text:
Story highlights

-   About 80,000 people in the U.S. are being held in solitary-type confinement
-   New York state agreed to limit solitary confinement for some prisoners
-   Study showed solitary prisoners had higher likelihood of self-harm

“This report was first published in February 2014.”

(CNN)Robert King still remembers well the dimensions of his cell: 6 x 9 x 12 feet. There was a steel bed and a sink that doubled as a toilet where he would also wash clothes.

King spent 29 years in solitary confinement in Louisiana. He has been free since 2001, but still has difficulty with geographical orientation.

"I get confused as to where I am, where I should be," he said.

King joined researchers and legal experts at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Chicago this month to talk about the mental and physical health consequences of solitary confinement.

"The widespread consensus among mental health professionals is that solitary confinement, for the overall majority of mentally ill prisoners, places them at severe risk of additional harm," said Craig Haney, director of the program in legal studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The talk was timely. This week, New York state agreed to several changes that would limit the use of solitary confinement for disciplining some groups of inmates, including those under 18 or pregnant women. The agreement stemmed from a class-action lawsuit.

The New York State Department of Corrections provided to CNN a statement from its acting commissioner, which read in part: "These are important reforms that will make the disciplinary practices in New York's prisons more humane, and ultimately, our state's criminal justice system more fair and progressive, while maintaining safety and security."

A department spokesperson said no statement was available on the general use of solitary confinement.

A brief history of solitary confinement

There are about 80,000 people being held in some sort of solitary-type confinement in the United States, Haney said.

Prisoners in solitary confinement tend to be restricted to cells of 80 square feet, not much larger than a king-size bed, Haney said. Sleeping, eating and defecating all take place inside that space. For exercise, prisoners in solitary confinement often get a short time in a cage rather than an outdoor yard -- perhaps one hour per day.

Haney, who has studied prisons and punishment for more than four decades, estimates that about one-third of people in solitary confinement in this country are mentally ill, although some prison systems do not permit mentally ill inmates to be placed in solitary confinement.

Solitary confinement was used broadly in the 19th century, but the punishment was then largely abandoned because of the view that "it was doing more harm than good," Haney said.

Correctional practice began to reincorporate solitary confinement in the late 1970s and 80s, as prisons began to get overcrowded, Haney said. He believes prison systems turned to solitary confinement as a short-term solution to controlling disruptive or violent behavior, lacking the resources to provide positive incentives or programming.

But overcrowding in prisons turned out to be permanent and mostly increased each year.

Prison systems continued to struggle over what to do to resolve conflicts or stop violence or disruption in the institutions. They put more prisoners in solitary confinement and left them there for longer periods of time, Haney said.

"I think the cost of solitary confinement is now being critically examined and rethought, and prison systems are beginning to ask themselves whether this is worth it, and whether or not it does not create more harm than good," he said. "Courts are pushing them to consider the inhumanity of the practice, as well."

'Prison wasn't in me'

King noticed six months into his time in solitary confinement that his eyesight significantly worsened -- he thinks because his eyes had become acclimated to such short distances in his cell. Over time, he retrained his eyes so that he would not be so nearsighted, he said.

Eye problems are not uncommon in these circumstances. In fact, Jules Lobel, professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, said there is a swath of cataract surgeries at Pelican Bay Prison in California.

Lobel represents more than 1,000 prisoners at Pelican Bay in a lawsuit alleging that keeping prisoners in such conditions -- isolated in small, windowless cells with no physical contact or phone calls -- violates the Constitution and international law because it is "cruel and inhumane."

King, who was freed when his conviction was overturned 13 years ago, said his mental health suffered, too, but he knew others were faring worse and he was determined to not let that happen to himself.

"I was depressed every day I was in prison," he said. "I wanted to get out. I was in prison, convicted for a crime I didn't commit. Of course I was depressed."

Initially, food was served to him on a tray under the door to his cell; sometimes the tray was flung onto the floor with its contents spilled. King said he and other inmates filed a redress and went on hunger strikes until they negotiated that holes would be cut in bars to serve the food in a more sanitary way.

He said he and others also filed a lawsuit so that the prison would give them the opportunity for outdoor exercise. King could talk to other prisoners through the walls or by sliding notes.

"What helped me weather the storm was: I was in prison, but prison wasn't in me," he said.

What it's like

Solitary confinement has been associated with many different physical and psychological ills.

"When isolated prisoners are asked, they point to anger, hatred, bitterness, boredom, stress, loss of the sense of reality, suicidal thoughts, trouble sleeping, impaired concentration, confusion, depression, and hallucinations," writes Peter Scharff Smith of the Danish Institute for Human Rights in an essay published by University of Chicago Press.

Several studies point to headaches, heart palpitations, increased pulse and oversensitivity to stimuli as symptoms of isolated prisoners, Scharff Smith wrote, as well as dizziness, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Most studies on the topic have found depression and anxiety among isolated inmates, Scharff Smith wrote.

A study on the New York City jail system published this month in the American Journal of Public Health found that those who had been in solitary confinement at least once had a higher likelihood of self-harm.

Haney said identity disorders have also been found among isolated prisoners because of the loss of contact with the social world.

"People have to structure their lives around the absence of other human beings," he said. "They [prisoners in solitary confinement] go for years on end without touching anyone with affection."

Typically people released from solitary confinement don't get much help transitioning out of it, he said. Some systems parole prisoners directly out of their isolated cells.

Lobel argued at the AAAS conference that social interaction and sensory stimulation form a basic human need, as supported by science. Research has shown people outside of prison who are socially isolated also have a higher risk of heart attacks, hypertension, concentration and memory problems, he said.

"We're trying to integrate law and science in this," he said.

Solitary confinement and the brain

There aren't any direct brain-imaging studies of people who are in solitary confinement because of access issues, Huda Akil, a neuroscientist at the University of Michigan, said at the AAAS conference. But available studies on similar situations suggest significant brain changes could be occurring.

Positive experiences, including social interaction, have positive impacts on the brain, such as the activation of molecules called growth factors, which are akin to fertilizers for brain cells, helping them regrow and interact.

"Depriving people of that is physically depriving the brain from its nourishment," she said.

Without any social interaction, some people hallucinate or become explosive in their emotions, she said.

An absence of sunlight and being out of sync with the daily rhythm could produce negative effects by itself, she said. Several studies on shift workers have found associations with various medical conditions.

Severe depression has profound impacts on the brain; autopsies have shown that "the orchestration of brain and activity of genes in their brains is messed up" in such patients, she said.

It's a vicious cycle: You feel bad, that produces stress, stress hurts the brain, and that makes you feel bad, Akil said.

Chronic depression and stress have been associated with a shrinking of the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped brain area critical for memory, spatialrecognition and controlling one's emotions, Akil said. Studies have shown that the longer the depression goes untreated, the more the hippocampus shrinks.

"When Robert [King] tells you that he gets disoriented physically, I can tell him that people who are chronically depressed have a shrunken hippocampus, and that that affects your ability to orient in space, in 3D," she said.

King told CNN after the conference that this brain atrophy could be what is happening to him.

"The brain somehow won't register things, and it won't register exactly where I am," he said.

The Angola 3

King was one of three inmates known as the "Angola 3" who protested what they said were injustices at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. The three spent decades isolated in cells for 23 hours a day.

The other two, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox, were convicted in the 1972 killing of a guard at the Angola prison.

Wallace died just days after being released from prison in October 2013 at age 71.

"His legacy will endure through a civil lawsuit that he filed jointly with his fellow Angola 3 members, Albert Woodfox and Robert King," Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Michigan, said in October. "That lawsuit seeks to define and abolish long-term solitary confinement as cruel and unusual punishment."

Woodfox remains in prison, where he has been in solitary confinement for more than 41 years.Amnesty International USA has called for his release.

King was convicted in 1973 of killing a fellow inmate, although he believes he was "being punished for being a member of the Black Panther Party." He was transferred to Angola weeks after the security guard was killed, but was investigated as a possible conspirator in the slaying.

Today, King serves as an adviser to Solitary Watch, an online project devoted to news, firsthand accounts and research and reporting on solitary confinement. He has also campaigned for the release of the other two members of the"Angola 3."

King writes on his website: "I may be free from Angola, but Angola will never be free of me."

