text:
“MUST BE LOVE” is a song recorded by American singer Cassie. It features guest vocals by American rapper Puff Daddy, who also co-wrote the song with Aion Clarke, Michael Jones, Leroy Watson and the producer Mario Winans. The song was released for digital download in the United States on April 14, 2009, by Atlantic Records under the Bad Boy imprint, impacting urban radio stations in that region on April 27, 2009.

Cassie stated she had fallen in love with the “soulful R&B record” after it was lingering around in the Bad Boy studios, with demos initially being recorded by other artists, and she immediately wanted the track for herself before having the opportunity to try it out. She considered it an “honor” to have Puff Daddy featured on the song. It was well received by music critics, who complimented its minimalist style recalling Bad Boy Records' classic hit singles of the 1990s.

“Must Be Love” peaked at number fifty-six on the US _Billboard_ R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It received remix versions and was sampled by various artists such as Busta Rhymes, Day26, Trey Songz, J. Cole and Jacques Greene. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Bernard Gourley and features Cassie and Puff Daddy in different sides of a wall from adjacent apartments while performing the record to each other. Cassie appreciated the treatment had a “nice story” that wasn't overdone which she felt added warmth to it allowing Diddy to have a bigger role in the visuals.

Background and release

In 2007, it was revealed that Cassie had begun recording material for her sophomore album.[1] In August 2008, she released a new single “Official Girl,” featuring Lil Wayne and produced by Danja.[2] Later that year, she noted being most excited about putting another single and video out before the project's release and “people getting it a bit more every time they see [her].”[3] The album was then scheduled for a spring 2009 release and Cassie talked about its production and mentioned other collaborators also included Pharrell Williams, Darkchild, Kanye West, Ryan Leslie, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Mario Winans.[4] On March 12, 2009, Diddy shared footage from a mixing session with Cassie working on a collaborative track between the two called “Must Be Love,” with Diddy referring to it as a “Bad Boy classic.”[5] Cassie reacted in an interview stating: “When people say that, it's an honor. I really fought for the record, it was kind of like lingering around in Bad Boy and I was like 'Can I please have it?' They said ok and we tried it out. I really fell in love with that record.”[6] The full song, produced by Winans, surfaced online the following day.[7] She elaborated, “I've never like really had a soulful R&B record, something that just gave a good Bad Boy vibe. [...] So I tried it and it worked. Puff got on it, which is really an honor to have him on the record or want to be on the record.”[8]

It was made available for digital download on April 14, 2009.[9] That same month Cassie debuted a new look by shaving the right side of her head. Diddy confirmed on his video blog that her new album would be called _Electro Love_ and was slated to be released later that year, with Cassie telling MTV News: “You're definitely going to see more independence [...] a difference in vocals, a little bit more personality. And it's definitely a sensual album.”[10][11] Bad Boy Records serviced it to urban contemporary radio stations on April 27, 2009.[12] Cassie said the track is “about finding yourself in unexpected love and how strong the feeling is, that it takes over you and you can't control it but you love [the feeling]. That's all love should be.”[13] She explained why Diddy was credited as Puff Daddy for the release, “It was funny when he was doing the rhyme, when he was recording it, he sounded like himself back in the '90s, so we were like 'that's Puff Daddy,' and so he was like 'alright cool, that's what we're putting on the record'.”[14]

Critical reception

[Puff Daddy appears as a featured artist.] Bill Lamb of About.com called Cassie the “queen of minimalist soul” and remarked “Must Be Love” to be almost as “effortlessly catchy” as her debut single “Me & U.” He wrote that the “warm guitar” is hypnotic and that “there is just enough of a groove to make you want to move.”[15] According to a writer for _Rap-Up_, the song recalls “Bad Boy circa the '90s,”[16] and, at MTV, it was referred to as a “minimal R&B slow-burner with a beat that sounds like rain” and that “[Diddy's] rhymes definitely beef up the track.”[17] Tom Lea of Local Action Records stated the song is “pure heartbreak” and praised Cassie's vocal performance, adding: "if the “I think about you all the time” line doesn't make you melt on sight, you've been on the internet too long."[18] _Wonderland_ defined it as being “insidious” and “enchanting.”[19]

