text:
DR. WILLIAM BELL is the former lab partner of Walter Bishop and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Massive Dynamic. Due to his connections to Olivia Dunham, Walter and Massive Dynamic he is linked to many of the series' events.

-   1 Original Timeline
    -   1.1 Prime Universe
        -   1.1.1 Background Information
        -   1.1.2 Season One
        -   1.1.3 Season Two
        -   1.1.4 Season Three
    -   1.2 Alternate Universe
-   2 Alternate Timeline
    -   2.1 Background Information
    -   2.2 Season Four
    -   2.3 2015
    -   2.4 2036
-   3 Final Timeline
-   4 Personality and Traits
    -   4.1 Original Timeline
    -   4.2 Alternate Timeline
-   5 Trivia
-   6 See Also

Original Timeline[edit | edit source]

Prime Universe[edit | edit source]

Background Information[edit | edit source]

[]
A younger Bell as seen in the comic book tie-in.

While attending Harvard in 1969, young William met Walter Bishop. Bishop at the time was a new Professor at Harvard and Bell was a student interested in his work. Bell attended Walter's MIT presentation on the possibilities of nonverbal communication by brainpower between humans; this greatly intrigued him. While entering Walter's lab to express his interest in helping him, he met Walter in the middle of an experiment aimed at proving his thesis. The experiment dealt with the transference of information between two mice. The experiment went awry, resulting in Bell getting shocked and having a strange episode due to the high amount of LSD he absorbed during the shock.

After months of working on experiments well ahead of their time, Bell and Bishop were approached by a man named Richard Bradbury who was working for a private research facility located in Alaska. The company had been monitoring the work of the two men and recruited them to come work for them. They agreed and went to Alaska. William soon discovered that scientists at the facility were performing experiments involving the heads of missing scientists.

Bishop and Bell later escape with Dr. Matheson using the teleportation device. It is from this experience that the two men become reluctant to ever work for the government again.

Later Bishop and Bell were approached by the Air Force and hired to build a machine which transports William and Bishop to Germany during World War II. The pair is picked up by the Gestapo and thrown in prison. Walter convinces the guards to let them go so that he can meet Hans Freohelich, who turns out to be Walter's father.

During Walter Bishop's time in St. Claire's, he removed parts of Walter's brain and hid them in three other people. ("Grey Matters")

In 1992, the year after his lab partner and dear friend was institutionalized, William Bell founded Massive Dynamic, the company that propelled him to the forefront of modern science and made him one of the wealthiest men alive. Bell possibly used the money and power gained through the success of his company to further preserve the ZFT manuscript and experiments. At Massive Dynamic, he had played a key role in every aspect of the business, from R&D to marketing. His personal vision continues to guide the firm's progress, and his ongoing research constantly yields new innovations and product lines. Because of this he appeared seven times in the Business Leaders Journal's list of "America's Most Inspiring Corporate Leaders". He was also a Fellow of the National Scientific Progress Council and the only two-time recipient of the Macro Genius Award.

Season One[edit | edit source]

[]
Olivia meets William Bell.

During Fringe Division's early investigation of The Pattern, William Bell's location was unknown to everyone including Nina Sharp. In fact, he had been residing comfortably in the Alternate Universe for the past several months. His base of operations, or at least the spot he chose for his meeting with Olivia Dunham, was an office at the top of the World Trade Center (which in that reality was not destroyed), which he somehow transports Olivia Dunham to. ("There's More Than One of Everything")

Season Two[edit | edit source]

[]
William Bell sacrificing himself.

After returning to her universe, Olivia Dunham has trouble remembering what Bell told her. After a few weeks, she remembers that he warned her of the storm in which the two universe would collide if she didn't stop Thomas Jerome Newton from being resurrected. ("Momentum Deferred")

He teams up with Olivia Dunham and Walter Bishop in the Alternate Universe. He tells Walter how his crossing over in the 1980s began to destroy this world. He later reveals that Walter himself asked him to remove his memories. Bell cannot cross over again, as his atoms would split apart and no trace of him would remain in either universe. Because of this, he sacrifices himself so the others can return home. ("Over There: Part 2")

Season Three[edit | edit source]

[]
William Bell comes back from the dead.

When Olivia visited Bell on the other side, he served her a glass of tea that contained soul magnets. ("Stowaway") In his will, he gave Nina Sharp a bell that was described as a "memento of himself." Walter realized that the bell was more than its appearance in and rang it, expecting Nina to become embodied by Bell. However, it was Olivia who had a reaction to the bell's frequency. ("Os")

Broyles gives William 48 hours to find a new viable host for him and get out of Olivia's body, but William takes his time as he knows that no harm is coming to Olivia. However, not too long after, Olivia regains control of her body briefly, confused and in a trance before William takes back over. William then explains that there is something more complicated than he expected. ("Stowaway")

[]
Bell and Olivia.

Walter and Peter journey into Olivia's consciousness and find William in order to recover Olivia before she is "lost". After Walter and Peter "die" within her mind, William aids Olivia in escaping until she is able to confront her own fears, enabling her to take back control of her body. William tells Olivia to pass on the message "I knew the dog wouldn't hunt" to Walter. He then departs from Olivia's consciousness. As Olivia wakes up, Astrid and Walter realize that William's plan to transfer his own consciousness into a computer has failed. Olivia relays William's message to Walter, who explains that the message was a phrase William would use in earlier experiments when he knew that they would not be successful, and that his reason for suggesting it was because "William hates goodbyes". ("Lysergic Acid Diethylamide")

Alternate Universe[edit | edit source]

As explained by William at the end of Season 2, the alternate version of William was killed as a young man in a car accident. As a result, Massive Dynamic was never formed in the parallel world; instead, there is only Bishop Dynamic. ("Over There: Part 2")

Alternate Timeline[edit | edit source]

Background Information[edit | edit source]

It is thought that years ago Bell intentionally caused a car accident and committed suicide while he had a lymphatic cancer. The truth only emerged later when he revealed that he administered Cortexiphan to slow down the growth of the cancer. ("Brave New World: Part 2")

Season Four[edit | edit source]

In the Alternate Timeline, William Bell was still alive. Because Peter never existed, Bell never used his body as a power source to get the Fringe Team back to the Prime Universe, a seemingly heroic act that cost him his life.

[Fringe-BraveNewWorld.jpg]
David Robert Jones, also alive due to Peter's erasure, answered to Bell, who instructed him on carrying out his endgame. Together, the two began piecing together a plot involving a new breed of creatures that would populate a third universe. The creation of this universe would spring out of the collapse of the two existing universes. The plan utilized Olivia Dunham's Cortexiphan abilities, which Bell intended to use to collapse both universes. ("Brave New World: Part 1") ("Brave New World: Part 2")

[ImagesCAPIKLFB.jpg]
Bell's diabolical plot and his use of Olivia in it outraged Walter, who expressed how he had no compassion for Bell in 2036. ("Letters of Transit") Walter was taken aboard Bell's "ark", the SS Talos, as the Neogenesis plot was being unleashed. His plan was stopped when Walter shot Olivia in the head, knowing he'd be able to rejuvenate her because of her Cortexiphan abilities. After realizing his plan had been foiled, William rang a bell that was aboard his ship and evaporated into thin air. ("Brave New World: Part 2")

2015[edit | edit source]

Bell regained contact with the Fringe Team. He expressed a desire to fight the Observers. He stored two beacons in his storage facility, which could only be accessed with his hand print. However, Bell betrayed the Fringe Division and led the Observers to their location, forcing Walter to amber himself, Astrid, Peter, and Bell. ("Five-Twenty-Ten")

2036[edit | edit source]

[]
William Bell in amber.

In 2036, Henrietta was able to track down the Fringe team. She removed Peter, Astrid, and Walter from amber. William Bell was left encased in the amber, but Walter managed to cut off his hand in order to gain access to the beacons that were so crucial to implementing his plan. Bell and Simon Foster were discovered in amber by the Observers. Foster was removed and dissected. It is unknown what became of Bell. ("Letters of Transit")

Final Timeline[edit | edit source]

Although not seen in the Final Timeline, William Bell would still be alive in the Observer-less world and never have occasion to be ambered, making the SS Talos his last known location during his Neogenesis plot.

Personality and Traits[edit | edit source]

Original Timeline[edit | edit source]

[WilliamBell.jpg]
Dr. William Bell is the former lab partner of Walter Bishop and founder of Massive Dynamic. His name is mentioned through the first season, which shows his connections with the main characters as well as both past and present events in the series.

With the wealth of his company Massive Dynamic in excess of $50 billion, William Bell is considered one of the richest men in the world. Evidently, he also possesses great technical knowledge and experience, one example being Nina Sharp's functional robotic arm which according to Nina was built by Bell himself. He shared a laboratory with Walter Bishop, so it is likely that he also has a deep knowledge of the science of the border. Walter says that Bell was the only other person who knew what their experiments were about. ("Pilot")

Walter vehemently defends Bell in "_The Road Not Taken"_, reminding everyone that Bell was many things, for example ambitious, selfish and temperamental, but not a fool. Nina also defends him to Broyles and insists that he is not a terrorist and not the enemy.

