a list of universes on the screen until he found ORANGE-WHITE. Home. The machine whirred, a train that switched tracks. He swung open the doors of the cylinder and stepped inside. A big red button was on the inside and while pushing it, he turned to the woman on the ground, “I’m sorry.” With a blinding flash, the metal crown zapped Beta-12 Anne Braunstein to death and the cylinder was empty. Danny was gone.

title: Crimes Against Reality

question: Where has Daniel Braunstein disappeared to?

answer: Daniel Braunstein has crossed the timeline into a parallel Universe. He has moved from the current time to Beta-twelve. He is being held hostage by another version of himslef.

question: How does Danny escape from Beta twelve?

answer: Danny hit Daniel with a folding chair and grabbed the gun. He got into the time machine. Though he was tempted to move on to another Universe he chose instead to return to the Universe that he had earlier left.


split: test

text:
A mother is being blamed for the fatal mauling of her 2-year-old son by a pack of wild African dogs after the child fell into a Pittsburgh zoo's exhibit last November.

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium argues that the horrific death of Maddox Derkosh was "caused solely by the carelessness, negligence and/or recklessness of Elizabeth Derkosh" and the family shouldn't be allowed to sue according to a court filing Monday.

The boy's mother has admitted to holding her son in her arms to get a better view of nearly a dozen painted dogs below them from an observation deck on Nov. 4.

When her son unexpectedly "lurched forward" in her arms, he fell through an unprotected opening and onto the ground before being savagely ripped apart by the animals according to a complaint filed by the family in May.

[A small net is seen stretched out under the observation deck's viewing area. It was meant to catch items like cellphones and sunglasses, but Maddox bounced off it and into the pit according to the family.]

A small net is seen stretched out under the observation deck's viewing area. It was meant to catch items like cellphones and sunglasses, but Maddox bounced off it and into the pit according to the family. (Keith Srakocic/AP)

The family's attorney Robert Mongeluzzi has called the zoo's position "dead wrong and shameful."

"Having failed miserably in their solemn responsibility to prevent the attack, they have now shamelessly attacked Maddox's grieving mother," Mongeluzzi said in an email to the Daily News. "We look forward to exposing their reckless conduct, in discovery, and at trial."

The parents are seeking unspecified damages against the park, claiming that the death of their only child could have easily been prevented and that the zoo ignored warnings from a concerned employee.

[Maddox’s family claims there weren’t enough precautions taken at the exhibit where the 2-year-old was ripped apart as his heartbroken mother watched while being held back by another park visitor.]

Maddox’s family claims there weren’t enough precautions taken at the exhibit where the 2-year-old was ripped apart as his heartbroken mother watched while being held back by another park visitor. (Keith Srakocic/AP)

"Lou Nene, in an interview broadcast Nov. 28, 2012, on KDKA-TV admitted that he would see mothers place their children above or on the inadequately protected railing and opening 'at least 10' times a day," according to the complaint addressing the dogs' observation deck.

The toddler allegedly bounced off a net placed under this opening that was meant to catch small items such as cell phones and sunglasses, and then he landed fully conscious on the exhibit's floor.

"Elizabeth attempted to enter the African wild dog exhibit by climbing through the opening viewing window in the observation deck, but was physically restrained by another zoo visitor," the complaint claims. "She was forced to watch helplessly as the African wild dogs savagely mauled and literally tore apart her son in front of her."

[Jason Derkosh holds his wife, Elizabeth, at the funeral of their 2-year-old son. Zoo visitors restrained Elizabeth Derkosh to keep her from going in after her son.]

Jason Derkosh holds his wife, Elizabeth, at the funeral of their 2-year-old son. Zoo visitors restrained Elizabeth Derkosh to keep her from going in after her son. (Michael Henninger/AP)

In March, the zoo announced the painted dogs were being removed from the zoo for other undisclosed homes.

"We want our visitors to enjoy a family fun and safe environment while learning about our animals. Unfortunately, the painted dogs would have been a continuous reminder of the accident and would distract from educational opportunities to learn about this wonderful and endangered species," the zoo said in a statement.

In replacement of the painted dogs, the zoo said that a cheetah was brought in. The observation deck where the child fell was also removed from the exhibit.

[Just under a dozen of the painted dogs were in the enclosure and immediately pounced on the fully conscious child before ripping him apart, according to a complaint by the family's attorney. (file photo)]

Just under a dozen of the painted dogs were in the enclosure and immediately pounced on the fully conscious child before ripping him apart, according to a complaint by the family's attorney. (file photo) (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

On Thursday the zoo's public and media relations manager, Tracy Gray, argued the zoo had continually exceeded all of the exhibit safety standards by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums with their last five-year accreditation awarded to them two months before the child's death in September 2012.

"The USDA has conducted 35 inspections at the painted dog exhibit since its opening in 2006. At no time have any concerns or violations regarding this exhibit been identified by the regulatory agency," said Gray in an email.

The Derkosh family is seeking a trial by jury according to their lawyer.

_ngolgowski@nydailynews.com_

question: What happened to Maddox Derkosh?

answer: He was killed by wild African dogs at the zoo.

question: Who is Elizabeth Derkosh?

answer: Maddox's mother

question: Who is at fault for the boy's death?

answer: This is disputed -- the Pittsburgh Zoo blames the mother, the mother blames the zoo.

question: Who is the family's attorney?

answer: Robert Mongeluzzi

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Last November, two-year-old Maddox Derkosh slipped from his mother's arms and into a display of wild African dogs. The dogs killed the boy. The Pittsburgh Zoo blames the mother's negligence, but the mother blames the zoo.


text:
Nick Offerman loves woodworking. The actor, perhaps best known for his turn as Ron Swanson in _Parks and Recreation,_ adores the craft so much, he’s started Offerman Woodshop, where he makes and sells everything from meat paddles to mustache combs to custom dining tables. Nick Offerman also loves the betterment of humanity which is why when he found a project that combined his two passions, he leapt at the chance to participate. Would Works is a non-profit charity that helps Americans in need get back on their feet through the production of handmade wood goods. Proceeds from purchases help fund the woodshop and the program. Plus, Offerman will match any donations to Would Works, dollar-by-dollar, up to $20,000.

We talked to Offerman about Would Works, the admirable abdominal muscles of the Amish, his favorite _Parks and Rec_ quote, and the last time he cried.

_MEN’S HEALTH:_ TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH WOULD WORKS.

Offerman: It’s really neat and I was thrilled when I heard about it. Conner Johnson started it and it allows people on [Los Angeles’] Skid Row that are homeless or nearly homeless to sign up for credit if they need a basic life necessity, like a suit or glasses or perhaps the first month’s rent. Because for these people dealing with money can be a risky proposition, they’re given credit for work. You work the right amount of hours and they buy your glasses for you. The individual gets his or her necessity and a solid work reference, too. In so many places across the country, the economy has left people in the cold. All they want to do is hold their heads up as humans, do some work and get paid for it. I love the idea of a program that helps people get on their feet and it ties in perfectly with our woodshop. The Would Works artisans are helping to sand and finish the items available for sale.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WOULD WORKS PRODUCT?

Its main bread and butter are a few different cutting boards. For me, anything made out of wood to be used in and around food is charismatic. Whether that’s a table to dine upon or a board for cured meats and cheeses, I’m in. You’re taking a piece of wood that would otherwise go into a fireplace or rot in the forest and you’re giving it a nobler purpose.

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IF YOU WANT TO BE MORE OF A MANLY DUDE, SHOULD YOU TAKE UP WOODWORKING?

