text:
CHICAGO – A historic and deadly cold snap, fueled by the polar vortex, gripped a wide swath of the nation Wednesday, with temperatures plunging far below zero and wind chill numbers as extraordinary as they are dangerous.

Chicago's temperature tumbled to 21 below Wednesday morning, a record for the date and closing in on the city's all-time record of minus-27 set in 1985. That record could fall Thursday.

The wind chill dipped to an even more startling 51 degrees below zero.

The National Weather Service said the temperature reached minus-28 degrees in Minneapolis, poised to break a record dating back more than 100 years. The wind chill: minus-49. Norris Camp, Minnesota, almost made it there without allowing for wind, recording an actual air temperature of 48 degrees below zero.

Wind chill temperatures in dozens of towns across Minnesota and North Dakota plummeted to 60 below or less, the weather service said. Officials in Minnesota pulled snowplows off the roads in 11 southeastern counties, citing mechanical problems because of the extreme cold.

"One of the coldest arctic air mass intrusions in recent memory is surging south into the Upper Midwest before spreading across much of the eastern two-thirds of the country," the weather service said, warning of "life-threatening wind chills, likely leading to widespread record lows and low maximum temperatures."

[A Pedestrian walks through a winter storm in Downtown Cincinnati. Jan. 30, 2019. ]
Frostbite can set in within five minutes in such temperatures, the weather service said.

In the East on Wednesday, blinding snow squalls on highways caused at least three significant pileups of cars and trucks, two in Pennsylvania and one in New York. Near Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, dozens of vehicles were involved in a pileup,  and numerous injuries were reported, according to the Reading Eagle.

A pileup on the New York State Thruway between Batavia and LeRoy caused multiple injuries, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle said.

At least eight deaths were linked to the weather, including a man struck and killed by a snowplow in the Chicago area, a young couple whose SUV struck another on a snowy road in northern Indiana and, in Milwaukee, a man found frozen to death in a garage.

A student died in the hospital after he was found unresponsive outdoors by University of Iowa Police on the school's campus at around 3 a.m. local time Wednesday, KCRG-TV9 reported. It said officials believe the death of Gerald Belz, 18, a second-year pre-medicine major, was related to the weather. The wind chill was -51 degrees in Iowa City at the time.

In Michigan, the body of a Detroit man was found in front of a neighbor's home, and in suburban Ecorse another man was found outside without a hat or gloves. A University of Iowa student was found dead Wednesday morning, and university officials believe the death was caused by the extreme weather.

The wind chill fell to 27 below in Detroit and minus-32 in Ann Arbor. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered that warming centers be opened across the state.

"Stay inside if you can," Whitmer pleaded. "And try to make sure that, if you see someone in need, you take action."

In Kentucky, Gov. Matt Bevin took a different tack, telling WHAS radio that closing schools for cold weather “sends messages to our young people that if life is hard you can curl up in the fetal position somewhere.” Bevin added that he was being "only slightly facetious" and that it was better to err on the side of safety.

Thousands of flights into and out of airports in the region were delayed or canceled, including more than 1,000 flights at Chicago airports alone.

Amtrak pulled the plug in Chicago, announcing the "extreme weather conditions and an abundance of caution" led the service to cancel all trains to and from the city on Wednesday. Short-distance services are also canceled on Thursday, Amtrak said.

Light rail was also a mess as some suburban lines shut down Wednesday. The Chicago Transit Authority, which shuttles about 1.6 million riders on a typical weekday, reported significant or major delays on multiple routes during the morning commute.

Even the Postal Service took notice, announcing that because of concerns for the safety of its employees, mail won't be delivered Wednesday in parts of at least 10 states.

CHICAGO RIVER FREEZING:Here's what it looks like in sub-zero temperatures

Homeless shelters and warming centers were abuzz across the region. In Chicago, officials added 500 shelter beds and tapped more than 100 religious leaders to make calls and checks on senior citizens. Five Chicago Transit Authority buses were dispatched to give homeless people a place to warm up who might not want to go to a shelter.

“Everyone of us has a role to check on somebody who is maybe a neighbor on the block who is elderly, infirm or needs extra help,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

[]
The weather was headed east. New York's forecast high for Thursday was 16 degrees, with a wind chill of minus-15. The city Housing Authority activated its Situation Room as heating response teams prepped to respond to heat and hot-water emergencies.

Philadelphia enacted "Cold Blue," including 24-hour outreach to find people who are homeless and take them indoors.

Pets were also a concern, Chicagoland Dog Rescue warned.

"Don't leave your pets outside unattended in this weather, period," the rescue organization warned on Twitter. "Make sure your gates are latched and your dog(s) cannot escape your yard."

The weekend could bring relief. In Des Moines, Iowa, the temperature barreled down to minus-20 on Wednesday with a wind chill of minus-40. But Allan Curtis, a meteorologist with the Des Moines branch of the National Weather Service, said the temperature on Saturday could exceed 40 degrees above zero.

“It may as well be basketball shorts weather,” Curtis said.

_Madhani reported from Chicago, Bacon from McLean, Virgina. Contributing: Austin Cannon, Des Moines Register; Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star; The Associated Press_

EXTREME COLD:How long does it take for hypothermia, mummified skin to set in

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question: What does the text say about Chicago?

answer: Chicago has a historic deadly cold snap, fueled by the polar vortex.

question: What does the text say about Chicago's weather?

answer: Chicago's temperature tumbled to 21 below Wednesday morning.

question: What does the text say about the weather and the number of deaths in Chicago?

answer: At least eight deaths are connected to the cold climate.

question: What does the text say about Whitmer?

answer: Whitmer is asking citizens to stay inside.


split: test

text:
METHAMPHETAMINE PSYCHOSIS

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The main characteristic of meth psychosis is the presence of prominent hallucinations and delusions (APA, 1994). The diagnosis of methamphetamine psychosis is made after performing a thorough history, physical exam, urine drug screen, and "reality testing."

Clients who are psychotic will be unable to provide a history themselves, so this information will need to be obtained from significant others. The term ”spun” is used by the meth culture for a user who has overdosed on meth and induced a state of psychotic confusion. The user should be assessed for the following manifestations of psychosis:

HALLUCINATIONS: Hallucinations, or false perceptions, may be associated with any of the five senses.

-   AUDITORY: This is the false perception of sound and the most frequent type of hallucination. Most frequently the user "hears voices." Command hallucinations are “voices” that may issue commands for violence to others. For example, the user hears voices telling him to kill himself or others. Obviously, this places the user and/or health care professional in a potentially dangerous situation.
-   VISUAL: Seeing a person, object or animal that does not exist in the environment. For example, a user sees a lion coming toward him.
-   OLFACTORY: This is the false perception of smelling odors that are not present in the environment. For example, a user smells his "brain rotting."
-   TACTILE: This is a false perception of the sense of touch, often of something on or under the skin. Formication (US Dept. of Justice, 1996) is an advanced form of methamphetamine hallucination during which the user feels bugs on his skin. The user scratches at the “bugs” trying to remove them, gouging the skin and leaving scars. These scars indicate that the user has experienced formication or “crank bugs."
-   GUSTATORY: A false perception of the sense of taste. For example, a user refuses to eat because he tastes poison in his food.

It is difficult to distinguish the hallucinations of schizophrenia from those of drug use. According to MacKenzie and Heischober (1997), the hallucinations of schizophrenia usually are auditory, whereas those for chronic methamphetamine use are more commonly visual or tactile. Kaplan and Sadock (1994) discuss the difference between paranoid schizophrenia and an amphetamine-induced psychotic disorder. An amphetamine-induced psychotic disorder includes a predominance of visual hallucinations, generally appropriate affect, hyperactivity, hypersexuality, confusion and incoherence and little evidence of disordered thinking. The affective flattening and alogia (inability to speak) of schizophrenia are generally absent in amphetamine-induced psychotic disorder. If the healthcare worker is uncertain about the cause of the hallucination, a urine drug screen should be obtained.

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Instant Feedback:

 Formication is a tactile hallucination.

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DELUSIONS: Delusions are false personal beliefs that are inconsistent with the person's intelligence or cultural background. Delusions cannot be corrected by reasoning. Some common delusions include:

-   DELUSIONS OF PERSECUTION: The individual feels threatened and believes that others intend to harm him in some way. For example, the user thinks that the CIA intends to kill him.
-   DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR: The individual has an exaggerated feeling of importance, power or knowledge. For example, a user thinks that he is in control of the state.
-   DELUSIONS OF REFERENCE: The individual thinks that unrelated events or happenings are somehow connected to him or her, usually in a negative way. For example, a user watching TV thinks the news broadcaster is trying to get a message to him.
-   DELUSIONS OF BEING CONTROLLED: The individual believes certain objects or persons have control over his/her behavior. For example, the user believes the president of the United States has control over his behavior.
-   SOMATIC DELUSIONS: The individual believes his/her body or parts of the body are changing or being distorted. The user believes his brain is rotting.