Bell was suspected to be involved with the ZFT. In a confession recorded video, Dr. Nicholas Boone revealed the founder of Massive Dynamic is the same man who finances the ZFT. ("Midnight") Another member of the ZFT, David Robert Jones, showed an interest in meeting with William Bell. ("There's More Than One of Everything")

Alternate Timeline[edit | edit source]

Without Peter there to soften Walter, Bell grows angry and bitter. He believes that the world dealt him and his best friend a bad hand, and that they should take their rightful place as "Gods" for a new world order. Walter realizes that his friend has gone mad and that Olivia is the key to his final game. In an last-ditch effort, Walter shoots and kills Olivia to prevent the collapse of the universes. William is angered by the betrayal of his friend and disappears. ("Brave New World: Part 2")

Trivia[edit | edit source]

-   Dr. William Bell is one of the most enigmatic and shadowy characters in Fringe. He starts off as an anti-hero and later becomes one of the main villains of the show.
-   Voice actor Leonard Nimoy has been heard on an old VHS tape before his first appearance on the show, but was not credited. ("Bad Dreams")
-   In an imaginary tale of Walter, William Bell is talking to Nina Sharp in a display device. ("Brown Betty")
-   For three episodes, Torv has played a third role aside from Olivia and her alternate counterpart, namely that of Olivia possessed by the mind of William Bell, who has been called "Bellivia" by reviewers. She simulated a hoarse voice and mannerisms of Nimoy used for the representation of Bell. ("Os") ("Stowaway")
-   Bell was initially presented in Fringe Comics as a replacement for Walter Bishop and then as his lab partner.
-   Bell's obituary covers three columns of the newspaper. It's just four points long, but repeated three times to appear more grandiose.
-   Bell and Walter share the same first and last initials, W.B.
-   He is the only main antagonist whose ultimate fate is unknown. David Robert Jones and Thomas Jerome Newton are dead and destroyed, Walternate is still alive as of 2036, and Windmark was erased from existence by Walter's sacrifice in the series finale.

See Also[edit | edit source]

-   Neogenesis

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Prime Universe Characters                                             |
| Olivia Dunham • Walter Bishop • Phillip Broyles • Astrid Farnsworth • |
| Nina Sharp • Lincoln Lee • John Scott • Charlie Francis • David       |
| Robert Jones • WILLIAM BELL • Rachel Blake • Ella Blake • Nick Lane • |
| Sally Clark • Henrietta Bishop                                        |
+=======================================================================+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Prime Universe Characters                                             |
| Olivia Dunham • Walter Bishop • Phillip Broyles • Astrid Farnsworth • |
| Nina Sharp • Lincoln Lee • John Scott • Charlie Francis • David       |
| Robert Jones • WILLIAM BELL • Rachel Blake • Ella Blake • Nick Lane • |
| Sally Clark • Henrietta Bishop                                        |
+=======================================================================+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

question: Why was Bell interested in learning more from Walter Bishop?

answer: Walter Bishop was experimenting with thought transference in mice which deeply interested Bell.

question: What drug was used in the thought transference experiments?

answer: LSD must have been the drug of choice since Bell ended up absorbing a high amount when he received a shock during the experiment.

question: Why should Bell and Bishop have been very afraid after they moved to Alaska to work at a private research facility?

answer: They were scientists and they discovered that researchers at the facility were performing experiments on the heads of missing scientists. This may not have boded well for them.

question: What was Walter Bishop's ultimate end?

answer: He was placed in an institution

question: How is William Bell able to meet with Olivia Dunham in an office in the World Trade Center?

answer: There is more than one universe and he is able to transport Olivia to a universe where the WTO has not been destroyed.


split: train

text:
[Brody's Cause runs to a win in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.]
While Kentucky Derby prep season is over, an overflow number of contenders are still seeking spots to run on the first Saturday in May -- 26 of them as of Monday.

Leading up to the Wednesday of Derby week, when Churchill Downs takes entries and draws for the race, check back for updated status on contenders, 20 of which can make it to the starting gate.

KENTUCKY DERBY-BOUND

_Horse (points position, total points) -- last start:_

GUN RUNNER (NO. 1, 151) -- WON LOUISIANA DERBY: Unbeaten in two races this year, and with a debut win as a 2-year-old under the Twin Spires, the son of Candy Ride is back to working at Churchill.

NYQUIST (NO. 2, 130) -- WON FLORIDA DERBY: The juvenile champion and Derby favorite will train up to the race at Keeneland for the connections to 2012 winner I'll Have Another.

EXAGGERATOR (NO. 3, 126) -- WON SANTA ANITA DERBY: He has four straight triple-digit Brisnet speed figures and a solid pedigree. The son of Curlin will get a work in at Churchill before the Derby.

OUTWORK (NO. 4, 120) -- WON WOOD MEMORIAL: He came home slow at muddy Aqueduct, appearing to idle late. But, said trainer Todd Pletcher, "Hopefully that's something he'll continue to mature through and get better and learn how to really polish off his races."

BRODY'S CAUSE (NO. 5, 114) -- WON BLUE GRASS STAKES: Apparently a colt that simply needs a race, he bounced back from a seventh-place effort in the Tampa Bay Derby to show a strong, driving kick at Keeneland.

CREATOR (NO. 6, 110) -- WON ARKANSAS DERBY: Along with Gun Runner, he's trained by Steve Asmussen and has two starts at Churchill on his resume. While it took the colt six starts to break his maiden, he's "coming around at the right time," Asmussen said.

LANI (NO. 7, 100) -- WON UAE DERBY: After a 7,200-mile flight to Chicago and 330-mile drive to Louisville, he has resumed training. Before this year, only eight horses raced exclusively outside of North America ahead of a run at the Derby.

MOR SPIRIT (NO. 8, 84) -- 2ND IN SANTA ANITA DERBY: Bob Baffert's 2016 Derby horse didn't handle a sloppy track in his final prep on the West Coast but figures to like the Derby's distance. Mor Spirit also previous experience shipping in to race at Churchill.

MOHAYMEN (NO. 9, 80) -- 4TH IN FLORIDA DERBY: Previously the undefeated, early Derby favorite, this Kiaran McLaughlin trainee dazzled in his first workout over the Churchill strip and could go off as the third choice behind Nyquist and Exaggerator.

DANZING CANDY (NO. 10, 60) -- 4TH IN SANTA ANITA DERBY: His trainer, Cliff Sise, confirmed the San Felipe winner will bring his speed to Churchill after training up to the race in California.

DESTIN (NO. 11, 51) -- WON TAMPA BAY DERBY: He arrived Tuesday afternoon to Churchill, joining other Pletcher trainees on the grounds. A work in Louisville is expected with Destin going eight weeks between starts, a strategy that worked last year for Pletcher at the Breeders' Cup.

SUDDENBREAKINGNEWS (NO. 12, 50) -- 2ND IN ARKANSAS DERBY: A gelding known for his late kick, the son of Mineshaft won the Southwest Stakes earlier this year.

OSCAR NOMINATED (NO. 13, 50) -- WON SPIRAL STAKES: While not Triple Crown nominated, owner Ken Ramsey found an investor to pay the $200,000 to supplement for Derby entry. The Mike Maker trainee is stabled at Churchill's Trackside training center off Poplar Level Road.

SHAGAF (NO. 14, 50) -- 5TH IN WOOD MEMORIAL: The Bernardini colt showed little in the mud but previously ground out a win in Aqueduct's Gotham. A big horse, he'll make a run but needs space to do so.

WHITMORE (NO. 15, 44) -- 3RD IN ARKANSAS DERBY: Described as "a beast" by his trainer, Ron Moquett, this horse is also plenty consistent and makes a strong middle move.

TOM'S READY (NO. 16, 44) -- 2ND IN LOUISIANA DERBY: Known to rarely run a poor race, he stepped up last time out, giving upset threat Dallas Stewart another shot after Golden Soul (2013) and Commanding Curve (2014) finished runner-up at long odds.

MY MAN SAM (NO. 17, 40) -- 2ND IN BLUE GRASS STAKES: In his stakes debut, he came home quickly to edge Cherry Wine, looking like a threat at longer distances for trainer Chad Brown.

MAJESO (NO. 18, 40) -- 2ND IN FLORIDA DERBY: Galloped out ahead of Nyquist at Gulfstream Park, and his jockey, Javier Castellano, sees the son of Tiznow as a late bloomer deserving of a chance to run at Churchill.

TROJAN NATION (NO. 19, 40) -- 2ND IN WOOD MEMORIAL: Potentially the first maiden to run in the Derby since 1998, he was a head away from an 81-1 Wood upset. Connections want to take a shot and will ship to Churchill the week of the Derby.

MO TOM (NO. 20, 32) -- 4TH IN LOUISIANA DERBY: Stopped along the rail in consecutive starts at Fair Grounds, he brings closing speed to the Derby for trainer Tom Amoss. Cupid's defection April 18 moved this son of Uncle Mo into the field.

Be an expert! Download the new DerbyHQ app

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

_Horse (points position, total points) -- last start:_

FELLOWSHIP (NO. 21, 32) -- 3RD IN FLORIDA DERBY: Also on the board in the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth, he was transferred to trainer Mark Casse from Stanley Gold for training up to the Derby at Churchill. Connections could come down to the "last minute" on deciding whether to run him.

ADVENTIST (NO. 22, 32) -- 3RD IN WOOD MEMORIAL: He ran wide at Aqueduct, and now "we'll let everybody else's plans dictate the decision we make on the Derby," said trainer Leah Gyarmati. The Peter Pan Stakes, a race Tonalist used to prep for the 2014 Belmont Stakes, is the backup plan, according to the Daily Racing Form.

LAOBAN (NO. 23, 32) -- 4TH IN THE BLUE GRASS STAKES: Unlikely to run in the Derby, he's a potential Preakness candidate known for front-running speed. But Churchill Downs still lists the maiden as possible to enter for the first Saturday in May.

DAZZLING GEM (NO. 24, 30) -- 4TH IN ARKANSAS DERBY: He could become Louisville native Brad Cox's first Derby starter. A late developer, the Misremembered colt made his first start on Jan. 18 and is the only horse to run in two major preps, also third in the Louisiana Derby. “As of right now," Cox said, his horse will "absolutely" be trained as if he's going to run in the Derby. The Pat Day Mile on the undercard is the fallback race.

CHERRY WINE (NO. 25, 25) -- 3RD IN BLUE GRASS STAKES: Nipped by a head at Keeneland, he'll train as if he's going in the Derby for Dale Romans, who refers to his last two outings as "sneaky good."

