text:
TAJCHY (singular: tajch, from German _Teich_) are artificial water reservoirs in the Štiavnica Mountains, in central Slovakia. Most of them were built in order to provide energy for the silver mines of Banská Štiavnica in the 18th century. At their height, tajchy comprised a sophisticated system of 60 reservoirs, connected to each other by more than 100 km of channels and tunnels.[1] [Počúvadlo Lake is one of the preserved tajchy]

24 artificial lakes still exist and serve recreational purposes. Because of their historical value, tajchy were proclaimed by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site on 11 December 1993, together with the town of Banská Štiavnica and technical historical monuments in its surroundings.[2]

Operation

The region of Banská Štiavnica lacks significant sources of flowing surface water. That is why tajchy were designed to store water derived from precipitation. Channels with the overall length of 72 km diverted water from the rain and melting snow to sixty reservoirs.[3] The whole system could accumulate 7 million m³ of water.[4] The water then flowed through 57 km of channels to water wheels, which powered seven pumps equipped with a pendulum-action system. The pumps removed excess groundwater from mines and the water wheels later also provided energy for mining, processing, metallurgy, and mills.[5]

History

[Tajchy became crucial for development of Banská Štiavnica] Banská Štiavnica was an important medieval mining center, producing mostly silver. The first water reservoirs were founded by the local miners in the 15th century.[6] However, the most significant development of tajchy was precipitated by a crisis in the mining industry in the 17th century. The depth of the mines' shafts started to reach below the level of the drainage tunnels. As a result, mines were flooded by ground water. The draining mechanisms of that period were powered by human or animal power, which was too expensive. Due to the prohibitive costs, the Royal Court Chamber in Vienna decided to close the mines in Banská Štiavnica and its surroundings. A mining expert and inventor Jozef Karol Hell challenged the decision, submitting a courageous proposal to rescue mining in his home town. An innovative plan based on the use of tajchy was finally endorsed by Emperor Charles VI.[7]

In the 18th century, tajchy gradually expanded into a complicated system of lakes and channels, designed by three famous engineers: Jozef Karol Hell, his father Maximilian Hell, and especially Jozef's teacher Samuel Mikovíny. The project was technically and economically demanding. For example, construction of two Richňava tajchy required the work of 4,000 people working every day for three years (1738–1740).[8] But after their completion, tajchy proved capable of draining all the water from the flooded mines and they even provided enough energy for other booming industries.

The renewed prosperity resulted in great economic and cultural development of Banská Štiavnica.[9] In 1782, Banská Štiavnica (Selmecbánya) was the third biggest town in the Kingdom of Hungary (with 23,192 or including suburbs 40,000 inhabitants), after Bratislava (Pozsony) and Debrecen. In 1762, Queen Maria Theresa ordered the establishment of a Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica, creating the first technical university in the world.[10] The town was chosen “because it had mining, hydrological, metallurgical, propulsion, and testing equipment as well as fire, water and air devices, and pendulum-action drainage devices which did not exist in other mining locations,” in other words because of its tajchy.[11] Tajchy were also praised by their royal visitors, including Francis I, Joseph II, and Leopold II.[12]

Water reservoirs

Until the mid-19th century, the three tallest dams in Europe built for the mining industry had been tajchy in Slovakia: Rozgrund (30.2 m), Počúvadlo (29.6 m), and Veľká Richňava (23.4 m). In the same period, 7 out of 13 European mining water reservoirs with the biggest volume of water were tajchy.[13] After several centuries, tajchy became an integral part of their natural environment. Several of the dams have been recently reconstructed. Some of the reservoirs are heavily frequented by tourists, while other, usually smaller lakes lie hidden in the forests of the Štiavnica Mountains.

The largest lake is Počúvadeľské jazero (or Počúvadlo) with an area of 12.13 hectares and a depth of 11 m.[14] The volume is 745,000 m³. The main dam is 195 m long and 19 m thick.[15] Tourist infrastructure makes Počúvadlo the most popular of all tajchy.[16]

Veľká Richňavská nádrž (or Veľká Richňava) has a dam 569 m long, 23.4 m high, and 23 m thick. This tajch is characterized by the largest depth (21 m) and volume (960,000 m³).[17] It supplies Štiavnické Bane with water and also serves for recreation.

Rozgrund was the highest earthen dam in Czechoslovakia until the second half of the 20th century. The reservoir supplies the town of Banská Štiavnica with drinking water.[18]

List of all preserved reservoirs

  ------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------
  -   Bakomi reservoir in Štiavnické Bane                 |
  -   Belianske reservoir in Banská Belá
  -   Červená studňa reservoir in Banská Štiavnica        -   Michalstolniansky reservoir in Banská Štiavnica
  -   Evička reservoir in Štiavnické Bane                 -   Moderstolna reservoir in Kopanice
  -   Goldfuss reservoir in Banská Belá                   -   Ottergrund reservoir in Banská Štiavnica
  -   Halčianske reservoir in Banská Belá                 -   Počúvadlo reservoir in Počúvadlo
  -   Klinger reservoir in Banská Štiavnica               -   Rozgrund reservoir in Banská Štiavnica
  -   Kolpašsky small reservoir in Banský Studenec        -   Richňavské velke jazero in Štiavnické Bane
  -   Kolpašsky big reservoir in Banský Studenec          -   Richňava small reservoir in Štiavnické Bane
  -   Krechsengrund reservoir in Štiavnické Bane          -   Štampoch reservoir in Vysoká
  -   Kysihyblianské reservoirs in Banský Studenec        -   Vindšachta big reservoir in Štiavnické Bane
  -   Lintich reservoir (destroyed) in Banská Štiavnica   -   Vodárenska big reservoir in Banská Štiavnica
                                                          -   Vodárenska small reservoir in Banská Štiavnica
                                                          -   Hodrusa upper reservoir in Banská Hodruša
                                                          -   Hodrusa lower reservoir in Banská Hodrusa
                                                          -   Komorovske upper and lower reservoirs in Banská Štiavnica
                                                          -   Banky reservoir in Banská Štiavnica
  ------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------

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title: Tajchy

question: What does the article say about historical figures?

answer: Jozef Karol Hell, a mining expert and inventor, challenged the decision to close the mines. An innovative plan to use tajchy was endorsed by Emperor Charles VI. Tajchy was expanded into a system of lakes and channels designed by Jozef Karol Hell, Maximilian Hell, and Samuel Mikoviny. In 1762, Queen Maria Theresa ordered the establishment of a Mining Academy in Banska Stiavnica. Tajchy were praised by royal visitors including Francis I, Joseph II, and Leopold II.

question: What does the article say about the very first tajchy?


split: test

text:
_“I was flying wingman for the squadron commander of the 706 TFS that day. The visibility was so bad past the FLOT that we could only use our guns,” Richard Pauly former A-10 Pilot._

Filmed and narrated by U.S. Army Sergeant Dale Bartlett on Feb. 27, 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, the impressive video in this post show A-10 Warthog attack aircraft tearing up Iraqi armor providing direct close air support (CAS) for 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

Richard Pauly, who was then a Major with 706 Tactical Fighter Squadron, was one of the A-10 pilots involved in the mission recalls: “I was the #2 aircraft. I was flying wingman for the squadron commander of the 706 TFS that day. The visibility was so bad past the FLOT that we could only use our guns. The MK-20 Rockeye we were carrying was not deliverable since we were so low to maintain visual contact with the Iraqi armor.

“The flares my flight was using was mainly to regain visual contact with each other in the murk. Every now and then I would lose track of lead (and vice versa) and I would ask him to pop some flares so I could reacquire him. If we couldn’t see each other then, we would go back over the friendlies where the visibility was better and go back in after the Iraqi’s.

“It was pretty hairy in there at times. We also scouted further past the FEBA for the Brigade commander.

[]
_This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – _CLICK HERE_ TO GET YOURS. A-10A Thunderbolt II 354th TFW, 353rd TFS Black Panthers, MB/78-0660. Myrtle Beach AFB, SC – 1991, Operation Desert Storm_

“I almost ran out of fuel after we Bingo’d out as KKMC’s runway was fouled by a gear up F-16. We found a tanker about the time I was seriously contemplating landing on Tapline road.

“With that said, the wingman of the morning flight near there received an SA-16 and he crashed on landing at KKMC. I saw the wreckage there when we landed at KKMC to re-arm. Once we did so, we took off and no one needed us, so we took the ordnance back to King Fahd. The fighting had petered out.”

[]
_This model is available from AirModels – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS._

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II was designed for close air support (CAS) of friendly ground troops, attacking armored vehicles and tanks, and providing quick-action support against enemy ground forces. It entered service in 1976 and is the only production-built aircraft that has served in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) that was designed solely for CAS. Its secondary mission is to provide forward air controller – airborne (FAC-A) support, by directing other aircraft in attacks on ground targets. Aircraft used primarily in this role are designated OA-10.

The A-10 was used in combat for the first time during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, destroying more than 900 Iraqi tanks, 2,000 other military vehicles and 1,200 artillery pieces.

