text:
[Zazel posing with her cannon at the Royal Aquarium, in 1877] ROSSA MATILDA RICHTER (1863–8 December 1937), who used the stage name ZAZEL, was an English aerialist and actor who became known as the first human cannonball at the age of 14. She began performing at a very young age, practicing aerial stunts like tightrope walking in an old London church. She took up ballet, gymnastics, and trapeze by the time she was 6 and, at 12, went on tour with a travelling acrobat troupe. In 1877, she was the first person to be fired out of a cannon, in front of a large crowd at the Royal Aquarium.

Journalists and the public voiced concerns for her safety from the time of her earliest appearances as Zazel. She was named by a lawmaker as one of the reasons for proposed legislation in England to prevent dangerous acrobatic stunts, leading her to take the show to the United States. She toured Europe and North America with circuses including Barnum & Bailey, executing tightrope, trapeze, and high dive routines in addition to the human cannonball. Throughout her career, she suffered several accidents and injuries, the most serious of which largely ended her career in 1891.

During time off from the circus, she started an opera company with her husband and took singing roles in some of its productions. She also volunteered time writing and holding exhibitions to promote the life-saving potential for safety nets.

Early life

Richter was born in London in 1863 to parents from Dresden.[1] Her father, Ernst Richter, was a well known talent agent who supplied performers and animals to circuses and other productions.[2][3][4] Her mother, Susanne Richter, was a dancer in a circus.[5] She had at least one sibling—an older sister.[6] As a child, she was taught how to fall before she was taught how to perform, practising in an old condemned church in London, where her wire stretched from the chancel down through the nave to the gallery, and her nets spread below.[7]

She began her performance career at the age of four or five, playing one of Cinderella's sisters in a pantomime at the Raglan Music Hall.[8] She was only filling in for another child who had fallen ill, but according to the _New York Clipper_, “she filled the role so well that she became a favorite” and gave a series of additional performances at the Drury Lane theatre.[9][10] She received ballet lessons from a respected instructor and subsequently took up gymnastics, learning from teachers named Stergenbach and the Levanti brothers.[11] She also became active as a trapeze artist from the time she was six years old, performing for the first time at Garrick Theatre in Whitechapel. She became known for a “leap-for-life” stunt on the trapeze which she performed throughout her career.[12] During some of these early performances, she used the stage name LA PETITE LULU.[13][14][15]

When she was twelve, she joined a travelling Japanese or Siamese acrobat troupe, with whom she honed her balancing skills that she would rely upon throughout her circus career.[16][17] They travelled to put on shows in Dublin, Marseilles, and Toulouse.[18] Although she was English, a contemporary article in the _Clipper_ said “she was known as the only Japanese girl that ever visited Europe, and received many medals as rewards for her daring and skill.”[19] During the show in Toulouse, she suffered the first of many accidents during a performance, falling during a trapeze act. Her injury was severe enough that it took her away from performing for a short time.[20] According to her father, it was because he would not sanction further performances.[21] Richter returned home to London in 1873.[22]

Human cannonball at the Royal Aquarium

The human cannonball act was conceived by William Leonard Hunt, a Canadian daredevil who went by the name “The Great Farini.” He was known both for his own high wire performances, such as when he crossed Niagara Falls, and for the high-profile performers he managed.[23][24] Before Richter, Farini's best known act was his adopted son Samuel Wasgate.[25] Starting in 1870, Farini dressed him in women's clothing and began advertising performances for “The Beautiful Lulu the girl Aerialist and Circassian Catapultist.”[26] The Lulu act was very successful and became known for stunts which involved Wasgate being launched by catapult, either into a net or up to a trapeze.[27][28] It was not until a serious accident sent him to the hospital that his true identity became known.[29][30] Lulu's catapult act led Farini to conceive of a cannon-based act. In 1871, years before its first public display, he filed a patent in the US for “certain new and useful Apparatus for Projecting Persons and Articles into or through the Air.”[31] When the Royal Aquarium in London hired him to improve its profitability, he did so through spectacular acts like the human cannonball.[32]

Ernst Richter was familiar with Farini and, years prior, had sworn that he “should never have a dog of mine, much less a daughter, for his dangerous performances.” He added, “What, indeed, would the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals say to Farini firing off even a donkey from a cannon?”[33] Suzanne Richter was not so protective, however, and Ernst said she misled him into signing an agreement that he believed would be with one of his friends, not Farini, and would only have Rossa singing and dancing.[34]

In April 1877, the 14-year-old Richter became known in Europe as the first human cannonball, performing as “Zazel, the Beautiful Human Cannonball,”[35][36][37] although Hunt's son “Lulu” had been performing the human cannonball act since 1873.[38] The _Mackay Mercury_ wrote that the event “hurled her from the jaws of death into the arms of fame.”[39] She was fired out of a spring-style cannon, before travelling through the air and landing in a net. Accounts of the event vary on the distance she traveled, citing between and .[40][41][42] The cannon used rubber springs to limit the distance she would travel. Although Farini had filed another patent in England in 1875 (and in the US in 1879) for an “adaptation [of the cannon] so as to use explosives as a means for releasing the catch,” he was already using a gunpowder-based explosion for effect during the show.[43][44] [An early poster advertising Zazel's performances at the Royal Aquarium] [A poster by Alfred Concanen advertising “The New Zazel” waltz composed by Charles Dubois]

Most sources, including the _Guinness Book of World Records_, cite Richter as the first human cannonball.[45] However, the claim has been contested by others who claim that “The Australian Marvels,” Ella Zuila and George Loyal, performed the act a few years earlier.[46] Zuila and Loyal were hired by Adam Forepaugh, an American circus owner who learned that his rival, Barnum, may bring Richter to North America. The duo were a featured attraction in Forepaugh's circus and drew comparisons to Richter for their similar aerial stunts. Their cannonball stunts differed somewhat in that rather than being fired from a cannon into a net, Loyal was projected from the cannon and caught by Zuila, who would be hanging upside down with her knees over the bar of a trapeze.[47][48][49]

Richter was featured at the Aquarium for an extended period of time, performing sometimes twice in a day, and often to a full room of people. A single performance could draw tens of thousands of people. Farini also brought her to perform at other venues in western Europe.[50][51][52] Louis Cooke wrote in _The Billboard_ that “the breathless silence that always preceded the act while it was being prepared only added to its intensity, and the graceful bow of the young lady who had the temerity and muscular strength to withstand the shock and presence of mind to guide her flight never failed to receive a round of rapturous applause.”[53] After seeing it multiple times, a writer for _The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News_ wrote a gushing review of the act in the 26 May 1877 issue. It praised “her unhesitating confidence, the graceful ease and swiftness of her motions, together with her placidly smiling face, [which] destroy all sense of fear for her safety in the minds of the audience, and enable them to enjoy the spectacle of her extraordinary agility, strength, and seemingly terribly daring feats, with none but pleasurable, although strongly excited sensations.”[54] The author went on to describe the mix of anxiety and delight an audience member should expect to experience, and noted that Richter counted among her fans future king Edward VII, who reportedly attended two of her shows when he was Prince of Wales.[55]

Music often accompanied her performances. At the Aquarium, musical director Charles Dubois composed waltzes for her, which featured prominently in some of the show's advertising.[56][57] Farini also wrote a song, “Zazel,” which was sung by George Leybourne and published by Musical Bouquet.[58]

The human cannonball was not her only act. She began performing a high dive at around the same time, also at the Aquarium. For that stunt, she would make repeated jumps from a raised platform into a net, gradually increasing the distance until she reached a peak of . The _West Australian_ wrote that she would start atop the proscenium arch, fall into the net, then pop up to smile at the audience.[59] She also walked the tightrope, increasing the difficulty by sometimes forgoing the standard balancing pole. She would also include tricks such as running, standing on one foot, putting baskets on her feet, lying down or sitting on the wire, and spinning around while holding it with her knees.[60][61] _The Era_ wrote that the dive was “astounding” and that “she is wonderfully clever and graceful” on the tightrope.[62]

Accidents and public response

Once the human cannonball act started and became popular, people began protesting the perceived danger of the show and tried unsuccessfully to have it stopped.[63][64] Concerned complaints made their way to the Home Secretary, Richard Assheton Cross, who told the Aquarium's manager, Wybrow Robertson, that he would be accountable should an accident befall Richter. In response, Robertson invited Cross to be fired out of the cannon himself.[65]

Richter's first human cannonball accident was at the Aquarium, followed by another in Portsmouth in 1879, where the net used to catch her was rotten due to wear and she fell through.[66] Though she did not break any bones, her condition was serious enough that she could not perform the next day.[67] _The Citizen_ wrote about the outrage expressed at the apparently sloppy safety checks that had missed the poor condition of the net: “If the public demands such sickening exhibitions ... then most certainly it is the bounden duty of those in authority to see that the precaution is a reality, and not a farce.”[68] _The Graphic_ insisted, “When will the Home Secretary be made to see the necessity of putting some restraint upon the suicidal sensational acrobatic feats, which are now, to our shame, be it said, so popular?”[69] An 1880 issue of _The Orchestra_ likewise scolded audiences, saying that these acts “prove the morbid taste of the public who delight in such exhibitions.”[70]

After the Portsmouth accident, Ernst Richter went to the office of the periodical _Truth_ to talk to one of its writers. It had published the opinion that someone ought to prevent her from performing such a dangerous act, and Ernst came to ask them how he could do just that. He was afraid for her safety and wanted to get her away from Farini and his stunts. By that time, Ernst had left the entertainment business, worked as an engineer, and had separated from Susanna, with whom Rossa lived and who raised no such objections to the potential for danger.[71][72] Ernst said that “the newspapers say that someone ought to interfere to hinder her from risking her life for money. I am her father, and want to interfere ... When the cannon is fired off, her limbs have to be rigid. If by mistake it is fired one moment too soon, she might be killed. When she takes her dive, if she did not fall lightly, she would break a limb; and if the net underneath is rotten, as it was at Portsmouth, she might be killed.”[73] The _Truth_ reporter admitted he did not know much about the law, but said he should talk to a magistrate to ask how to get an injunction, opining that the justice system should indeed “prevent girls and children from risking their limbs in order that, with or without the consent of their parents, their task-masters may deserve profit.”[74]