DISCREETNESS (NO. 26, 10) -- 6TH IN ARKANSAS DERBY: He hasn't been able to duplicate the success lately of his winning performance in Oaklawn's first Derby prep of the year, the Smarty Jones. He's probable for the Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard if he doesn't find a spot in the field.

HAVE SIGNIFICANT POINTS, NOT UNDER CONSIDERATION

NEWS AS OF APRIL 21: Star Hill, 5th last time in the Blue Grass Stakes and last on the latest leader board, will no longer pursue a start in the Derby.

NEW AS OF APRIL 19: Bob Baffert reported Cupid is no longer under Kentucky Derby consideration after a 10th-place finish in the Arkansas Derby. He won the Rebel Stakes earlier this year in another start at Oaklawn Park.

NEW AS OF APRIL 16: Churchill Downs has confirmed also-rans in the Arkansas Derby (Unbridled Outlaw) and Lexington Stakes (Swipe, Riker, Synchrony and others) off the trail. Keeneland's Lexington winner, Collected, will point to the Preakness. Also, Matt King Coal won't attempt to qualify.

NEW AS OF APRIL 15: Azar, with 20 points, worked at Keeneland but is not under Derby consideration after running second in the Spiral Stakes, Pletcher confirmed.

CONFIRMED OUT: Polar River (40), Uncle Lino (29), Sunny Ridge (23), Yu Change (30), Forevamo (20), Zulu (20), Flexibility (15), Greenpointcrusader (14), Airoforce (10), Cocked and Loaded (10), Frank Conversation (10), Vale Dori (10), Surgical Strike (10), etc.

question: Describe Tom's Ready.

answer: Tom's Ready came second in the Louisiana Derby. He is known to rarely run a poor race.

question: How many horses in total are listed?

answer: Twenty-six

question: Which horse won the Arkansas Derby?

answer: Creator (No. 6, 110)

question: What are the listed horses contending for?

answer: A spot to run in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A list of horses that can possibly qualify for the Kentucky Derby.


text:
“Be careful what you wish for.”In the Arizona desert,in a small town,on a motel bed,this thought goes through Travis Tanners mind. He looked at his hand,The gun had fused with his skin 3 days ago. It contained 1 bullet then,now it carry's 3. Travis remembered what the gun said to him the day he found it. “kill them, leave me.” a cryptic message that was decoded to late. All he had to do was kill a man and the gun would let go. He refused,causing unforeseen consequences. The next day a bullet was added. In some sick way he knew what it meant,now two people must die. He knew what he had to do. Guided by the words of the gun,he came to Red Sand Flats. A kind of town that has a diner,a motel,a convenient store,and a police station. That's it. 8 people live in this town,cut off from the rest of the world. On the day he rode in to this place,Travis was drunk. He passed out in his motel room,and woke up with another bullet. He sobbed.

Travis was going to be a writer. He had tried for years to get a book published. Sadly his own perfectionism got in the way. He ripped up many rough drafts,threw them away. He needed to get the emotions perfect. Three months of working on a horror story. In anyone's eyes it would be considered a masterpiece. Travis deleted it because he couldn't get the emotion of killing someone 100% accurate. Countless hours watching interviews with soldiers, and reading serial killer autobiographies was to no avail. He gave up, decided to change genres,but it was to late. The package had been sent,there was no going back. Halfway through his new book he got a package at his apartment. A present complete with warping paper,and a bow. Inside it was the most beautiful revolver he had ever seen. Custom bone grip, and a barrel so polished he could see himself in it. It called to him,beckoned him to pick it up. He made the greatest mistake of his life that day.

She was gaining more power. Everyday that went by,every bullet added to the gun. Was more control over Travis. If he failed to sacrifice,she would have complete control over him. She had to wait only three more days,three more bullets,until she won this sick game. Until she finally broke free of her prison. This was not her first time going through this. She had created many psychopaths in her time. From school shootings to bank robbery's,someone always shook her off. Not this time, Travis wasn't going to kill anyone,she was sure of it.

The writer,with eyes bloodshot,and breath that could get you drunk,left his room. The sun nearly blinded him, though he didn't care. The gun controlled parts of him already, if he waited any longer it would never let him kill. Never get him his freedom back. On the way to the dinner he stopped to look at his reflection in a window. Black jeans,White tank top with beer stains,and messy hair. He looked like a man with nothing to loose. He didn't,with only a dog at home,no one would mind him going to jail. Or something similar.

He thought about the events leading up to this as he crossed the street. All the serial killers he studied, all the interviews with family members of the victims. Here he was about to create another 20/20 special. “ If I wait any longer it will be worse. Just go in there and do it.” he gives himself a pep talk.”You don't have to kill anyone.” the gun spoke directly to his brain. She was part of him now. She could read his mind,control some actions. That goes both ways though. He knows what she needs,knows what she will do if she get's it. Travis has to do this or worse things will happen. It was a sacrifice he had to make,just like the others before him.

It took all the strength he had to open the diner door. She used as much control over him as she had. Not fully powered, all she could do was slow him down. 5 people in the diner,some tourists stopped by earlier, but he couldn't tell them apart from the locals. he gets a table and orders a pink lemonade. He sips it as he thinks of what will happen. People will die,families will grieve,the town will be filled with a sadness for months,and he would go to jail. It was a sub-par situation to put it blankly. Having no way to choose who to kill,he did a simple thing. He played spin the bottle. He laughed to himself of how childish it was. She started talking to him.”Sleep,rest,relax” Each word was a command,and each was disobeyed. He tried hard to probe his brain for any memory of Hers that had passed to him. Visions of previous hosts moved like a sick slide show in his mind. Some loved it,embraced it,became psychopaths. Some killed the first day,some the 5th . No one had let her win,and he wasn't about to brake the streak. He took a deep breath,prayed,and opened fire.

Each bullet that left the gun was like taking an allergy pill. His vision got better as he killed the waitress. Killing a biker gave him back control of himself. Shooting a hiker made the gun fall to the floor. It detached with a pop, it was the most glorious feeling he had ever felt. The sensation of air where the gun was made him smile. It hit the tiled floor with a clank. His hand was red and itchy but he couldn't scratch it,there were people that wanted him to put his hands in the air. Being as happy as he was, he came peacefully.

  Mark and Lucy sat at the dinner table. They did the usual small talk,but mostly they just ate. “Did you hear about that psycho down in Red Sand Flats?” mark asks through a mouthful of food. “You mean that writer that went crazy? Yeah Jamie told me about it at work. Poor town it was a nice place, sad there have to be people like him in the world” she took a sip of her wine. Mark talks while she drinks. “Yeah what a freak,they say he says he thought a gun was attached to his hand. The only way he could get it off was to kill people. Can you believe that? What a text-book freak.” they both agree and change the subject.

That Is Travis Tanners reward for saving humanity. Being talked about at dinner tables across America,hated by everyone. He gets to rot in a padded room, deemed crazy for telling the truth. So is the fate of those chosen to make the sacrifice.

title: The Sacrifice.

question: Who is the antagonist in the story?

answer: It's the entity bound within the gun.

question: Explain why Travis is poor.

answer: He has some writing contracts but throws out his drafts because he's a perfectionist.

question: How did the gun find Travis?

answer: It's not mentioned in the story. It just arrives in a box one day.

question: Why doesn't the gun want him to kill?

answer: Because on the sixth day, the gun will take control of Travis.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Travis isn't a writer only because he's a perfectionist. He throws out his latest work for not getting the emotions of killing someone just right, even after countless interviews with soldiers and reading lots of serial killer autobiographies. A gun arrives at his door in a box, and it fuses itself to his hand. He needs to kill someone to get free of the gun, and if he doesn't the gun will take control of him. Just like many before him, he refuses to let the gun win and kills, saving humanity from greater calamity.


text:
The HARSEN PRIZE was an academic prize, accompanied by a cash award, that was given to deserving graduating students of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City during the 19th century and early 20th century. There were different categories of the prize including “Clinical Reports” and “Proficiency in Examination”. There were multiple placings or levels of the prize; in 1884 first prize under “Proficiency in Examination” was accompanied by an award of US$500, second place received US$300, and third place received US$200.[1]

Recipients

-   George Frederick Shrady, Sr. 1861[2]
-   Allan McLane Hamilton 1870[3]
-   Charles Henry May, 1st prize Clinical Reports, 1st prize Proficiency in Examination 1883[4]
-   George Sumner Huntington, 1st prize Clinical Reports, 1st prize Proficiency in Examination 1884[5][6][7]
-   L. S. Manson, 2nd prize Clinical Reports 1884[8]
-   G. W. Weld, 3rd prize Clinical Reports 1884[9]
-   George Roe Lockwood, Jr., 2nd prize Proficiency in Examination 1884[10]
-   E. K. Morton, 3rd prize Proficiency in Examination 1884[11]
-   Ervin Alden Tucker for Proficiency in All Branches of Medical Teaching 1885[12]
-   William Gilman Thompson for an essay 1885[13]
-   Edward Wight Clarke 1887[14]
-   Levi Olmstead Wiggins circa 1889[15]
-   Austin Wilkinson Hollis 1890[16]
-   Alexis Moschcowitz 1891[17]
-   William Van Valzah Hayes 1893[18]
-   Albert Ashton Berg in Clinical Reports 1894[19]
-   Archibald Henry Busby, 1st prize Clinical Reports 1898[20]
-   Edward A. Rosenberg, 2nd prize Clinical Reports 1898[21]
-   R. J. Held, 3rd prize Clinical Reports 1898[22]
-   Victor C. Peterson, 1st prize Proficiency in Examination 1898[23]
-   Philip Schieffelin Sabine, 2nd prize Proficiency in Examination 1898[24]
-   Hughes Dayton, 3rd prize Proficiency in Examination 1898[25]
-   William W. Vibbert, honors in Proficiency in Examination 1898[26]
-   George A. Saxe, honors in Proficiency in Examination 1898[27]
-   John M. Taylor, honors in Proficiency in Examination 1898[28]
-   Emil A. Rundquist, honors in Proficiency in Examination 1898[29]
-   Charles M. Williams, honors in Proficiency in Examination 1898[30]
-   Burton J. Lee, honors in Proficiency in Examination 1898[31]
-   Stanley O. Sabel, honors in Proficiency in Examination 1898[32]
-   Haven Emerson, 1901[33]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

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[33]

title: Harsen Prize

question: What does the text say about the Harsen Prize award?

answer: The Harsen Prize was an academic prize given to graduating students at Columbia University within the College of Physicians and Surgeons. The prize was given during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The prize was accompanied by cash awards for categories such as "Clinical Reports" and "Proficiency in Examination". In the late 19th century, the cash awards ranged from $200 to $500, from third place to first place respectively.


text:
So I really love to write short stories, but I never feel confident enough to share them so comment and give me advice!

