text:
I went out to Seahawks training camp this afternoon so I wanted to share a quick few notes. Regrettably, I won't get into as much detail as I did with my prior camp reports, because frankly, it was much more difficult to see what was going on today as the team practiced on the far field, closest to the water. I had some binoculars so I had two options: one - follow one player for the entirety of a play in unsteady Admiral Nelson through a telescope fashion and have no idea what happened with the other 21 guys, or two - squint at the big picture, try and see through and over the players standing around on the sideline obstructing my clear view, and do my best to get a vague idea of the schemes and personnel involved in a vain attempt to provide even a little bit of insight into what the hell was going on way over there. I felt like I was watching a little kids' soccer game that was going on three fields over where all the children are just crammed together around the ball with coaches yelling for everyone to spread out and play a position. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but it _was_ a bit frustrating not to be able to get a better view of the action. With that said -- here are my notes!

- Because I know you're wondering, Russell Wilson looked like the best quarterback out there today. It just seems striking to me how much more physically talented he appears than Matt Flynn and even Tarvaris Jackson. His throws look easy, he moves around well behind the line, stepping up into the pocket, has great balance, and of course looks very quick when he decides to tuck the ball and run it, though I still think that might happen a little too often. Just from a physical standpoint, and I realize this is not a novel observation, but Russ just looks like far and away the best pure talent of the group.

That said, as Brian Nemhauser pointed out, Matt Flynn did get the majority of reps with the offense today - 35 - to WIlson's 22 and Jackson's 15. Flynn looked good at times, throwing confidently and in rhythm on one particular series that I remember, but in what was more of a theme for the day, the momentum would stall. Most of the day, he, and by extension, the offense, just looked sluggish. Too many incompletions, a few throwaways, one interception to Brandon Browner that I believe was called back on a defensive penalty. The team ran almost exclusively in red-zone drills, and the defense was not giving up much.

Even though they were in full pads today, it's tough to glean too much from what the defensive line is doing from play to play, but the linebackers and defensive backs covered very well in these passing drills and I like that they tightened things up as the offense got closer to the endzone. In the full-team scrimmages, I don't think the offense accomplished much in terms of getting into the endzone.

- Phil Bates showed up the most to me in the receivers drills. Prior to scrimmaging with the defense, the receivers and corners did some one-on-one route running and I believe at one point that Bates scored three straight touchdowns on varying routes (they were doing all red-zone style throws - back shoulder throws, fades, post-corners). He just looks natural running routes, and though I might be the only one that ever says this, I just think that his running gait looks a little bit similar to that of Leon Washington. Always balanced, can bounce off contact, explosive and jerky. Anyway, if there's going to be a 'surprise' addition to the 53-man roster this season, I'd put my money on Bates.

- I watched Kris Durham closely during these drills today too because of all the speculation lately on his dwindling chances to make the team, and I thought he had a strong day. On one particular play during the red-zone receiver/corner drills, he beat Jeremy Lane's press and got to the inside (both no-no's I think, in this case, for Lane), headfaked to the corner and ran a slant for a nice gain. It looked smooth and natural and my sense is that he's really fighting right now after some big drops earlier in the week. The Hawks gave him looks in the slot too (or, at least, he ended up in 'the slot' after a running back motioned to the wing) and threw a few of the "Sidney Rice" style screen passes that we saw a lot of last year. The thing about Durham that I keep coming back to is that he does have experience on both outside and in the slot from his days at Georgia, so I don't think the team has him pigeonholed into that X-spot or nothing. He still has what they liked from him when they drafted him -- a huge catch radius, agility, speed, and versatility. So, we'll see.

- I didn't see much from Deon Butler, Ricardo Lockette or Ben Obomanu today. Course, I didn't see a whole lot of completions from the offense in general, but these three didn't impress particularly in the individual drills either. Braylon Edwards certainly looks the part - he's big and smooth - but he still looks like he could knock a little rust off before he's up to full speed and able to show his true value as a big, physical outside receiver and redzone threat. He just wasn't super noticeable today.

- Again, Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate looked very good. Smooth, explosive, steady - both also looked really elusive after the catch - you'll see them catch a ball and change direction on a dime with their back still to the defense - and I think this is going to show up this season.

- Kellen Winslow practiced today and he too just looks like a pro. He's smooth in and out of his cuts and catches everything thrown his way. In general, the Seahawks have been doing a lot of really interesting things with their tight end group, which included a lot of "Jacob Tamme/Dallas Clark" style tight ending from lookalikes Sean McGrath and Cooper Helfet in particular -- flexing them to the outside and into the backfield as H-backs - using motion, etc. I get the sense that "12" and "22" personnel (two tight end groupings) will be used a lot but it's not always going to look like a tight-set heavy I-formation.

At times, it almost looks like the Seahawks are running a spread offense (FLYNN FLYNN FLYNN) because you'll see two tight ends split out to the same side on the wing, or the running backs motioning to the wing, or tight ends split out off the line on each side, or things of that nature, and though you're looking at "22" personnel, it's a five-wide formation. I'm very excited to see how this offense evolves in 2012 with the changing and improving talent on that side of the ball and as defenses react and substitute based on Seattle's personnel.

- Along the same lines, one underrated camp battle that I can see becoming interesting is the Michael Robinson versus Kregg Lumpkin fight for fullback duties. This is a theory I've been formulating for a little while but it showed up a bit today, as the Seahawks used Lumpkin in the passing game on several occasions. At 5'11, 235 or 240, he's roughly the same size as Michael Robinson but his one main talent is in catching passes (he had a 16.7% DVOA, 79 DYAR last year with the Bucs, 41 catches for 291 yards and 5.5 yards after the catch on average, according to the Football Outsiders' Almanac. He caught 77% of the passes that went his way and though I realize almost all of them were on dumpoffs and checkdowns, there is no arguing that he was very dependable in that role.

I noticed this while scouting Kellen Winslow, but from time to time the Bucs would also motion Lumpkin into the slot to run a quick under route as well and though he doesn't offer much in the way of carrying the ball (neither does Robinson), he's shown soft hands and an ability to run routes and get to the right spot, or the open spot, which is more and more important to NFL offenses at the FB position these days (just look at Marcel Reece's role in Tom Cable's offense with the Raiders). Now, I'm not saying that Lumpkin will beat out Michael Robinson as the team's fullback nor am I saying he's Marcel Reece -- and I have no real idea on how highly the Seahawks value Robinson's leadership and I know that he made huge improvements in his lead blocking, but the fact of the matter is that the Seahawks could save $2 million dollars of cap space by going with Lumpkin over Mike. Just something to consider for a team that you know wants to roll over cap room.

Here's one example of a play later in the year in which the Seahawks utilized their fullback in the passing game, and this was Mike Robinson's only touchdown on the year. Seahawks were actually in 23 personnel, two backs and three tight ends, and used play action after Anthony McCoy motioned to the formation left. Mike slipped down into the flats on a short wheel route and was wide open.

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- I realize that I've talked very little about the defense this whole time and the fact of the matter is, I've been watching the offense a lot more closely because there is much more concern there. The defense, more or less, has dominated every one of the three practices I've been to, and there is a lot to be optimistic about. One note that I would share is that in my close watch of the receivers today and over the weekend, I would have to predict that there are few players in the NFL right now that can put as physical of a jam on a receiver as Brandon Browner. He's literally knocked several guys on their asses in drills and in 11-on-11 and not only does his strong jam disrupt the route in terms of location of the receiver, it severely throws off the timing if that receiver cannot get past him in one or two steps. Now, obviously, he'll get burned at times if the receiver does get a clean release, so that's one thing he must improve on this year. Honestly, though Browner may be the defense's weakest link, he's also going to take receivers completely out of play designs on many occasions.

- Some defensive sleepers that I've been trying to keep an eye on though, are Coye Francies, Deshawn Shead, and Kyle Knox. Francies has made a few very nice plays on deep passes in the practices I've seen and has the size/speed ratio that really intrigues. I heard Rob Rang talk about Francies on last weekend's Chalk Talk radio show and Rang noted he was very high on the San Jose State product when he was coming out of college in 2009. He's got a shot for the roster, I think. Shead just really looks the part as a core special teamer (dude is big and fast) that can come on in relief as a press corner. He has been very physical at the line the times I've keyed in on him in drills.

The only real analysis I can bring on Kyle Knox is that he just _looks the part_ as possible backup middle linebacker core special teamer. It's tough to evaluate linebackers when real hitting and tackling isn't allowed, but Knox just looks like a carbon copy of Bobby Wagner. Both players are 6'0, 230/240, with absurdly long arms and big hands. Wagner has the edge in speed, obviously, but Knox tested very well in short-area burst (3-cone, short shuttle) and explosiveness (vert/broad jump), so as a long-shot back of the roster or practice squad candidate, he should give Mike Morgans and Allen Bradfords, and the Heath Farwells and Matt McCoys someone to compete with.

question: Describe the factors that affected the difficulty of the writer's task.

answer: The writer creates a camp reports, but this time, since the Seahawks team was training in a far field, so getting a clear view of what was happening was difficult. The writer had a pair of binoculars this expanded their options to observe to either just one player in focus, or try to see the big picture from a very distant vantage point.

question: Between focusing on players or looking at the big picture, which choice did the writer make?

answer: For the most part of the article, the writer makes close and detailed observations of notable individual players. The writer occasionally provides a quick glimpse of the team as a whole, but a majority of the writeup covers players. In short, the writer focuses on players, but sometimes looks at the big picture.


split: test

text:
_DEBORAH_ (HWV 51) is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. It was one of Handel's early oratorios in English and was based on a libretto by Samuel Humphreys. It received its premiere performance at the King's Theatre in London on 17 March 1733.