CNN's Phil Gast and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.

question: What does the article say about the negative consequences of solitary confinement?

answer: A study showed the solitary prisoners had a higher likelihood of self-harm. Robert King, who spent 29 years in solitary confinement, has difficulty with geographical orientation. His eyesight also significantly worsened. His mental health suffered as well. Several studies show links to headaches, heart palpitations, increased pulse, and oversensitivity to stimuli. Most studies have found depression and anxiety among isolated inmates. Identity disorders have also been found among isolated prisoners.

question: What does the article say about crimes?

answer: Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox were convicted of killing a guard at the Angola prison in 1972. King was convicted of killing a fellow inmate in 1973. He was also investigated as a conspirator in the Angola guard killing.

question: What does the article say about the motivation behind the murder King committed?


split: test

text:
JACK MCVEIGH (born 27 June 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball with the Nebraska Cornhuskers for three seasons. McVeigh emerged as the team's sixth man during his sophomore season but a reduction in playing time during his junior season led to his departure from the team.[1] On 23 April 2018, he returned to Australia and signed a three-year deal with the Adelaide 36ers.[2][3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Jack McVeigh

question: What team did Jack McVeigh play for at the time of the article?

answer: The Adelaide 36ers.

question: What sport does Jack McVeigh play?

answer: Basketball

question: Where is Jack McVeigh from?

answer: Australia

question: Describe Jack McVeigh's personal life.

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Jack McVeigh is an Australian professional basketball player. At the time of the article, he played for the Adelaide 36ers.


text:
CHOWAN COUNTY ()[1] is one of the 100 counties located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,793.[2] Its county seat is Edenton.[3] The county was created between 1668 and 1671 as Shaftesbury Precinct and later renamed Chowan Precinct. It gained county status in 1739.[4][5]

History

Chowan was formed in 1670 as a precinct, originally called Shaftesbury, in Albemarle County. By 1685 it had been renamed for the Chowan Indian tribe, which lived in the northeastern part of the Carolina Colony.

Chowan County is in the northeastern section of the State and is bounded by Albemarle Sound, Chowan River, and the counties of Bertie, Hertford, Gates, and Perquimans. The present land area is 172.64 square miles and the 2000 population was 14,150.

In 1720, Edenton, which was named in honor of Governor Charles Eden, was established. In 1722 it was designated, and has continued to be, the county seat.[6]

[The Bond House, Edenton, Chowan County, c. 1920]

During the American Civil War, the Albemarle Artillery was recruited in 1862 from Chowan and Tyrrell men at Edenton by local attorney William Badham, Jr.. After cannons were recast from bronze donated as bells from local courthouses and churches to arm the battery, the unit was renamed the Edenton Bell Battery. They named their cannon: _Columbia_, _St. Paul_, _Fannie Roulac_, and _Edenton_. Two of the guns, long thought lost, have been returned to Edenton in recent years. The _St. Paul_ and the _Edenton_ now can be seen on display at Edenton's waterfront park.[7] The county was named after the historical Chowanoc American Indian tribe, also called Chowan. [8] [9]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (26%) is water.[10] It is the smallest county in North Carolina by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

-   Gates County - north
-   Perquimans County - east
-   Washington County - south
-   Bertie County - west
-   Hertford County - northwest

Major highways

-   -   -   -   -

Demographics

As of the census[11] of 2010, there were 14,793 people, 5,580 households, and 4,006 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile (32/km²). There were 6,443 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.0% White, 34.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 3.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,580 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 15.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 88.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,928, and the median income for a family was $36,986. Males had a median income of $29,719 versus $19,826 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,027. About 13.70% of families and 17.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 16.70% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Chowan County is a member of the Albemarle Commission regional council of government.

Chowan County is represented by Bob Steinburg in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

  Year                               REPUBLICAN                                  DEMOCRATIC                                  THIRD PARTIES
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
  style=“text-align:center;” |2016   style=“text-align:center;” |55.5% _4,014_   style=“text-align:center;” |41.4% _2,992_   3.1% _222_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2012   style=“text-align:center;” |51.9% _3,891_   style=“text-align:center;” |47.4% _3,556_   0.8% _58_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2008   style=“text-align:center;” |50.2% _3,773_   style=“text-align:center;” |49.1% _3,688_   0.7% _51_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2004   style=“text-align:center;” |55.1% _2,967_   style=“text-align:center;” |44.7% _2,406_   0.2% _13_
  style=“text-align:center;” |2000   style=“text-align:center;” |49.4% _2,415_   style=“text-align:center;” |49.7% _2,430_   0.9% _45_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1996   style=“text-align:center;” |38.8% _1,659_   style=“text-align:center;” |52.4% _2,239_   8.8% _378_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1992   style=“text-align:center;” |36.9% _1,661_   style=“text-align:center;” |47.4% _2,136_   15.7% _709_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1988   style=“text-align:center;” |51.6% _1,884_   style=“text-align:center;” |48.1% _1,756_   0.4% _14_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1984   style=“text-align:center;” |55.4% _2,171_   style=“text-align:center;” |44.3% _1,736_   0.3% _11_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1980   style=“text-align:center;” |38.9% _1,424_   style=“text-align:center;” |58.6% _2,146_   2.5% _90_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1976   style=“text-align:center;” |35.3% _1,019_   style=“text-align:center;” |64.5% _1,862_   0.3% _8_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1972   style=“text-align:center;” |66.4% _1,906_   style=“text-align:center;” |32.6% _936_     1.0% _29_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1968   style=“text-align:center;” |21.6% _798_     style=“text-align:center;” |32.5% _1,201_   45.9% _1,696_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1964   style=“text-align:center;” |31.7% _787_     style=“text-align:center;” |68.3% _1,696_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1960   style=“text-align:center;” |21.7% _533_     style=“text-align:center;” |78.3% _1,920_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1956   style=“text-align:center;” |27.2% _556_     style=“text-align:center;” |72.8% _1,485_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1952   style=“text-align:center;” |27.1% _537_     style=“text-align:center;” |73.0% _1,448_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1948   style=“text-align:center;” |9.7% _124_      style=“text-align:center;” |84.0% _1,070_   6.3% _80_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1944   style=“text-align:center;” |11.2% _166_     style=“text-align:center;” |88.8% _1,314_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1940   style=“text-align:center;” |5.3% _87_       style=“text-align:center;” |94.7% _1,547_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1936   style=“text-align:center;” |5.8% _96_       style=“text-align:center;” |94.2% _1,550_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1932   style=“text-align:center;” |3.8% _64_       style=“text-align:center;” |96.0% _1,639_   0.3% _5_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1928   style=“text-align:center;” |27.3% _352_     style=“text-align:center;” |72.7% _936_     style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1924   style=“text-align:center;” |12.0% _98_      style=“text-align:center;” |87.4% _714_     0.6% _5_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1920   style=“text-align:center;” |16.1% _209_     style=“text-align:center;” |83.9% _1,091_   style="text-align:center;|
  style=“text-align:center;” |1916   style=“text-align:center;” |13.0% _91_      style=“text-align:center;” |86.9% _610_     0.1% _1_
  style=“text-align:center;” |1912   style=“text-align:center;” |7.5% _60_       style=“text-align:center;” |82.9% _663_     9.6% _77_

  : PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS RESULTS[12]

Communities

[Map of Chowan County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels]

-   Edenton (county seat)
-   Rockyhock
-   Selwin
-   Sign Pine
-   Tyner

[1] Talk Like A Tarheel , from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2013-02-08.

[2]

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[6] https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Chowan_County,_North_Carolina#History

[7]

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[11]

[12]

title: Chowan County, North Carolina

question: Summarize the history of Chowan County.

answer: Originally named Shaftesbury, Chowan County was created in 1670 as a precinct in Albemarle County. By 1685 it was renamed for the Chowan Indian tribe that lived in the northeastern part of Carolina County. In 1720, Edenton, named in honor of Governor Charles Eden, was created. Then in 1722, it was the designated county seat and has continued to be so. During the American civil war, the Albemarle Artillery was recruited in 1862 from Chowan and Tyrrell men at Edenton by local attorney William Badham, Jr.

question: What does the text say about the census of 2000 in Chowan County?


text:
OLADIPO OLAMIDE EMMANUEL (born 13 September 1993), known professionally as CHINKO EKUN, is a Nigerian rapper and songwriter.[1]

Early life and education

Chinko Ekun was born in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, into a family of three, where he is the second child.[2] He is a native of Ikare, Ondo State, Nigeria.[3] Chinko Ekun attended Blessing Nursery and Primary School, Oshodi, Lagos State and Remade Nursery and Primary School, Igando, Lagos State. He attended Baptist Model High School, Ijegun, Lagos State for his secondary education.[4] He graduated with a degree in law from Obafemi Awolowo University.[5] He did his National Youth Service Corps in Lagos State.[6]