You know, it’s a funny thing. I’m careful about the definition of manly. Making anything with one's hands is a very healthy pursuit. Whether that makes you manly or profoundly more of a winning human is fifty-fifty. We have a lot of great women in woodworking and there are plenty of men I know who are talented knitters. Stereotypically, those activities are not what you’re not supposed to do with your gender, but the world of craftsmanship doesn’t fall into neatly drawn gender lines. Anytime you’re using your craft for good is a wonderful thing. Woodworking is where my passion ended up. I do believe our society has greatly benefitted by anyone who makes something instead of going out and buying it.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THING YOU’VE MADE IN YOUR WOODSHOP?

My favorite thing I made was my first canoe. Paddling my 18-foot canoe down a river with a paddle I made carries a certain wizardry that is hard to top. I immediately felt a kinship with all the brilliant human beings who built boats to cross the waters of the world throughout human history. Though perhaps my greatest achievement was a heart-shaped wooden box that housed the engagement ring with which I proposed to my wife [Megan Mullally]. She said yes, so I assume credit is partially due to that walnut box.

CAN WOODWORKING DOUBLE AS A DECENT WORKOUT, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU’RE MAKING SOMETHING LIKE A MASSIVE TABLE OR HEARTH?

Sure. Depending on what you’re working on, you get a lot of great exercise woodworking. Of all the people in my woodworking life, the ones doing small detailed pieces aren’t getting as much of a caloric burn as the people in the woods milling trees into slabs and stubs. There’s also timber framing, which is the art of building completely wooden frames and structures, like barns and the like, with only wooden joinery. If you’re doing something timber framery, you’re getting a much better gym experience.

THAT’S WHY THE AMISH ARE ALL JACKED.

Yes. The abs in those communities bring tears to your eyes.

_PARKS AND REC_ ENDED IN FEBRUARY OF 2015. HOW OFTEN DO PEOPLE STILL QUOTE RON SWANSON TO YOUR FACE?

Quite a bit. With these streaming services and the new ways entertainment is distributed, plenty of people have just begun binging _Parks and Rec_. To them, it seems like we must still be making it. I have to remind people we’re not still shooting it. I’ve told people I’ve done other series like _Fargo_ and some movies but no one is doing the math. They’ll still ask about Ron. However, I do feel like once I took the mustache off, much like Samson, I lost all my power.

GOT A FAVORITE RON SWANSON LINE?

The one that jumps to mind is from an earlier season. I was shooting at a bowling alley [chuckles] with Ann Perkins [Rashida Jones] and I pointed to a sign and said something like, ‘This is my favorite restaurant.’ It’s just a little sign that read ‘hot dog, 59 cents.’ 'Aren’t you afraid to eat here?' she asks. I respond, 'When I eat, it is the food that is scared.' [Laughs] It made me laugh so hard. Dan Goor wrote that. I was on the receiving end of just dozens of gold lines like that.

YOU’RE WRITING SOME GOLD OF YOUR OWN. YOU AND MEGAN ARE WRITING A BOOK TOGETHER. WHAT’S THE HARDEST PART ABOUT WRITING AN EPIC LOVE MEMOIR WITH YOUR WIFE?

It’s a memoir of our marriage and some of it ends up being therapeutic. We’re going back and telling the story of how we met, how we met each other’s family, and so on. It’s been fun and educational to get the different takes from each of us, seeing what we remember that matches or what doesn’t. I suppose the hard part is not being too graphic or filthy. We love to be dirty in our comedy but we want our book to be readable by saints and sinners alike.

YOU’RE SYNONYMOUS WITH BEING A MAN’S MAN. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING THAT MADE YOU CRY?

I went to theatre school. I took two semesters of ballet. I’m the sissy in my family. I cry with pretty great regularity. It’s not entirely accurate to equate me with manliness. I stand for my principals and I work hard and I have good manners but machismo is a double-sided coin. A lot of people think it requires behavior that can quickly veer into misogyny and things I consider indecent. We’ve been sold this weird John Wayne mentality that fistfights and violence are vital to being a man. I’d rather hug than punch. Crying at something that moves you to joy or sadness is just as manly as chopping down a tree or punching out a bad guy. To answer your question, I recently saw Alicia Keys perform live. I’d never seen her before and the sheer golden, heavenly talent issuing from her and her singing instrument had both my wife and me in tears. What a gorgeous gift she has. Her voice is so great. And I had no shame [about crying.] If you live your life openly with your emotions, that’s a more manly stance than burying them_._

_Head to Would Works to_ _shop_ _or_ _donate_ _to the cause and_ _head here to catch Nick Offerman live near you__._

Sean Evans Digital Director, Men's Health Sean Evans' bylines have appeared in New York Magazine, Fast Company, Conde Nast Traveler, The Drive, Entertainment Weekly, New York Daily News, and more.

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question: If $15,675 is donated to Would Works, how much will Offerman donate?

answer: $15,675

question: What would happen to the wood used for Would Works products if Would Works didn't exist?

answer: It would be thrown in a fireplace or left to rot in the forest.

question: Describe Nick Offerman's views regarding gender.

answer: Offerman seems to have fairly progressive views when it comes to gender, believing that gender does not dictate what sorts of activities are natural for a person to do.

question: Why did Offerman cry at the Alicia Keys concert?

answer: Presumably because of how beautiful her voice was.


text:
[Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, was among dozens of business leaders who signed a letter complaining that the Trump administration’s immigration policies were hurting the economy.]

Credit...Jason Lee/Reuters

-   Aug. 23, 2018

Dozens of American business leaders are challenging the Trump administration over changes to immigration policy that they say threaten the livelihoods of thousands of their skilled foreign workers, and the nation’s economic growth and competitiveness as well.

The executives, members of the Business Roundtable, expressed their “serious concern” over the administration’s immigration moves in a jointly signed letter delivered late Wednesday to Kirstjen Nielsen, the secretary of homeland security.

Some of the most prominent chief executives in the United States signed the letter, including Timothy D. Cook of Apple, Ginni Rometty of IBM, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Laurence Fink of BlackRock, Marc Benioff of Salesforce and Indra Nooyi, the departing head of PepsiCo.

The letter comes during a week when the broader debate over the country’s immigration policies has been reignited by the arrest of a Mexican laborer in the killing of an Iowa woman. It also underscores the continuing tension between America’s globally minded corporate establishment and the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda.

Business leaders have praised President Trump’s tax cuts and rolling back of many regulations. But they have deplored some of his statements and some of his administration’s actions, including on immigration.

In one of the most notable examples of the strain, several White House business advisory councils dissolved last year after Mr. Trump blamed “many sides” for white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va.

In June, a group of top executives condemned the administrationfor the forced separation of migrant children from their parents at the Mexican border. The Business Roundtable described the separations as “cruel and contrary to American values.”

With their letter on Wednesday, the group’s members took issue with a series of immigration enforcement guidelines that they said were “arbitrary and inconsistent” and created new and unnecessary hurdles for skilled foreigners working in the United States.

The changes, the letter stated, were “causing considerable anxiety for many thousands of our employees while threatening to disrupt company operations.”

The business group’s complaint focused on new guidelines and practices by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security that vets visa applications and administers immigration policy.

Image[Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase. He and other C.E.O.s expressed “serious concern” over the country’s immigration policies.]

Credit...Brian Snyder/Reuters

The letter’s main focus was the treatment of applications for, and renewals of, H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers. The visas are used by companies to hire computer engineers and other professionals.

As a result of the changes, there has been a sharp increase in the number of denials and requests for more information. A recent analysis of government data by the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonpartisan policy research group, found that the denial rate for H-1B visa petitions had increased 41 percent in the government’s fourth fiscal quarter of 2017, compared with the third quarter.