The story of the oratorio takes place in a single day and is based on the Biblical stories found in 4 and 5 Judges. The Israelites have been subjugated for 20 years by the Canaanites, when the prophetess Deborah foretells the death of the Canaanite commander Sisera at the hands of a woman. The Israelite commander Barak leads them into battle against the Canaanites. The Israelites are victorious and a woman, Jael, assassinates Sisera as he sleeps in her tent.

Handel reused music from numerous previous compositions for _Deborah_. The work, with large choruses and grand orchestral effects, was very successful and was revived by Handel in subsequent years.

Background

[London King's Theatre Haymarket, where “Deborah” was first performed] By 1733, Handel had spent nearly twenty years composing and presenting seasons of Italian opera in London. The great success of _Esther_ the previous year had shown Handel that there was potential for further works of “Sacred Drama”, performed in concert form in English. _Deborah_ reuses much music Handel had previously composed, including passages from the Brockes Passion, Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno, the Dixit Dominus, and others.[1] _Deborah_ was performed as part of Handel's season at the King's Theatre in 1733, with the stars of the Italian opera singing in English, and the composer / impresario was so confident of the work's success that he doubled the price of admission for the first performance, causing some resentment and comment in the press.[2] A feature of the work is massive choruses, some in eight parts rather than the usual four, and grandiose orchestral effects featuring trumpets and drums. One witness to the first performances noted “It is very magnificent, near a hundred performers, among whom about twenty-five singers” while another remarked “'tis excessive noisy, a vast number of voices and instruments, who all perform at a time.”[3]_Deborah_ achieved considerable popularity and was revived by Handel in a number of subsequent seasons.[4]

Dramatis personae

[Painting from the 1730s of singer who created roles in Handel operas and oratorios, Anna Maria Strada, creator of the role of Deborah]

  |Role                                     |Voice           |1733 cast
  ----------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------------
  |Deborah                                  |soprano         |Anna Maria Strada
  |Barak, commander of the Israelite army   |alto-castrato   |Senesino
  |Abinoam                                  |bass            |Antonio Montagnana
  |Sisera                                   |alto            |Francesca Bertolli
  | Jael                                    |soprano         |Celeste Gismondi
  |An Israelite Woman                       |soprano         |Celeste Gismondi
  | Chief Priest of Israelites              |bass            |Antonio Montagnana
  |Chief Priest of Baal                     |bass            |Gustavus Waltz
  |Herald                                   |tenor           |
  |Chorus of the Priests and Israelites     |                |
  | Chorus of the Priests of Baal           |                |

  :

Synopsis

[Gustave Dore, Deborah.] [Jael killing Sisera, by Artemisia Gentileschi] [Jael shows the slain Sisera to Barak, by James Tissot]

Act 1

The Israelites long for a leader who will deliver them from the oppression of the Canaanites. The prophetess and Judge, Deborah, exhorts Barak, head of the Israelite army, to save the country from subjugation and lead an army against General Sisera, commander of the Canaanite forces. Deborah prophesies that Sisera will meet death at the hands of a woman. Jael, presented in the oratorio as a female associate of Deborah, longs for security in her homeland. The father of Barak, Abinoam, adds his voice to those asking Barak to lead an army against their oppressors. A herald arrives from Sisera, announcing the General's arrival to explain the dire consequences that will fall on the Israelites should they attack, but Deborah, Barak and their people are confident that victory will be theirs.

Act 2

Sisera and priests of Baal arrive to counsel the Israelites not to attack but Deborah and Barak reject the possibility that the God of Israel will not conquer. Abinoam looks forward with pride to his son Barak's victory, and Deborah advises her friend Jael to retire to her tent during the upcoming battle. The Israelites are confident that God will aid their arms.

Act 3

The Israelites have defeated the greatly superior forces of the Canaanites. Abinoam joyfully welcomes his victorious son back from battle. Jael announces that Sisera is dead, and relates how the defeated general sought refreshment and rest in her tent. Jael brought him milk, and when he had fallen asleep, she took a hammer and drove nails through his skull. All acclaim her action and celebrate the nation's deliverance.[5][6]

Recordings

+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| Year            | Cast:Deborah,   | Conductor,      | Label           |
|                 | Barak,          | orchestra       |                 |
|                 | Abinoam,        | and chorus      |                 |
|                 | Sisera,         |                 |                 |
|                 | Jael            |                 |                 |
+=================+=================+=================+=================+
| 1993            | Yvonne Kenny,   | Robert King     | CD:Hyperion     |
|                 | James Bowman,   | The King's      | Records         |
|                 | Michael George, | Consort         | Cat:CDA66841-2  |
|                 | Catherine       | and Choir of    |                 |
|                 | Denley,         | New College,    |                 |
|                 | Susan Gritton   | Oxford          |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 2002            | Elisabeth       | Joachim Carlos  | CD: Naxos       |
|                 | Scholl,         | Martini         | Cat:8.554785-87 |
|                 | Lawrence Zazzo, | Barockorchester |                 |
|                 | Jelle           | Frankfurt and   |                 |
|                 | S.Draijer,      | the Junge       |                 |
|                 | Ewa Wolak,      | Kantorei        |                 |
|                 | Natacha Ducret  |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+

:

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title: Deborah (Handel)

question: Summarize the story of "Deborah"

answer: The story takes place in a single day and is based on the Biblical stories found in 4 and 5 Judges. The Israelites have been subjugated for 20 years by the Canaanites. The prophetess Deborah foretells the death of the Canaanite commander Sisera at the hands of a woman. The Israelite commander Barak leads them into battle against the Canaanites. The Israelites are victorious and a woman, Jael, assassinates Sisera as he sleeps in her tent.

question: How many different locations was the oratorio performed at?

question: Summarize Handel's career.


text:
MURIEL MACDONAGH (née GIFFORD; 18 December 1884 – 9 July 1917) an Irish nationalist, and member of Inghinidhe na hÉireann.[1]

Early life

Muriel Enid Gifford was born at 12 Cowper Road, Rathmines on 18 December 1884. She was the fourth daughter and eighth child of twelve of Frederick and Isabella Gifford. As a child she suffered at different times from rheumatic fever and phlebitis.[2] She attended Alexandra College, and spent a brief time in England training to as a poultry instructor. Returning to Ireland she trained at Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital, Dublin as a student nurse, but her health suffered from the work.[3]

Nationalism

Along with her sisters, MacDonagh was active in the Women's Franchise League and Inghinidhe na hÉireann, a nationalist organisation. She was involved in the school meals programme of 1910 to 1911, took part in a 1914 Women's Franchise League fundraiser, appearing in a tableau vivant as Maeve, the Warrior Queen. Less ardently feminist than her sisters, MacDonagh took delight in inviting home activists and artists for a “proper meal”. In an outgoing family, she was shy and reserved, known for her gentle manner. In 1908 she was introduced to Thomas MacDonagh by suffragette journalist Nora Dryhurst along with her sisters, Grace and Sidney, on a visit to St Enda's School. Dryhurst advised Thomas to “fall in love with one of these girls and marry her”, to which he replied laughingly “That would be easy; the only difficulty would be to decide which one”. The Gifford sisters remained acquaintances with Thomas until the autumn of 1911, when the couple had a short and intense courtship. They would meet secretly in galleries and museums, and had copious correspondence. When he was appointed assistant lecturer to University College Dublin in December 1911, they married on 3 January 1912. They had one son, Donagh MacDonagh, and one daughter, Barbara MacDonagh Redmond. The family lived first at 32 Baggot Street, and later at 29 Oakley Road, Rathmines.[4]

Later life

MacDonagh suffered with poor health and depression, which led to periods of convalescence and confinement. When her husband was arrested after the Easter 1916 Rising, she was unable to see him before his execution on 3 May 1916, which heightened the intensity of her bereavement. Devastated by his death, and estranged from her parents due to their disapproval his involvement in the Rising, she lived with the Plunketts at Larkfield, Kimmage briefly, and then with relatives of her husband's in Thurles, County Tipperary. She later returned to Dublin to rent rooms in a Plunkett family property, 50 Marlborough Road.[5] With two young children to support, she was nearly destitute, but like the other widows and orphans of the executed leaders of the Rising, they were aided by the Irish Volunteers Dependents' Fund, in her case with £250.[6] She also served as an officer and committee member on this aid association. Her husband named her as his literary executor, and she prepared a collected edition of his poetry that was published in October 1916. The success of this volume, and his bestselling _Literature in Ireland_, due to be published at the time he was executed, eased her financial difficulties somewhat.[7]

She converted to Catholicism on 3 May 1917.[8] MacDonagh died while swimming in the sea during a holiday with other 1916 widows and orphans in Skerries, County Dublin on 9 July 1917. She had almost not attended the holiday, as her son was in hospital having been injured in a fall. It is believed that she was attempting to swim to Shenick Island from Skerries, it is thought she may have wanted to place a tricolour flag on the island's Martello Tower. Her body was found near Loughshinny Island, and as there was no water in her lungs, it was concluded that she died of heart failure and not drowning.[9] As there was great interest in the 1916 widows and their families, her funeral at Glasnevin Cemetery attracted a large crowd of mourners estimated at 5,000 in the funeral procession.[10][11] Following her death, there was a legal custody battle between the Giffords and the MacDonaghs over Donagh and Barbara.[12] Their aunt Mary MacDonagh, a nun known as Sister Francesca and with whom MacDonagh had grown close, won custody. Even though several of her siblings offered to take the children, she placed them in a foster home.[13][14]

On the centenary of her death, a festival took place in Skerries in MacDonagh's memory.[15][16]

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[15]

[16]

title: Muriel MacDonagh

question: What does the article say about Muriel MacDonagh's nationalism?

answer: MacDonagh was active in the Women's Franchise League and Inghinidhe na hÉireann, a nationalist organization. She took part in a 1914 Women's Franchise League fundraiser.

question: What does the story say about Muriel MacDonagh's personal life?

answer: Muriel MacDonagh married Thomas MacDonagh,  assistant lecturer to University College Dublin, in 1912. They had a daughter and a son. Thomas was arrested after the Easter 1916 Rising and executed. Muriel suffered from poor health and depression. She died while swimming in the sea during a holiday. She probably died of heart failure.

question: What does the article say about Muriel's grandchildren?


text:
JEM GARRARD is a British-Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer. Garrard directed the fourth series of comedy-drama _You Me Her_ in 2019, four episodes of sci-fi adventure comedy _Mech-X4_ in 2017–18 and the 2018 television movie _Cooking with Love_. She is the creator of mockumentary webseries _Android Employed_, which ran from 2017 to 2018, and served as showrunner for on the space opera _Vagrant Queen_. Garrard has been nominated for several awards and won a Leo Award in 2018.