PARANOIA: The individual has extreme suspicion of others, their actions or perceived intentions. For example, a user sees a duck on the river and thinks the police have placed a camera in the duck to watch him.

OBSESSIONS: According to MacKenzie and Heischober (1997), compulsion or repetitive behaviors are manifestations of chronic meth use. Users may become obsessed or perform repetitive tasks such as cleaning, assembling and disassembling objects or washing hands several times in a 15 minute period. Other repetitive tasks include formication, grinding of teeth, and pulling out hair. MacKenzie and Heischober (1997) recommend careful evaluation of patients who have histories of any compulsive behaviors, including compulsive sexual behaviors.

MEDICATION TO TREAT METHAMPHETAMINE PSYCHOSIS:

According to Goldfrank et al.(1998), HALDOL is the drug of choice. HALDOL is effective in the treatment of psychosis, however it has a number of unpleasant and dangerous side effects. Common side effects include anticholinergic manifestations (dry mouth, blurred vision, urinary retention and constipation), nausea, gastrointestinal upset, skin rash, sedation, orthostatic hypotension, photosensitivity, decreased libido, gynecomastia, weight gain, extrapyramidal symptoms (pseudoparkinsonism, akinesia, akathisia, dystonia, oculogyric crisis), tardive dyskinesia, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. It is very important that the nurse be very familiar with the action and side effects of HALDOL.

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Instant Feedback:

 Haldol has many side effects including orthostatic hypotension.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT HALDOL IS AVAILABLE AT SITES LIKE THIS ONE (RXLIST).

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO STUDY SOME OF THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF HALDOL, and look for the answer to the following question.

Instant Feedback:

 Prolonged involuntary muscular contractions that may cause twisting motions, repetitive movements, and increased muscular tone.

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PLEASE VISIT MERCK'S WEBSITE ABOUT METHAMPHETAMINE AND AMPHETAMINE DEPENDENCE. IT IS FOLLOWED BY INFORMATION ABOUT MEDICATIONS USED IN TREATMENT. Look for the answer to the following question:

Which medicatons are commonly used to treat the agitated user?

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2006 © RnCeus.com

question: What are the symptoms of methamphetamine psychosis?

answer: Hallucinations of all five senses, delusions of persecution, grandeur, attributing unrelated events to themselves, delusions of being controlled, and somatic delusions, as well as paranoia and obsessions.


text:
There’s nothing out here anymore. Occasionally we’ll pass a car or two pulled off to the side of the road, but for the most part, it’s just fields and hay bales.  We’re headed to Rainwood, South Carolina. Supposedly, there’s a safe haven there.

	My shotgun’s in the back seat, and I’m holding onto my pistol, only because David told me that you can’t ever be too careful out here. You never know when you’ll come up on something that can take your life in an instant. Especially if you’re in the situation we’re in now. Our gas tank is empty, and our car is stopped, dead. David turns to me. “Alright,” he says as he unbuckles his seatbelt and grabs his gun from behind him, “let’s go.” I reach back, grab my gun, and put my pistol back in the holster on my hip. Luckily for us, there’s a several car pile-up on the highway about thirty yards from where we are. Maybe we can find some supplies, some gas, or even better, another car.

	David slings his gun over his shoulder, and I do the same, and we begin to walk. The silence, aside form the slight buzzing of insects around us, is comforting. It makes me feel safe, like I know were alone out here. Like they aren’t one step behind us everywhere we go. When we arrive at the jam, David immediately tells me to start searching the abandoned cars for supplies. He walks to the semi-truck about a quarter mile away from me, and I begin searching the cars in front of me. There’s about nine or ten here, so it shouldn’t take too long. Or at least that’s what I thought until I opened the back seat of the first car. I stop, frozen in my tracks, staring. Toy cars, a teddy bear, a baby’s car seat… all covered in an unnatural amount of blood. I can feel tears welling up in my eyes, and even though it’s hard not to, I can’t cry. I have to be strong, or, at least pretend I am for David. I don’t want him to think I’m weak, or that he has to always protect this “innocent girl.” What the hell happened to the world though? “Stop.” I tell myself. “Stop questioning. It’s over. The damage has been done.”

David always tells me that you can question all you want, but questioning isn’t going to get you anywhere. You just need to deal with the circumstances the way they are. So I need to let this one go, as fucked up as it is. This can’t be our fault like the preacher on the radio said though, can it? He said, and I quote, “Sinners. You, your friends, your family, all of you. You are the cause. You’ve brought this on to yourselves. Almighty God has judged you, and this… this is your punishment.”  No, this can’t be my… our fault. There’s no way we can be blamed for the state of the world now. But when someone pins the blame on you like that, you feel bad. You feel bad for the death, the innocence, and the heartache that the world has come into.

“David?” I call out, and he answers almost immediately, “Yeah?” “Come help me search the rest of these cars.” I say, and he walks to where I am. As he arrives, he sees the car seat and toys, and I can tell that he feels just the same as I do about it. “Keep looking.” He tells me. “I got this one.” I can tell he doesn’t want it, the sadness is in his voice, but as I walk away, I’m thankful that he’s there for me. I’m glad I don’t have to look through the mess in that car anymore, though I can’t help feel bad for him. I walk to a Nineteen-Seventy’s looking pick-up truck, and peek over the edge of the bed to see if there’s anything worth taking. A toolbox. That could be good for something, you never know. I hop in to the bed of the truck and look at the small metal box in front of me, hoping, just hoping that there’s something useful in it. As I open the lid, I glance at David, now searching some sort of two-thousand’s SUV. He’s got the same serious, concerned look on his face that he always wears. I look back down at the box, now open, to see a pistol with two boxes of nine millimeter ammo next to it. The next thing out of my mouth is a cheer. “Shhh!” I hear David from behind me. He’s right. Those things, the dead, could be anywhere. I cover my mouth with both hands. “Sorry!” I say in a whisper, and wave at him to go back to his business.

In the normal world, back before the outbreak started and the virus spread, it was just some stories on the news. ‘Ya know, “A man viciously attacked another man at So-and-So Mall today, taking a bite out of his flesh…” or “So-and-So Prison was quarantined today after several inmates killed and ate two of the guards, displaying the same symptoms of those infected in Asia, Europe, Australia, Mexico, and America…” But after a while, things got more serious. The CDC called it a virus, religious groups called it the wrath of God, and apocalypse nuts called it the zombie apocalypse. Whatever it was, it spread like wildfire. Soon enough, ninety-percent of the world’s population (or, so reported the World News) was infected, and there really wasn’t any hope of a cure, or survival at all for that matter. The army moved in and they were overrun almost immediately by the infected. Civilians were told to stay indoors and wait for help, though it never came. Bombs were dropped on the streets, cities were devastated, highways piled up, and people were killed. So now we’re here. David and I could be some of the last living people on the planet. The rest are either dead or turned into those monsters. So we just try to survive. That’s our goal. Survival.

Naturally, when we heard word of a safe house in Rainwood, we thought it was the best possible thing that we could do for ourselves, considering that, prior to this, we set up shop in the storm cellar of a farm house, living off of 1 can of sardines a day, split between the two of us. You could say it was pretty hard for the first couple of weeks.

	I pull the pistol out of the box, but immediately retract my hand when I feel what I know see is a sticky clear substance, kind of like saliva covering the handle. I don’t want to think about what that is or why it’s on this gun, so I just pull out my bandana and wipe the handle off. As I put the two boxes of ammo in my backpack and the gun in my belt, I hear David yell, “Sarah, we’ve gotta’ go, now!” Quickly, I stand to my feet and look toward where he’s yelling from, but I don’t see him anywhere. To my surprise, however, what I do see are the brake lights of a silver minivan. I hop out of the bed of the truck almost to excitedly, and run toward the van. I open the door, and sit it the seat trying to catch my breath. “Tank’s full.” Jesse says, and I turn to him, smiling. He smiles back, and begins to drive.

This is the first good thing that’s happened to us since this all began.

As David drives, he asks me if I’ve found anything valuable. Without a word, I smile and pull out my backpack. “What?” He says with a chuckle. I know he’s going to like this. First, I pull out the gun and hand it to him. “Nice! Jericho nine-forty-one. This is good.” He says happily. “That’s not all buddy.” I say as I pull out both boxes of ammo. “What? Are you kidding me? This is awesome!” he says even more excitedly than before. He smiles and so do I. It feels so good to know he’s proud of me. Ever since this all started, and ever since I met him, he’s been the only person I’ve had, so it’s good to know that at least someone is.

