text:
South Korean authorities on Friday arrested former President Park Geun-hye in connection with the corruption investigation that led to her ouster, saying she abused her office and participated in a bribery scheme involving at least one of the nation’s largest companies.

In an extraordinary scene that played out before dawn on live nationwide TV, Park was taken in a long police motorcade to a detention facility just south of Seoul.

The scandal-marred former leader — the daughter of an iconic former South Korean military dictator — already has been impeached, removed from office and stripped of public support. She now will lose her freedom as prosecutors seek a formal indictment in the next 20 days.

The decision to jail Park resulted from an eight-hour court hearing in Seoul on Thursday after which a judge determined that the evidence compiled by prosecutors in recent months warranted detention.

The court made its decision early Friday morning local time. “Most charges have been vindicated and there is a concern over destruction of evidence, so the grounds and need for arrest is acknowledged,” said Judge Kang Bu-young.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Park looked “grim-faced” as she was ordered sent to the detention facility. It is the same jail where many others arrested in connection with the case are held pending trial.

Neither prosecutors nor her defense lawyers were immediately available for comment after the court’s decision.

On Thursday morning, Park, looking stern and dressed in a dark blue suit, had arrived at the Seoul Central District Court complex for the hearing. She entered through the same door as everyday defendants, but her arrival included an array of cameras. She offered no statement.

[Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye leaves after a hearing on a prosecutors' request for her arrest at the Seoul Central District Court on March 30, 2017.]
(Song Kyong-Seok / AP)

Last week, before being questioned at length by prosecutors, she flashed a respectful smile as she entered an adjacent building in the justice complex. “I feel apologetic toward the nation’s citizens,” she said then. “I’ll cooperate in the questioning sincerely.”

Her arrest is the latest dramatic twist in a national saga that began unfolding in October when a South Korean news report revealed that Park allowed a friend outside the government to edit her speeches. The case since has ensnared more than two dozen people.

After the report, the case quickly snowballed. In recent months, two sets of prosecutors have pursued Park during what evolved into a sprawling public corruption investigation that has gripped the nation. It has altered presidential politics here, with the potential to change the country’s relationship with its neighbors and the United States — and prompted historic street rallies not seen since the pro-democracy movement in the late 1980s.

A presidential election to replace Park is set for May 9, and political analysts say the scandal could end nearly a decade of control by the ousted president’s former ruling conservative party.

The National Assembly already had impeached Park, but she remained protected by presidential immunity until a constitutional court validated that decision on March 10, making her a civilian. Park then moved back to her home in Seoul’s trendy Gangnam district. Soon after, prosecutors made their move.

The first step was getting Park to sit for questions last week, and prosecutors said the former president denied most of the criminal allegations. Then, earlier this week, they sought to detain the former president in an effort to prevent what they worried could be the destruction of evidence — and to show that the disgraced leader would be treated just like numerous other South Koreans who’ve been swept up and jailed in the investigation.

Those charged include a close confidant at the center of the case, as well as several of her top aides and the de facto leader on the nation’s largest conglomerate, Samsung Group. Other corporate titans also have faced related scrutiny in recent weeks.

The case centers on Park’s friendship — dating back to the days of her father’s tenure in the 1960s and ’70s — with Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a deceased South Korean cult leader. Prosecutors have said that Choi, who had no government position, used her clout with Park to receive millions of dollars in payments from the nation’s top companies to firms she controlled.

They allege that Park was complicit in the scheme and that she directed aides to find official ways to reward the donors. In one case, authorities have said that Samsung’s de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, directed funds to Choi and received presidential support for a controversial merger. He remains jailed, and the company has denied any wrongdoing.

Lee Hu Seop, a Seoul resident, was among the South Koreans who attended the candlelight vigils by the hundreds of thousands calling for Park’s ouster, week after week, since last fall. He said the criminal turn in Park’s case this week could help lead to a heightened sense of justice in the country, which has a history of collusion between government and businesses and a culture that favors elites.

[South Koreans gather with candles during a rally against President Park Geun-hye on a main street in Seoul on March 4, 2017.]
(JUNG UI-CHEL / EPA)

“I believe that symbolically the candles beat government authority,” said Lee, 32, of the street rallies, some of which stretched more than a mile across a wide central thoroughfare in Seoul. “It was a terrible incident, but the younger generation was able to take more interest in politics. I hope that the next president rebuilds the system.”

The arrest makes Park the third former president to be jailed in connection with criminal wrongdoing since the country began allowing direct elections of presidents in the late 1980s. Another former president committed suicide in 2009 after questioning by prosecutors and scrutiny of his family.

Park is the daughter of Park Chung-hee, a former South Korean general who ran the country as a strongman dictator. He is credited with starting the country’s transition from a poor, agrarian society in the decade after the Korean War to the export-driven economic success it is today.

Park Chung-hee’s spy chief assassinated him in 1979, five years after his wife and Park Geun-hye’s mother, Yuk Young-soo, was killed in a botched attempt on his life — an event that brought Park back to South Korea from school in Europe as a young woman.

After her mother’s death, the younger Park served essentially as acting first lady and helped her father host dignitaries in the presidential complex, known as the Blue House for its distinctly colored roof. She returned there in 2013 after winning the election, only to see her presidency begin to unravel last fall — as it has for other leaders and their families over the years.

“Many Korean ex-presidents have been indicted, arrested and even convicted,” said David Kang, an international relations professor at USC who directs the university’s Korean Studies Institute. “However, it is a tragic next chapter to a tragic life.”

_STILES IS A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT._

ALSO

HOW UNUSUAL WOULD IT BE FOR SOUTH KOREA TO ARREST ITS DEPOSED PRESIDENT? NOT AS UNUSUAL AS YOU MIGHT THINK

CHINA PUSHES BACK ON TOUGHER U.S. APPROACH TO NORTH KOREA

TILLERSON WARNS OF POSSIBLE MILITARY STRIKE ON NORTH KOREA

------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATES:

12:50 A.M.: This article was updated with Park being taken to detention facility in motorcade, judge’s remarks.

_This article was originally posted at 11:30 a.m._

question: What does the text say about Kim Jong Un?

question: What does the text say about Park Geun-hye?

answer: Park Geun-hye is the former President of South Korea. She is the daughter of iconic former South Korean military dictator Park Chung-hee. She was arrested in connection with the corruption investigation that led to her ouster, saying she abused her office and participated in a bribery scheme involving at least one of the nation's largest companies. Park has been impeached, removed from office, and stripped of public support. After an eight-hour court hearing, the judge decided that the evidence compiled by prosecutors warranted detention. Park will be staying in the same jail where many others arrested in connection with the case are held pending trial.

question: What does the text say about Park Geun-hye's personal life?

answer: Park Geun-hye went to school in Europe as a young woman. Her parents were Park Chung-hee and Yuk Young-soo, both deceased. Her father was a former South Korean general who ran the country as a strongman dictator. He was assassinated by his own spy chief in 1979. Her mother was killed in a botched attempt on her father's life in 1974. The event forced Park to come home from Europe and serve as acting first lady. She helped her father host dignitaries in the presidential complex known as the Blue House until his death.

question: Summarize Park Geun-hye's crimes.

answer: Park was arrested for corruption and abusing her office by participating in a bribery scheme involving Samsung. She allowed a friend outside the government to edit her speeches. Her close friendship with Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a deceased South Korean cult leader, is also in question. Prosecutors said that Choi, despite having no government position, was able to use her clout with Park to receive millions of dollars in payments from the nation's top companies to firms she controlled. They allege Park was complicit in the scheme, directing aides to find official ways to reward the donors. Samsung's jailed de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, directed funds to Choi and received presidential support for a controversial merger.


split: test

text:
Charlottesville, Virginia (CNN)James A. Fields Jr., the man who drove into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville's "Unite the Right" rally two years ago, leaving one woman dead, was sentenced Friday to life in prison in his federal hate crimes case.

Fields plead guilty to 29 federal hate crimes in March as part of an agreement that eliminated the death penalty as a possible punishment. Under the punishment imposed by US Judge Michael F. Urbanski, Fields will serve his sentence without the possibility of parole.

Before sentencing Fields addressed the judge and said, "I'd like to apologize. I apologize to my mother for putting her through all of this. Every day I think about my actions and how this could have gone differently. I'm sorry."

Fields, 22, wore a gray and white jumpsuit in court and was mostly expressionless during the morning testimony. When he apologized, he did not face victims who were in the courtroom.

[Charlottesville car attacker pleads for mercy in sentencing memo]

Fields was 20 when he attended the August 2017 demonstrations in Charlottesville and joined white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other groups opposed to the city's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. During a day of violent clashes, he drove his vehicle into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal, and injuring more than two dozen people.

After court adjourned, Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, told reporters that Fields' apology was simply a last-ditch effort to get a reduced sentence.

"He's the least sincere person I've ever met," Bro said, adding that she's glad he was sentenced to life in prison. She said he probably deserved the death penalty "but it wouldn't accomplish anything."

Bro said she hopes this sentence sends a message to other people in hate groups.

"You don't get away with it there are serious consequences to this,' she said. "Theoretically, he caused a lot of harm to the white supremacist movement, for that I'm glad."

[James Fields Jr. pleaded guilty in a plea deal that eliminated the death penalty as a possible punishment.]

Video of attack played in court

Thomas Cullen, US attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said the sentence was "an acceptable and appropriate outcome in this case."

"One of the factors a court has to consider is will this sentence achieve a deterrence effect on the community at large," he said after court ended. "Sending someone to prison for manifesting in a violent way those racist and violent views will send a message."

Before sentencing, Urbanski heard testimony from prosecution witnesses and the defense. Prosecutors, seeking a sentence of life in prison, went over details of the attack, including playing video of the car going into the crowd.

