text:
	Harry woke up last Tuesday morning. This wasn't a particularly unusual event, as he had woken up every morning in a similar manner for thirty-five years. He had developed the habit of turning the alarm off several times before crawling out of bed, and Tuesday was no different. He stumbled to the bathroom, scratched his stubble and emptied his bladder. All typical morning activities. He made his coffee, smoked a cigarette, and thumbed through the paper. Nothing atypical.
	He took a shower and pondered his existence. While this may have been an ordinary action at other times, Harry had come to a new conclusion: his life was no longer worth living.
	Harry was a thinker, and knew to take each thought with care. He kept this thought and studied it. There was validity to the thought. Harry's life was never really worth living; but, it wasn't really worth dieing for, either. He was typically caught in a penumbra of apathy.
	He finished his shower, and returned to his newspaper. Another school shooting. At a preschool, this time. The culprit was a war veteran. He unloaded his fully automatic assault rifle into the kids while they napped. The teachers were unharmed; they were fucking a few blocks away in a rented car.
	The shooter then walked down the street to a retirement home where he murdered three elderly women who were sitting on their porch. On Mondays, they liked to drink tea and knit. They found it quaint. The veteran found killing innocent people quaint. It takes all kinds.
	In his final act, the armed man walked into the main office and pulled the pin on a grenade. Twenty-five people died that day. Twelve children, ten adults, and three old ladies. But who's keeping a tally?
	Harry didn't finish the article. There had been another shooting a week ago. And another not too far beyond that. Harry had become numb to the slaughter. He grabbed his coat and drove to work, at a minor chemical manufacturer. He was a bench-chemist. He mostly cleaned glassware for people who stayed in school longer than him. But it was a job, thankless and hopeless.
	As Harry swirled a dilute sulfuric acid and potassium dichromate solution in an erlenmeyer flask, his earlier idea bubbled back into his brain. His life really wasn't worth living. The other people in the lab weren't particularly friendly. They all had families and friends and things to do. Harry often wished he had things to do.
	He wasn't an unattractive individual, but he wasn't attractive either. This enabled to go through life practically invisible. Most people never knew he was ever around. Even as a child, his family barely acknowledged his existence. He'd often have to walk home from practice or work or school simply because his parents had forgotten they had had three children.
	Once, Santa forgot about him on Christmas. He never forgave Santa. Another time, his family celebrated his birthday three weeks early. No one could remember when he was born.
	While he was studying chemistry, his parents divorced and remarried. His cousin had over-dosed on benzos. Three friends committed group suicide. His mother suffered a mental collapse and was beaten to death by her abusive meth-addicted second husband. His older brother got married, had children, and got a divorce. Harry didn't learn any of this until five years ago. It took his extended family over ten years to realize they hadn't told him.
	Harry didn't care much about his family. He was disowned by his father when he was sixteen because he smoked pot.
	Harry knew he had a gun at home. He'd stick the barrel to the side of his head and throw in the towel.
	As Harry finished his work and walked to his car, a stranger followed him into the parking lot. When Harry unlocked his car, the individual stuck the barrel of his gun to his ribcage and demanded all of Harry's possessions. Clothes, car and all.
	Harry laughed. "I'm going home to kill myself. Shoot me if you have to. You'll only hasten the process and preserve a shred of my dignity." The man shot him in the abdomen and fled. A woman heard the blast and came over to investigate.
	She saw Harry slumped on the ground, next to his car. She called an ambulance. She walked  next to Harry as he groaned. He was bleeding, as one could expect. She sat down and held his head. She stroked his hair. She said everything was going to be okay. She told him her name was Maggie. Well, Margaret, actually, but that's the name her mother used to call her when she was in trouble. Maggie didn't like that name.
	The ambulance arrived and Maggie rode with him. She lied and said she was his wife. Harry had never even been in a relationship longer than a week. Easy come, easy go.
	Maggie waited with Harry until someone close to him showed up. She was sure he had someone who would care if he got shot. Doesn't everybody?
	Nobody came asking for Harry.
	She stayed overnight, and read out loud from the book she had on her. She loved reading books out loud. Still no one arrived looking for Harry.
	Luckily, the bullet had missed the vital parts of Harry, and he was in no mortal danger. He was wounded and sore, certainly, but a far cry from dead. He woke disoriented and vaguely coherent.
	Harry wasn't a religious man, but he thought he had reached the equivalent of an after-life. He saw Maggie. An angel, certainly. The rising sun silhouetted her frizzed hair giving the illusion of a halo. Harry was glad to have seen her. Harry liked seeing beautiful things.
	"Where am I?" He asked towards Maggie.
	"The hospital."
	"Oh."
	Harry relaxed into his bedding and closed his eyes.
	"Is there anyone I should contact for you? I'm sure someone's worried sick about you."
	"Nope. What you see is what you get."
	Maggie moved next to Harry and held his hand. "I'm Maggie. It's going to be okay."
	Harry smiled. Maybe things were finally turning for the better. "I've got to go to work. I'll be back this evening." She left, and passed a medical school student on her way in.
	The medical school intern stared at a chart, then looked at the name on Harry's chart.
        "Harry is like Barry. It must just be a typo." The intern thought to herself. She attached the I.V. line into Harry's arm.
	Harry died later that afternoon. He had a major allergic reaction to the penicillin that the intern had pumped into his arm. Easy come, easy go.

title: Last Tuesday

question: What does the story say about how Harry died?

answer: Although Harry had planned to kill himself, he did not die because of suicide. He also did not die when a man shot him in a parking lot and stole his possessions, thanks to a passerby named Maggie who immediately brought him to the hospital. What killed him was the penicillin pumped into him by an intern who mistook him for another patient. The medicine caused a major allergic reaction, which killed Harry.

question: What does the story say about Harry's family?

answer: Harry's family did not care much about him, and he did not care much about them either. Growing up, he was often ignored and forgotten by his parents. His parents divorced. His mother's second husband was an abusive drug addict. His father disowned him because he smoked pot. After being shot at the parking lot, no one came to visit him at the hospital.

question: What does the story say about how Harry felt about Maggie?

answer: For a long time, Harry deemed his life not worth living. Nobody cared about him, not even his family. He also had not ever been in a long-term relationship. However, he felt something for Maggie. He was happy being with her and likened her to an angel. Maggie, a complete stranger who saved him by bringing him to the hospital when he was stabbed, cared for her. He was thinking things would be different this time that he had Maggie's company.

question: What does the story say about medical negligence?


split: train

text:
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Media and culture tell us that altruism is a high virtue. Using our precious time, money, and energy to benefit others without expectation of return is encouraged and praised in our society. Conversely, our culture emphasizes that a transactional exchange of value supposedly cheapens our obligation to serve others’ interests above our own.

This leads to problems, because transactionality is part of human nature. We are collaborative entities as a species, but our individual survival instinct motivates us to get something out of each interaction. We are only offended by the idea that relationships are transactional because its public repudiation helps to control our behavior. By elevating altruism, our society controls our desires, our output, and our basest impulse to improve our standing. Ironically, the institutionalizing of altriusm leads to a welfare state that gives producers little incentive to create societal value.

Notice the concepts that are used to mask transactionality — “loyalty”,”faith”, “devotion”, “allegiance” — all describe one-sided interactions where a person is expected to provide value indefinitely without reciprocation. Companies expect your loyalty and but will fire you without a second thought if it helps their margins. Girlfriends want your faith and devotion, but are likely to dump you if something better comes along.

Just as a great country cannot sustain itself as a one-sided welfare state, your personal and professional relationships cannot persist if both parties are not bringing something to the table. The happiest people I know embrace this concept, while some of the most miserable fail over and over to realize this ultimate truth. People will assert some higher purpose as a reason for their devotion to a failing cause, all the while allowing others to stomp on their interests and subjugate their lives.

I am perhaps more preoccupied with optimizing my life than most, but periodically I try to ask myself whether each relationship is adding value to my life. And am I adding enough value to maintain a fair exchange? There is, of course, the issue of transaction costs. A girl who previously made you very happy may start misbehaving, or your dream job may evolve into something less desirable. Because of your prior investment it makes sense to attempt to change the circumstances before ending the interaction wholesale. Ultimately, though, most of us are leading the lives of our choosing. If we are being taken advantage of, it is because we are allowing it to happen.

Is this “cold” or “calculating”? Perhaps by the standards of our PC-obsessed nanny state. But I’d rather acknowledge human nature and make it work to my advantage than ignore it and allow other people to control my life. Provide me with value and I will do the same. Cease to do so, and we will end the interaction. It is better to be a mercenary than a pushover.

READ MORE: _THE MATRIX IS GETTING PISSED_

question: What is a welfare state?

answer: According to the article it is a society relying on altruism as motivation.

question: What does the author feel is the best basis for social interaction?

answer: The author feels that both parties should bring something to the table, and if this is not the case any more that the relationship should cease.

question: Why does the author feel that transactional exchanges are more advantageous than altruism?

answer: The author feels that it is in line with human nature. He feels it is better to be a mercenary than a pushover.

question: Is the author male or female?

answer: Based on the derogatory references to girls, it can be inferred that the writer is male.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The author shares his ideas on whether altruism or a more transactional approach to relationships and life is more advantageous. He feels that altruism is encouraged by governments and corporations, but that a transactional approach leads to more happiness.


text:
_CATANANCHE LUTEA_, is a woolly annual plant, assigned to the daisy family, with most leaves in a basal rosette, and some smaller leaves on the stems at the base of the branches. Seated horizontal flowerheads develop early on under the rosette leaves. Later, not or sparingly branching erect stems grow to 8–40 cm high, carrying solitary flowerheads at their tips with a papery involucre whitish to beige, reaching beyond the yellow ligulate florets. Flowers are present between April and June. This plant is unique for the five different types of seed it develops, few larger seeds from the basal flowerheads, which remain in the soil, and smaller seeds from the flowerheads above ground that may be spread by the wind or remain in the flowerhead when it breaks from the dead plant. This phenomenon is known as amphicarpy. The seeds germinate immediately, but in one type, germination is postponed. It naturally occurs around the Mediterranean.[1][2][3] Sources in English sometimes refer to this species as YELLOW SUCCORY.[4]

Description

'' Catananche lutea'' is a low to medium height (usually 8–40 cm) annual herbaceous plant, with a leaf rosette. This species is diploid and has eighteen chromosomes (2n = 18).