Later the same year, on 15 December 1879, she fell during a trapeze performance in Chatham, Kent. The _New York Clipper_ reported that the net seemed not to be much protection in the spot she landed, and she “was in an apparently senseless condition”, exclaiming “I am killed, I am killed!” as she was taken away from the performing area. She was not found to be seriously injured and later performed again with her hands bandaged, “and evidently suffering from great nervousness.”[75]

In 1880 Edward Jenkins brought the Acrobats and Gymnasts' Bill to the House of Commons, which aimed to prevent dangerous acrobatic stunts. There was some push-back to the idea based on the notion that it might also prohibit less dangerous acrobatic performances, to which Jenkins clarified that it really had a handful of performers in mind, including Zazel. There was extended debate across two parliaments, much of it focused on how to draw the line between dangerous and acceptable acts.[76] Many years later, Richter gave her opinion of the legal interventions in an interview with John Squire, eventually published in _Solo & Duet_: “A lot of those interfering men in Parliament started a committee about it and they passed a law forbidding me to do it. Oh, I was wretched! ... I loved it. They'd just no right to take away me living if I loved it. I was ambitious. I wanted to be great. You see, it was me art.”[77]

Touring with Barnum & Bailey and other circuses

The relationship between Richter and Farini was nearer to manager-employee than collaborators, and Farini kept most of the earnings from the lucrative shows, amounting to 120–200 pounds sterling per week.[78][79] In 1879, a reporter observed that when travelling to different venues, she did so with a normal train ticket: “it might have been supposed that those who derive rich benefits from the clever but dangerous performances ... would have paid for her the very small difference between a first- and second-class ticket from Sloane Square to St. James's Park.”[80] According to P. T. Barnum, who had travelled to London to see the performance, Richter pleaded with him to take her away. She was upset at the small share of money she received from Farini, when she was the star of the act and took the physical risks.[81]

Farini made it well known that the Zazel act belonged to him, publicizing notices to that effect.[82] When Richter began asking for more money, he secretly began training additional young women to perform as Zazel.[83][84] It is unclear when and to what extent the other “Zazels” performed, but the number of acts using that name became common enough that Richter began to refer to herself as “the original Zazel.”[85][86]

In 1880, during proceedings concerning the Acrobats and Gymnasts' Bill, Farini and Richter left England.[87] She performed with the Barnum & Bailey Circus for a season, performing in France and then the United States.[88][89][90][91] Her 8 April 1880 debut in New York “was in every way successful, and received fervid applause,” according to the _Clipper_.[92] Though she was best known as a human cannonball, Richter continued to perform other aerial acts, like the high dive and trapeze. She returned to Europe with Farini in November 1881, stayed a short time, and returned to the United States in 1882, touring with John B. Doris's Inter-Ocean Show.[93]

Opera

Richter married George Oscar Starr, who worked as a press agent for Barnum; and, together, they took some time away from the circus. Among other activities, they launched the Starr Opera Company in 1886. They intended it to be accessible to a popular audience, and even staged a concert for people incarcerated at Michigan State Prison.[94] Though she was not previously known for singing, it had been reported that she sang a song called “It Is So Easy” after certain circus performances.[95] She played various parts in comic opera, including a performances as Regina in _La princesse de Trébizonde_ and Eliza in _Billee Taylor, or The Reward of Virtue_. According to the _Clipper_, she “showed that she had not only an excellent voice, but the grace and action which only long experience and study can give the artist.”[96]

Return to circus life and public safety education

When George Starr was offered a position as managing director of Barnum & Bailey, she decided to reenter circus life. She also began using her expertise to educate the public and public safety workers about the usefulness and potential of safety nets, for example to catch people jumping out of burning buildings.[97] Dressed in normal clothing, including jewellery and a hat, she would throw herself out of a building window into a net.[98] An 1892 edition of _The West Australian_ describes one such exhibition: “There was never a more fearless woman gymnast than this Zazel, who jumped nonchalantly from a fourth storey window into a net to illustrate the possibilities of the net as a means of saving life. She tied a stout cord about her skirts, and throwing her head up and backward, she sprang to the centre of the net as confidently and as gracefully as my lady springs from her carriage.”[99]

She volunteered her time to advocate for the use of nets as life-saving tools for several years. In addition to performing stunts, she wrote on the subject for people who live in large buildings and worked with _The Evening Sun_ to publicise her ideas, sparking conversation throughout the US. According to the _Clipper_, “she received the thanks of the New York Fire Department for her bravery and advice, and the press unite in editorially praising her actions.”[100]

In 1891, while touring the United States with Adam Forepaugh's circus, she nearly died during a show in New Mexico. She performed with the cannon as well as on a tight wire. The wire was about 40 feet off the ground, running from the side of the circus tent to two poles braced together in the centre, fit with a platform. According to a witness interviewed in the _Mackay Mercury_, the poles were supposed to be fastened together with a steel band, but it was accidentally left off. When she was out on the wire, starting to put up an umbrella, she signalled to her coworkers, who thought she wanted them to tighten the wire. When they did so, the poles came apart and Richter fell to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees, and one of the poles fell on her back. When the poles were moved and someone picked her up, her body could not straighten out. Two men pulled her shoulders and legs to straighten out her appearance. The crowd panicked and she was heard screaming. The witness said it was “the most horrible accident I ever witnessed ... and I have seen a good many accidents in my day.”[101] She had broken her back. Local medical professionals provided short-term treatment before she was taken to facilities in New York.[102] The accident effectively retired her from her circus career, and she spent several months in a suspended full body cast.[103][104][105]

Later life

At some point Rossa and her husband moved back to England, living in a house in Upper Norwood.[106] He died in 1915 and requested that his ashes be spread to the “four winds” on the boat ride between the UK and US. British laws did not allow it, but she fulfilled his request secretly the following year, and then returned to England.[107][108] In an update in a 1933 issue of _The Bystander_, she said that she was living on her own in Southern England, enjoying playing roulette when she had the opportunity.[109] She died on 8 December 1937 at Camberwell House hospital in Peckham.[110][111]

Image and legacy

[Richter in 1879, depicted in a London travel guide] Press coverage of Richter's performances remarked on the impressive spectacle of the act and her fearlessness and athleticism. _The West Australian_ wrote that “there was never a more fearless woman gymnast” and said that “fear was to her an unknown quantity”.[112] That she also jumped out of buildings to demonstrate the functionality of a safety net further established that she was brave even outside of the confines of a circus tent. The _Clipper_ said that “personally Zazel is bright, intelligent and noted for her acts of charity.”[113]

Though young, Richter was sexualised in advertising materials from the time of her earliest Zazel performances. Whereas _The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News_ explained that women may appreciate her athleticism, it also provided several descriptions of her “most perfect” figure.[114][115] Brian Tyson speculated that, looking at the advertising materials, some of the act's appeal may have been because “in order to fit into the cannon, she had to shed most of her Victorian clothing.”[116] The painter George Frederic Watts asserted both that she was “the bravest woman I ever saw” and that her “form [was] the most perfect he ever saw.”[117][118] When Watts asked her to sit for a portrait, her sister came along as a chaperone.[119] Richter told _The Bystander_ that at some point she asked her manager, likely Farini, whether she should donate Watts' portrait to the National Portrait Gallery. “He just laughed and said 'whatever would they want in the National Gallery with a picture of _you_!'”.[120] the Gallery has three portraits of her in its collections: two lithographs by Alfred Concanen and another by an unknown artist.[121]

According to historians Janet Davis and Peta Tait, circus performers like Richter challenged stereotypes of femininity through acts that demonstrated unabashed feats of strength and agility.[122][123] Some began to think she was actually a man dressed like a woman.[124] Tait argued that the cannon spectacle, typically at the end of a show, served not only to provide a powerful conclusion but also to balance her other acts' more physical displays of athleticism with a more feminised, relatively passive helplessness — “a beautiful lady shot from a monstrous cannon.”[125][126] Shane Peacock's description of the show also highlights this dynamic: “Farini stood at the cannon, looking evil in his black beard, commanding the sweet, beautiful young Zazel to enter the mortar, and lighting the fuse to a great flourish, sending her across the [Aquarium's] great hall into a net of his own invention.”[127] A commentator wrote extensively about her talents, appearance, and personality, saying that “her nature was as pure and sunshiny as her face and form were beautiful.”[128] Elaborating on her “purity,” it went on to say that “princes sought her favor, but Zazel remained the pure girl and woman that she is today. Her purity was recognised by Queen Victoria.”[129] Circus promoters highlighted their female stars' domesticity so as not to be seen as too revolutionary in terms of women's equality. Interviewers asked Richter about circus life, and her marriage to Starr facilitated discussion of the wholesome, quasi-traditional lives of the performers. She told one interviewer, speaking for women in the circus in general, that “the domestic instinct is very strong among circus women, for the reason that they are deprived of home life a great part of every year. She finds an outlet in many little ways, one of which is an appeal to the chef in charge of the dining car to be allowed to bake a cake.”[130] Combining statements about female performers' strength with flattering descriptions of their beauty and figure may have served a similar balancing function.[131]

Richter's cannon act inspired a scene in the Henry James Byron burlesque, _Little Doctor Faust_, when it played at the Gaiety Theatre. Nellie Farren's titular character would climb into a cannon, escaping through a hidden trap door in the stage while her costar, Edward O'Connor Terry, used a ramrod to simulate preparing the cannon to fire. After an explosion, she would run back in from the other side of the stage. This act, too, met with an accident when the trap door failed to open. When her costar began to use the ramrod, he realised he was hitting her rather than the cannon interior. Improvising, Terry asked “Are you in? Are you far in? Are you nearly far in?”, a pun based on her name, “Nellie Farren.” The scene as well as Terry's ad lib received such a strong response that they were retained in future performances.[132][133][134]