Filmography

  Title                        Year        Position                                                              Notes                   Refs
  ---------------------------- ----------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- ------
  _Playground_                 2013        Director, Cinematographer                                             Season 1, 4 Eps.        [1]
  _Guns to Mics_               2015        Director, Cinematographer                                             Documentary             [2]
  _The Switch_                 2016        Director, Story Editor                                                Season 1                [3]
  _Murderer Upstairs_          2016        Director                                                              TV Movie                [4]
  _Christmas at Holly Lodge_   2017        Director                                                              TV Movie
  _Android Employed_           2017-2018   Creator, Director                                                     Seasons 1 & 2, 8 Eps.   [5]
  _Cooking with Love_          2018        Director                                                              TV Movie
  _Mech-X4_                    2017-2018   Director                                                              Season 2, 4 Eps.        [6]
  _Killer High_                2018        Director                                                              TV movie                [7]
  _You Me Her_                 2019        Director                                                              Season 4                [8]
  _Vagrant Queen_              2020        Executive Producer, Director, Created for Television by, Showrunner   Series                  [9]

Awards and nominations

-   2019 Daytime Emmy Awards - Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Children's, Preschool Children's or Family Viewing Program for _Mech-X4_[10]
-   2019 Directors Guild of Canada - Nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for _Killer High_[11]
-   2018 Banff Television Festival - Nominated for Banff Rockie Award for Best Digital Fiction Series for _Android Employed_
-   2018 Leo Awards - Nominated for Best Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series for _Android Employed_[12]
-   2018 Leo Awards - Nominated for Best Direction in a Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series for _Android Employed_[13]
-   2018 Leo Awards - Nominated for Best Direction in a Youth or Children's Program or Series for _Mech-X4_ episode “X4 Versus The Dark Night”[14]
-   2018 Leo Awards - Won for Best Screenwriting in a Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series for _Android Employed_ episode “The Second Unit Team”[15]
-   2016 Canada Shorts Film Festival - Nominated, Finalist for ''Disappeared ''
-   2016 East Van Showcase - Won Jury Prize for Best Short Film (_Haunted Saloon_)
-   2016 Juggernaut Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short Film Festival - Nominated for Hecate Female Filmmaker Award for _The Wolf Who Came to Dinner_
-   2015 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards - Nominated for LAIFF July Award for Best Comedy/Dramedy for _The Wolf Who Came to Dinner_[16]

[1] https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/movies/director-jem-garrard-talks-monsters-childhood-and-the-wolf-who-came-to-dinner

[2] https://www.storyhive.com/creator/profile/id/85055

[3] https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/movies/director-jem-garrard-talks-monsters-childhood-and-the-wolf-who-came-to-dinner

[4] https://www.inquisitr.com/4228430/secrets-of-my-stepdaughter-lifetime-true-story-movie-inspired-by-brittany-norwood-lululemon-yoga-murder/

[5] https://www.vancourier.com/entertainment/the-robots-are-coming-android-employed-imagines-a-near-future-where-robots-join-the-workforce-1.22091318

[6] https://deadline.com/2019/05/syfys-vagrant-queen-adriyan-rae-to-star-in-live-action-space-tale-1202617182/

[7] https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3522218/exclusive-syfy-brings-giant-warthog-high-school-reunion-bloody-super-fun-killer-high-trailer/

[8] https://deadline.com/2019/05/you-me-her-end-season-5-audience-network-1202612214/

[9] https://womenandhollywood.com/syfy-orders-vagrant-queen-a-space-opera-with-all-women-writers-and-directors/

[10] http://cdn.emmyonline.org/daytime-46th-nominations-release-with-credits.pdf

[11] https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/nominees-announced-for-18th-annual-dgc-awards-851413658.html

[12] http://www.leoawards.com/2019/nominees_and_winners_2018/nominees_and_winners_by_name_2018.php#Music_Comedy_or_Variety_Program_or_Series

[13] http://www.leoawards.com/2019/nominees_and_winners_2018/nominees_and_winners_by_name_2018.php#Music_Comedy_or_Variety_Program_or_Series

[14] http://www.leoawards.com/2019/nominees_and_winners_2018/nominees_and_winners_by_name_2018.php#Youth_or_Childrens_Program_or_Series

[15] http://www.leoawards.com/2019/nominees_and_winners_2018/nominees_and_winners_by_name_2018.php#Music_Comedy_or_Variety_Program_or_Series

[16] https://laiffawards.com/july-2015.html

title: Jem Garrard

question: What are some of Garrard's most prominent works?

answer: Garrard directed the fourth series of comedy-drama "You Me Her" in 2019. She directed four episodes of sci-fi adventure comedy "Mech-X4" and the television movie "Cooking with Love" in 2017-2018. She created the mockumentary webseries "Android Employed" which ran from 2017 to 2018.


text:
Evelyn was tired.

Beneath her lay a young boy, he must have been no more than eighteen years old given his angry, naked spot-pocked back that resembled a butchers chucked cartilage. He had an erection that threatened.

The room was a precoital picture with heavy cardboard sweat socks discarded in the corner. Wet jeans and a t shirt told Evelyn that outside the sideways rain hadn’t eased up and in turn she told herself that this was the last customer. Her feet were sore and her head was turning into a train station.

‘Are you comfortable?’ she asked the boy.

‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘you could maybe go a bit harder?’

It was the usual script from this type of client. They were never money men, someone as mid-level as Evelyn only attracted a certain type of client and they were never money men. But they were always men.

She liked to call this type of client a ‘suggester’. Too scared to outright ask for what they wanted, or needed. But being good at her job, she could always see through their nervous eyes and veiled suggestions. Evelyn always delivered.

‘Yes, sir.’ she said

He giggled.

The greatest violation that she could imagine was a laugh. Suggesters always giggled. She wanted to make this one quick as she was still sore from yesterday. The man from yesterday had left a bad feeling in the room and a bad feeling in her. She knew from the moment that he walked in the door that he was going to dump everything on her. All his anger in one quick but painful session, she called this type of client a ‘dump’. She was the dump.

‘Should I just lie on my back, or…?’ the boy said, bringing Evelyn back to herself.

She had a habit of letting her mind wander, and when she came back everything was always worse. But most of all, as always, it was the smell. A smell that without fail would intensify as Evelyn ribbed her hands along a clients back. Kneading her knuckles among his boy-back, aggressive pores would open further and cough out his boy-smell, a smell that made her sick, without fail.

Hah-hah-hah he dumped us on you. Evelyn the dump!
Yesterdays man had definitely left his mark. It was inside her.

‘Just as you are is fine’ Evelyn said, violated.

She began to work on him. Starting off slow she air brushed her hands along his skin to waken it up, to get the pores spilling. She knew what she was doing, time-sure hands followed their usual route up and down, taking care not to neglect any inch of skin or finite sized hair that might be raised. The boy was beginning to warm up and tried to match her rhythm.

Violated.

‘Yeah, that’s good’ he said. ‘Could you go a little harder?’

Evelyn sighed and collected herself, this was her job and she was good at her job.

She closed her eyes and sucked in air through her mouth, having been trained never to breathe in through the nose, especially when a rankey suggester was in the room.

Things slowed down as she removed herself from the present, it was easier that way. To let go. The air become a little more bitter as she prepared herself.

There’s nothing in him. You’re full, Dump. You’ve got us.

The floor started to mould around her as if made of porridge while the room gently turned and made her a little light-headed. This is how it was.

Evelyn the Dump! Evelyn the Dump! I think she likes him!

She could see herself from above moving to dim the lights and play her industries music. She did it slowly, assuredly. She was good at her job. With the lights dimmed, a neon sign that read: “Marie’s Massage Parlour: Leave Your Worries Behind” emptied its heartless light onto the room.

This is how it always was. The neon sign that denoted her trade stuttered twice and then blinked on and off before regaining control and teased with its arrogance. Of course the boy had no idea what was happening, he was fixated on the blood that was rushing around his already primed skin and mistook it as arousal.

He wouldn’t want a fatty like you. You’re fat. He hates you.

From above she could see herself walking back towards the boy. She started on his neck, searching for knots and story lines. There were none, he had no stories. Determined to help she moved a little further down to his shoulders, some stress was found but not enough to justify a dumping. A little further down and marking along his spine she stopped, what was that? A trauma?