Career

2011–2014: Career beginnings

At the age of 7, Chinko Ekun started developing passion for music. During his first year in the university, he picked interest in commercial and rap music.[7] Chinko Ekun officially started his musical career in 2011, posting videos of his freestyles on Instagram. In 2013, he released “Ekun” as his first official track. In 2014, Chinko Ekun featured in Olamide's _Street OT_ music album, on tracks “100 To Million”, “Bang” and “Usian Bolt”.[8] He appeared on Olamide Live In Concert (OLIC) 2014, where he did freestyle performance.[9] Chinko Ekun sings in English, Pidgin and Yoruba, focusing solely on hip hop music. His name “Chinko Ekun” was coined from two words “Chinko” and “Ekun”. “Chinko”, because he was told that he looked like a Chinese during his time in the university and “Ekun”, because it is his first official track.[10]

2015–present: YBNL Nation and Dek-Niyor Entertainment

In 2015, Chinko Ekun joined Olamide's YBNL Nation.[11] He released his first official singles titled “Alejo Oran” and “Emi Na Re” through YBNL Nation on 25 February 2015.[12] Barely a year later, he exited the record label after his contract expired, alongside fellow label mates Adekunle Gold and Viktoh.[13] In 2017, he joined Dek-Niyor Entertainment, a Dubai based record label.[14]

On 13 September 2018, he released a song titled “Able God” featuring Zlatan and Lil Kesh.[15] The song earned him his first Headies award as “Best Street Hop Artiste” at The Headies 2019.[16] The song received the nomination of “Popular Song of the Year” at the 2019 City People Music Awards.[17] It won “Street Song of the Year” at the 2019 City People Music Awards.[18]

Personal life

Chinko Ekun is single and revealed he is not ready for marriage yet.[19]

Discography

  Title                                        Year
  -------------------------------------------- ------
  “Ekun”                                       2013
  “Emi na re”                                  2015
  “Alejo Oran”                                 2015
  “Jen le yo”                                  2015
  “Binu”                                       2016
  “Bless Me”                                   2016
  “Flenjo”                                     2016
  “Wa Lo Da”                                   2017
  “Gbefun”                                     2017
  “Shake It”                                   2017
  “Shayo”                                      2017
  “Eruku de”                                   2017
  “Yaso”                                       2018
  “Bodija”                                     2018
  “Switch It Up”                               2018
  “Able God” ft. (Zlatan Ibile and Lil Kesh)   2018
  “Calling” ft. (Johnny Drille)                2018
  “Semena” ft. (Peruzzi)                       2019
  “Mafo”                                       2019
  “Party Animal”                               2020

Awards and nominations

  Year                                  Award                      Category                  Recipient    Result   Ref
  ------------------------------------- -------------------------- ------------------------- ------------ -------- ------
  2020                                  Soundcity MVP Awards       Viewers' Choice           “Able God”            [20]
  rowspan = “4” | 2019                  City People Music Awards   Street Song of the Year   “Able God”            [21]
  Popular Song of the Year              “Able God”                                           [22]
  Best Indigenous Artiste of the Year   Himself
  The Headies                           Best Street Hop Artiste    Himself, “Able God”                    [23]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

title: Chinko Ekun

question: What does the text say about the meaning of the name Chinko Ekun?

answer: Chinko Ekun was born Oladipo Olamide Emmanuel. Chinko is a stage name. "Chinko" was chosen because he was told he looked Chinese at university. "Ekun" was chosen because it's the name of his first track.

question: What does the text say about the founding of YBNL Nation?


text:
From the long lush valley below, Miranda hears footsteps steadily increasing in volume and intensity. Her many travels over the years has taught Miranda a great deal, and the perils in them has heightened her senses and awareness enough to hear the stranger from a great distance. His distance has been steadily decreasing for the last few days though, despite Mirandas efforts and long runs throughout the nights.

His old wooden staff is buzzing with increasing intensity for each step he takes, and he doesn't seem to tire or pause for even a moment. The only wielders of such magic, are either bounty hunters, assassins from the mage guild or great mages said to have lived a long time ago. He must be sent from the mage guild, for why else would any wielder of magic seek her out with such ferociousness?

The tracking has been going on for days, forcing Miranda to cover her tracks and flee up into the great peaks of mount Mazra. Any time she covers her tracks, the stranger halts and starts chanting in an unknown language, then continues directly towards Miranda with an increased vigor and speed. It is as though the wind whispers into his ear her every move.

Miranda has observed him from a distance, as she's trying to catch her breath in the cold winds of Mazra. All these years of running about has given her great stamina, and the ability to track and hunt any animal for days without resting. This has proven invaluable to her these last few days, as without these skills the stranger would have caught up with her days ago and no doubt rendered her into a pile of ash steadily disappearing from the strong winds of the mountain.

The rumors of the wielding of fire from the mages in the mage guild has not been exaggerated, as she has seen the effects of this up close. Not a single body remains of the rebels that fought the mage guild, they've all been rendered to ash and smoke an scattered throughout the kingdom.

Her outspoken nature and short temper has brought her into trouble before, but never into anything she couldn't fight or talk her way out of. Maybe she shouldn't have interfered with the guilds actions of killing all the black crows and black cats in the kingdom, but her empathy for animals had made this impossible at that time. And the apprentice mage that tried to kill these innocent animals deserved any single one of the arrows impaling him she thought.

She could hear his chanting now, the air is vibrating from the sound of his voice, and the dust is unsettling behind her in a great cloud. How could he have gotten so close so fast?, why is he after her?, and would her friends ever know what happened here?

The mountains seems to quiver by the sound of his chants, small pebbles seems to loosen from above and rain down in increasing amounts. Even the bigger boulders seem to come loose and threaten her safe passage. Suddenly a great chunk of the mountain comes loose and makes her passage way a dead end forcing her to turn around and face her tracker.

She could hear him around the corner, the chants becoming ever more powerful and the air around her vibrating with an incredible force. Instinctively she draws her trusty bow aiming for the sound of his voice, as the dust renders it impossible for her to see beyond the tip of her arrow.

Any second now any of the rocks above could come crashing down on her, rendering her unconscious and defenseless. And there is not a thing she can do to prevent this from happening, as she is trapped here in this dead end with the stranger right around the corner.

"SHOW YOURSELF!, COME CLOSER SO I CAN PUT AN ARROW IN HER SKULL", she heard herself yell furiously with a great tremble in her voice. Her hearth is pumping out adrenaline through her system, and she could feel her temper coming into play.

Suddenly the dust blows away as the loud chanting stops and there's a figure but 20 feet directly in front of her, staring at her from beneath his worn hood. She lets loose the readied arrow on her bow which hurls towards the cloaked figure at an incredible velocity.

The arrow splits in to two pieces right down the middle only feet away from the strangers chest, without him moving as much as a muscle or chanting a single word. He seems to be able to wield powerful defensive magic with the use of his mere thoughts.

Miranda quickly draws another arrow and fires it at the stranger, only for it to stop in the middle of the air, then slowly descent to the ground.

"Congratulations", the stranger voiced. "Congratulations on your 15th winter among the living". "I see you have improved your archery since last time I saw you"

Miranda looked perplexed, she didn't expect these words from a strangers mouth.
Who was this stranger? Was he not there for the sole purpose of ending her?

"You may not recognize me, but I recognize you. I've followed you for days trying to keep up with your speed, and tracking you where no tracks can be found.
It's not been easy, but with the right kind of persuasion and the power of magic, I've finally caught up with you", the stranger uttered.

"Who, who are you?", Miranda asked still breathless from the pursuit.

"I am Prodigiosus, the heir of your uncle, the force from the south, I command the winds and earth to do my bidding" the stranger pronounced. "I've been observing your progress since you were a child, forever keeping a watchful eye on you and those who have sworn to destroy you"

"I'm here to join my forces with you in your fight against the mage guild, You'll need the powers of a mage by your side to be able to fight them", Prodigiosus said.

"I have no fight with the mage guild, it's all just a misunderstanding", Miranda uttered.

"What they are doing goes against your very nature, and they have been gaining power for these last years, soon beyond their own control. They're slaughtering the black cats and crows because of the fear that they might be spies from the witches of the south. Cruelty of this sort because of such a primitive emotion is unworthy of any wizard, it goes to show that the mages have lost control of themselves and their emotions." Prodigiosus said.

Prodigiosus and Miranda spent the night talking about the mage guild in front of a campfire that seemed to appear from thin air.
Before Prodigiosus stood up and said:

"My presence is required elsewhere Miranda, I've been absent for too long. But know that my powers will always be by your side, the wind will always be in your back and guiding your arrows towards your enemies. It will always reveal their scent while cloaking yours, and it will always whisper the right words in your ear when you need them the most."

Suddenly the winds started to pick up, and created a wall of dust between Miranda and the stranger, as soon as he disappeared from sight the winds quieted down and the dust wall vanished from sight. He was nowhere to be found despite Mirandas best efforts.