Urbanski directly addressed the victims in the courtroom after the video played: "I have to turn away, just watching is terrifying. I cannot imagine the trauma you all have sustained. ... I want to thank you for your courage. To all the victims I wish you grace and peace."

[A video of the car attack was shown in court Friday before sentencing.]

'It's a crime of premeditation'

Fields' publicly appointed defense attorney, Lisa Lorish, argued before sentencing that life in prison was excessive and violated Fields' Eighth Amendment rights. His lawyer said the court should not give Fields a life sentence because of his age, history of mental illness and childhood trauma and to show that no one is defined by their worst moments.

"Incarceration alone will never be able to account for the harm that this community experienced," she said.

She also asked that Fields be sent to a federal prison in Kentucky, so his mother would be able to visit him.

The judge acknowledged Fields suffers from mental health issues and noted he received treatment for years but voluntarily gave up that treatment when he turned 18.

"It's a crime of premeditation," the judge said.

Urbanski said Heyer's death was "a loss that will remain with her family forever."

"Many of these victims are young people who will suffer for years to come," he said. "To all the victims, I wish you grace and peace."

[US District Judge Michael Urbanski said the car attack was "a crime of premeditation." ]

Fields was convicted of other charges in state court

[Charlottesville car attacker pleads guilty to 29 hate crimes and avoids the death penalty]

Fields also was convicted in state court of first-degree murder and other charges, and the jury recommended a sentence of life in prison. He is due to be sentenced in that case July 15, Commonwealth's Attorney Joseph Platania said in March.

According to the federal indictment, Fields took to social media before the rally on August 12, 2017, and "expressed and promoted his belief that white people are superior to other races and peoples; expressed support of the social and racial policies of Adolf Hitler and Nazi-era Germany, including the Holocaust; and espoused violence against African Americans, Jewish people and members of other racial, ethnic and religious groups he perceived to be non-white."

The day before the rally, as Fields prepared to leave his home in Maumee, Ohio, to travel to Charlottesville, he got a text from a family member urging him to be careful, the indictment says.

"We're not the ones who need to be careful," Fields responded, attaching a photo of Hitler, according to the indictment.

[Sentencing of Heather Heyer's killer shows 'we will not tolerate hate,' mother says]

Once in Charlottesville, Fields joined protesters who had gathered to denounce the removal of a Confederate statue from a city park in "chants promoting or expressing white supremacist and other racist and anti-Semitic views," the indictment says.

Later, as Fields drove along the streets of Charlottesville in his Dodge Challenger, he encountered a crowd of racially and ethnically diverse people chanting and carrying signs promoting equality, the indictment says.

"Fields rapidly accelerated, through a stop sign and across a raised pedestrian mall, and drove directly into the crowd. Fields's vehicle stopped only when it struck another vehicle near the intersection of Fourth and Water Streets. Fields then rapidly reversed his car and fled the scene," according to the indictment.

Many of the individuals gathered in the street when Fields mowed them down "were chanting and carrying signs promoting equality and protesting against racial and other forms of discrimination," according to the indictment on the hate crime charges.

CNN's Ellie Kaufman reported from Charlottesville, and CNN's Ralph Ellis and Steve Almasy reported from Atlanta. CNN's David Shortell, Madeline Holcombe and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.

question: Summarize Fields' behavior in court.

answer: During his sentencing, Fields remained mostly expressionless during testimony. He addressed the judge and apologized to his mother for putting her through all this. He said he thinks about his actions every day. However, he did not face his victims.

question: Summarize Susan Bro's opinion of Fields.

answer: Susan Bro felt that Fields' apology was just a last-ditch effort to get a reduced sentence for the murder of her daughter. She finds him to be the least sincere person she's ever met. She's glad he was given a life sentence, but feels he probably deserved the death penalty. She's also pleased that his crime has likely backfired and harmed the white supremacist movement.

question: What does the text say about Fields' sentencing?

answer: Fields was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He pled guilty to 29 federal hate crimes, which helped him avoid the death penalty. His hate crimes led to the death of Heather Heyers in the "Unite the Right" rally. Before he was sentenced, he apologized in front of the judge. This was potentially a way to get a reduced sentence according to Heather Heyers' mother. She was glad he was sentenced to life, and hopes it sends a message to other people in hate groups. A US attorney found the sentence to be an acceptable and appropriate outcome for the case. Fields' defense attorney argued that his sentence was excessive due to his age, history of mental illness, and childhood trauma.

question: Summarize Fields' actions on the day leading up to his crime.

answer: On August 12, 2017 Fields went on social media before the rally to express his belief that white people are the most superior race. He expressed support of the social and racial policies of Adolf Hitler and Nazi-era Germany, including the Holocaust. He went to the rally and joined protestors who were denouncing the removal of a Confederate statue. Following this, he decided to drive his Dodge Challenger into a crowd of counter protestors promoting equality.

question: What does the text say about Donald Trump's reaction to the trial.


text:
The SHIITE ENDOWMENT OFFICE is an Iraqi administration created by the Iraqi Governing Council after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. It was created from the dissolution of the Ministry of Awqaf and religious Affairs in former Baath rule, separating from it the Holy Shrines, the mosques, the _hawza_s and all religious endowments of Shia Islam in Iraq.

Its function is the administration of the endowments of Shia Islam in Iraq.

Rules

The Office was created through the Resolution No. 29 of 30 August 2003, which stated the dissolution of the _Ministry of Awqaf and religious Affairs_ (_Wizarat al-Awqaf_) and the creation of three new Endowments offices (_Diwan al-Waqf_) for the administration of the religious endowments of Sunnis, Shiites and Other religions:[1]

-   _Sunni Endowment Diwan_
-   _Shiite Endowment Diwan_
-   _Christian, Ezidian and Sabean Mandaean Endowment Diwan_.

As of 2003, the majority of the endowments of the former Ministry of Waqf passed to the Sunni Endowment Office, because in the former rule only Sunni Islam was protected by law and only Sunni endowments were administrated by the State, but with the so-called _Atabat_ law of December 2005 the major islamic Shrines passed to the Shiite endowment administration, and later also many mosques formerly administrated by Sunnis.[2]

The President of each Office should be appointed by the Head of the Government, but the _Atabat_ law of 2005 stated that the major decisions concerning the Shiite endowment, as the appointment of the President of the office, should be approved by the Great Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as a representative of Shiites, while noting the lack of a similar authority among the Iraqi Sunnis. Later, in October 2012, the Law No. 57 about the Shiite Waqf,[3] confirmed that the president of the Shiite endowment office, before the appointment by the Iraqi Premier, should be approved by the Shiite Marja', while the Law No. 56 about the Sunni Waqf[4] gave a similar power to a Council of Sunni ulemas, the “Fiqh Council of the ulemas”.[5]

Shia Endowment

During Saddam Hussein's rule, the politics of the Ministry of Awqaf and religious Affairs was seen by Shiites as discriminatory towards them. So it was suppressed on August 2003 by the Iraqi governing council, in order to give religious freedom to the different religious components of Iraq. This created the problem to assign each religious site to a confession, causing rivalry among the different groups in order to gain the control of these sites.[6] In 2004, a Committee was formed, including both Shiite and Sunni scholars, to determine the founders and donors of each endowment, through the State records of the former Ministry, thus definitely separating the formerly neutral islamic endowments, who became matter of sectarian contention.[7]

On December 2005 the so-called Atabat law conceded to the Shiite endowment the administration of the five major Iraqi Shrines of Shia, but was contested by the president of Sunni Endowment Office al-Sumarrai, who claimed that they had been administrated until then by Sunni families, as in particular the Shrine of Samarra, thus opening a legal dispute which ended in 2012 confirming the assignment to the Shiite Waqf.[8]

Many mosques, especially those built during the Baath rule, had furthermore very profitable commercial endowments, thus determining also an economic competition for their parceling. During the first Sunni insurgency, many Sunni Imams were driven out by force from the mosques they had received by the Baath administration, and thus these mosques were added to the Shia endowment.[9] A second legal Committee was created in 2008 in order to resolve the disputes concerning the sites claimed by both the confessions, but it stalled when the Shiite endowment office contested the validity of the documents dating back to Saddam Hussein.[10]

In recent times, during the civil war, some disputes concerning ancient mosques in Baghdad with vestiges of both islamic confessions, and thus not clearly recognized as belonging to only one of them, had been finally resolved in favor of Shiite Waqf. After the fall of Mosul, also ancient mosques of this town have become matter of contention.[11]

List

-   Hussein as-Shami, from 2003 to 2005
-   Salih Muhammed al-Haidari, from 2005 to 2015
-   Ala’ al-Mussawi, from 2015

[1] Resolution 29/2003 of the IGC: Dissolution of the Ministry of Awqaf and religious affairs and creation of administrative offices for the Awqaf of all religions and sects (30 August 2003), in: [1], p. 292

[2]

[3] Shiite Waqf Law no.57/2012

[4] Sunni Waqf Law no. 56/2012

[5]

[6] Harith Hasan, Religious Authority and the Politics of Islamic Endowments in Iraq, Carnegie institute, 29 March 2019

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

title: Shiite Endowment Office

question: What does the article say about the motivation behind creating the Shiite Endowment Office?

answer: Shiite Endowment Office is an Iraqi administration created from the dissolution of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs in former Baath rule by the Iraqi Governing Council after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. It is made in order to give religious freedom to the different religious components of Iraq as the politics of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs was seen by Shiites as discriminatory towards Sheets during Saddam Hussein's rule.

question: What does the article say about mosques?