Maybe it was here.

On her first day at Marie’s Massage Parlour Evelyn came in somewhat boldly, expecting salaries and summer holidays. She had long ago learned not to aim too high. Too many beat downs and too many corridor whispered, ‘there goes Evil-yn, evil Evil-yn, fat fat fatty Evil-yn,’ had made a woman like so many. She liked to stay quiet and out of shot of hooked female glances. She would become good at her job she said.

‘Hi I’m Evelyn, I’m here for my first day,’ she had said to the woman behind the reception desk.

The woman lazily picked her eyes off the computer screen and plumped them on Evelyn, immediately sensing her somewhat boldness and hating it.

Fat fat fatty

‘I’m Ruth,’ she replied with lazy contempt. Ruth thought for a moment, twiddled her pen in her hair and bit her thin bottom lip. Too much competition, she thought, time to hurt. ‘You will need to get fitted for a uniform.’

‘Yeah, I sent my measurements ahead, they said it should be ready?’

Evelyn was beginning to get nervous. She could feel Ruth peeling her apart with her eyes, she was judging, stripping, hurting.

‘It should have been ready, yeah,’ said Ruth, gearing towards her sting. ‘But sometimes for girls of a...larger size it takes longer for them to come through.’ She pasted her eyes off Evelyn and returned to the screen, and briefly allowed herself to smile at the damage caused.

[clarify] ‘Oh, OK, thanks. Should I just...’ She stopped herself from finishing, the damage had been caused. Her make up began to feel silly on her face, she could feel it heavy on her brow, mocking her with its weight and boldness. She was sweating.

Fat sweaty Evelyn.

Back in the room with the boy, Evelyn was still working the muscle in his back. Trying to seek out his lumps and the temperature was rising. This was normal when the client was a suggester, he was becoming more and more aroused. But that was OK, that was to be expected, as long as nothing came of it.

‘Does it hurt here?’ she said.

‘Yeah, go lower, go lower please.’

Alarm bells dusted off their clackers.

Evelyn coughed slightly and slowed her movements, this usually was hint enough for most suggesters to behave.

Behaving was something that Evelyn knew all about.

Daddy’s gonna get you. [more - dump]

The boy took the hint. Maybe not on a conscious level, maybe he was starting to notice the blinkering sign. Leave your worries behind.

The man from yesterday was starting to push his memory to the front of Evelyn’s mind like sausage meat through a grinder. The sticky boy below her was beginning to sicken her, as it always did, and was reminding her of what was there to stay.

‘Come on in’, she had said to the man from yesterday, ‘make yourself comfortable. If you would like to take your shirt off and lie on the table I’ll be in with you in a moment.’

The room changed as soon as he came in. His type was very familiar to her but there was something different about him. His poorly tied tie and loose top button put him immediately in sales, a targets man. Evelyn clocked that his tension would likely be in whatever arm he held a phone or knocked a door with. The ink on his left cuff told her what arm that would be.

‘Thanks, I wont be long.’ said the man as his eyes shiftily kissed from her to the floor. ‘I’m Andy,’ he said as Evelyn made her way past him out the door. She didn’t miss his self-hating eyes grope her ass as she passed.

‘Evelyn,’ she said and walked out.

Alone in the room, Andy looked around. A long table sat in the middle of the room like an electric chair. It had been surgically tucked in with brilliant white towels except for a hole at the top of the table reserved for a clients head. Andy had a shiver as he thought of the things he wouldn’t be able to see happening when he would be in position.

Andy lifted up his shirt and winced slightly as his left shoulder fought back. Shirt off, he saw his reflection in a mirror. The belly was a little hairier and wider than it should have been. She will be disgusted, he thought as he tried to manage his thinning hair into respect.

From outside the door Evelyn was resting from one foot to the other, it was the end of the day and this man scared her. He was here to dump. She knew it.

It is known that a massage releases tensions that have been built up over time, physical tension from work or age. It is also known that emotional tensions affect the body and a trauma can work its way into your muscle. Pain inflicted on you sits on you like a vulture gruelling over sloppy seconds, Evelyn knew too well.

Waiting outside the door she tried to imagine what Andy would do when he went home. Would he push keys into a door that had a stream of similar doors beside it on each side? She imagined that he he would throw his jacket onto the bench and work at his tie. Bean baked bowls would be resting on each other, because Andy was a slob and she knew it. She could picture his out of shape body sliding into a shower as he picked clumps of shirt wool out of his chest hair, scratching his ass and making toast: that was Andy.

She pictured him getting into a bed that was hardening from lonely nights, so many lonely nights. [clarify]

He would probably touch himself, she thought. I bet that beast touches himself, she thought. He would start off slowly, just like he would want her to. He would work himself into a frenzy, feeling his muscles tighten with all the youth they used to have. Andy would become the man he once was, arms and legs begging for strain. His back would arch itself painlessly as he maneuvered Evelyn onto her back and he would breathe his young man kisses onto her.

For that moment he would be beautiful again, Evelyn thought, as she stood resting from one foot to the other outside the door.

‘I’m ready’, Andy spoke pityingly.

Who would want you, Dump?

The boy was beginning to get restless, his plan wasn’t working so he decided to play harder. He tilted his hips to the right giving an opening.

Who would want you, Dump?

Evelyn, in her thoughts of yesterday almost mechanically edged towards the opening that this soft mass of boy beneath her presented.

Again seeing herself from above she could see her own willingness in this moment from the back of her knees, which were bending low to submit to him. She was still sore from yesterday. It was the type of pain that brought her back to being a young girl. The choking kind of pain that reminded her of her mother stuffing celery stalks into her mouth to force her period.

Fat sweaty Evelyn

‘Vitamins, vitamins will bring it on, eat up, Evelyn’, her mother would spit.

Colic-like, a young Evelyn would be breathless from pain when it did come, hard and fast. Bent double she would ask it to stop, but mother would just scream, ‘vitamins’.

Evelyn would be that young girl again when someone dumped their pain on her.

From above she stopped herself from acting on the boy’s advances, from above she knew it wouldn’t make yesterday’s pain go away.

Yesterday, Andy had lay on the table when Evelyn asked him. She stood above him and said, ‘Today I am going to give you a deep massage’. Andy, the fool, thought his time had come.

‘It might hurt, and if it does just you just tell me and I’ll stop, OK?’

‘Yeah, sure,’ he said not quite sure.

‘If you maybe think you are going to...’ Evelyn chose her words carefully, but deliberately, ‘cry, or get emotional at any time, let me know and I’ll stop, OK?’

She remembers that Andy had laughed when she told him. But they always cried, every one of them had something to cry about.

Before she started on him she caught a glimpse at a neon sign that read: ‘Leave your worries behind.’

Somewhere, she heard from herself to stop.

‘Get up please. Please go now, please,’ she said to the young boy still on her table. ‘I need to stop now, please get out.’

Things were starting to get dizzy again, she was becoming the young girl again, ‘eat your vitamins and you’ll bleed, come on now!’ The floor was starting to slip and the room was passing by in streaks of captured memory. The man from yesterday was pushing through, Andy was knocking on her door and wanted to talk.

The dump from yesterday was starting to show itself again and it was strong. She could see it through a crack in a bedroom door.

The young boy was shouting, she thinks she can hear him shouting:

‘What the fuck do you mean get out? I’ve paid for another twenty minutes!’ the young boy was shouting. ‘Fuck you, slut. You fat bitch!’

Fat fat fatty

She remembers that Andy had laughed when she told him about crying. That when she put her hands on him, his memories had ran up her arms and ripped onto her mind, and they came slow. Slow like she knew he would like them to. Slow like when he was a young boy sitting on his bedroom floor and could hear daddy’s feet resting from one to the other.

Like when he could hear his daddy say, ‘Nobody wants you, fat fat fatty. Nobody likes you. Who would want you?’ Evelyn could see that Andy’s father was a thin man, and that he was sweating. She could see a fan in the corner of the room that threw out gasps of light and this sweating man.

She could hear a wet leather built being undone and the slipping noise it made when Andy’s father took his trousers down.

She remembers other things and they were hitting her frame by frame. Andy had got up off her table and he was crying, but happy. When someone dumps that from themselves, the pain in their back seems to have gone.

‘Thanks, Evelyn,’ Andy had said, ‘I feel great!’

‘Get out, please go,’ Evelyn was now shouting at the young boy who had put his shirt back on and was swearing at her from the reception.