Beep Beep! I groggily rubbed my eyes and checked the time, 8:13, way too early for a Saturday. Oh well, I won't be able to fall back asleep now that the rays of the early mourning sun trickled into my bedroom. I picked up my phone, I had gotten a text from an unknown number it read:

C u soon my little angel- Dad

Must be a wrong number, I thought, my dad died when I was little. I don't remember him and I live alone with my mom. I just shrugged it off and got ready for the day.

I was still brushing my long brown hair as I walked down the stairs to the kitchen. "Mmmm Mom, that bacon smells delicious, is there some for me?" I entered the kitchen to the aroma of a homemade breakfast.

"Of corse Amber, I also made pancakes! Come sit down at the table with me." I helped her bring the food to the table and we both sat down to eat.

"This food is delicious Mom, what made you want to make such a big breakfast?"

She looked around nervously, "Can't I make a breakfast without you thinking there's some ulterior motive?!" She laughed and I smiled, I still had a feeling something was up.

I was right.

"Okay Amber you got me, I do have news and you're not going to like it." I raised and eyebrow as if to say 'okay what is it?' "We're moving away, again."

"WHAT?" I shouted as I stood up, "I thought you said we were going to finally settle down!"

Mom sighed, "I know what I said but I found a job in New York that I can't deny."

"So we're moving across the country for a job again? Why can't we just live in one place for over a year? I'm in High-school  now, it's already hard enough for me to make friends without being the new kid all the time." I stormed out of the kitchen up into my room slamming the door behind me.

***********************************************************

That night I had a very strange dream, I was in a bedroom that was on fire. I was a baby in a crib and I couldn't get out. Suddenly a man entered the room and came over to pick me up. He looked into my eyes and said with a frown, "You should have never been born, now the witches are angry and you must die," he began to pick me up but was struck from behind, he got up and turned around to see my mother. She took a burning piece of wood and struck him across the face with it. When she was sure he was dead she picked me up and ran out the door.

***********************************************************

I woke up sweating, it was 1:32 in the mourning and was still dark. My mom burst in the room, "I heard you scream," she panted, "are you okay?"

I burst out crying as I told her about my dream, she just sighed and sat on my bed. "I guess it's time I told you the story of your father. So about 20 years ago your father, Andrew was a part of some sort of group. The men of the group served these witches who provided them with wealth and safety, but they were to be married to one of the witches. Andrew didn't want to marry them so he left. We met a few years later, got married and had you. When you were still young something happened to Andrew, he started to act strange saying, the witches are angry the girl must die. I got scared when he tried to kill you with a steak knife so I took you and ran. I stayed with a friend for a while until Andrew found us and set the house on fire. Your dream was a memory of him trying to kill you. I've been on the run from him ever since."

I was silent for a few minutes, this was a lot to soak in at once, "I'm going to go take a walk." Mom nodded and I got up and left.

It was still dark out as I walked down the street, None of the steetlights were on and no one was around. My head was spinning with so many questions, where is he now? Will he hurt my friends? Then it hit me, the text was from my dad, he's here! I turned and started to run back to the house to tell mom but I ran into a man. As I got back on my feet and rubbed my head I started to apologize, "I'm so sorry sir, I-" I looked up at his face and gasped, "Dad?"

Well that's part 1, please tell me what you think. I'll have Part 2 up soon!

title: The Man With The Scar Part 1

question: Who is the text from?

answer: The text was actually from her dad.

question: What news does Amber's mother give her?

answer: Amber's mother tells her that they are moving to New York since she has gotten a job there.

question: What was Amber's dream?

answer: Amber dreams that she is a little baby in a crib. Her bedroom is on fire. A man enters the room and tries to pick her up. He says that she should have never been born and now the witches are angry. Her mother enters the room by then and hits the man with a burning piece of wood.

question: What is the story behind Amber's father?

answer: Amber's father was a part of a group that served witches, who in return gave them wealth and safety. But the rule of the group was that they had to marry one of the witches. Amber's father didn't. Soon her parents had Amber but her father tried to kill her once. And since then Amber's mother has been trying to keep her safe and away from her husband, Andrew.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer:
Its still early in the morning, Amber receives a text from an unknown number saying- "C u soon- Dad." But Amber's father, Andrew had passed away long time ago. At breakfast, she finds out she and her mother are moving to New York.

That night amber has a strange dream, about a man trying to kill baby Amber. She tells her mom about her dream and her mother tells her how her father is still alive and tried to kill Amber once.

Amber goes out for a walk at midnight. She runs into a man, who happens to be her father.


text:
April 6, 2052, 1 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

title: 1952

question: Who does Agent Martin work for?

answer: The information Agent Martin collects on his reconnaissance mission is sent to PRISM.

question: Is the set of drones deployed locally?

answer: Yes.

question: Who are the major characters here?

answer: Agent Martin is investigating 16 year old Wesley Smith with four drones: Blade, Hound, Bat and Tech.

question: What is Agent Martin's relation to Wesley Smith?

answer: Agent Martin was assigned to Wesley Smith's case when his activities was flagged as "Acute Suspicion" after his data footprint reduced tremendously.

question: What are the major events in this story?

answer: Agent Martin's drones follow Wesley Smith to his house. Their approach is delayed by the wind. The drones enter through a window and the Hound discovers cannabis. The drones complete a room inspection and the report is submitted to PRISM. Agent Martin is disappointed because he couldn't hack a computer.

question: Why is Wesley Smith targeted for analysis?

answer: His data footprint was reduced significantly most probably due to very good encryption software.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer: Agent Martin is assigned to Wesley Smith's case after this data footprint is reduced significantly. The suspicion is encryption software that is unknown to the system. Agent Smith is in charge of drones that follow Wesley Smith to his house. Their approach is delayed by the wind. The drones enter through a window and one of the drones, the Hound, discovers cannabis. The drones complete a room inspection. Agent Martin completes a report and submit it to PRISM. Agent Martin is disappointed because he couldn't hack a computer and investigate further.


text:
ELKANAH KELSEY DARE (15 January 1782 – 26 August 1826) was a New England Methodist minister[1][2] and composer of music. He was among the first American composers[3] who published music in shape notes.[4]

Life

Elkanah Kelsey Dare was born in Salem, New Jersey, the son of Benoni Dare (1749-1802) and Damaris Kelsey (1748-1788). He married Mary Phillips in 1804, and they had ten children.[5] They moved to Wilmington, Delaware some time before 1809, and to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, before 1818. Dare joined the Presbyterian church in Greenwich, Cumberland County, New Jersey, at age 23. Dare was hired by the Harrisburg printer John Wyeth as music editor for _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second_ (1813), where he is mentioned as being “late of Wilmington College,”[6] so this may have been the occasion of his move to Pennsylvania. From 1817 until his death, he pastored at the Union Presbyterian Church, Colerain Township, Pennsylvania.[7] He also served as Dean of Boys at Wilmington College, Delaware. Dare died of swamp fever in 1826.[8]

Musical works

All of Elkanah Dare's ten compositions[9] appear in _Wyeth's Repository_, 1813.[10] Five of his compositions have recently been reprinted in the Shenandoah Harmony (2013).

-   _Kedron_ (1799)[11]
-   _Road's Town_ (1813)[12][13]
-   _Babylonian Captivity_ (1813)[14]
-   Free scores available at _The Choral Public Domain Library_.[15]

Music Editor of _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Second Part_

In his introduction to the facsimile edition of _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music_ (New York, Da Capo Press: 1974), musicologist Irving Lowens points out that there is no evidence for publisher John Wyeth having any music training.[16] This was not necessary for the original _Repository_ of 1810, which modeled itself on successful tunebooks by other publishers, using their most popular songs, and was designed to appeal to moderate evangelical Christians. The market for the _Second Part_ three years later comprised Methodists and Baptists who were caught up in the enthusiastic revivalism of the time,[17] and this required a real musician who could collect folk tunes, folk hymns, and camp meeting songs, transcribe them, and write harmonies. Elkanah Dare is the only person mentioned in this regard, though there may have been others.[18]

The introductory essay to _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Second Part_ is prefaced by an acknowledgement to Dare's editorial approach.

  The following observations on Music are extracted, by permission, from the Manusript [_sic_] work of E. K. Dare, A.B. late of Wilmington College, which we hope, ere long to be published soon. [19]

The value of these observations is mentioned by publishers of Southern tunebooks who placed increasing emphasis on regional folk tunes,[20] although they do not mention Dare by name. There is no record of Dare's manuscript work ever having been published.

Discography

-   _Babylonian Captivity_ - _I Am The Rose Of Sharon_ - Early American Vocal Music Vol 1 CD

[1] “Elkanah Dare.” _The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology_. Canterbury Press. Web. 29 Dec. 2018.<http://www.hymnology.co.uk/e/elkanah-dare>

[2] http://phonoarchive.org/grove/Entries/S25584.htm Shape Note Hymnody

[3] http://www.voxnovus.com/resources/American_Composer_Timeline.htm American composer Timeline

[4] Delaware - A Guide to the First State By Hesperides, Hesperides Published 2007 READ BOOKS

[5] https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/benoni-dare_2461644

[6] John Wyeth, preface to “On the Genera of Music” in _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second_ Irving Lowens, ed. (New York: Da Capo Press, 1964), p. 3.

