text:
In spite of the distance and the obstacles in between, the man could still hear muffled voices coming from outside. The sounds reach through the door, having already gone past the thick blue curtain that he will soon pass. The man rubs his hands together, and mutters to himself, that he will not cry, he will not cry, he will not cry. He paces inside the waiting room. So quiet, but considering the walls, there must be thousands of them watching. He sits down on the small chair provided, then immediately gets up and resumes pacing. He knows some of the ones outside want to see him fail. He can imagine their cutting words- so casually cruel, they will grab hold of anything at all, his hair, his weight, whatever it takes to reduce him. So he says to himself: a giant attracts many stones.

There is a round mirror on the wall, in front of the man's inhaler, his lucky dice and the baseball cap he's worn to every game since he was thirteen years old. He tries to avoid his reflection. Even back when he was thirteen he took it more seriously than the others. Over a decade of people telling him he wasn't good enough. Countless memories of mockery and naysayers. Oh god what are they saying outside? He wonders if she's there- I mean no chance, he rebukes himself for daring to hope. Too late, the flame catches, and it's igniting- that enthusiastic voice inside himself says: She's there. She'll be watching, even if she doesn't understand. Besides they may mock him, sure, they always have. But they aren't up here. And also, some of them will cheer.

A lot of them will cheer.

The man punches his hand, once, twice, three times. The same old sweat on his forehead. Music plays inside his mind- old tunes, like the sound of horns. Battle songs. His heart is racing, chest bursting, the fear is cackling now. He goes towards the door of the trailer, puts one clammy hand on the steel knob and turns. Sound rushes past him, fills the empty place he's leaving. This is it, this is the point. This is everything he's ever wanted. He approaches the velvet wall. The curtain is there, soft beneath his clammy hand- big and blue, and behind that the spectators. He waits. He's got to wait for his turn now. The fear grabs at his gut, and pummels him with questions- what if's. What if you forget the build. What if you're too slow. What if you slip and what if you choke. There are no two ways around it, he either clenches hard, somewhere inside, and lets the doubts have their moment, or he finds some kind of inspiration to override the niggling fears. He is a samurai preparing for battle.

The voice that led him all the way here says: In order to win you must be prepared to die.

Everyone told him it was just a game. He always knew it wasn't just a game. It was The Game. He's died so many times, and he's always felt it. The man is prepared. Now, thousands of people outside sit on the edge of their plastic chairs, hoping or cursing him. And all smiling with anticipation. His name is called, through the velvet curtain. Not the name his parents gave him but the one he defined, the one he chose, the one that people know, even if they've never seen his face, when his name comes up on the screen they know. They call his name. The curtain begins to part so slowly, and for a moment the entire thing overwhelms him. He never dared to dream, as he spent so many sleepless nights training, that one day he would be here, at the top. A history of insults, of self-doubt, of tears that no one thought were worthy of shedding and finally....

Big bright white stars on his face. He resists the urge to bring up an arm. They told him during the rehearsal that there would be a glare. The what if's stop. The fear settles, coils, hardens into that adrenaline moment, that sheer edge. That's his blade- concentration, skill, and courage. He walks towards his seat. An ocean of cheers vibrate around him, flowing like a cape. All that he's worked for, and still, it isn't enough. He's not the best yet. Not unless he wins. He takes his seat in front of the computer. Puts on his headphones and gives his mouse a few clicks. He couldn't explain to most people how the game works.  The voice says: Just like cricket. Or ice hockey. Or shogi. The man couldn't easily explain about last hitting, or micro, or good opening strategy. He couldn't tell a layperson exactly what he was about to do- only someone that played might understand.

And yet as the crowd began to coil, into silence, and wait, he realized that right now, for these few minutes, he shared a moment with champions. With anyone that's ever had to contend with the exhilaration and the final challenge. For a moment he was kin to boxers, gladiators, olympians and chess masters. With anyone that has had to measure a lifetime against one opponent. The man's opponent takes his seat, receives his share of cheers. His opponent is the only reflection worth comparing himself to. The man imagines she's watching, and even if she does not understand the game, she'll understand what this is like- the moments before.

He nods, and types: GL HF.

The rules are different. The game is different. The feelings have always been the same.

He smiles, feeling the phantom hands of winners on his shoulder.

In front of thousands, with his headphones on he mouths:

Let's dance.

title: Another short story by me, on my unending quest to become a decent writer: "The Finalist"

question: Summarize the varieties of emotions the narrator is going through as he prepares for the upcoming game.

answer: He is so anxious he could cry, but he steels himself, knowing there are spectators who want him to fail. He also feels inspired and willing to do anything for the crowd that cheers him on.


split: train

text:
FRÉDÉRIC DIEFENTHAL (born 26 July 1968 in Saint-Mandé) is a French actor and director.[1]

Biography

Diefenthal grew up in Saint-Puy in southwestern France.[2]He is Jewish.[3] Prior to acting, Diefenthal pursued apprenticeships in the hotel industry, hairdressing and was also an apprentice pastry chef. He began studies in architecture before switching to drama classes.[4] Diefenthal began acting in the early 1990s; he held a main role in the French television series _Le juge est une femme_ (_The Judge is a Woman_), where he first gained a degree of notoriety. He also played a major part in the French _Taxi_ series.

Diefenthal was previously married to actress Gwendoline Hamon, with whom he has a son.[5] The pair separated in 2014.[6]

Filmography

  Year             Title                                Role                       class = “unsortable” | Notes
  ---------------- ------------------------------------ -------------------------- ------------------------------
  1998             _Taxi_                               Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec
  2000             _Taxi 2_
  2001             _Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre_   Martin
  _Savage Souls_   Firmin
  2002             _A Private Affair_                   The Transvestite
  2003             _Taxi 3_                             Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec
  2005             _Clara Sheller_                      JP
  2007             _Taxi 4_                             Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec
  2017             _The Forest_                         Vincent Musso
  2018             _Caïn_                               Renaud Maurin              Episode: Jardin secret

[1]

[2]

[3] Samy Naceri : “J'aurais dû écouter Alain Delon !” Le Point. 16 February 2015

[4] Frédéric Diefenthal : «J'ai du mal avec les gens qui ne sont pas naturels» La Depeche. 7 July 2013

[5] http://www.purepeople.com/people/frederic-diefenthal_p681

[6] Gwendoline Hamon, séparée de Frédéric Diefenthal : _La fin de l'histoire_ ? PurePeople. 12 March 2014

title: Frédéric Diefenthal

question: When was Frederic Diefenthal born?

answer: Frederic Diefenthal was born on July 26th, 1968.

question: What nationality is Frederic Diefenthal?

answer: Frederic Diefenthal is French.

question: When did Frederic Diefenthal begin acting?

answer: Frederic Diefenthal began acting in the early 1990s.

question: Who was Frederic Diefenthal married to?

answer: Frederic Diefenthal was married to Gwendoline Hamon.

question: What did Frederic Diefenthal performed in in 2003?

answer: Frederic Diefenthal performed in Taxi 3 in 2003.

question: When was The Forest released?

answer: The Forest was released in 2017.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Frederic Diefenthal is a French actor and director. He was born in 1968 and did many different jobs before starting acting in the early 1990s. He first starred in the French television show The Judge is a Woman. Since then he participated in numerous other movies and shows. He was married to actress Gwendoline Hamon until they separated in 2014.


text:
I wrote this pretty quickly, more for the experience itself than for the end product. It's based on real events. The story is pretty dialogue heavy and I didn't think too hard about the narrative. Nonetheless I hope some of you enjoy it.

Mollified

“This is gonna be so awk.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. I haven’t talked to Julia in a while. Plus I don’t think I’m gonna be sad enough. And I’m worried it’ll be obvious.”

“Claire it’s fine. None of that matters. We’re just there to signal to her that we care enough about her grief that we’re willing to sacrifice a few hours of our time.”

“Yeah I suppose. I’m just really bad at this stuff.”

I pressed my forehead against the window and watched a cute girl walking her dog. She noticed me staring because traffic was moving so slowly. I mouthed “cute dog” and she smiled. I had no idea if she knew what I was saying.

“Is it bad that I’m bored already?” Claire asked, glancing over to observe my reaction.

“Nah, it’s normal. Just be on your best behavior.”

“Yes daddy,” she replied with the bubbliest of mirth.

“You’re incorrigible.”

After 22 years, I had yet to encounter death on a personal level. It was more of a curiosity to me than anything real. And yet I felt bad that we were making light of the situation. The closest I’d ever gotten to death was back in high school when the doctor suspected my mom had a tumor and wanted to run a scan. The night before her appointment I imagined the worst and listened to some crappy punk bands, shedding silent tears. But that was quickly forgotten when the doctor found nothing wrong. I never experienced real human mortality.

“Andrew, would you be sad if I died?”

“You know I would be.”

“Well I wouldn’t want you to be. Cause at the rate I’m going I’ve probably already peaked. You know me. Live fast, die young.”

She’s only 20.

“I know, Claire. I’d still be sad. Maybe less so for you as you are and more so for who you could’ve become.”

“Too real.”

“I meant it in the least judgmental way possible.”

“I know.”

We finally arrived at the colonial looking home, finding the parking lot filled with tens of cars. I wondered how many cars would attend my wake. Probably a couple handfuls at best. As we pulled in I made sure to turn down the car radio that had been blasting Kanye West with maxed bass. My hand found Claire’s as we walked in. I remembered that she had recently begun dating some guy but neither of us seemed to care.