After some hours rest and warmth near the campfire, she thought about the great journey that lie ahead of her, and realized that it had just started.

title: My cousin turns 15 today, thought I'd write her a story about her roleplay character and post it on her wall. :)

question: What does the story say about the Mage Guild?

answer: The narrator, Miranda, is at odds with the guild after she took out a mage for killing all the black crows and cats. They are doing this in fear of the witches to the south, suspicious that the animals could be spies for them. A man called Prodigious decides to help Miranda, saying she'll need his magic against the guild. He thinks that the mages lost their control over their emotions and are likely to lose their control over their power too.

question: What does the text say about Prodigiosus?

answer: He's related to Miranda, being the heir of her uncle. He's a powerful mage able to bend the wind and the earth to his will. He observes Miranda through her childhood, and when she gets into trouble with the mage guild, he decides to seek her out and offer his help. He thinks the mages lost their control over their emotions, killing all the black crows and cats in the realm, thinking they may be spies for the witches to the south. He promises that his magic will reveal the scent of Miranda's enemies while hiding hers, guide her arrows, and have her back.

question: What does the text say about Miranda?

answer: Miranda is a 15-year-old girl with a few years of hunting experience on her belt. She has a temper and a habit of mouthing off, but she always managed to get out of the problems she caused, be that through fighting or talking. However, she kills a mage because of the mage guild's attempt at exterminating all the black crows and cats, fearing they may be spies for the witches to the south. After that, she notices someone following her. Her stamina and hunting expertise allows her to run for days, but the pursuer is a mage, and he eventually reaches her. The man turns out to be the heir of her uncle, there to give his aid in her struggle against the mages. After talking with him through the night around the campfire, she realizes that her adventures are only beginning now.

question: What does the story say about the fighters guild?


text:
In AFGHANISTAN, there are more than 3,000 plant species, including many assortments of trees, bushes, vines, blossoms, and growths. The nation is especially wealthy in such therapeutic plants as regret, wormwood, and asafetida; products of the soil trees are found in numerous territories.[1] Local fauna incorporate the fox, lynx, wild hound, bear, mongoose, vixen, hedgehog, hyena, jerboa, rabbit, and wild assortments of felines, asses, mountain goats, and mountain sheep. Trout is the most widely recognized fish. There are in excess of 100 types of wildfowl and feathered creatures.

Wildlife

The Caspian Tiger used to happen along the upper compasses of Hari-Rud close to Herat to the wildernesses in the lower spans of the stream until the mid 1970s.[2] In March 2017, fringe monitors captured and appropriated six white lions close to Kandahar at the outskirt to Pakistan. The starting point of the lions was vague at first, yet Border Police Commander-General Ne'matullah Haidari said that they were from Africa. In April 2017, four of the lions were taken to Kabul Zoo. The other two lions are still in Kandahar Province.[3] Vegetation in Afghanistan is scanty however various. Regular trees in the mountains are evergreens, oaks, poplars, wild hazelnuts, almonds, and pistachios. The fields of the north are to a great extent dry, treeless steppes, and those of the southwestern corner are about appalling deserts. Regular plants in the dry districts incorporate camel thistle, locoweed, prickly restharrow, mimosa, and wormwood, an assortment of sagebrush. The wild creatures of Afghanistan incorporate in excess of 100 warm blooded animal species, some of which are approaching elimination. The most genuinely imperiled are the goitered gazelle, panther, snow panther, markor goat, and Bactrian deer.[4] Other wild creatures of Afghanistan incorporate Marco Polo sheep, urials, ibex, bears, wolves, foxes, hyenas, jackals, and mongooses. Wild pig, hedgehogs, wenches, bunnies, mouse rabbits, bats, and different rodents additionally happen. In excess of 380 flying creature species are found in Afghanistan, with in excess of 200 reproducing there. Flamingo and other oceanic fowl breed in the lake regions south and east of Ghazni.

[1]  Also here

[2]

[3]

[4] Tolonews (3 April 2017) Border Police Seize Six Lions At Spin Boldak Crossing Video (28s)

title: Fauna of Afghanistan

question: What is the article about?

answer: Fauna of Afghanistan.

question: How many plant species are there in Afghanistan?

answer: 3,000 plant species.

question: What therapeutic plants does Afghanistan have?

answer: Regret, wormwood, and asafetida.

question: Where did the Caspian Tiger used to live?

answer: Along the upper compasses of Hari-Rud close to Herat to the wildernesses in the lower spans of the stream.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about the Fauna of Afghanistan, but it discusses the Flora as well.


text:
_THE SIAMESE TWIN MYSTERY_ is an English language American novel written in 1933 by Ellery Queen. It is the seventh of the Ellery Queen mysteries.

Plot summary

Inspector Queen and his son Ellery are vacationing in a mountainous area of the United States when they are forced by a forest fire to seek shelter at Arrow Head, the mountaintop home of famous surgeon Dr. John Xavier, which soon becomes impossible to escape due to the fire. There the sleuths meet an unusual assortment of characters, beginning with Dr. Xavier and his wife Sarah; his brother Mark; his medical assistant Percival Holmes; his handyman “Bones”; the housekeeper, Mrs. Wheary; and a houseguest, Ann Forrest. Miss Forrest has recently lost a silver ring; Dr. Holmes likewise finds himself missing a cheap signet ring. That night, Ellery spies a strange crab-like shape moving in the upstairs hallway, and, independently, Inspector Queen discovers that also present at the house is the wealthy Marie Carreau, a fixture of Washington high society; Ann is Mrs. Carreau's personal secretary. In the morning, Dr. Xavier is found dead in his study — shot twice with a revolver which has been wiped clean of any fingerprints. In his right hand he clutches the torn half of a playing card: the six of spades.

The previous night, the Queens had encountered on the road a heavyset and unsavory man, who — his escape blocked by the fire — now returns to the house, giving his name unconvincingly as “Smith.” It is further revealed that Marie Carreau had come to the house to consult with Dr. Xavier on the subject of her teenage sons, Julian and Francis, who are xiphopagous conjoined twins. It was the twins who had cast the crab-like shadow seen by Ellery in the hallway. Meanwhile, the Inspector makes the connection between the _six_ of spades and Mrs. Xavier's initials — Sarah Isère Xavier — and accuses her of murdering the surgeon in a jealous rage at his lengthy conferences with Mrs. Carreau. Mrs. Xavier instantly confesses to the murder and collapses in a faint. However, Ellery observes that Dr. Xavier, who was right-handed, would naturally have used his right hand to crumple and discard half of the card, which would leave the uncrumpled half clutched in his _left_ hand. It follows that the playing card must have been torn and placed in Xavier's hand by some left-handed person — that is, by the murderer.

The Queens investigate Dr. Xavier's laboratory and find that Xavier has been experimenting with the separation of conjoined twins of various animal species — always without success — and that “Bones” has been burying the failures in the garden. That night, the Queens search Mrs. Xavier's jewel-box and find that it contains no rings at all. The next morning, the party attempt to find a way past the increasingly menacing forest fire, but to no avail. Ellery observes a conversation between Smith and Mrs. Carreau, and deduces that Smith had been blackmailing Carreau, threatening to publicize the existence of her sons — but that the murder, sure to draw publicity, had neutralized Smith's hold over Carreau. The Queens conduct a series of “tests” to prove that each member of the party is right-handed, _except for Mark Xavier_; on this evidence, Ellery accuses Mark of murdering Dr. Xavier and planting the card to throw suspicion on Mrs. Xavier. Mark, in a panic, tries to escape; Inspector Queen shoots him and returns him to the house, gravely wounded. Mark confesses that he planted the torn card to frame Mrs. Xavier, but insists that Dr. Xavier was dead before Mark entered the room — and insists that he knows who the killer is! But Holmes' morphine takes effect before Mark can reveal the murderer's identity. Inspector Queen stands watch over Mark and is there at 1 a.m. when Mark regains consciousness; but when Ellery comes down at 2 a.m. to check on his father, he finds the Inspector chloroformed and Mark Xavier dead — poisoned by oxalic acid — clutching in his right hand the torn half of a jack of diamonds.

Ellery finds Mrs. Carreau awake in her room, which is suspicious. Inspector Queen discovers that while he was chloroformed, somebody stole the wedding ring off his finger. The party return to their rooms. When somebody tries to break into the safe where Xavier's original deck of playing cards was being kept as evidence, Ellery on a hunch counts the cards in that deck and discovers that it is missing _two_ cards — the six of spades and the jack of diamonds! The Queens deduce that when Mark found his brother's body, Dr. Xavier had been clutching a torn _jack_, which Mark _replaced_ with the six of spades to frame his sister-in-law (because with her out of the way, Mark stood to inherit Xavier's estate). When Mark in turn was murdered, he must have decided that the best way to clue at his murderer's identity would be to reproduce Dr. Xavier's authentic clue — the jack of diamonds. Further, Ellery observes that the French name for the suit of diamonds is _carreaux_, and the image on a jack is that of two conjoined young men! He concludes that (because the card was torn in half) only _one_ of the Carreau twins is the murderer, and suggests that the twin may have killed Xavier in self-defense, out of fear that Xavier would try (and fail) to separate the twins surgically. The Queens speculate on the “beautiful headache” such a case would present: Murder is a capital offense, but supposing only one of the twins to be guilty of murder, what would become of the other?