[7] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/116471695/elkanah-kelsay-dare

[8] _200 Years of Union Presbyterian Church_ May 2016

[9] Temperley, Nicholas. _The Hymn Tune Index_, accessed 28 December 2018.

[10] Wyeth, John. 1813. _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second_. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: John Wyeth. 120 pp. Second Edition, 1820, 132 pp. (Second Edition reprinted by Da Capo Press, New York, 1964).

[11]

[12] http://www.shapenote.net/berkley/277.jpg

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16] Irving Lowens, “Introduction” to _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music_ Irving Lowens, ed. (New York: Da Capo Press, 1974), p. vii.

[17] Scholars who agree with Lowens' argument about Wyeth's lack of musical training nevertheless emphasize the business acumen of Wyeth in perceiving a market for religious folk music, where none had existed before, for example Ross W. Ellison, “John Wyeth, Early American Tunebook Publisher”, _The American Music Teacher,_ Vol. 25, No. 1, (Sep 1, 1975), p. 22.

[18] “The fact that Wyeth himself was no musician poses a collateral problem: whose were the musical brains behind _Part Second_? It appears highly probably that the person responsible for the organization of the tue-book and its general editorial supervision was the Rev. Elanah Kelsay Dare (1782-1826), Methodist clergyman, Freemason, and musician, who at one time served as the dean of boys at Wilmington College, Wilmington, Del., an institution long since defunct.” Irving Lowens, “Introduction” to _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second_ Irving Lowens, ed. (New York: Da Capo Press, 1964), p. xii.

[19] John Wyeth, _Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second,_ Irving Lowens, ed. (New York: Da Capo Press, 1964), p. 3.

[20] For example, Alexander Johnson, _Johnson's Tennessee Harmony_ (Cincinnati: Morgan, Lodge & Co., 1818), p. xiii; Allen D. Carden, _The Missouri Harmony_, stereotype ed. (Cincinnati: E. Morgan & Co., 1839), p. 12.

title: Elkanah Kelsey Dare

question: What does the article say about Elkanah Kelsey Dare's music career?

answer: Dare worked as music editor for Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music. The introductory essay to Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Second Part is prefaced by an acknowledgment of Dare's editorial work. Dare wrote ten compositions.

question: What does the article say about Dare's work as a New England Methodist minister?

answer:
Dare joined the Presbyterian Church in Greenwich, Cumberland County, New Jersey, at age 23.
He pastored at the Union Presbyterian Church, Colerain Township, Pennsylvania from 1817 until his death. He also served as Dean of Boys at Wilmington College, Delaware.

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


text:
When Steve met Her at their usual rendez-vous coffee shop, he had no idea why she had asked him there, but he missed Her and was glad to hear from Her and therefore had agreed to meet Her. Steve didn’t honestly understand the intended purpose of the meeting until thirty minutes had passed since she had departed and he had been sitting in his car with the key in the ignition, but in the ‘off’ position. It was then that Steve realized that Cold had a very distinct smell.

Steve just wasn’t Her type of person.

Or would it be “Her’s type of person”? Steve wasn’t really quite sure about the grammatical ramifications of having a name like Her. They had been together for so long, he and Her, that he no longer thought of Her by her proper name, but instead by the name that his friends had picked up using. “Are you bringing Her?” “Is this yours or is this Her’s?” “Don’t you think about anything besides Her?” That last one was a tricky question, Steve had found, as he did think about things that weren’t Her, but mostly because of Her (Her’s?) influence. He thought about the bands she enjoyed, the movies they’d watched together, and the fact that he hated sleeping/eating/being alone, but those were all related to Her, weren’t they? If he thought of Her as “Her,” did he also have to capitalize “She”? Who thought about this kind of stuff anyways?

But that’s just the type of person Steve is.

When Steve was in 3rd grade, his class had taken a trip to the capitol. The school organizers had decided that the most cost efficient and practical way to transport the 30-some-odd kids 600 miles was to take the Ferry, which would end up being a 3 days/2 nights (one way) journey. Steve’s mom had packed him a sack that contained enough food and clothing to last the 9 days that Steve was to be gone.
The first day on the ferry, the weather was dreadful and the ferry was taking on 6 foot swells. The rocking had excited most of the children, who went out onto the deck to feel the ocean spray, but the motion simply made Steve miss his mother and he decided to curl up with his sack of loving food and clothes at 7:30pm, more than an hour and half before the other children would retire. That night, Steve vomited all over his sack, rendering the food inedible. The next day, Steve, dressed in the clothes of one of his school mates, lived off a diet of complementary saltine crackers provided by the ferry company. On the third day, Steve was feeling quite better and, with a new found sense of confidence, decided to spend all of his mother’s allotted $15 dollars at the ferry restaurant, which gained him a meal of Fruity Pebbles, chocolate milk, cherry yogurt, and 2 packages of Certs, which he promptly threw up within 10 minutes of finishing.

Because that’s the type of person that Steve is.

	Steve had never had particular difficulty getting into relationships with women, as he was genuinely interested in and interesting to other people. The biggest problem for Steve (until Her, of course) was maintaining his interest for more than a few months. The girlfriend before Her was a cute little girl, about three quarters of a foot shorter than Steve, with long, well maintained, nice smelling brown hair. They hung out for five months. They had sex twice. Steve then realized how completely incompatible they were. How could he ever spend any portion of his life with someone who was mildly religious? Or didn’t appreciate the meaningful subtleties of a composition by The Smiths? Besides, Steve had Her on his mind the whole time.

Because that’s the kind of person that Steve was.

	When Steve was still a teenager, Steve would sometimes let go of the wheel of his car and watch as he drifted towards the oncoming traffic. Steve often sat on the roof of his house, smoking cigarettes and daring himself to jump. Steve bit his nails and listened to sad lo-fi bands and cried when he drove long distances and had panic attacks at school and cursed a little bit too much and considered begging his Doctor Mother for a prescription for some sort of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety or anti-something pill or something because anything was better than what Steve felt that he was dealing with.

Because that was just the type of person that Steve was.

	Once, Steve drove 30 miles to visit his biological father. He knocked on his father’s door and, when finding no response, was surprised to learn that the door wasn’t locked at all. Immediately, Steve was returned to that ferry ride, the stench of vomit with a needy feeling and a rocking sensation. Steve found his father face down on his couch, surrounded by cans and bottles of beer. Handles of liquor. Anti-depressants and sleeping aids. There was a unhealthy looking dog tied up in the kitchen that Steve had never seen before who wouldn’t stop barking. Steve sat on the edge of the couch, checked his father’s pulse with two fingers, and then wrote a note that said:

“I love you, dad.”

Steve placed the note in his father’s hand, kissed his dad on the forehead, and left. Steve didn’t go home, though. He drove in the opposite direction until he ran out of gas.

Steve was just that type of person sometimes.

	Steve was still sitting in his car, in the middle of the winter, without the engine on. Steve wondered whether or not the salt content of tears made them freeze at a lower temperature than normal water. Do people who eat a lot of salty foods have saltier tears? What gives someone high blood pressure? Steve asked the ghost that lived in his car what type of person would consider him their type of person. As usual, the phantom didn’t respond. Steve turned on his car. He wondered whether or not he was an optimist. Would an optimist want there to be a heaven? Or would he rather rot in the ground, free for eternity? Steve supposed it really depended on what type of person they had been in their life. Steve asked the ghost whether or not his father had been an optimist. The ghost didn’t respond. Probably, thought Steve.

title: Steve has a lot on his mind.

question: What does the story say about Steve's relationships with women?

answer: Women find Steve interesting, and he had never had difficulty getting into relationships with them. Until Steve met his current girlfriend, who he calls 'Her", he could not maintain his interest for more than a few months. But that changed, and now he mostly thinks about things that are related to her.

question: What does the story say about why Steve did not enjoy the school trip to the capitol?

answer: They traveled by ferry and Steve got seasick because of the way the boat is moving. He vomited the first night on all over his sack and made the food his mother had picked inedible. He felt better on the third day and bought some food at the ferry restaurant but vomited within 10 minutes.

question: What does the story say about what kind of person Steve's girlfriend is?


text:
(stylized as _BEATMANIAIIDX_) is a music video game developed by Bemani and published by Konami, released in Japan on February 26, 1999. The objective is to perform songs using a controller with seven keys and a turntable. After the surprise success of _Beatmania_, Benami conceived _IIDX_ to simulate an actual disc jockey (DJ) live performance. Its cabinet contains a widescreen monitor, massive speakers, and eight spotlights. Bemani later developed several updated versions of _IIDX_ to increased success. The game retrospectively received a positive reception from video game publications for its gameplay and increased difficulty. A sequel, _Beatmania III_, was released in 2000.