As I walked in I was reminded of a cocktail party. Groups of people, seemingly separated by age group, stood in circles and chatted. We walked around and eventually came across the body. She was seated upright. White dress, eyes shut. Claire and I shared a glance. I felt her squeeze my hand sharply. We both turned simultaneously to leave the room. Julia came to greet us and give us hugs, but we didn’t know what to say beyond the basic pleasantries. She related to us that everything still felt like a dream. Apparently her mom passed away out of the blue for no discernible reason. Claire stroked Julia’s hair and gave her a peck on the forehead. Julia thanked us profusely for coming and told us she was going to head upstairs for a bit and would be back soon. I could see that her composure was beginning to crack as she hastened away.

Claire and I continued to explore the house. We came across a table of small cards, each decorated with a photo of Julia’s mom on the front and a portrait of the Virgin Mary on the back. Mass-produced mementos for the guests. I stood and stared at Mary. Her heart was drawn on the exterior of her body.

“Hey Claire, check out her heart. It looks just like a strawberry.”

Claire exploded with laughter and I struggled to contain my own at her reaction. An older gentleman who stood across the room glanced in our direction. We must have looked mortified and he must not have heard my comment because he walked over, placing his hands on our shoulders.

“No need to be ashamed. We all respond to grief in our own ways, whether through tears, confusion, or laughter.”

I offered him a solemn nod and thanked him for understanding.

“Can we step outside?” asked Claire.

I agreed, thinking it for the best. We walked to Claire’s car and sat inside, reclining our seats. The sun was at an angle such that the shadow cast by my hand was enormous. I made spirit fingers, watching the massive, flailing shadow and Claire laughed. In the company of anyone else I would’ve felt dumb.

“We should probably go back in at some point and say bye to Julia before we leave,” Claire bemoaned.

“Yeah.”

“I feel somewhat bad suggesting this, but do you wanna roll? And by roll I mean molly, not roll as in bounce.”

I chuckled to myself. She would.

“Sure. I guess I will out of solidarity. And I guess I’d be pretty miz if you rolled and I didn’t.”

Feeling like a social deviant, I shared the small pouch of licorice smelling powder with Claire, tasting the bitterness as it crept from the front of my gums to the back of my tongue. I noted that the bitter taste reflected our moods. Claire plugged in her ipod and rested her head on my shoulder. Her hair smelled natural, like petrichor. I closed my eyes and listened to her breathe to the rhythm of the music. I might have fallen asleep for a short time but the next thing I realized was the molly kicking in. The surfaces where our skins met tingled lightly and the music was much richer than I remembered. Claire’s phone buzzed. She had gotten a text from Julia thanking us for stopping by and apologizing for disappearing for so long. That took care of that.

“You know, I still can’t figure out if we’re immature or too mature for our years.”

I ruminated over her words for a moment.

“I’m not entirely sure I understand the word mature, or that I like it. I think we’re just intellectual anomalies.”

“Or maybe we’re just like everyone else except honest about our real feelings. Or maybe we’re really comfortable with repressing normal feelings.”

“That’s certainly possible.”

“You know, I’d still rather be dating you.”

“I like you a lot too. But we both know it won’t work.”

“Cause we’re too much of the same half. We need to find our other halves a la Plato’s Symposium blah blah blah. Or we’ll get bored quickly. I know. But my statement still stands.”

I impulsively leaned over to kiss her.

“Only because we’re rolling,” she pulled back to clarify.

“Only because we’re rolling,” I confirmed.

We lost ourselves for god knows how long until Claire broke it off. A single tear rolled down her cheek. I didn’t know why.

“I don’t know why either. Life in confusing. Or maybe it’s just the molly,” she explained in response to my questioning gaze.

“Or both.”

“Or both. I’m not sad. At least I don’t think so.”

My eyes started watering as well. Inexplicably. Or perhaps out of empathy.

“I’m not sad either. Maybe we’ve forgotten how to be sad but our tear ducts haven’t.”

“Yeah. Tear ducts sounds so biological though. Let’s go with hearts. Our hearts haven’t forgotten.”

“Our strawberry hearts?”

She laughed.

“Strawberry hearts forever," she crooned to the tune of the Beetles.

And we were happy again, fully and deeply.

title: I'd like to share my first short story with you guys.

question: Where were Andrew and Claire heading?

answer: They were heading to the condolence ceremony.

question: Who is Andrew?

answer: It may be implied that Andrew is Claire's friend.

question: Who had died?

answer: Julia's mom had passed away.

question: Had the narrator experiences death on a personal level?

answer: No.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
Andrew and Claire are heading to Julia's mother's condolence ceremony. On their way, Clair is concerned about how she isn't sad enough and would make it obvious. She wonders how she is 22 years old but hasn't experienced death on a personal level yet. Andrew assures her everything will be fine.

They reach the house and exchange pleasantries with Julia. Andrew and Claire go to explore the house.


text:
_The Jungle Book_ is a 2016 American fantasy adventure film directed and co-produced by Jon Favreau, written by Justin Marks and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Starring Neel Sethi, with the voices of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, and Christopher Walken, the film focuses on the story of Mowgli, an orphaned human boy who, guided by his animal guardians, sets out on a journey of self-discovery while evading the threatening Shere Khan.[1] The film was released in North America in Disney Digital 3-D, RealD 3D, IMAX 3D, D-Box, and premium large formats, on April 15, 2016.[2][3] The film was released to universal acclaim, with Rotten Tomatoes gave an approval rating of 95%, based on 268 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10[4] and Metacritic gave a score of 77 out of 100, based on 49 reviews.[5]