Meanwhile, the fire has been creeping closer and closer to the summit. An airplane drops a message from the local sheriff, informing the party that all attempts to contain the fire have failed and advising them to dig firebreaks around the house. They dig through the night and into the following afternoon; but the fire jumps their trench and reaches the house. The party retreat to the cellar as the house burns above them. Ellery now confronts the blackmailer Smith; it is revealed that Smith was one of the doctors in attendance at the Carreau twins' birth, and has been blackmailing Mrs. Carreau for sixteen years. Ellery now rejects his theory that the murderer is one of the twins, and even that the torn jack of diamonds is an authentic clue at all. The jack in Xavier's right hand, which Mark had replaced with a six to frame Mrs. Xavier, _still_ could not have been an authentic clue from the right-handed Xavier. Furthermore, Ellery discovered the missing jack only after the murderer's feeble attempt to break into the safe, when all the time the key to the safe was in the pocket of the chloroformed Inspector Queen! This indicates that the murderer was trying to draw attention to the Carreau twins — and away from his true identity.

As the party continue to cower below the burning house, Ellery comes to the matter of the missing rings. As the murderer nonsensically removed even Inspector Queen's wedding band, he concludes that the murderer must be a kleptomaniac on the specific subject of rings. He dramatically removes his own ring, places it in the center of the room, and waits for the kleptomaniac to crack. The gambit works; Mrs. Xavier cannot stand the tension and shrieks her confession. Her jewel-box contained no rings because Dr. Xavier had known of her kleptomania; that was why he'd kept her isolated on the mountain away from anything that could trigger it. She indeed _had_ killed her husband out of jealousy; planted the torn card to frame the Carreau twins; and, when accused by Ellery, confessed _truthfully_ — which told Mark that he'd accidentally “framed” the real murderer. She then killed Mark, _again_ leaving a jack of diamonds in an attempt to frame the Carreaus.

Having confessed, Mrs. Xavier dashes up the cellar stairs and disappears into the flames — certainly to her death. A few minutes later, it begins to rain.

Literary significance and criticism

The character of Ellery Queen and the more-or-less locked room mystery were probably initially suggested by the novels featuring detective Philo Vance by S.S. Van Dine, which were very popular at the time. At this point in time, however, Van Dine's sales were dropping and Queen's were beginning to rise. This novel was the seventh in a long series of novels featuring Ellery Queen, the first nine containing a nationality in the title.

The introduction to this novel contained a detail which is now not considered part of the Ellery Queen canon. The introduction is written as by the anonymous “J.J. McC.”, a friend of the Queens. Other details of the lives of the fictional Queen family contained in earlier introductions have now disappeared and are never mentioned again; the introductory device of “J.J. McC.” lasts only through the tenth novel, _Halfway House_, then vanishes (though J.J. appears onstage in _Face to Face_ in 1967).

The “nationality” mysteries had the unusual feature of a “Challenge to the Reader” just before the ending is revealed—the novel breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the reader, stating that all essential facts have been revealed and the solution to the mystery is now possible. The first paperback edition of this novel does not contain such a challenge, possibly because World War II paper restrictions in the United States meant that all unessential material must be trimmed.

title: The Siamese Twin Mystery

question: What does the article say about the various murder suspects?

answer: The first person to be suspected is Mrs. Xavier, whose initials spell out six, which matches the six of spades found in the murder victim's hand. Ellery then suspects Mark Xavier on the grounds that he was left-handed and he believed the card must've been placed in the victim's hand by a left-handed person. When Mark himself is murdered, the clue (a torn jack) points toward the murderer being one of the Carreau twins. In the end, it is discovered that Mrs. Xavier was the real murderer all along.

question: What does the article say about clues?

answer: The revolver that was used to shoot Dr. Xaview was wiped clean of any fingerprints. In his right hand, there's a torn half of a playing card: the six of spades. The Inspector connects the card to Mrs. Xavier's initials. He later concludes that it must have been placed in Xavier's hand by someone left-handed. The Queens later discover that Xavier's jewel box contains no rings at all. Mark confesses to having planted the torn card and is later found dead clutching the torn half of a jack of diamonds. Inspector Queen discovers that someone has stolen the wedding ring off his finger. Ellery then discovers a playing card deck that's missing two cards. Later, Ellery rejects the theory that the jack of diamonds is an authentic clue at all. The missing rings become the clue to solving the case, as they point to Mrs. Xavier, a kleptomaniac.

question: What does the article say about the life of the real Ellery Queen?


text:
[]

Ten weeks of demonstrations have plunged the international finance hub into crisis Manan VATSYAYANA/AFP / Manan VATSYAYANA

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President Donald Trump has taken heavy criticism following revelations he also discussed former Vice President Joe Biden on a private call with Chinese President Xi Jinping — and hid it on the same highly classified server he used for the Ukraine call. But that was not the only damning thing about the call — in the same conversation with Xi, Trump also threw democracy protesters in Hong Kong under the bus for the sake of trying to undo his catastrophic trade war.

On Thursday’s edition of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” correspondent Pamela Brown discussed the new information.

“CNN has learned about a call between Presidents Trump and Xi, a call that was stored in the same code word classified system as that call with the Ukrainian president,” said Cooper, introducing Brown onto the segment. “So let’s begin with that … talk to me about what you’ve learned about this call.”

“In that call, Anderson, Trump … told Xi that he would remain quiet on the Hong Kong protests as trade talks progressed,” said Brown, adding, “Sources tell me … that the president believed that China would not be able to reach as good as a trade deal with Biden or Warren as it would have with him because he was fearing that they were going to hold out until after the election to strike a deal.”

“Now, the White House record of that call, we’re told, was later stored in that highly secured electronics system used to house that now-infamous call with Ukraine’s president, and which helped spark the whistleblower complaint that has led Democrats to open an impeachment inquiry,” continued Brown. “White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said, ‘We’re not going to start comments with every conversation President Trump has with world leaders, other than to say his comments are always appropriate.'”

Watch below:

Report typos and corrections to: [email protected].

[]

2020 Election

Here’s how ‘Trump could end up in jail’ over ‘intensified’ Manhattan investigation

Published

6 hours ago

on

December 11, 2020

Discussing a report in the New York Times that the office of Manhattan District attorney Cyrus Vance has intensified their investigation into Donald Trump's relationship with Deutsche Bank, CNN's John Harwood speculated the president might see some jail time.

According to NYT report, "Employees of Deutsche Bank and Aon, two corporate giants, could be important witnesses. As two of Mr. Trump’s oldest allies — and some of the only mainstream companies willing to do regular business with him — they might offer investigators a rich vein of information about the Trump Organization."

Breaking Banner

Trump aides are ‘avoiding the Oval Office’ so they don’t have to hear him rant about the election: NYT’s Haberman

[]

Published

6 hours ago

on

December 11, 2020

President Donald Trump is still not giving up on his dreams of overturning the 2020 presidential election, and his aides are reportedly sick of hearing him talk of nothing else.

While appearing on CNN Friday, _New York Times_ reporter Maggie Haberman said that many White House staffers are tired of Trump's obsession with overturning the election even as the country faces multiple crises including the novel coronavirus pandemic and an economic recession.

"He actually is pretty isolated," Haberman explained. "His circle has gotten much, much smaller. There are very few people he's actually talking to. Most people are avoiding the Oval Office because he is in such a bad mood or because he wants them to agree with him that the election was stolen."

CNN

WATCH: Anderson Cooper tears into Kayleigh McEnany’s lies about voter fraud

[]

Published

18 hours ago

on

December 10, 2020

On CNN Thursday, anchor Anderson Cooper tore into White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany for her latest false claim about the results of the presidential election.

"For President Trump to be ahead as far as he was at 3:00 a.m. in [Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin] and for the vote to swing by as much as it did, the probability of that in one state is 1 in 1 quadrillion," said McEnany in a Fox News clip. "That's 1, comma, 15 zeros. To happen in all four, it's 1, comma, 15 zeros to the fourth power."

