text:
Albert Boscov, longtime chairman of Boscov's Department Stores, has told employees he has late-stage cancer.

Boscov related the news in a letter to the Berks County-based retail chain's 8,000 employees Wednesday morning, said Boscov's nephew, Jim Boscov, who was promoted to the company's third-generation CEO in 2015.

Jim Boscov declined to release a copy of Albert Boscov's letter out of respect for the family, but said in a statement: "In typical fashion, the first thing he did was thank [employees] for the outstanding results for 2016. Our year-end results were far ahead of other retailers. He then encouraged them to find the best possible bargains for the next sales event.

"All of us who worked closely with Albert for many years have been infused with the spirit, the drive, and the ethic it takes to succeed, and our best compliment to Albert is to continue doing what we do. That's what made us successful and unique in the retail industry."

Albert Boscov, who celebrated his 87th birthday in September, succeeded his father, Solomon, as head of the company in 1950. He emerged from a nearly three-year retirement in late 2008 to lift the then-struggling chain out of bankruptcy by buying it back from family members. He has remained active in the growing company's day-to-day operations as chairman ever since.

So active, in fact, that Boscov worked Thanksgiving night in 2014 to show his employees that in a rapidly evolving retail environment where being open on Turkey Day had become a necessity to compete, he wasn't going to take the day off, either.

Business news and analysis sent straight to your inbox every Tuesday morning.

In a challenging retail climate where department store chains such as Sears and Macy's — which announced plans in January to close 68 stores — are struggling and closing stores, privately held Boscov's has continued to grow.

For example, Boscov's opened a new store at a shopping mall near Utica, N.Y., in October and, in December, announced it would open its 46th location in Erie in 2017.

Boscov's, which bills itself as the largest family-owned department store chain in the nation, has opened one store in each of the last six years.

"It's one of the last remaining regional department store chains, and in some ways it's still a thriving regional department store chain, which is even more unusual," said Neil Stern, a senior partner at Chicago retail consulting firm McMillan Doolittle. "It's clearly a testament to the leadership of the company."

Or, as Albert Boscov told The Morning Call in mid-2015 when Jim Boscov's promotion was announced: "We're a little nobody, but we're able to compete with the biggest guys."

And that competition between the family-owned regional retailer and the large chains will continue with a Boscov in charge.

"As I promised Albert, I'm personally committed to lead, and our families are solidly behind our very capable team to continue long into the future, doing what we've done successfully," Jim Boscov's statement read.

_Morning Call reporter Jon Harris contributed._

question: What is the main focus of the article?

answer: The announcement that Albert Boscov, the longtime chairman of Boscov's Department Stores, has late-stage cancer.

question: Describe Albert Boscov's career.

answer: He succeeded his father as head of the company in 1950. He came out of a three-year retirement in late 2008 to rescue the company from bankruptcy by buying it back from family members and has remained active ever since.

question: What type of cancer does Boscov suffer from?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: What does the diagnosis mean for the future of Boscov's Department Stores?

answer: The stores will continue to run. Jim Boscov, the current CEO, is committed to continue leading the company.

question: What is special about Boscov's Department Stores?

answer: They are one of the last remaining regional department store chains.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Albert Boscov, longtime chairman of Boscov's Department Stores, has announced that he has late-stage cancer. He has been active at the company since coming out of retirement in 2008 to save the company from bankruptcy. His nephew and current CEO Jim Boscov is dedicated to continuing to lead the company long into the future. Boscov's is one of the last remaining regional department store chains.


split: train

text:
_MATTHIOLA CRASSIFOLIA_, the THICK-LEAVED STOCK, is a species of plant in the family Brassicaceae.[1]

Description

Perennial, tomentose. Roots very thick. Flowering stems 20–80 cm. Radical leaves pinnatifid, sinuate or entire, reaching 16 cm long. Cauline leaves entire or folded on margins. Sepals white. 1 cm long. Petals 20 mm, purple pink. Siliques 10 cm long over 4 mm wide, not tapered at apex. Stigma with two lateral projections at base.

Flowering

February–May.

Habitat

Littoral rocks.

Distribution

Littoral-coast.

Geographic area

The thick-leaved stock, which adorns the rocks of Ras-Beirut in particular as of February, is endemic to Lebanon. Its generic name was coined to render homage to P.A. Matthioli, the Italian physician and famous botanist of the sixteenth century.[2]

[1]

[2] Mustapha Nehmeh, Wild Flowers Of Lebanon, National Council For Scientific Research,1978, page 174.

title: Matthiola crassifolia

question: When does the thick-leaved stock flower?

answer: It flowers in February-May.

question: What family does Matthiola crassifolia belong to?

answer: It belongs to the family of Brassicaceae.

question: What geographic area is the thick-leaved stock found at?

answer: It is found to be endemic to Lebanon.

question: To which person was the generic name of the thick-leaved stock a homage to?

answer: The name was a homage to P.A. Matthioli, the Italian physician and famous botanist of the sixteenth century.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the origins and details of the thick-leaved stock (Matthiola crassifolia).


text:
The PUERTO RICANS FOR PUERTO RICO PARTY (, PPR) is a Puerto Rican political party. Founded in 2003, it was certified for the first time by the State Electoral Commission in May 2007.

History

In April 2007, it submitted the signatures required for certification by the State Electoral Commission.[1] Rogelio Figueroa is the president and co-founder of the party.

The party finally got its certification on Wednesday, May 9, 2007, when the president of the Electoral Commission gave his approval. During this process, two of the three commissioners of the currently registered political parties supported the PPR's certification.[2] Puerto Rican electoral law states that, if the commissioners don't reach a unanimous decision, the president of the Electoral Commission decides whether the party gets registered.

2008 election

The party had an ambitious agenda, attempting to run for nearly all elected positions, including governor, resident commissioner, and both state legislative houses (Senate and House of Representatives).

On the 2008 elections, the PPR candidate Rogelio Figueroa obtained 2.77% of the votes. Since electoral law requires over 3% of votes to maintain the party charter, this result meant that the party would be decertified, until they completed the certification process for the next elections.[3] Still, the party obtained more votes than the lead minority party, the Puerto Rican Independence Party, which has been running since 1946.

The aftermath

[Party headquarters in 2012] After the loss the party experienced internal struggles and dissent with many party officials and candidates breaking away from the party. Nevertheless, the party continues to operate as an independent entity and it is seeking to regain its Electoral Commission certification.

2012 election

For the 2012 elections, the party underwent a reorganization. After completing the certification process, they presented their candidacies.[4][5] Figueroa would run again for governor, while Dr. Sadiasept Guillont would run for Resident Commissioner. During his campaign, Figueroa attacked the alleged classism and social inequality of the current government.[6]

Platform

The PPR was originally organized as an ecological party, similar to green parties in Europe. It later broadened its platform and ideology to include economic issues, the political status of Puerto Rico, and citizen participation in government.

The position that PPR has taken on the issue of the political status of Puerto Rico has been a non-traditional one in Puerto Rican politics. The PPR's position is a neutral one. The party has not and will not take a side on the issue of Puerto Rico's status. In fact, candidates and officials of PPR are actually people with diverse opinions on what the future status of Puerto Rico should be. PPR has managed to enlist in one same party followers of Statehood, Independence, and Commonwealth. The party's stance is that the issue of the status of Puerto Rico should be discussed after bigger problems that affect Puerto Ricans' daily life are resolved.

[1] http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/politica/noticias/ppr_entregara_ultimos_endosos/49927 PRIMERA HORA ''“PPR entregará últimos endosos”' (“PPR to submit last endorsements”), retrieved May 12, 2007

[2] http://www.endi.com/noticia/politica/noticias/cee_certifica_al_ppr/211017 EL NUEVO DIA _“CEE certifica al PPR”_ (“State Electoral Commission certifies PPR”), retrieved May 12, 2007

[3] _Ley Electoral de Puerto Rico_

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party

question: What does the text say about the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party?

answer: The PPR or the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party is a Puerto Rican political party. It was founded in 2003. It was only certified by the State Electoral Commission in May 2007.

question: What does the text say about the history of the political party?

answer: In April 2007, the political party submitted the signatures required for certification by the State Electoral Commission. During this process, two of the three commissioners supported the certification.

question: What does the text say about the political party's aftermath?

answer: The political party was too ambitious and lost. This caused internal struggles. Some candidates broke away from the party. Nevertheless, the party continues to operate as an independent entity and is seeking to regain its Electoral Commission certification.

question: What does the text say about the political party's platform?

answer: The PPR was originally organized as an ecological party. It later broadened its platform and ideology to include more issues.


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PIRACY-DRM

[uFgPC.gif]

These two go hand in hand. Increasing piracy leads to worse and worse DRM. Look at Diablo 3, you need to have online connection 100% of the time to even play single player.