Gameplay

[Gameplay of _Beatmania IIDX_ during the M-Flo song “The Theme from Flo Jack”.] The objective of _Beatmania IIDX_ is to perform songs using a controller with seven key buttons and a scratchable turntable. Hitting notes with accurate timing increases the score and groove gauge bar, allowing the player to finish the stage. Failing to do so depletes the gauge and can prematurely end the song.[1][2] _IIDX_ has four play modes: 4 Keys, 5 Keys, 7 Keys, and Expert. The controls in 4 Keys mode are limited to only the white buttons.[3] 5 Keys is a mode where the player uses “3 white keys on bottom and 2 black keys on top” as in _Beatmania_.[4][5] 7 Keys utilizes all buttons[6] and Expert has the player select a course and obtain the highest score. Clearing four or more stages in Internet Ranking results in a password, which can be submitted to Konami so that the player's score is registered and shown in worldwide rankings.[7]

Development and release

In 1997, Konami distributed its Games & Music Division's (G.M.D.) _Beatmania_ in Japan as an arcade DJ simulator, significantly influencing rhythm games. Its surprise success prompted the developer to rename itself Bemani, a portmanteau of the game's title, and the studio made other music-themed video games following its release, including _Pop'n Music_ and _Dance Dance Revolution_.[8][9] Bemani conceived _Beatmania IIDX_ as a sequel to _Beatmania_. They designed it to simulate the experience of a real DJ performing songs live at a music venue, and gave it a “club Visual Jockey feel.” The game was released on February 26, 1999. While its predecessor used five keys, the _IIDX_ controller had seven. The controller was one of components used in the game's Benami Twinkle cabinet, along with a large 40-inch widescreen monitor, massive speakers, eight spotlights, and the Effect Fader (located in the control panel), the last of which is used to alter the sound during gameplay.[10]

Reception and legacy

Neil Foster, writing for the website Hardcore Gaming 101, noticed that player one's controller had the turntable relocated to the left side, which was advantageous to “some players.” He commented that with the addition of a widescreen monitor, the black keys were given easily identifiable lanes. He called the game “a rocky start” for the _Beatmania IIDX_ series, since it had music from _Beatmania_{{'}}s first two iterations (_1st Mix_ and _2nd Mix_) paired with new songs and remixes. According to Foster, many players were initially not impressed with performing old songs on upgraded hardware, so they switched to _Beatmania 4th Mix_.[11] Bryn Williams of GameSpy found _IIDX_ harder than the original _Beatmania_, because songs that take advantage of its seven keys have more notes than those made for five keys.[12] IGN's Chris Roper wrote that it was successful because of its distinctive and responsive controller. He opinioned that the controller was imperfectly designed, yet its implementation made the game a rare experience.[13]

Bemani developed several updates to the game after its release. Konami decided to link _Beatmania IIDX Club Version_ (later _Substream_) cabinets with _Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMix_ machines for simultaneous play, leading to increased success. In late 1999, the publisher hired artist Goli to design graphics and characters for _Beatmania IIDX 2nd Style_.[14] Featuring a new visual theme, _3rd Style_ was ported to the PlayStation 2.[15] In 2002, _8th Style_ was released after the discontinuation of the original _Beatmania_. Foster stated these updates popularized _IIDX_ to the point it overshadowed its predecessor, as the game not only earned more new songs, but became very difficult.[16] A sequel with a five-key controller, _Beatmania III_, was released in 2000.[17]

Notes and references

Footnotes

Citations

Bibliography

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[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

title: Beatmania IIDX (video game)

question: Despite the commercial and critical success of Beatmania IIDX, what are the main criticisms levelled against it?

answer:
Beatmania IIX is a sequel to Beatmania, a music video game released in 1999 by Bemani. The game requires players to perform songs using a controller with seven keys and a turntable, turning players into a virtual DJ. The more accurately the player hit the keynotes, the more points they get.

Beatmania IIDX received a positive reception by gamers and critics, influencing subsequent rhythm games. Despite the reception, some critics say that the game favors some players due to the position of the turntable. Some also criticized its level of difficulty, saying it was too complex for the controller compared to its predecessor.


text:
ROBERT GORDON MARTYN (August 15, 1930 – December 2, 2015) was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City Athletics in parts of three seasons spanning 1957–1959. Listed at 6' 0", 176 lb., Martyn batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Weiser, Idaho.

College career

Martin was an alumnus of Linfield College, where his father Bernard Martyn, aunt Lillian Turner Millsap and uncle Bill Turner also attended. Martin's first year at Linfield was 1948, and e attended the college not only because much of his family went there, but also because it was affiliated with the Baptist church he went to.

Although Martin played shortstop at high school in Twin Falls, Idaho, his baseball coach Henry Lever immediately changed his position to outfielder. Martyn once said of the change, “That was probably a major break for my future.”

Additionally, Martyn was selected a Northwest Conference All-Star in three consecutive seasons from 1950 to 1952, while helping lead the Linfield Wildcats to conference championship victories in 1950 and 1951.

Academically, Martyn double-majored in mathematics and sociology and he graduated cum laude. While playing professional baseball, he earned his masters degree in education in 1959, studying between seasons.

In 2000, Martyn was elected to the Linfield College Athletics Hall of Fame. His father, Bernard Martyn was elected in 1999. They are one of two father-son combinations in the Linfield College Athletics Hall of Fame.[1]

Playing career

Minor Leagues

Originally signed by the New York Yankees in 1952, Martyn debuted on July 4 of that year and went 5-for-6 for the Class-C Boise Yankees.

In a seven-season career, Martyn hit .298 with 48 home runs and 117 runs batted in in 671 games. He also was named to three All-Star teams while in the minors. In the 1956 American Association All-Star Game, he hit two home runs and earned Most Valuable Player honors.

Major Leagues

On June 15, 1957, the Yankees traded Martyn along Woodie Held, Billy Martin and Ralph Terry to the Athletics in the same transaction that brought Ryne Duren, Jim Pisoni and Harry Simpson to New York.

Just three days after the trade, Martyn made his big league debut facing the Washington Senators. He appeared at right field and went 1–4 with a walk in his first big game.

He finished the season with an average of .267 (35-for-131)

Overall, Martyn hit .267 (35-for-131) with one home run and 12 RBI in 58 game appearances. The following year, he appeared in 95 games and batted .261 (59-for-226) with two homers and 23 RBI, ending sixth in the American League with seven triples and ninth with five intentional walks.

Martyn was used sparingly after that, appearing as a pinch hitter for Bob Grim in 1959. He grounded out and never appeared in a major league game again. On April 12, 1959, he was traded back to the Yankees along with Mike Baxes in exchange for Tom Carroll and Russ Snyder.

In a three-season career, he hit .263 (94-for-358) with three home runs and 35 RBI, including 35 runs scored, 12 doubles, 11 triples and two stolen bases in 154 games.

Later years

After his professional baseball career ended in 1960, Martyn worked for Tektronix for 23 years. He served twice on the Linfield Alumni Board and was president in 1973.

Martyn died in 2015 in Pacific City, Oregon at the age of 85.[2]

Sources

[1] Linfield College Athletics

[2] Obituary

title: Bob Martyn

question: Summarize everything relating to education.

answer: Martin attended Linfield College, as did several of his family members. The school was affiliated with the Baptist church he'd gone to. In his undergraduate studies, he majored in mathematics and sociology, and graduated cum laude. He earned his masters degree in education in 1959 while playing professional baseball. He later served twice for the Linfield Alumni Board, and was president in 1973.

question: What does the text say about Martyn's baseball career ending?

answer: After ending sixth in the American league, Martyn was used sparingly. He appeared as a pinch hitter for Bob Grim in 1959. He eventually grounded out and never appeared in a major league game again. In April 1959, he was traded back to the Yankees, but his career ended in 1960. He worked for Tektronix for 23 years, and served on the Linfield Alumni Board after that.

question: What does the text say about home runs?

answer: In a seven-season career in the minor leagues, Martyn had 48 home runs. In the 1956 American Association All Star Game, he hit two home runs. In his major leagues career, he had one one home run in the first season and two the following year.

question: What does the text say about Martyn's marriage?


text: The sound of the car's transmission dropping into "PARK" rings out in the dark and still August air. He kills the engine. The driver rolls the windows down as the humid summer air rushes into the cab. He puts his head back, closes his eyes, and lets his arm hang out the window. He could hear the muffled sounds from inside the bowling alley, it was a pretty decent crowd inside from what he saw in the parking lot when he pulled up. He could now feel a breeze on his hand outside and he knew it was starting to cool off after the hot and humid day. He can hear the overgrown grass and foliage in the field adjacent to the bowling alley rustle as it blows. He takes a deep breath. His friends house is right around the corner, soon to be filled with the sounds and smells of a good time, but right now...right now was that "cryptic" period as he liked to call it. You know about that, right? The time between leaving the house and actually getting to the party. For John Ross a 10 minute drive could turn into hours of this "cryptic" time. Why? Well, he didn't even know himself. He was only 17, had been driving less than a year so maybe the novelty hadn't yet worn off, maybe he needed to take a break and leave the house, maybe he just like a few hours to himself. He didn't know. There was one thing he did know though, that he liked doing it and those few hours were as good as a vacation. He wanted to soak it all in, the town, the friends, the fun. In a week or two he was leaving for college and so was everyone he knew. He now opened his eyes and looked at the face of the building, the various neon beer logos pierced the darkness and spill onto the ground of the parking lot. All the different colors create a strange glow. He then looks up to notice the moon is being covered by an overcast sky. He looks in the distance and he can see heat lightning on the horizon as if a war were being waged in the heavens. He grabbed the burger on the passenger seat that he had stopped to eat, unwrapped it, and took a bite. He chewed slowly and savored the bite of the cheap burger in the same way he was savoring his few hours of roaming the back roads before meeting up with everyone. The sound of the bowling pins being hit continued to echo into the night as John started up his car again and pulls away into the darkness.

title: Before the Party

question: Why does John enjoy this "cryptic time"?

answer: He enjoys having some time to himself.

question: How does John feel about leaving for college?

answer: It seems like he is going to miss his town and his friends.

question: What kinds of beverages are served at the bowling alley?

answer: Beer

question: Who is hosting the party?

answer: John's friend.