Government examiners’ requests for additional information on H-1B visa applications tripled in the same period. The government’s fiscal fourth quarter began in July 2017, a few months after Mr. Trump issued his “Buy American and Hire American” executive order.

The policy foundation’s analysis, published last month, was meant to examine the “Trump effect” on immigration for skilled foreign workers, said Stuart Anderson, executive director of the foundation and a former immigration official.

The Trump administration, experts said, was using the government’s regulatory apparatus, which it has so often scorned, to serve its policy goal of clamping down on the flow of foreign workers into America.

“Step up investigations, slow things down, and you can accomplish your policy goals without legislation,” said Hal Salzman, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University.

In response to the business leaders’ letter, the immigration service said in a statement on Thursday that the administration had been “relentlessly pursuing necessary immigration reforms that move towards a merit-based system.” It added that it handles all applications and petitions “fairly, efficiently, and effectively on a case-by-case basis.”

The H-1B program was created to provide a pathway for talented foreigners whose special skills were expected to strengthen the American economy. Today, the nation’s technology hubs are filled with H-1B alumni who have become entrepreneurs, executives, venture capitalists and, quite often, United States citizens.

In recent years, however, the visa program has been criticized because corporations, especially Indian technology outsourcing companies, have exploited legal loopholes in the H-1B regime to replace American workers and shift jobs out of the United States. The immigration service has said its increased scrutiny and enforcement actions were intended to strengthen “protections to combat H-1B abuses.”

But to the business leaders, the policies are vague and capricious, creating uncertainty for their workers and in company operations. For example, the group’s letter stated, “companies now do not know whether a work visa petition that was approved last month will be approved when the company submits the identical application to extend the employee’s status.”

A particular concern, the business leaders said, was that the immigration service was expected to revoke work eligibility for spouses of H-1B visa holders. The spouses, they said, are often highly skilled workers who have built careers in America.

“Revoking their U.S. work authorization,” the letter said, “will likely cause high-skilled immigrants to take their skills to competitors outside the United States.”

question: What does the text say about the corporations' stance on President Trump's immigration changes?

answer: The companies are unsure whether they can renew their current immigrant workers with identical applications to the previous time. There are more rejections of H-1B applications and a lot more requests for more information, which slows the process down. The potential revocation of H-1B immigrants' wives' work permits is also thought problematic. The business leaders think that with these immigration policies, talented people will choose countries other than the US.

question: What does the text say about how long it takes for immigrants to attain US citizenship?


text:
								Rider

My mom has always been supportive of my career as a musician. My dad never got around to it. The only bands he’d ever listen to were the Beatles and Rolling Stones. He wanted the Beatles played at his funeral, which he got. My mom never talks about the music that she listens to  except for her uncle Alan who toured the Midwest in the 50’s as a troubadour;  he’s still famous in our town.
	I haven’t been home in a while, not that I miss it much. I moved to LA when I was 23. I was bored by the people, bored by my job at the grocery store and tired of not seeing anything happening. When I moved I had most of my” LA-experiences” during the first six months, right drugs- wrong people, that sort of thing. I thought the substances would inspire me as it seemed to inspire others but that never happened. I also played some gigs with local small-timers but it never amounted to much.
	My fourth summer in LA came around and thats when I met Terrie outside a used-car shop. I’d been looking to replace dad’s station-wagon that I’d driven to the coast.As  I was standing there looking over some of my options I saw the glint of peroxide-blonde hair and sweaty fish-net stockings out of the corner of my eye. I remember the coral lipstick, which I later learned was her favorite, so shiny on those lips. She walked up to me to bum a cigarette. As I’d recently quit smoking I apologized and told her I didn’t have any on me. Disappointed, she asked me for a lighter to borrow if she could bum a smoke from a man that was standing by a newsstand across the street. I didn’t have a lighter either but I reached into my vest pocket for the book of matches I always kept there. As I handed it to her she thanked me and smiled in the most heartbreaking manner that I knew that I had to make her mine. Although I was more of what you might call the singer-songwriter type than a rocker this girl with her glam rock look was something else. Underneath that done up exterior I could see that she was pretty in an old-fashioned way. Later, when we were married, I used to tell her that she was like a burning wheat field blowing in the summer wind; she never understood what I meant. Our courtship was fast on because on account of her parents being strictly religious. Terrie was only 21 when we married but they consented and gave us their blessing because I was “a good God-fearing Midwestern boy.”

	Through Terrie I got more involved in the rock scene and discovered I had a knack for writing catchy riffs. I joined one of the local outfits who were in need of a guitarist and shortly after that we played as support band for one of the west coasts most famous bands on their US tour. Crazy days of touring and debauchery followed but after rising tensions in the band and disagreements with our management we decided to call it quits.
	Then Terrie got pregnant. She was excited but seeing as her job at the record store didn’t pay much and my being unemployed, I was worried to say the least. Fortunately I lucked out in joining as a touring and studio session guitarist with a band that had just signed a big deal with a major label. Unfortunately this mean being on the road for long stretches at a time. things quickly went downhill in our relationship and it was while touring in Japan that I got the terrible news that Terrie had suffered a miscarriage. She was inconsolable and quit her job. I tried to be home as much as I could to care for her but my contractual obligations took me out of town again. things between us never recovered after that and I blame myself for that. Two months after the loss of our child iÍ got a call from Roy, a sergeant in the Marines who tells me he’s in love with my wife and she is in love with him and they are going to Germany. While this news hurt at first I can’t say I was surprised; I kept my nose to the grind to give me something else to think about. One tour lead to another and after 5 years the band went through a lineup change and I was thrust into the role of frontman. Evidently I did something right as we quickly started selling out the largest arenas and stadiums. We got through 3 good tours before ticket sales started to dwindle. These days we play to fairly large clubs and such, I don’t complain, seeing as it brings in good money. I live a private and enjoyable life.
	I’ve never met Terrie since our marriage ended but last I heard Roy was killed in a combat exercise and she had gotten remarried to a journalist. Even though our relationship went to pieces I still cherish terrie and our times together.
	At the venues we play the band usually has extensive requirements to ensure their comfort. My only requests on the rider are one ham sandwich and two fingers of bourbon. I usually go out into whichever city we’re playing that night and walk around while eating my sandwich. Even though the band is still fairly popular people seldom recognize me off the stage. I also try to find a bookstore to buy something by a local author for those long flights and bus rides. Just before showtime I’ll find a quiet spot in the venue and toast my parents, my hometown and my Terrie.

title: First Short story post(sorry bout the amount of suckiness)

question: What drifted Terrie and the narrator apart?

answer: After Terrie had a miscarriage, the narrator tried his best to be around her and console her, but things became worse when he had to go out of town because of his contractual work. After this, their relationship never recovered. Two months later, the narrator got a call from a man named Roy who told him that Terrie and he were in love.

question: Why wasn't the narrator's father supportive of his career as a musician?

question: How does the narrator meet Terrie?

answer: While in LA, the narrator was standing outside a used-car shop looking at his options. While standing there he sees a Terrie with blonde hair and fishnet stockings. She later walks up to him to bum a cigarette but he doesn't have one so he gives her a book of matches.


text:
VICTORY FOR THE SOUTH – A southern platoon with an Abraham tank is transported back in time to the Gettysburg battle.  The platoon leader wants to change the battles outcome, but the black privates are afraid winning the battle may affect the Civil War’s outcome and the abolishment of slavery so everyone can be free.