Leaves, stems

Young plants above ground consist of a rosette with many linear to narrowly elliptic leaves with the widest point at, before or beyond midlength 3–27 cm long and ⅔–2 cm wide, with an entire margin or with a few widely distanced teeth, an acute or obtuse tip, and the base narrowing, pale green in color on both surfaces due to the pubescent hairs. Young plants produce seated, horizontally oriented cleistogamic flowerheads under the rosette leaves. Later, erect, weakly branched or unbranched flowering stems develop, which are covered in a white layer of pilose hairs. These stems carry few shorter pale green leaves which are increasingly smaller towards the top, at the foot of the branches.[5]

Flowerheads and florets

The terminal branches of the stem are up to 20 cm long and mostly do not carry bracts. Two types of flowerhead (or capitula) occur: early – probably cleistogamous – subterranean flowerheads at the base under the rosette leaves, which have between one and three florets, and capitula on the stems, which have many florets. The papery whitish or beige bracts, sometimes with a dark midvein or base, surround each flowerhead and form a bell-shaped involucre of 1½–3 cm long, and ¾–1½ cm in diameter. The involucral bracts on the outside are egg-shaped, 4–5 mm long and about 2½ mm wide, while the inner ones are more narrow, 9–20 mm long and 3–6 mm wide, with a pointy or tapering tip. The common base of the florets (called receptacle) is set with bristles. The yellow corolla of the aerial ligulate florets is 1¼–1½ mm long, while the tube carries long, straight, soft hairs (or pilose). The tube that is formed by the five fused anthers is 2–3 mm long, the tip squared-off.[6][7]

Fruit and seed

The one-seeded indehiscent fruits called cypselas are five-ribbed, with five pappus scales on top. Cypselas from subterranean capitula are larger (4–5 mm long) and heavier, more or less ovate in shape as seen from the side and with erect, about 3 mm long pappus scales, and come in two distinct types, one about 10 mg, glabrous and whitish in color, that shows quick germination, the other about 7⅓ mg, wrinkled, hairy and brown with delayed germination.[8][9] Besides these two types of subterranean seeds, there are three types of seeds produced by the aerial flowerheads.[10] Cypselas from the aerial flowerheads germinate quickly under favorable conditions, are smaller (about 3 mm long), lighter (about 3⅓ mg), with diverging pappus scales, and come in three distinct types. The periferous cypselas are about ovate, glabrous, whitish in color and having about 3 mm long pappus scales, subtended by an involucral bract and remain in the flowerhead until it disintegrates. The central cypselas are brown, conical with the narrow end at the base, heavily wrinkled and hairy, with about 1 cm long pappus scales that end in a long bristle. The third type of aerial cypsela is intermediate between periferous and central types, and dark green in color.[11][12]

Taxonomy

_Catananche lutea_ was described by Linnaeus in 1753. In 1860, Carl Heinrich 'Bipontinus' Schultz described _Piptocephalum carpholepis_. Carl Fredrik Nyman in 1879 realised the latter was very close to Linnaeus' species, but still decided to give Schultz' taxon subspecies status.[13]

Etymology

The simple translation of the root words from the Greek κατάνάγκη (katanagkē), itself a contraction of κατά (kata), “down” and άνάγκη (anagkē), “force”, is “compulsion”, which is suggested to refer to the use of this plant in love potions,[14] and is reflected in the vernacular name Cupid's dart.[15] The species epithet _lutea_ is the Latin for “yellow”.[16]

Habitat

_C. lutea_ prefers calcareous (chalky), loamy soils in open, disturbed habitats.[17]

Ecology

The aerial flowers are pollinated by a wide variety of insects, but self-fertilisation occurs, and is probably the only type of fertilisation in the horizontal flowerheads. _Catananche lutea_ has both flower heads on long erect stems (aerial) and flower heads on very short stems between or under the leaves of the basal rosette (subterranean). The subterranean flower heads contain two types of cypsela, while in the aerial flower heads three different types can be found, which are located next to the involucre, encircling the centre and at the centre of the receptacle respectively. The subterranean cypselas occur between February and April, are fewer in number, but much larger and heavier than aerial cypselas. A high proportion of the first type of subterranean cypselas germinates quickly, while in the second type germination is spread over time due to inhibition by hormones from the fruit skin. The cypselas in the aerial flower heads form from April to May and neither shows delayed germination, but the three types differ in the way they disperse. Those bordering the involucre have short and scaly pappus and are subtended by a bract, to be released with the flower head when it breaks free from the dead mother plant, resulting in dispersal over a short distance. The cypselas at the centre of the flower head however carry much longer pappus and dislodge much sooner to be carried off by the wind over larger distances. The third type of aerial cypsela has intermediate pappus and may remain in the flower head or be carried off by the wind. The subterranean cypselas spread germination over time, with one type evolved to extend the presence of this annual into the next growing season at a location of proven suitability, while the other type contributes to the soil seed bank, and so hatches against unfavorable years. The aerial cypselas on the other hand spread the progeny into new areas. Hence, _Catananche lutea_ through its fruits shows different survival strategies by having quick and delayed germination, in situ, short distance and long distance seed dispersal, self- and cross-fertilization, as well as having some ripe seeds already early on in the growing season.[18]

_Catanache lutea_ grows on vertisols, in a climate with wet winters and dry, hot summers. It can be found in association with _Cerinthe major_, _Convolvulus tricolor_, _Fedia cornucopia_, _F. scorpioides_, _Glossopappus macrotus_, _Hedysarum coronarium_, _H. glomeratum_, _Lavatera trimestris_, _Malope trifida_ and Salvia viridis''.[19]

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title: Catananche lutea

question: Describe the flowers of the catananche lutea.

answer: Papery whitish or beige bracts surround each flowerhead. The corolla are yellow.

question: What are the uses for the catananche lutea?

answer: Uses are not described.

question: What sort of climate does the catananche lutea grow in?

answer: In climates with wet winters and dry, hot summers

question: In what geographic regions can the catananche lutea be found?

answer: The Mediterraneon

question: From where does the catananche lutea derive its name?

answer: From the Greek word "katanagkē", which means "compulsion".

question: When was the catananche lutea first described?

answer: 1753

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The catananche lutea is a wooly annual plant that grows in the Mediterranian. It was first described in 1753. It is sometimes referred to as the Yellow Succory.


text:
_'_ Children of E.L.B. _'_ is the second official album by Norwegian band Soup. It was released in February 2010. The double CD is the first Soup release to be recorded as a band, rather than solely by multi-instrumentalist, writer and singer Erlend Viken. It is also the first studio album released by the band through How Is Annie Records, whom they had signed with in 2008.[1]

The album was co-produced with Motorpsycho guitarist Hans Magnus Ryan.[2] The lavish sleeve design is by Lasse Hoile, a well-known artist in rock circles who has worked with the likes of Steven Wilson and Dream Theater.

Despite being voted album of the year in 2010 in Viken's home country of Norway by Paul A. Nordal in Panorama Media's annual music review, and being critically well received across a number of European countries, it remains a largely undiscovered classic.[3][4]

Track listing

All tracks written and arranged by Erlend Viken.

1.  “We Share the Same Breath” – 5:22
2.  “Leaving the Harbour” – 4:31
3.  “In Memory of Richard Wright” – 8:41
4.  “Streams” – 2:08
5.  “The Roots are Decaying” – 7:13
6.  “Utopia” – 4:20
7.  “The Roots are Decaying Pt 2” – 4:14
8.  “Playground Memories” – 7:49
9.  “She Had Set Out to Find the Sun” – 8:42
10. “Surrounded by Ghosts” – 3:53
11. “Children of E.L.B. Pt 1 & 2” – 7:39
12. “Glaciers” – 2:10
13. “Northern Patriarch” – 3:34
14. “0805” – 5:19
15. “We Share the Same Breath Pt 2” – 5:50

Personnel

-   Erlend Aastad Viken – vocals, keyboards
-   Ørjan Saur – guitars, backing vocals
-   Rune Leraand – bass, backing vocals
-   Sverre Leraand – drums
-   Hans Magnus Ryan – additional guitar (tracks 6, 8, 11)
-   Elling Snøfugl – cello (track 1)
-   Audun Berg Selfjord – cello (track 4)
-   Lars Magnus Steinum – violin (track 10)

[1] http://www.dprp.net/reviews/201117.php#soup

[2] http://www.adressa.no/kultur/musikk/musikkanmeldelser/article1436311.ece

[3] http://panorama.no/2010/12/18/panoramas-anmeldere-oppsummerer-2010/

[4] http://www.progwereld.org/cms/album/soup-children-of-e-l-b//

title: Children of E.L.B.

question: When was Children of E.L.B released?

answer: February 2010

question: Who co-produced the album?

answer: Hans Magnus Ryan, guitarist of Motorpsycho

question: How many tracks were on the album?

answer: 15

question: Who is the lead singer of Soup?

answer: Erlend Viken

question: What was the longest song on the album?

answer: "She Had Set Out to Find the Sun", which was 8 minutes and 42 seconds long

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the album Children of E.L.B., which was the second official album by Norwegian band Soup and released in 2010. Those who participated in the album, including lead singer Erlend Aastad Viken, and the track list are mentioned. It was voted album of the year in Norway, but remains a largely undiscovered classic.


text:
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    Home > Company Formation > Netherlands

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    ARE YOU PLANNING TO START A DUTCH COMPANY?

    On Demand International simplify companies of all sizes. Whether you are planning to start a sole proprietorship, or a private company in The Netherlands, We can assist you with company formation Netherlands.

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    ABOUT NETHERLANDS

    The Netherlands has emerged as one of the most dynamic countries for businesses and trade in Europe. The Netherlands was ranked the 3rd best country in the world to do business by Forbes and 5th most innovative & competitive company by World Economic Forum. It has one of the highest gross domestic product per capita rates worldwide with a relatively even distribution. The country has the highest number of double tax avoidance agreements worldwide. In recent times, several companies have or are planning expansion into the Netherlands as a result of Brexit.