"That's assuming the votes would have been exactly the same as the ones cast on election day. We know they weren't," said Cooper. "Democrats voted heavily by mail-in absentee ballot, as was discussed for months because the president was railing about that. And in Pennsylvania, the last ballots came from heavily Democratic counties."

question: What did Trump and Xi discuss over the call?

answer: The discussion over the call was regarding the Hong Kong protests. Trump said he would remain silent on the protests as long as trade talks progressed.

question: What was discussed on the call with the Ukrainian president?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: What was the Manhattan investigation?

answer: The Manhattan investigation was relating to Trumps's relationship with Deutsche Bank.

question: What did Trump aides have to say about the 2020 election?

answer: According to NYT's Haberman, Trump aides were trying to avoid the Oval office so they didn't have to hear him rant about the election.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
According to sources, on a call with the Chinese President, Trump told him that he would remain silent on the Hong Kong protest as long as trade talks progressed. These calls are stored in the highly secured electronics system.

Another report discussed that Cyrus Vance has intensified the investigation into Trump's relationship with Deutsche Bank.

Regarding the 2020 presidential elections, Trump aides said they were avoiding the Oval office so they wouldn't have to hear him rant about it.


text:
Did the Catholic Church Kill My Mother?

Life is strange.  Who really knows what is true?  Who really knows what is happening behind the scenes, behind the closed doors that surround us?  I don’t know.  I want to know, but I certainly don’t know.

If I were to say I worship anything in this life, it is truth.  Ok, I also worship fun, excitement, laughter, joy, and dancing.  But I also, absolutely, worship truth.  As Tom Cruise once said so eloquently, “I want the truth!” and I don’t care if I can’t handle it.  Give me the green pill.  Show me the reality behind the scenes.  Show me what is behind the curtain.  I want to see it.  I don’t care if it disappoints me.  I don’t care if it horrifies me.  I don’t care if it destroys every concept I currently with me to help explain my life journey.  Truth or bust I say.

Yet, despite my worshipful yearning for the truth, I don’t know if I ever have it.  One of the ironies of worshiping the truth is that you must always be prepared to part with any notion, any idea, any concept, if a greater truth is revealed.  If you do not carry forth this discipline, then you do not worship the truth, in fact, you cannot.  If you ever value any belief greater than the truth, then you worship that belief, not the truth.

Neither, am I claiming that you should worship the truth more so than any of your beliefs.  I don’t know what you should do.  I am merely telling you what I do.  You can do as you wish.  I shall not seek to control or dominate you.  Unfortunately, others in this universe do not make the same promise to you or to me.  And heretofore begins this story.

Is this story true?  I don’t know.  I shall recite to you many events which countless others would happily confirm are absolutely true events.  I shall then share with you a vision of other events, that no others in this world will be able to confirm or deny.  These envisioned events appeared in my consciousness and, though they are extreme and fantastic, in my relentless commitment to open-mindedness, I allowed them some attention.  For perhaps truth can slip into ones consciousness through unexpected channels?  I have experienced such things in the past, though not usually in such a specific historical format.  Be that as it may, I share this story- because I find it interesting and thought provoking.  Perhaps you will as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My mother’s name was Mary.  She was raised Catholic.  She went to Catholic schools her entire life.  As long as I knew her, she worked at a Catholic hospital.  My father was also raised Catholic.  My father also went to Catholic schools his entire life.  All my life, he worked for the government.

Though my parents were raised in rather devout Catholic upbringings, they did not pressure the Catholic religion upon us.  My father did not attend mass with us.  My mother did for much of my youth, sending us all to Sunday school.  Yet, my mother seemed quite bemused by my relentless questioning and open-mindedness.  She merely laughed when the Sunday school teacher told her of my trouble making questions and doubt.

By the time I was in high school, my mother didn’t seem to care at all if I continued my association with the Catholic Church.  She had stopped going to mass on Sundays- but to her surprise, though I attended public school, I found my most beloved friends in a Catholic youth group at our church.  I remember both my parents frowning a bit that my sister and I loved going to Church on sundays, though they probably recognized that we did so in order to see our friends.  The religion part was secondary, though not insignificant.

Looking back, I cannot tell if my parents were trying to encourage us to be devout Catholics or if they were consciously or unconsciously encouraging us to reject the church.  I suppose if they were trying to make us devout, they would have acted devout themselves, which they certainly did not do.  So what did they want for us?  What did they want our relationship with the church to be?  I can’t help but conclude, they both to some extent had rejected Catholicism- yet kept their children involved…just in case.

Just in case, the church was all that they were taught it was, they had all their children baptized and confirmed when they came of age.  I remember my mom saying, “I wanted to make sure you all made it to confirmation.”

Enough background.  Let us get to the nitty gritty details of the vision and the murder of my mother.

The vision began with me letting go of my current life story.  I placed the last 20 years in a wooden chest in my head.  In fact, I was going to put my entire life story into this chest, so that I might look at reality directly, yet as I was loading in the memories, I felt this sweet nostalgia.  It was as if, once I put the most recent memories into the box, I suddenly could see all my earlier memories more clearly.  So I paused in my memory stuffing, and decided to swim in the suddenly alive and present past.

Today is Thanksgiving, and so I found myself at Thanksgivings of my far past.  I saw a party at my childhood home when I was in college.  Playing cards with family friends, some strange team based poker game we all somehow invented on the spot.  Though vivid, this memory was not old enough, so I packed it into the chest and went further.

I then saw a ham my mother made one Thanksgiving, sitting on the dining room table, blue patterned wallpaper coloring the entire room.  I said to my mother, “Why are we having ham?”  My mother replying, “I wanted to do something different this year.”

I then found myself in the kitchen of my childhood home, while my mother prepared more amazing delights for her loved ones.  I watched her.  I considered talking to her, but instead I just observed.  I thought to myself, is this real or is this my imagination?  If it were real, I could talk to her…and though I felt tempted…instead I just watched.

She chatted with me casually about things, but I didn’t pay much attention to that.  I merely watched her.  Did she know I was visiting her from my future self.  Is she really just Mary, a mother, a nurse, cooking wonderful food in her kitchen?  Or, the thought suddenly struck me, what if she knows exactly who I am and where I am right now.  I watched my mothers eyes to see if she would give it away.  Quietly, in my mind, I asked my mother…do you know something I don’t know mom?  Do you know a truth of which I am unaware?  If so, tell me mom.  I want to know.

And then I see the flicker of recognition and knowing in her eyes.  Just for a moment.  A sly smile.  A brief eye contact.  Holy fuck, I think.  What does she know?

I come back to my present self, sitting, meditating in my room.  Did my mother know something?  If I explored every memory of my past long enough, might I find other subtle yet clear indications of people with deep unsaid knowledge.  How many times in my life has someone looked into my eyes with an infinite peace, contentment, joy, laughter, and understanding of all that is…of pain…of suffering…and of the glorious truth of life?  How many times?

Did my mother actually know something that she kept hidden from me, then, and perhaps her entire life?  If so, what could it possibly have been?  I sit.  I wonder.  I search back through my memories.

A conversation comes clearly to mind.  It was about a young priest.

I sat in the passenger seat of a car while my mother drove.  We were driving down Red Wood Lane, past the 7-11 and the Hardware store, heading home.  It was sunny outside.  The trees had green leaves.  My mother had been asking me if any of the priests from the church ever made me uncomfortable.  She said, “Do you know Father XX?”  I said yes.  She asked, “Has he ever invited you to do any activities with him?”

“No.” I said, “I don’t really like him.  He seems a little weird.”

Father XX was a new young priest at our church.  Looking back now, I imagine he was in his late twenties or thirties.  My mom was quiet for a moment and then said, “Father XX has been calling to talk to Jimmy.”  Jimmy was my brother.

“Uh huh..”  I said without much interest, “Why is he doing that?”

“He apparently talked to Jim about boxing and Jimmy expressed some interest.  So Father XX has been calling the house and inviting Jimmy to come learn some boxing with him.”  She paused a bit.  “I spoke to Jimmy about it, and he said he wasn’t really comfortable doing that.  So I got on the phone with Father XX and told him.”

I absorbed this odd bit of information from my mother for a moment.  I felt a bit confused why my mom was telling me this.  “Ok.”  And then I was struck curious.  That might have been awkward for Father XX.  I asked, “What did Father XX say when you said that?”

My mother paused a moment.  I couldn’t see her face, but now suddenly looking back, I detect a very faint yet serious smile in her voice.  She said, “Oh he said he understood.  No big deal.  He would not call anymore.”

That is the end of that memory...