Accolades

+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Award     | Date of   | Category  | Recipient | Result    |           |
|           | ceremony  |           | (s)       |           |           |
|           |           |           | and       |           |           |
|           |           |           | nominee(s |           |           |
|           |           |           | )         |           |           |
+===========+===========+===========+===========+===========+===========+
| AARP      | February  | Best      | _The      |           | [6]       |
| Annual    | 6, 2017   | Movie for | Jungle    |           |           |
| Movies    |           | Grownups  | Book_     |           |           |
| for       |           | who       |           |           |           |
| Grownups  |           | Refuse to |           |           |           |
| Awards    |           | Grow Up   |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Academy   | February  | Best      | , Dan     |           | [7]       |
| Awards    | 26, 2017  | Visual    | Lemmon,   |           | [8]       |
|           |           | Effects   | Andrew R. |           |           |
|           |           |           | Jones and |           |           |
|           |           |           | Adam      |           |           |
|           |           |           | Valdez    |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| ACE Eddie | January   | Best      |           |           | [9]       |
| Awards    | 27, 2017  | Edited    |           |           |           |
|           |           | Feature   |           |           |           |
|           |           | Film –    |           |           |           |
|           |           | Comedy or |           |           |           |
|           |           | Musical   |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Annie     | February  | Outstandi | , Andrew  |           | [10]      |
| Awards    | 4, 2017   | ng        | R. Jones, |           |           |
|           |           | Achieveme | Benjamin  |           |           |
|           |           | nt,       | Jones and |           |           |
|           |           | Character | Gabriele  |           |           |
|           |           | Animation | Zucchelli |           |           |
|           |           | in a Live |           |           |           |
|           |           | Action    |           |           |           |
|           |           | Productio |           |           |           |
|           |           | n         |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| , Andrew  |           |
| R. Jones, |           |
| Paul      |           |
| Story,    |           |
| Eteuati   |           |
| Tema and  |           |
| Dennis    |           |
| Yoo       |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Black     | February  | Outstandi |           |           | [11]      |
| Reel      | 16, 2017  | ng        |           |           |           |
| Awards    |           | Voice     |           |           |           |
|           |           | Performan |           |           |           |
|           |           | ce        |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
|           | rowspan=“ |
|           | 3”        |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| British   | November  | Feature   | and       | [12]      |
| Academy   | 20, 2016  | Film      | Brigham   | [13]      |
| Children' |           |           | Taylor    |           |
| s         |           |           |           |           |
| Awards    |           |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| BAFTA     | _The      |
| Kids'     | Jungle    |
| Vote      | Book_     |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| British   | February  | Best      | , Dan     | rowspan=“ | [14]      |
| Academy   | 12, 2017  | Special   | Lemmon,   | 2”        |           |
| Film      |           | Visual    | Andrew R. |           |           |
| Awards    |           | Effects   | Jones and |           |           |
|           |           |           | Adam      |           |           |
|           |           |           | Valdez    |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Critics'  | December  | Best      | _The      | [15]      |
| Choice    | 11, 2016  | Visual    | Jungle    |           |
| Awards    |           | Effects   | Book_     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Empire    | March 19, | Best      | rowspan=“ | [16]      |
| Awards    | 2017      | Visual    | 2”        |           |
|           |           | Effects   |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Florida   | December  | Best      | [17]      |
| Film      | 23, 2016  | Visual    |           |
| Critics   |           | Effects   |           |
| Circle    |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Golden    | January   | Best Wide |           | [18]      |
| Tomato    | 12, 2017  | Release   |           |           |
| Awards    |           | 2016      |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | rowspan=“ |
| Kids/Fami | 5”        |
| ly        |           |
| Movie     |           |
| 2016      |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Golden    | May 4,    | Best      | “Jungle”  | [19]      |
| Trailer   | 2016      | Animation |           |           |
| Awards    |           | Family    |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | “Mowgli”  |
| Original  |           |
| Score     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | “Legend”  |
| Animation |           |
| /Family   |           |
| TV Spot   |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | “Legend”  |
| Original  |           |
| Score TV  |           |
| Spot      |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | “Relax”   | rowspan=“ |
| Fantasy   |           | 2”        |
| Adventure |           |           |
| TV Spot   |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | “Man Cub  |
| Fantasy   | Combo”    |
| Adventure |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Hollywood | November  | Hollywood | _The      | rowspan=“ | [20]      |
| Film      | 6, 2016   | Blockbust | Jungle    | 3”        |           |
| Awards    |           | er        | Book_     |           |           |
|           |           | Award     |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Hollywood | and Frank |
| Sound     | Eulner    |
| Award     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Hollywood | November  | Best      |           | [21]      |
| Music in  | 17, 2016  | Original  |           | [22]      |
| Media     |           | Score –   |           |           |
| Awards    |           | Sci-Fi/Fa |           |           |
|           |           | ntasy     |           |           |
|           |           | Film      |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Houston   | January   | Technical | _The      | rowspan=“ | [23]      |
| Film      | 6, 2017   | Achieveme | Jungle    | 2”        | [24]      |
| Critics   |           | nt        | Book_     |           |           |
| Society   |           |           | (visual   |           |           |
|           |           |           | effects)  |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| MPSE      | February  | Feature   | , David   | [25]      |
| Golden    | 19, 2017  | English   | Chrastka, |           |
| Reel      |           | Language: | Frank     |           |
| Awards    |           | Effects/F | Eulner,   |           |
|           |           | oley      | Andre     |           |
|           |           |           | Fenley,   |           |
|           |           |           | Ken       |           |
|           |           |           | Fischer,  |           |
|           |           |           | James     |           |
|           |           |           | Likowski, |           |
|           |           |           | Dee       |           |
|           |           |           | Selby,    |           |
|           |           |           | Dennie    |           |
|           |           |           | Thorpe    |           |
|           |           |           | and Jana  |           |
|           |           |           | Vance     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| NAACP     | February  | Outstandi |           |           | [26]      |
| Image     | 11, 2017  | ng        |           |           |           |
| Awards    |           | Character |           |           |           |
|           |           | Voice-Ove |           |           |           |
|           |           | r         |           |           |           |
|           |           | Performan |           |           |           |
|           |           | ce        |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| People's  | January   | Favorite  | _The      | rowspan=“ | [27]      |
| Choice    | 18, 2017  | Family    | Jungle    | 2”        |           |
| Awards    |           | Movie     | Book_     |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Favorite  |           |
| Animated  |           |
| Movie     |           |
| Voice     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| San Diego | December  | Best      | _The      | rowspan=“ | [28]      |
| Film      | 12, 2016  | Visual    | Jungle    | 3”        | [29]      |
| Critics   |           | Effects   | Book_     |           |           |
| Society   |           |           |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Satellite | February  | Best      |           | [30]      |
| Awards    | 19, 2017  | Cinematog |           |           |
|           |           | raphy     |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | _The      |
| Visual    | Jungle    |
| Effects   | Book_     |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | rowspan=“ |
| Animated  | 5”        |
| or Mixed  |           |
| Media     |           |
| Feature   |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      |
| Sound     |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      |           |
| Adapted   |           |
| Screenpla |           |
| y         |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      |           |
| Original  |           |
| Score     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best Art  |           |
| Direction |           |
| and       |           |
| Productio |           |
| n         |           |
| Design    |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Saturn    | June 28,  | Best      | _The      |           | [31]      |
| Awards    | 2017      | Fantasy   | Jungle    |           |           |
|           |           | Film      | Book_     |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      |           | rowspan=5 |
| Director  |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      |           |
| Supportin |           |
| g         |           |
| Actor     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      |           |
| Performan |           |
| ce        |           |
| by a      |           |
| Younger   |           |
| Actor     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      |           |
| Editing   |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Best      | , Dan     |
| Special   | Lemmon,   |
| Effects   | Andrew R. |
|           | Jones and |
|           | Adam      |
|           | Valdez    |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| St. Louis | December  | Best      | _The      |           | [32]      |
| Gateway   | 18, 2016  | Visual    | Jungle    |           |           |
| Film      |           | Effects   | Book_     |           |           |
| Critics   |           |           |           |           |           |
| Associati |           |           |           |           |           |
| on        |           |           |           |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Teen      | July 31,  | Choice    | rowspan=“ | [33]      |
| Choice    | 2016      | Movie:    | 3”        |           |
| Awards    |           | Action    |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Choice    |           |
| Movie     |           |
| Actor:    |           |
| Action    |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Choice    |
| Movie:    |
| Breakout  |
| Star      |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Visual    | February  | Outstandi | , Andrew  | rowspan=“ | [34]      |
| Effects   | 7, 2017   | ng        | R. Jones, | 2”        |           |
| Society   |           | Visual    | Robert    |           |           |
| Awards    |           | Effects   | Legato,   |           |           |
|           |           | in a      | JD        |           |           |
|           |           | Photoreal | Schwalm   |           |           |
|           |           | Feature   | and Adam  |           |           |
|           |           |           | Valdez    |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Outstandi | King      |
| ng        | Louie – , |
| Animated  | Paul      |
| Performan | Story,    |
| ce        | Jack Tema |
| in a      | and       |
| Photoreal | Dennis    |
| Feature   | Yoo       |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Shere     |           |
| Khan – ,  |           |
| Julio Del |           |
| Rio       |           |
| Hernandez |           |
| ,         |           |
| James     |           |
| Hood and  |           |
| Benjamin  |           |
| Jones     |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Outstandi | , Robert  | rowspan=“ |
| ng        | Legato,   | 3”        |
| Virtual   | Bill Pope |           |
| Cinematog | and Gary  |           |
| raphy     | Roberts   |           |
| in a      |           |           |
| Photoreal |           |           |
| Project   |           |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Outstandi | , Ludovic |
| ng        | Ramisanda |
| Effects   | ina,      |
| Simulatio | David     |
| ns        | Schneider |
| in a      | and       |
| Photoreal | Oliver    |
| Feature   | Winwood   |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Outstandi | , Masaki  |
| ng        | Mitchell, |
| Compositi | Christoph |
| ng        | Salzmann  |
| in a      | and Max   |
| Photoreal | Stummer   |
| Feature   |           |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
|  |
+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+

[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]

title: List of accolades received by The Jungle Book (2016 film)

question: What genre is The Jungle Book?

answer: It is a fantasy adventure film.

question: Who produced The Jungle Book?

answer: The film is produced by Walt Disney Pictures and co-produced by Jon Favreau.

question: Which actor plays Mowgli?

answer: Neet Sethi, the only actor that is not a voice actor.

question: Who is the villain in The Jungle Book?

answer: Shere Khan.

question: Is Jungle Book a good film?

answer: Yes. It received universal acclaim when it was released. It also received favorable ratings from rating sites.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The Jungle Book was released in 2016 by Walt Disney Pictures. It features Neet Sethi as Mowgli as well as various other high profile voice actors. It received wide acclaim when it was released.


text:
My name is Joshua Callenway, written some time in 2013:

Im writing this because I have no idea what else to do. I don't know how long its been since the 21st. Nobody really believed this would happen, I didnt believe. But here I am, walking the same streets I did before. Why Am I still here? Im not the strongest, Im not the smartest, Im not even handy for fuck's sake! Im just an accountant! Yet im here. I haven't seen a living person since the office party. Im so lonley and scared. I need help, from anyone or anything. I see signs on buildings claiming " Survivers Inside!" But nobody is in there; only trash and blood. The rummbling in my stomach is so loud and painful; my once plump stomach has now receeded to expose my entire rib cage. Every time I sleep I only have nightmares, if I even dream at all. If this be Hell, where is Satan? Unless this is Purgatory. Im not a religious man, however I think I might start. I miss everyone I know. To whomever reads this, if anyone ever does, if you find a woman named Caitlin with a birth mark on her left elbow, tell her that Josh loves her and he spent the rest of his life trying to find her. Im in Boston now, but I need to see if my family is ok. Im going to start walking to Spokane Washington. I'll walk the I-90 until i get there or drop dead. Im sorry for the things I've done, but im going to make it up to everyone, somehow, someway, I will make things right...

title: To whom it may concern- The last written words of a surviving man.

question: Why is Joshua Callenway alone?

answer: It's not stated in the story where everyone is. It seems everyone just disappeared except for Joshua.

question: Why did Joshua Callenway write a letter?

answer: He's hoping someone would read it and tell Caitlin that he loves her and he's looking for her.

question: Who is Caitlin?

answer: She seems to be Josh's romantic partner. Perhaps his girlfriend or wife.

question: What are the things Joshua did that he is sorry for?

answer: It's not stated in the story.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
Joshua Callenway wonders why he's the only survivor and everyone's gone. He plans on walking from Boston to Spokane, Washington, to see his family. He also writes a letter, hoping someone would read it and tell Caitlin that he loves her.

He's looking for Caitlin, so he writes a letter hoping someone reads it and .


text:
AUGUST VON DRUFFEL (21 August 1841, in Koblenz – 23 October 1891, in Munich) was a German historian.

He studied history, economics and military science at the universities of Innsbruck, Göttingen and Berlin, receiving his doctorate in 1862 with a dissertation-thesis on Henry IV and his sons. At the University of Göttingen, he was especially influenced by the teachings of historian Georg Waitz. In 1875, he became an associate member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, gaining a full membership in 1884.[1][2] In 1885 he was named an honorary professor at the University of Munich.[3]

Selected works

-   _Kaiser Heinrich IV. und seine Söhne_ (1862) – Henvy IV and his sons.
-   _Beiträge zur Reichsgeschichte_ (3 volumes, 1873–96; with Karl Brandi) – Contributions to imperial history.
-   _Briefe und Akten zur Geschichte des sechzehnten Jahrhunderts. Mit besonderer Rücksicht auf Bayerns Fürstenhaus_ (as editor; 3 volumes, 1877) – Letters and files on the history of the 16th century; with special reference to Bavaria's royal house.
-   _Des Viglius van Zwichem Tagebuch des Schmalkaldischen Donaukriegs_ (1877) – Viglius' diary of the Schmalkaldic Danube War.
-   _Kaiser Karl V. und die römische Curie, 1544–1546_ (4 volumes, 1877–91) – Charles V and the Roman Curia, 1544–46.
-   _Ignatius von Loyola an der Römischen Curie_, 1879 – Ignatius of Loyola and the Roman Curia.
-   _Monumenta Tridentina_ (1884–99, 5 volumes; continued by Karl Brandi) – work involving the history of the Council of Trent.[4][5]

[1] ADB:Druffel, August von at: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 48. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1904, S. 114–118.