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    Company formation in the Netherlands has been the preferred way for businesses to ascertain their entry into Europe. With its ideal location and transportation facilities, Netherlands has served as a gateway to Europe for international business. The Netherlands levies a corporate tax of only 16.5 percent which is among the lowest in Europe. The outstanding international business atmosphere makes the Netherlands one of the most preferred companies in Europe to start a business.

    -   With over 93% of the population proficient in English, communication is never a problem in the Netherlands.
    -   The country offers a large talent pool of skilled personnel.
    -   The Netherlands offers a stable political and legislative environment coupled with excellent international relations.

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    NETHERLANDS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

    []

    The Netherlands has an open economy which significantly depends on foreign trade. So, it should be hardly surprising that the Netherlands offers several tax benefits and allowances to international businesses. As per an IMF report, the growth of the Dutch economy has been faster than the Euro area average. The current account Surplus in 2018 was almost 10 per cent reflecting the high savings by multinational corporations. The strong fiscal position along with declining public debt, further showcase the economic opportunities in the Netherlands.

    Netherlands’ location and the fact that it was the founding member of the EU makes a compelling case for Netherlands Company Incorporation. Ports in Schiphol and Rotterdam are significant for movement to and from Europe. The relocation of European Medicines Agency from London to Amsterdam in 2019 could just be the beginning as more agencies and companies are expected to follow suit in the wake of Brexit. The Netherlands is bound to soon become the nation of choice for expanding andstarting a new business in the European Union.

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    Dutch BV is one of the most common forms of company formation in the Netherlands. 'BV' is a private company with limited liability similar to a GmBH in Germany or LLC in the US. There is no minimum capital requirement for registering a BV, and it allows 100 % foreign ownership.

    [Features of Dutch BV Company]

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    DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION

    IDENTIFICATION PROOF

    Passport copies of directors/shareholders.

    LATEST ADDRESS PROOF

    Latest utility bill of director/shareholders.

    NAME YOUR COMPANY

    Suggested name of your Dutch BV company.

    NATURE OF BUSINESS

    Define your main business activities.

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    AGRICULTURE AND COMMODITIES

    TRADE, DISTRIBUTION& LOGISTICS

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question: When was the article written?

answer: In or after 2018

question: Who is the article written for?

answer: Business-owners and entrepreneurs interested in starting a company in the Netherlands

question: Who wrote the article?

answer: On Demand International

question: What reason does the author give for several companies' recent decisions to expand into the Netherlands?

answer: Brexit

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The author gives several reasons to start a company in the Netherlands, such as the relatively low taxes and because it functions as a gateway to the rest of Europe.


text:
Skip to content

The host of one of Russia’s main fleets until the secession of Crimea, calling Ukraine’s own navy a mess would be an understatement. Built around aging Soviet hand-me-downs, the ships they did have largely defected along with Crimea.

[]Indeed, while they have some small attack boats and the like, it would be fair to classify Ukraine’s entire “navy” as one ship, the Hetman Sahaydachnyy, their flagship, which is in the process of being repaired and refitted. Even this ship is just a frigate, but apart from coastal patrol boats and tug boats, it is what’s left.

Ukrainian Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ihor Voronchenko is playing up the repairs and upgrades to their ship as the beginning of a major increase in capacity which will allow them to “counter Russia” in the Black Sea. The US is bankrolling part of this effort with $30 million in aid.

By contrast, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet includes four Frigates, a guided missile destroyer, and an even larger guided missile cruiser, the Moskva, which is roughly four times the size of Ukraine’s ship. Beyond that, Russia has half a dozen submarines in the Black Sea, along with the usual smaller boats.

NATO in general and the US in particular have talked up their desire to counter Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, but the Ukrainian Navy seems far from a realistic counter in and of itself, and the US funding appears primarily aimed at buying more influence with the Ukrainian government than at trying to develop their ship as a serious fighting force.

[]

question: How much aid is the US sending Ukraine?

answer: $30 million.

question: How many frigates are in Russia's Black Sea Fleet?

answer: Four.

question: What does the US funding appear to be aimed towards?

answer: Buying influence in Ukraine.

question: How many ships does Ukraine have left in their navy?

answer: One.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses the fate of the Ukrainian navy after Russia annexed Crimea. It describes US aid to Ukraine as a way of securing influence in the country - not necessarily to counter Russia's navy in the Black Sea, which is much larger.


text:
MARLANA DANIEAL VANHOOSE (born June 25, 1995) is an American contemporary Christian singer. She achieved fame by singing the National Anthem at major professional sporting events.

Biography

VanHoose was born in Columbus, Ohio on June 25, 1995, and was the first of two children born to David VanHoose, a correctional officer in the federal prison system and Teresa (née Blair) VanHoose, a school teacher. VanHoose was born with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) which hindered the development of her optic nerve, rendering her blind at birth and a diagnosis that she would not live past one year of age. After her first year her parents were told that the virus was in remission. At the age of two, VanHoose was diagnosed with a mild case of cerebral palsy.[1]

Career

At two years old, VanHoose began playing the piano and humming the gospel classic, “_Jesus Loves Me._” Her first major performance was in 2012, in which she sang the National Anthem at a University of Kentucky Women's Basketball game. A spectator filmed the performance and placed it on YouTube and the video went viral. VanHoose subsequently joined the Artists Music Guild, a professional artists relations and protection firm, in 2011, and they currently handle her career and have launched her to a worldwide audience. In 2013, the CBS Evening News aired a complete story on VanHoose entitled, “_Teen's Big Voice Shatters Obstacles._”[2] She has been featured on other entertainment shows such as Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition. A feature story about VanHoose and the UK Women's Basketball, entitled, “_Loud and Proud_” was aired by ESPN-E-60. VanHoose sung for the 2015 NBA Playoffs and game six of the 2015 NBA Finals.[3][4] She has performed at three various NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Races. In 2016, VanHoose performed at Carnegie Hall as a premier guest.[5] She was the official anthem singer for the 2016 Republican National Convention and appeared on Good Morning America the next morning from the floor of the convention center.[6] In December 2016, VanHoose opened the New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden to an audience of over twenty thousand in attendance.

Music

VanHoose recorded her first major project in 2013 entitled, “_Do Right._” The project was written and produced for her by fellow Christian recording artist David L Cook and Elddy Trevino and released under DLC Records.[7] Cook took over VanHoose' management in 2012 and launched her onto a national level which included performing for the 2016 Republican National Convention and the 2017 Republican Inauguration Concert Series. VanHoose sang for the presidential concerts at the Lincoln Memorial on the Mall as well as being the featured artist for the Day of Prayer at the National Cathedral on January 22, 2017.[8] VanHoose was the only performer of the day given a standing ovation led by Melania Trump after being moved to tears by her rendition of the classic gospel hymn, “How Great Thou Art.”.[9]

Awards

-   2012 recipient for AMG Heritage Award winners New Artist of the Year
-   2013 & 2014 nominee for AMG Heritage Award winners Artist of the Year.
-   2014 nomination for AMG Heritage Award winners Young Artist of the Year
-   2015 recipient for AMG Heritage Award winners Youth Artist of the Year
-   Commissioned a Kentucky Colonel[10]

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title: Marlana VanHoose

question: How old was Marlana VanHoose when she began playing the piano?

answer: Marlana VanHoose was two years old when she began playing the piano.

question: What rewards did VanHoose receive?

answer: VanHoose received AMG Heritage Award winners New Artist of the Year and AMG Heritage Award winners Youth Artist of the Year.

question: How old is Marlana VanHoose?

answer: Marlana VanHoose is 26 years old.

question: What was Marlana VanHoose's first major project?

answer: 'Do Right' was VanHoose's first major project.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: Marlana VanHoose is an American contemporary Christian singer. She achieved fame by singing the National Anthem at major professional sporting events. She was born blind and was diagnosed with a mild case of cerebral palsy at the age of two. Her first major project was 'Do Right'. VanHoose received AMG Heritage Award winners New Artist of the Year and AMG Heritage Award winners Youth Artist of the Year. She achieved fame by singing the National Anthem at major professional sporting events.


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California's ignoring the elephant in the room when it comes to water usage - or rather, the cow.

Last week Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order in response to the state's years-long drought, and now, all urban water users will have to reduce their usage by 25 percent. Unfortunately, this plan exempts the biggest water users in the state: Big Ag.

Everyone knows factory farming is bad for animals. But here's a by-the-numbers look at why it's bad for California's drought, too.

About 80 percent of California's water goes to agriculture.

Brown's plan to cut water usage will affect the individuals, businesses and small farmers who use only 20 percent of the state's water. Large-scale farmers - who use 80 percent of the water in the state - are largely untouched.

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Yes, some of that agriculture water goes to fruit and vegetable production - but most of it doesn't. 50 percent of the average Californian's water footprint comes from meat and dairy consumption alone.

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You need 7.7 cubic meters of water to produce 1 pound of beef. That's like 77 baths.

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For comparison, water-intensive nuts require 4.5 cubic meters of water, beans require 2 cubic meters and vegetables need only 0.15 cubic meters.

1 gram of beef protein requires six times as much water as 1 gram of protein from beans, peas or lentils.

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It takes 132 gallons of water for a slaughterhouse to process just one animal.

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And it takes 30 gallons of water to make one glass of dairy milk.

It takes 23 gallons of water to make one glass of much-maligned almond milk. Soy milk uses only 9 gallons of water.

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Yes, agriculture does a lot of good, like growing all of our delicious fruits and vegetables. But by far the biggest drain on water is meat and dairy production, which is incredibly inefficient when it comes to water usage.

And if you're going to going to start fining people for taking long showers, it's only fair to take a look at the factory farmers who are using as much water as everything else in the state combined.

question: What is the problem in California?

answer: A years-long statewide drought.

question: Which measures does the governor put in place in response?

answer: All urban water users will have to reduce their usage by 25 percent.

question: Where should the focus of the restrictions rather by, according to the author?

answer: 20% of California's water is used by small users, whereas 80% go to big agriculture. The author feels the water restrictions should reflect this.

question: Why is the author against dairy and meat production?

answer: The author feels it is the biggest drain on water and incredibly inefficient.

question: How much water does it take to produce dairy milk, almond milk and soy milk respectively?

answer: 30 gallons of water to make one glass of dairy milk; 23 gallons of water to make one glass of almond milk and 9 gallons of water to make soy milk.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The years-long drought in California is being addressed in new restrictions being imposed on urban water users by the governor. The author feels that the restrictions will be more effective if it is aimed at big agriculture, because that industry uses 80% of the state's water.