Lag. In. A. Single. Player. Game. Only in PC.

EXPENSES

PC gaming is more expensive. A console costs $300. A PC gaming should be $500 at the least. This doesn't include peripherals that usually comes with a console (keyboard and mouse = controller, etc.).

This also doesn't include the upgrades. If you have a $500 PC, you'll have to upgrade every year or every other year. Unless you're willing to play with outdated parts, and lower graphic settings. A console shelf life is 5 years on the low end. PS3 has been out for 6 years now. A $500 PC would've had to upgrade every other year at least spending $200 at that time. That's $600 for upgrades. But people who take gaming seriously replace their PCs every 3-5 years anyway.

BUGS / GLITCHES / ETC.

The best part of games in consoles is that developers have an idea what every console user will be using. PC gamers have different set ups. What works with one video card, might not work with another. And with differing RAM. And with differing CPU. And with differing OS. And with differing drivers.

You have an entire community trying to deal with every stupid fix for every game http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home

IT'S LESS COMFORTABLE

Playing on a console on the couch > Playing on a table with keyboard/mouse.

For people who think that hooking up a PC on an HDTV makes it better, look at this guide:

[resolution_chart.jpg]

"Graphics" or at least the difference between current consoles and PC games are irrelevant if you're playing a game stretched across a 40" TV because they're both playing in the same resolution. HDTVs don't magically allow PCs to output higher resolution than consoles (1080p). To take a complete advantage of the "superior" PC graphics, you need a monitor because HDTVs don't allow higher resolutions. Let's say the average TV size today is 42" and people put their couch about 10 ft away from the TV, 720p is actually good enough. You spent more for the same graphics, congratulations.

IT'S LESS SOCIAL

People can come over and play on a console. PC gaming requires you to have another PC or the other person to bring another laptop or computer.

Just my opinion, but LAN parties look depressing as hell.

[lan6.jpg]

"Please kill me"

[rock-band-game.jpg]

Now this is a party

CRAPPY COMMUNITY

PC gamers delude themselves into thinking PC's gaming community is somehow superior. It's not. At least console gamers can be imaginative with what they call you. PC gamers insults is noob, and whatever deviations you can make from it e.g. n00b, [bleep]ing nub, etc.

BORROWING GAMES / INSTANT PLAY

You can't borrow games anymore. Game publishers are so hellbent on piracy that they'll just ban you for sharing games. This includes the PC gaming's paradise called Steam.

Consoles let you plug in and play games. PC games require you to go through a painful task of installing games.

////

I'm not saying console gaming is better. But to say PC gaming is vehemently "superior" is just an announcement of how ignorant you are. They're both different experiences. It's just up to your preferences.

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Inb4shitstorm

That said,

  IT'S JUST UP TO YOUR PREFERENCES.

This is probably the truest thing in the post. They're a different experience with different audiences. Action games fit the simpler controls of consoles, more complex games don't work on anything but PCs. PC games have better technology behind them, console games are more friendly with smaller social games. In the end it just depends on what you have fun with.

If you need me, I'll be over there, playing Skyrim on my PC before playing Dark Souls on an Xbox... It seems that gamers as a whole spend so much time complaining about games that you have to wonder where we find the time to play them :razz:

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  If you need me, I'll be over there, playing Skyrim on my PC before playing Dark Souls on an Xbox... :razz:

I'll be playing Dota2 on my PC and then maybe play ME3 on the PS3 :shades:

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I think what everyone is getting at here is that there's no point in drawing up some kind of turf war between PC gaming and console gaming here. For almost everyone who's into gaming, they're not in competition.

I still think you should go to a LAN party before discrediting them, though. There is a reason they are popular, despite the effort to set up.

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~ W ~

[sigzi.png]

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Some good points made about the downside of PC gaming but also a lot of bad points made as well.

PC gaming is expensive yes, however most people who put the money into a gaming PC don't just play games on it. Work, school, media, internet browsing, and countless other things benefit from a fast PC. If you were to only include the extra costs payed to boost a PC you would normally use to a gaming PC it really isn't overly priced. Also you don't need to upgrade every 1-2 years. My current setup is nearing two years old and it can still play every game on the market at best graphic settings.

Also to your point about console gaming being more comfortable; I'd just recommend getting a really nice leather office chair. Comfort shouldn't be a problem then and besides it's really all just an opinion, sometimes it is more comfortable laying back on a couch but often times I'm more comfortable sitting at my desk.

As for graphics, I won't go into it much but you've missed the whole point about textures, shaders, physics, etc. Graphics does not equal higher resolution, there's a lot more than that and when consoles are stuck on a 2 generations ago graphics card you will see a difference with PC games.

Lastly, please don't bash LAN parties until you've actually been to one, they can be an insane amount of fun and the picture you posted just doesn't do them justice at all.

That being all said I do agree with the points you made about DRM and bugs/glitches. Those are both some of the downfalls of PC gaming but I find don't honestly impact my gaming experiences very much. Same thing with installing, if that is a difficult process than you have to be doing it wrong. Maybe it's just because I worship Valve and their Steam platform as much as the next PC gamer but installing and buying games has never been so easy or cheap. Why should I need to borrow a game when I could support the developer for less than $20 most of the time.

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A good PC will offer overall a better gaming experience, at least for single player. An expensive enough PC will run games far better then consoles. Games like Diablo are a stupid example on why PC gaming sucks, _considering that last time I checked, Diablo is a PC exclusive game._ (Also, major apologies if it isn't.)

Certain games play better with a mouse and keyboard, just like certain games play better with a gaming controller. However, a PC can GET a gaming controller. A console can't really get a mouse, and using the joystick to move a pseudo-mouse is a poor substitute.

I have half a mind to start my own thread called Console Vs PC Gaming - Pros and Cons. PC vs Console depends on how much money you want to spend on gaming, how good you are with computers and what kind of games you want. I played Dragon Age 1 on the PC, and I cringe at imagining playing that game without a mouse. PC probably has the biggest range of games, since it would get pretty much all 360 games as well as PC exclusive games, which include pretty much all MMOs.

I'm not actually a PC gamer or anything. There are advantages consoles have over PC, and there are advantages PC has over consoles. Neither one is better then the other. I'm basically just playing Devil's advocate here. I have a PS3 and play Skyrim on it, as well as black ops with friends or online. Although you can get those on the PC, neither of those are really feasible for me to play on the PC - my laptop certainly isn't good enough for Skyrim, and my friend and I don't both have good enough PCs for black ops or an FPS shooter game like that.

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SQUAB UNLEASHES MEGIDDO! ~~Completed all quests and hard diaries. 75+ Skiller~~. (At one point.) 2000+ total. 99 Magic.
[spoiler=The rest of my sig. You know you wanna see it.]

  my difinition of noob is i dont like u, either u are better then me or u are worst them me

  Buying spins make you a bad person...don't do it. It's like buying nukes for North Korea.

  Well if it bothers you that the game is more fun now, then you can go cry in a corner. :shame:

  your article was the equivalent of a circumcized porcupine

  The only thing wrong with it is the lack of a percentage for when you need to stroke it.

[7ApdH.png]
[squabharpy.png]
Poignant Purple to Lokie's Ravishing Red and Alg's Brilliant Blue.

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It's such a stupid argument....pc gaming has its positives and negatives, just like console gaming. Personal preference is all there is to it.

-    [Like] 1

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[polvCwJ.gif]
"It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti

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  These two go hand in hand. Increasing piracy leads to worse and worse DRM. Look at Diablo 3, you need to have online connection 100% of the time to even play single player.

  Lag. In. A. Single. Player. Game. Only in PC.

Consoles don't even get those games. So, even with lag in a single player game, having that game > not having that game.

  EXPENSES

  A PC gaming should be $500 at the least.

That isn't true. You can get a PC with specs above current gen consoles for 300$, if you'd care to look for it.

  This also doesn't include the upgrades. If you have a $500 PC, you'll have to upgrade every year or every other year.

That is also not true. A PC I bought 3 years ago for nowhere near $500 can run most games nowadays.

  Unless you're willing to play with outdated parts, and lower graphic settings.

Newsflash: These "lower graphic settings" on PC are the equivalent of console settings. So yeah, if you're willing to play with outdated parts, you might have to play with console graphics. Is that a problem? No.

  BUGS / GLITCHES / ETC.

  The best part of games in consoles is that developers have an idea what every console user will be using. PC gamers have different set ups. What works with one video card, might not work with another. And with differing RAM. And with differing CPU. And with differing OS. And with differing drivers.

  You have an entire community trying to deal with every stupid fix for every game http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home

That's a hyperbole if I've ever seen one. Most "common" problems are fixed by patches shortly after a game is out.