[2] Brann - Einslin / edited by Rudolf Vierhaus Deutsche Biographische Enzykopaedie

[3] Meyers Konversationslexikon (biography)

[4] https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/August_von_Druffel de.Wikisource (bibliography)

[5] Druffel, August von (1841-1891) IdRef (bibliography)

title: August von Druffel

question: When was August von Druffel born?

answer: 21 August 1841.

question: What nationality was August von Druffel?

answer: German.

question: What universities did August von Druffel study at?

answer: Innsbruck, Gottingen and Berlin.

question: What institution did August von Druffel become a member of in 1875?

answer: The Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about August von Druffel, a German historian from the 19th century. It tells the story of his schooling and academic accomplishments.


text:
Nov 22, 2012

[highway build around house in china 2 China Builds Highway Around House That Refuses to Move]

In the city of Wenling, located in China’s eastern province of Zheijang, a highway has been built around a residential building that refuses to relocate. Luo Baogen, unsatisfied with the relocation compensation offered by the government decided to remain in the half-demolished building with his wife. According to China Daily, the road, which leads to the Wenling Railway Station, hasn’t been put into use yet.

Even though all of the other residents have moved out, the government has not demolished the other rooms for sake of the remaining couple’s safety.

[highway build around house in china 1 China Builds Highway Around House That Refuses to Move]

According to the National Post (where you can find more picture and detailed information), these buildings that refuse to move for new developments are called ‘nail houses’ in reference to old, gnarled nails that cannot be easily removed.

Every couple years, these defiant ‘nail houses’ make the rounds online. They serve as a symbolic testament to the ‘little guy’ standing up against the government and pushy developers.

[houses refuse to move sell nail house china 1 China Builds Highway Around House That Refuses to Move]

  According to Wikipedia: In the People’s Republic of China, during most of the Communist era, private ownership of real property was abolished. The central government officially owned all real estate, and could in theory dictate who was entitled to control any piece of property according to national interests. Private citizens, therefore, did not have a legal right to keep their property if the government decided they should leave (although in practice, entitlements arose for various reasons).

    With a strengthening economy and the rise of free markets beginning in the late 1990s, private developers began building shopping malls, hotels, and other private developments in densely populated urban centers, which required displacing residents who lived on the land. Developers would typically offer relatively low compensation to the residents, reflecting the pre-development value of their properties or the cost of obtaining alternate housing elsewhere. Should residents resist, or try to take advantage of their bargaining position, powerful developers could persuade local officials and courts to order residents off the land. In other cases, residents would be arrested on false charges or thugs would be hired to scare away the residents. [Source]

[houses refuse to move sell nail house china 3 China Builds Highway Around House That Refuses to Move]

If you enjoyed this post, the Sifter
highly recommends:

[houses built on roof of shopping mall in zhuzhou china 1 China Builds Highway Around House That Refuses to Move]

[spite house China Builds Highway Around House That Refuses to Move]

[broadway tower worcestershire england folly China Builds Highway Around House That Refuses to Move]

Trending on TwistedSifter

question: What is the main factor behind the resident of 'nail houses' not moving from their property?

answer: The compensation provided by the property developers can, sometimes, be inadequate in tempting property owners to relinquish their lands.


text:
If you’ve been keeping tabs on today’s big gaming news, chances are you’ve already seen DICE’s jaw-dropping _Star Wars Battlefront_ reveal trailer. Impressed by it? Well, there’s more good news.

According to developer, the _Star Wars Battlefront_ frame rate will be at 60 frames-per-second (fps) across the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC! This was revealed by DICE Producer Craig McLeod, who also mentioned that “photo-realism” is high on DICE’s agenda.

  _We’re making sure, first and foremost, to ensure it runs at 60 frames per second on everything because that’s what delivers the best gameplay experience.” Alongside the game running at 60fps, it’s clear that graphical fidelity and photo-realism is high on the agenda for DICE._

Could _Star Wars Battlefront_ hit the magic numbers of full 1080p/60fps? I highly doubt it, but even if the PS4 version runs at 900p and 60fps, that would be a sight to behold, no?

Let’s hope DICE rolls out PS4 gameplay footage soon, so we can judge the graphics — and frame-rate — for ourselves.

[Source: Stevivor]

question: Why does DICE want Star Wars Battlefront to run at 60 frames per second?

answer: They want the game to run at 60 frames per second because that's what delivers the best gameplay experience. Photorealism and graphic fidelity is high on the agenda for DICE.

question: What gaming systems is Star Wars Battlefront going to be released on?

answer: It will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.


text:
The '''Cathedral of St. Sebastian '''[1] (), also referred to as RIBEIRÃO PRETO CATHEDRAL, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ribeirão Preto and the main Catholic church in Ribeirão Preto,[2] São Paulo, Brazil.[3]

The population of the city expanded greatly after its 1856 founding as coffee cultivation brought wealth to the region. Construction on the first church, also called “velha Matriz” (mother church), began in 1866 and was finished in 1870, in what is now the XV de Novembro Square. Barely two decades later, the towers of this building collapsed, and in 1892 a commission of leading townspeople was formed to build a more grandiose replacement. Design and construction was repeatedly halted and restarted over the next decade owing to differing visions for the structure as well as a lack of funds. The cornerstone of the current building was finally laid March 3, 1904 with construction continuing for the next four years. In 1909, Pope Pius X erected the Diocese of Ribeirão Preto, and St. Sebastian's was named its cathedral.

The cathedral buildings and its surrounding campus were declared protected by the Council for the Defense of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage (Condephaat) in 2014.

[1] Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian

[2]

[3]

title: St. Sebastian Cathedral, Ribeirão Preto

question: What is another name for the Cathedral of St. Sebastian?

answer: The Ribeirao Preto Cathedral.

question: When was the city founded?

answer: 1856.

question: When did construction on the first church begin?

answer: 1866.

question: When did construction on the first church end?

answer: 1870.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses the history and the construction of St. Sebastian Cathedral, Ribeirão Preto.


text:
Case Study

"Grandmother Denied Contact with Two Grandsons" is a story the grandmother, "Sue," submitted to the Grandparents Who Have Been Denied Visitation Rights page at About.com. This account is an excellent story to analyze because as the page's moderator says,

  Sue's story has many of the most common elements of cases of estranged grandparents. A daughter-in-law is often identified as the source of the conflict, the son usually declines to take any action and the actual reason for the conflict is commonly ill-defined.

Sue does indeed tell a story that's echoed by hundreds of grandparents on the estranged parents' forums: Her family had no serious problems until her son married his second wife. The new DIL took an instant dislike to her mother-in-law, claiming Sue was rude to her, although Sue says, "No one can tell me what I did that was rude." She also thinks her friendship with the son's ex-wife is a factor.

The son and new DIL had two sons. The last time Sue saw the eldest, now 7, was 5 1/2 years ago; she has never met the youngest, now 4. At some point in the story, the son ceased contact with his entire family.

Sue recounts two of her attempts to meet her grandsons. The first, in its entirety:

  Once when I was visiting the older three [of the son's children, who lived with the son's ex-wife], I called ahead to see if I could come for a short visit with the little boys, and I was told that my son had to be there for me to see them. I went to my son's place of business and was told, "This can be fixed. Just let me work on it." I heard no more.

When a spouse doesn't get along with his or her in-laws but the other partner still wants the children to have a relationship with them, a common solution is to require the other partner to handle the in-laws' visits. The in-laws still get to see the children, the partner who doesn't get along with them has a buffer, all is well. This can be disconcerting to members of older generations, who expect the wife to handle everything child-related.

Sue was so disconcerted that rather than asking her daughter-in-law to arrange a visit when her son was home, or calling her son herself, she went to his workplace in person—potentially threatening his career—to talk to him then and there. She reacted as though her daughter-in-law's simple boundary was a complete denial of contact.

And she made her demand when she hadn't seen the elder grandson for several months, if not years, and had never met the younger grandson—that is, when the relationship was so strained that the parents hadn't introduced her to their newborn son. These details, obvious when Sue's fractured chronology is pieced together, are missing from her account. It's not clear whether she omitted them because they cast another light on her actions, or because they simply weren't important to her.

The second attempt to meet her grandsons was more recent:

  In December of last year I was passing through their state with my daughter and SIL and four of my grandkids [...]. We were met with screaming and profanity. It was awful, and much to my shame, I allowed myself to get sucked into it. The little boys were told not to come near the door or to look out the window. [....] When my son came home from work, he did nothing, nada, zilch! He stood there and shook his head and kept repeating, "I don't need this right now."

During the holiday season, Sue and a retinue of six relatives ambushed her daughter-in-law at home while her son was away at work. The daughter-in-law wouldn't let them in the house, and they stayed so long, screaming at her, that they were still there when the son came home. For this, the daughter-in-law was the unreasonable one.

The daughter-in-law believed the son's ex-wife had a part in the fiasco: "#2 called #1 and screamed at her that we had upset the little boys." Sue doesn't think her daughter-in-law was unreasonable for thinking the ex-wife was involved, which confirms that the daughter-in-law was right. Add in that the ex-wife lives near the son and daughter-in-law, but Sue lives in another state, and not only was the ex-wife definitely involved, but Sue was disingenuous when she said she and her retinue were "passing through their state."