	And that’s it, we’re back on the road again. We’ve got a good ten-hour car ride ahead of us. That’s four and a half states to cross through, and that’s only if everything goes smoothly. Rainwood, here we come.

title: [AA] Untitled (So Far)

question: Summarize everything related to emotion.

answer: The narrator finds the silence comforting as they walk along the highway. Tears well up in her eyes when she finds toy cars, a teddy bear, and a baby's car seat covered in blood. There's sadness in David's voice as he says that he'll look through that car. The narrator is glad she doesn't have to look through it but feels bad for David. When she finds a gun with ammo, she feels good to know David is proud of her.

question: What does the story say about the origins of the virus?


text:
1.  AIER
2.  Daily Economy

[]

Josh Billings famously diagnosed a problem with beliefs: “I honestly believe it is better to know nothing than to know what ain’t so.” I am astonished at how many students, and for that matter adults, in the U.S. honestly believe that the U.S. should model itself after Sweden because Sweden has shown that socialism works.

I will leave aside the question of whether the U.S. should try to “be like” Sweden; they are very different countries, with different histories and different institutions. But it is important to refute, using simple and widely available empirical evidence, the claim that Sweden is “socialist.” It is not. In fact, Sweden is one of the most robustly capitalist nations on earth.

By socialism, I mean a system that relies on state ownership and control of the means of production, state direction of production decisions, and direct state control of education and employment decisions of individuals. If one does not mean those things, then that would require a little more thinking about what “socialism” means. If by “socialism” you mean prosperity and rule of law, then you are confused.

There are several important issues to discuss, to understand the differences between capitalism and socialism.

First, ownership. Ownership solves the problem of the commons. In capitalism, ownership is (largely) private; under socialism, the state owns and controls the major productive resources of the society. It is sometimes noted that private ownership has a “short time horizon,” as owners focus on profits. But in fact private ownership tends toward valuing the future, because investment now can earn profits in the future.

In fact, it is political incentives that force a short-run perspective. If we are talking about “democratic socialism” (few socialists actually favor Stalinism), then the time horizon of officials does not extend beyond the next election. In the U.S., that means that there is a two-year window, and that is in November of even-numbered years, before every member of the House of Representatives has to stand for reelection. As Marian Tupy wrote:

  Historically speaking, environmental damage emanating from socialist production was vastly greater than environmental damage emanating from capitalist production. All and I repeat all academic studies done in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet empire found the quality of the environment in the formerly socialist countries to be inferior to those in capitalist countries.

Private ownership provides better information about future values, and better incentives to value the future, than democratic socialism.

Second, opportunity costs. Using prices gives useful signals about relative scarcity, and incentives for decentralized, emergent, but highly organized individual action. A socialist system sets prices, rather than allowing prices to adjust to reflect the dynamics of fast-moving events.

The problem seems like a narrow technical obstacle, but in fact it is fundamental. Top-down social planning is not just difficult; it’s literally impossible. No individual or group can collect enough information quickly enough, and design incentives persuasive enough, to solve the problem, at scale. And by “scale” I mean somewhere around 10,000 total individuals. Clearly, it is possible to organize groups smaller than that using “command” networks, because (as R.H. Coase pointed out in 1937) that’s why there are firms embedded in markets.

For large groups, where individuals operate independently, the knowledge possessed by one person is not communicated to other individuals. That means (as I argued in this video) that the opportunity costs of resources are not represented in the decision process of participants. More simply, you do one thing when you should do something else; I use one resource when I should share or send that resource to someone else who needs it more.

Socialism operates without prices, either because the state is one big firm, with no mechanism for communicating opportunity costs internally, or because the democratic process determines what prices “should” be based on voting, rather than the reconciliation of diverse plans and purposes achieved by market processes.

Third, coercion. Without prices, we must either rely on desires of individual dictators, or state control expressed through majority rule. Without prices in the form of salaries, there is no way to direct people toward job shortages except coercive force. That means that when there is a shortage of one kind of worker, especially in an occupation where there is little social prestige or intrinsic benefit, the state must use the threat of violence to induce people to work.

And where there is a surplus of another kind of worker, especially in an occupation with lots of social prestige and great intrinsic benefits, the state must ration available positions by setting up some kind of wasteful rent-seeking contest. More simply, the only way to get sanitation workers in a socialist system is conscription; the only way to select among the many applicants for teaching positions is to use excessive educational licensing, or favoritism by the authorities.

How do market systems solve this problem? By adjusting the prices we call “wages.” In some cases, that means garbage collectors make more than teachers. Is that “fair”? In a market system, the wages that send signals to people choosing careers are means of directing people voluntarily, rather than coercively. Ideas about how much people “should” make, based on political preferences, are simply disconnected from the economic problem of occupational choice. Socialist systems must, by definition, direct workers into occupations they would not choose voluntarily.

Scandinavia: A World Center of Capitalism

Now that I have discussed the differences between capitalism and socialism, let’s consider the question I started out with: is Sweden socialist? I often participate in debates on capitalism vs. socialism, and students often give Sweden as an example of how socialism “works.” Well, yes, Sweden works, that’s true. But it works because it is one of the most capitalist nations in the world! It became capitalist after trying socialism, and reaching the (correct) conclusion that socialism just doesn’t work.

If you think Sweden is socialist, then you know something that just ain’t so. As has been documented repeatedly by popular treatments and more scholarly discussions, any use of the actual measures of economic freedom that constitute capitalism show Sweden is solidly in the camp of fully market-oriented economies. As Andreas Bergh points out in his 2016 book, Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State, it is inconceivable to think of the Sweden of the current decade as being anything other than a capitalist, and in fact libertarian, country.

It is fair to say that Sweden was socialist, at least in terms of temperament and the direction of public policy. In 1975, Sweden’s state owned well over half of the productive resources in the country, and directed prices in much of the rest. It subsidized debt, in part paradoxically by having enormously high tax rates with generous deductions for borrowers. Its attempts at “Keynesian” policy interventions were clumsy, were mistimed, and created disastrous uncertainty in investment returns even in the portions of the economy that were still market-oriented.

The state taxed successful industries heavily, and used the proceeds to subsidize industries that were inefficient, corrupt, and failing. This meant that interest rates on capital were prohibitive, especially when you tack on double-digit inflation.

To protect workers, the state required that wages could not be cut, and also enforced a panoply of restrictions on firing, layoffs, and other means of adjusting hours. Swedish products shot up in price, and the government was forced into a series of devaluations of the krona that made purchases of imported products beyond the reach of much of the middle class.

The electorate took a dim view of all of this. The tax system was a Rube Goldberg mechanism, with a level of complexity and arbitrary favoritism that encouraged distortion of investment into whatever happened to be taxed less, rather than whatever might produce useful products. Gunnar Myrdal, hardly a conservative, famously asked in 1978 whether Swedes “had turned into a people of swindlers.”

Fortunately for its citizens, but unfortunately for those who think Sweden is still socialist, the Swedish government, more or less by universal consensus, turned sharply back toward capitalism beginning in about 1995. It deregulated domestic industry, privatized its education and pension systems, and opened the economy to international trade and competition. The reason it did this is precisely because capitalism, wherever it is practiced seriously in a system with rule of law and protection for property rights, always creates prosperity.

As Harvard’s Torben Iversen put it, in his book Capitalism, Democracy, and Welfare:

  Labor-intensive, low-productivity jobs do not thrive in the context of high social protection and intensive labor-market regulation, and without international trade countries cannot specialize in high value-added services. Lack of international trade and competition, therefore, not the growth of these, is the cause of current employment problems in high protection countries. (p. 74)

At present, Sweden is the 19th most capitalist country in the world, measured based on property rights, trade openness, and freedom to use stock to create new corporations. In fact, Sweden is in the top 15 most capitalist nations in terms of property rights, financial freedom, and business freedom. Most sectors are largely unregulated, and the freedom to move capital makes Sweden among the most capitalist nations in the world.

As the figure below shows, this change was sharp, and intentional. Between 1999 and 2001, Sweden deregulated most of its economy, sold off most of its dinosaur-slow state-owned enterprises, and converted substantial parts of its welfare commitments into private systems.

[]

(Generated from the 2019 Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom)

As a result, at present Sweden is the 6th most protective of private property rights, of all the nations in the world. By comparison, the U.S. is 25th most protective, our Fifth Amendment notwithstanding. If a nation has powerful protections for private property, even if the ownership protected is of the means of production, that is not socialism, no matter what you think you know.

-   Sweden fully privatized its pension system, moving from “defined benefit” to “defined contribution.” Yes, there is a means-tested add-on guaranteed pension top-up for the least well off, but the first-line system is personal pension accounts, invested in one of 700 private index funds, managed by private fund managers. It is the most privatized pension system, by far, in all of Europe.
-   Sweden has a 100 percent universal voucher system for education. There are questions about whether Sweden’s educational system works as well as it should, but it is one of the most private (and not socialist) education systems in the world.