In reception, Ruth was twirling her pen in her hair and told the young boy that Evelyn was always a little crazy.

title: Happy Ending

question: What does the story say about crying?

answer: Evelyn, a massage therapist, warns her clients ahead of time that if they feel like crying, they should tell her so she can stop. Andy, a client, thought her warning was funny. But Andy was crying when he left her.

question: What does the text say about girls?

answer: The text speaks of girls in two ways. First, that uniforms take longer than the standard time to make for large girls. Second, Evelyn is reminded of being a young girl because of her negative experiences at work.

question: What does the text say about the young boy's education?


text:
    One afternoon, I was playing basketball with a few of my friends at the outdoor courts by our old Junior High. It was summer and it was hot, probably in the upper 90s. Not everyone’s ideal weather for some ball, but we loved to play and had nothing better to do.We are all moderately good at the game, some of us better than the others. I wouldn’t consider myself to be the best. Will, my best friend, is on the varsity team for his fourth year in a row, while I only played my first two years in high school for JV. Our other two friends, Jordan and Andres, weren’t necessarily as good as us two, but they knew the game and could play at a moderate level.
We usually play two-on-two, but after we get bored of that we go to H-O-R-S-E or Baseketball, a hybrid of basketball and baseball that Jordan said he saw in a movie once. That day, after a few games of two-on-two, Cooper and Andres winning two games, while Jordan and I beat them once, we decided to play a game of H-O-R-S-E. Honestly, I hate the game and all the guys know it. For some reason, my shooting turns to complete crap and I can’t sink a single shot. Andres always tells me that I suck at shooting to begin with, but I know for a fact that I could beat him in a game of one-on-one any day. He knows it too.
    Anyway, we started our game of H-O-R-S-E by figuring out the order, which was according to the order of who could make a 3-pointer first. Will made the first three, so he went first. His first attempt was a successful baseline jumper. I followed, since I was second in the order, and got lucky. Swish. No “H” for me. Andres went after me and he also made the shot. Last but not least, Jordan went for it. Airball. He missed completely and received his first letter. H.
    About five rounds later, I found myself in last place. I had H-O-R-S, while Andres and Jordan both had H-O-R, and Will had merely an H. It was my turn. Will just made a simple free throw. Easy. I could make that shot in my sleep any day. But this was in a game of H-O-R-S-E. I took my time, bouncing the ball a couple of times, spinning it in my hands. Finally, I took a deep breath and released the shot. I felt good about it, the ball was headed for the center of the rim, and I knew I put the right amount of arc on it. Everything was smooth sailing right up until it hit the back of the rim. The ball bounced up, as we all stared directly at it, and then took another bounce on the front of the rim. The rim gave the ball a bad bounce and, after what felt like hours, it was obvious that I had missed. I was the first one knocked out. H-O-R-S-E. I let out a dramatic “NOOO!” letting everyone in a fifty mile radius of how upset I was. The other guys yelled obnoxiously also, as if I hadn’t known I missed my shot.
    I was pissed that I had to just sit there bored-to-death and wait for the guys to finish their game, so I decided to steal Jordan’s basketball and shoot at the next court over. I started with a free throw shot, which I made. Of course.
    I then began to work on my slam dunks. I’m 6’2, so I can touch the rim easy, but it’s always a struggle to actually dunk with the ball. I tried a couple of times without the ball, just like I said, too easy. So, finally, I gave it a shot with the ball in my hands. I went up for the dunk, and boing! The ball bounced right off the rim as I tried slamming it through. I tried again, but this time I gave myself a longer running start. One step. Dribble. Another. Dribble. Two steps, and then I jumped.
    Liftoff.
    I felt good about this one right from the start. I jumped higher. I had a good grip on the ball. Everything felt right. I knew it was going to go in this time. And right I was.
It felt so cool to finally dunk the ball. I mean I had before, technically, but on a 9ft hoop. But this time, 10ft baby! The noise the ball made as I forced it down the basket’s throat, making that net swoosh, was like no other.
    “YAAAA! You guys see that?!”
    “See what?” Bill asked.
    “My dunk!”
    “No joke?” said Jordan.
    Andres added, “Yeah right, man. We know you ain’t got no skill!”
    “Whatever! I’ll do it again! Just watch this time.”
    With all eyes on me, I went through the same motions I  made previously. I took my steps and jumped. Everything felt about the same, except I wasn’t as focused. I was all jittery since I knew everyone was watching. Regardless, I did my best to follow through. I attempted to slam the ball into the hoop and grab onto the rim, but rather I slammed it directly against the rim, which made me lose my balance. Instead of being able to hold onto the rim and swing my body, my momentum caused my legs to fly forward as my upper body, including my head began to fly back. And then the world seemed to stop.
    Black.
    I woke up and saw all the guys standing around me. They were shouting at each other. I think Will yelled at Jordan to call 9-1-1. I asked them what happened, but they just told me to stay calm. I couldn’t remember much of anything at first, but it all rushed backed to me when Andres said something about how much “damn blood” there was, and I realized I was laying on the ground. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t feel my legs at all and could barely feel my arms.
    “Guys, I can’t feel anything!”
    “Evan, it’s gonna be okay! Just stay on the ground. An ambulance is on it’s way,” Will said, trying to relax me.
    “There’s so much damn blood, man!” Andres shouted.
    Will yelled to him, “Shut up, Andres! Gimme your shirt. Here Evan, lift up your head. I’m gonna put his shirt underneath your head as a pillow and to stop the bleeding.”
    I lifted my head for Will to put the shirt underneath. When I set it back down, I noticed the tingling sensation on the back of my head. I immediately forgot about it because of the burning I felt on my back. It was almost 100 degrees and I was laying on the blacktop, probably with numerous scrapes. The pain I felt made everything extremely uncomfortable but it also gave me some ease. I could feel my back. I knew this might mean my spine wasn’t completely messed up. Regardless, it still hurt. It hurt so bad I just wanted to fall asleep so I didn’t have to deal with it. I closed my eyes.
    Will shouted at me to wake up. He told me to stay awake. Jordan then asked for my mom’s cell phone number and I recited it to him quite well. I still couldn’t feel my legs though.
    I heard sirens growing closer.
    Jordan said my mom didn’t answer but he left her a voicemail telling her what happened. I started to worry. I felt like such an idiot. How could I have let this happen? I honestly thought there was a possibility of me dying that day.
    “There’s so much damn blood!”
    An ambulance and a firetruck arrived shortly thereafter and a bunch of the paramedics and firefighters started to surround us. The asked me a ton of questions, like who the president was, what year it was, who am I, where I live, etc. Obama. 2013. Evan Benowitz. 255 Alderglenn Drive.
    They turned me over to look at the wound on the back of head. I started to get the feeling back in my legs around then. Then they asked more questions about where I felt pain and how bad it was. I told them it was just my head, neck, shoulders, and back. I didn’t say anything about the feeling in my legs. They then loaded me up with a neck brace onto a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance, which was the most uncomfortable ride of my entire life. One of the paramedics road back there with me, talking to me, trying to keep me calm. He gave me my phone to make any calls, but my mom still didn’t answer her phone. Before I put my phone in my pocket, I sent a text to Will saying “I love you guys.”
    The ambulance arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later and they rolled me into the emergency room. A nurse cleaned me up and then took me into many a couple different rooms to get X-rays and a CAT scan. After all the various tests, which were very uncomfortable, the nurse took me back into the ER section and left me to find the doctor.
I laid there, just looking up at the ceiling. I barely even noticed that I was in a room designed for kids. Dora and Boots were both painted on the walls probably to cheer up young patients. I wasn’t tired. I just thought to myself. I was upset and scared. An hour or so before that, I thought I might be paralyzed or even dead.
    “Hey, buddy.” It was the paramedic who was in the back of the ambulance. “I hope you get better soon. No more pretending to be like Mike, okay?”
    “Okay. Thank you for everything.”
    “No problem. It’s my job.”
I could tell he truly cared, which made me feel somewhat better.
Right after that, my mom walked into the room. At first she didn’t say anything, and neither did I. She kinda just looked at me with relieved yet sad look on her face. She had been through a lot. Ever since my dad died right before high school, she had been on her own.
    I was the first one to speak: “I’m sorry, mom.”
    With those words, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I started crying. She rushed to my side. Then she started crying.
    “And I know the bills are gonna cost so much money. Money we don’t have with dad gone. Mom, I’m so sorry.”
    “Evan, forget the money. I’m just glad you’re okay. I never want to lose you.”
    “I love you, mom.”
    “I love you too, son.”

title: Paralysis

question: Why was Evan trying so hard to make a basket even when he was out of the H-O-R-S-E game?

answer: He probably wants to get better at the game as well as impress his friends. It might also be because he was bored and the game was taking too long to finish.

question: Why did Evan text his friends while he was in the ambulance?

answer: He feels he might die and never see them again. Considering he cannot feel his legs and with the amount of blood he lost, Evan must have felt he might not make it to the hospital.


text:
This year, two energy companies that have each received billions of dollars in subsidies and financial support from the federal government are going into bankruptcy. You might think, in this post-Solyndra political environment, that conservative commentators and politicians would be lining up at the Fox News studios to call for some heads to roll.

But, no. Even though these companies have benefited from enough federal subsidies to make the Solyndra loan look like pocket change, there's no outrage. Because they are coal companies (not solar), the story isn’t about how the federal government spent decades propping them up, it’s about how the president’s Clean Power Plan is taking them down.

  For decades, however, coal companies have taken advantage of vast subsidies for extracting coal from public lands. The deals for mining this taxpayer-owned coal from American public lands were so good that some of the world’s biggest coal companies have relied on the cheap leases to survive as demand plummeted and the industry melted down.

A new report released last week by Greenpeace reveals just how big a part of Big Coal’s business federally subsidized coal has become.

In “Corporate Welfare for Coal,” Greenpeace reveals that the vast majority of coal production for three of the country’s biggest mining companies occurs on American public lands. Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and Cloud Peak Energy together account for roughly 40-percent of all the coal mined in the United States. And most of that coal, by a long margin, is federally subsidized public coal, largely from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas.

[]

  Even though this is taxpayer-owned coal mined from public lands, the federal government doesn’t make it easy to find out any details about how much is extracted by what companies, and how much revenue is produced.  Which makes the findings of this “Corporate Welfare for Coal” report so valuable. The Greenpeace researchers, led by Joe Smyth, filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the BLM, and from the data extrapolated just how much of each company’s coal production depended on public lands.