Interestingly, Sue does think her daughter-in-law was unreasonable for blaming the ex-wife for upsetting her own children when the daughter-in-law had upset the four children Sue brought with her. As far as Sue is concerned, the well-being of any children Sue brought uninvited to the daughter-in-law's house was the daughter-in-law's responsibility. In no way was it Sue's fault that she brought the children to what was guaranteed to be an ugly scene, then refused to end the scene and take the children away. One gets the distinct sense that she expected her daughter-in-law to give in for the sake of the other grandchildren, and also that she herself didn't plan to give in for the sake of any of the six children caught in her ambush.

Sue's story displays:

-   RAMPANT ENTITLEMENT. She insists upon visiting her grandsons when she chooses, regardless of what's convenient or comfortable for the parents.
-   BOUNDARY VIOLATION. She refuses to accept the daughter-in-law's boundary that her son must be present during a visit; she goes to her son's workplace; she visits without calling ahead and refuses to leave when asked.
-   MANIPULATION. She brings along six people, including four children, in the expectation that their presence will force her daughter-in-law to allow the visit.
-   DENIAL OF RESPONSIBILITY. It's the daughter-in-law's fault that Sue's ambush upset the children Sue brought into the situation.
-   DOUBLE STANDARDS. Sue is concerned about the trauma to the four grandchildren she brought with her, but not to the two grandchildren who were in the house.
-   LYING. Sue claims she was "passing through" when the details show that she was paying a holiday visit to the son's ex-wife.
-   MISSING CONTEXT. The chronology is scrambled, the details are scattered, and vital pieces of information are missing. It's as though Sue never sees all the elements of a situation as a whole; she sees only the details that are relevant to her goal. It's not clear whether she tells her story in this fractured way because this is how she sees the world, or because it's easier to make herself look good when she manipulates the details. It's probably a little—well, a lot—of both.

Having seen Sue's story analyzed, would you say the reason for the conflict is still ill-defined?

Updated 2/19/2015

This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of psychological issues. It is believed that this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.

The analyses on this page are my own opinions and should not be construed as medical advice or statements of absolute fact.

question: Who is the estranged grandparent in the case study?

answer: Sue

question: What is happening?

answer: When Sue's son marries again, the new daughter-in-law (DIL) becomes hostile towards her because she claims Sue was rude to her, but Sue can't recall any instance where she was rude. Sue thinks the reason why the new DIL hates her is her friendship with her son's ex-wife.

question: How many times did Sue attempt to visit her grandchildren without phoning ahead or arranging it with her new DIL?

answer: Two

question: What is the moderator's take on Sue's battle to see her grandkids?

answer: She thinks Sue is acting entitled, manipulative, has double standards and refuses to accept her DIL's boundaries.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: A moderator on "Grandparents Who Have Been Denied Visitation Rights" page at About.com makes a case study about one of the posts. The moderator discusses the case of Sue, an estranged grandmother who is not on good terms with her son's second wife because Sue is friends with her son's first wife. Sue tries to visit her grand children on two special occasions unannounced, despite her daughter-in-law's stipulation that her husband (Sue's son) must be present during the visitation. Sue's DIL doesn't allow both visits, with the last one turning ugly because Sue brings along her daughter, sister-in-law, and four grand kids, hoping her DIL would let them in because of the kids. The moderator thinks Sue is the wrong party in this case because she's clearly acting entitled and refuses to accept her DIL's boundaries.


text:
DONALD PAIGE, known professionally as DEP (pronounced _Deep_), is an American singer, actor and model based in Los Angeles, California and a member of the Beta Beta chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He released his debut single _For Me_ in 2005. Donald “DeP” Paige specializes in skills that range from in front of the camera talents and behind the scenes business, this triple threat has been making waves for years. DeP's music is influenced by artists such as Donny Hathaway, Missy Elliott, Yolanda Adams, and Tank amongst several others. DeP has shared the stage and opened up for prominent music artists including Beyonce, Kanye West, John Legend, Chance The Rapper, Alicia Keys, Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, Andra Day, and Ne-Yo. He has also performed at 2016 TV Land Awards, 2016 ESPY Awards and 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Think DeP

Early life

DeP was born and raised in Houston, Texas, into a musical family with extensive roots in gospel music. Many of his family members are charter members of the Southeast Inspirational Choir, which propelled the careers of gospel artists such as Yolanda Adams, Brenda Waters, Shirley Joiner, Carl Preacher, Rise Joiner-Peters, Angela Bennet and Greg Curtis[1] Being raised in the Outreach Missionary Baptist church, he began first singing gospel music at the age of 6. DeP would experience his first acting opportunity when he landed roles in a Six Flags commercial. He attended performing arts schools starting in elementary up until high school High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston as a double focus in vocal and piano with other great talents such as Robert Glasper. He also was a part of the young performers at The Ensemble Theatre with fellow members Solange Knowles, Miss Mykie and more.[2] He also studied piano at A All About Music. After performing secular music in High School, he transferred to Westbury High School during his Second year, he knew that he wanted to become a professional performing artist. Shortly after enrolling in college at Texas College, where he joined the Beta Beta Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity in Spring 2001,[3] DeP was offered a record deal with Versatile Records in Washington DC. While growing as a credited singer, songwriter and performer, his coordinating and business skills were developed working under Rep. Al Edwards, Rob Turner of Able Ten Inc, The PHD Conference and several non profit Organizations.

Early career

During his time at Texas College in Tyler TX. DeP was signed to Versatile Records in Washington D.C. where he first began releasing his own music, which resulted in his first national release, his EP entitled “For Me”.[4] After parting ways with Versatile Records, DeP joined New York City based male R&B group, Diehard in the mid 2000s. Diehard changed their name to Signature shortly after he joined. The group was signed to Blackball Records and then bought out by Elite Records who got them their debut breakout performance of their single _Get It In_ on BET's popular video countdown show, 106 & Park. After a few years, DeP parted ways with the group and took a break from entertainment to flex his business goals and complete his degree in Education. During this time, he started a program called Operation Clicks, a computer literacy course for senior citizens, with the Greater Houston Area Health Education Center.

Once again rejuvenated to continue his singing, acting and modeling career, DeP relocated to Los Angeles. Since then his performance career has flourished appearing in several commercials for companies including Beats by Dre and Dos Equis.

2005–2013

DeP released his first EP, _For Me_ in 2005.[5]

In 2008, he released his debut single titled _Something More_ which was a slow groove R&B ballad, the single was coproduced by Lejuan Samuels.[6]

In 2008 DeP released his second EP, The Truth, with MMG Record Label which included the popular hit, "Something More.[7]

In 2010 DeP launched a full scale marketing company, Think DeP Entertainment, which specializes in artist development, vocal coaching, EPK creation, literary services, social media optimization, web presence building and more. His second EP, _The Truth_ was also released same year on MMG.

He collaborated with Don Benjamin and released his second single _Sugar Rush_ in 2012. DēP's third single was _Contract_ which was also released in 2012.

The year was 2013 and DeP was featured as a Doo Wap singer, in the popular commercial series featuring “The most interesting man in the world” by Dos Equis. The commercial ran for 2 years to become DeP's first major commercial as a lead. The commercial was produced by Radical Media and directed by Steve Miller.[8]

In 2013, he released his fourth single _Celebrate_ which was produced by Davion Botts. ThinkDeP

2014–2017

By 2015, DeP had joined the ranks of many of the in demand performing artist in the Los Angeles area, resulting in opportunities to sing background and record with several megastars. Most notably performing with Beyonce at the Grammy Awards of 2015, _Grammy Salutes: Stevie Wonder_.[9]

In 2015 DeP was hired by producer, Bill Brummel, to voice the role of Lawerence Huggins for the Documentary, Selma: The Bridge To The Ballot.[10] The documentary that tells the story of a courageous group of students and teachers who, along with other activists, fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South, would be DeP's first voice over role.[11] It has since become a tool for middle school and high school classrooms across the US.[12]

DeP also landed a placement of an original song produced by Theo Gearring, “1st Sight”, in the 2015 Romantic Comedy, My Favorite Five.[13]

It wasn't until 2016 that DeP released his first LP, _Think DēP Reloaded_. The LP included all of his previously released singles and some new songs including the popular single, Red Light.[14] The single Red Light Pt. II[15] was the breakout single from this project.

During this time, DeP would be seen everywhere touring and with performances at the 2016 TV Land Awards, 2016 ESPYS and 2016 White Hot Holiday. DēP has also appeared in several music videos including _Matrimony_ by Wale and Usher, _Bang Bang_, and _So in Love (Jill Scott & Anthony Hamilton song)_. DeP also appeared in several publications including _Vibe_, _Rolling Stone_, _Sheen Magazine_ and _Baller Alert_ and the 17th issue of The Grynd Report.[http://www.tampamystic.com/out-now-the-grynd-report-issue-17-warchyld-edition-warchyld_ent/ DeP

sits with The Grynd Report] Retrieved November 9,2020  He also became the Los Angeles brand ambassador for _Upscale Men's Jewelery and Grooming Line_ for Teddy Winston Brand.[16] He was published over 30 times in various magazines, books and blogs during this stint.

2018–present

Throughout 2018 DeP worked with several aspiring artist across the US, successfully releasing EP's and Singles for some of them which featured him as a writer, co-producer, A&R and performer including his features on Latin Pop artist Bianca Acosta's Christmas single “Ode To Mary” and Hip Hop artist Jai G's, “Edna Jean”.