Sweden is not alone in rejecting socialism and embracing capitalism. If you look at the general trend in the countries of Northern Europe, it has become much more capitalist in the past 25 years, after its own failed experiments with socialism. In particular, on the measures I have discussed, Denmark, Finland, and Norway are all three even more capitalist than Sweden.

You may recall that in 2016 a number of Bernie Sanders supporters held up Denmark as the example of the kind of “socialism” they envisioned for the U.S. Speaking at Harvard’s Kennedy School, Denmark’s prime minister (Lars Løkke Rasmussen) told students “[I have] absolutely no wish to interfere in the presidential debate in the US” but politely told them that what they thought they knew about Denmark just ain’t so:

I know that some people in the US associate the Nordic model with some sort of socialism. Therefore I would like to make one thing clear. Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy…. The Nordic model is an expanded welfare state which provides a high level of security for its citizens, but it is also a successful market economy with much freedom to pursue your dreams and live your life as you wish.

In terms of deregulation of business freedoms, measured in the Fraser Institute’s “Index of Economic Freedom,” Denmark, Finland, and Norway are the 7th, 8th, and 9th most free; Sweden is 12th.

The U.S.? It is 15th. The U.S. is rapidly regulating new industries, and further restricting old ones, at the state level in particular. The expansion of professional “licensing” rules, supposedly for the benefit of consumers but in fact in support of organized corporate interests, is making the U.S. less capitalist every day.

My own view is that the U.S. still has strong institutions of its own, and that we simply need to restore business and investor confidence in our economy. But those of you who prefer the Swedish system, where robust capitalism is used to create prosperity and then redistribution is used to support welfare programs, are entitled to those beliefs.

Just please, please don’t call Sweden “socialist.” ’Cause it ain’t so.

Michael Munger

[Michael Munger]

Michael Munger is a Professor of Political Science, Economics, and Public Policy at Duke University and Senior Fellow of the American Institute for Economic Research.

His degrees are from Davidson College, Washingon University in St. Louis, and Washington University.

Munger’s research interests include regulation, political institutions, and political economy.

Books by Michael Munger

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question: What is the difference between capitalism and socialism?

answer: First, in capitalism, ownership is largely private. Under socialism, the state owns and controls the major productive resources of the society. Second, using prices gives useful signals about relative scarcity, and incentives for decentralized, emergent, but highly organized individual action. A socialist system sets prices, rather than allowing prices to adjust to reflect dynamics of fast-moving events. Third, coercion. Without prices, we must either rely on desires of individual dictators, or state control expressed through majority rule. Without prices in the form of salaries, there is no way to direct people toward job shortages except coercive force. That means that when there is a shortage of one kind of worker, especially in an occupation where there is little social prestige or intrinsic benefit, the state must use the threat of violence to induce people to work.

question: Is Sweden a socialist country?

answer: In fact, Sweden is one of the most robustly capitalist nations on earth. By socialism, it is meant that a system relies on state ownership and control of the means of production, state direction of production decisions, and direct state control of education and employment decisions of individuals. Sweden is solidly in the camp of fully market-oriented economies. It used to be socialist, however. In 1975, Sweden's state owned well over half of the productive resources in the country, and directed prices in much of the rest. It subsidized debt. The system did not work. In 1995, the Swedish government turned sharply back toward capitalism. it deregulated domestic industry, privatized its education and pension systems, and opened the economy to international trade and competition. At present, Sweden is the 19th most capitalist country in the world, measured based on property rights, trade openness, and freedom to use stock to create new corporations. Sweden is in the top 15 most capitalist nations in terms of property rights, financial freedom, and business freedom. Most sectors are largely unregulated, and the freedom to move capital makes Sweden among the most capitalist nations in the world.

question: What makes Sweden unique as a decidedly capitalist nation?

answer: The Swedish system model is an expanded welfare state which provides a high level of security for its citizens, but it also is a successful market economy with much freedom to pursue your dreams and live your life as you wish.

question: Why do some people think Sweden is a socialist state?

answer: Many people are confused about what "socialism" is exactly. They conflate an expanded welfare state which provides a high level of security for its citizens with socialism. Furthermore, Sweden used to be socialist with direct state management of the means of production, but they turned sharply toward capitalism in 1995.

question: What would Sweden's rankings in terms of freedom as compared to other nations of the world be if they hadn't switched to capitalism in the 1990's?


text:
Over the weekend, our president threatened to shut down the federal government if Congress doesn’t fund his Border Wall, a wall he promised Mexico would pay for — repeatedly.

We also learned that the Republican National Committee paid a quarter of a million dollars last month to the president’s private club, Mar-a-Lago, a flagrant violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which forbids the president from using his office to generate profit.

Oh, and a private member of Mar-a-Lago was allowed to delay a $16 billion project to update the VA’s digital records system.

Which is to say, high-powered journalists interested in covering “real news” had plenty of grist for the mill. Instead, most of them spent weekend whining about comedienne Michelle Wolf, who appeared at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

Is it any wonder the president’s hysterical shrieking about “fake news” resonates with his supporters?

The loudest voices in our free press are driven almost entirely by the pursuit of profit, not the truth. At the top of that list are the right-wing propagandists who get paid millions to exalt the grievances of their predominantly white, male audience — the folks who forged Trump’s base.

But it also includes the so-called “mainstream” media, who have acted as Trump’s loyal press agents from the moment he entered politics.

Michelle Wolf roasted lots of folks during her remarks, which was her job. But the comment that offended the assembled media A-listers most was the one they knew to be most disturbingly true:

  _"You guys are obsessed with Trump. Did you used to date him? Because you pretend like you hate him, but I think you love him. I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you. He couldn't sell steaks or vodka or water or college or ties or Eric, but he has helped you. He's helped you sell your papers and your books and your TV. You helped create this monster, and now you're profiting off of him."_

As much as journalists hate to admit it, our Fourth Estate has been in a tacit alliance with Trump all along.

Heck, they created Trump. The incessant coverage of his rallies and rants — remember all those feeds of empty podiums? — was what granted him the appearance of legitimacy. Without this attention, Trump would have remained a fringe figure, a demagogue and conman desperate to fan racial resentment into audience share.

Don’t believe me? Here’s how the chairman of CBS, Les Moonves, explained it in February of 2016, speaking at a media conference sponsored by Morgan Stanley:

  _“It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS … Donald’s place in this election is a good thing. Man, who would have expected the ride we’re all having right now? … The money’s rolling in and this is fun. I’ve never seen anything like this, and this is going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It’s a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going.”_

  Ultimately, Trump and his cabal will be held accountable only if we hold ourselves accountable.

Every reporter and pundit and politician who is wasting time defending or debunking Wolf’s routine — rather than focusing on the kleptocratic aims of this administration, or the simple fact that Flint, Michigan still doesn’t have drinking water — will be judged by history. Not just as peddlers of fake news, but as the failed guardians of democracy.

The president’s ardent enablers will never hold him accountable for his corruptions, because they elected a bully to make them feel safe, not an adult who would govern.

Therefore, the rest of us need to recognize our own complicity in this cycle. If we continue to focus on offensive tweets and comedy routines, our profit-mad media outlets will continue to feed us fake news.

Ultimately, Trump and his cabal will be held accountable only if we hold ourselves accountable.

question: What does the text say about the White House Correspondents' Association dinner?

answer: Journalists whined about comedian Michelle Wolf who appeared at the dinner and roasted folks during her remarks. She offended media A-listers by saying true statements, claiming media to be obsessed with Trump. She says media pretend to hate him but secretly love him since he's helped them sell their papers, books and TV.

question: Summarize what CBS chariman, Les Moonves, said at a 2016 media conference.

answer: Les Moonves said that Trump's place in the election may not be a good thing for America, but it's a really good thing for CBS. The network was making a lot of money and it was going to be a very good year for them. Even though it was a terrible thing, the network wanted Trump to keep going.

question: What does the text say about the Republican National Committee?

answer: The Republican National Committee paid $250,000 to the president's private club, Mar-a-Lago, which is a violation of the Constitution. It forbids the president from using his office to generate a profit.

question: What does the text say about Ivanka Trump?


text:
[]

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter

[]

Experience a fantastic adventure with unique gameplay that blends investigation, action and exploration in a breath-taking thriller that will test the limits of your nerves and intelligence.

Recent Reviews:

Very Positive (277) - 85% of the 277 user reviews in the last 30 days are positive.

All Reviews:

Mostly Positive (5,730) - 78% of the 5,730 user reviews for this game are positive.

Release Date:

Jun 10, 2016

[]

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Check out the entire Sherlock Holmes Franchise on Steam

About This Game

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER is a fantastic adventure with unique gameplay that blends INVESTIGATION, ACTION AND EXPLORATION for an extraordinary experience that will test the limits of your nerves and intelligence.

Track down evil in the darkest corners of London and the human soul while playing as the great detective, as you UNTANGLE A WEB OF INTRIGUE LEADING TO THE FINAL STUNNING REVELATION.