  As you can see in the graphic above, public-owned coal accounted for 68-percent of Peabody Energy’s total U.S. coal production, 83-percent of Arch Coal’s, and a whopping 88-percent of Cloud Peak Energy’s total coal production. All together, federal coal accounted for 77-percent of the total U.S. production from these three leading extractors.

  That the nation’s biggest coal miners complain routinely about federal policies while getting most of their coal from federal land would be, on its own, pretty ironic.

  “Coal companies like Peabody are biting the hand that feeds, attacking federal policies like the Clean Power Plan even while they depend on federal coal for most of the coal they mine,” said Greenpeace Energy Campaign Director Kelly Mitchell.

  The irony is even greater still. The policies and practices that guide federal coal leases actually provide massive subsidies to the mining companies. In effect, coal companies aren’t only biting the hands that feeds—they are biting the hand that feeds them a high quality meal for marked down prices.

How Big Coal Decides What Big Coal Gets from the American Public

After showing how dependent Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and Cloud Peak Energy are on access to public lands, the “Corporate Welfare for Coal” report goes on to highlight some of the ways that the coal industry itself has come to dominate federal coal management decisions.

  One example is the “lease by application” process that has been made possible by the positively Kafkaesque decision to decertify the Powder River Basin as a “coal producing region,” despite the fact that it is the source of roughly 40-percent of domestic coal production and one of the biggest coal producing regions in the world.

  This decision to decertify the Powder River Basin was made by a federal-state advisory group called the Regional Coal Team, which advises the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Outside of the formal “coal producing regions,” the “lease by application” process rules, and this allows for the companies to more or less carve up the region into lease tracts that suit them best with little accountability and rare competition.

  Tom Sanzillo, formerly New York State’s first deputy comptroller who now conducts research for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, describes the history of the decertification of the Powder River Basin as a “coal producing region” and its implications in depth in a 2011 report, “The Great Giveaway.”

  What this means as a practical matter is that rather than having the BLM take the initiative on coal leasing by first deciding whether there is sufficient demand for coal, and then designing tracts to maximize competition, the BLM defers to industry, allowing it to decide whether it wants more coal. Not surprisingly, the industry has designed tracts in ways that allow individual applicants to avoid competition and to demand leasing based on considerations of company share value and strategic positioning in the market.

Industry has succeeded in dodging competition and driving down prices. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from 2014 found that roughly 90-percent of the coal lease auctions since 1990 involved only a single bidder. And for the 2.2 billion tons of federal coal that have been sold under the “lease by application” process since President Obama took office, the average price is $1.03 per ton.

  Even Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell recognized the ridiculous bargain that companies like Peabody, Arch, and Cloud Peak are getting. “Most Americans would be surprised to know that coal companies can make a winning bid for about a dollar a ton to mine taxpayer-owned coal,” Jewell said in a March 2015 speech.

How Big Coal Gets What It Wants For Cheap

In fact, that $1-per-ton figure is on the higher end of the range of actual sales, and in some cases, coal leases from federal lands have been sold for less than $0.01 per ton. In North Dakota, for instance, the GAO report found that every single bid for leases during the period studied was $100 per acre, or “the minimum bid BLM can accept for a lease tract.”

Though the Department of the Interior has authority to increase that minimum bid, the amount hasn’t been adjusted, even for inflation, since adopted in 1982. The most recent lease of lignite coal from North Dakota—a particularly dirty, highly polluting coal—was sold for just half of a cent per ton.

  Another quirk of the coal lease process gives mining companies yet another opportunity to cheat the public out of fair compensation. Because coal companies themselves are responsible for estimating the amount of coal in a given lease tract, they can lowball those predictions to offer an even lower bid for “fair market value.”

  The Inspector General for the DOI laid bare the problem in a 2013 report on coal leases:

  “Before a lease sale takes place, a mining company explores the site for the existence and extent of coal seams, including the energy content and quality of the coal. The mining company is required to furnish the information to BLM, which helps form the basis of BLM’s FMV determination. BLM, however, does not independently verify the data, relying instead on test results supplied by the mining  company.”

    …[A] company could provide incorrect data to BLM, resulting in BLM’s undervaluing the FMV and unknowingly accepting a low bid.”

One example provided in the Greenpeace report is of a coal lease in Colorado that expanded a Peabody Energy mine. The company estimated 1.4 million tons of coal in that particular lease tract. But after extraction was complete, Peabody reported mining 2.5 million tons from that lease. Even at a lowly $1 per ton bid, that’s $1.1 million that Peabody shortchanged the American public.

Even More Subsidies on the Backend

Besides the artificially cheap winning auction bids enabled by a competition-free lease, coal companies use other policy loopholes as additional subsidies for their operations.

One such loophole is the royalty rate reduction, which allows companies to dodge payments to the U.S. Treasury—and to taxpayers—for the coal that they do mine.

  After the initial lease sale, coal companies are supposed to pay royalties on coal that is extracted and sold. While the coal leases are managed by the BLM, royalties are handled by the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR). Through clear statutory guidance under the Mineral Leasing Act, mining companies are supposed to pay a 12.5-percent royalty for coal produced from surface mines, like those in the Powder River Basin.

  In reality, companies have consistently lobbied for and negotiated royalty rate reductions, claiming “financial hardship.” A report by Headwater Economics calculated an effective royalty rate of just 4.9-percent for all federal coal mined between 2008 and 2012. That produced revenue of roughly $1.70 per ton, or less than half of what taxpayers were entitled to by Congress’s mandate under the Mineral Leasing Act.

  Other subsidies are provided at the state level. The state of Wyoming, for instance, allows coal companies to “self-bond” to pay for the mine reclamation that is required by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. This means that companies like Arch Coal and Peabody Energy don’t have to provide any money for a reclamation bond up front.

One report by Carbon Tracker and the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis last year estimated that self-bonding in the Powder River Basin created an addition subsidy of $0.78 per ton of coal.

  Self-bonding is an even riskier proposition for the public when you consider the actual financial health of these companies. Arch Coal has already filed for bankruptcy, leaving citizens to foot the bill for the reclamation of massive strip mined projects like the Black Thunder Mine in Wyoming. Peabody Energy is increasingly likely to file for bankruptcy any day now, without ever having pre-paid bonds for mine reclamation.

  []
_Arch Coal's Black Thunder Mine in Wyoming. Credit: Greenpeace_

  Interior Secretary Jewell brought these concerns to light in recent testimony to the House Natural Resources Committee. “With the increased financial fragility of many coal mining companies, if they are self-bonded that does potentially leave the states and the taxpayers at risk.”

  All told, these various forms of subsidy really add up. How much? The researchers at Carbon Tracker and the Institute for Energy Econoics & Financial Analysis did the math for the Powder River Basin, finding that each ton of coal from these federal lands receives on average about $8 per ton in subsidies. That’s anywhere from 8 to 1600 times the amount paid up front for the coal leases.

The Unpaid Costs of Carbon

That $8 per ton figure doesn’t include one of the biggest subsidies of all—that coal companies pay nothing for the pollution caused by their product, especially greenhouse gas pollution.

  This isn’t a fringe concept. The International Monetary Fund—that bastion of environmental radicalism—considers the failure to account for climate damages to be a form of subsidy.

  The federal government encourages agencies to use a social cost of carbon when running benefit-cost analyses on various decisions. Using the government’s own mid-range figures (which, it should be noted, can easily be criticized for being far too conservative, as some Stanford researchers recently argued), the Greenpeace report calculates that the federal coal mined by Peabody, Arch, and Cloud Peak in 2014 alone would cause $18.8 billion in climate damages when combusted. (That’s $7.7 billion for Peabody Energy; $6.5 billion for Arch Coal; and $4.5 billion for Cloud Peak Energy.)

Keeping It In the Ground

According to a study recently published in the journal _Nature_, over 90-percent of the U.S. coal reserves must remain unburned in order to keep the planet from warming 2 degrees Celcius, a level that would already create desperate, dire impacts, but which world leaders have declared the ultimate upper limit for preserving any kind of reasonable future for humanity.

  The good news is that the Department of the Interior and the president have clear authority for ending all new federal coal leases. Though the coal companies will argue publicly that it is their right to mine coal from public lands, privately and to investors, the companies acknowledge that the bonanza could end at any moment. Cloud Peak Energy said as much in recent filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission: “There is no requirement that the federal government must lease its coal.”

And, in fact, after decades of below-market coal leases, the DOI is finally signaling that the end may be near. In January, Secretary Jewell announced a moratorium on all new coal leases while the department conducts a comprehensive review.

  “Even as our nation transitions to cleaner energy sources, building on smart policies and progress already under way, we know that coal will continue to be an important domestic energy source in the years ahead,” said Secretary Jewell at the time. “We haven’t undertaken a comprehensive review of the program in more than 30 years, and we have an obligation to current and future generations to ensure the federal coal program delivers a fair return to American taxpayers and takes into account its impacts on climate change.”

  Today, the Department of Energy program that was villified by conservatives after the Solyndra failure is turning a profit for the American public, while decades of subsidies amounting to tens of billions of dollars are failing to keep Big Coal afloat.