_Photo credit: U.S. Air Force_

[]

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

question: What did Pauly say about the mission?

answer: Pauly recalls that he was the second aircraft and was flying wingman for the squadron commander of the 706 TFS that day. Every now and then he had to ask to pop some flares so that the aircraft could reacquire. If they couldn't spot each other, they would go back over the friendlies where the visibility would be better and then go back in after the Iraqi's.

question: Who was on the first flight?

question: What was the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II designed for?

answer: The flight was designed for close air support for the ground troops, armored vehicles and tanks, and for providing quick-action support. It is the only flight designed solely for CAS. Their secondary mission is to provide forward air controller - airborne (FAC-A) support.


text:
The Hummingbirds Song :

Two weeks later, Mr. Folk attempted to pull himself out of his hotel bed. The room was pitch black. Where was his phone? For the life of him he could not remember where he put it. In truth he could hardly remember the night before. The last thing he did remember was stumbling through the hotel lobby and purchasing a european iPhone charger.

On the bedside table he read a clock with red numbers indicating it was 10:56am. Or in other words, one hour until he would need to check out. The 40 year old man needed to get going, so he alleviated himself onto the floor, reluctantly. As his feet met the carpet, he found it difficult to pick the top half of his body up without being dizzy.

He accepted this as it was, and began his iphone search half moon. Hunched over his knees, Mr. Folk waddled back and forth, his legs doing the karaoke, seesawing his brain within his skull. After about 8 steps, the momentum was to much and onto the floor he went. The last attribution he would make before passing out was a release of bad decisions from the night before, scattering across the floor.

Hands off the steering wheel, Mr. Folk did as he had been doing for years. He was giving up.

(1 hour later)

Knock Knock Knock ….

“Service Here”

As the door creaked open, a waft of bodily chemicals drifted into the main hallway.

Entering into the abyss that was suite 1212, our heroin walked in nervously. The cavernous room engulfed her immediately. The putrid smell was unique, it was the smell of self defeat. Covering her mouth, she moved through the main corridor, fiddling with the light switches though nothing worked. Maybe the master light had been turned off she thought?

Marching forward she went to the blinds. With one swift motion she let the light in, shedding into the reality of the situation. The glorious sun introduced her to a beaten down man, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, though they weren’t on an Island. They were in the UK, Shoreditch to be exact. In disgust she noticed the puddle of muck about size of a small breakfast table surrounding him.

Infuriated at first sight, the maid thought of her job and how there was no way she would be able to complete it in time. The new guest’s would check in at 1:00pm. Reactively her jaw clenched as she was going to let the man have it, until she felt a presence behind her.

Turning around, she noticed immediately the familiar features and antics of the hummingbird fluttering. It was flapping its wings elegantly, dancing around just for her. Twelve stories high, the maid watched in awe as the bird moved magnificently around for her.

The maids name was Cynthia, and she had lived a long life. 73 years to be exact. A woman of deep faith, she saw the world in mysterious ways. Flashing back to when she had met her husband 50 years ago, Cynthia remembered the way the hummingbirds danced around them during their first date ride in a gondola. The date had been nerve racking for both, until two hummingbirds circled her husband to be, sending him accidentally overboard, which was a laugh.

Closing her eyes Cynthia also remembered her husbands funeral where a hummingbird had circled the young priest during his eulogy. They too had caused him to topple over, bringing a subtle smile of remembrance to her face during the tough time.

Hummingbirds were an omen in her a life. A sign that there was more to the world than meets the eye. Overtime whenever something seemed dramatic or overwhelming a hummingbird would show up, and create a sense of joy somehow. It was almost as if the were gods way of saying, “There is a silver lining, but first here is the punch line.”

Looking down at the defeated Mr. Folk, she decided she would take matters into her own hands.

Stepping over to him, Cynthia helped get Mr. Folk to his bed and then proceeded to inform the lobby that the room would not be ready in time for the guests. She made it a point to call her other coworkers and have them help along with her other duties as she helped Mr. Folk.

Cynthia left the room, and came back with a bowl of fruit, orange juice, and a pitcher of water.

Mr. Folk and Cynthia would spend the next few hours, just the two of them working to clean up suite 1212. Over that time, they did not speak much except out of giving and taking direction. Afterwards Cynthia would ask Mr. Folk to come for dinner.

Before meeting Cynthia, Mr. Folk had lost himself, and was close to taking his life. Until Cynthia had met him, he almost succeeded. Nursing Mr. Folk was not her plan, but then again life never quite worked out the way she expected it too.

Refocusing his passion, Mr. Folk would start again. He would apologize to his ex wife, for not being present during their marriage. He would apologize to his ex partner, for showing up late and losing the company money. Most importantly he would apologize to himself for the years he spent in self pity and dismay.

It was meant to be that Mr. Folk grew into the best version of himself in his later part life. Starting a new career, remarrying, and having kids, he grew into someone unrecognizable to the years past. To all of the credit and glory of god went to his angel, Cynthia. In her final months, the two spent much time together, him being by her bed on the final day.

As Mr. Folk watched her casket descend into the earth, he smiled as the hummingbirds danced around. The sun was cascading over the grave’s of those lost but never forgotten. Five feet deep the casket was lowered, until the hummingbirds danced, circling the faces of the pallbearers, causing them to release their grip, and sending Cynthia falling into the her dirt grave. Everyone held their breath. Only Mr. Folk would smile, and still the hummingbirds danced, and all that mattered was the hummingbird song.

title: [RF] The Hummingbirds song

question: Who is Mr. Folk?

answer: Mr. Folk is a 40 year old man who, at the beginning of the story, is close to taking his life. He is staying in a hotel room, which is where Cynthia finds him sleeping a pool oi his own vomit.

question: What is the significance of hummingbirds in the story?

answer: Hummingbirds are an omen for Cynthia. She first saw them when she met her husband 50 years ago. They are a sign that there is more to a situation than meets the eye.

question: What does Cynthia do for a living?

answer: Cynthia is a maid at a hotel.

question: Why is Mr. Folk depressed?


text:
Every Sunday night, women up and down the country fan themselves as they tune in to watch Aidan Turner as the ravishing, charming protagonist on BBC series Poldark.

And although the actor is humbled by the experience after winning legions of devoted fans starring in the period drama revival, he does admit that the main reason he took on the role was because he had to, financially speaking.

Speaking to OK! magazine, the handsome star said: 'I'm inherently a lazy person. I could easily sit around reading and watching TV, but there comes a time when you've got to start paying the bills again.'

Scroll down for video

He may be lazy... but it doesn't show: Aidan Turner consistently wins over fans every Sunday night on BBC drama Poldark, but he has admitted that he is 'inherently lazy'

However, looking at his rock-hard and incredibly honed physique while on the show, during those moments he strips off, it's hard to believe that he is at all lazy.

But his enviable body, which has gained almost as many headlines as the programme itself, isn't something that comes naturally to him.

In fact, he admitted that - now he's finished filming - he's looking a lot softer.

'I worked hard for six weeks, killing myself in the gym, watching what I eat and staying away from bad food. But I would never, ever do all that if I wasn't prepping for a role. That's the only time it just happens,' he explained.

Huge role: The handsome actor stars as Captain Ross Poldark in the revival of the 1970s series, alongside Heida Reed as Elizabeth

Popular: Viewing figures have been consistently impressive for Poldark, with last weekend’s episode attracting 6.2m viewers and each of the first three installments of the eight-part breaking the six million mark

'I'm not like that now. I'm back to my usual soft self.'

Not that his fans will be disappointed in his less rock-hard physique, as long as they can see him in character as the dashing 18th century hero, Poldark.

The saga, based on Winston Graham's acclaimed novels set in Cornwall in the 18th Century, tells the story of Poldark, an Army officer who returns to England after fighting in the American War of Independence to discover that his fiancee Elizabeth (Heida Reed) had believed him dead and has moved on with his cousin.

Poldark then marries his maid, Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson), but is forever torn between the two women.

'I'm back to my usual soft self': Aidan has admitted that his honed on-screen physique has melted away somewhat, as he only trained hard for six weeks ahead of filming

And thanks to copious shirtless scenes in which he shows off his rippling muscles, Aidan has won himself a whole host of admirers.

In the second episode, the tortured and dashing Captain Ross Poldark stripped naked, much to the delight of love interest Demelza - and his adoring fans.

Hundreds of swooning admirers took to Twitter to share their excitement at seeing Turner, who also starred in The Hobbit trilogy as well as TV drama Being Human, take off his clothes before going skinny-dipping in the Cornish sea.

The racy moment has been compared to Colin Firth's lake scene from the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, in which the actor, as romantic hero Mr Darcy, emerges from the water in a soaking wet shirt.

Viewing figures have been consistently impressive in the revival - the period drama first aired in the late 1970s - with last weekend’s episode attracting 6.2million viewers and each of the first three installments of the eight-part breaking the six million mark.