In 2018, DeP began to see success in acting. He landed his first lead role for a short film called This Side Up, a true story about Henry Brown's infamous escape from slavery by mailing himself to freedom and has had cameos in several TV shows including “Will & Grace” and “The Rookie”.

DeP was named one of 2019 Top 50 Black Professionals & Entrepreneurs of Texas awarded by D Mars Magazine and recognized by the US Congress for his work in helping develop young talent and entrepreneurship.

The Tom Joyner Foundation launched a podcast in 2019, HBCUbiquity, that spotlights HBCU's and the lifestyle around them.[17] Calling upon DeP to write and perform the podcast opening song, he delivered a song that brought the necessary energy to bring life to the opening of the podcast.[18]

In 2019 DeP joined the viral singing group powered by Hip Hop Mogul Kanye West, The Samples, Gaining notoriety for their performances and unique remixes at Kanye West' Sunday Service.[19] On Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, Their groundbreaking performance at the 2019 Coachella Music festival is the first spiritual/religious focus act to ever appear and stream on the world renown stage.[20] That performance catapulted the Samples and Sunday Service into being one of the most in demand experiences of the year thus far. In 2019, DeP was able to help produce two shows in his hometown of Houston Tx for the Houston Correctional Facility which featured Kanye West and The Sunday Service Collective. Those two shows were the first shows of its kind by the group. The Houston run was completed with a mega performance at Joel Osteen Lakewood Church [21] In June 2019, Kayne West and the Sunday Service collective, along with the Samples, were featured in GQ Italia. That month's addition released two covers featuring Keanu Reeves and Kayne West. DeP is featured on page 180 of the magazine.[22] The Sunday Service Choir and Kanye West released Jesus is King and Jesus is Born in 2019, both dominating Billboard chops to land the number 1 and 2 spots, respectively.

The live action reboot of The Lion King was expected to dominate the box offices in Summer of 2019 and it delivered. A New original song entitled _Spirit_ performed by Beyonce features DeP and a few other LA based male artist, all whom have previously worked with the megastar, singing background.[23] "Spirit'' was nominated for a Golden Globe and 2 Grammy Awards making DeP a Grammy and Golden Globe nominated artist.

He is currently working on several projects including a highly anticipated book release for “Fallback to Step Up: Things to Fall Back From In Order To Step Up Your Life” and REBIRTH, a full sensory immersive experience.

Fast forward, to his current project Edibles and Elevation[24] which he says “I’m talking about something that's a very sexy conversation, but the elevation part is elevating your mindset.” The project came at a time when the entertainer was seeming to be falling out of love with music. “I was falling out love with music because I wasn't creating music that I loved, but I brought it back with Edibles and Elevation.” The project came after having a 420 session where the artist says “I loved the conversations that my peers and I were having.” “I loved the outlook that I had, and for the first time, I could stop the business approach to my creativity."[25]

In 2020, DeP was asked to be a part of several performance with Superstar John Legend including the dynamic BET Awards performance and the unforgettable 2 day performance at the first ever virtual Democratic National Convention. DeP was also honored to provide background vocals for Beyonce Knowles to honor the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant.

Able to take a moment for his roots and hometown, DeP stage managed the 50th anniversary for the Legendary Gospel Choir, Southeast Inspirational Choir. The epic concert featured the choir, Yolanda Adams, of which he directed her hit song “You Made The Difference”, Donald Lawrence, Kim Burell, Kathy Taylor and The Walls Group.

September 4th, to commemorate his 38th birthday, DeP partnered with Nathaniel Kemp of Digital Frog Photography and released a fully authenticated limited edition photo collection. X-pression 38. The Photo collection boast of only 38 limited edition photos from a 2 year shoot that the duo collaborated on to be a part of a special 2022 project entitled Rebirth. [26]

DēP is committed to fulfill his purpose of being a positive influence and empowering people to think deep, pursue their dreams and live out of a box. H life motto is “Nothing is Happenstance” and we agree. Follow his journey and some of his amazing clients at ThinkDeP.com or @ThinkDEP on all social media outlets.

Discography

Singles

-   _For me_ (2005)
-   _Something More_ (2008)
-   _Contract_ (2012)
-   _Celebrate_ (2013)
-   _Red Light_ Coproduced by Davion Botts and Donald Paige (2016)
-   _Red Light Pt. II_ Coproduced by Davion Botts and Donald Paige (2016)
-   _Ode To Mary_ Bianca Acosta Ft. DeP (2018)
-   ''Fallback (2019)

Albums

-   ''For Me EP (2005)
-   _The Truth_ (2008)
-   _Think DeP Reloaded_ (2016)
-   _The Gift: Lion King_ “SPIRIT” (2019)
-   _Jesus is King_ (2019)
-   _Jesus is Born_ (2019)
-   _Edibles and Elevation_ (In Production)

Filmography

  Year   Film                                          Role                       Notes
  ------ --------------------------------------------- -------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
  2020   Black Is King                                 Choir| Featured Film
  2020   Will & Grace                                  Tourist                    Supporting Cast
  2019   Lion King                                     Singer “Spirit”            Featured Film
  2019   Jesus Is King                                 SELF                       Short
  2019   This Side Up: The True Story of Henry Brown   Henry Brown                Short
  2018   The Choir Director                            Choir Member Male Lead     Supporting Cast
  2017   Kings                                         Rioter                     Supporting Cast
  2017   The Preacher's Son                            Choir Member Male Lead     Supporting Cast
  2015   Straight Outta Compton                        DJ Hype Man                Supporting Cast
  2015   My Favorite Five                              Singer “1st Sight”         Music Department
  2015   Selma: The Bridge To The Ballot               Lawrence Huggins (Voice)   Short
  2014   Rake                                          Party Guest                TV Series – Serial Killer episode[27]
  2011   Graceland                                     Party Boy                  Short
  2011   We The People With Gloria Allred              Jack Jacobson              TV Series – Baby Swab/Flowers From Hell episode[28]
  2011   Black Gold                                    Militant Leader            Supporting Cast

[1] DeP Soul Tacks Artist Spotlight Retrieved July 18, 2019

[2] The path to stardom started amidst the church walls in Houston, TX Retrieved December 20, 2016

[3] Famous members of Kappa Alpha Psi Retrieved July 24, 2019

[4] Meet DeP Voyage LA Retrieved November 9, 2020

[5] Me by DeP at Allmusic.com Retrieved December 20, 2016

[6] More was released in 2008 Retrieved December 2016

[7] Donald Paige Discography Retrieved December 25, 2016

[8] Dos Equis Doo Wap Commercial 24 July 2019

[9] DeP has shared stage and worked alongside some of the prominent music figures Retrieved December 20, 2016

[10] Selma: The Bridge To The Ballot IDMB Retrieved July 2019

[11] Tolerance In The Classroom Retrieved July 2019

[12] Zinn Education Project Clarssroom Materials Retrieved July 2016

[13] My Favorite Five IMDb Retrieved July 24, 2019

[14] DeP Reloaded reviewed at Allmusic.com Retrieved December 2016

[15]

[16] Winston Brand Ambassadors Retrieved December 25, 2016

[17] Recording artist DeP on title song Retrieved July 24, 2019

[18] HBCU Biquity podcast song features LA based recording artist DeP Retrieved July 24, 2019

[19] Kanye West talks to David Letterman about Sunday Service and more Retrieved July 24, 2019

[20] DeP and other Houston Natives Shine at Coachella Sunday Service Retrieved July 24, 2019

[21] Kanye West and Sunday Service at Lakewood Church with Houston Natives Philip Cornish, Donald DeP Paige and more Retrieved November 9, 2020

[22] GQ Italia features Kanye West and Sunday Service Collective Retrieved July 24, 2019

[23] Spirit from Disney's Lion King Retrieved July 24, 2019

[24] BOSS UP Magazine Spotlight DeP Retrieved July 25, 2019

[25] Artist DeP Discusses Entertainment and Elevation Retrieved July 18, 2019

[26] Photographer Nathaniel Kemp of Digital Frog and DeP join forces for Xpression 38 Retrieved November 9, 2020

[27] Rake “TV Series” Retrieved July 12, 2019

[28] We The People With Gloria Allred “TV Series” Retrieved July 12, 2019

title: DeP (musician)

question: Who is Donald Paige?

answer: Donald Paige, known professionally as DEP (pronounced "Deep"), is an American singer, actor, and model, based in Los Angeles, California.

question: Where was Donald born?

answer: He was born and raised in Houston, Texas.

question: List all the albums he released.

answer: 'For Me EP, The Truth, Think DeP Reloaded, The Gift: Lion King “SPIRIT," Jesus is King, Jesus is Born and Edibles and Elevation

question: What is his life motto?

answer: "Nothing is Happenstance."

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Donald Paige, known professionally as DEP (pronounced "Deep"), is an American singer, actor, and model, based in Los Angeles, California, although he was born and raised in Houston, Texas. So far, he has released seven albums and is in the process of producing a new album called "Edibles and Elevation."


text:
Policy —

But one-time suspects must request images to be removed by police, says home office.

[Huge cop database unlawfully hoards millions of innocent Brits’ mugshots]
Hot Fuzz

Police who have stockpiled more than 19 million custody images of people suspected of a crime in England and Wales should "generally" delete data on innocent Brits—but there's a caveat. It is up to one-time suspects to request the removal of photos and videos of them that are stored on the massive database and, in some cases, the authorities have the power to refuse to scrub custody images of innocent people.

However, any active "weeding out" of custody images by police "would not be practical," the home office said in a report released on Friday afternoon.

Five years on from a High Court ruling in 2012, which concluded that the storing of images featuring innocent folk was unlawful, the home office has finally reviewed the procedure for the ballooning and automatically searchable Police National Database (PND)—which allows forces to share information across boundaries.