text:
My name is Chris Smith. I am 15 years old and I live in the middle of a forest in Kansas. I am home schooled by my mom, and my dad is a business man in a town nearby. He leaves for work early and gets home late so I rarely see him. I am an only child and my best friend Taylor lives about a mile away. My favorite part about living in a forest is my shed.. I go there all the time, and it is filled with my favorite things.
Last night, my mom told me about a man who killed a lot of people in a town not far from where my dad works. His name was Damien, but people usually called him Zarius. He lived there in the 1800s and he was caught and executed 6 years after the murders and that was the end of the story.
Today, when I woke up, I felt a little strange. I was very tired, despite sleeping for more than usual, and my whole body felt numb. Then, I felt as if something was pulling me towards the shed. It felt like there was something I needed to see. It felt like, fate was puling me to it.
I walked to it, and it felt suspicious. As I got closer, my need to go in it grew exponentially. There was a strange light coming from it. I walked in to see what was going on.
When I walked in, I felt something. I lost all control of my body and I couldn't move. It was completely black and I felt lonely, as if all in the world was slowly leaving me. After a few minutes, I was unconscious. I couldn't see or feel, rather than seeing and feeling the nothingness that surrounded me.
Suddenly, I woke up. I had no idea where I was or what time it is. There was the dim light of the darkness, so I knew I was seeing actual things. And, I could feel. I felt the wet floor under me and I could hear dripping.
I got up and looked around. Nothing gave me any clue to where I was. I heard a noise at the end of the corridor. I grabbed a piece of wood and waited. I saw a silhouette of what seemed like a man. I yelled “Hello” but rather than responding, it made a groaning sound. I heard the wet footsteps of his running and shortly after, it turned it's lantern on. It came around the corner and I got a good look at it.
It had the basic shape of a human, but it was still very deformed. It had a very ugly face and no eyes. It looked as if there was an “x” stitched where it's eyes should be. It had no nose and it didn't seem like it had ears or hair.
It walked towards me. I tried to stay still but I wanted to run. Just as I was about to book it, I heard a loud thump. The monster hit the ground and I lay there, confused and tired. Just then I lost consciousness.
I woke up in a big room filled with candles and lanterns. As I sat up and tried to orientate myself, I hear footsteps. I jumped up, only to hear a woman's voice.
“Whoa, calm down buddy” she said. “We felt a newcomer so we went to check it out, I guess we were a little too late.”
“Where am I- Where are we? What is this place?” I asked, nervously.
“It's not what it is, it's what it isn't. It may not be very believable, but we are in another universe. Now I know this isn't the kind of news someone can expect to hear on a peaceful Saturday morning, but yes, it is true”
“Will we ever get out?”
“We can only hope” She said, as she walked away, motioning me to come.
I walked with her. We walked past a few other people. I didn't know where we were going, but for some reason, I felt safe. It was reassuring to be away from those “things”. For now, at least.
Speaking of which, I've heard they're called “walkers”. I heard a loud crash come from the other side of the room. I saw a shadow, only it was floating. It was very interesting.
I heard someone yell “Run! It's the others!”. I ran with the group and I could see the destruction behind me. There was no stopping now, I had to run.
As I was running, I noticed how fast I was going. I ran past everybody and I couldn't see where everyone was. I still heard them yelling in the distance. I looked around. It looked strangely familiar even though I was fairly certain I haven't been there before.
After standing there for a moment I heard small footsteps. It wasn't the same footsteps I heard before, it wasn't trudging and it didn't sound as heavy. It also sounded faster.
The story will be finished soon :P

title: The Darkness (I'm only 13 tell me what you think)

question: Why is Chris always losing consciousness?

answer: Perhaps there is powerful unseen energy around him overwhelming his senses and causes him to pass out.

question: What motivated Damien to kill people?

answer: Damien was a serial killer, and it's likely that he just liked to kill for fun.

question: Could it be all a dream?

answer: Maybe. It is possible that Chris just fell unconscious in the shed and dreamed about being transported in a different universe.

question: What mood is the author trying to evoke in the story?

answer: The story's genre is horror/suspense, and the author is trying to evoke fear, confusion, and helplessness in the readers.


text:
AB de Villiers is expected to play in a three-day match for the South African Invitation XI against the touring Zimbabweans next month, in a bid to make a Test comeback. South Africa take on their neighbours in the inaugural four-day day-night Test starting Boxing Day, and to prepare for the fixture, Zimbabwe will play a three-day practice match in Paarl from December 20 to 22 where de Villiers may play.

"We'd like to get him back in whites as soon as possible and we have some plans in place. There's the practice match which will be good for him," Linda Zondi, South Africa's convener of selectors told ESPNcricinfo.

Zondi has kept an eye on de Villiers' performances in the Ram Slam T20 matches - he has scored 130 runs with a half-century in three innings - and is satisfied that de Villiers has sufficient match fitness. "The manner in which he has played has shown that he is ready. It was never a case of him being rusty but just about getting him match fitness," Zondi said.

De Villiers has not played a Test since January last year because injuries kept him out of series against New Zealand and Australia in 2016 and a self-imposed sabbatical from the longest format has seen him sidelined throughout 2017. As a result, it was widely speculated de Villiers would retire from the format, something even former captain Graeme Smith confirmed he had heard, but in August de Villiers stepped down as ODI captain and committed to play across all formats. This week, he explained to reporters in Centurion that the long break had done him good.

"I've had time at home to get fresh, time to work on my body, and time to work on skills I've not worked on in many years.," de Villiers said. "I've sort of rediscovered that love of the game. I've not had an off-season where I've gone to nets to work on my skills and technique for ages. Last year, in the peak of the season, I was less ready for Test cricket than I am now."

Though de Villiers has played international cricket this year - he was part of the ODIs in New Zealand and the limited-overs matches in England - he has had most of the year, especially the winter, off. On comeback this summer, he struck 176 in an ODI against Bangladesh in Paarl and has since been back to his aggressive best. Since his last Test, de Villiers has only played one first-class game, for Titans, but still feels he is ready for a longer stint and the warm-up match will help.

"It will be nice to go out there and spend some time on my legs. Form-wise I feel ready, but it's important to stand in the field for a while and hopefully get a long knock," he said.

The only question that remains is how (not if - because coach Ottis Gibson made it clear de Villiers and Dale Steyn would play as soon as they were available) de Villiers will slot back into the Test XI. Not even Zondi has a proper answer yet. "For us as selectors, it's about getting him into the squad and then it will be worked out from there. It's a nice problem to have," Zondi said.

South Africa's Test team composition has shifted from seven batsmen, three seamers and a spinner to six batsmen, two allrounders, two frontline quicks and a spinner in recent months which has complicated the case for de Villiers' return. The six incumbents are Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, and of those, only Bavuma did not score a century against Bangladesh. Bavuma also occupies the No. 4 position that used to belong to de Villiers, so it would seem he is the likeliest to go. But Bavuma had only recently been promoted to the position and dug South Africa out of several holes and is seen as someone to invest in for the future, leaving South Africa with a conundrum.

A possible solution could present itself if du Plessis is not declared fit for the start of the Test summer. Du Plessis suffered a lower-back injury during the third ODI against Bangladesh in late October and was ruled out of action for six weeks, which puts his comeback sometime in December. He has since also had surgery on a troublesome shoulder and is not expected to participate in the Ram Slam at all. Though Zondi is hopeful du Plessis will be available to lead the Test team against Zimbabwe, some of South Africa's de Villiers puzzle may be solved if he is not. And then it remains to be seen how South Africa will line-up for the three Tests against India in January.

question: What is the sport being played at the South African Invitation XI?

answer: Cricket.

question: Who is AB de Villiers?

answer: He is a cricketeer for South Africa, who scored 130 runs with a half-century in three innings, but hasn't played a Test since last January due to injury.

question: What does the future hold for AB de Villiers?

answer: No one is exactly sure. While he feels well rested and is eager to get back on his legs, Zondi, a selector for South Africa, is primarily concerned with just getting him back into the squad, and discerning his role from there.

question: How will de Villiers fit into the current lineup?

answer: It is complicated, because the team composition for South Africa has shifted notably since de Villiers' injury.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: AB de Villiers is a cricketeer for South Africa that is an important part of the team, but has missed playing time recently due to injury. While he scored 130 runs with a half-century in three innings, the team composition has shifted recently and his return into the squad isn't straightforward. While he is expected to play in a three day match against Zimbabwe, Zondi, a selector for South Africa, is primarily concerned with getting de Villiers back into the squad before his concrete role is defined.


text:
The reasonably priced Marin Hawk Hill 2 is a versatile and fun ride with a solid all around performance

Price:  $1,949 List

Pros:  good all around performance, grippy tires, factory tubeless, reasonable price

Cons:  poor front suspension spec, heavier weight

Manufacturer:   Marin

By Jeremy Benson ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Apr 30, 2018

Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Learn more

UPDATE AUGUST 2019
The HAWK HILL 2 underwent some changes for 2019. The frame looks identical, although the geometry has changed with a longer wheelbase, reach, and a slacker 66.5-degree head tube angle. There are some very minor component tweaks. We have recently tested the 2019 Marin Hawk Hill 1 for our budget mountain bike test.

[Even affordable bikes are a ton of fun to ride!]

Even affordable bikes are a ton of fun to ride!

Should I Buy This Bike?

Marin bills the Hawk Hill as their "most playful trail bike", boasting "all-around performance far outstretching the asking price." We find it hard to disagree, as our testers found the HAWK HILL 2 to be just that, a versatile performer that sought the playful line, had us grinning at the bottom of descents, and exceeded our expectations for a bike that retails for under $2,000. We feel this bike is best suited to folks just getting into the sport, or moderately aggressive trail riders who aren't too hard on their gear. That said, our testers, who are accustomed to riding bikes that cost 3-4 times what the Hawk Hill 2 retails for, still enjoyed their time aboard this less expensive rig.

If you're a more aggressive trail rider and you can justify spending $350 more, we highly recommend the YT Jeffsy AL Base, our Editor's Choice Award winner. In this price range, a few hundred dollars goes a long way, and YT has created a beefier ride with an excellent build for an amazing price at $2,300. In this case, $350 gets you a better suspension package, more powerful brakes, meatier tires, fancier wheels, a 1x12 speed drivetrain, and somewhat more aggressive frame geometry that can handle anything the trail dishes out.

If you can't possibly justify spending more than $2,000, the GIANT TRANCE 3 is priced just slightly higher than the HAWK HILL but comes with with a somewhat beefier build and more aggressive angles. The TRANCE is a better option for more aggressive or heavier riders and we've chosen it as our Best Buy Award winner.