THAT moment: In the second episode, the tortured and dashing Captain Ross Poldark stripped naked, much to the delight of love interest Demelza - and legions of adoring fans

question: What does the text say about CBS?

question: What does the text say about Aidan Turner?

answer: Aidan Turer stars as Captain Ross Poldark, the ravishing and charming protagonist on the BBC series Poldark that airs every Sunday night. Turner says that he is an inherently lazy person who could easily sit around reading and watching TV but had to take the role because he had to pay the bills. His honed physique contradicts what he says about himself, but adds that he only works hard in the gym and watches what he eats when he's prepping for a role. Turner reverts to his "softer" looking self after filming. The popular show has gained Turner legions of adoring fans, most of whom are women.

question: What does the text say about the BBC series, Poldark?

answer: Poldark is a remake of a 1970s BBC series of the same name. The period drama is based on Winston Graham's acclaimed novels set in Cornwall in the 18th Century. It tells the story of Captain Ross Poldark, an Army officer who returns to England after fighting in the American War of Independence only to discover that his fiancee, Elizabeth, believed he was dead and moved on with his cousin. Poldark ends up marrying his maid, Demelza but is forever torn between the two women. Viewing figures for the new version have been impressive, attracting 6.2 million viewers for the first three installments of the eight-part series.


text:
The IYAD () were an Arab tribe which dwelt in western lower and upper Mesopotamia and northern Syria during the 3rd–7th centuries CE. Parts of the tribe adopted Christianity in the mid-3rd century and came under the suzerainty of the Lakhmid kings of al-Hirah, vassals of the Sasanian Empire. From this period onward, parts of the tribe became settled in towns and villages along the Euphrates, while other parts remained nomadic and dwelt in the neighboring desert steppes. The Iyad played a significant role among the Arab tribes in the Fertile Crescent before the advent of Islam, as allies and opponents of the Sasanians and later allies of the Byzantine Empire. As the early Muslim conquests were underway, parts of the tribe in lower Mesopotamia embraced Islam, while those established in northern Syria and Upper Mesopotamia fled with the retreating Byzantine armies into Anatolia. They were expelled by Emperor Heraclius () to Muslim territory after pressure by Caliph Umar (). Little is heard of the tribe afterward, though a number of Iyad tribesmen served as _qadis_ (head judges) in different provinces of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 9th century and a family of the Iyad, that of Ibn Zuhr (d. 1162), grew prominent in Muslim Spain.

History

Origins

The Iyad were a branch of the northern Arabian tribal grouping of Ma'add. According to the traditional Arab genealogists, the Iyad's eponymous progenitor was a son of Nizar ibn Ma'add ibn Adnan and a brother of the latter's sons Mudar, Rabi'a and Anmar, all of whom were also progenitors of large Arab tribes. The original dwelling places of the Iyad were in the Tihama coastal area of western Arabia down to the environs of Najran. The tribe in alliance with the Mudar forced out the Jurhum from the western Arabian town of Mecca and consequently became the masters of Mecca's Ka'aba, a major idol sanctuary for the polytheistic Arabs in the pre-Islamic period (pre-630s). Disputes ensued between the Iyad and the Mudar over control of Ka'aba and the Iyad were later ousted from Mecca during hostilities with the Khuza'a tribe. The poetic verses that have associated the Iyad with the Ka'aba emanated from a certain member of the tribe called Bashir, and this has rendered the tribe's involvement with the sanctuary as a suspected fabrication produced to glorify the tribe.

Sasanian and Byzantine era

The Iyad played a significant role among the Arabs in Mesopotamia and Syria in the pre-Islamic era. In the first half of the 3rd century CE, large groups of Iyad tribesmen migrated to Bahrayn (eastern Arabia) and formed with other Arab tribes the Tanukh confederation. From Bahrayn the tribe moved into the Sawad (fertile region of lower Mesopotamia) where they grazed their animals and utilized the Ayn Ubagh spring near Anbar as their water source. Ayn Ubagh was their main area of concentration, though they also dwelt in scattered places south of al-Hirah. About the middle of the 3rd century the Iyad battled Jadhima ibn Malik, the Arab ruler of al-Hirah who was expanding his rule to encompass all the Arab tribes of lower Mesopotamia. Jadhima forced the Iyad to surrender their tribesman Adi ibn Rabi'a, who then married Jadhima's sister Riqash. A number of Iyad tribesmen thereafter settled in al-Hirah and adopted an urban way of life and the Christian faith, though it is possible members of the tribe converted to Christianity in the preceding years. The 9th-century historian al-Baladhuri mentions that the Iyad possessed four monasteries in al-Hirah.

A lone tradition in the Islamic-era sources mentions that the Iyad were the target of a punitive expedition by the Sasanian king Shapur II, but this may be a confusion with Khosrow I's campaign against the Iyad in the 6th century (see below), according to J. Schleifer. The historian Irfan Shahid supports the view that the Iyad were assaulted by the Sasanians either by Shapur II in the 4th century or by Khosrow (possibly confused by the Arabic sources for the more well-known, 6th-century Khosrow I) in the early 5th century, possibly . Shahid assumes the Iyad's adoption of Christianity may have caused tensions with the Sasanians, particularly following the persecutions of Yazdegerd I (), and that Sasanian expeditions precipitated the emigration of part of the tribe to Byzantine Oriens (e.g. the Levant). A testament to an Iyadi presence in Oriens is that the poet of the Salihid chieftain Dawud al-Laqit, who was served as the Byzantines' phylarch of the Arab tribes in its territory, was Abd al-As, a member of the Iyad.

The Iyad which remained in lower Mesopotamia may have come under the suzerainty of the Lakhmid rulers of al-Hirah, vassals of the Sasanian Empire. Members of the Iyad were concurrently recruited by the Sasanians. The Iyad tribesman Laqit ibn Ya'mur served as a secretary in the Sasanians' government department for Arab affairs in Ctesiphon and the Iyad poet Abu Duwad supervised the horses of the Lakhmid king al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man (). Other components of the Iyad remained nomadic and often harried the peasants of lower Mesopotamia. In the early 6th century, the tribe made incursions into Sasanian territory east of the Euphrates river, prompting a punitive expedition by Khosrow I. The Iyad nomads took captive an elite Persian woman, and bested the Persian cavalry subsequently dispatched against them in a battle at Dayr al-Jamajim. The tribe ignored warnings by Laqit of the repercussions of challenging the Sasanians and were soon after ambushed and driven from their abodes by a Sasanian force. During the Sasanians' pursuit of the Iyad, they routed the tribe at the village of al-Hurajiya. The surviving tribesmen reestablished themselves in three main areas: the desert west of Mesopotamia; northern Syria up to the town of Ancyra (ancient Ankara) where some members of the tribe had already settled; and the different parts of Mesopotamia, including the Jazira (upper Mesopotamia), the area around al-Hirah and Tikrit. The Sasanians ousted them from Takrit, but they returned at some point before the Muslim conquest of the city in 637, where members of the tribe secretly aided the city's Sasanian garrison. Indeed, those who remained in the parts of Mesopotamia controlled by the Sasanians were obligated to serve as auxiliaries of its army. In the first decade of the 7th century, Iyad contingents were dispatched alongside the Quda'a Arab contingents led by Khalid ibn Yazid of the Bahra' tribe to confront the Banu Bakr nomads at the Battle of Dhi Qar. A part of the Iyad secretly cooperated the Banu Bakr and fled the field mid-battle, causing disorder in the Sasanian lines and contributing to the nomadic Arabs' first major battle victory against a Sasanian army.

Muslim conquests and Islamic era

The Iyad of Mesopotamia continued under Sasanian suzerainty along with most of the other Arab tribes of the region during the Muslim conquests in the 630s. In the Battle of Ayn al-Tamr in 633 or 634, the tribe fought under the Sasanian commander Mihran Bahram-i Chobin against the Muslim Arabs led by Khalid ibn al-Walid and again in nearby Sandawda. Members of the Iyad in Tikrit defected to the Muslims and embraced Islam during the assault on Tikrit in 637. Iyad tribesmen under Byzantine authority were sent by Emperor Heraclius with the Byzantine army to besiege the Muslims in Homs in 638, but ultimately withdrew with the Byzantine force into Cilicia where they were pursued and nearly eliminated by the Muslims. The Muslim general Iyad ibn Ghanm subjected much of northern Syria and upper Mesopotamia in the following year and the Arab tribes who dwelt in these territories embraced Islam with the exception of the Iyad. Instead, they relocated to Byzantine-held Cappadocia in Anatolia, “with bag and baggage” according to al-Tabari. Caliph Umar () sought their return to the Muslims' newly conquered territories and threatened to attack the Christians in his domains should Heraclius not extradite the Iyad. Four thousand Iyad tribesmen consequently reentered Syria and Mesopotamia and submitted to Muslim rule. Little is heard of the tribe in the historical record, thereafter.