You might expect Solyndra's critics to applaud the administration's decision to halt leases on public land while the program is reviewed. But instead you'll hear more about the alleged “war on coal”—a “war” that has, in reality, been hosted graciously on American public land with the federal government providing financial support to the supposed enemy.

question: What does the article say about pollution?

answer: Lignite coal from North Dakota—a particularly dirty, highly polluting coal. It was sold for just half of a cent per ton. Coal companies pay nothing for the pollution caused by their product, especially greenhouse gas pollution

question: What does the article say about subsidies?

answer: Many coal companies receive billions of dollars in subsidies and financial support from the federal government. Most of that coal, by a long margin, is federally subsidized public coal. The policies and practices that guide federal coal leases actually provide massive subsidies to the mining companies. The royalty rate reduction allows companies to dodge payments to the U.S. Treasury—and to tax payers—for the coal that they do mine. One of the biggest subsidies of all is that coal companies pay nothing for the pollution caused by their product, especially greenhouse gas pollution.

question: Compare coal costs ten years ago and today.


text:
STEPHEN R. CASTOR is an American trial attorney who served as minority counsel in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.[1][2] Castor has been a congressional staff member in the House Oversight Committee since 2004.[3]

Early life

Castor received his bachelor's degree in business logistics from Pennsylvania State University in 1995[4] and in 1998 he received a master of business administration degree from Lehigh University.[5][6] He subsequently received his JD degree from George Washington University Law School.[7]

Career

Castor began his career as a litigator in commercial law at the law firm Blank Rome in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.[8][9] He is a contributor on the Federalist Society website. Castor has been a congressional staff member in the House Oversight Committee since 2005.[10][11] He has served as a congressional staffer for a total of seven committee chairmen, including four Republicans.[12] He was transferred to the Intelligence Committee along with Representative Jim Jordan who joined the committee before the beginning of the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.[13]

In early November 2019, Castor was appointed as minority counsel in the impeachment inquiry, conducting questioning of witnesses on behalf of Republican members of the Intelligence Committee.[14]

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title: Steve Castor

question: Who is Steve Castor?

answer: He is an American trial attorney.

question: What role did Castor play in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump?

answer: He was minority counsel, conducting questioning of witnesses on behalf of Republican members of the Intelligence Committee.

question: Where did Castor begin his career?

answer: He began his career as a litigator in commercial law at the low firm Blank Rome in Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

question: Which degrees does Castor hold?

answer: A bachelor's degree in business logistic, a master's degree in business administration, and a JD degree.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The text is about Steve Castor, an American trial attorney.


text:
DECATUR COUNTY is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,757.[1] Its county seat is Decaturville.[2]

History

This county is named after naval hero Stephen Decatur, Jr., who gained national recognition in the First Barbary War, the Second Barbary War, and the War of 1812 by his leadership and achievements at sea. The county was created in November 1845 from the part of Perry County west of the Tennessee River in response to a petition by citizens on the west side of the river who lacked easy access to the county seat on the east side.[3]

In 2015, the Decatur County clerk of court and the entire staff of that office resigned, to express conscientious objection to the United States Supreme Court's ruling in _Obergefell v. Hodges_, which would oblige the office to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.2%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties

-   Benton County (north)
-   Perry County (east)
-   Wayne County (southeast)
-   Hardin County (south)
-   Henderson County (west)
-   Carroll County (northwest)

National protected area

-   Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State protected area

-   Carroll Cabin Barrens State Natural Area
-   Cypress Pond Refuge

Demographics

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 11,731 people, 4,908 households, and 3,415 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 people per square mile (14/km²).

There were 6,448 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.12% White, 3.47% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,908 households, out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,741, and the median income for a family was $34,919. Males had a median income of $25,945 versus $20,155 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,285. About 13.80% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 22.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

-   Parsons

Towns

-   Decaturville (county seat)
-   Scotts Hill (partial)

Unincorporated communities

-   Bath Springs
-   Bible Hill
-   Dixieville
-   Holladay (partial)
-   Lick Skillet
-   Perryville
-   Sugar Tree
-   Darden

Politics

Decatur County – like all of rural Tennessee – is a Republican stronghold. The last Democrat to carry this county was Al Gore in 2000, and even before the collapse of traditional rural Democratic support after Bill Clinton the county had a sizeable Unionist population that caused it to vote Republican several times during the “System of 1896”.

  Year                               Republican                                  Democratic                                  Third Parties
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
  style=“text-align:center;” |2016   style=“text-align:center;” |78.1% _3,588_   style=“text-align:center;” |19.5% _894_     2.4% _110_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2012   style=“text-align:center;” |67.6% _2,874_   style=“text-align:center;” |30.7% _1,303_   1.7% _74_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2008   style=“text-align:center;” |65.1% _3,101_   style=“text-align:center;” |32.9% _1,566_   2.0% _96_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2004   style=“text-align:center;” |52.6% _2,566_   style=“text-align:center;” |46.5% _2,268_   0.9% _45_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2000   style=“text-align:center;” |46.8% _2,046_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.1% _2,278_   1.1% _46_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1996   style=“text-align:center;” |40.5% _1,712_   style=“text-align:center;” |53.6% _2,262_   5.9% _250_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1992   style=“text-align:center;” |35.8% _1,667_   style=“text-align:center;” |56.5% _2,633_   7.7% _361_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1988   style=“text-align:center;” |54.6% _2,286_   style=“text-align:center;” |44.9% _1,880_   0.6% _25_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1984   style=“text-align:center;” |53.8% _2,390_   style=“text-align:center;” |45.7% _2,031_   0.5% _20_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1980   style=“text-align:center;” |49.0% _2,095_   style=“text-align:center;” |50.0% _2,139_   1.1% _46_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1976   style=“text-align:center;” |39.8% _1,637_   style=“text-align:center;” |59.1% _2,432_   1.1% _47_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1972   style=“text-align:center;” |64.8% _2,368_   style=“text-align:center;” |32.5% _1,187_   2.7% _100_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1968   style=“text-align:center;” |36.8% _1,409_   style=“text-align:center;” |22.9% _877_     40.3% _1,544_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1964   style=“text-align:center;” |44.1% _1,429_   style=“text-align:center;” |55.9% _1,813_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1960   style=“text-align:center;” |54.8% _1,684_   style=“text-align:center;” |43.0% _1,321_   2.3% _70_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1956   style=“text-align:center;” |48.8% _1,512_   style=“text-align:center;” |50.1% _1,554_   1.1% _35_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1952   style=“text-align:center;” |45.4% _1,406_   style=“text-align:center;” |54.2% _1,681_   0.4% _13_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1948   style=“text-align:center;” |42.8% _1,291_   style=“text-align:center;” |51.8% _1,565_   5.4% _164_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1944   style=“text-align:center;” |44.7% _1,235_   style=“text-align:center;” |54.8% _1,515_   0.5% _13_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1940   style=“text-align:center;” |40.9% _1,275_   style=“text-align:center;” |58.8% _1,832_   0.3% _10_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1936   style=“text-align:center;” |38.0% _919_     style=“text-align:center;” |62.0% _1,502_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1932   style=“text-align:center;” |36.6% _601_     style=“text-align:center;” |62.1% _1,020_   1.3% _22_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1928   style=“text-align:center;” |48.0% _748_     style=“text-align:center;” |52.0% _809_     style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1924   style=“text-align:center;” |47.1% _799_     style=“text-align:center;” |51.7% _877_     1.2% _20_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1920   style=“text-align:center;” |57.8% _1,608_   style=“text-align:center;” |41.3% _1,149_   0.8% _23_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1916   style=“text-align:center;” |49.7% _893_     style=“text-align:center;” |49.4% _887_     1.0% _17_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1912   style=“text-align:center;” |24.3% _405_     style=“text-align:center;” |45.4% _758_     30.3% _506_

  : PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS[7]

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title: Decatur County, Tennessee

question: What does the text say about South Dakota?

question: Summarize the history of Decatur County.

answer: Created in November 1845, Decatur County, Tennessee is named after naval war hero Stephen Decatur Jr. for his leadership and achievements at sea during the War of 1812 and the two Barbary Wars. A petition by citizens on the west side of the river who lacked access to the county seat on the east side petitioned to create Decatur County.

question: Summarize Decatur County's demographics.

answer: As of the 2000 census, Decatur County had 11,731 people and a population density of 35 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 6,448 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.12% White, 3.47% Black or African American, 1.95% Hispanic or Latino, 0.23% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82. The population's median age was 41 years and is spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in the county was $28,741, and the median income for a family was $34,919.

question: Provide interesting facts about Decatur County.

answer:
In 2015, the Decatur County Clerk of court and the entire staff of that office resigned to express their objection to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in "Obergefell v. Hodges" which would oblige the office to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Water makes up only 3.2% of Decatur County's total land area.
The county has three National and State protected areas: part of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (National), Carroll Cabin Barrens State Natural Area (State), and Cypress Pond Refuge (State).
Females outnumber males: for every 100 females, there were 94.50 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males. However, men are paid more than women: males had a median income of $25,945 versus $20,155 for females.
Decatur County, like all of rural Tennessee, is a Republican stronghold.


text:
There have been some rather dry stretches here as the offseason has dragged on and I’ve found myself eagerly awaiting the return of hockey in certain instances. With that being said when friends, family, and other acquaintances – after they’ve found out _what it is that I do_ – ask whether I’m bored these days, I’m quick to point out that it’s actually to the contrary.

Once the season gets going, things become hectic and there proves to be very little time to be retrospective, thinking about the big picture. The schedule is a grind; you’re usually hopping from watching and recapping one game, to previewing and getting ready for the next. Rinse, repeat.

That’s why I’ve been spending the past few weeks catching up on things that would normally fall by the wayside amidst all of the in-season hoopla. Like, for example, a neat thought-provoking piece by Iain Fyffe in Rob Vollman’s latest Hockey Abstract about using past history as a means of predicting who will ultimately get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

If you haven’t had a chance to get your hands on the book itself yet, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Here’s the preamble by Fyffe, explaining the thought process and introducing the concept of _“The Inductinator”_:

  You cannot look at a player’s career, add up all his awards and accomplishments, compare the total to a chart, and arrive at a “yes” or “no” answer. It’s just not that simple.