The restoration building for the Hunley Submarine resides in the old Charleston Navy Yard. The Hunley sits in a 90,000 gallon conservation tank, among several artifacts in displays excavated from inside the submarine.  One of these artifacts is the gold coin Lt. George Dixon carried with him when the H.L. Hunley sank 138 years ago.

The Hunley submarine was found in Charleston’s harbor, South Carolina.  According to legend, Lt. George E. Dixon, who commanded the Hunley on its historic mission, had a sweetheart named Queenie Bennett from Mobile, Alabama. When he went off to war, she gave Dixon a 20 dollar gold coin, as a good luck charm.  It is rumored she also had voodoo practitioner Marie Catherine Laveau from New Orleans bless it with a voodoo spell of protection.  The coin saved Dixon’s life in the battle of Shiloh and he kept the coin when he commandeered the Hunley.

KRIS BROOKS (age 20s) sister to Lieutenant CHUCK BROOKS of the 13th South Carolina ARMORED DIVISION, steals this coin and gives it to her younger brother who is destined for Iraq later in the year.  When she tries to renew the coin’s original spell, she accidently sends her brother’s platoon back into time, days before the Gettysburg battle.

Lieutenant Brooks and his men are 100 percent southern and believes what the South fought for in the Civil War.  He realizes that he can change history and he does not care if it’s cheating – he believes he was sent back for a purpose. The platoon lays low and out of sight at a farm 10 miles outside Gettysburg.  The platoon had to take the farm’s family by force, no one was hurt.  Lidia, a freed slave, falls for the black private Benjamin and he falls for her.

Lieutenant Brooks decides they will attack the Union before the start of Pickets Charge. The more he realizes he can change history, the more he is determined to do it.  A Union patrol stops near the house and discovers Lieutenant Brooks, who then has all of the 30 men killed after his platoon had surrounded them.

The two black privates do not know how to stop lieutenant Brooks. That night they slip away from the farm with their weapons, including an anti-tank missile launcher, to warn General Meade of the impending attack by their platoon.  They hide their weapons, including the anti-tank missile launcher, before being captured by Union pickets, and brought before General Meade.  He does not believe they are from the future and has the two black privates jailed.

The freed black slave Lidia is able to find her way into the jail and give Benjamin a loaded revolver; they escape the night before Pickets Charge. Lidia is friends with the white person who runs the Underground Railroad, and he brings the black soldiers to General Meade, who is led to where the black soldiers stashed their weapons.  A demonstration of their weapons convinces General Mead they may be telling the truth. While they are examining their weapons, Benjamin accidently fires the anti-tank missile launcher, the only missile they had to stop Lieutenant Brooks.  General Meade is convinced by the black privates he has to dig anti-tank ditches around the center of the front line where they feel Lieutenant Brooks will send his platoon.

Lieutenant Brooks drives his tank and the platoon into General Lee’s camp about 5:00 AM.  The confederates are completely startled with the picket guards firing at them.  Brooks raises a white flag and asks to see General Lee where he convinces him they are from the future when he shows him a few apps on his iPhone. At 2:00 PM Lieutenant Brooks is in front of General Picket’s troops waiting for the signal to charge.

Jump to the future…..

The teacher (Android) is teaching other androids in class explaining the North American map and how it became divided into two different countries – the United States of America and the Confederate States of America (CSA).   The instructor begins explaining how androids enslaved humans.  It seems that when Lieutenant Brooks and his platoon went back into time, the modern weapons he brought resulted in a technological revolution before it’s time.  The technology was exploited by a few capitalists in the CSA who lost control of the technology allowing machines to become rulers on earth.

title: [SF] VICTORY FOR THE SOUTH

question: How would Lieutenant Brooks describe the involvement of the South in the Civil War?

answer: Lieutenant Brooks would share with pride the involvement the South had in the civil war.

question: What can you infer about the coin's original spell that Kris Brooks was trying to renew?

answer: From the passage, the coin's original spell is to protect the life of who has it.

question: What genre would this story be classified under?

answer: This story would be classified under historical fiction.


text:
-

     Frame
        Alpha Gold Aluminum w/semi-integrated head tube, mechanically formed & butted tubing, race geometry, internal front derailleur routing, rack & fender mounts, G2 Geometry on 29ers

     Fork
        RockShox 30 Silver, coil spring, preload, rebound, TurnKey lockout, G2 Geometry w/51mm offset on 29ers, 100mm travel (13.5: 80mm travel)

-

     Wheels
        Formula DC20 alloy front hub; Formula DC22 alloy rear hub; Bontrager Connection 32-hole double-walled rims

     Front hub
        Formula DC20 alloy

     Rear hub
        Formula DC22 alloy

     Rims
        Bontrager Connection 32-hole double-walled rims

     Tires
        Bontrager XR2, 29x2.20" front, 29x2.00" rear (13.5 & 15.5: 27.5x2.20")

-

     Shifters
        Shimano Acera M3000, 9 speed

     Front derailleur
        Shimano Acera

     Rear derailleur
        Shimano Acera M3000, Shadow

     Crank
        Shimano M3000, 40/30/22

     Bottom bracket
        Sealed cartridge

     Cassette
        Shimano HG20, 11-34, 9 speed

     Chain
        KMC X9

     Pedals
        Wellgo nylon platform

-

     Saddle
        Bontrager Evoke 1.5

     Seatpost
        Bontrager SSR, 2-bolt head, 27.2mm, 12mm offset

     Handlebar
        Bontrager alloy, 31.8mm, 15mm rise

     Grips
        Bontrager Race

     Stem
        Bontrager Elite, 31.8mm, 7 degree, Blendr compatible

     Headset
        1-1/8" threadless, semi-integrated, semi-cartridge bearings

     Brakeset
        Shimano M315 hydraulic disc

-   -

     Weight
        17.5" - 13.97 kg / 30.80 lbs

     Weight limit
        This bike has a maximum total weight limit (combined weight of bicycle, rider, and cargo) of 300 pounds (136 kg).

We reserve the right to make changes to the product information contained on this site at any time without notice, including with respect to equipment, specifications, models, colors, and materials.

Bike and frame weights are based off pre-production painted frames at time of publication. Weights may vary in final production.

The charts below show our recommended sizes based on height, but there are some other factors, like arm and leg length, that determine a great fit. That’s why you’ll see some overlap in our recommendations. Not every rider who’s 5´8˝, for example, will fit on the same size bike. The best way to find your perfect fit is to consult the experts at your local retailer.

137.0 - 155.0 cm

4'5.9" - 5'1.0"

64.0 - 73.0 cm

25.2" - 28.7"

161.0 - 172.0 cm

5'3.4" - 5'7.7"

76.0 - 81.0 cm

29.9" - 31.9"

165.5 - 179.0 cm

5'5.2" - 5'10.5"

77.0 - 84.0 cm

30.3" - 33.1"

177.0 - 188.0 cm

5'9.7" - 6'2.0"

83.0 - 88.0 cm

32.7" - 34.6"

186.0 - 196.0 cm

6'1.2" - 6'5.2"

87.0 - 92.0 cm

34.3" - 36.2"

195.0 - 203.0 cm

6'4.8" - 6'7.9"

92.0 - 95.0 cm

36.2" - 37.4"

All measurements provided in cm unless otherwise noted.