Among the Iyad who are mentioned in Islamic history are the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun's _qadi_ (head judge) Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad (d. 854), the _qadi_ of Egypt Ibn Abi'l-Layth (d. 864) and the _qadi_ of Sistan Zafir ibn Sulayman. Members of the Iyad were also present in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain), including the well-known family of Ibn Zuhr (d. 1162).

title: Iyad (tribe)

question: What does the text say about the Prince of Persia?

question: What does the text say about the Iyad tribe?

answer: The Iyad were an Arab tribe that lived in western lower and upper Mesopotamia and northern Syria during the 3rd-7th centuries CE. Parts of the tribe adopted Christianity in the mid-3rd century and came under the suzerainty of the Lakhmid kings of al-Hirah, vassals of the Sasanian Empire. Parts of the tribe became settled in towns and villages along the Euphrates from this period onward, while other parts remained nomadic and dwelt in the neighboring desert steppes. The Iyad played a significant role among the Arab tribes in the Fertile Crescent before the advent of Islam as allies and opponents of the Sasanians and later allies of the Byzantine Empire. As the early Muslim conquests were underway, parts of the tribe in lower Mesopotamia embraced Islam. Those established in northern Syria and Upper Mesopotamia fled with the retreating Byzantine armies into Anatolia. They were expelled by Emperor Heraclius to Muslim territory after pressure by Caliph Umar, and little is heard of the tribe afterward. However, there were a number of Iyad tribesmen who served as "qadis" (head judges) in different provinces of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 9th century. A family of the Iyad, Ibn Zuhr, grew prominent in Muslim Spain.

question: What does the text say about the history of the Iyad tribe?

answer: The Iyad was a branch of the northern Arabian tribal grouping of Ma'add. According to the traditional Arab genealogists, the Iyad's eponymous progenitor was a son of Nizar ibn Ma'add ibn Adnan and a brother of the latter's sons Mudar, Rabi'a, and Anmar, all of whom were also progenitors of large Arab tribes. The Iyad originally lived in the Tihama coastal area of western Arabia down to the environs of Najran. The tribe in alliance with the Mudar forced out the Jurhum from the western Arabian town of Mecca and consequently became the masters of Mecca's Ka'aba, a major idol sanctuary for the polytheistic Arabs in the pre-Islamic period (pre-630s). The Iyad and Mudar fought over control of Ka'aba and the Iyad were ousted from Mecca during hostilities with the Khuza'a tribe. The poetic verses that have associated with Iyad with the Ka'aba came from a member of the tribe called Bashir. This has rendered the tribe's involvement with the sanctuary as a suspected fabrication made to glorify the tribe.


text:
Soon after taking office this year, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills announced renovation plans for the Maine governor’s mansion: She wanted to add solar panels.

The move was seen as a rebuke to her predecessor, Republican Gov. Paul LePage, whose administration put a moratorium on new wind turbines and enacted policies that critics say stymied solar energy in the state.

Mills has moved quickly to scrap the turbine moratorium and signed a bill that would eliminate a LePage-era policy that put a fee on power generated by residential solar panels.

Maine is among 11 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, that either flipped the governor’s seat from Republican to Democratic or saw Democrats win newfound control over the Legislature in the 2018 midterm election. All have passed or are weighing legislation that would expand renewable energy in their states.

Driven by concerns about rising global greenhouse gas emissions, President Trump’s rollback of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan and his order to remove the United States from the Paris climate agreement, some states are turning to renewable energy targets and energy efficiency programs in hopes of addressing climate change.

State legislatures have introduced at least 329 climate change bills this year that address greenhouse gas emissions, up from 188 in 2018 and 255 in 2017, according to an Associated Press tally of energy legislation monitored by the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. About 30% of the bills come from states with new Democratic governors or legislative majorities such as Illinois and Connecticut, the AP tally found.

“There’s definitely a lot of push following the elections of folks wanting to really pursue renewable portfolio standards as a way to expand renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions,” said Michael Bueno, energy and climate coordinator at the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a nonpartisan network of more than 1,000 state legislators nationwide.

Maine’s new governor, for example, has vowed to get 100% of the state’s energy from renewables by 2050 and has announced subsidies to put 1,000 more electric vehicles on Maine roads.

In New Mexico, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation requiring the state to get all of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045. California and Hawaii were the first states to commit to such carbon-free goals.

In Illinois, one of the nation’s top producers of emissions, lawmakers are considering a bill to bring the state to 100% renewable energy by 2050 — a target Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker endorsed on the campaign trail.

New Hampshire’s Democratic-controlled Legislature passed bills allowing towns and other entities to build larger solar projects and shifting more than $12million from a regional cap-and-trade program into energy efficiency programs. A separate bill requiring utilities to procure 60% of their power from renewables by 2040 passed the Senate.

New York, where Democrats now wield large majorities in both legislative bodies for the first time in a decade, is considering several initiatives to reduce climate-changing carbon emissions, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to move to 100% renewables by 2040.

Renewable consumption nationwide reached nearly 11.5% in 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and is projected to grow slightly over the next two years.

But experts warn that a push at the state level to embrace clean energy is likely to run up against challenges. These include scaling up fast enough to meet the ambitious goals, upgrading the grid to accommodate more renewable energy and building the infrastructure to move green energy from remote areas to cities. Overcoming community opposition to large solar and wind farms is also an obstacle.

“It’s not as easy [as just saying], ‘100% renewables — job done.’ There is a lot of work, a lot of investment, a lot of physical construction that is going to be needed to make that happen,” said John Quigley, director ofthe Center for Environment, Energy and Economy at Harrisburg University. “Too many advocates gloss over the challenges.”

The push for renewables and limiting greenhouse emissions has also run up against stiff opposition from the fossil fuel industry, some utilities and Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group backed by billionaire brothers David H. Koch and Charles Koch. Many critics argue that a shift to renewables will increase energy prices for consumers and cost jobs.

So far this year, the American Petroleum Institute has reported spending nearly $100,000 to lobby lawmakers in New Hampshire, New York, Colorado and Maine as those states debate bills addressing carbon pricing, higher renewable energy goals and emissions from oil and gas production, according to state lobbying reports. The institute has spent hundreds of thousands more dollars on ads fighting Colorado’s sweeping climate change bill targeting the oil and gas industry, according to reports filed with the Federal Communications Commission.

“Any proposal that would fundamentally reorder American energy — and the way of life in this country — should first be measured by its impacts on American consumers, the economy and the country’s opportunity for future prosperity,” institute spokesman Reid Porter said in a statement.

Bills around the country go beyond renewables. There’s legislation in Connecticut to help communities adapt to rising sea levels. And a bill in Illinois would address the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income communities.

Vicki Arroyo, executive director of the nonpartisan Georgetown Climate Center, which works with states to address climate change, said initiatives at the state and local level can drive investment in the renewables industry and prompt consumers to buy electric cars and make their homes more energy-efficient.

“There’s a sense of increasing urgency to tackle this problem, and they’re not seeing the leadership out of Washington that we need,” Arroyo said.

But she acknowledges that state measures would fall short of what the U.S. had promised under the Paris accord, with its goal of limiting global warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Other energy experts said the state efforts are a poor substitute for a global effort to transition to low-carbon energy systems for billions of people. They also doubted state efforts could influence a change in federal policy, as long as the Trump administration is in charge.

“State and local jurisdictions just don’t have the policy levers that can do much,” Case Western Reserve University law professor Jonathan Adler said.

question: What renovations does Janet Mills want to make on the Maine governor's mansion?

answer: Janet Mills wants to add solar panels to the governer's mansion.

question: How many climate change bills have been introduced in state legislatures?

answer: This year, state legislatures have introduced at least 329 climate change bills.

question: What are Janet Mills' energy goals for the state of Maine?

answer: Mills has vowed to get 100% of the state's energy from renewable sources by 2050.

question: What are some of the challenges that states might encounter while trying to embrace clean energy?

answer: Some of the challenges including scaling fast enough to meet the ambitious goals, upgrading the power grids to accommodate for more renewable energy sources, and building the necessary infrastructure to move renewable energy from remote areas to cities.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article details the various states' efforts to move towards clean and renewable energy, and the policies they are enacting to do so.


text:
A worn and somewhat muscular hand thrust from beneath the surface of a pale blue  mountain fed lake. Dripping with slimy seaweed and lake water the hand paddled furiously. Suddenly, the famous King Arthur shot out of the water, finding himself gasping for air. Arthur’s other hand emerged from the icy depths, paddling against its watery grave. King Arthur sighed a sigh of relief. He was finally home. Where were his people? Had it really been that long?

He spun around, trying to locate the shore. He finally homed in on some birds flying in wide circles high in the sky. Arthur paddled his legs and arms in their general direction, hoping for any sign of relief from this strenuous fight for life.

The swim was hard, but The King had nearly reached the border in which marked the end of this journey, and the beginning of the next. The shore. King Arthur waded through the last bit of water, too tired to swim. “Twilight?” The king spoke with a harsh British accent. It wasn’t really, the polluted air had made it seem darker than it really was.