answer: Many mosques have very profitable commercial endowments. Many mosques were added to the Shia endowment. During the civil war, some disputes concerning ancient mosques in Baghdad have been finally resolved in favor of Shiite Waqf.

question: What does the story say about the difference between Shiites' and Sinnus' religious views?


text:
[A small pelang (5 m in length) with marine plywood for its side planks.] PELANG or PILANG is a traditional boat from Indonesia and Malaysia. It may refer to several different type of boats in the Nusantara, but commonly they refer to outrigger canoe. The function differs from where they were used, from transporting people, fishing, to trading. Pilang has been known from at least the 14th century.[1]

Etymology

The name “pelang” can be traced from Old Javanese word _pelang_ which means freight boat or a type of ancient merchant boat.[2] The Great Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI) explain it as “trading boat”.[3] According to M. Rafiek, pelang is a rather large boat used to sail through the Java sea.[4] [A pelang with outboard engine as its main propulsion.] In northern Sulawesi, It was originally a term for a _mahera_-based boat (_mahera_ means dugout - the base keel made from a whole piece of hollowed wood), but with the influx of Filipino technology (see vinta), then a boat made of waterproof plywood can also be referred to as a pelang.[5]

Description

In western part of Nusantara, it refers to a large, flat bottomed canoe-like boat with one mast, stepping a lug sail made of cloth. Usually built of giam wood. H. Warington Smyth noted the dimensions of a pilang: About 42 ft (12.8 m) long, 5 ft (1.5 m) wide, 2 ft 3 in (69 cm) draught, with 1 ft (30 cm) of freeboard. The capacity was 1 _koyan_ (2.419 metric tons). The mast itself is about 40 ft (12.2 m) tall.[6]

In the eastern part of Nusantara, the name refers to small, canoe-like outrigger boat. In Northern coast of Sulawesi, pelang refers to outrigger fishing boat. North Sulawesian pelang is about 6-8 m in length, 1 m in width and crewed by 4-6 men. This pelang has an operational range of 5-7 miles (8-11.3 km).[7] The _Mahera_ (dugout base) does not have enough height to be used as a boat. Thus, the _mahera_ is in the form of the flat keel of wood with a slight curvature. To improve the seaworthiness, additional side planks were added. The side planks are made of marine plywood with some frame construction and side beams as reinforcement. Modern pelang of Northern Sulawesi were equipped with outboard motors. The motor gradually replaced the sail in the 1970s.[8] [A pelang that has been fitted with lamps and generator for light fishing.] There are also pelang that are equipped with lamps and electric generator for light fishing. Lights were used to attract fish for improving the quantity of the catch. The raw material is marine plywood with a length of about 7 m.[9]

[1] _Hikayat_ _Banjar_, 1.2: Then Ampu Djatmaka sailed with the same boat following it. _Kapal_ and _pilang_ are not as speedy as Si Prabayaksa; the size and the length and the ornamentation [of them] does not surpass Si Prabayaksa.

[2] Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder, 1982, _Old Javanese – English Dictionary_, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. 2 v. (xxxi, 2368 p.) In collaboration with S.O. Robson.

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

title: Pelang

question: Summarize the ways Pelang is interpreted over years and across different cultures in Indonesia and Malaysia.

answer: Pelang is a traditional boat from Indonesia and Malaysia. It can also refer to different kinds of boats in the Nusantara. Pelang is used to transport people, for fishing, and also for trading. In northern Sulawesi, the term pelang is used for a boat made out of waterproof plywood. In the western part of Nusantara, however, the name can refer to a flat bottom canoe with one mast. In the eastern part of Nusantara, the name can refer to a small outrigger boat.

question: How is pelang made?


text:
Natalia Karp, the pianist who died on Monday aged 96, survived the Holocaust because the commandant of the Plaszow concentration camp in Poland, to which she was sent, wanted some musical entertainment for his birthday.

Summoned the day she arrived, expecting to be shot, Natalia, then a beautiful 32-year-old, played Chopin's haunting and melancholic Nocturne in C sharp minor. When she had finished, Amon Goeth, the commandant, declared: Sie soll leben (She shall live).

"I was taken to his villa where there was a party with many guests eating, drinking and dressed in white jackets," she recalled. "After a while, Goeth turned to me and barked: 'Now. Sarah. Play now'." (The Nazis called all Jewish women "Sarah").

At the time she had not touched a piano since the oubreak of war, and her fingers were almost stiff.

When Goeth, who was chillingly depicted by Ralph Fiennes in the film Schindler's List (1993), told Natalia that she would live, the pianist stood her ground, insisting that her sister Helena should also be spared. She was subsequently ordered to play for Goeth and other senior Nazis on several occasions.

But her ordeal was not over. After 10 months she was sent to Auschwitz, where she fully expected to die.

"My sister and I clung to each other. We scavenged for any food we could find. Every day we thought could be our last."

Her identity number - A27407 - was branded on to her forearm, and never disappeared. Many years later it was spotted by a guest at a reception in London who tactlessly asked: "What have you put here - your telephone number?"

Natalia was released from imprisonment the day after VE Day, and returned to Krakow with her sister, a ballerina.

When she gave her first post-war performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1, with its triumphant opening chords, she recalled thinking: "I wanted to show the Nazis that I was not beaten."

She was born Natalia Weissman in Krakow, Poland, on February 27 1911, the second of four children. Her father, Isidor, was a wealthy businessman; her mother sang opera arias at home.

Natalia's prowess as a pianist - she played by ear - was soon well known in the neighbourhood; one day, when she was four, a lady came to the door to say she had heard that there was a child prodigy in the house and offering to teach her.

Natalia disliked the pressure to give concerts, however, and later began to take lessons with Arthur Rubenstein's brother-in-law instead. In 1920 she played at a wedding in Berlin, where she was kissed by Boris Pasternak's mother.

When she was 15, Natalia's grandfather, also a gifted musician, decreed that she should return to Berlin, alone, to take lessons with Artur Schnabel. She recalled that the Austrian was "serious, cynical and funny". His son taught her harmony and theory.

Later she developed her technique with Georg Bertram, and at 18 played Chopin's E minor concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic under Heinz Bongartz. But when her mother died a few months later Natalia abandoned her career and returned to Krakow to take care of her family.

In 1933 she married Julius Hubler, a lawyer, pianist and music critic who was to be killed on the first day of the war when his train was bombed, though she did not learn of his death until some years later.

She was captured with two friends and her younger sister, Helena, as they tried to flee the Tarnow ghetto in Poland on false papers, and sent by the Gestapo to be shot at Plaszow.

After the war she met and married Josef Karpf, a counsellor at the Treasury in Warsaw. He was posted to the Polish Embassy in London, but when he was recalled in 1950 the couple stayed put, claiming asylum in Britain.

Gradually she resumed her performing career in Britain, though when she settled at Hampstead her neighbours would tolerate only two hours' practice in the morning so that she had to to go to friends' homes to get in a further three hours. It was during this time that she dropped the "f" from her name for professional purposes.

Although she could frequently be heard playing Beethoven and Schubert, Natalia Karp always had a special affection for the music of Chopin, whose music she played at the Wigmore Hall and other venues.

Her playing was described as "essentially feminine", with critics admiring her "mellow tone and intuitively musical phrasing", particularly in her compatriot's more intimately reflective pieces.

In 1967 she played for Oskar Schindler, whom she had not previously met, when he received the Martin Buber Prize. She also formed the Alpha Piano Trio with Regina Schein (cello) and Henriette Canter (violin).

When she played, Natalia Karp often placed a shell pink handkerchief on her piano as a symbol of luxury and femininity, something of which she had dreamed in the concentration camps and which, after her release, she had bought for a few pennies in Warsaw in 1946.

Natalia Karp never truly retired from public performance, although her pace did slow in later years.

In January 2005 she was the subject of a moving profile by David Cohen in the London Evening Standard. She played the Chopin Nocturne that had saved her life for her interviewer.

"The room is awash with notes, gentle and sad beyond words," he wrote. "In Natalia's half-shut eyes I can see that she is far away."

Natalia Karp's husband died in 1993. She is survived by her two daughters, one of whom, Anne, is a journalist on the Guardian.

question: Summarize Natalia Karp's history as a musician.

answer: Karp was considered a prodigy from an early age, when a neighbor offered to teach her at the age of four. She continues to hone her craft, but did not like to play concerts. In 1920 she played at a wedding in Berlin, where she was to return at the age of 15 to take lessons with Artur Schnabel. She played with the Berlin Philharmonic under Heinz Bongartz. She returned to Krakow once her mother died, and when the war started was captured and taken by the Gestapo to be shot - but her life was spared by a Nazi commandant who heard her play. She survived the war and went on to have a long and prolific career in Britain.

question: What does the article have to say about Karp's spirit?

answer: The article presents Karp as having an indomitable spirit - when faced with death at the hands of the Nazi's she still stood up to them and bargained for her sister's life as well. Once the war was over, when she played her first performance, she played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 and with its first triumphant notes she wanted to show the Nazi's that she was 'not beaten'.

question: Who was the person who made a tactless comment about Karp's concentration camp brand?


text:
GINA FORD (born c. 1960) is a British author of childcare books in the United Kingdom and a former maternity nurse who has cared for over 300 babies during her career.[1] Ford's 1999 book _The Contented Little Baby Book_ advocates a daily routine for both the baby and the parents, with the day divided up into very precise slots.

Praise and criticism

Criticism of Ford's approach has included that her methods are like “training animals”.[2] Some criticism centres around the fact that she herself has no children and however much she learns about and cares for the children of others, having never experienced this as a parent means she lacks some fundamental first-hand experience of maternal brain chemistry changes. The maternal brain chemistry changes involve hormones that allow the mother to be more sensitive to her own infant's wants.[3]

In answer to criticism about her methods she writes, “I would never advise that young babies should be left to cry for lengthy periods of time to get themselves to sleep. I do stress that some overtired babies will fight sleep and they should be allowed 5-10 minutes' 'crying down' period.” Ford writes further on this subject in her book.