  Frame size number   Frame size letter   A — Seat tube   B — Seat tube angle   Effective seat tube angle   C — Head tube length   D — Head angle   E — Effective top tube   F — Bottom bracket height   G — Bottom bracket drop   H — Chainstay length   I — Offset   J — Trail   K — Wheelbase   L — Standover   M — Frame reach   N — Frame stack
  ------------------- ------------------- --------------- --------------------- --------------------------- ---------------------- ---------------- ------------------------ --------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------------- ------------ ----------- --------------- --------------- ----------------- -----------------
  13.5 in             XS                  34.3            73.0°                 73.0°                       10.0                   69.0°            52.5                     30.6                        4.8                       43.8                   4.4          8.9         103.3           66.0            35.2              56.5
  15.5 in             S                   39.4            73.0°                 73.0°                       10.0                   69.3°            56.0                     30.6                        4.8                       43.8                   4.4          8.7         106.6           74.5            38.1              58.5
  17.5 in             M                   41.9            72.5°                 72.5°                       10.0                   69.3°            60.2                     31.6                        5.3                       44.5                   5.1          8.5         111.6           76.5            41.3              60.0
  18.5 in             ML                  44.4            72.3°                 72.3°                       10.0                   69.6°            62.0                     31.6                        5.3                       44.5                   5.1          8.3         112.8           77.7            42.8              60.1
  19.5 in             L                   47.0            72.0°                 72.0°                       10.0                   69.6°            63.9                     31.6                        5.3                       44.5                   5.1          8.3         114.4           78.9            44.4              60.1
  21.5 in             XL                  52.1            72.0°                 72.0°                       12.0                   69.6°            65.9                     31.6                        5.3                       44.5                   5.1          8.3         116.5           82.5            45.8              62.0
  23 in               XXL                 55.9            72.0°                 72.0°                       12.0                   69.6°            67.3                     31.6                        5.3                       44.5                   5.1          8.3         117.9           84.8            47.2              62.0

question: How does the manufacturer show consideration towards their clients?

answer: The descriptions for the parts are highly detailed with specifications so that readers can have a better frame of reference for how the product is like outside of images. More importantly, it points out that using height is not always a consistent point of reference for size compatibility, which implies that this is a factor that people are likely to overlook.


text:
F

ormer Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major has said a second Brexit referendum is “morally justified” – as a new poll revealed support for staying in the EU over crashing out without a deal.

Sir John said PM Theresa May was “boxed in” by hardline Brexiteers and warned stalemate in the Commons could leave Britain facing a no-deal scenario.

His comments came as polling showed support for staying in the EU over leaving with no deal if a new referendum was held.

Remaining in the EU would beat leaving with no deal by 54 per cent to 46, according to a YouGov poll for The Sunday Times.

Just 11 per cent of voters would back leaving the EU on the terms put forward by Mrs May in her Chequers deal, with 38 per cent backing a no-deal Brexit and 50 per cent saying they would vote to remain in the EU, the poll showed.

Former Conservative PM Sir John admitted a second referendum has “democratic downsides”, adding: “It has difficulties. But is it morally justified? I think it is.

"If you look back at the Leave campaign a great many of the promises they made were fantasy promises. We now know they are not going to be met.

"A referendum isn't an easy option, but it's not one at this stage that I would rule out."

Referring to the "irreconcilable" stance taken by hardline Tory Brexiteers, Sir John said: "That has boxed the Government and particularly the Prime Minister into a corner.

"They are a minority of the House of Commons, a substantial minority of the House of Commons, but they are larger than the Government's majority.

[Moral justification: Sir John Major]
( Moral justification: Sir John Major / BBC )
"The danger at the moment is that they will frustrate every move the Government seek to make and by accident, because nothing can be agreed, we will crash out without a deal."

His intervention comes as new Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab accused the EU of "irresponsibly" ramping-up pressure in withdrawal negotiations.

Asked about comments from Brussels that a no deal scenario would mean there would be no specific arrangements in place for UK citizens living on the continent, or for EU migrants in Britain, Mr Raab told the BBC: "Well, I think that's a rather irresponsible thing to be coming from the other side.

"We ought to be trying to reassure citizens on the Continent and also here.

"There is obviously an attempt to try and ramp-up the pressure."

Mr Raab said he would be returning to Brussels on Thursday for more Brexit talks.

( Dominic Raab, left, and Michel Barnier / AP )
He said: "If it's reciprocated, the energy that we are going to bring to these negotiations, the ambition, and the pragmatism, we (will) get a deal done in October."

Mr Raab said it is "useful" the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier is asking questions about the white paper's detail.

He said: "This is an unprecedented situation, we're coming out with innovative proposals, we need to work together.

"But actually the fact Michel Barnier is not blowing it out the water but asking questions is a good positive sign - that's what we negotiate on."

Mr Raab's involvement with the Vote Leave campaign was also highlighted after it was referred to the police by the Electoral Commission for breaking spending limits during the EU referendum.

Asked if he believed the watchdog was politically biased, Mr Raab said: "I'm not getting into all of that - we've got the rule of law and I respect it, and there's been a report out in the papers today about whether actually the Government's campaigning was correct."

He said it was wrong that some people are looking to "discredit" the outcome of the referendum, adding: "I think part of this is last-ditch tactics by some to try and stop Brexit from happening and what actually we all need to be doing is focusing, coming together, to get the best deal with the EU."

question: What does the text say about the opposing views of Mr. Dominic Raab and Former Conservative PM Sir John?

answer: Former Conservative PM Sir John believes that holding a second Brexit referendum is morally justified, pointing out a poll for the Sunday Times that revealed that more people voted for staying in the EU (54%) compared to leaving with no deal (46%). On the other hand, Brexit Secretary Mr. Dominic Raab believes that the outcome of the referendum should not be discredited and it's more important to focus and unite to get the best deal with the EU.


text:
The guy I’m staring at is wearing a suit and tie. It’s pretty early in the morning, and it’s not surprising at all that he’d be hanging out at Starbucks for a few before going into work. His jacket’s front pocket has a golden round pin stabbed into it like one of those thermometers you stick into a steak to see if it’s ready to eat yet. It’s almost obvious that he stuck it in there because he had to for some corporate reason. I don’t care about it enough to try to read what it says or to get close enough to be able to do so in the first place. I DO wonder what kind of job he might have though.

I actually often wonder about what kinds of jobs office workers really do. I know they sit at cubicles or offices and type and enter information into a computer all day but that’s about it. Come to think of it, so many people simply call themselves an “office worker” but almost no one can truly explain what it is that they do. Do they, themselves, not fully grasp the nature of their own work? Are they spending 8 hours of the day doing things that they can’t even fully comprehend just because they’re getting paid and because it’s more respectable than working in retail or customer service?

Yeah, probably.

I just realized that I had zoned out while fixated on the man’s tie. I should adjust my eyes to see if I’m still awkwardly staring at the guy, but it actually looks like he’s already gone. He left his cup on table, as most people do when they have somewhere better to be. I might as well walk over and check if it’s full or not.

Empty.

Tossing it into the trash, I’m noticing that it just became much more crowded in here than it was about a minute ago. This must be the apex of the early morning rush where people are all shuffling around each other trying to get their drinks before everyone else in the hopes that they can make it to work early THIS time.

There’s a guy with headphones on in the line. Not the kind of headphones that office workers wear that are discreet little earbuds with a tiny microphone on the cord that is mostly used for sneaking in phone calls while on the job, but the kind that you use when you’re a DJ. It’s not really surprising since tons of people use headphones like that now. It became a trend somewhere to wear huge, colorful headphones almost as a representation of what kind of music you’re listening to. He’s also wearing a relatively thick hoodie, cargo pants and boots. I wonder what he could be doing in this early morning rush. He’s obviously not an office worker, or maybe he is and he changes at work for some reason.

Nah, no one does that.