_Young Man's Fancy_, a 1939 British comedy film written and directed by Robert Stevenson and co-written by Roland Pertwee, featured a character based on Richter. Anna Lee played the role, Ada, an Irish human cannonball.[135][136]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

[53]

[54]

[55]

[56]

[57]

[58]

[59]

[60]

[61]

[62]

[63]

[64]

[65]

[66]

[67]

[68]

[69]

[70]

[71]

[72]

[73]

[74]

[75]

[76]

[77]

[78]

[79]

[80]

[81]

[82]

[83]

[84]

[85]

[86]

[87]

[88]

[89]

[90]

[91]

[92]

[93]

[94]

[95]

[96]

[97]

[98]

[99]

[100]

[101]

[102]

[103]

[104]

[105]

[106]

[107]

[108]

[109]

[110]

[111]

[112]

[113]

[114]

[115]

[116]

[117]

[118]

[119]

[120]

[121]

[122]

[123]

[124]

[125]

[126]

[127]

[128]

[129]

[130]

[131]

[132]

[133]

[134]

[135]

[136]

title: Rossa Matilda Richter

question: By which name did Rossa Matilda Richter go?

answer: Zazel.

question: What was her first claim to fame?

answer: She was the first "human cannonball".

question: Where was Zazel born?

answer: London.

question: Where were her parents from?

answer: Dresden.

question: Write a ~14 sentence summary.

answer: Rossa Matilda Richter, better known as her stage name, Zazel, was an English aerlist, actor, and stuntperson. She became famous for her act as the "human cannonball". Her stunt work elicited concern from journalists, the media, and the public, even prompting English legislative electives to introduce bills promoting protective measures. Zazel had begun performing at the young age of four or five, playing a pantomime character on stage. She took ballet and trapeze lessons before honing her balance skills with the a traveling Japanese or Siamese acrobat troupe. In 1877, a 14-year-old Zazel became known in Europe as the first human cannonball act throughout Europe. She modeled it after that of William Leonard Hunt, a Canadian daredevil known as The Great Farini, who had had his son Lulu perform it first. After an injury prevented Lulu from continuing to perform, Zazel's father got her involved with Farini and the act. She performed it mostly at the Royal Aquarium. Later, Zazel mostly performed in circuses and toured with Barnum and Bailey. She and her husband also did some vocal acts, as he had operatic training. They launched the Starr Opera Company in 1886. Zazel would return to the circus briefly before heading home to England to retire, where she died in 1937. Zazel is known for challenging ideas about femininity, athleticism, and performance for women.


split: train

text:
MONEYCONTROL BUREAU

Mumbai-based online realty platform, Housing.com, said it had "released its CEO Rahul Yadav with immediate effect" after it held a board meeting earlier today.

Yadav who is also the co-founder of the company, will no longer be an employee of Housing and be associated with the company in any manner, going forward, the company said in a release.

The company's board had taken note of his behaviour towards investors, ecosystem and the media and believed it was not "befitting of a CEO and detrimental to the company".

"While the search for an interim CEO is underway, a transition plan has been put in place," the release said. "The current senior executives of Housing will continue to run the operations on a daily basis, and ensure its continued smooth functioning. The Board and the Operating Committee will remain closely involved with all key decisions."

The colourful Yadav has been continuously in the limelight for the past several months.

In March, he got into a public spat with Shailendra Singh, MD at Sequoia Capital India, when he posted his email to the latter, in which he addressed him as "dude" and asked him to "stop messing around" with him. Yadav had accused Singh of trying to poach a few of Housing's employees.

Later, he got into a brawl with the Times of India group, accusing its Economic Times newspaper of slandering Housing.com. He indicated that this was because the ToI group ran its own property listings website (MagicBricks).

Then, amid reports the board was considering replacing him due to his various misdemeanours, the co-founder wrote a letter to his own company board (backed by investors such as Japan's SoftBank), which started with: "I don't think you guys are intellectually capable enough to have any sensible discussion anymore. This is something which I not just believe but can prove on your faces also!"

Yadav later offered to resigned but patched up with the board after apologizing.

Soon after, he made news for having gifted all his shares in Housing, amounting to about Rs 200 crore, to his employees, maintaining he was "too young to worry about money". He later also challenged his critics, Deepindar Goyal of Zomato and Bhavish Aggarwal of Ola, to do the same.

The final straw was likely day before yesterday when he wrote an e-mail to employees saying, "to have some fun", he had said both 'yes' and 'no' to different journalists who had called up to confirm reports of whether Housing was being taken over.

Interestingly, the Housing board had met yesterday too, where Yadav had rubbished rumours he would leave, and maintained that the company was looking at several acquisitions, in which he was looking to assume a 'Group CEO' kind of role.

(Posted by Nazim Khan)

question: Why is Rahul Yadav released from his post?

answer: The company's board took notes of his behavior and believe that it was not "befitting of a CEO and detrimental to the company."

question: Who is likely to be the next CEO?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Is the firm publicly traded?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: Who are the investors of Housing?

answer: One of the investors is Japan's SoftBank.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
Housing.com releases its CEO, Rahul Yadav, with immediate effect. The company's board believes that Yadav, who happens to be the co-founder of the company, behaved in a manner that was not "befitting of a CEO and detrimental to the company."

The search for a new CEO is still underway, the company's senior officials are running the operations.

Yadav has gone into a public spat with Shailendra Singh, MD at Sequoia Capital India after he sent the latter an email addressing him as "dude." He has also gotten into a brawl with the Times of India group.

The Housing board met yesterday where Yadav assumes he will play a 'Group CEO' kind of role.


text:
The 2005 KANSAS STATE WILDCATS FOOTBALL TEAM represented Kansas State University in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 5–6, and a Big 12 Conference record of 2–6.

Schedule

[1]

Game summaries

FIU

The Wildcats were favored by 10 points going into the game.

Kansas State running back Thomas Clayton ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns to lead Kansas State to its 16th straight win in a season opener, a 35–21 over Florida International in the Golden Panthers' first game as a full member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Kansas State Quarterback Allen Webb threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats, but also lost a fumble and threw one interception.

{{-}}

Marshall

Kansas State was favored by 12 points going into the game.

Kansas State edged out Marshall by a score of 21–19. Marshall had the option of kicking a field goal with 9 seconds to go in the game, but decided to run one more play. This would be a decision they would soon regret. Marshall quarterback Jimmy Skinner, subbed in for an injured Bernie Morris, threw an interception to end the game and seal a victory for the Wildcats. Kansas State quarterback threw two touchdowns for the second week in a row, one to running back Thomas Clayton, who ran for another score. Kansas State beat Marshall at home, the Thundering Herd's 8th home loss since 1991.

{{-}}

North Texas

The Wildcats were favored by 13 points going into the game.

Kansas State got a great game out of back up running back Parrish Fisher, who filled in for suspended Thomas Clayton. Clayton was benched for the game by Head Coach Bill Snyder for charges of aggravated battery involving a campus parking attendant. Fisher ran for 169 yards and contributed to school-record of 658 yard gained. Fisher was the first freshman in school history to run for 100 yards in a game. Quarterback Allen Webb was 10–12 for 256 yards and two touchdowns. North Texas earned just 161 yards.

{{-}}

Oklahoma

The Sooners were favored by 14 points going into the game.

Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson ran for 51 yards before leaving the game with an injury. His absence did not stop OU for rolling over Kansas State 43–21. OU played the game unranked for the first time since 1999. Kansas State attempted to punt in the first quarter with punter Tim Reyer still on the sidelines. The punt went into the back of the endzone for a safety. Jordy Nelson scored on a 73-yard TD catch. Thomas Clayton started and had 8 yards on 12 carries. Allen Webb threw for 177 yards and two scores.

During the second quarter of the game, a nearby bomb exploded that was heard at the game.[2]

{{-}}

Kansas

The Wildcats were favored by 3 going into the game.

Kansas State back-up Quarterback Allan Evridge threw a fourth quarter touchdown to Jordy Nelson to ensure a victory for the Wildcats. It was the 12th time in 13 years K-State beat Kansas. Kansas State had more penalty yards than offensive yards in a what turned out to be a sloppy game. Kansas could only manage a field goal against Kansas State. Kansas hadn't scored a touchdown since 1999 in Manhattan, a stretch of three consecutive games.

{{-}}

Texas Tech

The Red Raiders were favored by 10 going into the game.

Texas Tech quarterback Cody Hodges threw for 643 yards to lead number 13 Texas Tech over an overmatched Kansas State team in Lubbock, Texas. It was Texas Tech's best start to a season since 1998. Hodges finished with 44 of 65, with 5 touchdowns and two interceptions. Kansas State made it difficult on itself turning the ball over on three of its first four possessions in the third quarter. Dwayne Slay made a vicious hit on K-State quarterback Allan Everidge on a rushing play many fans will not soon forget.

-   Slay hit on Allan Everidge

{{-}}

Texas A&M

The Aggies were favored by 5 points going into the game. Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal ran for 119 yards and a touchdown as well as threw for another in a win over Kansas State. Kansas State lost its fifth straight game against Texas A&M and its sixth straight loss against a Big 12 South team. The Wildcats had not beaten a Big 12 South team since their 35–7 victory over then-No. 1 Oklahoma in the 2003 conference Big 12 Championship game. K-State quarterback Allan Everidge threw three touchdown passes, but Kansas State could not recover an onside kick late in the fourth quarter. Kansas State ran for only 27 yards in the game. They were also handicapped by Yamon Figurs' four dropped catches.

{{-}}

Colorado

The Buffaloes were favored by 11 points going into the game.

Buffaloes kicker Mason Crosby kicked a 50-yard field goal with 6 seconds remaining in the game to beat Kansas State. The victory gave Colorado the lead in the Big 12 North race, a race which Colorado would eventually end up winning. The loss was their third straight and their second consecutive home loss, the first time that had happened since 1989, the first season for head coach Bill Snyder.

{{-}}

Iowa State

The Cyclones were favored by 4 points going into the game.