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About a month ago, my girlfriend asked me for a fake name idea for one of her law school papers because they have to be submitted anonymously so the teachers aren't biased when they grade them. Anywho, I came up with a name and a story to accompany it...

I'm very open to criticism. I'd like to see how it does from people that I don't date.

----

Beefy Bitch...

Cornelius Harberdash VII

While his name might allude to an impressive pedigree, Cornelius comes from a rather rough past. Growing up an orphan is never easy. With a name like Cornelius, it was a matter of time before the other orphans started calling him Corn which then led to Cornbeef which then led to Cornbeef bitch because as we all know, children love simple alliteration especially when it is used to make fun of others. Irony won when a child born "Cornelius Harberdash VII" eventually found himself haunted by the painfully shortened nickname "Beefy Bitch."

Beefy Bitch awoke and began wiping the sand from his eyes.
"How'd ya sleep BB?" said Tom O'Horseraddish. "Okay, I figures" BB grumbled.
Today was one of the best... Grilled Cheese Tuesday. BB loved Grilled Cheeses most of all. More than pudding. More than Oreos. More than Oreos dipped in pudding. He could NOT wait for lunchtime. Hopefully Ms. Wartburger would let him get in line early if finished his chores first. Cleaning the toilets with toothbrushes wasn't that bad - especially if you compared it to THE other chore. The chore that was so horrific and inexplicable that only the worst of the orphans was burdened with its doing. Last month, Tom had been given the chore because he set 5 tacs in my Ms. Wartburger's desk chair. In short, Tom hasn't been the same. He doesn't even like Grilled Cheeses anymore which conveniently enough is great for BB.

"Say O'Horseraddish, you gonna eat yer Grilled Cheese today?" BB said rhetorically. Tom's eyes got puffy and he went silent for a bit after the question...

"NO, it's all yours," Tom spewed as he choked back another gag at the thought of cheese.

The day went on, and BB's passionate for Grilled Cheese fueled the most spectacular toilet cleaning imaginable. One would feel guilty for even breathing on the toilets after seeing their pristine glisten.

BB showed Ms. Wartburger his accomplishments expecting a congratulatory praise.

"Dat shitter looks like shit!" howled the Burger.

"But Ma'am I went through 6 packs of teefbrushes today, and last week Timmy-Bob used only 2." BB pleaded.

"You givin' me lip boy?" bellowed the burger.

"No'am"

"Damn straight, you're not... Now get the hell out of here 'for I change my mind and make you clean 'me again"

BB scurried off hoping to beat the other orphans. His only motivation to keep going was founded in the Grilled Cheese. Without it, he might as well forget how to breath.

As he turned the corner to the kitchen's food-line, he saw something that literally altered his existence.

 "Cornbeef" showed on the Kitchen's Bulletin Board.

To this day, there exists no string of words to describe BB's emotional implosion when his eyes scraped over each letter.

As BB stood there, anger began to culminate. A fury started to swell that is illegal in most moral municipalities. BB's vision faded and his concept of reason dissipated. He took twelve solid steps forwarded and cried, "CORNBEEF?!?!?!"

"Haha what's da matter Beefy Baby Bitch!" mocked Sampson Puddlenut.

"Look er'body, Beefy Baby Bitch is sad bout the Cornbeef."

BB mechanically turned his head and fixated on Puddlenut. He had always picked on BB. However, today was quite possibly the worst day for Puddlenut to toss a snide comment. Puddlenut had essentially signed his own death certificate.

"Dafuq ya say to me?!" BB challenged ferociously.

Puddlenut immediately knew he had made a mistake. Even though he was 3 years older and 2 feet taller, Puddlenut had heard about BB's origin's. Until today, BB's past had seemed to be but fiction. BB's current intensity confirmed the rumors in an instant. Puddlenut couldn't handle the realized folly anymore. He wet himself on the spot - which led to his eventual nickname "Puddlepants" but nevermind that now.

"That's what I thought Puddles, now MOVE OUT OF MY WAY."

The sea of orphans split as BB marched to the front of the line. Nobody had breathed, let alone moved freely in the past 57 seconds due to fear of capturing BB's attention. Movement in the kitchen only corresponded to the inaudible demands made by BB as he cleared the way.

As he scanned the staff for the highest ranking adult he met eyes with none other than his eventual mortal enemy.

----

That's as far as I got before purposefully pulling the "to be continued?!" bullshit. I wasn't sure if I'd keep writing but I thought why not leave it open ended? Cliff Hangers are pretty popular for a reason. Closure can leave the audience satisfied and ready to move on with things.

title: The Legend of Beefybitch

question: What is THE other chore?

question: What has upset Beefy Bitch so much?

answer: BB loves grilled cheeses and today is Tuesday so there's Grilled Cheese on the menu. He couldn't wait for lunch. He rushed through the toilet cleaning chores so that he could get to lunch early. Only to find that the menu had been changed to Corned Beef.

question: How did Cornelius Harberdash end up with his eventual nickname?

answer: The children at the orphanage first shortened the name to Corn. It then progressed to Cornbeef. Then, because children love using alliteration to make fun of others, he became Cornbeef Bitch. Eventually, this too evolved to Beefy Bitch.


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A North Carolina man called emergency services to report that he thinks he may have killed his wife in his sleep.

Matthew Phelps of Raleigh told a 911 dispatcher that he "had a dream and then I turned on the lights and she’s dead on the floor … I have blood all over me and there’s a bloody knife on the bed."

"I think I did it," said Mr Phelps during the seven-minute phone call in which he explained he had taken the cold medicine Coricidin for his trouble sleeping.

He believed he had accidentally killed his wife Lauren Ashley-Nicole Phelps in his sleep.

The dispatcher repeatedly asked Mr Phelps "How?"

 World news in pictures

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“She’s not moving at all. Oh my God. She didn’t deserve this,” Mr Phelps cried.

A full police investigation is underway. Coricidin

Mr Phelps is currently being held in jail without bond and due to appear in a Raleigh court on 5 September.

question: What was the crime being described?

answer: A man thinks he may have killed his wife in his sleep

question: What cold medicine had the man taken?

answer: Coricidin

question: What is the wife's name?

answer: Lauren Ashley-Nicole Phelps

question: Where did this crime occur?

answer: In North Carolina

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The story about how a husband kills his wife in his sleep after taking a cold medicine to fall asleep. The husband is being held in jail until his appearance in court.


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[Page Logo]

At Bike for Mike our mission is to help make Hamilton a more cycle-friendly city by creating and empowering a new generation of bike riders. By providing children and families across Hamilton with bicycles we hope to inspire a new group of ambassadors that will work together with the ever growing cycling community to SHOW [THEM] THE WAY. To show kids of all ages the joys of riding a bike. To show parents that cycling is the way to a better quality of life. To show Hamilton that car dependency is not a foregone conclusion. And to show our city that the cycling community is continuing to grow and will not rest until we have safer streets for riders of all ages.

OUR GOALS:

1.  Increase awareness of the joy and benefits of cycling
2.  Increase the number of active cyclists
3.  Raise funds and advocate for safe infrastructure so that 100% of children who are able will cycle or walk to school each day.

To achieve these goals, we’ve created two programs: the annual Bike for Mike Ride event and the Daily School Route.

You can help support the Bike for Mike programs by donating to the Michael Chamberlain Fund.

question: What is the purpose of the post?

answer: Bike for Mike's mission is to help make Hamilton a more cycle-friendly city.

question: What suggestions are proposed to make the city more cycle-friendly?

answer: Providing children and families across the city bicycles to inspire a new group of ambassadors, empowering a new generation of bike riders.

question: What are the goals listed in the post?

answer:
1. Increase awareness of the joy and benefits of cycling.
2. Increase the number of active cyclists.
3. Raise funds and advocate for safe infrastructure so 100% of children can cycle or walk to school each day.

question: How can the reader support Bike for Mike programs?

answer: Readers can support Bike for Mike programs by donating to the Michael Chamberlain Fund.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Bike for Mike's mission is to help make Hamilton a more cycle-friendly city. The mission of Bike for Mike is providing children and families across the city bicycles to inspire a new group of ambassadors, empowering a new generation of bike riders.


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[_Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus_] SUOMALAISEN SANA-LUGUN COETUS (1745) by Daniel Juslenius was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language. It contains about 16 000 words of the Finnish language, at the end of which is a Swedish list of words. The dictionary contains a lot of artificial neologisms from the 18th century.

The dictionary was republished in 1917 by Salomon Kreander and Juhana Canstrén and edited by A.V. Koskimies. A facsimile of the dictionary was published in 1968.[1]

Further reading

Juslenius, Daniel (1745): _Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus._ Näköispainos H. G. Porthanille kuuluneesta sanakirjasta. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, Helsinki 1968.

[1] Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus (Fennicumin arvokirjat) archived

title: Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus

question: What is the Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus?

answer: It is the first comprehensive Finnish dictionary.

question: When was the dictionary published?

answer: 1745

question: Who wrote the dictionary?

answer: Daniel Juslennius.

question: How many words does it contain?

answer: The dictionary contains about 16,000 Finnish words.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus is a Finnish dictionary that was published in 1745. It contains about 16,000 Finnish words and a lot of artificial neologisms from the 18th century.

The dictionary was republished in 1917 and a facsimile was published in 1968.


text:
In March, we learned than there will soon be new places for men to sit on couches when Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters open stores in Williamsburg. With the stores neighboring a Whole Foods and American Apparel (appropriately), this is set to create a Commercial Hipster Mecca that could stand as a tribute to wheat-paste sloganeers and futurism consultants. But it's not enough just to provide the classiest place to buy your knockoff Black Flag Four Logo shirts and Bushwick-branded sleeveless tees: Urban Outfitters also wants to get you drunk.