EACH OF YOUR DEDUCTIONS AND ACTIONS AFFECTS THE REST OF THE STORY, for better or for worse…

-   PLAY AS SHERLOCK HOLMES AND USE HIS EXTRAORDINARY ABILITIES to progress through the adventure.
-   FREELY EXPLORE SEVERAL OF THE CITY'S NEIGHBOURHOODS in search of clues and suspects.
-   Interrogations, combat, chases, infiltration… DISCOVER A GAME THAT IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER!

System Requirements

MINIMUM:
-   OS: Windows 7 64 Bit / Windows 8.1 64 Bit / Windows 10 64 Bit
-   PROCESSOR: INTEL Core i3 3.6GHz / AMD FX Series 4.2GHz Quad-Core
-   MEMORY: 6 GB RAM
-   GRAPHICS: 1024 MB 100% DirectX 11 compatible AMD Radeon HD 7790 / NVIDIA GeForce 460 GTX
-   DIRECTX: Version 11
-   STORAGE: 20 GB available space
-   SOUND CARD: DirectX Compatible

RECOMMENDED:
-   OS: Windows 7 64 Bit / Windows 8.1 64 Bit / Windows 10 64 Bit
-   PROCESSOR: INTEL Core i5 2100 3.1 GHZ / AMD A8-7600 3.1 GHz
-   MEMORY: 8 GB RAM
-   GRAPHICS: 2048MB 100% DirectX 11 compatible ATI R9 270X / NVIDIA GeForce 760 GTX or higher
-   DIRECTX: Version 11
-   STORAGE: 20 GB available space
-   SOUND CARD: DirectX Compatible

©2016 Frogwares Ireland limited. All rights reserved. Sherlock Holmes, Frogwares and their respective logos are trademarks of Frogwares. Unreal, the circle-U logo and the Powered by Unreal Technology logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. Powered by Umbra 2006 - 2016. See umbra3d.com for details. ©2016 Valve Corporation. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.

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Recent Reviews:

Very Positive (277 reviews) []

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question: What does the text say about Dr. Watson?

question: What does the text say about Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter?

answer: Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is an adventure game with unique gameplay that blends investigation, action, and exploration. It is an extraordinary, breath-taking experience that tests the limits of a player's nerves and intelligence. Players need to track down evil in the darkest corners of London and the human soul while playing as the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. Each of the players' deductions and actions affects the rest of the story. The entire Sherlock Holmes Franchise is available on Steam.

question: How was the game, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter, received by the players?

answer: Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter, had a total of 7,351 reviews. The game had 5,730 mostly positive reviews, 277 very positive reviews, and 1,607 negative reviews. Out of the 7,351 reviews, 5,730 were Steam Purchasers. Players who reviewed the game either played over an hour to over 10 hours.

question: What does the text say about the game's key features?

answer: Players can play as Sherlock Holmes and use his extraordinary abilities to progress through the adventure.  Players can explore several of the city's neighborhoods in search of clues and suspects. The game has combat, chases, infiltration, and interrogations.


text:
This is my first attempt at writing in years and i know it's not great, but i would definitely like some feedback. Criticism is definitely welcome, preferably in a polite manner but welcome regardless. What can I do to make this story, and my writing in general, better?

Lost in a Dream!

	The desert grew colder and colder as the night drew near. The sun continued to fade away, and before too long, it vanished without a trace. The only thing remaining to light my way was the light of the magnificent stars. The stars above were so bright, you could see for miles ahead. It is unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The sheer quantity was simply astounding. The dark purple background of emptiness and space now doesn’t seem so empty. Luminescent blues, reds, yellows, and whites flickered in the night sky lighting my path along a road that could go on forever. It was at that moment that it finally occurred to me how small we really are. On the planet alone there are billions of people, and billions of different species of plants and animals, some of which haven’t even been discovered yet. Now think about all the lights that appear above my head. There are billions and billions and each may be either a star or even a galaxy. If each of those stars harbors planets, just like our sun, then there are more planets than I could ever count, or even imagine. If only one percent of those planets contains a world such as ours, so complex and filled with life, then there are billions of different species on that planet as well. Of all the different living things in this universe, what makes me so important? At that moment, for the first time in my life, I realized just how insignificant I really am, and we as a species really are.

	I continued driving along that dusty Arizona road, as the clock approached midnight. I looked to my right to see my wife lying there sleeping, with her hand in mine. I squeezed her hand tighter in realization that it was due to these stars above my head that I even found her. They aligned perfectly for her and I to have met. She sits there, with her head slightly tilted to the side, and her body completely covered by a pink blanket that my mother had knitted back in New York. I look back out onto the road, and am completely under a trance. The feeling is similar to what you see in the movies, when a hypnotist puts someone under using a swaying coin. I don’t know if that actually works, but it’s like the road is that coin. You can stare at it and really focus on it, but after a while it just becomes natural, and even meditative. I am completely in a trance.

	I look down at the clock and notice that four hours had already gone by. Under the spell of the road, it seemed like only minutes, and with this magnificent portrait painted above my head, it seemed to go even quicker. I once again turn to my wife just to look at her. My head was turned for only a second, but by the time I looked back at the road, it was already too late. In my headlights, only a few yards in front of me stands a deer. I instinctively slam the breaks and jerk the wheel in an effort to swerve around it, but before I knew it, the car took complete control, and I was simply along for the ride. The wheels left the ground and I came to a harsh realization, this is how I am going to die. The car continued to roll, numerous times before finally coming to rest near the side of the road, and you could see that the car had been rolling for well over a hundred yards. I look to my right, and I see my wife, with scrapes and cuts all over. It looked like an old butcher’s shop, there was so much blood. I look into her lifeless eyes, and I could see that she was gone. Her body was still there, but just as a bird leaves the nest, her consciousness left her body lying there, cold and motionless. In the moment, it didn’t strike me, and I convinced myself that there was still hope, but deep down, I already knew. I was in the middle of the Arizona desert, miles from any other human being, and simply left here to die just as my wife.

	I try to get out of the car, but the doors were jammed shut. I look to the window, only to realize that there were only but a few shards of glass where the window once sat. I force myself through the window, and fall about four feet to the floor. The adrenaline coursing through my veins is the only thing keeping me from crying out in agony. I knew my wife was dead, but I simply didn’t accept it. I was in shock. You know that feeling when a pet dies, or a grandparent dies. Before the grief sets in, you kind of just think about it, and can’t quite comprehend what exactly just happened. You get an incredibly empty feeling. You don’t think about their death, or show remorse just yet. It is essentially an emptiness like no other. The news is basically like being told you are never going to see someone, who had been there  for a good portion if not all of your life, again. At first it’s not sad, it’s just difficult and scary. Someone who u had just talked to but a few hours ago, is completely gone, and there is no way to bring her back. I didn’t feel that remorse, but that emptiness was eating away at me. Just like the deer in my headlights, I was caught completely off guard, and don’t have a clue how to handle such a tragedy.

	The temperature had now dropped to below twenty degrees as my watch, which was somehow still working, read 3:00 in the morning. I decide my only option for survival is to walk. I walk along this empty road for hours, freezing, limping, and covered in blood. I had lost so much blood I began to feel light in the head. I look up and see the sun rising. The stars were fading away as red and pink filled the sky. At this moment I realized the true beauty of the sunrise. I thought to myself that this may be the last sunrise I ever see. The incredible light shined in my eye, as I was walking east, directly into the rising sun. This bright yellow mass was revealing itself to me, little by little. The pink and red slowly faded into red and blue, and eventually the entire sky was blue. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the temperature rose very quickly. Within an hour it had risen from below twenty to above fifty. I gazed into the sun and my knees hit the red dirt beneath my feet. It was at that moment, after watching that sunrise, that I just collapsed in anxiety. I couldn’t help but think that I was going to die.

	In that moment I began to think about how my family and friends would take the news. Would they be sad? Shocked? Would they even know? Would anyone ever even find my body? I was completely exhausted and the rising temperature was taking a toll on my body as it had now gone above seventy, and was approaching eighty degrees. I considered giving up, and leaving myself for the coyotes, but I just didn’t know how. The idea of suicide was in my head, but I just didn’t know how to do it. I had no means by which to accomplish such a horrific feat, so I went on the only way I knew that I could, I got up and continued walking.

	I walked for hours more, and the heat was exhausting. It was now over ninety degrees, and there was no source of water anywhere nearby. I could see the buzzards peering above my head, looking for a quick and easy meal. I had easily walked over ten miles over the last few hours and my legs were growing weaker and weaker. I had no food or water, and I could definitely feel the fatigues sinking in. The incredible blood loss was also taking a toll, and eventually I hit the floor. Within minutes I lost consciousness. Just before that final moment, I thought it was over.