The King found himself on a silky sand beach, the course rock he once knew had eroded into the perfect sand castle building material. “I have been away many years,” Arthur said in a hushed tone of grief and sorrow. “Whither will I go now?”

Arthur jumped with remembrance, almost forgetting a very important role in his life. He had first seen Excalibur when he was eleven, in a nook of a tree, sitting ever so mocking, telling him to take it and run. He didn’t. But Excalibur stopped at nothing. It came again. Arthur remembered the day vividly. A month day after his twelfth birthday. The same sword, this time screaming at him to take it. He did that time. His only sword and companion had fought many battles since then. Much bloodshed in the name of his people.

The King keeled down on one knee, he raised his hand, and with an inaudible command the sky was ripped apart, revealing a blinding light. Arthur was thrown down, unable to overcome the intense force that Excalibur brought. Then, as soon as it had started, it had ended. The only trace of it ever happening was the sword held in King Arthur's worn right hand.

Arthur walked forward, dripping with sweat, clutching Excalibur with all his might. Although there was nothing to be afraid of, not now. He saw no one and he wondered if his people, all Arthur had worked for, had dyed off. Conquered by another nation. The great and powerful king shuddered at the thought.

King Arthur came to a black strip of land with a yellow stripe down the middle, although he had no idea how they made it, he knew exactly what it was. A road. This was reassuring, to know that his people had progressed in technology. He wasn’t only talking about the road, but the machines that must have used it. Merlin had warned him of that much.

A small drug store, across the road, was the only thing Arthur saw. He was intimidated by the miniature structure. But he tried to believe his people would remember their king of old. Arthur walked in, a small bell sounded. The room was dimly lit, with a man in a black beanie and a gun pointed to the cashier. Arthur saw the look in the thieves eye’s, the most intense gaze of hatred. “Halt! In the name of King Arthur!” The man whirled around in fear and astonishment. He aimed the gun to Arthur's head and squeezed the trigger.

**If I receive enough feedback I would love to continue the adventures of King Arthur! Thanks in advance!**

title: [SP] King Arthur's Return

question: Who has returned to rule Britain?

answer: King Arthur.

question: How does the story end?

answer: King Arthur gets shot.

question: What is the major source of tension in this story?

answer: King Arthur returning and viewing the technological change that has occurred in his sleep.

question: How does Arthur retrieve Excalibur?

answer: It descends from the sky after uses a magic gesture.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The story is about King Arthur's return after centuries, and how he copes with the new technologies he witnesses. Then, he gets shot.


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

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

Yeah, probably.

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

Empty.

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

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

Nah, no one does that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

title: [RF] A Great Job

question: What is the likely gender of the narrator?

answer: It's not outrightly stated.

question: Why is the narrator seated at a Starbucks coffee stall?

answer: The narrator is waiting to be interviewed at a law firm.

question: What opinion(s) does the narrator have about the corporate world and the people in it?

answer: The narrator views that people who work in offices tend not to state the nature of their job comprehensibly and always dress formally to express their professionalism. The narrator also wonders why people who dress casually are often differentiated from people who dress corporately because they believe that casually dressed people do not work in offices.

question: Where is the guy in the hoodie and headphones headed to, and why did the narrator think he didn't blend in with the crowd at the coffee stall?

answer: The passage did not mention where the hooded fellow was headed, and he stood out to the narrator because of his outfit. Unlike other people crowded at the coffee stall, he was dressed casually, with headphones that presented him as a DJ. The narrator deduced from his dressing that he was not a corporate worker.


text:
[]

The Internet and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have democratized elections, made the world more interconnected, and allowed the velocity of information to be faster than ever before.

But an extensive eight-month investigation by the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) released on Monday found these same forces can also be the greatest threat to America’s sovereignty _(visit campaignfundingrisks.com to download the full report)_. These technologies allow foreign donors to anonymously circumvent U.S. campaign finance laws and directly influence elections by donating repeatedly to candidates.

The 108-page GAI report found nearly half of Congress, both political parties and presidential candidates, and third-party fundraising groups that funnel money to political parties and candidates were vulnerable to fraudulent and foreign donations. This is a bipartisan problem potentially impacting all levels of government, as those whose organizations were found to have been vulnerable include President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Republican National Committee (RNC), and third-party groups like ActBlue, which funnels money to progressive politicians.

And the report found that the website Obama.com, which is not owned by President Barack Obama’s campaign but redirects to the campaign’s official donation page, may make the Obama campaign the most susceptible to illicit foreign donations. Obama.com is connected to an Obama campaign bundler, Robert Roche, who is from Chicago but now lives and co-founded a corporation in China. Roche has direct ties to China’s state-owned banking industry.

Peter Schweizer, president of GAI, told Breitbart News the ease with which foreigners could donate to American candidates puts America’s sovereignty in peril.

“Foreign donations mean that we no longer make our election decisions anymore,” Schweizer told Breitbart News.

Schweizer said he had initially thought “we would find some bloggers overseas with motivation to support a presidential candidate encouraging people to make donations,” but he was “very surprised” by the study’s findings, including how easy it was for foreigners to use “robo-donation” programs that allow foreigners to potentially make thousands of small-dollar, fraudulent and automated donations to candidates.

Schweizer said he “never thought” the GAI would find mysterious redirect sites like Obama.com and was “surprised how little security is required to receive online donations.”

“We are basically trusting political consultants and fundraisers to do the right thing when no one is looking,” Schweizer said.

The report found nearly half of Congress was vulnerable to fraudulent and foreign directions. Of the 446 House and Senate members who have an online donation page, 47.3% do not require the Card Verification Value (CVV), which is the three or four-digit security code on the back of credit cards, for internet donations. Those in Congress who are vulnerable to foreign donations can be seen at www.CampaignFundingRisks.com.

“Candidates appear content with lax security, negligently inviting foreign or fraudulent cash into their campaign,” the report notes.

And the Obama campaign seems to be the most content with the “lax security.”

The FEC requires campaigns to make their “best efforts” to collect identifying information on all contributors who donate more than $50.30 and even more specific information, such as the donor’s occupation and employer, for donations over $200.

As the report notes, donations less than $50, though, fall under the “Pass-the-Hat” rule, which means campaigns can report all such donations under a lump sum and do not have to make their “best efforts” to collecting information on these small-dollar donors.

Because foreigners can exploit the “Pass-the-Hat” rule, the report  found that “any campaign not using these industry-standard security tools is increasing its costs and unnecessarily increasing the risk of at least two types of potential fraud”:

  The Fraudulent High Dollar Donor(s): -the fraudulent high dollar donor is politically motivated and is seeking to avoid detection by making numerous donations below the $200 dollar threshold, over which their donation must be identified; they may seek to exceed campaign donation limits.

  The Unintentional Fraudster -a foreign national who is unaware of U.S. election laws but sympathetic to the campaign. Such an individual can easily end up on a campaign donation page. Given that a number of campaigns list the U.S. donation laws in an inconspicuous place on the “donate” page, it is easy to see how illegal donations can be made with no malicious intent.

And the Obama campaign is most vulnerable to both types of fraudsters.

For example, the study found “the Obama campaign regularly and aggressively posts solicitations for donations and campaign memorabilia on Facebook,” and “the campaign does not make clear in these postings that only U.S. citizens or permanent residents are allowed to contribute.” Fundraising solicitations from the Obama campaign have gone out to foreigners, asking them to contribute in amounts of less than $200. Similar solicitations have been posted in Arabic, Taiwanese, and Chinese on Facebook and on Middle Eastern and Asian websites.

Even though the Obama campaign is touted for its technological sophistication and sites run by top Obama technology advisers use the “CVV” feature, the Obama campaign itself does not use the “CVV” feature on its donation pages — even though it does use the feature on the merchandise pages where it sells campaign merchandise.

This means someone who donates $2,500 to the campaign online has to go through less security than someone who goes online to buy an Obama campaign mug.

“This creates a security risk that is compounded by the considerable foreign interest in President Obama’s political history, personal story, and views,” the report notes.

And according to the study, BarackObama.com, the campaign’s main website, receives approximately 43% of its traffic from foreign IP addresses.

In addition, popular websites touting Obama’s campaign and linking to its donation page have been found in places like China, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Norway, Egypt, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

The report notes that not using the CVV feature “is quite possibly costing the campaign millions of dollars in additional fees,” but the campaign is still not using it. Perhaps this is so because the Obama campaign has benefited from donations slipping through the cracks in the past.

In 2008, the report discovered that an individual using the name “Doodad Pro” made at least 791 contributions totaling $19,065 to the Obama campaign while others named “Good Will,” “Test Person” from “Some Place, UT,” “gjtjtjtjtjtjr, AP,” and “QWERTTYYU” also contributed to the campaign.

The most interesting — or suspicious — site is Obama.com, which the campaign strangely does not own. According to the report, nearly 68% of internet traffic to Obama.com comes from foreign locations. And the website is connected to Robert Roche, who lives in China and co-founded a Chinese company called Acorn International. Roche, the report found, made 19 visits to the White House since 2009, including being seated at the head table during a State dinner with Chinese president Hu Jintao in 2011.