Critics of her methods include Penelope Leach, Miriam Stoppard and Nick Clegg.[4] However, there are proponents of Ford's methods, Gwyneth Paltrow.[5]

In response to criticism levied against her, Ford suggests that the 25% market share of parenting books that her publications enjoy is proof that her methods do not harm children.[6]

Projects

In 2004, the BBC commissioned a series from Outline Productions called _Gina Ford's Baby School_, using _Big Brother_-style methods to oversee the progress of newborn babies. In January 2005, Ford had a meeting with BBC and Outline Productions, and refused to agree to certain reality-style aspects of the format. With only a few weeks before filming, Ford pulled out and was replaced by Dr Tanya Byron.[7]

Five Life commissioned a programme called _Gina Ford: Who Are You To Tell Us?_, which aired on 4 March 2007.[8]

Mumsnet libel

Ford has threatened legal action against online child and parenting forum mumsnet.com, claiming that users have made “defamatory” comments about her, and has demanded that the whole site be taken down.[9] In May 2007, this dispute was resolved with Mumsnet paying some of Ford's legal costs, but Mumsnet remaining open.[10]

In 2007, she wrote to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and accused child-care expert Claire Verity of “child abuse” for methods used in a Channel 4 series called _Bringing Up Baby_.[11]

[1] Mother knows best — but does Gina Ford know better?, _The Times_, June 29, 2009

[2]

[3]

[4] Daddy knows best, Nick Clegg tells Gina Ford, _The Sunday Times_, January 10, 2010

[5]

[6] Queen of Routine lashes out at her liberal childcare critics, _The Guardian_, February 26, 2007

[7] BBC's “Big Brother” show for babies ends in tears, _Independent on Sunday_, February 13, 2005

[8] Five Life Commissions Gina Ford Documentary _Easier.com_

[9] Babycare guru demands closure of 'defamatory' site, _The Register_, 9 August 2006

[10] Mumsnet settles with Gina Ford over defamation claims

[11] TV nanny Claire Verity criticised by rival, _The Daily Telegraph_, 08 Oct 2007

title: Gina Ford

question: What do critics of Gina Ford's childcare methods have to say?

answer: Gina Ford has no children so critics say that she is ill-qualified to instruct mother on how to care for babies as she has no experience of maternal brain chemistry changes. They also feel that her approach is a bit like training an animal.


text:
SURFACTANT PROTEIN B is an essential lipid-associated protein found in pulmonary surfactant. Without it, the lung would not be able to inflate after a deep breath out.[1] It rearranges lipid molecules in the fluid lining the lung so that tiny air sacs in the lung, called alveoli, can more easily inflate.[2]

Gene

SP-B is encoded by _SFTPB_, a single, 11425 nucleotide long gene on chromosome 2.[3] Mutations in this gene are the basis for several of the lung conditions mentioned above. Both frameshift mutations and several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found correlated to a variety of lung conditions. A frame shift mutation responsible for congenital alveolar proteinosis (CAP) was identified by Kattan et al.[4] Many SNP's have been identified in relation to lung conditions. They have been correlated to severe influenza, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation necessity, and more.[5]

Protein

Surfactant protein B (SP-B) is a small protein, weighing about 8 kDa.[6] Proteins are composed of building blocks called amino acids, and SP-B is composed of 79 of them (Valine, alanine, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, and tryptophan being found in the highest levels). Nine of these carry with them a positive charge, and two carry a negative charge, leaving a protein with a net (total) charge of +7.[7] In the body, two molecules of SP-B stick together and form what is called a homodimer.[8] These are found embedded into membranes and other lipid structures, SP-B is a highly hydrophobic, avoiding contact with water.

SP-B is the mature form of a large precursor protein called proSP-B. Synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum of type II pneumocytes, proSP-B weighs approximately 40 kDa and is cut down to the size of mature SP-B in the golgi apparatus through a process called post-translational modification.[9] ProSP-B is also created in another type of lung cell called a Club cell, but these cells are unable to edit proSP-B into SP-B.[10]

SP-B is a saposin-like protein, which is a group of related proteins known particularly for binding to membranes with negative charges and facilitating either the fusion or lysis (breaking) of the membrane. More well known proteins in this family include saposin-C, NK-lysin, and amoebopore.[11]

Function

SP-B plays a critical role in the functioning of healthy lungs, and its absence inevitably leads to lung conditions, most common of which being acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Because of this, SP-B's function has been well researched, and has been found to exist in three parts. Beyond these three functions, it is worth noting that SP-B is also thought to have some anti-inflammatory function, though it is not well defined.[12]

Indirect surface tension reduction

The surface tension at the border between the fluid lining and the inhaled gas (gas/fluid interface) in alveoli determines the motion of the alveoli as a whole. According to Lapace's Law, high surface tension in the gas/fluid interface of alveoli prevents the alveoli from inflating, which causes lung collapse.[13] lipid arrangement in the fluid lining of alveoli is the primary determining factor of this surface tension since the lipids form a thin film (monolayer) on the surface of the fluid lining at the gas/fluid interface. Different lipids allow for different ranges of motion and can be compacted different.

SP-B plays a role in this by selected certain lipids and inserting them into the gas/fluid interface. The lipid shown to be most needed on this surface (Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine) does not easily move to the gas/fluid interface, but SP-B helps ease and speed up this process.[14]

SP-B also indirectly reduces surface tension by organizing the lipids underneath the surface of the gas/fluid interface in structures called tubular myelin.[15] Effectively, SP-B cuts and pastes pieces of the lipid bilayers to form the three dimensional structure of the tubular myelin. This structure is the support and lipid source for the gas/fluid interface, where surface tension is a critical factor in lung function.

Direct surface tension reduction

Beyond arranging lipids in a way that reduces surface tension, SP-B actually directly interferes with attractive forces between water molecules.[16] This disruption in the cohesion of water minimizes further the surface tension at the gas/fluid interface.

Formation of lamellar bodies

Lamellar bodies are groups of lipids and protein that are structurally similar to tubular myelin, but are found inside instead of outside the type II pneumocytes. Similarly to its function in organizing tubular myelin, SP-B arranges lipids into the lamellar body structure.[17] Basically, SP-B plays a role in the organogenesis (formation of structure) of lamellar bodies. The lamellar bodies are then secreted into the fluid lining the interior of alveoli, and become tubular myelin. This role is critical for making pulmonary surfactant (see below)

SP-B Deficiencies and Issues

Acute respiratory distress syndrome, respiratory syncytial virus infection, familial lung disease, and pneumocystis infection are examples of deficiencies in and issues with SP-B that are correlated with lung issues.[18]

Because so many lung conditions are associated with issues around SP-B, synthetic replacements have been researched, created, and manufactured. It has been shown that 21 amino acid long peptides with positive charge and intermittent hydrophobic regions mimicking SP-B can minimize surface tension at the gas/fluid interface, and surfactant replacements for surfactant deficient patients has been used to save lives.[19][20]

Once lung distress has occurred, SP-B has been shown to be effective as a biomarker in the blood stream.[21] Higher levels of SP-B indicate some kind of lung distress, and can even indicate if the patient is currently a smoker.[22] This may be useful in the future to predict atherosclerosis, a solidifying of vascular tissue that has negative effects on the heart.

Context in surfactant

SP-B is a critical protein for lung function, and is found in the context of pulmonary surfactant. Understanding surfactant is important to gaining a full understanding of SP-B. Surfactant is a mixture of lipids and proteins that coats the inside of alveoli and is essential for life due to its key role in preventing alveolar collapse at low lung volumes.[23][24] In the absence of surfactant, the surface tension at the gas/fluid interface prevents inhalation at standard pressure, but surfactant minimizes surface tension to values near zero and allows for normal breathing.[25] It is also known to have a role in both the immune response and inflammation control.

Surfactant deficiency is a common cause of respiratory disease. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a particularly well-known instance of surfactant deficiency because it has a high mortality rate among preterm babies, a variety of other conditions are related to surfactant levels and composition.[26]

Surfactant is composed of primarily lipids (90% by weight), and proteins make up only the remaining 10%. The following two sections will address the lipid and protein components respectively.

Surfactant lipids

Lipids are a broad category of mid-sized molecules that are hydrophobic or amphipathic. In surfactant, two subcategories of lipids are relevant: phospholipids and sterols. Sterols are represented by cholesterol, which has an important role in the overall structure and motion of the lipids as a whole, but is vastly outnumbered by the phospholipids in surfactant.

DPPC (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine), as mentioned above, is a lipid with very useful stabilizing and compacting attributes. SP-B works primarily with this lipid, and moves it to the gas/fluid interface where it minimized surface tension.[27] Essentially, DPPC is so important for lung function because it can shrink or expand to fit the space necessary, and a continually shrinking and expanding lung requires components like this.

Other lipids found commonly in surfactant include phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylserine (PS).

Surfactant proteins

SP-B is one of four proteins commonly found in surfactant, the other three being surfactant protein A (SP-A), surfactant protein C (SP-C), and surfactant protein D (SP-D).[28] These four are highly interconnected in their functions in surfactant. For example, though the mechanism is not yet understood, SP-B functions in the post-translational modification of SP-C, and mature SP-C is not formed without SP-B.[29]

SP-C assists in the functions of SP-B, and is most similar to SP-B of the three other surfactant proteins. It is smaller, only 35 amino acids long, and is found embedded in lipid structures much like SP-B.[30]

SP-A and SP-D, known together as collectins, are more distinct from SP-B than SP-C. They are hydrophilic, so they are found in the solution, and function in immune response instead of lipid arrangement and surface tension reduction.[31][32] SP-A is actually a name for two very similar proteins, SP-A1 and SP-A2.