	I awoke to an awe bearing sight. The light was tremendous. I thought to myself, is this heaven? Is this what the afterlife is like? I look up only to realize that the awesome light is that of the moon and stars. They were brighter than I had ever seen them before. I looked around, wiped the dirt off my face, and tried to stand up, only to realize that I didn’t have the strength. My body was weak, but at that moment, my mind grew strong. I looked up at the sky and thought again what I had thought the night prior. I knew it had to be freezing outside, but I couldn’t feel it. My body had already given up on me. I thought about my family and friends, and how they would react. I knew they would be upset at first, but I came to the realization that, just like the stars above my head, as significant a part of their lives I was, their lives would continue on, just as the universe continues on when a star dies. I knew my time was up, but I had finally come to accept my fate, and not only accept it, but to cherish my final moments. In that moment, I was no longer an individual, I simply was. There was no future, and I completely accepted the past, and the only thing to do was to live in the present. Death was imminent, and many people fear death, but in that moment I realized that death wasn’t real. It was a made up word to describe an experience, however there was no experience. It is simply the absence of an experience, which cannot be comprehended. Without fear, I accepted my fate with open arms and let go of all thought. I looked above at the sky and realized that I was the universe. Those stars and planets, those billions upon billions of organisms, they all could not exist without me, and I could not exist without them. I realized that the universe itself is an experience, simply taken from all different points of view. At that moment, I just let go, and at that moment, and that’s when my experience was over, or so I thought.

	I regained consciousness only to realize that I was not dead at all. I looked around only to see wires and machines surrounding me. I raise my head up, and look around the room. It becomes clear to me that I was in a hospital bed. I see a woman in the corner. She ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me tighter than ever before. I couldn’t recognize her at first, but then it hit me. It was my sister. My sister, as I remember, was only nine years old, but now she is a full grown woman. I recognized her by her cry. I looked into her eyes and she looked into mine. It only felt like days since I last saw her, but she looked at me as if she hadn’t seen me in years.

“What am I doing here?” I asked.

She responded, “Do you know who I am?”

I responded with a simple head nod, and I had a sudden breakdown.

With tears running down my face I asked, “How long?”

At that point I realized that I had been in a comatose state.

She burst out into tears. “Twelve years,” she responded.

I thought I would have been in complete shock, but I really wasn’t, but I was in complete confusion.

“Where are mom and dad?” I asked, expecting the worst.

“They went home for the night.” She replied.

I let out a huge sigh of relief.

“And what about Candace?”

“Candace? Who’s Candace?” she respond in confusion.

“My wife, is she okay?”

She looked at me strangely and walked out to talk to a doctor. After about five minutes she walked back in and asked, “Do you know who I am really?”

I said, “Yes of course! You’re my sister.”

She looked back at me, her chin shaking, and her eyes watering the entire time. She said, “I’m Michele, you’re wife.”

I grew incredibly worried and scared.

She asked me, “Do you know who you are?”

I responded, “Yes!” in an annoyed tone.

“What is your name?” she asked again.

I thought I would know the answer to this question, but in that moment I couldn’t remember. I had no idea who I was. I didn’t even know if I was real at that point. Was it all a dream? Is it still a dream? Did that accident ever even happen? I had never been more confused in my life. I looked her in the eye and said, “I honestly have no idea who I am?”

	It had never been truer. Everything I thought true turned out to be a lie, and I was living in a completely unreal world. I couldn’t distinguish. I knew in my head that she was my sister, but she wasn’t, she was my wife.

She looked me in the eye and told me, “This isn’t the first time.”

At that moment I slipped away. My experience was finally over for good, or so I thought, only to reawake in a new setting.

title: Lost in a dream!

question: What does the story say about why the narrator is thinking about suicide?

answer: He and his wife have a car accident, and his wife dies. They are in the middle of the Arizona desert, miles from any other human being. He is aware that his only option for survival is to walk. After hours and hours of walking, he considers giving up and committing suicide.

question: Describe twists in the story.

answer: The narrator and his wife had a car accident. She died, and the narrator has been in a coma for 20 years. When he wakes up, he sees his sister and asks her about his wife. The woman says she is his wife. He realizes he has no idea who he is.

question: What does the story say about the origins of stars and galaxies?


text:
Part 2

Unit RF-54 Directive : find and locate possible surviving humanoid lifeforms and or possible existing plant matter .

&#x200B;

Log Date May 12th 2152: After further analysis of my mission i have made an "independent " decision and determined to stop recording my registered distance traveled per day . My Mission is to identify,document, and report on humanoid lifeforms and possible existing plant matter. And considering the wide expanse of distance that is yet left to be traversed in my travels . It seems pointless to document how much small progress is made periodically . It seems more fitting to report on the more substantial accomplishments . Which is why i have picked up with these log dates 5 days after my last series of transmitted logs.

&#x200B;

As previously recorded my "javelina friends" have become much more comfortable around me . They are now consistently follow me and now trail behind me at all times at a safe 200 feet away from my position . I do not understand they're reasoning for doing so . I am mechanical and have no organic matter for them to digest , so there would be no logical reason for them to do so ... right?

&#x200B;

I've been giving it some thought \[Evaluation Required = "Thought"\] and , i think the  javelinas are lost . The wasteland i have been searching is completely barren . My scanners have been active non stop for the past week and i have not detected 1 bit of organic matter apart from the javelinas since i left the town. I appear to have become a Beacon of sorts to the creatures. with no idea of where to go they've attached themselves to me in an act of desperation . I hope i do not let them down ,  i too wish to find life somewhere on this rock . i do not at the moment have any other programmed function besides finding life . As strange as this might sound ... i am unsure of what exactly i am suppoused too do once i have located said life .My memory banks appear to have become damaged , and that part of my programming has been lost . still though i will press on . Perhaps one day it will become clear to me again . Or more likely ill spend the rest of eternity scouring this god forsaken rock . \[End Of Mission Log\]

&#x200B;

Log Date May 13th 2152: I witnessed an incredible weather phenomenon . A tornado , the likes of which my data banks have no recorded evidence for such an occurrence to ever have happened . My scanners indicated that south of my location a slight increase in humidity was detected . Desperate to leave this god forsaken desert i headed that way (my friends close behind) and about 3 hours into my detour i saw it . A mass of what appeared to be 3 f5 tornadoes clustered together. At the center of the cluster , what could only be described as a large mass . Scanner readings on the shape of the mass indicate that of a serpentine lifeforms . However this determination might be faulty . As no registered accounts of a 9 headed 1200 foot serpent appear to be in my data banks . In the same way that a hurricane is known to have a calm center or "eye " this cluster of twisters too did have an eye , i believe this too be where the creature resided. As i stopped my journey and gazed upon the creature so too did my friends . I sat down and gazed upon the creature , and for the first time my pig friends sat next to me . They were within arms length from me but , i decided not too reach out and try to touch them . We just sat there side by side in silence for a while , gazing upon the creature until it departed to the east and was out of view. As it left our field of view i could've sworn for a second that the creature turned to look at me one last time . All 18 eyes glowing crimson red . \[New Data Bank Entry = "Fear"\]  \[End Of Mission Log\]

&#x200B;

Log Date May 15th 2152 : Minor findings worthy of reporting . I found an old plant . Dried up to the bone , dead , and completely withered away ; But a sign that i was heading in the right direction nonetheless . There was a colony of blue ants leeching themselves onto the plant . There mandibles dug into the plant . Were they feeding off it ? If that were the case then these creatures must be desperate . Also something of interest i noticed was that the javelinas noticed these insects and yet ... did not make an attempt to try to eat them  .  In fact the moment they noticed the creatures they picked up the pace and ran away from them . Further analysis on this behavior should be conducted at a later date . \[End Of Mission Log\]

&#x200B;

Log Date May 17th 2152 : The closer south that i head the higher my humidity sensors read . Today i picked up a whopping .42% humidity . I was definitely getting closer to any possibility of life appearing . I have lost one of my javelina friends . As the journey has progressed  and they have presumably been without food or water for a considerable time ... i awoke this morning too the larger of the two violently killing and eating its smaller counterpart . cant say i blame the creature , I've no way of knowing the pain hunger might bring to one ... or "pain" for that matter ; but if it drives one to eat one of its own kind in the manner i witnessed today i can only imagine the severity of it . We are down too two now . just me and one of the creatures. i have given my previous data bank "fear" entry some thought and upon further meditation on the subject . I believe that i am beginning to understand the feeling of fear . Now that the only other source of meat is gone ... i fear what this creature might try to do to me when it gets hungry again ...