  IT'S LESS COMFORTABLE

  Playing on a console on the couch > Playing on a table with keyboard/mouse.

Don't spout opinion as fact. And don't pretend that you can only play on a PC monitor and kb/m with a PC, when you can hook it up to any display and use a controller if you so desire.

  For people who think that hooking up a PC on an HDTV makes it better, look at this guide:

  "Graphics" or at least the difference between current consoles and PC games are irrelevant if you're playing a game stretched across a 40" TV because they're both playing in the same resolution. HDTVs don't magically allow PCs to output higher resolution than consoles (1080p). To take a complete advantage of the "superior" PC graphics, you need a monitor because HDTVs don't allow higher resolutions. Let's say the average TV size today is 42" and people put their couch about 10 ft away from the TV, 720p is actually good enough. You spent more for the same graphics, congratulations.

No current gen game runs at 1080p. They run at 720p upscaled to fit whatever resolution your display is. Viewing distance is highly dependant on your setup, but a cheap PC running at medium graphics will easily work just as well as a console when hooked up to an HDtv, so I don't see your point.

  IT'S LESS SOCIAL

  People can come over and play on a console. PC gaming requires you to have another PC or the other person to bring another laptop or computer.

  Just my opinion, but LAN parties look depressing as hell.

You're right, it's just your opinion. It is a fact that multiple people playing on the same console have the setback of having to sacrifice screensize in order to do so, oftentimes close to 50% of the screen, while on PC you don't have to. Most sports and party games for the pc also have the option to hook up multiple controllers (including emulators).

  CRAPPY COMMUNITY

  PC gamers delude themselves into thinking PC's gaming community is somehow superior. It's not. At least console gamers can be imaginative with what they call you. PC gamers insults is noob, and whatever deviations you can make from it e.g. n00b, [bleep]ing nub, etc.

Cool generalizations, poor point.

  BORROWING GAMES / INSTANT PLAY

  You can't borrow games anymore. Game publishers are so hellbent on piracy that they'll just ban you for sharing games. This includes the PC gaming's paradise called Steam.

On the other hand, I can buy 4-packs of games on steam for half the price of a console game.

  Consoles let you plug in and play games. PC games require you to go through a painful task of installing games.

I'd hardly call is painful, and it feels you're just grasping at straws with this one. It's exactly the same process consoles use when installing games on the HDD to speed up loading times.

////

  I'm not saying console gaming is better. But to say PC gaming is vehemently "superior" is just an announcement of how ignorant you are. They're both different experiences. It's just up to your preferences.

Depends on your definition of "superior".

-    [Like] 1

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[crossed_body.png]

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consoles are so good I don't even have to make 15 threads and drive my same point in to the ground (which is wrong) 400 different times.

wait a minute...

consoles are not, never were, and never will be remotely close to any thing of decent hardware.

you are wrong

PC is superior in every way shape and form

and most importantly:

the ps3 has NO GAMES

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[enaidlool.png]

If you quote me please be sure to note that I'm extremely mad.

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Huehuehuehue i get it :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

(its funny because PC gaming is better :grin: )

P.S nice games, ps3

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  consoles are so good I don't even have to make 15 threads and drive my same point in to the ground (which is wrong) 400 different times.

  wait a minute...

  consoles are not, never were, and never will be remotely close to any thing of decent hardware.

  you are wrong

  PC is superior in every way shape and form

  and most importantly:

  the ps3 has NO GAMES

PS3 has some good games.... I like consoles and I like computers. Buy both. Any "hardcore" gamer will have consoles and a pc. End of discussion.

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PC gaming has far, far better communities. It obviously depends on the game, though. If you play MW3, runescape and maplestory, yeah, you're going to meet a lot of idiots. (You're also going to meet a lot of cool people that have poor taste in games)

PC gaming has so much potential that is ruined by consoles. Consoles are where the money is at, so most blockbuster games are created with consoles in mind, leading to a buggy port. It should be the other way around, but primarily because of price and usability, consoles are always going to bring PC gaming down.

PC gaming has player modifications, this is to do with the huge freedom you get as a PC gamer, and links in with the awesome communities. Sadly, some of these are used for multiplayer cheating, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons when you get such fun game changing mods such as the ones for just cause 2 and half life.

A gaming computer can also be used for many other things including home entertainment and work, which brings down the investment a little as you need a computer for these anyway.

Indie games are amazing and most of them are only for the PC, not only this but some games ONLY work on the PC. (Can you imagine Dwarf Fortress for ps3?)

Steam is awesome and saves you $100s, further narrowing the cost different between console and PC. (Obligatory mention of the POSSIBILITY to pirate.)

Some of your arguments are valid, you can't have the best of both worlds, but PC gaming definitely has huge advantages over consoles.

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[CNqWHdA.jpg]

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[spoiler=These posts]

  consoles are so good I don't even have to make 15 threads and drive my same point in to the ground (which is wrong) 400 different times.

  wait a minute...

  consoles are not, never were, and never will be remotely close to any thing of decent hardware.

  you are wrong

  PC is superior in every way shape and form

  and most importantly:

  the ps3 has NO GAMES

  Huehuehuehue i get it :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

  (its funny because PC gaming is better :grin: )

  P.S nice games, ps3

[spoiler=This post]

    These two go hand in hand. Increasing piracy leads to worse and worse DRM. Look at Diablo 3, you need to have online connection 100% of the time to even play single player.

    Lag. In. A. Single. Player. Game. Only in PC.

  Consoles don't even get those games. So, even with lag in a single player game, having that game > not having that game.

    EXPENSES

    A PC gaming should be $500 at the least.

  That isn't true. You can get a PC with specs above current gen consoles for 300$, if you'd care to look for it.

    This also doesn't include the upgrades. If you have a $500 PC, you'll have to upgrade every year or every other year.

  That is also not true. A PC I bought 3 years ago for nowhere near $500 can run most games nowadays.

    Unless you're willing to play with outdated parts, and lower graphic settings.

  Newsflash: These "lower graphic settings" on PC are the equivalent of console settings. So yeah, if you're willing to play with outdated parts, you might have to play with console graphics. Is that a problem? No.

    BUGS / GLITCHES / ETC.

    The best part of games in consoles is that developers have an idea what every console user will be using. PC gamers have different set ups. What works with one video card, might not work with another. And with differing RAM. And with differing CPU. And with differing OS. And with differing drivers.

    You have an entire community trying to deal with every stupid fix for every game http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home

  That's a hyperbole if I've ever seen one. Most "common" problems are fixed by patches shortly after a game is out.

    IT'S LESS COMFORTABLE

    Playing on a console on the couch > Playing on a table with keyboard/mouse.

  Don't spout opinion as fact. And don't pretend that you can only play on a PC monitor and kb/m with a PC, when you can hook it up to any display and use a controller if you so desire.

    For people who think that hooking up a PC on an HDTV makes it better, look at this guide:

    "Graphics" or at least the difference between current consoles and PC games are irrelevant if you're playing a game stretched across a 40" TV because they're both playing in the same resolution. HDTVs don't magically allow PCs to output higher resolution than consoles (1080p). To take a complete advantage of the "superior" PC graphics, you need a monitor because HDTVs don't allow higher resolutions. Let's say the average TV size today is 42" and people put their couch about 10 ft away from the TV, 720p is actually good enough. You spent more for the same graphics, congratulations.

  No current gen game runs at 1080p. They run at 720p upscaled to fit whatever resolution your display is. Viewing distance is highly dependant on your setup, but a cheap PC running at medium graphics will easily work just as well as a console when hooked up to an HDtv, so I don't see your point.

    IT'S LESS SOCIAL

    People can come over and play on a console. PC gaming requires you to have another PC or the other person to bring another laptop or computer.

    Just my opinion, but LAN parties look depressing as hell.

  You're right, it's just your opinion. It is a fact that multiple people playing on the same console have the setback of having to sacrifice screensize in order to do so, oftentimes close to 50% of the screen, while on PC you don't have to. Most sports and party games for the pc also have the option to hook up multiple controllers (including emulators).

    CRAPPY COMMUNITY

    PC gamers delude themselves into thinking PC's gaming community is somehow superior. It's not. At least console gamers can be imaginative with what they call you. PC gamers insults is noob, and whatever deviations you can make from it e.g. n00b, [bleep]ing nub, etc.

  Cool generalizations, poor point.

    BORROWING GAMES / INSTANT PLAY

    You can't borrow games anymore. Game publishers are so hellbent on piracy that they'll just ban you for sharing games. This includes the PC gaming's paradise called Steam.

  On the other hand, I can buy 4-packs of games on steam for half the price of a console game.

    Consoles let you plug in and play games. PC games require you to go through a painful task of installing games.

  I'd hardly call is painful, and it feels you're just grasping at straws with this one. It's exactly the same process consoles use when installing games on the HDD to speed up loading times.