[END OF PART 1]

title: [NF] Did the Catholic Church Kill My Mother?

question: Summarize what the narrator thinks of truth.

answer: The narrator says he worships truth. He doesn't care if it disappoints him or horrifies him. He will always opt to see the truth despite not knowing if he ever has it, but also notes that one must always be prepared to part with any notion if a greater truth is revealed. Despite his own worship, he doesn't claim that others should worship truth more than their other beliefs.

question: Summarize the moment the narrator had with his mother in the car.

answer: In an envisioned event, the narrator is in the passenger seat while his mother drives. His mother asks him if any of the priests from church made him uncomfortable. In particular she references Father XX, who had been suggesting he teach the narrator's brother Jimmy how to box. The narrator doesn't have a problem with him beyond thinking he is a little weird, but Jimmy was uncomfortable by the request. He finds that the information was a bit strange coming from his mother and was confused as to why she brought this up.

question: What does the text say about the narrator's father and Catholicism?

answer: The narrator's father was raised as a devout Catholic and went to Catholic schools his entire life. Despite this, the narrator's father didn't attend mass with the narrator and their family. He also didn't pressure the Catholic religion on his children. He seemed to have rejected Catholicism to an extent, but wanted his children involved just in case. He and the narrator's mother were a bit irritated later on that the narrator and his sister loved church due to the friends they got to see.

question: Summarize the narrator's reaction to his mother's death.


text:
Video

transcript

transcript

‘I Want to Encourage Other Victims’: More R. Kelly Accusers Speak

Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington have forward to accuse R. Kelly of sexual abuse and misconduct when they were minors. They told their stories at a news conference in New York with their lawyer, Gloria Allred.

    “When I first met R. Kelly that night I was very happy and excited because I was young, and I was star struck. However, now that I’m an adult, I feel hurt by what he did to me when I was only 16 years old and under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, which was provided to me at this after-party. I’m speaking out because I want to encourage other victims who I know must about must be out there, who I know must be out there to come forward as well. I want justice for anybody who is a victim of R. Kelly.” “To R. Kelly I’m sending this message: you have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. You have been able to get away with your predatory misconduct for far too long. And to date, the only ones who have paid the price of your misconduct have been the young women who alleged that you have victimized them. Now all of that has changed.”

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Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington have forward to accuse R. Kelly of sexual abuse and misconduct when they were minors. They told their stories at a news conference in New York with their lawyer, Gloria Allred.CreditCredit...Carlo Allegri/Reuters
-   Feb. 21, 2019

_Update: On Friday, R. Kelly was charged in Chicago with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse._ _Read more here__._

Two additional women came forward on Thursday to accuse the R&B star R. Kelly of sexual abuse and misconduct while they were minors.

The women, who had not previously spoken publicly about the accusations, gave their accounts at a news conference in New York organized by their lawyer, Gloria Allred.

The two women, Latresa Scaff, 40, and Rochelle Washington, 39, both of Maryland, said they met the singer, whose real name is Robert Kelly and who has faced sexual abuse accusations going back more than two decades, after a concert in Baltimore in 1995 or 1996.

_[What we know about R. Kelly’s_ _trail of sexual abuse accusations__.]_

Mr. Kelly had performed with LL Cool J at an arena in the city. The two teenagers, who were about 16 and 15 at the time, bought tickets to the concert and an after-party at a nearby nightclub, they said.

Ms. Allred showed photos of the two women that they said were taken that night. They had dressed up and were smiling broadly as they posed with LL Cool J and in front of a backdrop emblazoned with Mr. Kelly’s visage.

At the after-party, Mr. Kelly pointed to the girls and asked his security guards to bring them to the stage, the women said. They were offered drugs and alcohol, and Mr. Kelly’s staff members paid for a taxi to take them back to his hotel, Ms. Scaff said.

Image[Latresa Scaff, left in each photo, and Rochelle Washington as teenagers. The images are from the night of the concert and the after-party, they said.]

Credit...Offices of Gloria Allred

While waiting for Mr. Kelly to arrive in a hotel suite, the girls were so excited that they called a local radio station to tell them they were with R. Kelly, Ms. Scaff said. They went on live radio and “many people heard us,” she added.

Mr. Kelly entered the room a short while later with his penis exposed and asked the girls to dance, Ms. Scaff said. He asked for a threesome, the women said, and Rochelle, who was younger, said she would not participate and went into the bathroom.

Mr. Kelly then asked Latresa to perform oral sex, and had sex with her, she said. She was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol at the time, she added.

Afterward, neither girl saw Mr. Kelly again. Ms. Scaff said she told friends about what had happened, and Ms. Washington told her mother.

“When I first met R. Kelly that night, I was very happy and excited because I was young and star-struck,” Ms. Scaff said. But in hindsight, she said, she feels hurt.

“I am speaking out because I want to encourage other victims who I know must be out there to come forward as well,” she added.

Ms. Allred said that both women met with officials from the office of the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York on Thursday afternoon to share their accounts.

Asked why she chose that office, rather than the Baltimore Police Department or another agency, Ms. Allred said she had confidence in the prosecutors there and believed that they were investigating Mr. Kelly. A spokesman for the office said he could not confirm that.

Image

Credit...Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for Bet

A lawyer for Mr. Kelly did not immediately return a call and email requesting comment.

Mr. Kelly has faced accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse for decades but has never been convicted; he has denied that he had sex with minors or held women against their will. He was acquitted in 2008 of 14 counts of child pornography in a trial that centered on a sex tape, and has reached settlements with numerous accusers.

But momentum against him has been building since Buzzfeed News’s publication in July 2017 of a lengthy investigation into accusations that Mr. Kelly held women in a so-called sex cult.

That article, by the journalist Jim DeRogatis, who has been reporting on the accusations against Mr. Kelly for nearly 20 years, spurred a six-part Lifetime documentary, “Surviving R. Kelly,” that aired last month and included testimony from several women who accused Mr. Kelly of abuse.

Public opinion seemed to turn against him. His label, RCA Records, has dropped him, and Spotify has removed his songs, which include “Ignition” and “I Believe I Can Fly,” from its playlists. He is also being investigated in at least two states: Illinois and Georgia, where he had homes and where prosecutors have urged any potential victims or witnesses to come forward.

The celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti also said last week that he had given Chicago prosecutors a videotape that, according to a report, appears to show Mr. Kelly having sex with a girl who may have been underage.

Ms. Allred said she represented “a number” of Mr. Kelly’s accusers — she would not specify how many — and said that some were worried that videos of them being abused might be circulating.

Ms. Washington, who cried as she spoke, encouraged women who were victimized by Mr. Kelly to contact lawyers and law enforcement officials.

“I want victims to know it’s not their fault,” she said.

question: Who was abusing girls?

answer: R. Kelly.

question: Has R. Kelly been accused of abusing girls before?

answer: Yes, many times.

question: Who has accused R. Kelly?

answer: Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington.

question: What were the girls offered at the after-party?

answer: Drugs and alcohol.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: R. Kelly has been accused of sexual abuse by two women, who say that they were sexually assaulted at a party when they were sixteen.


text:
Tapes that I fell asleep to countless nights. Very few I remember but one that I will never forget is the story of two brothers who were both conscripted into WWI.
One was injured out on the battle field the second safely behind the walls of the trench. The second brother who had no rational reason to go to defend a life other than his own. Jumped the wall and found his brother, staying by his side until their unit advanced on the German front.
When the CO found the second brother who was near death, he asked him “Why, when you knew you would die?” and the brothers response resounding with love, courage, and selflessness in the face of sure death “he expected it of me!”

I could feel his breath on my face, his hot temper flaring into fire balls of spit. I'd done something wrong, I did what I was told.
But not by him. I did what I was told by the leader. The one in charge who ruled all things. "You will never come back to monetaray  with me!"

This man who I looked up to, who I trusted, who I considered a friend; he lashed out with such hatred and loathing I felt searing hatred as his remarks struck my heart.

His hands raised to strike me, I slammed my body into his thinking I was not it was a reflex. He immediately regained control and pushed me over a ledge. I stumbled out on to the walk way, enraged.
I know fight or flight because I did both.  "You're a sorry excuse for a human being" I yelled.
 All the while broken that this man I trusted, could love me one moment and hate another.

 The leader who got me into this mess. Grabbed me around the shoulders as I retreated. Telling me to calm down and began an impromptu exorcism. I some how through luck or sheer adrenaline shook him and threw him over my shoulder.

I stood momentarily paralyzed I had never hit an “Uncle” before; these sick child fucking people, using god to excuse their filth. He gathered himself and charged, my brain told me go for the first time ever I was gonna hit back. My instinct swung my fist. It connected. I felt an adrenaline rush unlike anything I've felt before.

I ran to my quarters and packed everything I thought I would need. I fit my life in a backpack and ran as fast as I could to what can only be described as my godmother.
I'd known her my whole life, her son was my best friend and only confidante. My mother and her shared a relationship going back years, as much as my own this was my mother. I begged her to send me home. To send me back to America to my brothers and sisters, back to my mother in Monterrey with whom I hadn't lived with for almost two years.
"Get me out to get me away" I begged I was in tears I couldn’t articulate what I thought what I felt, I knew she would help me. I knew I would not be betrayed yet again.