&#x200B;

\[End Of Transmission\]

&#x200B;

title: [SF] "Tales From The Wasteland "

question: Summarize Unit RF-54's observations during its last days in the wasteland.

answer: Unit RF-54 went about fulfilling its directive which was to find any surviving humans or any possible plant matter. One of its actions (before it went offline) was that it stopped recording irrelevant information that was not crucial to its primary mission. Also, it noticed that its "javelina friends" are following him at a safe 200 feet away. On one of Unit RF-54's logs, it noticed it had not detected any sign of life so far and is unsure of what to do once it finds one. It reckons some of its memory banks had malfunctioned. It also recorded witnessing a strange weather phenomenon - a tornado unlike any it had never seen before. It headed towards the humidity the tornado had created, in case there were signs of life there. The unit found some sort of serpentine lifeform which departed eastward. Unit RF-54 also recorded finding a dead plant that had been leeched dry by a colony of blue ants. it also notices that the javelinas did not try eating the ants. The unit also recorded the javelina starving and cannibalizing one another. Unit RF-54 feared they might start eating its mechanical parts once their source of meat is gone.

question: Who or what gave Unit RF-54 its directives?


text:
[] _THE SEEKERS_ is a British comic strip drawn by John M. Burns, written by Les Lilley, succeeded by Phillip Douglas and Dick O'Neil. The strip ran from 1966 to 1971 in _The Daily Sketch_.

Synopsis

The main characters, Susanne Dove and Jacob Benedick, are two preferred secret agents employed by Una Frost, director of “The Seekers”, an elite agency of missing persons retrieval. Their investigations frequently lead to adventures connected to the sex industry, exploiting the attractiveness of both detectives, and usually leading to the downfall of sexual predators and oppressors.[1]

Publication history

_The Seekers_ began publication on 2 May 1966 in _The Daily Sketch_.[2][3] The concept of the strip bears some resemblance to another strip Burns later drew for a brief period, _Modesty Blaise_. The female characters were consistently drawn in an enticing manner, indicating Burns' evident intent to challenge the limits of the daily British newspaper strip conventions of the times.[4] The initial writer Les Lilley was succeeded by Phillip Douglas starting with episode 14, _The Missing Golfers_, occasionally aided by Dick O'Neil, who wrote one story, _The Curse of the One-Eyed Sailor_.

The strip ended on 10 May 1971, abandoned due to its lack of lasting success.[5] It enjoyed some popularity in Italy where it was known as _I Segugi_, and the Scandinavian countries, serialised as _Spårhundarna_ in Sweden, _Sporhundene_ in Norway and Denmark, and _Vainukoirat_ in Finland. The name, Seekers, translates as Bloodhounds in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish publications of the strip.

Story list

[Exposition panels from the first story, _The Boneyard Club_ (1966)]

+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| №               | Title           | Author          | Strips          |
+=================+=================+=================+=================+
|  1              | _The Boneyard   | Les Lilley      | M103–M180       |
|                 | Club_           |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
|  2              | _The Missing    | M181–M252       |
|                 | Groom_          |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
|  3              | _Red Elibank_   | M253–N12        |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
|  4              | _The Bookman    | N13–N84         |
|                 | Vanishes_       |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
|  5              | _The            | N85–N155        |
|                 | Collection_     |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
|  6              | _The Irish      | N156–N233       |
|                 | Caper_          |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
|  7              | _Jamaican       | N234–N309,P1-P2 |
|                 | Joyride_        |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
|  8              | _John Silver_   | P3–P83          |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
|  9              | _The Highest    | P84–P169        |
|                 | Bidder_         |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 10              | _The Missing    | P170–P254       |
|                 | Star_           |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 11              | _Lost           | P255–P278,Q1-Q6 |
|                 | Monastery_      | 0               |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 12              | _The Off-Beat   | Q61–Q120        |
|                 | Case_           |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 13              | _Art Theft_     | Q121–Q198       |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 14              | _The Missing    | Phillip         | Q199–Q276       |
|                 | Golfers_        | Douglas         |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 15              | _A Matter of    | Q277–Q309,R1-R4 |
|                 | Life and Death_ | 5               |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 16              | _Where’s Una?_  | R46–R117        |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 17              | _The Man Who    | R118–R178       |
|                 | Died Twice_     |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 18              | _The Boy With   | R179–R239       |
|                 | the Golden      |                 |
|                 | Boots_          |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 19              | _Hoop of Fire_  | R240–R305,T1-T8 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 20              | _The Day the    | T9–T68          |
|                 | Birds Dropped   |                 |
|                 | Dead_           |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 21              | _The Curse of   | Dick O'Neil     | T69–T107        |
|                 | the One-Eyed    |                 |                 |
|                 | Sailor_         |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 22              | Title missing   | Phillip         | T109–T125       |
|                 |                 | Douglas         |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 23              | _Wheels of      | T126–T185       |
|                 | Fate_           |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 24              | _The Tracy      | T186–T245       |
|                 | Madison Affair_ |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 25              | _Goddess of the | T246–T317       |
|                 | Seven Moons_    |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 26              | _Legs on        | T318–T365       |
|                 | Broadway_       |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 27              | _Dead Girls     | T366–T413       |
|                 | Tell_           |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+

Sources

-   _The Seekers - Spårhundarna_
-   John M. Burns bio FFF

Footnotes

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

title: The Seekers (comics)

question: What does the article say about the main characters of The Seekers?

answer: The two characters are preferred secret agents working for Una Frost, director of the elite agency The Seekers. The agency focuses on missing person retrieval, and the duo's investigations usually lead them to adventures related to the sex industry. Both agents are attractive, which is useful in their missions, and they often bring down sexual predators and oppressors.

question: What does the text say about the creation and publication of The Seekers?

answer: The strip was drawn by John M. Burns and written by Les Lilley, Phillip Douglas, and Dick O'Neil, who came one after another. The strip was published in The Daily Sketch for five years starting on the 2nd of May, 1966. Lilley wrote the contents for 14 episodes before Phillip Douglas took over the job, sometimes aided by Dick O'Neil, who himself wrote one episode. The strip was also published in Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. The Scandinavian versions were translated as "Bloodhounds".

question: What does the article say about the Daily Mail?


text:
ANDRII DEREVINSKYI (born 28 March 1988)[1] is a Ukrainian Paralympic swimmer.[2] He represented Ukraine at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and he won two bronze medals: in the men's 50 metre freestyle S4 event and in the mixed 4 x 50 metre freestyle relay 20pts event.[3]

He won six medals at the 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships; three individual medals and three medals in team events.[4]

At the 2018 World Para Swimming European Championships he won the gold medal in the 4 x 50 metres medley relay event.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: Andrii Derevinskyi

question: Who is Andrii Derevinskyi?

answer: Andrii Derevinskyi is a Ukrainian Paralympic swimmer.

question: Which competition did Derevinskyi do in 2016?

answer: He participated in the 2016 Summer Paralympics where he won two gold medals.

question: How many medals did Derevinskyi win at the 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships?

answer: He won six medals.

question: Which event did Derevinskyi win a gold medal at the 2018 World Para Swimming European Championships?

answer: He won gold medal at the 4 x 50 metres medley relay.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Andrii Derevinskyi is a Ukrainian Paralympic swimmer. He has represented his country at different events, winning lots of medals. His latest haul was at the 2016 Summer Paralympics where he won two bronze medals.


text:
[Photonic Shockwave Torpedo icon (Federation).png]

PHOTONIC SHOCKWAVE TORPEDO is a space ability that upgrades your next Torpedo Launcher attack to a Photonic Shockwave Torpedo. It is only available on player ships equipped with the [Console - Universal - Nadeon Detonator]. With the 20th of December 2012 patch, the ability works with every type of standard torpedo weapon (previously it worked only with photon torpedoes). Specialized torpedos, like the Hargh'peng Torpedo Launcher and the Rapid Reload Transphasic Torpedo Launcher, are unaffected by this Console.

The Photonic Shockwave Torpedo moves at the same speed as a normal torpedo and is not targetable. When it detonates it triggers a Photonic Shockwave that disables and repels targets in the area of effect.

-   1 Basic Information
-   2 Detailed Information
-   3 Ability Ranks
-   4 Notes
-   5 Images
-   6 See also
-   7 External links

Basic Information[edit | edit source]

-   PROFESSION: None
-   LOCALE: Space
-   GAME DESCRIPTION:Improves your next torpedo attack. Activating this ability will upgrade your next Torpedo with a Nadeon Detonator. The modified torpedo detonates just before impact to produce a Photonic Shockwave. The Shockwave releases a massive blast, repelling enemy ships, disabling ship abilities, and inflicting kinetic damage.

This console works only with standard torpedo types, and may not be compatible with more exotic weaponry.