Iowa State quarterback Bret Meyer threw three touchdowns and running back Stevie Hicks ran for 149 yards and a TD in a convincing win in Ames. Kansas State lost its fourth straight game.

{{-}}

Nebraska

The Huskers were favored by 1 point going into the game.

Husker kicker Jordan Congdon kicked a 40-yard field goal with just over one minute to play to seal a victory for The Big Red. Kansas State Quarterback Allan Evridge ran for 138 yards and two scores. Kansas State also scored two safeties.

{{-}}

Missouri

The Wildcats were favored by 2 points going into the game.

Kansas State players refused to let legendary head coach Bill Snyder finish his career on a six-game losing streak. With K-State up by one point with a minute and a half to play in the fourth quarter, Wildcat lineback Brandon Archer intercepted a pass from Missouri quarterback Brad Smith and returned it for 45 yards six points. It was a play eerily similar to the interception by former Wildcat linebacker Ted Simms in the 2003 Big Championship game against Jason White. Archer's interception made sure Bill Snyder's last game would be one to remember. Snyder had announced his retirement the Wednesday before the Saturday game against Missouri. The Wildcats had not lost to Missouri since 1992. Snyder came out to speak to the crowd after going into the locker room to address his players. The university would later rename the stadium in his name.

{{-}}

Statistics

Scores by quarter

  ------------------------- -------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ---------------- ------- ------- ------- ----------
  {{Linescore Amfootball|   Road=K-STATE   R1=49   R2=83   R3=81   R4=76   Home=Opponents   H1=74   H2=76   H3=98   H4=57 }}
  ------------------------- -------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ---------------- ------- ------- ------- ----------

[1]

[2]

title: 2005 Kansas State Wildcats football team

question: What does the passage say about how to become a winning college football coach?

question: Summarize what the passage says about the 2005 Kansas State Wildcats Football Team.

answer: The Kansas Wildcats Football Team represented Kansas State University in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Bill Synder was the team's head football coach. The Wildcat's home games were played in KSU Stadium. The team finished with a 5-6 win-loss record and a Big 12 Conference record of 2-6.

question: What does the passage say about the Wildcats' game against Marshall?

answer: The Wildcats were favored by 12 points going into the game. The team edged out Marshall by a score of 21-9. Marshall made the mistake of running one more play instead of kicking a field goal with 9 seconds to go. The Wildcats beat Marshall on the Thundering Herd's own home turf.

question: What does the package say about the Wildcats' game against Texas A&M?

answer: Texas A&M was favored by 5 points going into the game. Kansas State lost its fifth straight game against Texas A&M and its sixth straight against a Big 12 South team. Nothing really worked for the Wildcats during the game. Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal ran for 119 yards and scored a touchdown, while Kansas State ran for only 27 yards in the game. The Wildcats were also handicapped by Yamon Figurs' four dropped catches.


text:
DUBOSE PORTER (born October 2, 1953) is an American politician who served as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia and served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1982 to 2011. He served as Minority Leader in the House from 2005 to 2011. He was previously Administration Floor Leader for Governor Zell Miller from 1991 through 1992 and ran for Governor of Georgia in 2010.

Early life and education

Born in Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia, Porter is the son of Dr. Lester and Katherine D. Porter. Porter earned his Eagle Scout Badge in 1970. He was a co-president of his senior high school class at Dublin High School, where he graduated in 1971. He attended Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, where he received a B.A. in English in 1975.

Career

After college, Porter interned in Washington, D. C., for Georgia Senator Sam Nunn where he decided to go to law school so that he could one day become a public servant and help others just as he saw Sen. Nunn was able to do. He attended and graduated from Cumberland Law School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. After law school, Porter returned to his hometown and formed the law firm of Nelson & Porter. In 1982 he decided to run for the legislature. Although he was considered the underdog in the race, he was victorious, and he represented the district until 2011.

DuBose has four sons, also Eagle Scouts, Stephen DuBose Porter, Jr., Guyton McCall Porter, and twins, Asa Shearouse Porter and Inman Lee Porter.

In 1987, Porter and Griffin Lovett purchased The Courier Herald, the daily newspaper in Dublin. Porter is Chairman of the Board of the publishing company and runs the business side of the company daily. In 1998, Porter and Lovett purchased The Soperton News, The Montgomery Monitor, and The Wheeler County Eagle. In 2002, they purchased The Johnson Journal, The Twiggs Times New Era and The Cochran Journal. In 2004, they purchased The Wilkinson County Post and in 2006 they purchased The Baldwin Bulletin. Porter is the business manager of these nine publications. Since 1987, Porter also has been a stockholder and member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Dudley.

In 1991 and 1992, he served as Administration Floor Leader in the House of Representatives to Governor Zell Miller. In January 2003, Porter was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives. Porter is currently in his fourteenth term and serves on the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Appropriations, Ethics, and Rules Committees. In January 2005, he was elected Leader of the Democratic Caucus of the House of Representatives.

Porter is a former Trustee for the Nature Conservancy of Georgia, former member of Board of Trustees and The Board of Advisors of The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. He is the former President of the Georgia Press Association and of the Georgia Library Trustees Association and served as a member of Governor Miller's Preservation 2000 Committee. He has served as Chairman of Education as well as Chairman of Higher Education.

He was a member of the 1985 class of Leadership Georgia. He is a member of the Dublin Rotary Club. He is also a member of the University of Georgia Secret Society, Gridiron.

On April 6, 2009, Porter announced his candidacy for governor of Georgia in 2010.[1] He lost the Democratic primary on July 20, 2010 to former Gov. Roy Barnes.

On August 31, 2013, Porter was elected Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia in a special election to fill the vacancy created when former DPG Chairman Mike Berlon resigned. Porter won 62% in the second round of voting.

On January 31, 2015, Chairman Porter was reelected to serve his first full four-year term as chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

[1]

title: DuBose Porter

question: What does the story say about Porter's education?

answer: Porter earned his Eagle Scout Badge in 1970. He attended Dublin High School, where he graduated in 1971. Then he received a B.A. in English from Davidson College in Davidson in 1975. Later, he graduated from Cumberland Law School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

question: What does the story say about Porter's career?

answer: Porter formed the law firm of Nelson & Porter. In 1982, he run for the legislature and represented the district until 2011. Porter and Lovett purchased ten publishing companies. In 1991 and 1992, he served as Administration Floor Leader in the House of Representatives.  In 2013, Porter was elected Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia and reelected to serve his first full four-year term as chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia in 2015.

question: What does the article say about Porter's hobbies?


text:
BJP attempted to explain that though fuel is costlier now, the hike in price was steeper during the UPA rule. But people were not buying it.

On Monday, the BJP’s Twitter handle tweeted a graph explaining the fuel price hike – a contentious issue that even had the Congress call for a Bharat Bandh in protest.

The graph attempted to explain that the hike in fuel price was much steeper during the years of the UPA rule when compared to the current NDA government. The graph shows the fuel prices going up by 20.5% in May 2004-2009 to 75.8% in May 2009-2014 and now, only by 13% in May 2014-2018.

  Truth of hike in petrol prices! pic.twitter.com/hES7murfIL

  — BJP (@BJP4India) September 10, 2018

However, people were not buying it. Because despite the steep hike, they were paying lesser per litre back then than they are now.

And so, the Twitterverse came up with their own ingenious way of ‘correcting’ the BJP’s graph.

Here are some of the tweets:

  I have changed it no issues now @vi_vibhavjoshi pic.twitter.com/biHUQ6Dm7C

  — Sunil Sharma INC  (Sunny) (@Sunil_Congressi) September 10, 2018

  Neither me pic.twitter.com/B97ex5ACsP

  — Baba Rangeela Popot (@Popat_Patra) September 10, 2018

  I attended one class of IT-CELL :D :D pic.twitter.com/r1rglVdPPK

  — Nafrat Chodo , Bharat Jodo (@Kashif_DXB_KNN) September 10, 2018

Even the Congress took a dig at the BJP and ‘fixed’ the graph.

  When you have to hide a 343% increase in taxes, but don't know how.

  Even we couldn't resist retweeting this ;) https://t.co/ulDKp17sVy

  — Congress (@INCIndia) September 10, 2018

  There! Fixed it for you @BJP4India#MehangiPadiModiSarkar pic.twitter.com/kbKBjUi0M7

  — Congress (@INCIndia) September 10, 2018

And then, Congress also used the opportunity to make an appeal for the 2019 general elections.

  India, here’s why we are better at handling the economy and why you should vote us back to power. #MehangiPadiModisarkar#VoteForCongress pic.twitter.com/xaPm1tCKRc

  — Congress (@INCIndia) September 10, 2018

Soon, the meme factory and its meme makers were working overtime to produce witty responses to the graph.

  These MBA questions are getting out of hand. pic.twitter.com/7ExmbQOK03

  — Ivan Mehta (@IndianIdle) September 10, 2018

  pic.twitter.com/lpmEn9Mwqa

  — Meghnad (@Memeghnad) September 10, 2018

  UNESCO declares Maths as the most endangered subject in India.