There’s a sense of pride that comes with wearing formal wear to work. You work for a place that prides itself on at least LOOKING professional so you might as well flaunt it all the way to and from so that people can tell you’re not just some nobody out and about for no particularly important reason. As I say that though, this guy in the hoodie looks to be in much more of a rush than anybody else in here to the point where his leg won’t stop fidgeting. Maybe he has a job that’s more important than most of the people in here that are suited up at the moment. Then again, what REALLY makes a job important or worthwhile? Is it the pay, the satisfaction, the impact it has on the environment around you, the security of a stable life for you and your family, the potential for danger to hundreds of people if you screw it up? Does a job have to be fulfilling to be important? What rank of importance does a bus driver have whose job is to, potentially, get people to their own jobs?

Oh someone spilled a coffee on one of the tables. Good thing it was iced. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to help her clean it up. She’s kind of pretty and dressed rather fashionably so I’m probably just helping her because I subconsciously believe in the 1/1,000,000 chance that she’ll interrupt her busy day to try to start a conversation with me.

I think she barely drank anything because I’ve used about 10 napkins already mopping this up. That sucks, having to throw away a fresh coffee like that.

Well she was either in a rush, or really embarrassed because looking up from this mess, I can see that she’s vanished. I didn’t even hear her leave, though, to be honest, I doubt I could have picked anything out in this mob of energetic, yet unenthused people. Oh well, 999,999 more chances to go, yeah?

How long have I been in here? It feels like it’s been hours, but I think in reality, it’s only been about an hour. That’s a lot longer than it seems when you keep checking your phone for the time every couple of minutes. It’s almost like time slows itself down for you the more you pay attention to it. Like if it’s shy to move any faster while you’re watching.

Oh, the barista lady is motioning for me to come to the back. They must finally be ready for my interview.

title: [RF] A Great Job

question: Summarize the narrator's observation as he waits for his interview to start.

answer:
The narrator sees a man wearing a suit and a tie. He believes this man is an office worker. The office worker has a golden round pin on the front pocket of his shirt. The narrator wonders what office workers do in the office all day outside of punching information into the computers. He observes the office worker depart the coffee shop, leaving his cup of coffee. The narrator checks the cup to see if there is any tea or coffee inside but it was empty.
The narrator also notices a guy with huge headphones walk into the shop. The headphone guy is wearing a thick hoodie, cargo pants, and boots. The narrator believes a lot of people now wear these gigantic headphones as a representation of what kind of music they listen to. The narrator sees a lady spill her coffee on one of the tables. He helps to clean it up hoping she might strike up a chat with him... she does not.

question: What kind of job is the narrator interviewing for?


text:
I woke up in my bed. What a miracle, I don’t remember getting home… I went over the checklist; “I am not in jail and I seem to have all my limbs”.

My heart was racing and a feeling of anxiety and panic overtook me. Could it be withdrawals? “NO, only alcoholics have those”. I tried to plunge for the bottle of water but the newly discovered pain in my arm managed to deviate the trajectory of my hand. I watched as the bottle fell in slow motion and awakened my 120 kilos roommate sleeping in a bed across the meter wide room. He promptly asked, “Are you okay? You came home late last night”.  I tried to respond but the apparent lack of moisture in my mouth made speech impossible for me. I managed to grunt, “EUUEUUEUH”.

In this state of existence called HUMAN GARBAGE, basic functions cannot be performed simultaneously. They follow a strict hierarchy of prioritization determined by what remains of the human brain. It is a natural defense mechanism that allows basic reflection and memory recollection to be postponed to a more suitable time.

The meager effort required for this display of life was too much for me and I promptly closed my eyes, only to open them instants later realizing that I would not make it another second without hydration. I tried to counteract my blurred vision by widening my eyes, but achieved the opposite effect as a fucking sunray that had navigated itself between the curtains managed to cross my path. I was now mute and blind.

By scanning my hands in the general area of the last recorded position of the bottle I managed to make contact with an unidentified cold surface. I enthusiastically picked up the object only to find its weight deceptively small. “Its ok, I just need a mouthful”.

NIGHTMARE. The bottle is empty and the nearest source of water will require a range of motion that is currently unavailable to me. I pivoted as to allow my feet to make contact with the ground. It is only when I managed to stand up that I realized to what extent I had made abstraction of the nausea. I braced myself for my long and perilous travel. I had the target in sight, not literally as my vision was severely impaired, but I hade spend enough time in that hellhole of a room to find my way to the sink.

title: [NF] Waking up in hell

question: Where does the author wake up?

answer: Author wakes up in bed, figuratively in hell, after not remembering how he got there.

question: How does the author feel after waking up?

answer: He feels hungover and like human garbage.

question: What is the author looking for?

answer: He is searching for the nearest source of water.

question: What is the author suffering from?

answer: The author feels as if having become dehydrated overnight.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The author wakes up in his own bed without any recollection how he got there. Author's first thought is to find the nearest source of water to relieve from dehydration, from presumably a night of heavy drinking.


text:
Synopsis

In the past, the Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India have issued several warnings against dealing in cryptocurrencies including Bitcoins, the former even comparing it with a Ponzi scheme.

[]ET Bureau

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday barred banks and financial institutions from dealing with virtual currencies including Bitcoins and said that it was time and again warning users of virtual currencies regarding the risks associated with it.

“In view of the associated risks, it has been decided that, with immediate effect, entities regulated by RBI shall not deal with or provide services to any individual or business entities dealing with or settling VCs (virtual currencies),” the RBI said in a statement on Thursday. “Regulated entities which already provide such services shall exit the relationship within a specified time.”

The RBI is expected to issue a circular in this regard very soon.

The regulator will also give a three-month buffer period to entities to unwind their business relationships.

“We have decided to ring-fence the RBI regulated entities from the risk of dealing with entities associated with virtual currencies. They are required to stop having a business relationship with the entities dealing with virtual currencies forthwith and unwind the existing relationship within a period of three months,” BP Kanungo, Deputy Governor, RBI said. “

In the past, the Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India have issued several warnings against dealing in cryptocurrencies including Bitcoins, the former even comparing it with a Ponzi scheme. RBI recently warned users of virtual currencies including Bitcoins regarding the potential economic and financial risk associated with cryptocurrencies.

RBI has also in the past clarified that it has not given any license to any company to operate or deal with Bitcoin or any other virtual currency. Nearly a dozen countries including China have already prohibited the digital currency.

The RBI on Thursday however said that it recognises the importance of Blockchain technology and distributed ledger technology and will encourage it for the growth of financial inclusion.

“We also recognize that the Blockchain technology or the distributed ledger technology that lies beneath the virtual currencies has potential benefits for financial inclusion and enhancing the efficiency of the financial system and we also believe that they should be encouraged to exploit beneficially for the economy,” Kanungo said.

Globally, central banks have debated the possibility of introducing a fiat digital currency as opposed to the private digital tokens. The regulator also said that it had set up an inter-departmental committee to study the possibility of fiat digital currency issued by the central bank.

“We have constituted an inter-departmental committee, Reserve Bank of India will produce a report and they will explore the feasibility and desirability of issuing a digital currency by the central bank,” Kanungo said. “These are issued by central banks, they constitute the liability of the central bank and they will be in circulation in addition to the paper currency. It also holds the promise of reducing the cost of printing of the notes.”

In February this year Finance Minister Arun Jaitley outlawed the use of cryptocurrencies in India while presenting the Union Budget 2018 and said that India would further explore the use of block chain technology to add muscle to the digital economy. “The Government does not consider crypto-currencies legal tender or coin and will take all measures to eliminate use of these crypto-assets in financing illegitimate activities or as part of the payment system,” Jaitley had said.