  ////

    I'm not saying console gaming is better. But to say PC gaming is vehemently "superior" is just an announcement of how ignorant you are. They're both different experiences. It's just up to your preferences.

  Depends on your definition of "superior".

Both of them basically say PC is better. One of them is written intelligently and actually makes points and responds to points.

The other two posts are idiots saying PC is better for absolutely no reason.

I disagree that PCs are superior to consoles. I probably disagree with Crossed Body. But I can actually debate with him, as opposed to listening to idiots spouting over and over again that PCs are better without any supporting arguments whatsoever.

Onto what consoles have over PCs, which I hope only crossed body responds to, since he's the only person I've seen saying "PC is superior" while actually including reasons WHY PC is superior as opposed to a trollish response saying consoles suck.

Consoles have simplicity to them. You go to the store, you buy a console, you go home. You buy a game, you know it will work for your console because it's for your console. You don't have to build a custom PC or spend effort shopping to find a very good PC. I also have significant difficulty imagining buying a PC for as much as a console that actually be able to play all the new games for as long as the consoles do; I especially doubt that you can do this very easy, as opposed to just buying a console. From personal experience, you generally put in more effort into installing PC games as opposed to console games - you have you say "I agree" several times and generally enter a product key. Minor point, but with console games, after you do the equivalent of clicking "ok" it's either installing or done installing, not waiting for user input. It's significantly more difficult to mess up installing a PC game as opposed to a console game.

PC can game as well, if not better then consoles, but they require more time and/or money to do so. Some people don't want to do this. A large reason behind me getting a PS3 was that I could get a PS3 for Christmas, whereas I couldn't get a computer. Ignoring the fact that the reason behind this was my parents quirks, I can put a PS3 on my Christmas list and my parents can get me one if I want. Buying a PC is much more complicated then buying a console.

Please keep in mind, even if these reasons do not apply to YOU personally, does not mean that these reasons are insignificant. In the PS3 vs 360 thread, there was a highly unintentionally ironic post from someone saying PC is better, and the only reason he gamed on a console was because it was easier to do. He doesn't need to worry if a game does or does not work, and because getting the games installed are easier.

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SQUAB UNLEASHES MEGIDDO! ~~Completed all quests and hard diaries. 75+ Skiller~~. (At one point.) 2000+ total. 99 Magic.
[spoiler=The rest of my sig. You know you wanna see it.]

  my difinition of noob is i dont like u, either u are better then me or u are worst them me

  Buying spins make you a bad person...don't do it. It's like buying nukes for North Korea.

  Well if it bothers you that the game is more fun now, then you can go cry in a corner. :shame:

  your article was the equivalent of a circumcized porcupine

  The only thing wrong with it is the lack of a percentage for when you need to stroke it.

[7ApdH.png]
[squabharpy.png]
Poignant Purple to Lokie's Ravishing Red and Alg's Brilliant Blue.

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  PC gaming has so much potential that is ruined by consoles. Consoles are where the money is at, so most blockbuster games are created with consoles in mind, leading to a buggy port. It should be the other way around, but primarily because of price and usability, consoles are always going to bring PC gaming down.

It does work both ways though; I sold a bunch of console games before/after buying them through Steam, and there are blockbusters where the console gets the buggy/inferior port (Basically anything from Valve, Bioware, or Bethesda). Ideally, neither system should get an inherently worse port (Why would a developer want to alienate half of their audience?), but it's not all stacked in the console's favor there.

I'd also like to suggest that the lack of profit to be had on the PC has more to do with piracy at this point... I prefer PC gaming but it's not the utopia that everyone makes it out to be. It has its _flaws_ (GASP!). Both of them do. It's just that they both also have some very nice advantages as well :razz: .

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I've had this debate/discussion with many of my friends and overall I agree that PC gaming probably has more disadvantages than advantages.

Some Commentary on Points raised in this thread:

Costs and Performance

There is no debate here. PC gaming is just strictly more expensive as mentioned. A $500 PC will give you a machine with very modest specs that will only be able to barely run new games for a year or two. You could future proof yourself for about 2-3 years by dropping closer to $1000, but it simply pales in comparison to consoles. The PS3 when released brand new was around $600-$700 and was hailed as an expensive monster, but that same money could buy a perhaps slightly above average gaming PC (and at the time with no blu-ray player). PS3s were also interesting for a while in that you could slap Linux on them and just use them as a computer (I think they changed the firmware to disallow this?)

In addition to the bug and glitches that may exist for all of the varied PC configurations, developers are also better able to optimize their game for their hardware. There are no graphics settings you configure on a console (other than like subtitles or blood) simply because developers code their game to be as good as possible on one hardware setting. This lends to consoles having such good performance despite having dated hardware. Newer games like BF3 when compared to their PC counterparts still look quite stunning and for a fraction of the cost.

  PC gaming is expensive yes' date=' however most people who put the money into a gaming PC don't just play games on it. Work, school, media, internet browsing, and countless other things benefit from a fast PC. If you were to only include the extra costs payed to boost a PC you would normally use to a gaming PC it really isn't overly priced.[/quote']

  The upgrade priority for a gaming PC is generally GPU>CPU>RAM>Everything else. However unless you're a graphics designer or do a lot of video/audio processing, you generally won't need a brand new CPU/GPU, the two most expensive parts. My 5 year old computer can use an office suite, browse the Internet, and play media completely fine and I'm sure a computer with even half the specs would also suffice. It's just that work/school/casual stuff does not require very much at all. Having a 6870 to watch Netflix is total overkill.

    Crappy community

    PC gamers delude themselves into thinking PC's gaming community is somehow superior. It's not. At least console gamers can be imaginative with what they call you. PC gamers insults is noob, and whatever deviations you can make from it e.g. n00b, [bleep]ing nub, etc.

  This is a very half-baked and weak argument imo. I can guarantee you that PC community is just as capable of slinging colourful slurs at you (Just play some League of Legends in low elo) :P.

  That aside, I don't really see the point of what you're trying to say here. Are you suggesting that we are a crappy community because we apparently regard ourselves as better gamers? I don't follow the logic in that. Even if we go by that standard, we have pretty much the same sort of grudge match between PS3 and Xbox. So in that regard, both communities are equally crappy.

  Modability

  PC users do have one indisputable advantage though; flexibility. Games can be modified on the PC, unlike the console. Source engine games are a perfect example of this. We have a good number of high quality free mods for a plethora of different games.

  Looking past that, there are community made texture packs for certain games like Skyrim and Oblivion or custom UIs for games like WoW. PC gamers have the unique advantage of having a great deal of flexibility in how they want to play a certain game.

  Scale

  I find that PC games are also played on a much larger scale than consoles. You can hook up two or more Xboxes and have a decently sized group to play Halo, but rarely will you ever find a game on the console that supports huge slugfests like 64 player maps in BF2 or 25 (or even 40) man coordinated raids in WoW.

  Control Scheme

  I'm biased in this regard (well with most of these points really) in that I absolutely cannot use analog sticks proficiently to do just about anything. The keyboard and mouse is provides so much more finesse in terms of aiming/key selection, which is why you'll probably not see large scale RPGs or complex RTSs on a console any time soon.

  And as already brought up, you have the option to play most of your games with a controller now (a lot of recent games are just console ports anyway now, the control schemes being a very obvious giveaway) on the PC, but the converse is almost never true.

  Buying Games

  While piracy leading DRM is certainly very annoying, the nice thing about PC gaming is that price points for a lot of them are actually quite low now. Many console gamers seeking to save money will buy/sell their used games to places like Gamestop, cutting all support to the developers. This has actually led to some forms of "incentives" to buying a game brand new, like the Cerberus Network for ME2. It's not quite DRM, but it does go to show that consoles do have a similar issue to deal with.

  Steam sales often make games so low that I will often buy them even after pirating them.

  These aren't arguments for which is cheaper/better, but I know if I want to support the developer, it appears to be cheaper to do so.

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I disagree with the notion that pc gaming is inherently more expensive than console gaming. While a gaming PC certainly almost always costs more than a console, a console is often superfluous to your normal expenditure, whereas a pc is not. Pretty much everyone has a need for a computer, so much of the cost of a "gaming PC" is eaten up by the normal PC cost of ownership. I spent $1500 on a "gaming pc" more than two years ago, but I also use it as a main computer (splitting duties with my laptop, and it will eventually take over once my laptop dies), so I didn't really spend $1500 on gaming. Probably only $300 of that cost was gaming specific. Of course, consoles also function as DVD players, but in this day and age any computer will as well, and it's a minuscule portion of the cost.

Also, two years later, I still haven't found a game that my PC won't run (I can run Skyrim on maximum detail, for instance, with no lag), and I haven't upgraded anything on it (I did replace the PSU because it burnt out but that wasn't an upgrade).