Unlike the Obama campaign, the Romney campaign website uses the “CVV” feature but it is not without vulnerabilities.

For instance, Romney’s campaign also has Facebook and Twitter accounts in Arabic that give off the impression they are associated with the Romney campaign. These accounts link to the Romney campaign’s page and are presumably for a foreign audience.

In addition, the report found some of Romney’s top bundlers, like Akin Gump’s Tom Loeffler, have lobbied for foreign governments like Saudi Arabia.

Since 1980, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, the Chinese government, powerful Indonesian families, foreign criminal gangs, and the Turkish government have tried to influence American officials through campaign donations.

Turkish government officials, the report notes, once bragged about sending hundreds of thousands of dollars in “un-itemized contributions” to then Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert’s campaign between 1996 and 2000 and the government of Pakistan has shuttled campaign donations through intermediaries to presidential candidates and members of Congress who sat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, such as Congressman Dan Burton.

With the internet, foreigners can now attempt to influence American officials anonymously and conveniently — with the click of a mouse.

According to the study, influential members of Congress had websites that made them vulnerable to illicit foreign donations. For instance, Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman of the House International Affairs Committee, had a campaign website that prior to May 1, 2012 did not require the CVV to contribute to her campaign. Though there was no evidence of illicit campaign contributions, her website was vulnerable to them.

The study also found that during Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2010 senate run, Rubio’s campaign did not require the CVV from his online contributors and foreign websites, including many in South America, often featured videos that urged viewers to “donate” to Rubio’s campaign. One potential reason for Rubio’s popularity abroad on websites was the idea of “ethnic solidarity” among Hispanics willing to support a rising star of the same heritage.

The report also noted foreigners can also donate to third-party organizations on both sides of the aisle that funnel money to political candidates.

The GAI study acknowledged “by design, social media’s expansive and viral nature disseminates information, ideas, and causes,” and as a result, “social media is difficult to control, and indeed should not be controlled.”

“Campaigns need to be aware that the age of social media is an age where donation requests go viral, reaching the furthest corners of the world,” the report notes. “Failure to employ industry standard security and transparent accountability is almost an invitation to foreign money to inject itself into federal campaigns.”

The United States has laws against foreign campaign donations to protect its sovereignty and, in January 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld these laws banning foreign contributions were constitutional.

The GAI report recommends election officials:

-   Integrate safeguards to limit the solicitation of money from foreigners by requiring donors with foreign IP addresses to provide proof of U.S. citizenship before they can proceed to the donate page
-   Immediately require campaigns to use industry-standard anti-fraud security technologies including, but not limited to, the Card Verification Value (CVV) and a rigorous Address Verification System (AVS)
-   Immediately require all campaigns to retain and disclose identifying information on all online campaign contributions, including those falling under the $200 nondisclosure threshold currently allowed under federal law
-   Address the threat of “Robo-Donations”: The absence of industry-standard anti-fraud credit card security features render campaigns more vulnerable to so-called “robo-donations.” Robo-donations are large numbers of small, automated donations made through the Internet to evade FEC reporting requirements.

Schweizer, president of GAI, put a particular emphasis on the “robo-donations” that “can literally make a thousand small contributions under different names to fall below the disclosure thresholds.”

These “robo-donations” essentially allow foreigners to threaten America’s sovereignty and potentially undermine its elections, which is why Schweizer said it is “absolutely essential” to mandate more disclosure and credit card security for campaign donations.

“Amazon.com uses more credit card security for online book purchases than many federal candidates accepting $2,000 campaign donations via credit card,” Schweizer said. “To protect the integrity of U.S. elections, that must change.”

question: Summarize the "Pass-the-Hat" rule.

answer: In the United States, when donations to political campaigns of more than $50.30 are made, there is supposed to be identifying information collected on the donator in order to prevent giving that breaks the law. The "Pass-the-Hat" rule applies to donations under $50, and means that campaigns can report all such donations as a lump sum without donor details. This rule has been discovered and exploited by foreign donors, while others donate and are unaware of donation laws. Either way, the rule makes a loop-hole for campaigns to receive illegal donations.

question: What does the text say about Peter Schweizer's personal life?

question: Summarize CVV.

answer: CVV stands for Card Verification Value. It is the three or four digit security code on the back of credit cards. Websites accepting money often require it as an anti-fraud measure.


text:
Q: WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL WITH _USAGI YOJIMBO_, ANYWAY? - _@cwidtz_

A: If you're not already familiar with _Usagi Yojimbo_, I can see why it might be a hard sell. On paper, it just sounds weird. I mean, it's a long-running samurai story where all the characters are cute furry animals, and that's just the start of things. It's exhaustively researched and set in feudal Japan, frequently using actual historical events as the centerpieces of its stories, but also ghosts and magic are completely real, it's cartoonish and frequently very funny with great buddy comedy bits and a ton of slapstick humor, but it's also very serious and violent, with the highest on-panel body count of any comic I read, and everyone who really loves it won't shut up about how great the word balloons are when people die. Even if you're willing to believe that it's very good, there's a lot there that sounds like it'd be hard to get into.

But since you asked, here's the big deal with _Usagi Yojimbo_: Stan Sakai's been doing this comic for over thirty years, and he hasn't done a bad issue yet.

In a weird way, I think that actually works against it, at least as far as getting the word out goes. The way people talk about comics --- and all media, really --- tends to be based around peaks and valleys. The stuff that gets press is either really bad or really good, and both of those are relative states, especially in comics where there are multiple teams working with the same character and setting. To go back to my favorite example, it's a whole lot easier to say that _this_ Batman story is better than _that_ Batman story and talk about which one works better, because there are always differences that make each one stand out. Even a long run by a single creative team tends to have its ups and downs.

With _Usagi_, there's a consistency that I don't think you'll find in anyone else's work, and that makes it hard to talk about. The first time you read an issue, the level of craftsmanship that's on display and how instantly engaging the characters are, and how accessible it is despite building on _decades_ of intricately plotted continuity is mind-blowing and it's all you want to talk about. Around that fourth issue, though, when it's still on that level, you've kind of run out of things to say. I used to joke that I could write one glowing, 10 out of 10, five-star review praising _Usagi_ and just copy and paste it every time a new issue came out. Saying that something hit a plateau has a negative connotation, but it's really the only way to describe it --- it's just that the plateau _Usagi_'s on is up above everyone else's peaks.

I think that's why so many people always go to _Grasscutter_.

Whenever anyone talks about the series, _Grasscutter_ is the one that gets brought up. It's _the_ Usagi story, the Eisner winner, the if-you-only-read-one comic that's always recommended as a starting point for new readers --- which is pretty weird when you consider that it's volume _twelve --_- and it's easy to see why.

It's everything that makes _Usagi Yojimbo_ great all happening at once: The perfect blend of history and mythology, the balance between action and comedy, political intrigue and the supernatural, and virtually every major character introduced in the series up to that point has a huge part to play. Plus, I'm not gonna lie, the way that it's structured is perfect for appealing to the pretentious side of the Comics Are Serious Literature crowd. I mean, this thing has _four prologues_, going into everything from the Shinto creation story to the establishment of the Shogunate in the 12th century, just to get things in place before the actual story begins. It's an epic in the purest sense of the word, spanning centuries of real history and building on ten years of Sakai's own world-building. And it's _great_.

To start with, we have our characters. In the lead, of course, is Miyamoto Usagi, the _ronin_ (masterless samurai) who became a wanderer after his lord died at the Battle of Adachigahara Plain. He's a character defined by honor and loyalty almost to a fault, and he's marked by kindness to others as much as his skill with a sword. Seriously, that ridiculously high body count I mentioned above? Most of it comes from the fact that Usagi can't walk from one village to another without being set upon by five or six bandits who are very, _very_ bad at picking their targets.

Joining him are two frequent costars: Gen, a hard-drinking rhinocerous bounty hunter inspired by Toshiro Mifune's character from _Yojimbo_, and Tomoe, a friend and occasional love interest of Usagi based loosely on Tomoe Gozen, a real-life female samurai from the 12th century. She serves as the vassal for Lord Noriyuki, a young but wise panda who became lord of a province as a child when his father died. In addition to _them_, there's Sanshobo, a former samurai who became a priest, and Ikeda, a general and rival to Noriyuki's father who became a farmer after a failed coup and was presumed dead.

And then there's Jei.

Jei, the Blade of the Gods, is without question one of the best villains in comics. He's essentially a slasher movie villain dropped into a samurai saga --- if you're being formal, you'd address him as _Jei-san_, a pun that took me actual years to get --- who wanders around killing everyone that he deems to be evil, tearing out their souls with his consecrated black blade. And, as you might have guessed, _everyone_ is evil, with the exception of Keiko, an innocent young girl who travels with him.