Along with SP-A, B, C, and D, blood plasma proteins are found in very small quantities in surfactant as well.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

title: Surfactant protein B

question: What is the function of the Surfactant Protein B?

answer: Surfactant Protein B in the lungs is critical in their function. Without SP-B, lungs will lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Beside its functions, SP-B has anti-inflammatory functions as well.


text:
I didn’t feel very much like masturbating. This seemed like the obvious choice of sleep aid at this point. Whiskey had worked only half of its magic—keeping me interested enough in late-night television to stay awake until an hour when any normal person would’ve simply crawled into bed and passed out. But still, I couldn’t sleep.

Not feeling like masturbating when you want to masturbate, as any male will tell you, is a rare and quite unsettling feeling. Clearly there was something bothering me.  Even if I was too self-reflectively dumb to know it, this lack of primal urge cued me in on the presence of something distasteful and foreign growing inside me. I was somewhere between crying and vomiting when I realized that I was scared. For the first time in my life I was truly terrified. After all, what would an affluent, white male who just graduated from a top tier college have to worry about? What could I ever conceivably be scared of? Like always: the dark.

Ever since I was very young I was uneasy about going into an unlit room; not uncommon, I suppose. I was brave, however—always brave enough to venture forward.  Not without hesitation, but always with enough fortitude to carry out whatever task brought me to this dark unknown, and it was exactly that which scared me now—the unknown. I was venturing into the unknown for the first time in my life with no clear purpose other than to move forward, be happy, and make enough money to support my only-child-bred need for independence. How difficult could that be?

I knew I could get a job. I had no doubt about that. So it wasn’t entirely the economy that was getting me down, though that didn’t help. It was the same old problem—I was scared of the dark. Why had no one told me what to do? Who would judge my forthcoming achievements other than myself? There were no grades to be earned, no classmates to be bested. Sixteen years of closely regulated activity, then nothing. Go forth and prosper.

These are the whinings of an entitled Millenial. I hadn’t any high school friends gunned down in an alley. Hell, I didn’t even pay for my college education. Those $250,000 came directly from my parents, who were glad to pay it. Not to say I didn’t work. I worked my ass off every summer, but promptly spent my cash on weed and beer. But to say I was entitled was a bit of a stretch. I didn’t want anything but an opportunity to work hard. I didn’t expect anything to be handed to me. Or maybe I did? In a way I felt cheated, yeah. I did all the things I was told I needed to succeed then thrust into the worst job market in recent history. What, then, was I doing for the past sixteen years? Preparing myself for a world that had vanished five years ago?

Now I’m tired. I guess I’ve achieved what I wanted to in these short thirty minutes. Fuck it, I am entitled. Not to a job, and definitely not to a fat paycheck; but to an explanation, some instructions. The best I can get is, “You should’ve been born thirty years earlier”? I feel entitled to an explanation of why I want to put a gun in my mouth. I want to live. I want to go forth and prosper. I’m not depressed—I’m pissed. When I look at what waits for me I don’t see the world at my feet. I see dogs pulling the intestines out of a dying man’s anus because there isn’t any other fresh meat to eat. Where does that leave me? I must be entitled to a bone, at least. Throw me a fucking bone; I don’t care what kinds of scraps are attached to it. If I can’t get a boner, even with a firm tug, at least let me eat because I don’t want the trigger of a gun to be the only thing I control. I know how that story ends, and the clean up is messy.

title: I didn't feel very much like masturbating.

question: Why was the main character feeling afraid?

answer: The main character had just graduated from college. They were filled with ennui and did not know what to do in the future. They were frustrated to not have a job and not have someone telling them what to do.


text:
HANNAH DARLINGTON (born 25 January 2002) is an Australian cricketer who plays for the Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League.[1] She was the first graduate of the Thunder WBBL Academy.[2]

Darlington got her start in cricket at school when she accidentally hit a teacher in the head with a ball, and was given a choice of detention or to join the cricket team.[3]

Darlington has indigenous heritage and identifies as a member of the Kamilaroi people. In 2018, she was selected as the captain for the first female Indigenous Sydney Thunder team, and was also selected for an Indigenous team to tour England, as a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the 1868 Aboriginal tour of England.[4][5] She was educated at selective sports school Westfields Sports High.[6]

[1]  Sydney Thunder - BBL|website=www.sydneythunder.com.au|access-date=2019-11-14}}

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6] https://www.sydneythunder.com.au/news/thunder-partners-with-westfields-sports-high-school/2019-01-30

title: Hannah Darlington

question: Who is Hannah Darlington?

answer: She is an Australian cricketer who plays for the Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League. She was the first graduate of the Thunder WBBL Academy.

question: How did Darlington's career start?

answer: She accidentally hit a teacher in the head with a ball and was given a choice between detention or joining the cricket team.

question: What people does Darlington identify with?

answer: The Kamilaroi

question: What was Darlington selected for in 2018?

answer: She was selected as the captain for the first female Indigenous Sydney Thunder team.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Hannah Darlington is an Australian cricketer who plays for the Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League. She was the first graduate of the Thunder WBBL Academy. Darlington identifies as a member of the  Kamilaroi people and was selected as the captain for the first female Indigenous Sydney Thunder team.


text:
[abbottturnbull]

NEWS The long-held vision dreamt up by senior Labor politicians Stephen Conroy and Kevin Rudd in 2009 of a universal fibre broadband network covering Australia is officially dead, with a solid election victory set to sweep the Coalition into power and a technically inferior fibre to the node plan into Australia’s streets.

Although the return of Kevin Rudd to the Prime Ministership several months ago gave the Australian Labor Party a significant boost in national polling at that stage, exit polling throughout Australia today has shown a clear and decisive victory for the Coalition. Respected ABC election analyst Antony Green called the Federal Election for the Coalition earlier tonight, and other major media outlets have followed.

At this stage it appears as though the Coalition will enjoy a sizable majority of close to 40 seats in the House of Representatives which, historical results suggest would mean it would be likely to maintain two terms in power. The situation is much less clearer in the Senate as Senate results take significantly longer to tabulate than results in the lower house.

Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s seat of Wentworth — one of the safest Liberal seats in the country — is also seeing a minor swing towards Turnbull, meaning it is likely that Turnbull will be appointed Communications Minister in a new administration led by Tony Abbott, as the Opposition Leader has publicly intimated several times.

The news will have immediate and drastic consequences for Labor’s NBN project, which the Rudd and Gillard administrations have pursued as one of the Federal Government’s major projects in its current form since mid-2009.

Turnbull has consistently stated that the Coalition plans to “complete” Labor’s NBN vision more rapidly and more cheaply than Labor itself could. However, the Coalition’s NBN alternative is largely based on radically different technology than Labor’s vision, and will deliver vastly reduced broadband service delivery outcomes to many Australians.

Under Labor’s NBN policy, some 93 percent of Australian premises were to have received fibre directly to the premise, delivering maximum download speeds of up to 1Gbps and maximum upload speeds of 400Mbps. The remainder of the population will be served by a combination of satellite and wireless broadband, delivering speeds of up to 25Mbps.

The Coalition’s policy will see fibre to the premises deployed to a significantly lesser proportion of the population — 22 percent — with 71 percent covered by fibre to the node technology, where fibre is extended to neighbourhood ‘nodes’ and the remainder of the distance to premises covered by Telstra’s existing copper network. The Coalition’s policy will also continue to use the HFC cable network operated by Telstra and will also target the remaining 7 percent of premises with satellite and wireless.

According to the Coalition’s media release issued in April upon the policy’s launch, the Coalition’s policy is based on the core pledge that the group will deliver download speeds of between 25Mbps and 100Mbps by the end of 2016 — effectively the end of its first term in power — and 50Mbps to 100Mbps by the end of 2019, effectively the end of its second term. According to the Coalition’s statement, the 25Mbps to 100Mbps pledge applies to “all premises”, while the higher pledge by 2019 applies to “90 percent of fixed line users”. The Coalition has not specified certain upload speeds for its network.

Labor has costed its policy at about $44.5 billion, while the Coalition has costed its policy at $29.5 billion. However, both have stated that their policies will eventually pay for themselves, with NBN Co slated to make a return on investment on either. Additionally, the Coalition has claimed that Labor’s policy will actually cost significantly more than $44 billion.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott this week described the Coalition’s NBN policy as “absolutely bulletproof”, despite the fact that the Coalition has refused to formally cost the plan, and despite it containing a number of controversial assumptions which have been significantly questioned.

Telecommunications industry experts have consistently stated that they believe Labor’s NBN policy to be highly technically superior to the Coalition’s more modest vision, and having the potential to deliver Australia superior long-term outcomes in terms of service delivery and boosting Australia’s economy through productivity gains.

In addition, questions have been raised about the extent to whether it’s possible to deploy the FTTN technology the Coalition is focused on in Australia. The technology is being widely used internationally in countries such as the UK, France, Germany and the US, but several of those countries have more modern copper networks and a much higher population density than Australia.

There are also questions as to whether Telstra, which owns the copper network which would need to be used as part of the FTTN rollout, will consent to modify its existing $11 billion arrangement with the Labor Federal Government and NBN Co. Turnbull has stated that he does not believe a Coalition Government would need to pay Telstra any extra to get access to its network, but some industry commentators have signalled their belief that Telstra will seek extra blllions of dollars in recompense for its network.