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6 Comments on this Story

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| []                                | Ngaijahat Haokip841 days ago      |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | How long the India would confused |
|                                   | about the relationship between    |
|                                   | Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency and      |
|                                   | Click sure Mail Marketing. Under  |
|                                   | Clicksure Mail marketing the are  |
|                                   | more than 1800 bitcoin and        |
|                                   | Cryptocurrency Affiliations       |
|                                   | https://coinmarketcap.com/all/vie |
|                                   | ws/all/                           |
|                                   | India experiences not Affiliated  |
|                                   | Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency but    |
|                                   | bitcoin Binary and mining options |
|                                   | such as onocoin, bitconnect, etc. |
|                                   | but Permanant Clicksure Mail      |
|                                   | Marketing (PCMM) is the sources   |
|                                   | of all Affiliates 1860 Bitcoin    |
|                                   | and Cryptocurrency. In India      |
|                                   | there is no PCMM owners so far.   |
|                                   | PCMM is based on Power lead       |
|                                   | system. one power lead system     |
|                                   | cost 1 BTC 6432 USD at present.   |
|                                   | but the India Bitcoin miners sell |
|                                   | the Binary option nit the power   |
|                                   | lead systems this is the          |
|                                   | differences of Foreign Bitcoin    |
|                                   | and India Bitcoin. so what the    |
|                                   | India still confused.             |
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| []                                | Triuzla Green883 days ago         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | Where can I find the PR you are   |
|                                   | citing?                           |
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| []                                | Pajeet980 days ago                |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | First toilets, now bitcoin.       |
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question: Summarize the actions of the RBI with regards to cryptocurrency.

answer: The RBI (and the Indian will government) has barred banks and financial institutions from dealing with cryptocurrency. The RBI also announced that it will be issuing a digital currency.

question: Define what cryptocurrency is.

answer: The article does not provide a clear description on the term but it is clear that it is a form of virtual currency and it is implied that it is not directly controlled by financial institutions or governments. It also appears to have some vulnerabilities or issues that banks are warning against. Bitcoin is given as an example of this form of currency.


text:
On Monday, it seemed that the Senate had found a satisfactory way to deal with a California psychologist’s shocking allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were high school students, a claim the nominee has categorically denied. Both Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh would testify Monday at reopened hearings of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

But now the prospect of testimony by Ford is in doubt because of a request by her attorneys that her testimony be postponed until after a “full investigation by law enforcement officials.” An FBI investigation, they wrote in a letter to committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), “will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a nonpartisan manner, and that the committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions.”

There’s no guarantee that an investigation would bring any more clarity, or that its findings would make a difference in how the committee questions Ford and Kavanaugh. But given the stakes here, it could only help to have the FBI try to shed more light on the situation before the hearing is held.

Yet Grassley is standing firm. In a letter to the lawyers released on Wednesday, he repeated his invitation for Ford to testify on Monday, advising that if she decided to appear, her prepared remarks must be submitted by Friday at 10 a.m. As for the FBI, he insisted: “It is not the FBI’s role to investigate a matter such as this.”

  Given the stakes here, it could only help to have the FBI try to shed more light on the situation before the hearing is held.

This is an obstructionist response that does no favors for Kavanaugh. As Grassley acknowledges elsewhere in his letter, it’s common practice for the FBI to conduct background investigations for Supreme Court nominees. While these aren’t criminal investigations, they do seek to acquire information about a nominee’s character.

Moreover, there is a precedent for expanding such investigations when new allegations surface. In 1991, after University of Oklahoma College of Law professor Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing behavior when they worked together at two federal agencies, President George H.W. Bush ordered the FBI to look into her allegations. The interviews the bureau conducted took only three days to complete.

We see no reason why testimony by Kavanaugh, Ford and other relevant witnesses couldn’t be postponed until after a similarly expedited investigation. And while Grassley is correct in noting that the Senate can’t “commandeer an Executive Branch agency into conducting our due diligence,” he and other Republicans should urge President Trump to direct the FBI to expand its background check of Kavanaugh to include Ford’s accusations. (The president appeared reluctant to give such direction Wednesday, telling reporters: “Well, it would seem that the FBI really doesn’t do that.”)

ENTER THE FRAY: FIRST TAKES ON THE NEWS OF THE MINUTE FROM L.A. TIMES OPINION »

No matter what happens, we can expect plenty of partisanship and disingenousness at the hearing — even if the FBI can give senators a better factual basis to work with. Republicans are eager to speed Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote and Democrats are eager to delay it at least until the midterm elections are over. But the rest of us ought to focus on getting the information needed to understand whether there’s something in Brett Kavanaugh’s past — or in his recent statements about that past — that ought to make us think twice about him serving on the Supreme Court.

It may well prove that the FBI will turn up nothing about an incident that allegedly occurred more than three decades ago that will make it any easier for senators to choose between the conflicting accounts of Kavanaugh and his accuser. But given the gravity of Ford’s allegations and the lifetime office to which Kavanaugh has been nominated, a rush to hold hearings is unnecessary and unseemly.

_FOLLOW THE OPINION SECTION ON TWITTER @LATIMESOPINION AND FACEBOOK._

question: Summarize the unique situations and obstacles in the way of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

answer:
The new allegation from the California psychologist, Christine Blasey Ford, about how Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, sexually assaulted her when they were high school students has caused ripples in Washington. Brett Kavanaugh has categorically denied these accusations and will be testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The prospect of Ford testifying in front of the Senate has indeed put Kavanaugh's nomination in jeopardy.
There is also a call from some quarters for FBI to conduct further investigations into Kavanaugh's background to shed more light on the situation before the hearing is held. However, it seems the FBI does not want to look into the matter of Ford's allegations. President Trump also is unwilling to allow the agency to conduct any investigations into the matter, supporting the FBI on the matter.

question: Considering there is a precedent for an investigation in matters like Ford's, why is the FBI so reluctant to conduct one?


text:
They say that we are all the heroes of our own stories, but I'd beg to differ. What if we were made to be the sidekick for other's success stories? I thought this was kind of stupid too, until I began to really think about it and reflect on my life. I began to find similarities between my story and Joey's from Yugioh or Brock from Pokémon; yes, I had my own accomplishments but ultimately, I couldn’t see the direction I needed to go in to complete my story, I just seem to be floating around hopping from story to story helping others on their quest with no clear end game for me.

My name is Caleb Dudley, I'm a 20-year-old Male living in Florida and this is the story of how I became a sidekick.

I started my life as most American kids do; going to school, making friends and not caring about anything except when P.E was. I went to multiple nice schools, not really fitting in anywhere, I was always the outsider, the expendable kid. Not only was I aggressive to my teachers/school staff, there were very few people I really trusted. Looking back at it now I’d say it was because my father wasn’t there much, and my step dad influenced my mother to create a abusive household- hell on earth in the middle of a suburb. I think the only thing that kept me from truly snapping was my childhood best friend Vikram. I can’t thank him enough for keeping me grounded in some of the hardest times of my life. I can see that he was the first hero I became the sidekick for. He was the brains and I was the brawn, we were unstoppable in anything we did.

In 4th grade my mother moved us to San Antonio Texas for her work, away from my friends and from my dad I had nothing. This is where I had to develop myself; something snapped in me and I suddenly stopped being aggressive and I stopped crying but I still felt alone. I did find new friends but I knew they only befriended me because I was an outsider and an outsider I would continue to be.

5th grade we moved back to Florida where I attended my old elementary school and was accepted into a International Baccalaureate middle school. This school was supposed to be a government implemented program where they take “gifted” kids from all over the city and put them in a school in the middle of bad neighborhoods. To me things were looking up, we moved back into our old house, I had my friends again and I had my hero again to help me through my shitty living situation. This all came crashing down when I started middle school.