She gently put her hand on my shoulder, and hugged me. As soon as the relief washed over me she said “I'm not sending you anywhere Chris, we are going to pray about this and see what we should do.”
I broke, this woman who'd known me her whole life took the side of my abusers. I don't remember how I got out of the building with my bag but I did.
I ran up the driveway with the leader & my original assailant & others in tow attempting to stop me.

I barged through the gates at the top and ran down the road. No idea where I was or where I was going. No passport, no identification, no money.
As I ran down the road a local bus came. I flagged it down and in my best Spanish I made up a lie. "Estoy aquí en México, con un grupo de misioneros cristianos, pero orita me madre esta muy inferno en Estados Unidos. Y la inglesa dígame "no" cuándo yo preguntar por me regreso de Estados Unidos."
   I told him I was here with my church group, my mom was sick, and they would not let me go visit her. He motioned me back and I took a seat, everyone in the bus was staring at me.

A 13 year old white boy in the middle of nowhere Mexico. Carrying nothing but a backpack, no money, couldn't speak the language, and no idea where I was or where I was going.

A man approached me and tried to clarify some of the details they asked where I wanted to go and all I knew was “Centro” I assumed I would be able to find someone there who could speak English who could understand my plight.

Apparently the town the compound & I were in was called Tepozetlan. I asked around for Americans. I assumed that I would be able to find someone. Eventually I was directed to an American run international RV park. By this time it was around 10PM.

The gates looked big and imposing and I though just maybe I had lucked out and found the US consulate. As I got closer to the gate I realized it was the RV park. But there were no guards there, there was no buttons to press to open it, no phone to call inside. No way of notifying the inhabitants of my presence.

I was terrified that they would find me and bring me back to the Compound. I didn't want to go back I wouldn't go back. I knew two things, they would have left the compound and be looking for me. And second no American would stand idly by and watch a 13 be dragged off against his without a single family member around.

I chose to wait the night out at the RV park and make my case to the first westerner I saw in the morning. I chose to stay in the bushes so as to avoid anyone at all. I was not prepared for another confrontation.

At around 1:30AM a rusty yellow four door sedan pulls up. The four occupants oblivious to my presence; get out and begin to look for a way in much as I had.

I decided to go for it. I said hello in English hoping that they would be able to understand me. There were two young men, no older than 25. And two women who appeared to be their girlfriends.

Startled by me at first they were soon mystified at my situation. Both the men were University students and spoke a reasonable amount of English.
 I was able to repeat my lie, this time the element of sympathy from them was clear. They looked sad and worried they talked about calling the police they talked about, if I would rob them,      Eventually they told me they were going to drop their girlfriends off and be right back.
 My heart sunk, I didn't believe them for a moment. I assumed they were going to call the cops. Or find the Compound I had escaped from and lead them back to me.
 As they pulled off I slunk back into the bushes expecting only the worst. I didn't dare sleep my eyes refused to ignore the smallest movement of the bushes, the passing bird. I felt heightened, alive, I was beginning to enjoy my revolution.
I fantasized the rumors swirling.
“Where could he be?” I imagined everyone asking themselves.

 I began to realize I couldn’t go forever in a foreign land, with no money, no means of communicating, and no way of getting out.
 I came to terms with the fact I would be caught, that I would face them all and that they would demand an account. I pictured myself standing tall, stoic, not moved by their words by their accusations.
 I had been betrayed too much to value any of their opinions.

Almost as soon as I'd given up hope that my escape would be complete. The two men pulled up, the girlfriends gone. They motioned for me to come over one got out of the passenger seat, he took my bag and put in in the back. He sat directly behind me.
 The driver who was the more proficient of the two in the English language; explained that it was not safe to go to the local cops.
 They said they had decided the best course of action was to take me to Mexico City, directly to the US embassy.

I didn't know what to think, it made sense, it was a way out. But were they tricking me? Was there some ulterior motive to what they were doing? The passenger offered me a bag of Lays potato chips and a fanta. I stuffed a few bites in my mouth chugged the soda, and for the very first time I began to make myself appear relaxed. I wasn't but If these two had something bad planned I didn't want them to think I had any idea it was coming. I leaned back and closed my eyes too nervous to sleep but to tired to keep them open. After several minutes the passenger said something to the driver to the effect of “see..not a bad..and they were so worried...”
Comfort washed over me, I finally felt safe. And it was with two total strangers, in a country I didn't know.

I slept, I don't know how long I slept but when I woke the driver was waving two 100 peso bills for me. I looked over and there was the embassy. Two marines at rest. I made it.

 The driver and passenger asked me if I would be OK from here. I thanked them for everything they did, I think I cried a little. They wished me good luck and drove off. I never saw them again.

 As I approached the gate the Marines stationed there looked as baffled as the passengers on the bus. I told them I was being held against my will by a religious group.
 He asked where my mother and father were. I told him in Monterrey, MX and in Duluth, MN. He asked me for my passport. I didn't have it. He asked me my social, I never knew I had a social security number. He asked me for a phone number of a relative in the US who he could call. All my family were apostates, I never communicated with them. Much less have contact information.

 The poor Marine didn't know what to do. He called someone and began to explain the situation. I told him the only phone number I knew by heart was my brothers wife’s family’s home in Chiba, Japan. His skepticism seemed at an all time high. He took the number and left.

I was raised to hold authority figures of the world, particularly military in contempt; at the very least mistrust. I started to think of all the consequences for my mother. I wondered if she would be criminally charged. I couldn’t do that to her. I couldn’t despite it all my mother loved me more that words can do due service.

 I ran from the embassy, I didn't know where to go or what to do. So I decided it was time to have a beer the kind fellows who'd driven me had given me the equivalent for $20.
 I drank two beers and had a little money left over. My older brother lived not too far in Metepec. From what I remembered it was about a hour and a half bus ride. I began asking where the main bus stop is, people either ignored me or laughed at my broken Spanish.

 Eventually a young teen in broken English told me to follow him and that it was not far at all. He led me into a small intersection without much light and without any warning I was struck from the back of the head.

 Not knowing what happened or who had hit me I let out a scream and lunged at the nearest person. I tackled him and began to beat on him as hard as I could over and over. His compatriots kicked and punched me repeatedly, one of their hits did the trick.

 I awoke in a dazed & unable to keep my balance. They were still there they took what I had left in my pockets. Took my bag and the man who I had attempted to pulverize walked up to me as his friends held me. He looked at me wiped his face and laughed. “Pinche Gringo.” he took a deep drag on his cigarette; then seared my neck. Scars I still carry.

I got lucky, it wasn’t moxie or rage or heart. It was pure luck, I should have been stabbed at the very least. To have gotten off so comparatively easy was almost surreal. I laid there for another few minutes just waiting to hear their footsteps returning after coming to the conclusion that they had let the “gringo” off just a little to easy.

I was exhausted, a little buzzed for a 13 year old. And finally ready for this to all end. I just didn't know how. In Mexico, less than three months, no one knows where I am, they're still searching the area around the home, if at all.

 I walked to the nearest payphone and made a collect call, at first they didn’t accept the charges. The second time instead of saying my name I begged for help.
 Again rejected, The third time I tried I got through, my brothers wife's mother had recognized my voice. I didn't explain a thing all I asked was for her to call my brother in Japan. And have him call my brother in Metepec, and ask him to come get me.
 I didn’t know the city at all but close to the embassy earlier I noticed the great land mark of D.F. And I asked him to get me there. I fired it off so rapidly, English is her second language. I didn't know if it'd gotten through or not.

I walked to the golden statue feeling weak, uncertain. But most of all I didn't know if betrayal waited yet again.

title: [RF] A thirteen year old heart. En México!

question: Summarize the significant events the narrator experience while trying to find his way out of Mexico.

answer: The narrator ran away from a religious establishment because of abuse. He ran to his godmother who told him she won't send him out of the country, urging him to stick with her so they could pray and figure it out together. The narrator (13 years old) was aghast that the godmother would side with his abusers. He ran away but has nowhere to go as he doesn't have much money nor speak Spanish. With strangers' help, he got to Mexico City and entered America's Embassy where they asked him for his passport. He told them he doesn't have it with him. He was asked for his social security number but had none. The staff asked him for a phone number of any relative living in the United States but he doesn't have any contact information. One of the staff told the narrator to wait as the embassy would need to conduct some investigation about his claims. The narrator was skeptical... he ran away from the embassy to the streets where he was mugged by a couple of young men. They beat him until he passed out. When he came to, all his money had gone. He stumbled to a payphone and tried calling his brother's wife's mother. He got through and begged her to call his brother in Japan to come pick him up in Mexico.

question: Why did the godmother refuse to help the narrator?