Turnbull has stated that current contracts which NBN Co has already signed with construction firms and equipment vendors will be honoured, but it is believed that a number of the contracts include modification or exit clauses that would allow a Coalition Government to modify them along the lines of a FTTN rollout.

What this means for Australians is that those areas where the all-fibre NBN is currently being rolled out are likely to still receive FTTP broadband, in many cases, but in some cases those areas will have their rollout modified so that they receive FTTN instead. The Coalition supports the use of wireless and satellite technology for the same proportion of rural and regional areas, meaning that construction in those areas will proceed along the same lines as it would under Labor.

For further analysis of Turnbull’s likely first steps in office, see Delimiter’s (subscription-only) analysis of the moves the new Communications Minister will need to take in his first 100 days in office.

OPINION/ANALYSIS
Well. It finally happened. After three years of argy bargy between Labor and the Coalition on the issue of broadband, the long-held dream of a universal fibre network in Australia is now officially dead.

From the perspective of technologists such as myself, who have consistently highlighted the fact that Labor’s all-fibre NBN vision was superior on every count, as well as the majority of the Australian population which consistently supported the NBN throughout its lifetime, the situation is nothing short of a tragedy. It’s absurd that the Coalition is seeking to radically alter Australia’s largest-ever infrastructure project mid-way, and the move will be immensely destructive to the project.

As Shadow Minister, Turnbull was able to raise many valid points about the rollout of the NBN, and the Member for Wentworth has been very correct in his claims that Labor has mismanaged the rollout. The NBN should have been much further ahead at this point than it is now; after all, Labor has had two terms in Government to make its broadband vision irrevocable. The fact that it has not been able to do so is an indictment of Labor.

However, none of this changes the fact that the rollout of an all-fibre NBN was the best telecommunications policy Australia has ever seen. This was a real game-changer for the Australian economy, for every industry, for consumer broadband service delivery and more. The Coalition’s FTTN-based vision will be inferior in every respect; and there is absolutely no doubt that debate will begin about how it will be upgraded to FTTP, even before it gets across the line to completion in 2019.

From my point of view, what this situation represents is a failure of Australia’s political system in general. The NBN is a policy which has always been enormously popular with the electorate at large, and globally and in Australia, telecommunications experts have been strongly in agreement that the FTTP model which Labor proposed was the right one. Even though the project has so far failed to deliver on its goals, I think the population was willing to wait for NBN Co to get its rollout up to speed.

In the pantheon of Labor policy, the NBN has always been a bright spot. But due to generally separate factors, the Coalition has won power from Labor, and the all-fibre NBN will die along with it, even though it’s what most of Australia wants.

Well, it is what it is. It’s time for Australia’s technologists to get used to the situation. We now have a new Federal Government and a new NBN policy. We’re not getting FTTP any more, and we won’t be leading the world in telecommunications infrastructure. We’re getting FTTN and we will generally be behind other similar countries such as the UK. Plus, suddenly Telstra’s role in Australia’s future telecommunications industry is going to become much more central.

Plus, we have a new Communications Minister. Whether you love Malcolm Turnbull or hate him, it is inevitable now. Turnbull will very likely be sworn in with the rest of Abbott’s new administration in the next few days ahead. It’ll be very interesting to see what wider ripples come from this giant stone thrown in the pond of Australia’s technology sector, and fascinating to see whether Turnbull can actually deliver on the Coalition’s policy.

In the Communications portfolio, the debate now turns squarely to the performance of Turnbull himself in getting the Coalition’s FTTN-based NBN done. Turnbull has been heavily, incessantly, even offensively critical of Labor’s performance delivering the NBN. Well, now the shoe is squarely on the other foot. As Minister, Turnbull will need all of his capabilities to get the NBN back on track and the Coalition’s vision delivered.

Anything less will see those critics of the Coalition’s inferior NBN policy roast Turnbull personally over a slow BBQ for his failures and then feed the Earl of Wentworth to the sharks off Bondi Beach in his electorate. I’ll be first in line to do so if Turnbull puts a foot wrong. If you are going to heap bile upon Australia’s largest ever infrastructure project for three years, you had better be able to prove that you can do a better job.

question: Summarize the policy held by the senior Labor politicians in the run-up to the 2009 Australian elections?

answer: The Labor party wants a universal fiber broadband network covering the whole of Australia with 93 percent of Australian premises were to receive fiber download capacity of up to 1Gbps and 400Mbps upload capacity(maximum).

question: What are the differences between the Australian Labor Party's fiber broadband policy and the Coalition's broadband policy?

answer: Under Labor's NBN policy, 93 percent of Australian premises were planned to receive fiber directly up to 1Gbps. The Coalition's policy is to distribute fiber broadband directly to only 22 percent of the population. While Labor policy is costed at about $44.5 billion, the Coalition policy cost is at $29.5 billion.

question: Why did Coalition win the election even though Labor's broadband policy look better on paper?


text:
April 6, 2052, 1 pm

Agent Martin makes his way back to work after lunch break. His office, on the top floor of the Data Security Center—DSC—is indistinguishable in design and contents from the other offices on the vast floor. All are small soundproof rooms, windowless, shut off by black sliding glass doors. Each office is a command center.

Martin takes his seat, yawns, and puts on his headset. He enjoys his job; it often reminds him of playing video games as a youth. He turns to the monitor on his right, strikes a few keys on the keyboard, and up pops a panel showing birds-eye footage of a suburban neighbourhood. A large textbox underneath reads “Approaching Destination: 200 meters”. The number steadily decreasing. This damn wind hasn't let up the slightest, he thinks, shaking his head. It had been extremely windy the entire day. Prior to leaving for lunch, he had delployed a set of four drones—as was the standard deployment—packed in a larger camoflauged container-unit—camo-con—which was the source of the footage now on screen.

The targets name was Wesley Smith. His activities had been flagged with  “Acute Suspicion”  by the system earlier that morning. All such cases required the attention of and if necessary, investigation—or “analysis” as it called—by an agent. Martin considered it bad luck when such cases were assigned to him. He had groaned when the notification had popped up. The day was fairly quiet and he'd been having great fun micro-managing a drone in a local park. The notification had presented him with a typically boring task. Wesley was sixteen years old. Another stupid sixteen year old that's fascinated with how drugs or bombs can be made, he'd thought then. However, to his delight, he found that the flag had nothing to do with the users querying history, but rather it's lacktherof. Wesley, it seemed, had found himself some very good encryption software—that the system must be unfamiliar with—as over the past nine hours, his data footprint had been reduced tremendously, triggering the flag. Martin had let out a whistle as he thought about all the different possibilites. There was a small chance that this kid possesed data that could lead to him to the source. These were the types of cases Martin was best at. He would surely get a promotion if he were to uncover the creators behind some black market encryption package. He had then followed the standard procedure, flagged the case as “Under Analysis” and had deployed the drone set. The wind however, had delayed what should have been a half-hour trip to over an hour.

Now, he watches as the container unit stops at ten meteres from what he assumes is the target's home. Gusts of wind gently rock the camera side to side. The house is an average looking two-storey house, an exception being the large apple tree in the front yard. Hanging from the tree, a tire-swing slowly sways back and forth. It's the swing that flashes in Martin mind; as a kid, he had a friend who lived in a home on that very street. Passing by here, he would often see children pushing each other on that swing. His mind wanders, and he finds himself wondering whether Wesley—No, he must'nt get distracted. The system begins running a series of tests to confirm that this is the correct house, then ejects the four drones from the container, and prompts Martin to guide the entry.

This was probably the most enjoyable part of his job. He begins micromanaging the blade—the smallest, quickest and most agile of the set—and defines a distance for the others to trail behind. The blade was one inch long, half an inch wide, and four millimeters in height. It was a dull shade of grey and perfectly smooth. A barebone unit, it contained just a nano mic-cam component, a communications component, a power supply, and over a dozen micro-motors; it was fairly stealthy, ideal for recon. It's light weight also meant however, that it was a challenge to control in the wind, and Martin througly enjoyed this challenge.

After zipping around some for fun, he spots an open window at the back side of the house. He thought it a bit odd for a window to be left open when it was this windy, but was able to determine that the room is unoccupied. As the small drone caravan silently advances into the dark room, the monitor to Martins left begins blinking. The hound—a relatively clumsly unit that Martin almost hadn't included—had detected illicit substances in it's proximity. A line of bolded text on the monitor reads: SUBSTANCE: [SCHEDULE I - CANNABIS], the last word—CANNABIS—appearing in green font. The change in font color was Martin's little hack to his own station, thus no one else would ever see it. He chucked to himself whenver it came up.

He suddenly dreads including the Hound in the set, and hopes it's a false positive. Standard procedure had to be followed now.  He issues the command for the drones to begin inspecting the room. Martin ran his own alrorithm—a feat that as far as he knows, only he has acomplished—for room inspection and was proud of it. The largest unit—the Tech—contains the processor shared by the four and is responsible for giving instructions to the other three. In fact, even now, the signals sent to the Blade by Martin are first processed by the Tech, and then only passed on if it considers them safe. It is a highly complex unit whose nano-mechanics Martin had always been in awe of, but was not authorized to program. Just to override it's room-inspection algorithm had taken him weeks and numerous demonstrations. But he had done it, and now the three drones would sniff, photograph, and record the sound in every visible and acessible space in the room, in at most three minutes. As the blade, he slides underneath the centimeter tall gap underneath the door, sees that it leads to an empty hallway, and remains there as a lookout.

When the inspection completes, Martin sits silenlty looking over the new data while carefully listening for any sound through the headphones. The Bat, a unit with ultrasonic capability, working with the Hound had determined that a desk—the laptop sitting on which Martin disappointedly noted was powered off—contains in it's drawer, between three to four grams of marijuana.