See because I had to go to this neighborhood for school I spent about 4 hours of my day on a bus with other kids, both in middle school and high school, in my situation. I thought everything was going great; the same kids who knew about my troubled elementary school years were going to the local middle school, so this was a clean slate. My feelings were affirmed when I started school, for reasons unknown I became the class clown and everyone knew me as such. By 8th grade I was on top of the school, I even became close with most of the cliques in the school; being the glue that made our class so close. This, unfortunately, became the only happiness I had in my life at the time. My best friend, being 2 years older than me and having strict parents, was busy making the most of his high school years, destined to do great things as any hero should.

The 4 hours I spent on the bus everyday became my 2nd hell but was also where I met my 2nd hero. My bus ride was where I was bullied almost every single day, they couldn’t make fun of my clothes because there was a uniform requirement at my school but they made fun of everything else they could, sometimes even resorting to physical violence. To this day I hate thinking about my time on that bus. I was ultimately the damsel in distress, which is where my hero came into play. In 8th grade a new high schooler rode our bus named Valarie, just by talking to her you could tell she was a social outcast, just the person to not give a fuck about others opinions. She became my new hero, someone who would help me through 8th grade and protect me from the kids on the bus while I became her sidekick, someone who would be there to talk to her and make her laugh.

You probably get the point by now: I remain a social outcast, I get bullied some more, I find a new hero, I move, repeat. You’re probably bored with this post by now and I don’t blame you. This looks like one big sob story to be honest.  I guess the only reason I made this was to warn everyone to not be a sidekick like me. I need help, I need a new hero. Good night

title: The Life of a SideKick [NF]

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: The narrator is a 20-year-old boy named Caleb Dudley.

question: Why does the narrator think of himself as a sidekick?

answer: After all that he went through throughout his childhood, it makes him think of himself as a sidekick in his own life.

question: What happened during middle school?

answer: Kids in the middle school made fun of Caleb. In the classroom and in the bus.

question: Why is the narrator's second hero?

answer: The narrator's second hero was a girl named Valarie. She was in the same school bus as him.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
Caleb didn't have a happy childhood. He did not fit well in any of the schools he was in. And to make things worse, his step-father was abusive.

He only had two people he was thankful for, the first was his childhood best friend Vikram, and the second, a girl named Valarie. Valarie has a carefree spirit and would snap at anyone who tried to hurt Caleb.

Caleb felt like he was a sidekick in his own life.


text:
Part of the small residual U.S. force that the Trump administration is keeping in Syria serves no real military purpose:

  “Al-Tanf has no obvious military purpose,” added Sam Heller of the International Crisis Group. “The real justification is, to my knowledge, denying the Syrian government and its Iranian ally access to the neighboring al-Tanf/al-Walid border crossing with Iraq. That blocks a key trade route that would better integrate Syria with its regional surroundings and help government-held Syria get on a more stable economic footing, which some in DC believe would diminish U.S. leverage to force a political resolution to the war.”

The Tanf base represents a determination to retain a mostly symbolic military presence inside Syria if only to keep a small part of the country out of the Syrian government’s control. Keeping U.S. forces there accomplishes nothing for U.S. security, it is flagrantly illegal, and it puts these soldiers at risk for no good reason. Iran hawks desperately cling to this base because it is their last foothold in Syria from which to pursue their obsession with Iran.

In the latest twist, Trump has touted maintaining a military presence in Syria for the sake of “keeping the oil”:

  President Trump said that he is planning to keep a small number of troops in northeast Syria to protect the oil fields there and suggested that an American company might help the Syrian Kurds develop the oil for export.

  “I always said if you’re going in, keep the oil,” Mr. Trump said at a cabinet meeting Monday. “We’ll work something out with the Kurds so that they have some money, so that they have some cash flow. Maybe we’ll get one of our big oil companies to go in and do it properly.”

One of the only consistent features of Trump’s foreign policy views is his belief that other countries’ natural resources should be ours to seize and exploit as we please. Trump’s worldview is a bizarre mash-up of crude colonialism and racketeering in which allies are expected to pay protection money and open-ended military intervention is fine as long as it gets you paid. We have previously heard him express a desire to seize oil resources in Libya, Iraq, and Venezuela, and so it was inevitable that he would want to do the same thing with Syria.

Besides the obvious practical difficulties of controlling Syria’s oil fields with only a few hundred soldiers, there is the small matter of the sheer illegality of what Trump is proposing to do. Not only do our forces have no legal justification for being there and no authorization from Congress, but our government also has no right to sell this oil:

  “Oil, like it or not, is owned by the Syrian state,” Mr. McGurk said Monday in an appearance at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank. “Maybe there are new lawyers, but it was just illegal for an American company to go and seize and exploit these assets.”

  Mr. McGurk said that the only way to export the oil legally, the State Department concluded at the time, was to have an arrangement in which the money was put in escrow for use by the Syrians after the civil war was over, an arrangement that would have involved Russia and the Assad government.

That creates serious problems if there were an attempt to sell the oil from this area:

  “It’s not really possible for us to exploit those oil resources unless we want to be oil smugglers,” McGurk said. He said that former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a long-time oil industry executive, had looked into helping the SDF sell Syrian oil, but could not find a legal path for American involvement without Assad’s permission.

Trump’s confused Syria policy is where his fascination with plunder and his obsession with Iran combine in a truly toxic mix:

  Accordingly, it’s conspicuous that al-Tanf is what remains of the U.S. in Syria.

  “It is everything wrong with Trump’s war in Syria,” said [Aaron] Stein. “The fact that it will be the last American enclave in Syria is more evidence of how Iran myopia has poisoned U.S. objectives in the region.”

There are U.S. troops that are still being kept in Syria for the worst and dumbest of reasons, and Trump is the one responsible for it.

about the author

[]

Daniel Larison is a senior editor at _TAC_, where he also keeps a solo blog. He has been published in the _New York Times Book Review_, _Dallas Morning News_, _World Politics Review_, _Politico Magazine_, _Orthodox Life_, Front Porch Republic, The American Scene, and Culture11, and was a columnist for _The Week_. He holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago, and resides in Lancaster, PA. Follow him on Twitter.

question: Summarize what the Tanf base represents.

answer: The Tanf base represents a determination to retain a mostly symbolic military presence inside Syria. This could at the very least be about keeping a small part of the country out of the Syrian government's control. Additionally it represents denying Syria's Iranian ally access to the neighboring al-Tanf/al-Walid border crossing with Iraq. This blocks a key trade route that would be helpful for Syria. This base accomplishes nothing for U.S. security and is illegal, but it is the U.S.'s last foothold in Syria to pursue their supposed obsession with Iran.

question: What does the text say about Mr.McGurk's statements?

answer: On the subject of the US controlling Syria's oil fields, Mr.McGurk notes that the American government has no right to sell this oil, as it would make the US look like oil smugglers. He says that it's owned by the Syrian state, and that recently it had just been illegal for an American company to go and seize and exploit these assets. He noted that Rex Tillerson couldn't find a legal path for American's involvement without Assad's permission. He also said the only way to export the oil legally at that time was to have an arrangement where the money was put in escrow for use by the Syrians after the civil war was over.

question: What does the text have to say about illegality?

answer: The article's theme is noting the illegality of the Trump administration's military presence in Syria for the sake of taking the oil and keeping a small part of Syria out of the Syrian government's control. The US government has no right or justification to seize and sell Syria's oil as Trump was proposing, and they have no authorization from Congress. The oil is owned by the Syrian state. To exploit these resources would result in the US being oil smugglers.

question: Summarize the affects the Obama administration had on this situation according to the article.