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"It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti

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  I disagree with the notion that pc gaming is inherently more expensive than console gaming. While a gaming PC certainly almost always costs more than a console, a console is often superfluous to your normal expenditure, whereas a pc is not. Pretty much everyone has a need for a computer, so much of the cost of a "gaming PC" is eaten up by the normal PC cost of ownership. I spent $1500 on a "gaming pc" more than two years ago, but I also use it as a main computer (splitting duties with my laptop, and it will eventually take over once my laptop dies), so I didn't really spend $1500 on gaming. Probably only $300 of that cost was gaming specific. Of course, consoles also function as DVD players, but in this day and age any computer will as well, and it's a minuscule portion of the cost.

  Also, two years later, I still haven't found a game that my PC won't run (I can run Skyrim on maximum detail, for instance, with no lag), and I haven't upgraded anything on it (I did replace the PSU because it burnt out but that wasn't an upgrade).

You could've bought a regular PC for $500. That means the PC gaming premium you paid is close to $1000. That's a $700 disadvantage.

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Hello Squab

Every "reason" has been posted directly at moron#88458573 (OP) in the last 63? threads he's used the same moronic argument which has been shot down, at last count, 63 times.

I have a spare moment here so

1. Consoles are overpriced, inferior technology, next gen will be even more overpriced, just as inferior technology.

2. PCs play games better, goes with technology.

3. It's easier to get a massive collection of PC games cheaper than it would be on console, this is without factoring in pirating.

There was a few other things OP mentioned that was just mindless rambling that don't even deserve a response.

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  You could've bought a regular PC for $500. That means the PC gaming premium you paid is close to $1000. That's a $700 disadvantage.

That "PC gaming premium" bought him hardware that will last for the next 5 years and will most likely be superior to the next wave of consoles already.

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desiring an intelligent response requires the one desiring to be intelligent

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

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If you quote me please be sure to note that I'm extremely mad.

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  Consoles have simplicity to them. You go to the store, you buy a console, you go home. You buy a game, you know it will work for your console because it's for your console. You don't have to build a custom PC or spend effort shopping to find a very good PC.

That is true.

  I also have significant difficulty imagining buying a PC for as much as a console that actually be able to play all the new games for as long as the consoles do; I especially doubt that you can do this very easy, as opposed to just buying a console.

I agree that it might be difficult for some to plot a PC that can play all of the new games for as long as the consoles do, but it doesn't require all that much learning, really. Consoles have a fixed hardware from nearly 6 years ago, and unless you want all the bells and whistles like x16AA, highly detailed shadows, physics and water graphics, you can get a console-like experience (with better controls and customizability) for extremely cheap.

  From personal experience, you generally put in more effort into installing PC games as opposed to console games - you have you say "I agree" several times and generally enter a product key. Minor point, but with console games, after you do the equivalent of clicking "ok" it's either installing or done installing, not waiting for user input. It's significantly more difficult to mess up installing a PC game as opposed to a console game.

That is a very nitpicky point. Or an invalid point, if you use steam. Installing games on steam is as complicated as double clicking the game's name and waiting.

  PC can game as well, if not better then consoles, but they require more time and/or money to do so. Some people don't want to do this. A large reason behind me getting a PS3 was that I could get a PS3 for Christmas, whereas I couldn't get a computer. Ignoring the fact that the reason behind this was my parents quirks, I can put a PS3 on my Christmas list and my parents can get me one if I want. Buying a PC is much more complicated then buying a console.

In the end, most of your points come down to accessibility and knowledge.

And well, all it comes down to is: how much are you willing to learn and dedicate to your hobby? You can't really call yourself a "gamer" (a term which I have come to despise) if you don't put more than the bare minimum effort in order to maximize your playing experience.

Learning how to put together a decent PC isn't hard. Patching isn't hard. Pirating isn't hard. You have to learn these things, yes, but you'll get a much better experience as a reward for your efforts.

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    I disagree with the notion that pc gaming is inherently more expensive than console gaming. While a gaming PC certainly almost always costs more than a console, a console is often superfluous to your normal expenditure, whereas a pc is not. Pretty much everyone has a need for a computer, so much of the cost of a "gaming PC" is eaten up by the normal PC cost of ownership. I spent $1500 on a "gaming pc" more than two years ago, but I also use it as a main computer (splitting duties with my laptop, and it will eventually take over once my laptop dies), so I didn't really spend $1500 on gaming. Probably only $300 of that cost was gaming specific. Of course, consoles also function as DVD players, but in this day and age any computer will as well, and it's a minuscule portion of the cost.

    Also, two years later, I still haven't found a game that my PC won't run (I can run Skyrim on maximum detail, for instance, with no lag), and I haven't upgraded anything on it (I did replace the PSU because it burnt out but that wasn't an upgrade).

  You could've bought a regular PC for $500. That means the PC gaming premium you paid is close to $1000. That's a $700 disadvantage.

But I wouldn't have, because a $500 PC is not good enough to do what I require a PC to do (outside of gaming). So for me, like I said, about $300 was gaming specific, which is the price of a console.

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"It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti

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I only buy games for my XBOX atm that are exclusives. If it's multi-platform, I'll get in on PC. I disagree with you on comfort, I prefer sitting up right some times. And to be honest, when you get serious in a game on console, you slouch forward, similar to how you would if you were on a PC. This point in pretty irrelevant I think.

And I completely disagree with you on LAN parties, they are so much fun. And Team Fortress 2 at a LAN party would amazing.

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  My relaxation method involves a bottle of lotion, beautiful women, and partial nudity. Yes I get massages.

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PC more expensive, even though console accessories are expensive (and you can ONLY use them to game) and require paid online?

Console has 1 use, PC has multiple?

[23076446.jpg]

EDIT: Oh, mods and grand strategy games! :lol:

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"The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is."

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  EDIT: Oh, mods and grand strategy games! :lol:

Now if olnly 90% of mods weren't garbage... :twss:

Don't get me wrong, I like game mods and even tried/failed to make one or two, but just looking through the Steam Workshop for Skyrim... It's unpleasant. The good mods are definitely worth sifting through the crap, though :thumbup:

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question: According to the author, between the console and PC, which offers a better gaming experience?

answer: In the author's opinion, the console offers a better gaming experience.

question: Mention one or two differences between PC gaming and console as stated by the author.

answer: PC gaming is more expensive. It's also less social than console.

question: According to the author, why is it required for gamers to replace their pcs?

answer: To avoid playing with outdated parts and lower graphic settings.

question: What screen size resolution is considered okay for PC game graphics?

answer: 720p.

question: Which is significantly the better choice for gamers, PC or console?

answer: It depends on the user's preference.

question: Why is pc gaming more expensive than console?

answer: That information is not found in the article.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: An opinion poll discussing the differences between PC gaming and console, which is better than the other, and which choice is more favorable for the average gamer.


text:
OTTAWA — Suspended senator Mike Duffy is pushing for an early trial on 31 criminal charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery, which could see explosive allegations aired in an election year and Prime Minister Stephen Harper called to testify.

Duffy’s lawyer Don Bayne told reporters Tuesday “it’s too early” to rule out calling “any potential witness” who may be relevant to Duffy’s defence, including the prime minister.

“But please understand, this isn’t being run as a personal or political vendetta,” said Bayne.

Nevertheless, the real possibility that a sitting prime minister could be summoned to testify about the controversial $90,000 payment by his former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, to Duffy to cover questionable Senate expenses prompted a nasty exchange between Harper and Opposition leader Tom Mulcair in the Commons, and legal experts to weigh in.

A number of protections — or legal privileges — are afforded to MPs and senators, and government officials, as they go about their work.

Many legal experts agree the one most likely to be invoked by the prime minister, should he wish to avoid testifying, is parliamentary privilege. It means an MP cannot be forced to testify in a civil or criminal court proceeding while Parliament is sitting or 40 days before or after a parliamentary session.

“The whole idea of all that is that nothing is more important than an MP doing their job in Parliament,” said University of Ottawa law professor Adam Dodek.

Dodek, along with former House of Commons law clerk Rob Walsh, and Wade Wright, an expert on Crown privileges, said parliamentary privilege might allow Harper to resist any subpoena.

Walsh suggested that it’s “an open legal question” whether Bayne could convince a court that it should not trump Duffy’s right to a full airing of facts in his case.

Traditionally, the privilege was meant to protect the workings of Parliament, and the 40-day period during which it applies before or after a parliamentary session was to ensure an MP could get his or her affairs in order and “get to London” to work, said Walsh, adding that “long shoulder season” is less relevant now.

Certainly, Harper would be free to waive the privilege if he chooses, experts agree. And he would be unlikely to persuade a court another kind of privilege applies: that given to lawyers and their clients.