For the second time that day, Martin groaned. There was nothing more he could do here. Had he not discovered the weed, he could have gone probing further to try and hack a device on the network. But the presence of the drug had already been logged by the system. The case was no longer in his domain. Any further risk taken by him would be overridden or worse, logged and reported, by the Tech. He would not be doing any hacking today.

As he begins to type out the mandatory report to send back to PRISM, he wonders who the case will be assigned to now—if it hadn't already—and what type of power and authorization that person has. Maybe, he thinks, it's someone inside this building somewhere.

Regardless of what the system would do with the information he had just added to it, he was fully certain that young Wesley's days of being a free man were numbered.

title: 2052

question: What does the story say about Wesley?

answer: Wesley is a sixteen-year-old who was noticed by the automated security systems that seem to be surveilling every electronic device. The reason is that his online activity is suddenly reduced to very low levels, possibly indicating that he's using encryption software unknown to the system. Martin, an agent, is tasked with the investigation of his room with drones. Martin finds nothing of interest in the room since the laptop is turned off, but there's cannabis in his bag. Since the system automatically logs the illegal substance, the case will be transferred to someone else, and Wesley will be arrested soon.

question: What does the text say about Martin?

answer: Martin is an agent working at the Data Security Center who's good at hacking, likes drones, and gets bored with routine investigations. He gets notified of a sixteen-year-old flagged for suspicious activity while playing with drones, but the case turns out to be interesting. The kid seems to have an unknown encryption software, hiding his online presence, and Martin wants an excuse to start hacking and figure it out. However, the drones detect an illicit substance (cannabis), which gets reported automatically. This means the case gets reassigned to someone else. Between that and the kid's laptop being off, Martin can't find any reason to justify an attempt at hacking, which upsets him.

question: What does the text say about the maxim, "sharing is caring"?


text:
JOSHUA WILSON (born March 11, 1985) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Maryland.

Wilson has also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, and Atlanta Falcons.

Collegiate career

A graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School, Wilson saw action in all 11 games as a true freshman and became a starting cornerback late in his sophomore year, a job he never relinquished. By his senior season he was one of the top cornerbacks in the nation. He also had 847 yards as a kick returner in the 2006 season. In his career, he tallied 157 tackles, including 100 solo stops, had two career interceptions, 25 passes defended, forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles, and blocked three kicks.

Track and field

Wilson also ran track at DeMatha Catholic High School, where he was a part of a school record-setting 4 × 100 metres relay team. He also set state records of 10.84 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.56 seconds in the 200 meters. He also competed in the 60 meters, posting a personal best time of 6.98 seconds.

Professional career

2007 NFL Combine

Seattle Seahawks

Wilson was drafted in second round with the 55th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2007 NFL Draft.[1] During a week three home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wilson returned the opening kickoff 72 yards to help set up a Matt Hasselbeck touchdown pass to Bobby Engram. In week 12, against the St. Louis Rams, Josh Wilson returned an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He recorded 9 tackles in 12 games. On October 26, 2008 against the San Francisco 49ers Josh Wilson ran back a 75-yard interception for a touchdown. At the end of the 2008 season, Josh Wilson had 76 tackles, 4 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and 1 sack.

Baltimore Ravens

2010 season

On August 31, 2010, he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens, for a conditional 2011 Draft pick. Wilson returned an interception for a touchdown in overtime against the Houston Texans on December 13, 2010 to help the Ravens win 34-28. That was one of three interceptions that Wilson had in his lone season in Baltimore.[2]

Washington Redskins

[Wilson at Redskins training camp in 2011.]

2011 season

On July 27, 2011, Wilson signed with the Washington Redskins to a three-year, $13.5 million contract with $9 million guaranteed.[3] He was made the starting right cornerback. Wilson made his first interception for the Redskins in the end zone in Week 14 against the New England Patriots.[4] In Week 15 against the New York Giants, Wilson made his second interception of the season, which happened to also be in the end zone.[5] In the 2011 season, Wilson started in all 16 games recording 62 combined tackles, 15 pass break-ups, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

2012 season

In the 2012 season, Wilson continued to be the starting right outside cornerback. In Week 2 against the St. Louis Rams, he recovered a fumble and returned the ball 30 yards for a touchdown after Perry Riley stripped the ball from Danny Amendola.[6][7][8] Later in the third quarter, Wilson was forced to leave the game early due to suffering a concussion after tackling Rams runningback Daryl Richardson in the third quarter and preventing him from getting a touchdown.[9] On September 19, 2012, he was officially cleared from his concussion and allowed to practice.[10] In the Week 7 game against the New York Giants, he recorded his first interception of the season; making this the second time in a row he picked off Eli Manning since their last meeting in 2011.[11] Wilson would manage to force a fumble, which was recovered by DeJon Gomes in a Week 12 win against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.[12]

2013 season

Atlanta Falcons

2014 season

On April 8, 2014, Wilson signed with the Atlanta Falcons on a one-year contract.[13]

Detroit Lions

2015 season

On April 3, 2015, Wilson signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions.[14]

Personal life

Wilson's father, Tim Wilson, played in the NFL for eight years, mostly for the Houston Oilers. He was best friends with the legendary Earl Campbell, whom Josh calls “Uncle Earl”. His father died in 1996, and Josh carries around a football card of him.[15]

Wilson grew up as a fan of the Washington Redskins.[16]

[1] NFL Draft Tracker

[2] Josh Wilson returns INT for TD as Ravens deny Texans in OT-ESPN

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title: Josh Wilson (American football)

question: How did Wilson become a cornerback?

answer: Wilson saw action in all 11 games in his freshman year at DeMatha Catholic High School, and became a starting cornerback late in his sophomore year, a job he never relinquished. By his senior season he was one of the top cornerbacks in the nation.


text:
In 1706, mathematics teacher William Jones is credited with first using the symbol of π to represent the concept of the ratio between a circle's circumference and diameter. The mathematical formula itself has been recognized as a universal ratio for several thousand years. Pioneers in mathematics like the Sumerians and Greeks believed that no matter how large or small a circle was, the ratio of 3.14159265 was a constant.

They formed whole schools of math philosophy with Pi as it’s foundation and core. Uncovering a universal law that could be applied to all size circles seemed like a secret stolen from the gods. Somewhere along the line, scholars stopped doubting the dependability of the ratio. It was eventually accepted as a universal point of reference. From then on, the principle of Pi passed from theory into accepted fact.

As with many things, a healthy level of skepticism has its uses. It was too easy to think that our predecessors had been flawless in their research. Such a trusting level of romanticism could lead to the dangerous idea that past mathematicians never made mistakes in their calculations. Those who blindly accept any ‘truth’ or theorem, risk boxing themselves into limitations of thought, and making critical errors in conclusions.

One individual was determined to do his own independent research on the sacred laws of Pi; flying in the face of its universal acceptance. His stubborn determination to ignore millions of previous confirmations of its dependability was either pure idealism or exceptional stupidity; depending on how you looked at it. Over the lengthy course of his efforts, he personally measured thousands of circles. Despite them all adhering to the well-documented ratio, he remained resolute in his furious desire to find a meaningful exception. The effort to find base flaws in universal laws of physics is often referred to as ‘chaos theory’. He even considered the theory of a collapsed star as possible evidence of circles or spheres which ignored the laws of Pi.

The young man experimented with sophisticated math algorithms and controversial new research data. He cross-multiplied base integers in intricate ways. He applied square and cubed roots to each part of his equations to see if it might affect the never-changing outcome. Try as he might, the long-forgotten gods who invented quantum physics were determined to foil his efforts to find a flaw in their system. The exception to the rule of Pi remained elusive.

Spurned on by historical examples of those who had refused to accept failure, he carried on where wiser men threw in the towel. Much of his precious youth was exhausted on this questionable endeavor. So much of his formative years had been focused on these myopic goals that it left no time for a personal life.

One day he bemoaned his wasted years chasing chaos theory, to an older peer in experimental physics. The elderly colleague smiled and made a startling statement. “You can bring your life’s work to an end now and start living, my determined friend. There is already a singular exception to the universal reliability of Pi. It’s based on the ‘4 units’ system when inverted with the ‘no complications’ equation.”

The chaos-seeking physicist looked at his older friend with exasperated surprise. “What do you mean? I’ve tried every variable and formula known to humanity to shake up those damned numbers! I’ve never even heard of a ‘no complications equation’ or a ‘4 units’ system. For heaven’s sake. Please tell me! How does it work?”

“When you think of the rewards of a fulfilling life as being similar to a desert metaphor, you must place the ‘no complications’ equation in the very forefront. To bookend this theorem you add the four units to the end of the formula for balance. Properly sequenced, it reads: ‘No more Pi 4u’. Given a few minutes to absorb this simple formula, I hope you can soon see the wisdom in it.”

title: [MF] Refuting the Pi principle

question: Who independently researched on laws of Pi?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Who was a part of making the foundations and core of Pi?

answer: The Sumerians and Greeks.

question: What era is this narration set in?

answer: In 1706.

question: Who discovered the symbol Pi?

answer: William Jones

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
William Jones was the first to discover the symbol of Pi. One individual was determined to do independent research on the laws of Pi. Despite all the thousand circles adhering to the ratio, he was determined to find an exception. Regardless of his varied efforts, the exception to Pi were elusive.

After having a startling conversation with an older peer, his peer says that when the formula is properly sequenced it reads:'No more Pi 4u' and he hopes the man can find wisdom in it.


text:
FRANCES Y. SLANGER (born FRIEDEL YACHET SCHLANGER, 1913-October 21, 1944) was an American military nurse of Polish Jewish birth. The only American nurse to die due to enemy fire in the European theater of World War II, she gained posthumous recognition for a letter she had written regarding the sacrifices of American soldiers which was published as an editorial in the military newspaper _Stars and Stripes_.