  Salman Khan announces new movies, 'Ek Tha Maths,' & 'Maths Zinda Hai'

  — SaahilMurli Menghani (@saahilmenghani) September 10, 2018

  Where is logic in this graph?  pic.twitter.com/OCcWULPIG6

  — Irony Of India (@IronyOfIndia_) September 10, 2018

  Since this is not yet a bell curve, I would propose a no-bell prize. https://t.co/pOBKxrdIkd

  — Deepak Shenoy (@deepakshenoy) September 10, 2018

  As Mark Twain said, there are lies, damned lies, & BJP statistics... https://t.co/brGXj8yh1Y

  — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 10, 2018

  Modi ki khoj Arya Bhatt ne ki thi pic.twitter.com/if7x1JeoeJ

  — Skull Baba (@skull_baba) September 10, 2018

  This is perfect graph. pic.twitter.com/ahLHax8Pjm

  — Swapnil Suryawanshi (@swapnil_bs) September 10, 2018

  இது செம்ம இல்ல ? @DrTamilisaiBJP @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/aoAZwTQA9A

  — Savukku_Shankar (@savukku) September 11, 2018

  pic.twitter.com/heQgPiZP6u

  — Congress (@INCIndia) September 11, 2018

question: How did BJP justify the higher fuel costs?

answer: They tweeted a graph explaining that though the fuel is costlier now, the hike in price was steeper during the UPA rule.

question: Did the people believe the excuse?

answer: No, the people did not believe it.

question: Is the fuel price hike a contentious issue?

answer: Yes, even the Congress called for a Bharat Bandh in protest.

question: How did the public respond to the posted graph?

answer: They said that they were paying less and corrected the graph to reflect that.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: BJP tweeted a graph to explain that though fuel is costlier now, the hike in price was steeper during the UPA rule. This is a contentious issue that even had the Congress call for a Bharat Bandh in protest. The public modified the graph in jest to reflect the higher fuel price.


text:
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has announced the signing of the first Holiday Inn Express® hotel in Gibraltar. The new build hotel is set to open during the summer of 2017 and will operate under a franchise agreement with G. & J. B. Hotels 2014 Ltd.

Gibraltar is a well-established finance centre and a popular Mediterranean holiday destination where guests can enjoy tax free shopping, leisure activities on the beach and dine in a variety of local and international restaurants. Featuring 120 rooms, a restaurant, bar and meeting facilities, Holiday Inn Express® Gibraltar will be located close to Gibraltar International Airport on Devil's Tower Road at the entrance to the city. The airport, city centre, marina and coastline are all within walking distance of the hotel.

The new property will be a 'next generation' Holiday Inn Express hotel complete with the latest smart technology, larger cosier beds, and a modern continental Express Café and Bar. Based wholly on guest insight, the Holiday Inn Express brand's 'Next Generation' guest experience has been developed with industry-leading experts to meet the changing needs of today's Smart Traveller.

HYLKO VERSTEEG, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, SOUTHERN EUROPE, IHG SAID: "We're thrilled that Holiday Inn Express Gibraltar will be the first internationally branded mid-market hotel to have a presence in the territory in decades. Holiday Inn Express is IHG's growth engine and we're opening more hotels under this brand in Europe than any others. We look forward to working with G. & J.B. Hotels 2014 Ltd for the first time and hope this is the start of a long and fruitful partnership."

FRANCO OSTUNI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF G. & J.B. HOTELS 2014 LTD SAID: "As well as being a tourism destination, Gibraltar has an established reputation as a financial centre. Coupled with its excellent location in the city, the hotel is well placed to attract strong demand from business and leisure guests. We're confident Holiday Inn Express Gibraltar will be the number one mid-market hotel in the country and we're very much looking forward to opening the doors to this brand new hotel."

The Holiday Inn Express brand offers guests everything they need and nothing they don't. The Holiday Inn Express brand's success comes from attracting value-oriented guests who want a high quality hotel that provides a great night's sleep at a competitive price. Guests are guaranteed a warm welcome, friendly and efficient service, a free breakfast and Wi-Fi included in the room price. It's Simple. Smart. Spot on.

Launched in 1991, the Holiday Inn Express® brand is one of the largest and fastest growing brands in the hotel industry, opening hotels at a rate of two per week on average. There are over 2,400 Holiday Inn Express hotels across the globe today and more than 570 hotels in the development pipeline*. Over the past three years, the brand has entered over ten new countries globally*.

*Figures as at 30th September 2015.

About IHG

IHG ® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN Hotels ®, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, voco™, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Club Vacations®, avid™ hotels, Staybridge Suites®, Atwell Suites™ and Candlewood Suites®.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns nearly 5,800 hotels and approximately 865,000 guest rooms in more than 100 countries, with over 1,900 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, our global loyalty programme, which has more than 100 million enrolled members.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 400,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihgplc.com/media and follow us on social media at: www.twitter.com/ihgcorporate, www.facebook.com/ihgcorporate and www.linkedin.com/company/intercontinental-hotels-group.

question: Summarize everything relating to Gibraltar.

answer: InterContinental Hotels Group announced the signing of the first Holiday Inn Express hotel in Gibraltar. Gibraltar is well-established as a finance centre and is a popular Mediterranean holiday destination that offers tax free shopping, beach activities, and a variety of local and international restaurants. The Holiday Inn Epxress will be the first international mid-market hotel to have a presence there in decades.

question: What does the article say about the amenities at the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Gibraltar?

answer: The hotel will feature 120 rooms, a restaurant, bar, and meeting facilities. It will have the latest smart technology, larger cosier beds, and a modern continental Express Cafe and Bar. A free breakfast and Wi-Fi are included in the room price.

question: Summarize everything relating to the Gibraltar government.


text:
Feedback welcome! I really like the idea and want to do it well. Let me know if there are any grammatical errors I missed. thanks!

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

I stop to catch my breath on the 43rd floor. On especially foggy days you can't see the top of the Columbia tower from the ground below. Your imagination doesn't strain to picture it rising up forever. The fog could clear and you would see black windows stretch on for miles into the the sky until you lose sight of it in the distance. This illusion is not shattered from the inside of the building.

Once a year there is a fundraiser where firefighters climb all 69 flights of stairs with full gear on to raise money for leukemia. Even if the cure for cancer was on the line, I still would have stripped my backpack off 10 stories ago. climbing these steps Isn't as bad after shedding 50 pounds.

I haven't slept in two and a half weeks. I know because I keep a tally of the passing days. 20 parallel lines and four vertical slashes etched into the base of the clock tower in King Street Station are the only reason I know I haven't been here for years. That fucking tower. Home of the only working clock in the city. All the others are simply stopped. Digital clocks and watches are just a series of random numbers. a new sequence every few seconds. The result is a change in perspective, the center of the city seems to have shifted to the station. It is where I first woke up 24 days ago and it is where I always return. So much time spent sitting at the base of that tower listening to the tick tick tick of the second hand.

Still climbing. Out the window I see the city sprawl into the distance. Not a sign of life. Not a single living thing as far as I can see. I'm alone here. 56th floor now. Not far from the top.

I tried to leave at first. See if there was life elsewhere. Maybe I was unconscious through an evacuation. Maybe there were electrical issues that would explain the clocks. I found that that wasn't the case. Something bigger is happening. Since there are no cars that will start I packed some food and water and tried to leave the city on foot. The fog made it impossible to leave. I must have walked for a day through the thick consuming grey that was heavy as water around me, making it impossible to see more than a couple feet ahead. I tried to tell myself that I just got turned around when the fog cleared and I came out in exactly the same place I entered it.

Unwavering consciousness is maddening. After a week you would kill to sleep for even an hour. A couple days in I was in a panic, tearing through medicine cabinets in an empty apartment, I took everything I found. A handful of Valium and Ambien and I just laid there for two hours staring at the ceiling, clear headed and wide awake. Eventually my gaze dropped to look at the pictures on the walls. I felt nauseous. Not from the pills but from seeing the photographs around me. on the walls, on the dressers and bed side table. there were no people in them. Baby pictures with no babies. Empty cribs. Cheap family photo backdrops with no family in front. Pictures taken of people minus the people. I stood up and walked back into the bathroom to confirm my fear. In my frenzy I hadn't even taken a second to look in the mirror. No reflection. I broke the mirror and walked back to the station.

68th floor now.

For a while I was in a haze. Almost catatonic. What could I do? For days I wandered aimlessly, my footsteps the only sound I could hear.

A couple days ago I broke the window of a house in a more residential part of the city and climbed in. In the living room I sat cross legged in front of a crate of vinyl records. I am unable to see another person but maybe I can hear one. I pull Abby Road from the crate and it's one of the saddest things I have ever seen. For some reason the reality of all of this really set in when I saw the empty street. The Isolation and hopelessness of my situation somehow came over me full force while I stared at the sleeve. The familiar scene was all there, the yellow bug on the left, the trees over the peaceful street lined with cars stretching into the distance, but no one in the crosswalk. I knew it would be anything but reassuring at this point but I put the record in and dropped the needle down. There was music, but no vocals. I should have enjoyed it anyway but it was only unsettling. I decided to go with Beethoven while I sat and tried to figure out what to do next.

Here I am. Looking down on the city from the observation deck of it's tallest skyscraper. The view is incredible. A vast concrete landscape meets beautiful blue water encompassed be blanket of fog in all directions. Like living in a snow globe. I take a moment to really appreciate it before picking up one of the heavy wooden chairs on the far end of the room. Luckily the glass is single pane and after three or four tries I swing the chair as hard as possible against the window and it finally gives, shattering outward, sending a glistening cloud of glass to the streets below. Looking over the edge, the ground looks miles away. I start to feel a breeze. The air has been still as long as I can remember. In the wind I hear a sound. It sounds like voices. Whispering. incoherent but there is no mistaking it. I take a deep breath. Then, exhaling every ounce of fear in my body, I jump. The street comes rushing toward me a thousand miles an hour, then black.

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

My eyelids are heavy but I force them open. I'm blinded by fluorescent light. Plain white walls and sterile impersonal steel. Hospital. I feel the tubes all around me. The needles. Unnatural extensions of my body. Then a voice.

"Oh my god. Doctor! he's awake! Get in here now, he opened his eyes!"

A frenzy of motion all around me. Scuffling footsteps. A man in light blue scrubs is hovering over me, shining bright light into my eyes.

"Can you hear me? Blink if you can hear me. Are you able to speak?"

I understand but am unable to react. My body is not under my control. Dead weight.

"Keep your eyes open. Listen to my voice. stay with me!"

I can't. My vision begins to blur and sound begins to fade. The voices becoming unintelligible, far away.

"just stay with me."

Then black again.