Grub Street noticed that Urban Outfitters was on the agenda of more than 50 bars and restaurants up for liquor licenses at Monday night's CB1 Brooklyn meeting PDF). The form lists: "Urban Outfitters, Inc, 98 North 6th Street (new, liquor, rest)." The store hasn't officially filled out a liquor license application, but this is the first step in that process. It's unclear what form the restaurant might come in (could it be a sidewalk cafe? an in-house deli), but it's clear the company has big ambitions with the project.

At least this way we may be able to answer an age-old question: how drunk do you have to get to buy Tiger Hipster underwear?

NYC NEWS NEVER SLEEPS. GET THE GOTHAMIST DAILY NEWSLETTER AND DON'T MISS A MOMENT.

question: What are the Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters stores in Williamsburg offering when they open?

answer: Couches for men to sit.

question: What does Urban Outfitters have in store for shoppers?

answer: They plan on selling alcohol.

question: Who found out about these plans?

answer: Grub Street

question: What was Urban Outfitters applying for?

answer: A new liquor and restaurant license.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The news snippet is about Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters stores in Williamsburg set to become places where men can sit on couches and get drunk. According to Grub Street, they noticed that Urban Outfitters was on the agenda of more than 50 bars and restaurants up for liquor licenses, which is the first step in selling alcohol.


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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The man walked into my hostel. I could see it in him that he was tired, but so were all the travelers that walked El Camino de Santiago.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hay... habi...habitaciones... para alquilar?" He asks, pulling a wallet from his back pocket.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"There are rooms here," I say "but they are not for rent, they are for the pilgrims." I pick up his pack and start to walk down the hall.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm sorry, I'm not a pilgrim." he says following me down the hall.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yes you are." I tell him. "You walk El Camino de Santiago."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You don't understand. I'm just hiking- excursionismo." He says.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"No, no, I understand, I have seen many pilgrims, very few like you, but I have seen you before." I tell him as we enter his room. All of the rooms are small and they have two bunked beds. I will let him choose his own when he decides to stay so I set his bag down. "Cafe?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Uh, yes please, thank you." He says. I gesture down the hall towards the kitchen and we walk. He does not say anything so I put the kettle on to boil.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Please sit, it is getting late and other pilgrims will be coming soon, excuse me. I walk to the front hall and open the door and turn on the light. They will know to come inside to sleep and to eat and prepare for tomorrow.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The water is boiling." He calls to me from the kitchen.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Then take it off." I say to him as I walk back into the kitchen. "Do not burn your hand. the handle get quite hot." but it is too late, he drops the kettle spilling the hot water on the ground.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ow, I'm so sorry." he says.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It is no trouble, now I will have clean floors." I smile at him. "Please, run your hand under the tap." I say getting a dishrag from the drawer I bend down to wipe away the water.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"No please," he says, "let me." taking the rag from my hands and a knee.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That is why you are here, and that is why you are a pilgrim." I say.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Excuse me?" he says looking up at me.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I am now a very old man, and I have seen many pilgrims. You are hurt but you will not tend to yourself."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's not that bad." he says, continuing to wipe the floor. the rag and his hands and the water are steaming.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh nieto, I understand. This is why you walk alone on this path. There are those who would walk with you but you think you must be alone." I say, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Now go put your hand under cool water." He stands.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's late, I don't think I should have any coffee." he says wringing out the rag. He hangs it over the edge of the sink.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yes, better to turn in, the way is still long for you, for all of us." I say. "I will see you in the morning and then we will have cafe." He turns to leave, "goodnight pilgrim."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Goodnight, abuelo." he says. I walk into the hall and sit in my chair and wait for the rest to come to my hostel, hot and weary they will stay here for the night on El Camino de Santiago.

title: [Flashfiction] El Camino de Santiago

question: What does the narrator try to say to the traveler?

answer: That he's a pilgrim because he chooses to travel alone and tends to others before himself.

question: Why does the traveler try to clean the floor before tending to his hand?

answer: He doesn't want to bother the old man because of a mistake he made.


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NOQUI (or _Noki_) is a town and municipality in Zaire Province in Angola.[1] It is on the Congo River, just across the border from the city of Matadi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The municipality had a population of 23,880 in 2014.[2]

Noki was the site of an early European trading post. In 1884 Alexandre Delcommune was appointed director of the Belgian factories in Boma and Noki.[3] In December 1884 Lieutenant Eduard Schulze tried to found a German colony near Noqui.[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: Noqui

question: Where is Noqui located?

answer: Zaire Province in Angola

question: What is the populaton of Noqui?

answer: 23,880 as of 2014

question: Describe some key geographical features of Noqui.

answer: The town is located on the Congo River.

question: When was Noqui founded?

answer: That isn't stated.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Noqui is a town in the Zaire Province in Angola. It is situated on the Congo River. In 1884, Lieutenant Eduard Schulze tried to found a colony near it.


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_DESULFOVIBRIO BURKINENSIS_ is a Gram-negative, non-spore-forming and sulfate-reducing bacterium from the genus of Desulfovibrio which has been isolated from soil from a ricefield in Burkina Faso in Africa.[1][2][3][4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

title: Desulfovibrio burkinensis

question: What is the origin of the species?

answer: Soil from a ricefield in Burkina Faso in Africa.

question: What kind of bacteria is Desulfovibrio burkinensis?

answer: It is a Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, and sulfate-reducing bacterium.

question: What genus does the species belong to?

answer: Desulfovibrio.

question: What family does the species' genus belong to?

answer: The article doesn't have that information.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Desulfovibrio burkinensis is a Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, and sulfate-reducing bacterium from the genus of Desulfovibrio which has been isolated from soil from a ricefield in Burkina Faso in Africa.


text:
[Arms of the first duke] The French titles of COMTE MARET and DUC DE BASSANO were created by Emperor Napoleon I, in 1807 and 1809 respectively, for Hugues-Bernard Maret, a French diplomat and statesman. The ducal title refers to Bassano Bresciano in Italy.

Both titles became extinct in 1906, upon the death of the first duke's grandson.

Duc de Bassano (1809)

-   Hugues-Bernard Maret, 1st Duc de Bassano (1763-1839)
-   Napoléon Hugues Joseph Maret de Bassano, 2nd Duc de Bassano (1803-1898)
-   Napoléon Hugues Charles Marie Ghislain Maret de Bassano, 3rd Duc de Bassano (1844-1906)

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title: Duc de Bassano

question: Which title was first created, Comte Maret or Duc de Bassano?

answer: Comte Maret.

question: How long did Hugues-Bernard Maret live?

answer: 76 years.

question: How long did Napoléon Hugues Joseph Maret de Bassano live?

answer: 95 years.

question: How long did Napoléon Hugues Charles Marie Ghislain Maret de Bassano, live?

answer: 62 years.


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Image credit: Pexels.

Competent web designers know that there are several factors that should be taken into account when designing. There’s the need for easy navigation, the suitability of the design for the intended audience, compatibility with different browsers, and mobile-friendliness to name a few. There are lesser known factors, though, that also need to be carefully taken into account.

AP Signature (Local Identity and Contact)

The NAP signature is easily one of the things designers tend not to be concerned about. NAP stands for name, address, and phone. It’s something many might be more familiar with in emails, but it can also be used on websites. For designers, it’s important to find the right place for the NAP signature on a website. It doesn’t have to be positioned imposingly, but it shouldn’t also be relegated to some area where nobody will notice it. The NAP signature also has to be consistent (the same name, address, and phone number) in all of the online presence (from website to blogs and social media accounts) of a company or organization. This consistency is necessary for a solid presence on local search queries.

Web Host

In most cases, clients will already have an active provider for their web properties. And so, when working on an existing business, designers need to be mindful of the limitations and supported technologies of the current running web host. In some cases, it might even be necessary to migrate to a new host to make the design function as intended.

Nowadays, you can acquire an affordable web hosting setup quite easily. With the growth of online retailers, the last few years have seen increased recognition for the lucrative SMB sector amongst online tech solution providers, and you can get a fairly reliable small business web hosting package for as low as $2 a month.

Web design isn’t only about the aesthetic aspects of a website. It’s not only about the way a site looks, its intuitiveness, or its visual attractiveness either. The concept of ‘web design’ also covers the technical aspects of site architecture. If your setup cannot support your design – then you will soon have to address a nasty a bottleneck.

One good example for this case is the support for JSP, or the lack thereof. JSP allows you to create dynamic pages by integrating Java codes into HTML pages. In a case in which you have a client using a web host which doesn’t support Sun’s JSP technology – you’d have to be the one pushing for changes.

It is up to you to look for solutions which will enable the delivery of the promised design while accounting for possible technical limitations.

Legality of Images and Designs

Every experienced web designer already knows the need to use impactful and attractive images. However, not many may mind the legality of the images they use. It’s important to bear in mind the consequences of using images illegally or without the proper attribution. As much as possible, original images or graphics should be used.  If using stock photos, it’s important to be sure that they are good enough or if they are manipulated or used to create a composite, it’s important to review the terms of the stock image provider to avoid problems.

On the other hand, there are times when a designer creates a design that is similar to an already existing design. When this happens, it’s easy to be accused of plagiarism and be discredited. That’s why it’s advisable to have all everything used for the design process properly and completely compiled, to be able to quickly provide a defense against plagiarism accusations. If a designer notices that their work resembles another that has been online for some time, it would be best to proceed with the revisions immediately. It’s difficult to assert originally against something that has been in existence on the web.

Search Engine Optimization

Considering how big an industry search engine optimization or SEO is, it’s not surprising for many to believe that it’s separate from web design. It is mostly considered as part of the marketing or promotions strategy of websites. SEO, though, overlaps with web design in a number of ways. It is not just about optimizing content and injecting keywords and links here and there. SEO has its web design aspects. As such, it helps for web designers to be aware of and be able to implement SEO strategies or techniques.

It would be inefficient for a website to be designed by one company or freelance designer and search engine optimized later on by another. As much as possible, SEO should already be taken into account during the design process. Search engine optimization does not have to be strictly made a part of the web design process, but it would be hugely advantageous doing SEO strategies in web design where they are applicable.

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It’s worth noting that SEO is not some band aid solution that can be quickly and easily applied to a website that does not rank well in search engine results. Optimizing a website that does not integrate SEO techniques in its design is a difficult task.

THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF PRAISES AND AWARDS

Nowadays, success for a website rarely equates to its looks or superficial impressiveness. It’s a rarity for people or businesses who pay for the creation of websites to aim for praises from regular visitors over how great-looking their sites are. Additionally, many of the award-winning web designs don’t rank well on search engines. Search for “web design awards” to find the lists of winners of different award-giving organizations, and test them if they do well in search engine results for the keywords they are primarily related to. Only a few of them, if there are any, will top the results.

The overall success of a website is more important than the praises from certain groups or impressed ordinary website visitors. No one can argue with success, and this success is best demonstrated by the high traffic a site attracts its fast page loading time, it’s mobile-friendliness, its responsiveness, high conversion rates, and it’s being free from bugs or malfunctions.

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Consider these lesser known factors for designing websites. They may not be as important as a website’s need for responsiveness, user-friendliness, and appeal, but they can create a significant impact on a website. Again, web design is not just about the looks of a site and how it works. It encompasses other important aspects that shouldn’t be disregarded.

question: Why is NAP positioning and visibility so important to a website?

answer: NAP means name, address, and telephone number. Its position on a website is very important to visitors, hence designers must place it where people can easily find them. If a website design looks great and its NAP is hidden away, then that website's online presence can be impacted negatively in the long run. Designers should consider making NAP information consistent wherever they put them so as not to confuse visitors. Inserting different names or contact information in various parts of a website raises visitors' suspicion.

question: What are the critical criteria a designer must fulfill to set up a functional, user-friendly, and successful website?

answer:
A designer must consider a website's intended audience when designing a website. He or she must also make sure his creation is suitable for different browsers and able to function on mobile devices.

There is also the need to put NAP (name, address, and phone number) somewhere visible for visitors to find quickly. More importantly, a designer must understand a client web host's limitations so they can design around it; for example, a web host that does not support Java will find it difficult to render dynamic pages.


text:
HUAWEI MATE S is an Android smartphone developed by Huawei as part of the Huawei Mate series.

Specifications

The phone has 3 GB RAM, it has 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB of internal storage and is connectable using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.[1] It does have GPS.[2]

Functions

Shortcut to functions can be triggered by “Knuckle” on the screen - such as “Knuckle S” for long screen capture, “Knuckle C” for camera etc.

[1]

[2]

title: Huawei Mate S

question: What is the Huaweu Mate S?

answer: It is an Android smartphone.

question: Who developed this smartphone?

answer: This smartphone was developed by Huawei as part of the Huawei Mate series.

question: What are some of the specifications of this smartphone that the article has listed?

answer: This smartphone has a 3 GB RAM, a 32, 64, and 128 GB of internal storage, has GPS, and is connectable to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

question: How can shortcuts to functions be triggered?

answer: Shortcuts to functions can be triggered by the "Knuckle" function on the screen.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: An Android smartphone, Huawei Mate S, is described along with its specifications and functions.


text:
_AGABUS ADPRESSUS_ is a species of beetle belonging to the family Dytiscidae. In North America this species has been found in Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and Southampton Island. It also ranges from northern Scandinavia to eastern Siberia and Mongolia. This species lives in running water or lake shores. It can usually be found under stones near the water's edge, but sometimes inhabits sedge roots or overhanging vegetation on undercut river banks.[1]

[1]

title: Agabus adpressus

question: Which family does Agabus Adpressus belong to?

answer: Dytiscidae.

question: Where is this species found?

answer: They are found in North America, northern Scandinavia, eastern Siberia, and Mongolia.

question: Where do they live?

answer: They live in running water or lakeshores.

question: Where are they found in North America?

answer: They are found in Alaska, the Northwest territories, and Southampton Islands.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer:
Agabus Adpressus is a species of beetle. They are found in North America, northern Scandinavia, eastern Siberia, and Mongolia.

The species belongs to the Dytiscidae family and are mostly found near running water or lakeshores.


text:
WOLFGANG SANDT (1960 in Munich) is a German sculptor and author. His best known work is probably the creation of the _KZ-Memorial_ memorial at the Dachau subcamp at Ottobrunn, Germany between 1987 and 2001. The memorial to the Ottobrunn extermination camp, created in 1987, stood in the inner courtyard of the Gymnasium Ottobrunn since 1996, before it moved to its current location in Rosenheimer Landstrasse/Unterhachinger Strasse in 2001[1]

Personal life

After attending the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (German:Fachoberschule für Gestaltung) in Munich between 1979 - 1981, Sandt completed an apprenticeship as a stonemason and stone sculptor, which he completed in 1995 with the master title. Since 1985, he has worked with various sculptors, mainly working in the public space and in the sacred area. From 1987 to 2001 he worked on the creation and installation of the memorial for the Ottobrunn camp outside Dachau. Sandt works as a freelance artist and is a member of the FMDK (Free Munich and German artist) and the Art Association (German:Kunstverein) Ottobrunn.

Sculptures in Public Spaces

-   Order for the organization of the 1st “Bavarian Janus Prize” for the state archives of Bavaria
-   Municipality of Haar, Gronsdorfer Straße, “Srebrenica”
-   Municipality of Ottobrunn, Sculpture Gardens at the Town Hall, “Fragile Stele IV”
-   Municipality Ottobrunn, Rosenheimer Landstraße, memorial outside camp Dachau
-   Municipality of Ottobrunn, Sculpture Gardens at the Town Hall, “Fern in mir”

[1] Interest Group: 100 years settlement area. Ottobrunn. 2002 S. 184th

title: Wolfgang Sandt

question: Who is Wolfgang Sandt?

answer: He is a German sculptor and author.

question: What is Sandt best known for?

answer: The creation of the KZ-Memorial at the Dachau subcamp at Ottobrunn, Germany between 1987 and 2001.

question: Summarize everything relating to Sandt's art education.

answer: He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, from 1979 to 1981. He earned his master's title in 1995 after completing an apprenticeship as a stonemason and stone sculptor.

question: List Sandt's sculptures in public places.

answer:
- Order for the organization of the 1st “Bavarian Janus Prize” for the state archives of Bavaria
- Municipality of Haar, Gronsdorfer Straße, “Srebrenica”
- Municipality of Ottobrunn, Sculpture Gardens at the Town Hall, “Fragile Stele IV”
- Municipality Ottobrunn, Rosenheimer Landstraße, memorial outside camp Dachau
- Municipality of Ottobrunn, Sculpture Gardens at the Town Hall, “Fern in mir”

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Wolfgang Sandt is a German sculptor and author best known for creating the KZ-Memorial at the Dachau subcamp at Ottobrunn, Germany. Sandt attended the Munich Academy of Fine Arts and is a master sculptor. Some of his other public sculptures include "Srebrenica" in the Municipality of Haar and “Fragile Stele IV” in the Municipality of Ottobrunn, Sculpture Gardens at the Town Hall.


text:
-   Code of Conduct
-   FAQ
-   Speakers
-   Schedule
-   Tickets
-   Sponsors
-   Team
-   2018

-   Buy tickets

Buy tickets

About SwiftFest

Conference

[Conference]

SWIFTFEST is a different way to experience IOS DEVELOPMENT that brings together engineers, architects, midnight coders, students, etc. in a highly social and vibrant environment entirely focused on SWIFT. The most community-driven Swift conference is happening for the second time in BOSTON – JULY 29-30, 2019.

Workshops

[Workshops]

At SWIFTFEST we'll be offering workshops along with talks and networking with some of the most innovative developers in the SWIFT space. Come along and elevate your SWIFT and IOS skills!

300+

attendees

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

from everywhere

30+

speakers

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

from Boston and beyond

2

parallel tracks

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

catch the videos later!

Location

-   Calderwood Pavilion
-   527 Tremont Street, Boston
-   conference@swiftfest.io
-   9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Venue

Calderwood Pavilion

2 full theatrical stages

Seating for 370

Located in downtown Boston

Supporters

Podcasts

Meetups

General Supporters

Subscribe for updates

Find out about new speaker announcements and other SwiftFest news.

Tickets

Student

Requires a valid student ID at the conference check in. Without student ID at the check in, ticket will be cancelled without refund. Available until 28 July 2019 9:00

99 USD

At the Crack of Dawn

Conference ticket purchase includes 2 full days of sessions (July 29th–30th) and exhibitor booths, a ticket to the official conference party on July 29th, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack on both days. Available until 8 April 2019 23:59

199 USD

Sold Out

Super Early Bird

Conference ticket purchase includes 2 full days of sessions (July 29th–30th) and exhibitor booths, a ticket to the official conference party on July 29th, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack on both days. Available until 8 June 2019 23:59

299 USD

Sold Out

Early Bird

Conference ticket purchase includes 2 full days of sessions (July 29th–30th) and exhibitor booths, a ticket to the official conference party on July 29th, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack on both days. Available until 8 July 2019 23:59

399 USD

Sold Out

Regular Bird

Conference ticket purchase includes 2 full days of sessions (July 29th–30th) and exhibitor booths, a ticket to the official conference party on July 29th, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack on both days. Available until 26 July 2019 23:59

499 USD

Conference ticket purchase includes 2 full days of sessions (July 29th–30th) and exhibitor booths, a ticket to the official conference party on July 29th, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack on both days.

question: What is SWIFTFEST?

answer: The page indicates it is an event for people interested in the iOS and SWIFT coding platform, from fans to coders.

question: Where and when was it taking place?

answer: In Boston, July 29-30 2019

question: Are student tickets available?

answer: Yes, but only with valid I.D. when you check in.

question: How much does a normal ticket cost?

answer: Once the early bird deal is over, if you aren't a student, the ticket price is $499

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A sales page for SWIFTFEST, a workshop/networking event for IOS and SWIFT developers.