Dodek, who wrote the definitive text, _Solicitor-Client Privilege_, dismissed the likelihood that Harper could claim solicitor-client privilege over his conversations with Wright, saying it would be “problematic.”

“In order for solicitor-client privilege to apply, it’s not just that you’re talking to somebody who happens to be a lawyer; the lawyer has to be acting as a professional legal adviser. For Nigel Wright it’s very hard to imagine how in his job as chief of staff he would be acting as a professional legal adviser.”

The NDP moved to frame the whole question as a political choice, not a legal one.

“Will the prime minister hide behind parliamentary privilege, or will he testify?” demanded NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.

Harper dismissed out of hand the possibility he’d be subpoenaed, suggesting — as his office had — that he has nothing relevant to add.

“Obviously, if we read the (RCMP) investigator’s report, there is absolutely no reason to suggest that I would do that,” replied Harper.

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Wade Wright said while the prime minister would be “legally entitled to claim parliamentary privilege,” Harper’s denial that he has anything relevant to add may be as much about building “the political case to make that claim.”

“The relevance claim is not so much a legal issue as it is building a political case for invoking parliamentary privilege should the prime minister wish to avoid appearing” to testify in court, he said.

question: How many charges of fraud does Mike Duffy have?

answer: 31.

question: Who might be called to testify in the trial?

answer: Stephen Harper.

question: What office does Mike Duffy hold?

answer: He is a senator but he has been suspended.

question: How much money was paid by Nigel Wright to Duffy?

answer: $90,000.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article discusses a case of fraud involving a [Canadian] senator and the chance that Prime Minister Stephen Harper himself might be called to court - an unprecedented event and one which raises legal issues regarding the extent to which MPs are protected by law.


text:
WATER PRIVATIZATION IN GUAYAQUIL began with the decision taken in 1995 to privatize drinking water supply and sewerage in Guayaquil, the largest city and economic capital of Ecuador, through a concession contract. In preparation for privatization, the previously separate water and sewer utilities were merged into a single utility in 1996. The new utility began a modernization process and began to improve its performance. In parallel, the international bidding for the concession was prepared by Banque Paribas as the international advisor and was supported by the Inter-American Development Bank. The latter made a loan that was signed in October 1997 conditional upon the decision to award a concession. The 30-year concession agreement between the city government and the private company Interagua was signed in 2001. The contract was “poor-friendly”, requiring the private company to keep tariffs constant for the first five years and to connect new users in poor areas “at no cost”.[1] At the same time, the former municipal water and sewer utility ECAPAG became the regulatory agency for the new private utility. Interagua is a consortium led by the Spanish company Proactiva Medio Ambiente,[2] which in turn is supported by the Spanish construction firm FCC and the French water company Veolia Environnement.[3] In 2012 the regulator ECAPAG was transformed into the Municipal Public Drinking Water and Sanitation Company of Guayaquil in what may be a first step towards the municipalization of the concession.

Financing and investments

The investments undertaken by the concessionaire are financed through retained earnings, the municipality and the State Bank of Ecuador. The government funds are deposited into a trust fund that the concessionnaire can only access under certain conditions. For the 2011-2016 period investments of US$ 380 million are expected to be financed by the concessionnaire (US$ 107.5 million), the municipality and the State Bank of Ecuador (US$ 150 million)[4] as well as the national government and the proceedings of a tax called Special Improvement Contributions (Contribucion Especial de Mejoriamiento, CEM).

Impact

Before the concession, 50% of the city had only 10 hours service per day.[5] In parts of the city water was supplied only 2 to 4 hours per day, often at low pressure.[6] Commercial and physical losses in water distribution, technically called non-revenue water, stood at a staggering 79 percent. Only 46 percent of water bills were actually collected. And only 26 percent of all connections were metered.[7]

During its first five years the company brought 24 hours service to all the city and served an additional 55,000 families, mostly low income in the southern part of the city.[8] Access to water supply increased from 64 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2003, and access to sewerage has grown from 46 percent to 55 percent during the same period.[9] According to an article written by Interagua for public relations all the “formally developed areas” of the city had access to piped water at “reasonable pressure” in 2012.[10] However, according to Interagua's own annual report 2009-2010, only an estimated 82 percent of the population (almost 2 million out of a population of 2.43 million) had access to piped water and 67 percent had access to sewerage in July 2010.[11] In 10 years access to piped water supply thus increased from 64 to 82 percent. Customers who gained access to piped water supply were able to consume twice as much water while paying one fifth of what they paid before, when they had bought it from vendors distributing it in tankers. Tankers charged US$ 3.50 per cubic meter, while Interagua charges only 34 cents per cubic meter for the first 15 cubic meters per month.[12]

The concessionaire also increased billing efficiency - the share of bills issued that are paid - to about 75 percent by 2003. The number of staff was reduced by 43 percent between 2001 and 2003. This brought the number of staff per 1,000 connections down to less than 3, a level that is consistent with international good practice for an efficient utility.[13]

Some of the remaining challenges are fluctuating water pressure and high levels of non-revenue water, consisting of both physical and commercial water losses. This is shown by the reports of the independent technical auditor who reviews annually the performance of Interagua. While the report confirmed that in 2010 at least 95 percent of all customers received water at a pressure above the minimum pressure, defined as 5 meters of water column (0.5 bar) in the center of the city and 8 meters of water column (0.8 bar) in the North of the city, the report contained no data about pressure variations and maximal pressure.[14] Interagua wants to achieve constant pressure throughout its service area by 2015 or 2016.[15] In 2010 the level of non-revenue water was 62 percent.[16] This level is much higher than the average in Colombia (49 percent) or in Peru (44 percent).

There have been complaints of poor water quality in marginal communities. Residents of Guasmo Sur complained of turbid, foul smelling water that is not fit for consumption and residents of Suburbio Oeste have struggled through both a hepatitis outbreak and periodic issues of decreased chlorine content/increased fecal content in the samples from their sector in 2004.[17]

Comparison with public water management in Quito

A 2006 study conducted for the Inter-American Development Bank came to the conclusion that compared to Quito, which is served by a publicly managed water utility, water quality was worse in Guayaquil, the poor had less access to piped water and water tariffs were higher. In terms of trends, the study concluded that between 1995 and 2005 “poor homes decreased their likelihood of having access to water in Guayaquil relative to Quito”.[18]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8] ECAPAG:La Concesión - Primeros 5 años

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12] Paul Constance, IDB America:A fair price - In Guayaquil, Ecuador, a privatized water service bets that poor consumers will like metered water, November 2003

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

title: Water privatization in Guayaquil

question: What does the article say about Ecuador's rivers?

question: What does the article say about the successes of water privatization in Guayaquil?

answer: Compared to municipal water, both access and price are better. The water pressure isn't as stable as desired, but it's also better than before. The ratio of bills that are paid increased from 46% to 75%. The administrative efficiency also increased to international standards.

question: What does the article say about the failures of water privatization in Guayaquil?

answer: The problems privatization hasn't solved are the fluctuating water pressure and wasted water through losses, called non-revenue water. The non-revenue water percentage was 79% before privatization and 62% several years after. However, the non-revenue water percentage is 49% in Colombia and 44% in Peru. Additionally, water quality fares worse compared to Quito, which is publicly managed. Furthermore, poor homes in Guayaquil don't have as easy access to piped water as the poor do in Quito. Finally, marginal communities complain about foul smells and generally poor quality water, including a hepatitis outbreak.


text:
The man made his way down the path as the rain began to fall harder and harder until soon it wasn’t much different from hail. The rain hit so hard that by the time he made it to the stream cutting across campus his vision had become completely blurred from the drops on his glasses and the rain dripping from his hair. Then the rain from the clouds stopped and there was a tug on the side of his shirt.

“It’s cold out here and you don’t have a jacket. Why don’t you walk back home with me?” asked the woman.

The man shook his head and walked faster to get back into the rain and away from the umbrella.

Still the woman followed after him with the umbrella above her head.
“You will get sick from the rain your clothes are already soaked and we are still ten minutes away from home.”