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

I wake up and feel cold concrete. I'm confused and all I see is grey. Straining my eyes to look upward I see that familiar tower. It's dead silent except for a Tick Tick Tick from the clock above

title: [PI] your character is the only character alive, as far as he can tell.

question: What does the story say about what happened to the protagonist?

answer: The protagonist is climbing a tower that has the only working clock in the city. It is not clear what happened, but the protagonist has not slept in two and a half weeks. He is on the 56th floor and looks out the window and sees no sign of life. Later, he is looking down on the city and jumps. The doctors are trying to save him.

question: What does the story say about why the protagonist jumps?


text:
Do A Tarot Card Reading On My Pet? Seriously?

[Animal Psychic Online]Celebrity pet owners can take a breather now.  The world of pet psychic has now gone mainstream.  Pet owners and pet business managers have a new tool in their arsenal for finding and correcting animal behaviour to finding their lost animal friend.  Pet psychics are big business now, but even more important, they are a legitimate method of solving a pet problem.

Pet or Animal psychics use the same power of observation, intuition, and insight (once relegated only to humans) toward pets and animal friends.  Indeed, according the psychics, humans are simply a complex part of the animal kingdom.  Consider the case of elephants.  Once thought of as roaming giants in the African savannah the way cows purposelessly roam and graze a field, our perceptions have now rapidly changed.  Animal scientists and field researchers have discovered that elephant possess highly complex emotions, functions, and social communication.  Elephants are now understand as creatures that can think, feel, recognize themselves consciously, and act cognitively the way a human does.  What’s more is that elephants seem to be self-aware with respect to their own mortality and even grieve the loss of their close ones for years after a death.  Observations of other animal species are pointing to similar conclusions.  The animal world of today is strikingly different from the world of only a few years ago.

So, it’s no surprise that a talented psychic can read animals just the same (or at least similar to) fellow humans.  And why would someone need an animal psychic?  Here’s just a few services many renowned pet psychics offer:

-   Learn why your pet may be depressed or despondent
-   Uncover hidden health issues or problems affecting your pet
-   Diagnose and solve specific behaviour issues with your pet
-   Communicate with your deceased pet
-   Communicate with (and find!)  your lost pet
-   Prepare your show dog, show cat, race horse, or other performing animal
-   Learn about your pet’s current state of mind
-   Learn who your pet feels about you, other pets, and companions
-   Learn about your pet’s past (ie. if adopted from a shelter)
-   Find out if your pet is happy

The list can go on and on.  I’ve found that many pet owners will often try ANIMAL PSYCHICS after exhausting all their other options including vets, behavioural specialists, animal “experts”, other animal owners, etc.  But increasingly – largely due to the success of this psychic interchange – pet owners seem to be using animal psychics as a primary response to a specific issue over all other methods.  And I find that a strong vote of confidence to the accuracy and legitimacy of quality pet psychics.

The latest trend that I’m observing is tarot reading for dogs or cats or other animals.  Still in its infancy, I’ve seen a pet psychic provide a thorough reading to a dog that seemed to help animal and owner alike.  Logistically, it’s a little tricky to do.  But it’s sort of a co-reading, in the sense that the owner “assists” in his/her pet in the interactive aspects of the tarot reading.

Making the leap from human psychic to animal psychic isn’t as difficult as you’d expect. Your pet has thoughts, feelings, needs, desires, etc. just as any human does.  It’s perfectly reasonable to accept that a psychic may tap into those feelings and communication them to you.  It may sound farfetched, but those who’ve currently used the services of a animal psychic can scarcely disagree with the outcome.

If it helps solve your animal friend’s problem, or provides deeper comfort to you or your animal (living or not), than I can only see an upside using a pet psychic.  And for the psychic, it allows them to provide comfort and extend their reach and push their limits and abilities into a broader world than just one species of life on this planet.  A few popular pay choices are pet psychic sonya or david louis pet psychic.  There may be some free pet psychic options available too – but I have not found any.

As bizarre as it may seem, animal psychics are experiencing a significant success rate in resolving animal issues.  It could very well mean that the era of pet psychology, is rapidly being displaced by pet psychics.  And perhaps that’s not at all a bad thing.

[]

About the Author

Andrew Rotta is an author, promoter and believer the art of psychics, tarot, and related spiritual fields. While Rotta himself has not yet uncovered his own innate psychic ability, his enthusiasm, support, and knowledge in these areas is a lifelong passion. Andrew Rotta also created and operates the Tarot Online Reading Psychic site.

question: What does the text say about why pet owners will often try animal psychics?

answer: The narrator finds that many pet owners try animal psychics after exhausting all other options such as vets, behavioral specialists and other experts. Animal psychics have been used as a primary response to specific issues. Pet owners see it perfectly reasonable to accept that a psychic communicate pet feelings to them since pets have thoughts, feelings, needs and desires.


text:
1.  home
2.  cars
3.  porsche
4.  911
5.  2017
6.  2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S First Test Review: The Weapons-Grade 911

Testing the Everyday Supercar, Every Day

Every 911 engine now comes equipped with a pair of turbos, but only one variant of this Germanic icon is simply known as "The Turbo." It has been so since its 1974 introduction, so sayeth our lady of blessed acceleration, _amen_.

Along with the entire 911 model line, this ultimate turbocharged version, the Turbo S also receives a host of 991.2-generation revisions: refined styling, lighting, and aerodynamics, as well as a much-needed, comprehensive infotainment upgrade and gains in both power and efficiency.

Chief among these improvements are a special pair of turbochargers with larger impeller blades and a modified housing now specific to the weapons-grade S for the first time. For 2017, fuel injectors for both the Turbo and Turbo S cope with a system pressure of 2,900 psi, which is up from 2,030 psi. The Turbo S' 3.8-liter direct-injected, variable-vane, turbocharged flat-six makes an astounding 580 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque (553 lb-ft in temporary 2.2 psi overboost mode between 2,250 and 5,000 rpm in Sport or Sport Plus mode) with virtually zero turbo lag.

Our track results can vouch for the newfound potency and response. It reaches 60 mph in 2.5 seconds (_reading that sentence aloud takes 2.5 seconds_). It does the 0-100 run in six flat (not bad for a flat-six), and blasts from 0 to 100 mph and back in 9.7 seconds. It almost makes the Porsche's 10.5-second, 131.8-mph quarter-mile time anticlimactic.

So, for context: How does that stack up? THIS IS THE HARDEST-LAUNCHING PRODUCTION CAR WE'VE _EVER_ TESTED (0-30 mph in 0.9 seconds, and also the quickest to 40 and 50 mph as well). It's the quickest 911 to 60 mph and in the quarter mile, and it has the highest trap speed. By 60 mph, it's a mere 0.1 second behind the million-dollar 918 hybrid hypercar, and it's behind by just 0.5 second at the quarter mile.

Launch in 3, 2, 1

Fortified by Porsche's industry-standard double-clutch automated-manual transmission and with the addition of a new thumb wheel drive-mode selector (eliminating the Sport/Sport Plus button from the console), the launch protocol for the all-wheel-drive supercar is even easier than it was before.

It goes like this: Disable the traction control, rotate the wheel to Sport Plus, mash both pedals to the floor, and then release the brakes when the tach needle steadies at 5,600 rpm. If the tires are cold, the 3,557-pound car will spin the rears, even with 61 percent of its weight astern. The Turbo S sorts out how much power goes where and cracks off quick and liquid-smooth upshifts all by itself. It's almost too easy, really. (New for 2017: Manual shift mode will now allow the engine to bang off the 7,200-rpm rev limiter rather than upshifting.) We tried softening the adjustable dampers for more rear-weight bias on one launch and experienced what can only be described as a wheelie. No one was there to witness it from outside the car, but with a combined two feet (305mm x 2) of properly heated rubber at the back, releasing the brakes caused the nose of the car to lift and point over the horizon like a bird dog. Steering did very little to affect its heading until somewhere close to 40 mph. After launching 1,500 cars in my career, even one that produced 1,000 horsepower on Hoosier racing slicks, this wheelie was a first for me—and it happened with Pirelli P Zero street tires and a 220-treadwear rating, which are good for 15,000 miles. Speaking of grip, this car matches its Turbo S predecessor (wearing Dunolop Sport Maxx Race tires with an 80-treadwear rating) on our figure-eight test at 22.9 seconds, the latter slightly better on the skidpad with a 1.07 g lateral acceleration to the 2017 Turbo S' 1.04 g. Thanks to standard 16.1-inch front and 15.4-inch rear carbon-ceramic brakes, now on their third generation, the new Turbo S also stops shorter from 60 mph (97 feet) compared to its forerunners. Supercar bar raised? You could say that.

The Everyday Supercar, Tested

You probably expected these feats of speed and agility from a $190,000 sports car. But what else we learned in a week is that this 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S is, indeed, the most practical supercar in the world. One could even say, as many have before, that it is the everyday supercar. Why? Unlike a two-door mid-engine supercar—say, the Audi R8, Ferrari 458, Lamborghini Huracán, McLaren 570S, or Mercedes-AMG GT S (technically, that's also mid-engine)—the rear-engine 911 Turbo S has a useful amount of cargo space _and_ four seats. There are, in fact, 4.1 cubic feet between the front wheels, and folding the rear jump-seats offers up an additional 9.2 cubic feet.

Supercar pooling

This father's carpooling schedule requires shuttling three backpack-saddled and emotion-addled adolescents to and from school on Fridays. With the privilege of driving something different almost every week, I'm rather proud to say that the 911 has helped me foster a new generation of car enthusiasts (one boy and two girls). My daughter actually gave me a birthday cake with a Porsche crest on top of it, hence she already knows to go to the front of a 911 to toss her backpack in the luggage compartment. The next two, however, circled to the rear of the car to find not just the humming engine but also the new decklid grille with its vertical slats and central intake scoop ahead of the active wing. "It moves?" Jack asked, astonished. "It sure does," I replied. "And so does the front spoiler. When they're in the most aggressive positions at 186 mph, and it'll top out at 205, they press the car down with 291 pounds of force." I popped the front lid and easily stowed three overstuffed backpacks for the ride to school. They all now _lolz_ the word "frunk."