text:
Proctor was lying down somewhere. He didn't know how he got there. The last memory he could think of was that he was driving down his road. He couldn't remember much else. His memories were hazy; He couldn't think straight. Just as these thoughts were going through his head, someone began to shake his arm.
“Hello? Are you okay? Are you awake?” He heard the voice say.
Proctor sat up, and opened his eyes. He realized now that he was in a large grassy field. The sun was just overhead, a large tree stood just in front of him, and the stranger was standing in front of the tree.
“My name is Royce, can you remember your name?”
“Yes, It’s…”
Proctor stopped himself. Although Royce seemed friendly enough, but there was something odd about the question he had asked. “How did you know I was having trouble with my memory?” He said.
Royce began to look confused,  “I don’t know. I guess you did wake up unconscious in the middle of a field.”
	“That makes sense.” he thought out loud, “my name’s Proctor since you asked.”
“Proctor, of course” Royce didn't sound very surprised.
	“Okay,” he said confused and slightly agitated, “Well since you know so much, can you tell me where we are?”
	Royce looked around the field, up at the tree and then back at Proctor. “Well, by appearance I’d say we’re in a field in front of a castle. But I can’t really say anything beyond that. I woke up just a few seconds before you did. I can’t remember much either.”
	“Where is this castle? I don’t see it?”
	“Well it’s… Just over that hill.”
	Proctor turned around and saw that there was indeed a very large hill. It surprised him that he didn't see it before, but maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. It took him a few minutes to climb up the hill and he was slightly out of breath when he reached the top. But as Royce had said, there was a castle about a mile away. It was made of stone, like most castles would be, it had a large wooden door, plenty of towers, and it looked like it was about four stories high. He ran to the bottom of the hill, going a bit faster since gravity was no longer working against him.
	Royce was standing in the same spot he had left him in. He was still staring at the hill. “I saw the castle right where you said it was. Do you think we should head over there? They might be able to help us with our memory.”
	“Yeah that would be a good idea,” Royce said as he continued to stare at the hill “It would also provide shelter for when it starts to rain.”
	Proctor looked up. The sky was completely covered with clouds and he could hear thunder in the distance.
	Royce seemed less suspicious now that he got to know him. They actually had quite a bit in common. They were about the same age, had similar interests and they both remember driving a car before they ended up in the field. There was however one deviation. Royce seemed to have ESP. Proctor could remember a few instances where Royce had repeated things that he had never said out loud, and then there was that hill. Could he really have climbed all the way to the top to see the castle and then ran back down before waking him up? He had said earlier that he woke up a few seconds before he did and he didn't sound like he was out of breath.
	The rain came just a few minutes before they reached the castle. Up close, Proctor could see that the castle was very rundown. The door had rotted away and he couldn't make out what was inside. He debated with himself whether or not it was a good idea to go in. But after hearing a loud crash of thunder nearby, he decided that electrocution would be a more painful death than stabbing.
	Upon entering the castle it was plain to be seen that it had been abandoned for quite some time. The skeletons of rats lay on the ground as if they had run out of food to scavenge for. The only sound they could hear were the sounds of rain and thunder outside, and the flowing of the many streams that ran through the lower parts of the castle.
The outer rooms of the castle showed signs of abandonment, but rooms further in… were different. A great battle had once taken place in there. Skeletons were all over the ground. They held spears, swords, and shields. Walls were broken down, there were claw marks on the floor and ceiling, and the furniture that wasn't broken in these rooms, was burned.  The destruction was everywhere, but it wasn't so bad that it ruined the structural integrity of the castle. Most of the major support beams were still in place and they were handling the extra weight pretty well.
“I think a dragon is bit more dangerous than getting struck by lightning!” Royce said panicking.
“A lot more,” said Proctor, “do you think we could get out before it notices us?”
As if to answer his question a giant mechanical dragon crashed through the ceiling right above their only exit. Steam came out of the many pipes on its back and its eyes glowed red from the flames that were now shooting from its mouth. Proctor remained frozen in place, both from shock at the dragon’s sudden appearance and shock from its appearance. Royce spoke up knocking him out of his stupor, “its name is Koshmar,” he said. “it is programmed to kill all who trespass.”
The dragon shook the rubble from its body and lunged forward. Proctor dove to the left, just barely avoiding the swipe of one of its claws. The beast ran straight for the wall and Crawled up it. It twisted around and shot a couple of fireballs. Proctor grabbed a shield from one of the skeletons, but saw that he didn't need it. Koshmar was directing all of its attacks at Royce. Proctor dropped his shield and replaced it with a spear. He ran toward the dragon in an attempt to stab one of its eyes. He didn't make it very far though and was sent flying by a lazy swipe of its tail. He landed near the window and could see Koshmar was shooting fireballs once again. Thunder crashed outside, and lightning struck in the distance…
Wait a second? There was something very illogical about what was going on here. Just an hour earlier he had noticed that the sun was directly overhead and not a cloud was in the sky, but now he was in the middle of a huge thunder storm! And when he woke up there wasn't a hill in sight, but he had crossed over one to see the castle! Now that he was thinking of the castle, didn't it have a wooden door when he first saw it? And what about the thunder! Doesn't thunder usually come after lightning? Where was he? Was he in some alternate dimension that was ruled by mechanical Russian dragons? Then the answer hit him. The dragon, its name was Koshmar. Koshmar is the Russian word for nightmare. He was dreaming! All he had to do was wake himself up, and this nightmare would end.
Proctor thought he was in a dream, and in a way, he was right. Moments later Royce woke up in a hospital bed, and Proctor… ceased to exist.

title: The caretaker

question: What does the story say about dreams?

question: What does the story say about Proctor's relationship with Royce?

answer: Proctor IS Royce. They are one and the same person living in Royce's nightmare. This explains why the two share similarities, including their age and interests. Proctor and Royce also remember driving a car before ending up in the field.

question: What does the story say about Koshmar?

answer: Koshmar is the name of the dragon in Royce's nightmare. It is a giant mechanical dragon that runs on steam and shoots fireballs. Koshmar guards the castle and is programmed to kill all who trespass. "Koshmar" is also the Russian word for "nightmare". The realization that he was in a nightmare allowed Proctor/Royce to wake himself up and end their ordeal.

question: What does the story say about Royce's ESP abilities?

answer: Royce seems to have ESP because it is his nightmare and he can presumably control most of what's happening. This is the reason why Proctor can only see things when Royce mentions them out loud. This also explains why Royce can read Proctor's mind.


text:
Prev Next View All
[dek]
2002
_WorldCom accountant Cynthia Cooper, FBI agent Coleen Rowley and Enron executive Sherron Watkins exposed the year's biggest wrongdoings_

CYNTHIA COOPER: "I believe that TIME's choice was symbolic in that it represented the hundreds of millions of average citizens who go to work every day to support their families and strive to do the right thing."

COLEEN ROWLEY: "The credibility of the investigation I helped launch into pre-9/11 lapses at the FBI was undercut by suspicions that I was motivated by the fame that came along with being on the cover of TIME. Still, the publicity is what kept me from being fired from the FBI."

SHERRON WATKINS: "What I found amusing was that [the cover] said Persons of the Year, but TIME staffers still called it their Man of the Year issue. It sort of made you think, Wow, we've come a long way. It really was Man of the Year for a while, and now they're talking to three women."

Next Rudy Giuliani

question: What is this article about?

answer: The three women who were TIME's person of the year.

question: What year is this from?

answer: 2002

question: Who are the three women?

answer: WorldCom accountant Cynthia Cooper, FBI agent Coleen Rowley, and Enron executive Sherron Watkins

question: What did the three women do?

answer: They are whistleblowers who exposed wrongdoings.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: TIME's person of the year for 2002 was actually three people: WorldCom accountant Cynthia Cooper, FBI agent Coleen Rowley, and Enron executive Sherron Watkins. The article includes quotes from the three women about their nominations.


text:
BOB & GENE is an American R&B, singing, songwriting, duo. The duo consists of Bobby Nunn and Eugene Coplin Jr. In 1967, in their home town of Buffalo. NY, the two teenagers started writing and recording original songs that were released locally on the MoDo records label.

MoDo Records

In the late 1960s, Bobby's father William Nunn started MoDo records as a way to make extra money and to give the neighborhood youth an outlet to learn the music business. MoDo's recording studio was located in the basement of the Nunn home on Orange Street in Buffalo, NY. Bob and Gene spent most of their free time in that basement writing and recording songs. As Bobby says, “We’d see local bands that had one mission... to play cover songs in the local bars. We thought it would be so much cooler to do original music and to have our own songs on the radio.” If they did cover songs, they did them their own way, often changing them totally. During this time they also recorded enough material for a full-length album. By the early 1970s MoDo Records had folded, so the album was never released.

Daptone Records

In the early 1970s, Bob and Gene went their separate ways and in very different directions. Gene went into the church and other community endeavors in Buffalo. Bobby worked with Rick James before moving to Los Angeles where he continued his music career with quite a bit of success. In 2001, New York soul music historian David Griffiths came across some rare Bob & Gene 45s. The label made reference to an upcoming album titled _If This World Were Mine_.[1] After some intense searching and many phone calls to William Nunn Sr, Griffiths took the tapes of the unreleased album to Daptone Records. The album was released in 2007. Bob and Gene's songs have since been featured in movies like _Why Did I Get Married Too?_, _Our Family Wedding_, and _Different from Whom?_. In 2011, Bob and Gene were inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.

Possible reunion

Inspired by the life and saddened by the death of the legend Sharon Jones, Bob and Gene have had discussions with each other and with Daptone about reuniting for some shows in the near future. 50 years later, their story could continue.

[1]

title: Bob & Gene

question: Who is the duo comprised of?

answer: Bobby Nunn and Eugene Coplin Jr.

question: What genre of music does the duo make?

answer: R&B

question: When was their first album released?

answer: 2007

question: When was the duo inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame?

answer: 2011

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Bob & Gene is an R&B singing, songwriting duo, consisting of Bobby Nunn and Eugene Coplin Jr. As teenagers, they wrote and recorded their first songs in their home town of Buffalo, NY in 1967 on the MoDo records label. However, because MoDo Records folded in the early 70s, their first, and only, album wasn't released until 2007 under the Daptone Records label.


text:
It hurts the same every time.

-+-

There was a time when we discovered how to travel across interstellar spaces. I remember that. I KNOW that. We entrusted the predictions of these immense voyages to infallible supercomputers who could correlate all the data that the human mind could not. They predicted all the dangers and plotted safe passage.