Early life

A native of Łódź,[1] Slanger came with her family to the United States in 1920; they lived in Roxbury, Massachusetts.[2] Her father had already emigrated shortly before she was born;[3] he was a fruit peddler, and she assisted him in his business while attending high school.[4] Choosing to become a nurse, she enrolled in the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing, from which she graduated in 1937; she then began working in hospitals.[5] She enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps in 1943, and thanks to persistent requests was deployed to Europe in 1944. Assigned to the 45th Field Hospital, she was one of four military nurses to enter Normandy after D-Day.[6] She soon gained recognition for her ability to improvise under pressure and for her compassion towards those in her care.[7]

Letter and death

On October 21, 1944, Slanger submitted a letter to _Stars and Stripes_, the military newspaper:

  It is 0200, and I have been lying awake for an hour listening to the steady breathing of the other three nurses in the tent, thinking about some of the things we had discussed during the day.

  The fire was burning low, and just a few live coals are on the bottom. With the slow feeding of wood and finally coal, a roaring fire is started. I couldn’t help thinking how similar to a human being a fire is. If it is not allowed to run down too low, and if there is a spark of life left in it, it can be nursed back. So can a human being. It is slow. It is gradual. It is done all the time in these field hospitals and other hospitals at the ETO.

  We had several articles in different magazines and papers sent in by grateful GIs praising the work of the nurses around the combat zones. Praising us – for what?

  We wade ankle-deep in mud – you have to lie in it. We are restricted to our immediate area, a cow pasture or a hay field, but then who is not restricted?

  We have a stove and coal. We even have a laundry line in the tent.

  The wind is howling, the tent waving precariously, the rain beating down, the guns firing, and me with ta flashlight writing. It all adds up to a feeling of unrealness. Sure we rough it, but in comparison to the way you men are taking it, we can’t complain nor do we feel that bouquets are due us. But you – the men behind the guns, the men driving our tanks, flying our planes, sailing our ships, building bridges – it is to you we doff our helmets. To every GI wearing the American uniform, for you we have the greatest admiration and respect.

  Yes, this time we are handing out the bouquets – but after taking care of some of your buddies, comforting them when they are brought in, bloody, dirty with the earth, mud and grime, and most of them so tired. Somebody’s brothers, somebody’s fathers, somebody’s sons, seeing them gradually brought back to life, to consciousness, and their lips separate into a grin when they first welcome you. Usually they say, “hiya babe, Holy Mackerel, an American woman” – or more indiscreetly “How about a kiss?”

  These soldiers stay with us but a short time, from ten days to possibly two weeks. We have learned a great deal about our American boy and the stuff he is made of. The wounded do not cry. Their buddies come first. The patience and determination they show, the courage and fortitude they have is sometimes awesome to behold. It is we who are proud of you, a great distinction to see you open your eyes and with that swell American grin, say “Hiya, Babe.”[8]

[The USAHS _Frances Y. Slanger_ in 1945.] When the letter arrived at the magazine, the staff were so impressed that they chose to publish it as an editorial. It quickly found popularity, proving so inspirational that many readers, military and civilian alike, wrote to her to thank her for her sentiments.[9] But Slanger never saw the acclaim her letter received; hours after writing it, she was killed by a barrage of artillery in the field, becoming the only American nurse to fall to enemy action in the European theater of the war.[10] It was reported that even as she was dying, she expressed concern for those others who had been injured in the fighting.[11] Slanger died in Elsenborn, Belgium.[12] Initially buried in France, in a military cemetery, her remains were repatriated in 1947, to be reinterred at the Independent Pride of Boston Cemetery in Roxbury.[13][14] Boston's mayor was among the thousands who paid their respects at the ceremony.[15]

Legacy and honors

Slanger was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart,[16] and in 1945 became the namesake of an army hospital ship, the USAHS _Frances Y. Slanger_, which had been converted from the impounded Italian ocean liner _Saturnia_ earlier that year. The ship was later returned to Italy.[17] She is also the namesake of the Lt. Frances Y. Slanger Post #313 of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, the first post of that group to be named for a woman.[18] She is the subject of a book, _American Nightingale: The Story of Frances Slanger, Forgotten Heroine of Normandy_, by journalist Bob Welch.[19] A collection of archival material related to Slanger's life and career is currently held by the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.[20]

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title: Frances Slanger

question: What does the article say about the letter to Stars and Stripes?

answer: The letter was written by Frances Slanger, an American military nurse. It is about the sacrifices of American soldiers. She wrote that the soldiers showed patience, determination, courage, and fortitude and that they did not cry when they were wounded.

question: What does the article say about Frances Slanger's early life?

answer: Frances Slanger, a native of Łódź, was of Polish Jewish birth. She came with her family to the United States in 1920. She graduated from the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing in 1937 and began working in hospitals. She enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps in 1943 and was deployed to Europe in 1944.

question: What does the article say about Slanger's personal life?


text:
Published
    10 November 2018

media captionAngela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron shared a tender moment

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL HAVE LEFT THEIR OWN MARK OF RECONCILIATION AT THE START OF EVENTS TO MARK THE CENTENARY OF THE END OF WORLD WAR ONE.

They signed a book of remembrance in a railway carriage identical to the one in which the 1918 Armistice was sealed.

US President Donald Trump is among world leaders attending the events.

But Mr Trump caused controversy by cancelling a trip to a US cemetery on Saturday because of bad weather.

The day had a tense beginning amid a row between Mr Trump and Mr Macron over European defence.

The French leader said the EU needed a joint army now that the US was pulling out of a key disarmament treaty with Russia.

Mr Trump described the comments as insulting and said Europe should pay its share of costs within Nato, the Euro-Atlantic alliance.

After a meeting at the Elysée Palace, Mr Macron said he agreed that Europe should pay more.

What happened at the Armistice site?

Mrs Merkel became the first German leader since World War Two to visit the forest near the town of Compiègne in northern France where the Armistice was signed.

She and Mr Macron unveiled a plaque to Franco-German reconciliation, laid a wreath and signed a book of remembrance in a replica railway carriage.

The original wagon, on which it was modelled, was used by Adolf Hitler to accept France's capitulation to Nazi Germany in June 1940.

image copyrightEPA

image captionMrs Merkel was the first post-war German leader to visit the Compiègne site

Around 70 world leaders are gathering in Paris for the events.

Mr Macron will lead the main event of the centenary - a sombre commemoration on Sunday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial to France's fallen under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Sunday afternoon will see Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel attend a peace conference - the Paris Peace Forum - with leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Why did Trump cancel his cemetery trip?

After an hour of talks with Mr Macron and lunch with their wives Melania and Brigitte, Mr Trump had been due to visit one of two American cemeteries on his schedule.

But he cancelled his trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial due to "scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather".

White House officials later explained that low cloud would have prevented his helicopter from landing, and cited security concerns about arranging a motorcade to the site.

Gen. John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, attended on the president's behalf.

The decision attracted much derision on social media, including from President George W Bush speechwriter David Frum who, like many, drew comparisons with the conditions faced by the troops who fought and died in World War One.

Particularly strong reaction came from Nicholas Soames, UK Conservative MP and grandson of British wartime leader Winston Churchill.

The Armistice 100 years on

Long read: The forgotten female soldier on the forgotten frontline

Video: War footage brought alive in colour

Interactive: What would you have done between 1914 and 1918?

Living history: Why 'indecent' Armistice Day parties ended

Did Trump and Macron patch up their differences?

Meeting Mr Macron at the presidential palace in Paris, Mr Trump said the US wanted "a strong Europe," but the defence bill "has been largely on the United States".

Mr Macron said he agreed that "we need a much better burden-sharing within Nato".

media captionMacron gave Trump a slightly awkward leg pat after defending his idea of a European army

The row began when Mr Macron told French radio station Europe 1 radio on Tuesday "we must have a Europe that can defend itself on its own without relying only on the United States".

Mr Macron went on to mention threats to Europe, including "re-emerging authoritarian powers" that were well-armed on Europe's borders, and attempts to launch cyber-attacks, before concluding: "We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America."

Mr Trump responded angrily in a Friday night tweet, writing: "President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the US, China and Russia. Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the US subsidizes greatly!"

media captionThe ups and downs of Trump and Macron

Mr Macron has already raised spending considerably to meet a Nato target of 2% of the GDP going to defence.

He is also overseeing the formation of a European Intervention Initiative, a 10-nation endeavour backed by Germany and the UK.

More on this story

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question: What was special about the place where signed the book of remembrance?

answer: Mrs Merkel became the first German leader since World War Two to visit the forest near the town of Compiègne in northern France where the Armistice was signed. She and Mr. Macron unveiled a plaque to Franco-German reconciliation, laid a wreath, and signed a book of remembrance in a replica railway carriage. The original wagon, on which it was modeled, was used by Adolf Hitler to accept France's capitulation to Nazi Germany in June 1940.

question: What was the cause of contention between Presidents Trump and Macron?

answer: The day had a tense beginning amid a row between Mr. Trump and Mr. Macron over European defense. The French leader said the EU needed a joint army now that the US was pulling out of a key disarmament treaty with Russia. Mr. Trump described the comments as insulting and said Europe should pay its share of costs within Nato, the Euro-Atlantic alliance.

question: Why did some people mock President Trump's cancellation of the trip to the Cemetary?

answer: Mr. Trump canceled his trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial due to "scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather". The decision attracted much derision on social media, including from President George W Bush speechwriter David Frum who, like many, drew comparisons with the conditions faced by the troops who fought and died in World War One.