Once all four of us were securely buckled in, these seventh- and eighth-graders learned why the engine is "back there" and has been since the 911's inception. They also learned how a variable-vane turbocharger works and that when my foot is off the accelerator pedal, this Porsche keeps the throttle open but shuts off the fuel supply to maintain the turbochargers' momentum to effectively eliminate turbo lag altogether. They were able to experience the new Sport Response button, like a push-to-pass button that pre-emptively downshifts one gear, adjusts the turbine blades' angle of attack, retards ignition timing, and in anticipation of acceleration, slightly opens the throttle valve for an even quicker response when I do go back to the gas pedal for up to 20 seconds at a time. Jack thought the 20-second countdown timer in the instrument panel was a good idea.

I also showed them the mechanicals of a Porsche's PDK double-clutch automated-manual transmission (all three kids can now pronounce, "Doppelkupplung" properly, by the way). They learned that the manual-mode shifter is now oriented the same way as Porsche's race cars—pulling the lever initiates an upshift and pushing it forward performs a beautiful, matched-rev downshift. As I rounded the first corner, I told them that the rear wheels also steer up to 2.8 degrees, or the equivalent of up to 45 degrees of steering input at the front, in opposite directions under 31 mph and in the same direction over 50 mph. "Four-wheel drive and four-wheel steer? That's crazy," an incredulous voice said from the back seat. We ran out of time before I had the opportunity to show them the Turbo S' new all-wheel-drive clutches that bite with more friction and more precision control than before, which improve the torque distribution and traction at all four wheels. They had a few precious minutes of furious texting before homeroom. Jack snapped a picture before heading off. Besides, we had after-school pickup for more 911 Turbo S fun facts.

Supercar Without Compromise

Had I been assigned any other supercar first testâ€”and because of the carpoolâ€”I would have had to trade my automotive equivalent of a winning lotto ticket with a fellow staffer for a weekend car with four seats. Either that, or I would have had to beg the other carpool parents to fill in for me. Not this time. And what else could one do with a brand-new Lava Orange Turbo S that few have even seen? Why, head to a Cars and Coffee meet on Saturday morning. I swung by to pick up my fellow Porschephile only to discover another friend eagerly awaiting a ride to the gathering. "It's a good thing this isn't a McLaren," I said. "I had a carload for carpool yesterday, so let's see how three adults fare with 27 inches of rear legroom." Although it was more tightly packed than with the kiddos, three adult-scale frames can fitâ€”even for a 20-minute drive. With some sightlines obscured, I was grateful for the car's new blind-spot monitor. The highway ride was deemed downright comfy due to the adjustable dampers and the fact that the anti-roll bars are substantially decoupled in steady straights. When we arrived at the parking lot, however, I wished this example were equipped with the newly available front-axle lift system, which affords an extra 1.5 inches of clearance. Instead, I retracted the front splitter and took an oblique line. No scrapes! And thanks to standard front/rear park assist with a rear camera, backing into a spot on Porsche row was anxiety-free. After the meet up and a demonstration of the Turbo S' launch control, I dropped my friends back home and headed to the grocery store. The frunk swallowed four bags of sustenance plus a half dozen bottles of wine with ease.

The Peerless Porsche

So there you have it. From its record-setting day at the track to the desert and back for the photos you see here (with a self-reported 30.1-mpg average) to commuting on Los Angeles' crowded freeways and carpooling and taking in a car show with friends and grocery shopping, the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S is, indeed, the everyday supercar without peer and a worthy guardian of its storied crown. Name another car that can so effortlessly accomplish all these milestones, tasks, feats, and deeds. Some will do some of what the Turbo S can, but none will do it all. "Is the lack of flaws a flaw?" Jonny Lieberman asked of the last 2015 911 Turbo S we put in a three-way comparison test. He answered himself, "I'm thinking, weirdly: kind of." Does that make the 2017 Turbo S weirdly _more_ flawed? I say, "Nope." This machine is peerless.

2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT
Rear-engine, AWD
ENGINE TYPE
Twin-turbo flat-6, alum block/heads
VALVETRAIN
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT
231.9 cu in/3,800 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO
9.8:1
POWER (SAE NET)
580 hp @ 6,750 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET)
516 lb-ft @ 2,100 rpm*
REDLINE
7,200 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER
6.1 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION
7-speed twin-clutch auto.
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO
3.40:1(f) 3.30:1(r):/2.05:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR
Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO
12.5-15.0:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK
2.5
BRAKES, F; R
16.1-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc; 15.4-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc, ABS
WHEELS, F;R
9.0 x 20-in; 11.0 x 20-in forged aluminum
TIRES, F;R
245/35ZR20 91Y; 305/30ZR20 103Y Pirelli PZero N1
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE
96.5 in
TRACK, F/R
60.7/62.6 in
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT
177.4 x 74.0 x 51.0 in
TURNING CIRCLE
34.8 ft
CURB WEIGHT
3,557 lb
WEIGHT DIST, F/R
39/61%
SEATING CAPACITY
2+2
HEADROOM, F/R
37.7/32.2 in
LEGROOM, F/R
42.2/27.1 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R
51.3/47.9 in
CARGO VOLUME
4.1 cu ft (9.2 cu ft behind seats)
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH
0-30
0.9 sec
0-40
1.3
0-50
1.8
0-60
2.5
0-70
3.2
0-80
4.0
0-90
5.0
0-100
6.0
0-100-0
9.7
PASSING, 45-65 MPH
1.3
QUARTER MILE
10.5 sec @ 131.8 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH
97 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION
1.04 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT
22.9 sec @ 0.96 g (avg)
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH
1,650 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE
$189,580
PRICE AS TESTED
$196,360
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL
Yes/Yes
AIRBAGS
8: Dual front, fr side, fr head, fr knee
BASIC WARRANTY
4 yrs/50,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY
4 yrs/50,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
4 yrs/50,000 miles
FUEL CAPACITY
17.9 gal
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON
19/24/21 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY
177/140 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB
0.93 lb/mile
RECOMMENDED FUEL
Unleaded premium
*553 lb-ft @ 2,250 rpm in overboost

question: What is "The Turbo?"

answer: "The Turbo" is one variant of the 911 engine.

question: What are the revisions in Turbo S?

answer: The revisions are refined styling, aerodynamics, comprehensive infotainment upgrade, and gains in both power and efficiency. But chief among these improvements are a special pair of turbochargers with larger impeller blades and a modified housing specific to the grade S.

question: What is the top speed of the car?

answer: This information can't be found.

question: What is the gear transmission?

answer: Industry-standard double-clutch automated-manual transmission with an addition of a new thumb wheel drive-mode selector.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
The Porche 911's new line, the ultimate turbocharged version, the Turbo S has rolled with some revisions. The chief improvement being the special pair of turbochargers with larger impeller blades. The car reaches 0 to 100 mph in flat 6 seconds.

The car has a double-clutch automated-manual transmission with the addition of a new thumb wheel drive-mode selector.

The Porche 911 Turbo S is the everyday supercar that accomplishes all its milestones effortlessly. A peerless machine.


text:
_BLOOD CELLS_ is a 2014 British drama film directed by Luke Seomore & Joseph Bull. The script was written by Luke Seomore, Joseph Bull and Ben Young. The film stars Barry Ward, Hayley Squires, Chloe Pirrie, Jimmy Akingbola and Francis McGee.

It premiered at 71st Venice International Film Festival [1] in 2014. It received its UK premiered in 2015 at Edinburgh International Film Festival [2] and was nominated for the Best British Feature Film and Best Performance in a British Feature Film.

Overview

Adam has lived a rootless existence since his family's farm was destroyed by the Foot-and-mouth disease epidemic of 2001. His life imploded and he abandoned his family after a single devastating incident. He has spent the years since on the nomadic fringes of British society, cycling through transitory jobs and transitory relationships, adrift from his family and past. When his younger brother Aiden reaches out to him to announce the birth of his first child−Adam is about to become an uncle−there is an ultimatum attached: come home now, or never come home again. Adam embarks on a journey home that is at once tortured and exhilarating, a panoramic tour through the broken and beautiful margins of Britain. As eruptions from his secret past begin to emerge, Adam struggles to break free from an exile that must now end before it swallows him for good.

Cast

-   Barry Ward as Adam
-   Hayley Squires as Hayley
-   Francis McGee as Cormac
-   Jimmy Akingbola as Debo
-   Chloe Pirrie as Lauren
-   Keith McErlean as Keith

Release

The film was released through Picturehouse cinemas on 30 June 2015[3]

Reception

_Blood Cells_ received critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 100% rating, an average score of 7.3/10.[4] Kevin Maher at The Times give the film 4/5 stars and stated 'is a ridiculously accomplished film…it signals the arrival of future film-making heavyweights' [5]

[1]

[2] http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/2015/05/edinburgh-international-film-festival-unveils-2015-programme

[3] https://picturehouseblog.co.uk/2015/06/30/discover-tuesdays-blood-cells-306/

[4] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_cells

[5] http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/film/reviews/article4479885.ece

title: Blood Cells (film)

question: Who directed Blood Cells?

answer: Luke Seomore & Joseph Bull.

question: List the actors that appear in the Blood Cells movie.

answer: Barry Ward, Hayley Squires, Chloe Pirrie, Jimmy Akingbola, and Francis McGee

question: How was the movie received by critics?

answer: Blood Cells received critical acclaim. It got a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Kevin Maher at The Times gave the film 4/5 stars.

question: What is the plot?

answer: The story follows Adam, who abandoned his family when their farm was destroyed by the Foot-and-mouth disease epidemic of 2001. He spends years as a nomad on the fringes of British society adrift from his family and past. Adam's younger brother reaches out and tells him he's about to be an uncle, but there is an ultimatum: come home now or never come home again. Adam begins his journey home through the broken and beautiful margins of Britain.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Blood Cells is a 2014 British drama film directed by Luke Seomore & Joseph Bull. The movie stars Barry Ward, Hayley Squires, Chloe Pirrie, Jimmy Akingbola, and Francis McGee. The story follows Ward's character, Adam, who abandons his family after a devastating incident and becomes a nomad on the fringes of British society. He goes back to them after learning he is about to be an uncle but struggles to break free from his exile. Blood Cells received critical acclaim and got a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.