In its long-awaited review, the home office said that a Brit "not convicted of the offence in relation to which their custody image was taken may apply for it to be deleted."

Amber Rudd's department added:

  There should be a presumption that police will remove it from their databases unless retention is necessary for a policing purpose, and there is an exceptional reason for it to be retained.

  For those under the age of 18 when the image was taken, the review sets out there should be a strong presumption that police will remove it unless there is a highly exceptional reason to retain it.

On top of that, police forces have been told to "automatically review all custody images held after specified periods to ensure they are only retaining those they need to keep—without the need for the individual to apply for them to be deleted." Images of innocent people should "generally" be nixed, it said. Some ex-offenders can also apply to have their custody images deleted.

But getting cops to sift through all the custody images to identify innocent folk "would be extremely lengthy and resource intensive," the home office claimed, adding that it would "cost a very considerable amount of taxpayers' money."

A gaping regulatory hole around the use of facial recognition technology means that the PND isn't currently subject to the same level of scrutiny as police databases holding suspects' DNA and fingerprints.

Critics, however, said that the review didn't go far enough to address the concerns about individuals' privacy.

"Whilst the opportunity for people to have their custody photo deleted from the database is welcome, we believe they shouldn’t have to ask, it should be an automatic process," said Big Brother Watch chief exec Renate Samson.

"The explanation as to why this can’t be done reveals a poorly designed  IT system which is impacting innocent people’s right to privacy," she added. "Going forward a system should be created whereby those who are found to be innocent have their images deleted automatically, as is the case with DNA and fingerprints."

Under the Data Protection Act, any Brit can pay £10 to make a so-called subject access request to find out what personal information is held on them within the UK criminal justice system—including the data stored by cop shops. There are exemptions in place, however, which means the police can refuse to release the info in some circumstances—for example, if doing so might jeopardise an ongoing investigation.

As of July 2016, the PND contained 19 million custody images—of which 16 million of them were "enrolled in the facial recognition gallery." Meanwhile, the top reason for carrying out "facial searching" on the database was to apparently aid cops in the "potential for cross-border crime."

question: What is the rule for police who have stockpiled custody images of innocent suspects?

answer: They should "generally" be removed.

question: How many custody images have police stockpiled?

answer: 19 million.

question: Whose responsibility is it to get their image deleted?

answer: The innocent suspect.

question: Why are police not weeding out all custody images?

answer: According to the home office it would not be practical.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article relates how police in England and Wales have retained a database of innocent people taken into custody. Despite a High Court ruling which has determined this practice to be unlawful, the home office says it is impractical for police to delete images themselves and asks for former suspects to apply to have their images removed.


text:
When you were nine, your mother shot you in the chest.

At school, they called you Voodoo Boy, but as your dad, I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. I see it now. Clear as sheets of gelatine. And the way you sculpted me... well, it makes the analogy all the more appropriate I suppose.
When you fell and tore your knees, you didn’t cry like other kids. You were transfixed by the leaky, tasty goo that came out; running down your shins, and coating your fingertips. Dabbling and savouring and swallowing the copper liquid, with a grin on your face and a flutter in your concrete heart.

Your teachers would write notes in your workbook. Not pleasant ‘Well done Nicholas’es as I would’ve wanted, but ‘See me’s and red detention slips. All the time. Stabbing with pencils, painting curses on walls. You held a girl down, and stapled her tongue to her lip, Nick.

We took you out of school after that.
And your mother, she looked at you in shame, disgust. Loathing. She couldn’t understand – and this is a direct quote – why you were so fucking evil. I couldn’t bring myself to hate you. I made you, and I wanted to make your life liveable. That was my duty.

The strangest things would fascinate you; ordinarily exciting things were dashed with mundane and just discarded, like they weren’t worth the effort. You liked eyes. You drew them. You touched them and pushed them inwards to see how long it took for your vision to fog over. Once, your mother stopped you from popping it back into your skull. We need to be clear on this; it wasn’t because she didn’t want it to happen. She almost certainly did. She simply couldn’t stomach it. And when yours weren’t interesting anymore, the growing brown tedium of your irises, you looked to experiment elsewhere.
Not on me, mine were brown too. What you told me after pressing your own was that you wanted to see inside. You asked me what was there, and I said I didn’t know. Blood or something probably.

It was around eight o’clock, sometime in November. Your mother had fallen asleep on the sofa, and you were drawing, cutting and sticking. You heard her snore; ‘Mean Old Mum’, and you felt like an experiment. Mother’s pearly blues.
You tried to see inside her eyes. I think you believed me about the contents, but you were very much about finding things out for yourself, for certain.
Her eyes were loosely closed. The one on the left, the top eyelid. You snipped it right up the middle to get a closer look at the cornea, the iris, the pupil. White fluid, red fluid, and screaming, cursing, flailing mother. She said that we had to disown you, that you were a fucked up child. I couldn’t leave you, and she left me after that. I still loved her and trusted her, and she still popped by from time to time – to cry, to talk – but she never acknowledged you again.
One day, she came by, drunk. Very drunk. All slurred words and vocal gesticulations. She had a service revolver, her Dad’s I think.

When you were nine, your mother shot you in the chest.
When you were nine, your mother shot herself in the head, upwards, through the roof of her mouth.

She collapsed backwards, into the table by the front door – the one we kept the keys on, and the post – an assortment of thumping noises, and gurgling noises trickling from the hole in her head.

I loved you Nick. And for all your faults, I still love you. But I’m done now. Everyone gives me the look. The one that says ‘like Father like son’. And I don’t want to be thought of like that. I’m a good man. I have a good heart. But they’ve gone to waste.

I guess I’m trying to say that I hope all this has changed you, and I’ll see you soon.

Love you Nick,
Dad.

title: Voodoo Boy

question: Who is the narrator speaking to?

answer: The narrator is speaking to his son, Nicholas.

question: What is the relation between the narrator and the boy?

answer: The narrator and child share a father-son relationship.

question: What made the mother shoot the child?

answer: It may be implied that her hatred for Nicholas along with her drunken state led to her shooting him in the chest.

question: Why does the mother dislike the child?

answer: Nicholas's mother disliked him for his evil behavior.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
Nicholas was different than the other kids. He indulged in nasty acts that only a demon would do. Nicholas's mother disliked him for these same reasons but his father could not get himself to hate his son.

One night, Nicholas snips his mother's left eye after which she disowns him and leaves the house.

She comes back in a drunken state holding a service revolver and shoots Nicholas in his chest and then shoots herself.


text:
[Britton c. 1905] [Britton as Ophelia in _Hamlet_]

NELLY[1] HUTIN BRITTON (24 April 1876 — 3 September 1965), usually credited as HUTIN BRITTON was an English actress. She was best known for her performances in Shakespeare roles early in the 20th century. She also appeared in leading roles in two silent British films.

Biography

Nelly, the daughter of Thomas Britton, was born in Bucklebury in Berkshire, England in 1876. Her first appearance on stage was with Frank Benson's company in 1901, in _Henry V_. Among the Shakespeare parts she played were _Hero_ in _Much Ado About Nothing_ (1903), _Ophelia_ in _Hamlet_ (1909), _Lady Elizabeth_ in _Richard III_ (1909) and _Lady Macbeth_ at Stratford (1911).

In 1903 she married actor Matheson Lang in London[2] and thereafter they often appeared together on stage and later on film. In 1906 she played _Arganthael_ in Joseph Comyns Carr's play _Tristram and Iseult_ at the Adelphi Theatre, with Lang as _Tristram_. Britton and Lang subsequently formed their own company, which toured India, South Africa and Australia from 1910-13 performing Shakespeare. Her roles included _Katherine_ in _The Taming of the Shrew_, _Portia_ in _The Merchant of Venice_, _Juliet_ in _Romeo and Juliet_, as well as reprising the roles of _Ophelia_ and _Lady Macbeth_.

In 1914, she and Lang successfully produced _The Taming of the Shrew_, _The Merchant of Venice_, and _Hamlet_ at the Old Vic Theatre. She also appeared with him in _Mr Wu_, which became his signature role. In 1916 they appeared together in a silent film of _The Merchant of Venice_ in which she once again played _Portia_.[3] She also joined her husband in the film _The Wandering Jew_ (1923) playing the part of _Judith_. After a four-year illness and a temporary retirement, she returned to the Old Vic stage in 1923 for the Shakespeare Birthday Festival and the following year as _Volumnia_ in _Coriolanus_, and continued to act until 1936.

In 1940 the Langs were staying with their old friend Dornford Yates and his wife at their house near Pau in France when France surrendered and had to escape from the advancing Germans through Spain to Portugal.[4]

In later life she sat on the governing board of the Old Vic Theatre.

Britton died in 1965 aged 89 - although the registration of her death (Nellie H Lang) in Uckfield, Sussex has her aged 90.