Those are the major players, but the story also involves a clan of cat ninja, a deadly swordswoman named Inazuma, a conspiracy of eight lords who want to overthrow the shogun and reinstate the emperor, their leader Kotetsu, the witch that he hired to find the Grasscutter sword, her familiar, and a few other characters besides.

If that sounds like a lot, well, it's like I said: _Grasscutter_ is a story that ties together a decade's worth of characters and plots into a single story that revolves around one of the greatest treasures in Japanese history, full of unrelated threads that intersect, and massive battles for the fate of a country.

And the battles _are_ massive --- one of Sakai's greatest tricks as a storyteller is how deceptive his style is, how it's so intricate but looks so simple and effortless as you're reading. The entire series is built around the visual gag of an anthropomorphic rabbit with his ears tied up to look like a samurai's topknot, and the book's full of little skulls that pop up whenever someone dies, so that even the most dead serious fight scenes have this whimsical, fantastic quality to them. You get used to how cartoonish it is, and then suddenly you're reading about a war between two full-on armies, full of historically accurate detail and dozens of characters fighting each other.

That _Grasscutter_ ties all of that stuff together at all is a pretty monumental achievement, and that it does it as perfectly as it does makes it a great comic, but what really sticks out about it is that it does it in a way that's welcoming and accessible for new readers.

I've written before about creators who play the long game with how they build stories, laying groundwork and setting up long-term payoffs. It's something that a lot of my favorite runs have in common, like Simonson's _Thor_, Ostrander, Yale and McDonnell's _Suicide Squad_, Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire's _Justice League_, even more recent stuff like Snyder and Capullo's _Batman_ or Waid and Samnee's _Daredevil_. They're arranged so intricately and build on each story, adding complexity and rewarding readers by laying out threads that tie up months or years down the line.

_Grasscutter_ does that on a pretty massive scale, but the trick is that it does it so well that it seems simple and easy to get into even if this is the first time you've encountered these characters. Characters' traits come through so vividly, and everyone's role in the story is so well defined that it's engaging on every level. It fits together like clockwork.

Here's the big trick, though: _Grasscutter_ is not unique. It might be a high point, sure, but it's not the only one, and it's not _that_ much higher than the rest of the run. The _entire series_ is that good.

Just look at _Daisho_, the story that comes a year or two before _Grasscutter_. For my money, it's every bit as good, although it's certainly not as complex. It's actually a very simple premise, a story about the cruel leader of a gang of bandits who steals Usagi's swords and, and how Usagi goes about getting them back in a brutal and deadly display of skill. At its heart, it's a story about how important a samurai's weapons are to his honor, and it plays out almost exactly as you'd expect. It's something that almost feels standard-issue, a by-the-numbers revenge story where the irredeemably evil bandits get what's coming to them.

A lot of _Usagi_ stories have that quality, especially the ones that come between longer arcs. So many of them are based on folktales or fables, short ghost stories or murder mysteries that our hero wanders into on his journey. Sakai has so much skill as a storyteller, though, that they never feel disposable, like he's padding things out until the next "important" story rolls around. The simplicity doesn't make them feel standard, it makes them feel accessible --- they're _always_ engaging, and they always feel like they're building on a foundation of solid character work and a setting that feels alive in a way few other comics ever manage.

There's an issue in _Seasons_, for instance --- the volume of shorter stories that comes directly before _Grasscutter_ --- built around Usagi meeting and dueling a samurai who has a grudge to settle against the man (or lion, in this case) who taught Usagi his unique sword style. In the span of a single issue, they go from allies to rivals, and at the end of it, he beats Usagi in a duel and tells him to pass the challenge onto his old master. Again, it's a standard-issue samurai premise; there's nothing more basic and mandatory than the challenge-to-the-master-of-a-fighting-style plot, right? But not only is it done with an incredibly engaging amount of skill, it's something that hangs in the background of the story for years, through _Grasscutter_, until it finally comes back forty issues later in _Duel at Kitanoji_.

It's a perfect illustration of the balance that Sakai strikes in this comic between accessibility and long-term planning. It's entirely possible to read _Duel at Kitanoji_, or _Grasscutter_, or _Daisho_, or any of the issues in _Seasons,_ without starting at the beginning and working your way straight through them --- the only one that really requires prior knowledge is _Grasscutter II_, and that one warns you what's up right in the title.

Sakai even has a habit of explaining in footnotes that _ronin_ means "masterless samurai" in almost every story, and in addition to being one of the book's most likable quirks, it's also a pretty strong indication of how he expects readers to be able to jump in at any time.

But then, why would you? There's no bad story to skip, no tedious setup to get through when you can jump right to the good stuff. It's _all_ the good stuff, and the only real reason not to just start at the beginning and work your way through it has nothing to do with the comic itself. Instead, it's just a function of the publication history --- the first 8 volumes are published by Fantagraphics and the rest are from Dark Horse, which means that it's rarely all in print at the same time. Still, it's entirely possible to just start at vol. 9, _Daisho,_ and keep going from there.

I don't think I'm exaggerating at all when I say that Stan Sakai is arguably the greatest living comic book creator in the world, and _Usagi Yojimbo_ is a thirty-year masterpiece that has a consistency and craftsmanship that other comics only touch when they're at their peak. It's so good in every way that the people who love it rarely even bother to explain why anymore --- if we're not talking about it _all the time_, it's only because its greatness has been such a permanent part of comics that we're taking it as a given.

And really, that's a pretty big deal.

_Ask Chris art by Erica Henderson. _If you’ve got a question you’d like to see Chris tackle in a future column, just send it to @theisb on Twitter with the hashtag #AskChris.__

question: What makes Usagi Yojimbo unique?

answer: It's a decades-long samurai story where all the characters are cute furry animals. It's exhaustively researched and set in feudal Japan, frequently using actual historical events as the centerpieces of its stories, but also ghosts and magic are completely real. It's cartoonish and frequently very funny with great buddy comedy bits and a ton of slapstick humor, but it's also very serious and violent, with the highest on-panel body count of any comic the narrator's ever read, and everyone who really loves it won't shut up about how great the word balloons are when people die.

question: What's unique about the cartoon style of the comic?

answer: The entire series is built around the visual gag of the main character being an anthropomorphic rabbit with his ears tied up to look like a samurai's topknot. The book's full of little skulls that pop up whenever someone dies, so that even the most dead serious fight scenes have this whimsical, fantastic quality to them. You get used to how cartoonish it is, and then suddenly you're reading about a war between two full-on armies, full of historically accurate detail and dozens of characters fighting each other. So the theme of juxtaposition between the seriousness of the material and the silliness of the presentation is consistent throughout.

question: What anthropomorphic animal is the main character?

answer: The main character is an anthropomorphic rabbit with his ears tied up to look like a samurai's topknot.

question: Where did the author of Usagi Yojimbo get the idea for the comic in the first place?


text:
Just the facts, in 40 sentences.

-   Sept. 22, 2019

[]

Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Sometimes it’s worth stepping back to look at the full picture.

He has pressured a foreign leader to interfere in the 2020 American presidential election.

He urged a foreign country to intervene in the 2016 presidential election.

He divulged classified information to foreign officials.

He publicly undermined American intelligence agents while standing next to a hostile foreign autocrat.

He hired a national security adviser who he knew had secretly worked as a foreign lobbyist.

He encourages foreign leaders to enrich him and his family by staying at his hotels.

He genuflects to murderous dictators.

He has alienated America’s closest allies.

He lied to the American people about his company’s business dealings in Russia.

He tells new lies virtually every week — about the economy, voter fraud, even the weather.

He spends hours on end watching television and days on end staying at resorts.

He often declines to read briefing books or perform other basic functions of a president’s job.

He has aides, as well as members of his own party in Congress, who mock him behind his back as unfit for office.

_[__Sign up for David Leonhardt’s daily newsletter with commentary on the news and reading suggestions from around the web.__]_

He has repeatedly denigrated a deceased United States senator who was a war hero.

He insulted a Gold Star family — the survivors of American troops killed in action.

He described a former first lady, not long after she died, as “nasty.”

He described white supremacists as “some very fine people.”

He told four women of color, all citizens and members of Congress, to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.”

He made a joke about Pocahontas during a ceremony honoring Native American World War II veterans.

He launched his political career by falsely claiming that the first black president was not really American.

He launched his presidential campaign by describing Mexicans as “rapists.”

He has described women, variously, as “a dog,” “a pig” and “horseface,” as well as “bleeding badly from a facelift” and having “blood coming out of her wherever.”

He has been accused of sexual assault or misconduct by multiple women.

He enthusiastically campaigned for a Senate candidate who was accused of molesting multiple teenage girls.

He waved around his arms, while giving a speech, to ridicule a physically disabled person.

He has encouraged his supporters to commit violence against his political opponents.

He has called for his opponents and critics to be investigated and jailed.

He uses a phrase popular with dictators — “the enemy of the people” — to describe journalists.

He attempts to undermine any independent source of information that he does not like, including judges, scientists, journalists, election officials, the F.B.I., the C.I.A., the Congressional Budget Office and the National Weather Service.