Fun Factor

We ride bikes to have fun, and we assume that you probably do too. The HAWK HILL 2 scored pretty well in this rating metric with a versatile and playful ride that begged to hit the alternate line whenever possible. With 120mm of front and rear wheel suspension travel and moderate geometry, it maintained a lively and responsive character at lower speeds, yet still managed to hold its own at higher speeds. A nice modern width 780mm handlebar and a short 45mm stem made this bike comfortable and responsive to steering input, and the specification of 27.5 x 2.35 Vee Tires Crown Gem set up tubeless front and rear gave this bike some of the best and most predictable traction in our test selection. Due to its versatility and playful ride, the HAWK HILL 2 scored right up there with bikes like the GIANT TRANCE 3 and the KONA HEI HEI TRAIL in the Fun Factor department.

[Having fun is why we ride although this isn't exactly how we test the Fun Factor of our bikes.]

Having fun is why we ride, although this isn't exactly how we test the Fun Factor of our bikes.

Downhill Performance

While it is far from a downhill crusher, the Hawk Hill 2 did impress our testers with its performance on the descents. The bike's middle of the road geometry numbers and the specification of a Rock Shox Recon fork tend to hold it back somewhat when the going gets steep and rowdy, but if you're a more casual rider looking for a bike that performs well in most downhill situations, then the Hawk Hill 2 has got you covered. As mentioned before, it is versatile and our testers thought that it performed well in both tighter low speed and technical riding as well as higher speed sections. That said, its cage could be rattled when the going gets rough and that was largely due to the spec of the Rock Shox Recon fork which our testers universally disliked due to its limited tune-ability and pogo-stick feel.

[The Marin Hawk Hill 2 was really quite a blast on the descents.]

The Marin Hawk Hill 2 was really quite a blast on the descents.

The Hawk Hill 2 isn't a featherweight, but it weighs in at a respectable 31 lbs 8 oz. The reasonably light weight coupled with its shorter wheelbase, 1,167mm on our size large test model, and shorter reach, 452mm, combine to make this a relatively quick turning ride. It handled sharp turns and low-speed technical sections of trail with ease, yet it still felt comfortable at higher speeds until the going got especially rough. A head tube angle of 67.3 degrees helped to keep things moving along as the pitch of the trail steepened or when obstacles came into play. The addition of a dropper seat post helped get the saddle down and out of the way, and though we aren't all that familiar with the TranzX dropper that came on the Hawk Hill 2 it worked reliably during testing, although it could get a little finicky if adjusting saddle height carelessly.

[The Hawk Hill 2 really held its own at higher speeds.]

The Hawk Hill 2 really held its own at higher speeds.

For the same price, the GIANT TRANCE 3 has a beefier build that is capable of riding downhill more aggressively. If you really want to get rowdy on the descents, you'll want to spend a little more coin and take a look at our Editor's Choice Award winner, the YT JEFFSY AL BASE or the Top Pick POLYGON SISKIU T8 with beefier suspension, tires, and slacker geometry numbers.

Uphill Performance

Testers thought the Hawk Hill 2 performed surprisingly well while climbing especially when seated. The bike's slacker seat tube angle, 73.2 degrees, puts the rider's weight just behind the bottom bracket, resulting in easy and predictable uphill steering and excellent traction with the rear tire. Out of the saddle, however, the Hawk Hill 2 felt a little cramped, due to the shorter reach of the frame, with the knees closer to the handlebar than we would have liked. That said, when seated it felt comfortable and efficient with a good distribution of weight on both wheels, the front end never seemed as if it wanted to wander, even in the steepest sections. The grippy rubber of the Vee Tires Crown Gem added to the climbing experience and helped maintain traction in all situations.

[The Hawk Hill 2 climbed well when seated.]

The Hawk Hill 2 climbed well when seated.

The Rock Shox Monarch R Debonair is a relatively basic rear shock that only offers a rebound damping adjustment, there are no additional compression damping adjustments for use when climbing. That type of damping would be nice for extended fire road or paved road climbing, but interestingly our testers didn't seem to miss it too much on this bike. The active rear suspension seemed to help maintain traction while climbing by absorbing terrain yet was supportive enough to not lose too much energy to suspension bob. The 1x11 drivetrain spec'd on the Hawk Hill 2 had adequate range for our testers with a 30 tooth front chainring and an 11-42 tooth cassette. That said, this drivetrain may not offer enough range for some riders when the pitch of the trail really ramps up.

[Although it was generally a comfortable climber testers felt the reach of the Hawk Hill 2 felt a little short and the handlebar closer to the knees.]

Although it was generally a comfortable climber, testers felt the reach of the Hawk Hill 2 felt a little short and the handlebar closer to the knees.

Build

The component specification of the Hawk Hill 2 is nothing to write home about but is about what you'd expect in this price range. That said, Marin did a pretty good job picking out the parts for this bike. It took a few years, but modern drivetrain technology is finally making its way down to the less expensive bikes on the market and the Hawk Hill 2 features a SRAM NX 1x11 speed drivetrain paired with FSA Comet cranks. As mentioned above, the drivetrain has a 30 tooth front ring and an 11-speed cassette with an 11-42 tooth range. The SRAM NX derailleur is clutched, meaning that it maintains tension on the chain to decrease chain slap and the likelihood of dropping your chain while riding. The other nice thing about having no front derailleur is that it frees up space on the handlebar for a dropper post remote. In this case, the Hawk Hill 2 is spec'd with an internally routed TranzX dropper post with 120mm of travel and the 1x style remote lever is mounted neatly underneath the handlebar on the left side where the front derailleur shifter used to live.

[A 1x11 speed drivetrain worked well during testing.]

A 1x11 speed drivetrain worked well during testing.

The Hawk Hill 2 rolls on Formula hubs and Marin rims with a reasonably wide 29mm inner rim width. Marin chose to mount 2.35 inch wide Vee Tire Crown Gem tires both front and back. The Crown Gem tires come set up tubeless and are quite knobby with a relatively round profile offering surprisingly excellent and predictable traction. Our only gripe with the tires is their thinner sidewalls which we found to puncture a little more easily than we would have liked.

[Vee Tires Crown Gem provide good predictable traction although the sidewalls are quite thin and they wear quickly.]

Vee Tires Crown Gem provide good, predictable traction, although the sidewalls are quite thin and they wear quickly.

Thinner Marin grips are mounted to a modern width 780mm Marin branded handlebar which is attached to a short 45mm Marin stem making for a comfortable cockpit that offers responsive steering.

[A nice clean cockpit rounds out the build of the Hawk Hill 2.]

A nice clean cockpit rounds out the build of the Hawk Hill 2.

Suspension duties are handled by a Rock Shox Monarch R Debonair rear shock, rebound adjust only, and a Rock Shox Recon Solo Air 120mm fork with boost spacing. The rear shock worked reasonably well, especially for a bike at this price point, but we found the Recon fork to be the weakest link in this entire build. While it does have an adjustable air spring and rebound adjustment, our testers never felt comfortable on this fork, possibly due to the fact that it feels and sounds a bit like a pogo stick.

[Suspension duties are handled by a Rock Shox Recon Solo Air fork and a Monarch R Debonair rear shock.]

Suspension duties are handled by a Rock Shox Recon Solo Air fork and a Monarch R Debonair rear shock.

Slowing and stopping the Hawk Hill 2 is left to Shimano BR-M315 hydraulic disc brakes with a 180mm front rotor and a 160mm rear rotor. These brakes work, but they definitely felt a little underpowered and weren't as confidence inspiring as testers would have liked. Four of the bikes in our test selection had similar brakes, so we did eventually get used to them, but some more powerful brakes would be preferred.

[Moving parts = maintenance. It's science.]

Moving parts = maintenance. It's science.

Value

With a retail price of only $1,949, we feel that the Hawk Hill 2 is a good value. This bike is versatile, well rounded, and comes relatively shred ready out of the box. If you're on a limited budget but still want a bike that's playful, fun to ride, and does everything reasonably well, then check out the Marin Hawk Hill 2.

Conclusion

For the price, we feel that the Marin Hawk Hill 2 offers a well rounded and capable ride that is great for people just getting into the sport or less aggressive trail riders looking for a versatile and affordable bike. It's hard to find a trail worthy full suspension mountain bike for under $2,000, but the Hawk Hill 2 surprised us with a comfortable and playful demeanor on the trail that was relatively good at just about everything.

Other Versions and Accessories

Marin makes three versions of the Hawk Hill including the Hawk Hill 2 reviewed above which falls in the middle of their range. All three models use the same frame but feature slightly different builds.

The Hawk Hill is the base model and the least expensive of the three, retailing at $1,499. The primary differences in the component spec are a downgrade to a Shimano Deore 1x10 speed drivetrain, an X-Fusion O2 Pro R rear shock, and a non-Boost spacing Rock Shox Recon fork.

The Hawk Hill 3 is the fanciest of the three models and has a retail price of $2,649. The Hawk Hill 3 has numerous notable component upgrades over the Hawk Hill 2, highlighted by a Rock Shox Revelation RC fork and a Rock Shox Monarch RT Debonair rear shock. The drivetrain is also upgraded to a Shimano SLX 1x11 speed, and the brakes are Shimano Deore M6000. The Hawk Hill 3 is also clad in beefier WTB Breakout tires front and rear. If you're interested in the Marin Hawk Hill and can justify spending a little more for the Hawk Hill 3 we think the component upgrades, most notably the suspension, are worth the price and would improve your everyday riding experience.

question: Which bike does the author recommend?

answer: The Marin Hawk Hill 2.

question: Which bike is the most affordable?

answer: The Hawk Hill 2.

question: What is the fanciest of the three models?

answer: The Hawk Hill 3.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The author tests a number of bikes and concludes the Marin Hawk Hill 2 is the best deal out of all the models tested.