text:
The night crept on the carousel as if light itself was on ‘paid stress leave.’ The fog lights exhausted their last sigh and sputtered to an abrupt stop. All the maintenance workers had gone home, and the gates locked up tighter than a mental institution on Mardi Gras. The winds gusted up swirls of dust and litter into mini-twisters and pummeled the walls of the Sea-House, eroding the seashells that were glued there last summer’s eve by the Sedgwick twins. Even though the stars and the moon upheld their false lie and pretended to illuminate the landscape, darkness and confusion rose from the horizon and swallowed all hope from the neighborhoods surrounding the park. The gulls, even, had been dismayed from their usual posts and sought refuge from the impending gloom. The waves and pulses of the ocean invaded the shore in a sort of perpetual attack on the land, and brought with them tidings from the sea. Although the clocks chimed six, the sun knew where its place was; hidden behind a veil of earth, cloud, trees, and the endless horizon of the land. The artificial horses and ponies of the carousel, with their glassy eyes and rounded, glazed knees, dimmed in their gloss, and fell to the night before them. The light wained away and succumbed to the starry sky. The queer dark draped over the park, and seeped into every imaginable nook and cranny. It climbed the lighthouse as if driven from its home by some unseen force, perhaps the light and dark trading spaces. Not even in the parks long history had it been so resentful, or so repressed by the dark judgment. The greasy, blackened wheels and hocks of the turn-wheel on the merry-go-round were all rusted and grimed out, yet still managed to produce an odd, familiar quality that would ring out in day or night. The paint on the twisting candy poles of the handles flaked and peeled, but still yielded a faint yet bright representation of the past. The Fun-House had some mirrors cracked and smashed, but still the music played on as if ignoring the fact that its prime had come and go a long time past.

The night had come before, no doubt about it, but this was different. This dark was penetrating, and intrusive. It dove deep into your thoughts and kept you from waking. It trickled through the cracks of everyones happiness and glee, yet caught the tangled web of the common fear of the unknown. This, truly, was not only the absence of light, but the knowledge that the light would never surface in the consciousness of this world again. The locks on the gate may keep people out, but more so, may keep change from also entering and destroying the pristine, never-changing persona of the Park on the Pier. They would click and lock, ringing a certain and yet distinct chime into the halls of time. Rusted and still strong, after years of abuse and torture brought on by years of wear and tear. Only one key, only one, could open these gates, and this key has seemed to slip away from those wanting in. Perhaps by mistake or perhaps by intent, the key just isn't there to satisfy those who want it the most. Beyond the gates, the ticket booth rots away, with its characteristic stained white and baby-blue paneling. It once stood firm and tall, loved for its colors and charm. Now it lays there, a shell of what it once was. A hollow record of the care-free times, with a physical reminder to the past, offering little in the way of mental rememberings.

The apartment complex that overlooked the acreage crumbled from the beating of time against its tough exterior, and although it stood tall and firm, it also took a familiar trait that of an empty reminder of the times that once were. The grimy, metallic walls dulled under the artificial lights, and the carpet accumulated a certain black muddy buildup, with a well-beaten flatness all around the edges and center. The stench of sweat and old cooking filled the halls, finding every wisp of fabric and corrupting it beyond repair. The elevators, every now and again, would grumble to life and serve its ever-knowing masters, only to return to the dark underworld of the basement. Their purpose: to willfully accept and blindly serve those whoever wished of their services, only to be cast off to a dark and unseen chamber, where others of its kind were held, waiting eagerly to serve the cruel masters. The hallways especially were a transform from a wonderful earlier go. The plaster on the ceilings and walls lifted at the simplest of touches, and the doors at the end of the hall, although never touched, still gathered the mold and filth abundant in this post-Victory Mansion era dwelling. The doorknobs, with their own locks, were the only shining pieces in this terrace, but even then, dust and sweat deteriorated the state of the knobs to near replacement. The lights flickered an orange halo reminiscent to that of a deranged traffic light. The peepholes on the doors themselves were grimy and had built up the blackened carbon around the splotty edges. Through the peephole, down at the end of the third hallway, room 324 sleeps. It sleeps because there is no one to wake it. Room 324 has no furniture and no tenants. It is simply waiting for its tenants to return, their arms full of tidings and gifts. Room 324, with its open windows and bedroom doors widely ajar, opens its eyes to the morning sun. Room 324, and the whole apartment complex for that matter, is on an expansive hill, overlooks the coastal town of Mayfair, CA. But in its immediate backyard lies a quiet and subtle inkling of a meadow. The meadow faces the sun when it rises, as to catch the sun before anyone else in Mayfair.

In this meadow, a single car, windows broken and smashed long ago, lay undeterred and untouched for what might seem an eternity. The hood, crumpled from a collision, had been the subject of abuse and battery from the local teenagers for as long as the car had remained there. Blackened by fire, the car may seem like all hope is lost, but the glass from the windows and windshield lay undisturbed on the grassy meadow surrounding the car. The glass reflects and magnifies the incoming morning sunlight, pushing forth a notion of one last stand against the forces of darkness and despair. The sun rises from above its alcove of retainment, and pushes with it one last beacon of hope in the darkness.

**But with that statement, I have come to realize one thing, and that is the hope is always there; just because your eyes haven't adjusted to the darkness, doesn't mean the light is never coming back.**

title: [Mayfair]

question: What does "as if light itself was on 'paid stress leave'" mean?

answer: The light fades very fast- someone on paid stress leave would presumably want to recuse themselves of duties without further delay.

question: Why is a closed-down amusement park frightening at night?

answer: Its rides give the illusion that people are there, perhaps. Or maybe we are so used to seeing these places animated and full of life that to see them wound down is a strange sight.

question: What is meant by "... the hope is always there; just because your eyes haven't adjusted to the darkness, doesn't mean the light is never coming back"?

answer: Things will get better.

question: What is the significance of Room 324?

answer: The significance might be that when unoccupied, it might have none.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The author talks about hope and despair using the metaphor of an abandoned or closed down amusement park and an unoccupied apartment room.


text:
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS were held in Bulgaria on 13 October 1991.[1] They were the first elections held under the country's first post-communist constitution, which had been promulgated three months earlier.

The result was a victory for the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), which won 110 of the 240 seats. The Bulgarian Socialist Party, the successor to the Communist Party, finished a close second with 106 seats. Voter turnout was 83.9%.[2] Following the election, SDS leader Philip Dimitrov became Prime Minister, heading a coalition of the SDS and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

Results

  Party                                                               Votes       %      Seats
  ------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- ------ -------
  Union of Democratic Forces                                          1,903,567   34.4   110
  Pre-electoral Union of BSP, BLP, OPT                                1,836,050   33.1   106
  Movement for Rights and Freedoms                                    418,168     7.6    24
  Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-United                            214,052     3.9    0
  Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union "Nikola Petkov"                   190,454     3.4    0
  Union of Democratic Forces–Centre                                   177,295     3.2    0
  Union of Democratic Forces–Liberal                                  155,902     2.8    0
  Kingdom of Bulgaria Federation                                      100,883     1.8    0
  Bulgarian Business Bloc                                             73,379      1.3    0
  Bulgarian National Radical Party                                    62,462      1.1    0
  Bulgarian Business Party                                            51,497      0.9    0
  Freedom Coalition for the Turnovo Constitution                      39,719      0.7    0
  Bulgarian Communist Party                                           39,386      0.7    0
  Political Transformation Forum                                      30,442      0.6    0
  Movement of Non-partisans for Democracy                             22,588      0.4    0
  Liberal Party – Pernik                                              18,577      0.3    0
  Coalition BNS, BOP and BNSND                                        17,262      0.3    0
  Bulgarian National Democratic Party                                 15,399      0.3    0
  Liberal Congress Party                                              14,454      0.3    0
  National Patrotic Union Party                                       14,288      0.3    0
  Bulgarian Democratic Party                                          13,767      0.3    0
  Independent Democratic Party                                        12,770      0.2    0
  Free Cooperative Party                                              12,150      0.2    0
  Union of Non-partisan Guarantors                                    9,945       0.2    0
  Bulgarian Revolutionary Party of Youth – Varna                      8,133       0.2    0
  Bulgarian Communist Party – Marxists                                7,663       0.1    0
  Radical Christian Party                                             6,399       0.1    0
  Bulgarian Workers' Social Democratic Party                          5,916       0.1    0
  Bulgarian Eagle Party                                               4,853       0.1    0
  Bulgarian Worker-Rural Party – Varna                                3,793       0.1    0
  Organisation of Invalids and Underprivileged Citizens of Bulgaria   3,362       0.1    0
  Free Democratic Party                                               1,758       0.0    0
  Bulgarian Democratic Party for European and World States            984         0.0    0
  Party for Free Democracy – Centre                                   866         0.0    0
  United Democratic Union 'Party for Justice'                         30          0.0    0
  Party of Proprietors of Bulgaria                                    8           0.0    0
  Christian Radical Democratic Party                                  5           0.0    0
  Independents                                                        52,617      1.0    0
  Invalid/blank votes                                                 153,921     –      –
  TOTAL                                                               5,694,764   100    240
  Source: Nohlen & Stöver, University of Essex

[1] Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) _Elections in Europe: A data handbook_, p369

[2] Nohlen & Stöver, p382

title: 1991 Bulgarian parliamentary election

question: When was Bulgaria's post-communism constitution promulgated?

answer: It ended in July 1991.

question: How many seats does the coalition between the Union of Democratic Forces and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms have?

answer: 134 seats.

question: Who became the Prime Minister in the 1991 Bulgarian parliamentary election?

answer: SDS leader Philip Dimitrov.

question: How many votes were counted in the 1991 Bulgarian parliamentary election?

answer: 5 694 764 votes.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The first post-communist Bulgarian parliamentary elections were held in October 1991. The Union of Democratic Forces won the election and their leader became the Prime Minister in coalition with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.