He has tried to harass the chairman of the Federal Reserve into lowering interest rates.

He said that a judge could not be objective because of his Mexican heritage.

He obstructed justice by trying to influence an investigation into his presidential campaign.

He violated federal law by directing his lawyer to pay $280,000 in hush money to cover up two apparent extramarital affairs.

He made his fortune partly through wide-scale financial fraud.

He has refused to release his tax returns.

He falsely accused his predecessor of wiretapping him.

He claimed that federal law-enforcement agents and prosecutors regularly fabricated evidence, thereby damaging the credibility of criminal investigations across the country.

He has ordered children to be physically separated from their parents.

He has suggested that America is no different from or better than Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

He has called America a “hellhole.”

He is the president of the United States, and he is a threat to virtually everything that the United States should stand for.

question: What does the story say about President Trump's relationship with the media?

answer: President Trump describes journalists as 'the enemies of the people'. The phrase is often used by dictators. He attempts to undermine any independent journalists.

question: What does the article say about Trump's racism and sexism?

answer: Trump says that white supremacists are “some very fine people.” He told four women of color to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.” He has described women, variously, as “a dog,” “a pig” and “horse face,” and has been accused of sexual assault or misconduct by multiple women.

question: What does the article say about Trump's virtues?


text:
Sometimes I go back and read my old stories and I enjoy them.

____

After a night of drinking, head full of mucus. There may have been other substances.  Non-sequitur in extremis. So smart. Pastel shirts and pastel skirts, time for the mall, grotesque alien smiles, she sees them express their dire motivations in drugged honesty. This is when the sprig of paranoia appears.

Bumblebee lighting on a finger above a surge of bile, she's allergic. Such extraordinary fear, unmitigated by the lost idea of safety.  A roller-coaster seems tame, the clacking of the wheels over structure as it gathers potential energy nothing in comparison to the bee's constant hum. It's all like that, every stare.  They all look long it seems, every eyeball's glassy stare. She has to know that there's little to her thoughts.  Reality does not match up. But she doesn't believe in reality, just perception and her's is skewed to destruction.

It's fun.

That's right, fun. Not like the roller-coaster amusement park fun, we might cross lines and garble the signal, so divorce that idea. Fun like the satisfying feeling from biting a fingernail. Tense string fun. Taut bow fun. Pounds of pressure fun. Morganza spillway fun.  River flood over plants, see the seeping water eat up miles of dirt while you stand on the causeway and wonder about the ramifications in a clinical and purely removed from the actual consequences because your home is miles away on high ground sort of fun. But her home isn't on high ground.  She metaphorically bought property in the bayou.  And still it seems as if it's the nothing will be touched kind of clinical fun. Nod your head at the approaching wave and look at it while it fills and fills the cracks and crannies and pulls apart buildings, covers trees, the water is so calmly powerful. It will inundate her, and her eyeballs will widen slightly as the line of water runs up her skin.

They've been changing the lamps in the fixtures overhead. Efficiency the idea, hand-wringing number crunchers in a small office to one side, where no one ever sees, look at boxes on a sheet and make a decision. A color-temperature disaster, there was no consultant, everything is sallow.  It could be her imagination, the alien faces in the pastel shirts also wan, bugging sheen of nascent sweat. Through a belly burdened with a slight sickly distortion the whole world warps and heaves, long wavy lines in the air.

"How do you do Michaela?" A fat balding man says with authority. She works here. This man, so polite, whinges and cries at the drop of a hat about how they've given him the shaft, pulled him up short, worn him thin, among other admonitions. His arrested future, in his belly and so he arrests others, or has them arrested as his power only goes so far on this piece of private property.  At a console he sits for many hours, waving his head at the multi-eyed wonder of monitor screens that bounce and scatter their inputs from all the halls and passages.  Illusion of omniscience goes galloping into his uniform and he enjoys the idea that it stands for something, his badge, the walkie-talkie, his shiny leather boots.

No one blames you or makes excuses for you at this level.  No one is on your side.  They don't help, it's too much to expect them to impulsively reach out, or withhold. Just drag on from one explanation to the next, each shiny new dollar in a crack another excuse to move forward.  The capitalists bread-crumb trail the only motivator. On Sale!  Summer Sale! Close-Out Sale! End of Season Extravaganza!
Her heart isn't in the explosion, the battered creatures laid out on paper left to dry, cooked whole in oil, covered entirely - sparks of hot flash intensity. The fish smell. The food court is dangerous. It rumbles and bubbles with pink heads, hairy hairless wispy thick each lump a different feature in the roiling landscape.

"Michaela."

It is him.  He'd walked along behind her, his keys swing on a loop, large and authoritative, the world is here. The land of the mall caught on metal.   Her mouth plays sticky with the simple word. "Yes?"

"Run the gamut trial time by."

"What?"

"When do you get off of work?"

It must have been that she had heard him wrong.  No sense, the words don't cleave to any recognizable meaning and then they do and her head tilts on its axis and bells consume her mind she gets the ringing confusion of the unexpected.  And all she can think, it should be self-evident as she utters the thought. "Why?"

He grimaces and squirts and a layer of wax paper falls onto his reaction to obscure pain and a complicated internal projection.  There is a lot more to this question.  Much more. One possibility runs into another, the metal gongs retort and vibrate. “Just trying to assess safety priorities.”

Comic words, their very own movie, it makes the lines vibrate. Internally something is very wrong.  She pukes on the floor, in front of the boots, in front of the booth, the one where a girl sells key-rings with names emblazoned on metal tags.  Popular items. Incredulous, the girl who sells trinkets, bored with the place, ready to throw up her hands at any time, ready to indulge in some common dramatic circumstance in which she can wrest control of the situation, she's so much out of control; all night partying, days awake and can't hold much else down but this job and her stomach of iron that doesn't allow her to join Michaela in this explosive moment.

“We need a mop to just north of the food court.” Into the bowels of the walkie-talkie, his fat hand tight on the button, enunciating for clarity. Somewhere in the mall a responder joins him in the severity game and includes a recognition of proper importance. “10-4”

The arms of the mobile swing and as action takes flight they rotate in languid time.  The trinket girl exclaims with profound intensity, “Oh my God!” It's important that the G be capitalized as she is a true God-fearing christian, when it suits her, the time is right, to call on him, now in crisis.  Bustling activity as assembled in the mall, is a team of spectators and participants.  All the action is studiously ignored, down-wind in the food court where they wrinkle their noses and the population shifts to one side in order to not take part in the drama. It's not good for the appetite. One woman, age twenty-three crinkles up her nose into an ugly pig face and personifies the wretched sour feeling in a look of ugliness.  Some note the look and imagine she'd do quite well if she never made that face again.

A man in a jumpsuit appears with a bucket and a mop.  The security guard touches Michaela's arm in assurance. Everything moves apace. The lines have solidified, the morning of motion sick blurring comes to an abrupt halt.  Still in her belly is the desire to evacuate, abated but present, and so she walks, to make it to her place.

“Do you need someone to walk you to your car?  Or give you a ride home” Concern floods from the fat man, time to score points in his fashion, to make the day more manageable for others, to hold off the wretched tides of thieves, loitering teenagers and unruly adults bloated on cheese pizza and the warm glow of fresh purchase.  He could count it his duty to take her home.  Sit in the warm security truck as she struggles to stand and maybe she would lean over and smile at him.  Now that kissing was out of the question unless she brushed, he dreamed that she would hug him and hold her body next to his. Her breasts would press up against his belly and real gratitude would begin the slow implacable progress toward love marriage children retirement burial in a grave with two headstones next to each other the sky sunny overhead and a brown sparrow singing out its common heart.  The bird so profound because it is ordinary.  The thought of the bird makes him hiccup. It would be like a cell from a Japanese comic book, the wind and rain drawn in diagonal slashes across the bird and the stones.

“No, I'm fine.  I feel better now.”

“Having thrown up?”

“Yes, having thrown up.  I feel good now.  I'm going to work.”

He straightens his cap and puts his walkie-talkie back on his belt. He shifts his weight to the right, swings it around in an odd circle, tilts his head, looks at her chin, feels something in his pocket, turns his head toward the food court and back to her. “Well, you let me know if you need anything.” Solicitous. Calm. Strong. Head screwed on totally straight, women like this sort of self-sufficient intensity. He lingers in it, not used to such self-possession his audience of one completely forgotten. And it turns, as he swings, into sour mealy mush and he is suddenly angry.  Nothing that can't be fixed. Roust some skaters, observe a shoplifting perp and plug them down into a little hole of as much damage as he could do to them with the few tools he has.

title: Fingernail - Excerpt

question: Where does the protagonist work?

answer: A mall food court.

question: What does the excerpt say about the security guard?

answer: He speaks calmly, strongly, with authority. He touches Michaela's arm with assurance. He speaks with a flood of concern asking whether the protagonist needs an escort to her car. He could count it his duty to take her home. She imagines if that were to happen that she would hug him somewhat suggestively and envisions an entire life with him.