The man again quickened his pace further and the rain fell harder. The woman pleaded with him again to get under the umbrella and walk with her, but he wouldn’t even look at her. Soon the rain became unbearable and the woman gave up on the man and ran the rest of the way home with the umbrella barely covering her at all anymore. The man stopped and watched her run back to the dorm buildings and when the rain started to die down again he felt very cold. He started back home and promised himself that next time it was raining he would get under her umbrella if she was out in the rain again.

title: Rain (a very short story)

question: What did the woman ask the man?

answer: To walk back home with her under the umbrella

question: How hard was the rain falling?

answer: The rain was falling very hard, it seemed like it wasn't much different from hail

question: What did the man conclude at the end and why?

answer: Once the rain died down, the man was very cold and he told himself the next time it was raining that he would get under the woman's umbrella

question: When the man refused the umbrella from the woman, what did the woman do?

answer: The woman ran the rest of the way home, with the umbrella barely covering her

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The rain came down hard and the man was drenched in the rain on his way home. A woman offered an umbrella to him so he wouldn't get drenched but the man denied the offer. The woman ran home and when the rain died down, the man told himself next time he would get under then woman's umbrella.


text:
It was a cold, dark night…

I lay in the corner of the street, my head in a puddle, a smell of what can only be described as death circling my very presence. I had lost count of how many days it had been, of how many faces I’ve seen pass me, of how many feet I’ve watched shuffle aside, trying their hardest to avoid my very existence. Of how many eyes had looked at me, and burnt hatred so deep it became almost intolerable. Sheer disgust, seeping out of the breath of everyone who passed. That is what my life had become. Ever since that one day. When everything I thought I knew was ripped apart in front of me.

It was the youngest who took me in. He seemed kind, welcomed me. One of those people that deep down you can tell had a good heart even if they hid it beneath a rough, silent exterior. I lived in his room free to do what I felt, unless the others were around, the older ones. When their voices carried through the door, I was hidden under the bed, its so our friendship will be ours alone I would convince myself, that he wanted me to be all his. But I suppose that should have been the first warning sign. Can a place truly be called your home if you have to hide from its very inhabitants? But sadly, I was naive… no, I chose to ignore it, I was too obsessed, too caught up by this newfound friendship to ever even consider the truth. I thought everything was perfect. Then it happened.  It was late at night, the door slammed behind him as the boy tumbled in. Raised voices instantly burnt through the very walls that surrounded me, through the doors, through everything. I had heard anger in those voices before, the times when I hid, but nothing like this, this was… new. The door crashed open, the boy collapsing to the ground. Eyes bloodshot, his mouth lined with dry, cracked vomit, his shirt, blooded, torn and stained. A sight that I wished I would never see again. As he hit the ground, he looked up at me, but there was no affection any more, just pure emptiness. I heard the voices come closer. There was no time to hide, no time to be hidden. Voices entered the room; eyes were cast down the decrepit shell lying on the floor, then to me. Hatred. Rough hands were placed on me, words crying out that I was to blame, that somehow, this was my entire fault. My protests, my cries of defense, all fell on deaf ears. No matter how much I pleaded, no matter how many times I cried out to them that there was more to me, more I could give to them, it was all to no avail. I was tossed out on the street, my once home fading in my eyesight as I tumbled, seemingly forever, sinking in to my own personal abyss.

An icy wind blew threw me, bringing me back from the horrid memory. I rolled onto my side, no longer sure if it was by my own personal doing or if I simply lacked the strength to offer any resistance. This is it, I thought to myself. This is how it is going to end. All the things I could have done, the places I could have seen, and now this will become my final resting place, a blotch in the street, surrounded by the ear wrecking sound of traffic and drunks. Some rest indeed. Through all the noise, I heard footsteps walking towards me. No doubt to impose some form of abuse towards me in my final moments I had thought. But no, a hand rested on my body. Warmth that I had not felt since… the boy? I turned around and stared up, locking eyes with an unfamiliar face. It was irrelevant. This man has picked me up in my time of need. He had saved me.

 took me to some form of haven for my kind. After I adjusted to the contrast of light, I looked around and saw countless amounts of those in the same position as me. It was amazing. I was no longer a freak. No longer an outcast, I was amongst my own kind at last. The time I spent there was the happiest of my life. On occasions, members of our private little community would be taken away by strangers from the outside, I had lost a few good friends through that, but even then the kind man would always bring in new members, new friends to be made, stories to be heard, connections to be formed. I should have learnt. All good things must come to a pass.

The horrendous noise sounded, the noise that sounded the arrival of a stranger. As usual, our host welcomed the man with open arms, allowing him to take his pick of who he wanted. The stranger cast his eyes along the crowd, passing by everyone I knew, his gaze nonchalant to all. All that is, except me. He looked straight at me, and stopped. Eyes bloodshot, his mouth lined with dry, cracked vomit, his shirt, blooded, torn and stained. The memory flooded through me. It was then I realized just how blind I had been. The night that changed it all, it had not been emptiness in the boy’s eyes. It had been lust! And it was lust again the bore its way inside my soul. The stranger had chosen. I wouldn’t be saying goodbye to a friend this time. I would be saying goodbye to everything.

The door opened to his building. And a building it would always be, never a home. No place with so much vile hatred seeping out of every crack in the wall, so much murk and gloom pouring out of every shadow, could ever be called a home. He sat in front of me, breathing his horrid breath over my neck, running his fingers down my body, inhaling my breath. I knew straight away, this was never going to end well. He lifted me, I felt weightless and powerless under his grasp. He put his lips around me, and it felt like he drank the very life force from my body. His brown, crusted teeth scraping against me, as his course tongue brought him to the satisfaction he had desired for so long. After what felt like an eternity in the lowest ring of hell, he was done. The door was opened, and for the second time in my life, I was cast out. This time however, there was no remorse. There was nothing. I was resound to my fate.

And that’s how I arrived here, lying once again in a gutter. This time, I know there will be no retribution. I can see my life flowing from my body. It’s coming to an end. If only things had been different. If only we really did have medicinal qualities, then maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be the end of just one more bottle of Buckfast.

title: The first story I wrote, no title, around 1100 words. Constructive criticism is welcome. :)

question: From whose perspective is this story told?

answer: A bottle of Buckfast.

question: Why is the bottle of Buckfast thrown out by the boy's parents?

answer: He uses it to get drunk.

question: Where was the bottle put by the man who picked it up on the street?

answer: In a fridge with other bottles.

question: What is the ultimate fate of the bottle of buckfast?

answer: It winds up in a gutter.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This story is about a bottle of Buckfast and its journeys through multiple people's lives.


text:
HONG KONG SEA CADET CORPS is a youth organization based in Hong Kong and formed in 1968 by former Royal Naval Reserve officers by the creation of Hong Kong Law (Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps Ordinance)[1]

The HKSCC was linked to British Armed Forces' Combined Cadet Force and Sea Cadet Corps. Since the handover in 1997, the HKSCC is mostly a government funded organisation and does not have any links to the People's Liberation Army Navy. It also receives financial support from Hong Kong Jockey Club and The Community Chest of Hong Kong.

Based at Diamond Hill, Kowloon, the 1800-strong HKSCC has 16 training units and two nautical centres (Stanley Bay and Sai Kung).

Rank & Rates

[ Ceremonial Guard of the HKSCC participating in a parade commemorating the end of World War II] HKSCC adopts the ranking system from the Royal Navy and their Sea Cadets program:

  ---------- ---------------- ----------------- ------------------------------- ----------------- ----------------------- ------------------
  RANK       Captain (Capt)   Commander (Cdr)   Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr)   Lieutenant (Lt)   Sub-Lieutenant (S/Lt)   Midshipman (Mid)
  INSIGNIA   []               | []              | []                            | []              | []                    | []
  ---------- ---------------- ----------------- ------------------------------- ----------------- ----------------------- ------------------

  : Ranks and Insignia of HKSCC Officers

  ---------- --------------------------- -------------------- ----------------------------
  RANK       Chief Petty Officer (CPO)   Petty Officer (PO)   Acting Petty officer (APO)
  INSIGNIA   []                          | []                 | []
  ---------- --------------------------- -------------------- ----------------------------

  : Ranks and Insignia of HKSCC Instructors/ NCO (Non-commissioned Officer)

  ---------- -------------------- ----------------- --------------------- ------------------- ----------------
  RANK       Leading Cadet (LC)   Able Cadet (AC)   Ordinary Cadet (OC)   Junior Cadet (JC)   New Entry (NE)
  INSIGNIA   []                   | []              | []                  | []                |None
  ---------- -------------------- ----------------- --------------------- ------------------- ----------------

  : Ranks and Insignia HKSCC Junior Rates/ Cadets

Source: Ranks and Ratings of the Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps

Uniform

Officers, instructors and cadets wear dark navy berets (peaked, white caps for the instructors and officers), blue shirts, dark navy blue trousers and black boots named the Action Working Dress (AWD) during routine trainings. Its equivalent is the No.4AWD worn across the Royal Navy.

On occasions of ceremonial duties, parades or other public events they will wear white (No.6) or blue (No.1) dress uniforms in summer and winter respectively, similar to the Royal Navy uniform worn by officers, senior and junior rates.

Source: Uniforms of the Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps

Weapons

The Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps Ceremonial Guard parade out with the replica Enfield L85A1/ (known as SA80 in Royal Navy) rifle.