Selection of Britton's performances

-   _Tristram and Iseult_ as Arganthael (Adelphi Theatre, 1906)
-   _Pete_ as Kate Cregeen (1908)
-   _Oliver Twist_ as Nancy

Filmography

-   _The Merchant of Venice_ (1916)
-   _The Wandering Jew_ (1923)

[1] BIRTH REGISTERED AS “NELLY”

[2] Her marriage registration gives her name as “Nellie”

[3] Billed as “Nellie Hutin Britton” in 1916

[4] Smithers, A.J. _Dornford Yates - A Biography_ (1982) London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, - they apparently knew her as “Brittie” (pg. 182)

title: Hutin Britton

question: Summarize everything relating to Shakespeare.

answer: Nelly was best known for her performances in Shakespearean roles. She played in Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Richard III, and Macbeth. She formed a company with Matheson Lang that toured India, South Africa, and Australia performing Shakespeare. She also played in Romeo and Juliet. In 1914, she produced Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice at the Old Vic Theatre. She also appeared in a silent film adaptation of The Merchant of Venice. She returned to the Old Vic in 1923 for the Shakespeare Birthday Festival.

question: Summarize Britton's career outside of the performing arts.

question: Summarize Britton's career during the 1910s.

answer: She played Lady Macbeth at Stratford in 1911. From 1910 to 1913, she toured India, South Africa, and Australia performing Shakespeare with the company she and her husband formed. During this period, she played Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Ophelia and Lady Macbeth in Hamlet and Macbeth, respectively. In 1914, she and her husband produced shows at the Old Vic Theatre. They also appeared in a silent film version of The Merchant of Venice in 1916, for which she was billed as Nellie Hutin Britton.


text:
There was a bench that sat nestled beside the path of a park. It ran like a line created at the stroke of a pen by the hand of a heart with artistic spirits. A love not easily made. The bench sat immovable under the branches of a thick oak tree. That no matter what time of day, time of month, or time of year, the shade provided was never penetrated by any glow of sunlight. And on that park bench, under that mysterious oak; sat a girl.

I wearily admired that girl from a distance.

Like the way the moon admires the sun.

She dug her eyes into her sketch pad paper and buried herself in the thick and thin growing lines of her imagination that shone through her blank canvas. Making pictures of exquisite designs, dream catchers, and things kindled that only her heart will ever recognize. Every now and then she would donate a few moments to look up and notice the world around her and in those few seconds I was able to distinguish the minute characteristics about her that ran a thread through my melting heart.

     The way her gentle brown eyes reflected light like a still pool of water in a river bank, surrounded by misty mountains and brown barked trees that lined the shoreline. Maybe in that forest I could find the heart I’ve been striving for. With her elbow propped on her knee, she held her chin and studied the lives before her. Her hair danced with the wind and every curl told a story of love and adventure still yet to be translated. It parted like curtains upon a stage to reveal a production with the most gorgeous performer I’ve ever seen.

     I never knew this girl.

     I never thought I would.

     After days past her beauty only grew and the drum in my chest would only beat faster, pushing my love-struck blood into every crevice my veins met. One day, like no other, a rope snapped on my ankle and I broke free from that spot on my park bench. She wore a long red skirt that hung all the way down her soft thin legs and met her feet, with designs like red explosions that mimicked the passion that poked holes into my heart and throat. Her glorious hair braided and her tiny fingers at work in her art. I approached, shaking from the weight of fear and the obstacle of beauty, but I walked to meet her. Her eyes gently rose to mine. A smile grabbed my hope and sat me down.

     On that park bench sat a girl.

     On that park bench sat a boy.

     And on that day like no other.

     The moon met the sun.

     And the sun touched that bench and that shade was broken.

title: One Park Bench. (The first short story I've ever written.)

question: Who is the moon and who is the sun in this story?

answer: The boy is supposed to be the moon and the girl is supposed to be the sun.

question: What is the rope attached to the boy's ankle supposed to represent?

answer: The weight of fear.

question: Describe the girl on the day the boy sat next to her.

answer: The girl has gentle brown eyes, curly braided hair, tiny fingers, and soft thin legs. She was wearing a long red skirt.


text:
ASTROLINE were a Belgian Eurodance project by DJ/producer Bart Smolders, Christophe Chantzis (Absolom, Ian Van Dahl) and Stefan Wuyts (DJ Jimmy Goldschmitz & Heliac), who were together from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. They are best known for their hit single “Feel The Fire”. Vocals were done by Kathleen Goossens. Other producers involved were Gert Corvers and Peter Luts (Lasgo, Ian Van Dahl, Groove Watchers). On stage singer Kathleen Goossens was accompanied by Gert Covers on keyboard and two dancers (An Hoube and Katarina Vincente).

Biography

Their first release “Take Good Care (Of Me)” became a club hit in Belgium and a minor radio hit (#46). Originally the track was released as “Astroline feat. DJ Bart” on 12 inch. For its cd-single release the name “Astroline” was adopted, transforming it from a studioproject to a dance group In the beginning of 1998 their second release “Feel The Fire” topped the Belgian Ultratop Dance Chart in its first week. The single climbed to #9 and became their biggest hit single. Other releases were “Smiling Faces” (1998), “No Way Out” (1999), “Angels” (2000). Their last release was “Close My Eyes” in the summer of 2000. While this single didn’t do anything special in Belgium, they had a nice hit with it in Canada in 2001. After Astroline separated, Kathleen Goossens became the singer of dance project Orion Too. Later on she changed her stage name to Caitlin. Peter Luts started his most successful project to date, Lasgo. In 2001 Kathleen Goossens returned to the dance scene as Orion Too feat. Caitlin. She had two (inter)national hits with “You And Me” and “Hope And Wait”. She also did vocals for studio project like Airwave and Third Bass.

Discography

Singles

  Year                                      Single                     Peak chart positions
  ----------------------------------------- -------------------------- ----------------------
  BEL (VL)
  1997                                      “Take Good Care (Of Me)”   46
  1998                                      “Feel the Fire”            9
  “Smiling Faces”                           12
  1999                                      “No Way Out”               36
  2000                                      “Angels”                   32
  “Close My Eyes”                           42
  “—” denotes releases that did not chart

title: Astroline

question: What does the text say about Astroline's separation?

answer: The text states that Astroline separated in the mid-2000s, though because their last single was released in 2000, it would be more accurate to say this was the year they separated. Vocalist Kathleen Goossens stayed in the dance scene and in 2001 became the singer of Orion Too, with the stage name Caitlin. Producer Peter Luts began a new project called Lasgo. Project founders Christophe Chantzis and Stefan Wuyts were involved in other projects, including Absolom and Heliac respectively.

question: What does the text say about the Canadian rock scene?


text:
Published
    23 November 2015

image copyrightEPA

image captionBelgium's capital Brussels remains on the highest security alert

BELGIAN POLICE HAVE CHARGED A FOURTH SUSPECT WITH TERRORISM OFFENCES RELATED TO THE DEADLY ATTACKS ON PARIS, THE FEDERAL PROSECUTOR HAS SAID.

The unnamed man was one of 16 people arrested in raids on Sunday. The rest have been released without charge.

Belgian PM Charles Michel said he would maintain the highest security threat level in Brussels, warning of an imminent threat.

But authorities plan to reopen schools and the metro on Wednesday.

The co-ordinated assaults in Paris on 13 November - claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS) - left 130 people dead.

media captionBelgian PM Charles Michel: "We ask our population to stay calm and alert"

A statement from the federal prosecutor's office said the man had been charged with "participating in activities of a terrorist group and with [a] terrorist attack".

Of a further five people arrested on Monday morning, two have been released, while "further enquiries" are under way regarding the others, the prosecutor said.

Mohammed Amri, 27, and Hamza Attou, 20, have already been charged with aiding Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, who remains at large. A third, unnamed suspect has also been charged.

In a separate development, French police said an object that appeared to be an explosives belt was found in a bin in the Paris suburb of Montrouge on Monday. The item is being examined.

Mobile phone data suggest that Salah Abdeslam - whose brother died in the attacks - was in that area late on the night of the attack.

Brussels under lockdown, by the BBC's Gavin Lee

image copyrightGetty Images

image captionSoldiers patrolled city landmarks

Today I walked through the Royal Gallery of St Hubert, the iconic, beautifully ornate shopping arcade in the heart of Brussels. I counted on one hand the number of shoppers.

Only one of the famous chocolatiers has opened, with armed soldiers guarding outside, and it has barely any customers.

Two Danish tourists select some delicate, pastel macarons, looking over their shoulders as I enter.

"We can admit we're scared," Delilah tells me, "We were told by the hotel manager not to come here, but we thought we'd take a chance. Buy presents for the family and leave quickly."

Eva, behind the counter, says her boss told her she could have the day off if she was afraid, but decided to come in.

"I feel I'd be letting myself down if I didn't come in today, even if no-one comes in to be served," she says.

Universities, schools, large stores, shopping centres and the metro system were closed in Brussels on Monday as the highest security alert remained in place for a third day.

Armed police patrolled the normally bustling streets of the capital.

Announcing that the state of alert would remain at level four for another week, Mr Michel stressed "we must all progressively get back to a normal life".

The rest of Belgium remains on alert level three, meaning an attack is seen as possible and credible.

France has stepped up security in schools, imposing a series of measures including compulsory safety drills and banning parking outside school premises.

image copyrightEPA

image captionFrance has carried out fresh strikes against IS from its aircraft carrier

Also on Monday, France carried out its first strikes against IS from its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, newly deployed in the eastern Mediterranean.

French jets bombed IS targets in Iraq and Syria, including Raqqa, IS's key Syrian stronghold, the defence ministry said.

President Francois Hollande has vowed to intensify strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq in the wake of the attacks.

On Monday morning Mr Hollande and UK Prime Minister David Cameron paid their respects to the victims at a makeshift memorial in front of the Bataclan theatre venue.

-   Islamic State group
-   France
-   Francois Hollande
-   November 2015 Paris attacks
-   Belgium
-   David Cameron

question: What date were the coordinated assaults in Paris?

answer: 13 of November 2015.

question: How many people were arrested after the attacks?

answer: 16.

question: How did Brussels react to the attacks?

answer: Brussels went under lockdown, maintaining a state of alert of 4 for a week.

question: What are the names of the suspects?

answer: Mohammed Amri, Hamza Attou, Salah Abdeslam

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The text is about the 2015 Paris attacks, the suspects held in custody, and how life in Brussels is immediately after the attacks.