-+-

As a race we had grown intelligent and powerful. We had mastered the capture of the atom and the cell. This I KNOW. We could harvest energy and bend it to our will, and take the hair of a soldier and construct from that his twin in a single year. I remember the pride, as an echo of an echo.

-+-

I do not remember where I was going or where I was from. I, like everyone else, would sleep in stasis on the journey between the stars. The computer would cradle us, and we would bask in its accumulated wisdom, under the watch of its ever-awake eye. But something must have happened. This I KNOW.

It hurts the same every time.

-+-

I was so sure I was having a nightmare. I was so confident in our vigil. But nightmares end. It is a truth universal that even nightmares share a mercy.

We were so powerful that we were certain we had cheated death. Every one of us born perfect. Our understanding of our anatomy, the strength of our technology, the peak of our medicine. The computer implant grown within us, and our pinnacle of regeneration, made us consciously endless, never fearing death. This, I KNOW.

-+-

I do not remember what caused the collision. Whether it was malicious or unpredictable, the damage endures. The vigil failed us, failed me. Something has altered the equation. The crew is gone, the ship is rudderless, the captain is missing, and around is a veil of alien stars. I am lost. But still, I drift. The corruption of the vigil endures and so must I. This I KNOW.

-+-

This I KNOW: It is impossible to determine how many years it has been, even if I could remember. Each instance is connected to the last only by sensation, the tether of a cord unseverable. I do not remember my identity, my home, my nation, my face. Each gestation is a year, but nothing dates here, just the occasional wax and wane of ice and heat, ice and fire, that buckles and burns but leaves no calendar, no demarcation of date or hour, second or century-+-

Something has corrupted the computer's laws. Whether it was from the impact that tore this section of the ship away or the interposition of a deity I will never KNOW. The air is gone, and only this small room remains, holding my endless birthing vessel fixed to the floor. We spin constantly, spiralling through the dark. Every time the machine births me, and I do not know why it chose me or who I am to it, the result is the same; I suffocate and freeze, my naked body convulsing in spasms of burning pain as the nerves in my arms and legs are raked with blossoming frigidity.

I have tried to scream, but there is no air in my lungs. I have clawed out my eyes and ripped out my own throat but I still return. I have tried to float away from the wreckage and into the endless night. I have beat on the vessel with my bloody fists but there is no time and it will not break, no time until I begin to fade away into death, no time to destroy and finally end this hell before another year passes and I am reborn-+-

It hurts the same every time.

-+-

title: [SF] It hurts the same every time

question: Summarise what the story says about the condition the narrator is in.

answer: The narrator appears to be traveling in space through a corrupted supercomputer machine, unaware of time, his identity, nation, face, or where he was going. After a severe collision on a ship, the crew and captain of the ship were nowhere to be found, and he found himself trapped inside a birthing vessel, spinning and spiraling through the dark. At some point, the narrator attempted to escape his suffering by trying to break free from the vessel by hurting himself but to no avail.

question: What does the text say about how the narrator found himself in the birthing vessel?

question: What does the text say about the vigil?


text:
The XX Factor
[]

In the delivery room, the baby and the mother’s health are paramount.
Photo by wong yu liang/Shutterstock

Should a father be allowed in the delivery room for the birth of his child, over the mother’s objections? A New Jersey judge said no last November, in a ruling that was released in writing earlier this week. “Any interest a father has before the child’s birth is subordinate to the mother’s interest,” Judge Sohail Mohammed wrote. That has to be the right call. At the same time, I can understand why father’s rights groups see the ruling as discrimination: It privileges motherhood over fatherhood.

Rebecca DeLuccia and Steven Plotnick agree that they started a relationship in late 2012 and that DeLuccia learned she was pregnant in February 2013. Plotnick proposed and they got engaged. By September, they had broken up. Plotnick wanted to be involved with the pregnancy and with the child. Which is good, right? It’s what we want fathers to do. But in this case, for whatever reason, Plotnick lawyered up. In October, Plotnick’s lawyer wrote to DeLuccia, and then she got a lawyer too, and over the next month letters went back and forth about who would sign the birth certificate, who would be at the hospital for the birth, and—as Mohammed delicately puts it—whether there would be “litigation to resolve the matter if it could not be resolved amicably.”

In November, Plotnick sued, saying DeLuccia was refusing to let him sign the birth certificate, tell him when she went into labor, or allow him to be present for the delivery. DeLuccia responded by denying the first two accusations but saying that yes, she “will request her privacy in the delivery room,” as the judge writes. She said she would put Plotnick’s name on the list of visitors for after the delivery, though.

That sounds like a pretty good compromise to me. Once the baby is born, it’s about the baby. Before that, though, it’s about the mother, too—there is just no way to separate her from the fetus. That’s the basic reality of nature that should allow a mother to decide the circumstances of her labor and delivery. “It is an inescapable biological fact that state regulation with respect to the child a woman is carrying will have a far greater impact on the mother’s liberty than on the father’s,” the Supreme Court said in 1992 in _Planned Parenthood v. Casey_, the case that reaffirmed _Roe v. Wade_ and also held that states can’t require women to inform their spouses that they’re having an abortion. If a women doesn’t want her ex in the room while she gives birth—an ex who she’s not talking to and who after all is suing her—then he can wait in the hallway. He’ll still have plenty of opportunity to bond with his newborn.

The same logic of biology convinced me that a New York judge was wrong last year when she barred Sara McKenna, a former Marine and firefighter, from moving from California to New York, because she wanted to go to Columbia University, when she was seven months pregnant. The father of McKenna’s child was the Olympic skier Bode Miller, and he tried to block her from moving across the country by asserting his paternal rights before his child was born. An appeals court quickly reversed that order. Again, fathers just cannot have rights over fetuses that interfere with a woman’s freedom of choice and movement in this way. Once the child is born, the law can accord equal rights to fathers and mothers. Before birth, it just cannot.

I recognize the pathos and irony here in turning fathers away. To resolve the dispute between Plotnick and DeLuccia, Mohammed turned to New Jersey’s parentage act, which he pointed out was designed “to help families deal with the problems posed by fathers who seek to avoid paying child support.” In other words, deadbeat dads. Steven Plotnick has been anything but that, and with any luck his child’s life—and maybe DeLuccia’s, too—will be the better for it. But the impulse to want what’s best for his child could have led Plotnick to give DeLuccia her space rather than (figuratively) pounding on her delivery room door. As Mohammed pointed out, New Jersey and federal law also protect DeLuccia’s privacy rights as a patient. And he rightly notes that dealing with Plotnick’s uninvited presence could “add to an already stressful situation” in a way that “could endanger both the mother and the fetus.” Surely Plotnick would agree that the baby’s health is paramount here.

Plotnick’s lawyer now says that her client “never asked to be in the delivery room, only to be able to see the baby at the hospital as soon as possible after the birth,” according to the _Newark Star-Ledger_. If that’s all Plotnick had asked for in court, I’d sympathize. Though then it would be hard to see what he had to sue over, since DeLuccia said she would put him on the visitor’s list. Maybe he thought he couldn’t get that concession without the suit. Or maybe he just got carried away in a tide of paternal desires. But being a good father when your child is still in utero means thinking about his or her mother’s well-being, too. When men can have babies, then they can decide who comes into the delivery room. Until then, the limits of biology limit their rights.

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

question: Summarize all the information relating to Rebecca DeLuccia.

answer: Rebecca DeLuccia entered into a relationship with Steven Plotnick at the end of 2012. She found out that she was pregnant early in 2013. They were engaged, but broke off the engagement. She got a lawyer to respond to letters from his lawyer. She stood her ground that she wanted privacy in the delivery room, Plotnick will be allowed to visit the day after and sign the birth certificate.

question: What is the relationship between Rebecca DeLuccia and Steven Plotnick?

answer: They were in a relationship in late 2012. After DeLuccia found out she was pregnant in early 2013. Plotnick proposed and they were engaged. They broke up in Septemeber. After that Plotnick lawyered up, and in response DeLuccia did as well. They have been involved in a legal battle ever since.

question: Summarize all the information relating to Steven Plotnick.

answer: Steve Plotnick entered into a relationship with Rebecca DeLuccia at the end of 2012. She found out that she was pregnant early in 2013. Plotnick proposed and they were engaged. They broke off the engagement in September. He decided to get a lawyer and sent letters to DeLuccia regarding different issues surrounding the baby's birth. He asked to be allowed in the delivery room, DeLuccia denied the request and he sued her for it. She stood her ground that she wanted privacy in the delivery room, Plotnick will be allowed to visit the day after and sign the birth certificate. He backed off only saying that he wanted to see the baby as soon as possible after birth.

question: Who spoke about an inescapable biological fact?

answer: The Supreme Court said this in 1992 in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. This case reaffirmed Roe v. Wade and also held that states can't require women to inform their spouses that they're having an abortion.

question: What is the difference in the law before and after the birth of a baby as it relates to paternity?

answer: According to Judge Sohail Mohammed: "Any interest a father has before the child's birth is subordinate to the mother's interest." After the baby is born, the law can afford equal rights to fathers and mothers.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Judge Sohail Mohammed found that Steven Plotnick does not have the right to be in the delivery room of his baby because the interest of the father is subordinate to that of the mother before the baby is born.


text:
_MEAN GREEN_ is a compilation album released by American hip hop record label No Limit Records. It was released on September 29, 1998 and featured a majority of No Limit's artists, as well as other rappers including UGK and Mack 10. Like most No Limit albums at the time, this was a success and peaked at #9 on the _Billboard_ 200 and #6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was also certified Gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 copies sold in just 5 weeks and by June 2000, it had sold over 900,000 copies in the United States. The song by Passion “Don't Be Mad” was a success.

Music video

A music video for the single “Major Players” was released. [1]

Track listing

[1]

title: Mean Green (album)

question: When was "Mean Green" released?

answer: It was released on September 29, 1998.

question: What record label released the album?

answer: "Mean Green: was released by the American hip hop record label No Limit Records.

question: How many copies has the album sold?

answer: By June 2000, the album sold over 900,000 copies in the Unites States.

question: How many songs were on the album?

answer: Not answered.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: "Mean Green" is a compilation album released by American hip hop record label No Limit Records. It was released on September 29, 1998. By June 2000, the album had sold over 900,000 copies in the United States.