In the past, they drilled with the Lee-Enfield L59A1 Drill Rifle but rarely do so today.

Facilities

Training Ships or TS are land base training units for the HKSCC around the territory. Some are named after Her Majesty's Ships of the Royal Navy.

-   TS Ark Royal - named after HMS Ark Royal
-   TS Brilliant - named after HMS Brilliant
-   TS Cornflower - named after HMS Cornflower
-   TS Drake - named after HMS Drake
-   TS Eternity
-   TS Hero - named after HMS Hero
-   TS King Ling
-   TS Lightning - named after HMS Lightning
-   TS Ma Ko Pan
-   TS Mountbatten - named after Lord Louis Mountbatten, Former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy
-   TS Nelson - named after HMS Nelson / Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson
-   TS Neptune - named after HMS Neptune
-   TS Royalist - named after HMS Royalist
-   TS Somerset - named after HMS Somerset
-   TS Unicorn - named after HMS Unicorn
-   TS York - named after HMS York

TRAINING CENTRES

-   Administration Headquarters, Diamond Hill, Kowloon
-   Jubilee Centre, Stanley, Hong Kong Island
-   Tang Shiu Kin Nautical Centre, Sai Kung, New Territories

TRAINING LAUNCH

-   Supertee

DISBANDED UNITS

-   TS Anson - named after HMS Anson
-   TS Collingwood - named after HMS Collingwood
-   TS Courageous - named after HMS Courageous
-   TS Chatham - named after HMS Chatham
-   TS Rodney - named after HMS Rodney
-   TS Swallow - named after HMS Swallow (P242)
-   TS Talent - named after HMS Talent
-   TS Victory - named after HMS Victory
-   TS Zulu - named after HMS Zulu

Awards

Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps issues their own awards to their members and are not part of the government issued Orders, decorations, and medals of Hong Kong. The medals and clasps are modelled after the ones awarded by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence:

-   Best Cadet of the Year
-   Best Unit of the Year
-   Cadet Forces Medal (before 1997)
-   Hong Kong Sea Cadet Forces Medal
-   Hong Kong Sea Cadet Forces Long Service Medal

[1] Introduction of the Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps - History

title: Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps

question: What does the story say about the uniforms and weapons of Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps members?

answer: Officers, instructors, and cadets wear dark navy berets, blue shirts, dark navy blue trousers, and black boots during routine training. On occasions of ceremonial duties, parades, or other public events, they wear white dress uniforms in summer and blue ones in winter. The guard parade out with the replica Enfield L85A1.

question: What does the story say about the number of members of the Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps?


text:
_MAKAI WARS_ is a mobile video game released by Nippon Ichi for iOS and Android in 2018.[1] It was originally planned for the PlayStation 3 video game console and the PlayStation Portable).[2]

History

_Makai Wars_ was announced at E3 2004 as an upcoming strategy RPG for the PlayStation Portable.[3] However, no new information surfaced about it for several months until it was announced as having been put on hold in 2005.[4] Later that year, at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, it was announced that _Makai Wars_ would be released for the PlayStation 3.[5] However, no new information surfaced, and the game was assumed to be cancelled or indefinitely postponed until Nippon Ichi trademarked the title in 2010.[6] On May 2013, in an interview with Famitsu NIS president Sohei Shinkawa said that for NIS 20th anniversary they may show a glimpse of _Makai Wars_.[7]

Legacy

In the 2005 Nippon Ichi title _Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome_, Asagi, who was to be the main character of _Makai Wars_, made a cameo appearance, breaking the fourth wall to introduce herself as the main character of the next Nippon Ichi game. After that, with the game indefinitely postponed, its vaporware status became a running joke in future Nippon Ichi games, with many of their games (especially ones in the _Disgaea_ series) henceforth featuring Asagi in a cameo role, where she would typically break the fourth wall again to lament the fact that her game was never released.

The pamphlet for Makai Wars given away at E3 2004[8] featured silhouettes of what appeared to be monster designs, and some of these unused designs were later used in _Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories_ and future games in the _Disgaea_ series.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: Makai Wars

question: On what platform was Makai Wars released in 2018?

answer: It was released on iOS and Android.

question: When was Makai Wars first announced?

answer: It was announced at E3 in 2004 as an upcoming RPG for PlayStation Portable.

question: What was the status of Makai Wars in 2005?

answer: Nippon Ichi, the company in charge of the game, says the game would soon be released for PlayStation 3.

question: How did Nippon Ichi tease Asagi, the main character, in Makai Wars prior to its release?

answer: The company featured Asagi in another game called Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer:
Makai Wars was first announced at the E3 in 2004 as an RPG game on PlayStation Portable. By 2005, the company in charge of Makai Wars, Nippon Ichi, says the game will also be released on PlayStation 3.

The game's main protagonist, Asagi, made a cameo appearance on another gameMakai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome, introducing herself as one of the characters in another upcoming game.

Almost a decade later, there was still no sign of Makai Wars being released, at least until 2018 when it was released on mobile platforms.


text:
I appreciate anyone that takes the time to read this.  I should've tagged it realistic fiction instead of mystery, my bad.  We have to write a short story for my English class about anything, about two pages long.  Feedback is most certainly welcome. Trigger warning: abuse and suicide.
------
Running: that’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at.  Running from my problems; my responsibilities; the everyday problems in life that seem impossible to fix.

When I ran away from home, I believed it to be a long term solution to my problems.  I was eleven years old when my father stumbled in through the doorway, drunk like every other night this week.  It was rare to see a day where he was sober- not that those moments offered any solace to me; they were only a brief escape from the personal hell I was living in.  As soon as he crossed the threshold, the stench of alcohol and stale cigarettes permeated the room.  I shrunk away from him, trying to disappear into the tattered couch that occupied the space of our living room, hoping that if I appeared small enough he wouldn’t notice me.

His beady eyes shifted around the room before settling on me.  The glazed look that was in his eyes can still send shivers down my spine to this day.  He slowly made his way over to me, a few steps interspersed with drunken stumbling.  I wanted to move, I wanted to escape- but where could I go?  I didn’t have time to think much about it before he began yelling at me about how I was ruining his life.  The words don’t sting so much anymore; I’ve grown used to them by now.  Of course he knew that they barely stung, so he had to use a new way to hurt me.  A punch to the face can hurt just as much as words, I found out that night.

After he had passed out on the couch and the only sound in the air was his rumbling snores, I stole the few dollars he had in his wallet and ran.  The side of my face was swelling but I ignored it for now.  A single word was shouting over and over in my head, making itself heard and refusing to be ignored: Run.

So I did; I ran until I could hear my heart beating in my ears and my lungs were screaming at me to stop.  As much as I didn’t want to, I had to take a break.  I slumped against a brick building, catching my breath as tears streamed down my cheeks.

Here I am, years later, yet I still feel like I haven’t left that night.  I can never quite catch my breath; I can still feel the sharp, shooting pain in my cheek.  I’ve made a life for myself- I’ve got a home, a job, and food on the table.  My father died five years ago due to liver failure (who would’ve guessed?) yet I’m still running.  I’m running from my past into the unpredictable future which instills just as much dread into me.  I don’t know what tomorrow brings, but one thing that I do know is that I am tired of running.

My hand shakes slightly as I hold the gun in my hand.  The tremor becomes more pronounced as I raise the cold, unfeeling piece of metal to my head.  Every second feels like an eternity as I hold it, the key to the release I desire.  The quiet tick of the clock makes its way into my subconscious, mocking me with its sound.  When I’m dead, it will keep carrying on; the world will not stop around me, but I will.  I wrap my trembling finger around the trigger.  It’s ready to go; but am I?

I am.  I’m tired of running.  I want to finally be able to rest and let go of my past.  This is the one moment in my life where I fully welcome the unpredictable future.

I can finally stop running.

I pull the trigger.

Everything goes black.

title: [MS] Run.

question: Where was the narrator's mother?

answer: That information cannot be found.

question: Why did the narrator run away from home?

answer: The narrator was fed up with living with an abusive, drunken father.

question: Why did the narrator still feel like he/she was living in the past?

answer: Despite running away from his/her experience, he/she still maintained the habit of running away from everything in his/her life in later years.

question: What bothered the narrator very much that led him/her to end his/her life?

answer: The fact that he/she couldn't forget about the traumatic past and couldn't move on with his/her life.

question: How old was the narrator when he/she decided to end his/her life?

answer: It is not stated.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator had a traumatizing childhood. He/she had an abusive father who came home drunk every night and hurled insults at him/her. Finally, one night, the narrator's father punched him/her across the face, which led him/her to run away from home with the bit of change the father had in his wallet. Despite escaping an abusive parent and becoming successful years later, the narrator still felt trapped in the horrors of his/her childhood, which led the narrator to end his/her life.