Detailed Information[edit | edit source]

-   USED BY:
    -   Player
    -   Non-Player Character
-   TARGET: Foe
-   SYSTEM: Torpedoes
-   ABILITY TYPE: Torpedo Attack
-   ACTIVATION: 0.3 sec
-   RANGE: 10km range; 3km sphere
-   SHARES COOLDOWN WITH:
    -   _None_
-   STARTS 15 SECOND COOLDOWN ON:
-   MODIFIED BY:
    -   Skills
    -   Stats
        -   _None_
-   TRAINED BY:
    -   This ability cannot be trained

Ability Ranks[edit | edit source]

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| ABILITY/USER RANK     | CD                    | Ability Effects       |
+=======================+=======================+=======================+
| N/A                   | 2m                    | -   Upgrades your     |
|                       |                       |     next torpedo      |
|                       |                       |     attack. Torpedo   |
|                       |                       |     explodes in a     |
|                       |                       |     large Photonic    |
|                       |                       |     Shockwave.        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

Notes[edit | edit source]

While this ability is active and before it has been fully executed by launching a torpedo, abilities with which it shares a 15-second cooldown will not affect the launch of the Shockwave Torpedo. Thus, you may activate Torpedo: Spread 16 seconds after activating Photonic Shockwave Torpedo, but the Torpedo Spread will not modify the launch of the Photonic Shockwave Torpedo.

Images[edit | edit source]

-   []

    A Photonic Shockwave Torpedo fired by an Intrepid class vessel.

-   []

    The shockwave as the torpedo strikes its target.

See also[edit | edit source]

-   Photonic Shockwave
-   [Console - Universal - Nadeon Detonator]

External links[edit | edit source]

-   Photonic shock wave at Memory Alpha, the _Star Trek_ Wiki.

v · d · e

Abilities

[Console eng icon.png] Engineering
GROUND
BOFF OR PLAYER
Chroniton Mine Barrier • Combat Supply • Cover Shield • Equipment Diagnostics • Fuse Armor • Medical Generator Fabrication • Quantum Mortar Fabrication • Quick Fix • Reroute Power to Shields • Shield Generator Fabrication • Shield Recharge • Support Drone Fabrication • Turret Fabrication • Weapons Malfunction
PLAYER ONLY
Engineering Proficiency • Force Field Dome • Orbital Strike • Seeker Drone Fabrication • Place Transphasic Bomb
SPACE
BOFF OR PLAYER
Aceton Beam • Auxiliary to Battery • Auxiliary to Dampers • Auxiliary to Structural • Boarding Party • Deploy Construction Shuttle Wing • Directed Energy Modulation • Eject Warp Plasma • Emergency Power to Auxiliary • Emergency Power to Engines • Emergency Power to Shields • Emergency Power to Weapons • Emit Unstable Warp Bubble • Overload Integrity Field • Endothermic Inhibitor Beam • Engineering Team • Extend Shields • Reverse Shield Polarity • Structural Integrity Collapse
PLAYER ONLY
Engineering Fleet • EPS Power Transfer • Miraculous Repairs • Nadion Inversion • Rotate Shield Frequency • Intrusive Energy Redirection
[Console sci icon.png] Science
GROUND
BOFF OR PLAYER
Anesthizine Gas • Dampening Field • Electro-Gravitic Field • Hyperonic Radiation • Hypospray - Dylovene • Hypospray - Melorazine • Medical Tricorder • Nanite Health Monitor • Neural Neutralizer • Sonic Pulse • Stasis Field • Tachyon Harmonic • Tricorder Scan • Vascular Regenerator
PLAYER ONLY
Biofilter Sweep • Exothermic Induction Field • Nanoprobe Infestation • Scientific Aptitude • Triage
SPACE
BOFF OR PLAYER
Charged Particle Burst • Delayed Overload Cascade • Destabilizing Resonance Beam • Energy Siphon • Feedback Pulse • Gravity Well • Hazard Emitters • Jam Targeting Sensors • Mask Energy Signature • Photonic Officer • Photonic Shockwave • Polarize Hull • Science Team • Scramble Sensors • Subspace Vortex • Structural Analysis • Tachyon Beam • Tractor Beam • Tractor Beam Repulsors • Transfer Shield Strength • Tyken's Rift • Viral Matrix
PLAYER ONLY
Photonic Fleet • Scattering Field • Science Fleet • Sensor Scan • Subnucleonic Beam • Co-opt Energy Weapons
[Console tac icon.png] Tactical
GROUND
BOFF OR PLAYER
Ambush • Battle Strategies • Draw Fire • Fire on my Mark • Lunge • Motion Accelerator • Overwatch • Photon Grenade • Plasma Grenade • Smoke Grenade • Stealth Module • Stun Grenade • Suppressing Fire • Sweeping Strikes • Target Optics
PLAYER ONLY
Rally Cry • Security Escort • Strike Team • Tactical Initiative
SPACE
BOFF OR PLAYER
Attack Pattern Beta • Attack Pattern Delta • Attack Pattern Omega • Augment Boarding Party • Beam Array: Fire at Will • Beam Array: Overload • Cannon: Rapid Fire • Cannon: Scatter Volley • Dispersal Pattern Alpha • Dispersal Pattern Beta • Focused Assault • Kemocite-Laced Weaponry • Distributed Targeting • Tactical Team • Target Auxiliary Subsystems • Target Engines Subsystems • Target Shields Subsystems • Target Weapons Subsystems • Torpedo: High Yield • Torpedo: Spread
PLAYER ONLY
Attack Pattern Alpha • Fire on my Mark • Go Down Fighting • Tactical Fleet • Tactical Initiative • Vulnerability Assessment Sweep
Intelligence
GROUND
BOFF OR PLAYER
Feign Disintegration • Frictionless Particle Grenade • Harmless • Incite Chaos • Neurolytic Hypo Injection • Photonic Decoy • Resonant Tachyon Stream • Site-to-Site Ensnare • Sonic Suppression Field • Subspace Anesthezine Mine • Tripwire Drone
SPACE
BOFF OR PLAYER
Electromagnetic Pulse Probe • Energy Weapons: Surgical Strikes • Evade Target Lock • Intelligence Team • Ionic Turbulence • Kinetic Magnet • Override Subsystem Safeties • Subnucleonic Carrier Wave • Subspace Beacon • Torpedo: Transport Warhead • Viral Impulse Burst
Command
GROUND
BOFF OR PLAYER
Coordinated Bombing Strike • Delegated Devastation • Hammer and Anvil • Overwhelm Shields • Return Fire • Sanctuary • Strategic Analysis • Shock and Awe • Take Cover • Timely Intervention
SPACE
BOFF OR PLAYER
Ambush Point Marker • Call Emergency Artillery • Concentrate Firepower • Needs of the Many • Overwhelm Emitters • Phalanx Formation • Rally Point Marker • Reroute Power from Life Support • Subspace Interception • Suppression Barrage
Pilot
SPACE
BOFF OR PLAYER
Attack Pattern Lambda • Deploy Countermeasures • Lock Trajectory • Pilot Team • Clean Getaway • Fly Her Apart • Hold Together • Reinforcements Squadron • Coolant Ignition • Form Up • Reroute Reserves to Weapons • Subspace Boom
Temporal Operative
GROUND
BOFF OR PLAYER
Causal Entanglement • Chronometric Diffusion • Chronoplasty • Degeneration • Paradox Bomb • Recursive Affliction • Spread Decay • Tachyonic Conversion • Temporal Narcosis • Uncertainty Burst

SPACE
BOFF OR PLAYER
Channeled Deconstruction • Heisenberg Amplifier • Entropic Redistribution • Causal Reversion • Entropic Cascade • Shared Fate • Rapid Decay • Gravimetric Conversion • Chronometric Inversion Field • Timeline Collapse • Recursive Shearing

Miracle Worker
GROUND
BOFF OR PLAYER
Generate Ablative Protection • Gravitic Induction Field • Harmonized Shields • Logic Bomb • Overload Power Cells • Technical Mishap • Throw Regenerative Nanite Canister • VISOR Emulation Overlay •

SPACE
BOFF OR PLAYER
Null Pointer Flood • Narrow Sensor Bands • Reroute Shields to Hull Containment • Align Shield Frequencies • Deploy Gravitic Induction Platform • Energy Weapons: Exceed Rated Limits • Torpedoes: Nanite Repair Payload • Destabilize Warp Core • Overwhelm Power Regulators • Mixed Armaments Synergy

Universal
GROUND
PLAYER ONLY
Chroniton Jolt • Crystalline Spike • Deploy Gravimetric Traps • Jam Subspace Transmissions • Mass Gravimetric Detonation • Overcharge Turret Fabrication • Plasma Feedback Cascade • Subspace Rift • Generate Solar Gateway • Sompek Lightning
SEE ALSO
Bridge officer ability • Bridge Officer Trainer • Kits • Player ability • Singularity Core abilities • Cruiser commands • Starship Separation

question: What does the text say about how the Photon Shockwave Torpedo functions?

answer: It's an ability that can be activated in space, affecting the next instance of a torpedo launch. The modified torpedo moves at the same speed as a regular one but denotes just before impact. When it detonates, it creates a photonic shockwave, which disables and repels the targets in a 3 km sphere. It also inflicts kinetic damage.

question: What does the article say about how to register for the game?