  However, even though there are no objective standards, we can try to figure out whether the Hall of Fame selection committee has any implicit standards; that is, standards that can be determined based on who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame and, just as importantly, who has not, in a sort of reverse engineering of the selection standards. Such a system could be used to discuss past selections, but perhaps more interestingly, it could also be used to predict future inductees based on the career records of active or recently-retired players. So, can we examine the career statistical records of Hall-of-Famers and non-Hall-of-Famers, and come up with a formula that represents the basis the selection committee apparently used to select the players for the honour?

  As it turns out, we can derive these standards and we call the resulting system the Inductinator. The Inductinator calculates a score for every hockey player and ANY PLAYER WHO ACHIEVES A SCORE OF 100 OR MORE MEETS THE IMPLICIT STANDARDS OF THE HALL OF FAME SELECTION COMMITTEE.

With that in mind, here’s a rather illustrious list of forwards that have reached the aforementioned benchmark with their play over the course of their respective careers and in turn, should theoretically have stamped themselves a future ticket into the Hall:

[Screen Shot 2014-09-06 at 11.31.50 PM]

As someone whose formative hockey years directly coincided with the early-2000s Markus Naslund peak, I’ll try not to hurt myself nodding my head. Yet truth be told, as one of Naslund’s unabashed and biggest boosters – because of not only what he did in luring me into becoming a hockey fan, but also how he did it – even I can’t frankly say that I’ve given his HHOF candidacy much thought over the past 2 years.

A lot of that surely has to do with the fact that some true greats have come up on the ballot over that time and blocked the road for some of the other fringe names, but there’s probably something to do with perception there, too. The fact that he was a winger plays into it, though it’d be naive to think the name “Dan Cloutier” isn’t a confounding factor in some respects.

Particularly when reminiscing about ’02-’03, a year in which apex-Naslund finished the season just 2 goals shy of the Rocket Richard (48) and 2 points from of the Art Ross (104), settling for – you guessed it – a 2nd place finish in Hart voting. After the Canucks came back from a 3-1 deficit to topple the Blues (with Naslund scoring a goal in games 5, 6, and 7), they met a Minnesota Wild team in the 2nd round that was one of the worst possession teams in the league as we now know. The Canucks wound up losing that series, in large part to an absolute implosion by their netminder; Cloutier gave up 15 goals in 8 periods, stopping just 75% of the shots that came his way in those final 3 games (all losses). I don’t mean to open up old wounds, but let’s just say that 11-year old me will never forgive Cloutier for that experience. I think it’s also fair to wonder whether Naslund would generally be thought of in a different light had that Spring played out differently.

Despite having just those two forays into the 2nd round of the playoffs to his name (’03 and ’07), a friendly reminder of the video game type of numbers Naslund generated during his heyday bears repeating. From Naslund’s first full season in Vancouver (’96-’97) to his final season in the league as a Ranger (’08-’09), there were only 6 players that scored more goals (and just 9 in terms of total points, via Hockey Reference):

[Screen Shot 2014-09-12 at 9.43.54 AM]

But even that, as impressive as it is, doesn’t account for just how productive Naslund was during that aforementioned peak. From 1998 to 2006 – before his production curtailed somewhat during the latter stages of his career – only Jagr and Sakic managed more points:

[Screen Shot 2014-09-12 at 9.45.09 AM]

By most objective individual measures, Naslund compares quite favourably to some of his generation’s heavy hitters during that time. That deadly wrist shot he wielded in his arsenalmade him as prolific a goal scorer as there was in that aforementioned stretch. Really, it’s a testament to how prolific his 7 year peak was that he ranks in the top-100 of both goals and points all-time despite not fully hitting his stride as an NHLer until he was 25, and refusing to hang around until he approached 40 like some of his peers. Even if it ultimately prevented him from reaching the 400-goal/1,000 point plateaus that tend to be arbitrarily thrown around when discussing Hall of Fame merits.

It’s difficult to know how much traction Naslund’s candidacy has actually had with the voting committee because of the archaic ways they’re still mired in, inexplicably refusing to make balloting available to the public. Still, based on the way things have seemingly gone the first two cracks at it it’ll be nothing short of a slog for Naslund to generate the sort of buzz he’d need to ever credibly have a chance of being inducted into the Hall. If he ever does, it’ll likely have come after an extended wait; as Fyffe notes, “_the Hall of Fame also seems to favour centres over wingers; a centre with a score of 140 will not wait as long as a wing with a score of 140._“

Given the names up for discussion here, that can hardly be construed as an indictment against Naslund. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not a shame, because – by evaluating what he managed to do throughout his career and stacking it up against that of his contemporaries – he probably deserves to be in there one day. For now, the comfort that comes from knowing we weren’t subjected to a career of whatever _this_ was will surely suffice as consolation.

question: What does the article say about Naslund?

answer: Naslund is a hockey player. The author is Naslund's fun. They recall ’02-’03, a year in which apex-Naslund finished the season just 2 goals shy of the Rocket Richard (48) and 2 points from of the Art Ross (104), settling for a 2nd place finish in Hart voting. From Naslund’s first full season in Vancouver (’96-’97) to his final season in the league as a Ranger (’08-’09), there were only 6 players that scored more goals. By most objective individual measures, Naslund compares to some of his generation’s heavy hitters.

question: What does the article say about basketball?


text:
GASTON MAURICE JULIA (3 February 1893 – 19 March 1978) was a French mathematician who devised the formula for the Julia set. His works were popularized by French mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot; the Julia and Mandelbrot fractals are closely related.

Military service

Julia was born in the Algerian town of Sidi Bel Abbes, at the time governed by the French. During his youth, he had an interest in mathematics and music. His studies were interrupted at the age of 21, when France became involved in World War I and Julia was conscripted to serve with the army. During an attack he suffered a severe injury, losing his nose. His many operations to remedy the situation were all unsuccessful, and for the rest of his life he resigned himself to wearing a leather strap around the area where his nose had been.

Career in mathematics

Julia gained attention for his mathematical work after the war when a 199-page article he wrote was featured in the _Journal de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées_, a French mathematics journal. The article, which he published in 1918 at the age of 25, titled “_Mémoire sur l'itération des fonctions rationnelles_” described the iteration of a rational function. The article gained immense popularity among mathematicians and the general population as a whole, and so resulted in Julia's later receiving of the Grand Prix de l'Académie des Sciences. Despite his fame, his works were mostly forgotten[1] until the day Benoit Mandelbrot mentioned them in his works.

On 19 March 1978, Julia died in Paris at the age of 85.

Julia was also father to Marc Julia,[2] the French organic chemist who invented the Julia olefination.

Books

-   Oeuvres, 6 vols., Paris, Gauthier-Villars 1968-1970 (eds. Jacques Dixmier, Michel Hervé, with foreword by Julia).
-   Leçons sur les Fonctions Uniformes à Point Singulier Essentiel Isolé, Gauthier-Villars 1924[3] (rédigées par P. Flamant)
-   Eléments de géométrie infinitésimale, Gauthier-Villars 1927
-   Cours de Cinématique, Gauthier-Villars 1928, 2nd edition 1936[4]
-   Exercices d'Analyse, 4 vols., Gauthier-Villars, 1928 - 1938, 2nd edition 1944, 1950
-   Principes Géométriques d'Analyse, 2 vols., Gauthier-Villars, 1930,[5] 1932[6]
-   Essai sur le Développment de la Théorie des Fonctions de Variables Complexes, Gauthier-Villars 1933[7]
-   Introduction Mathématique aux Theories Quantiques, 2 vols., Gauthier-Villars 1936, 1938,[8] 2nd edition 1949, 1955
-   Eléments d'algèbre, Gauthier-Villars 1959
-   Cours de Géométrie, Gauthier-Villars 1941
-   Cours de géométrie infinitésimale, Gauthier-Villars, 2nd edition 1953
-   Exercices de géométrie, 2 vols., Gauthier-Villars 1944, 1952
-   Leçons sur la représentation conforme des aires simplement connexes, Gauthier-Villars 1931, 2nd edition 1950
-   Leçons sur la représentation conforme des aires multiplement connexes, Gauthier-Villars 1934
-   Traité de Théorie de Fonctions, Gauthier-Villars 1953
-   Leçons sur les fonctions monogènes uniformes d'une variable complexe Gauthier-Villars 1917
-   Étude sur les formes binaires non quadratiques à indéterminées réelles ou complexes, ou à indéterminées conjuguées, Gauthier-Villars 1917

[1] Ari Ben-Menahem: _Historical Encyclopedia of Natural and Mathematical Sciences_, Springer, , p. 3427

[2] Chottard, Jean-Claude; Lallemand, Jean-Yves; Mansuy, Daniel; Verpeaux, Jean-Noël (2010). “Marc Julia (1922-2010)”. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 49 (48): 9038–9039. doi:10.1002/anie.201006207

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title: Gaston Julia

question: What does the article say about Benoit Mandelbrot?

answer: Benoit Mandelbrot was a French mathematician who popularized work of Julia. He mentioned Julia's works in his own works.

question: What does the article say about Julia's military service?

answer: Julia's studies were interrupted at the age of 21 when France became involved in World War I and he was conscripted to serve with the army. During an attack, he lost his nose. He wore a leather strap around the area where his nose had been for the rest of his life.

question: What does the article say about Gaston Julia's wife?

answer: The art