_The Guardian_'s Eleanor Morgan named “Must Be Love” one of Cassie's “essential tunes” in 2012, describing it as a “flamenco-kissed love-in with Diddy.”[20] BET also ranked it one of Cassie's best collaborations, adding "Diddy was so into it that he felt like using his original moniker, “Puff Daddy” for the track. It must really have been love from the start!"[21] _Billboard_ listed it as one the twenty best love songs by real-life couples in 2014.[22]

Remixes and other use

A remix of “Must Be Love” was released featuring Busta Rhymes, Day26 (who had recorded a demo of the track) and Red Café.[23][24] N.O.R.E. recorded a remix of the song.[25] Diddy posted his own remix on Twitter in June 2009 saying, "Attn all DJ's! I did a special CLUB remix for Cassie's “Must Be Love” just for you." His club remix is a mashup of the song with The Notorious B.I.G.'s “Gimme the Loot”. Aasim (who co-wrote the track) and E Ness recorded their version of the remix.[26][27] Trey Songz also released a remix of the track during that month.[28] Cassie and Diddy then shared another remix to “Must Be Love” produced by Rob Holladay in late July 2009.[29][30]

Jacques Greene released his reworked “Marriage Proposal Mix” in December 2010, as a part of _Skydiver_, a remix compilation album by independent British label Local Action showing appreciation to Cassie,[31] and was later included on Jamie xx’s mix for Benji B on BBC Radio 1.[32] J. Cole freestyled over the song in “Back to the Topic,” included on his 2010 mixtape _Friday Night Lights_.[33] It was also sampled by Snakehips on their version titled “Miss U Always,”[34] and by producer Rupert Taylor, otherwise known as xxxy, on “I Know This Can't Be Love,” from his 2012 _Everything_ EP.[35] Producer Ed Flis known as Duran Duran Duran released a remix that same year.[36] Riton also shared his remixed version of the song in 2013.[37]

Music video

Background and synopsis

On May 8, 2009, Diddy stated on his Twitter account he was shooting the “Must Be Love” music video with Cassie.[38] Filming took place at a warehouse in Los Angeles.[39] Earlier that month, it had been revealed Bernard Gourley would be directing.[40] On May 9, Diddy posted behind-the-scenes footage on his YouTube channel.[41] On June 12, the video premiered on MTV.com.[42][43] More behind-the-scenes content was released that day. Laurieann Gibson choreographed the video with “natural, raw, fluid movements,” while Derek Roche styled the performers.[44][45] Cassie then visited BET's _106 & Park_ to premiere the video on June 16, 2009.[46][47]

In the Gourley-directed visuals, Cassie and Puff Daddy are shown in two separate apartments performing the song to each other through opposite sides of a single wall. In the treatment, the director describes the video concept as “something smoldering and sensual [...] cinematic [...] dripping with desire,” set in the middle of a heat wave established with a series of detail shots, creating an intense mood with dramatic lighting. The 2002 _wuxia_ film _Hero_ and Gordon Parks' photographs are used as reference to form this tension while telling the story of “an extraordinarily hot day inside the two adjoining apartments,” as the increasing heat throughout “becomes a metaphor for love.” The focus of the video are Cassie and Puff Daddy's performances in a “simple but dramatic” setting as they “internalize the desire” verbalized in the song's lyrics, accentuated by the wall separating them which is brought to its combustion point, reaching a climactic moment when smoke and flames start to build around them.[48]

Concept and reception

Cassie described it as “a very sexy, sensual video but at the same time it's very honest,” detailing, "I think as an artist, with every video you grow and you change, and I definitely have changed physically since my last video “Official Girl,” and become more of a woman so I'm more comfortable in my own skin and I move differently, so I think that's definitely reflected."[49] _Rap-Up_ wrote that the video featured the “most-talked-about haircut on the Internet,” after Cassie created buzz with a new look when she shaved the right side of her head a couple of months prior to its release.[50][51] She would then be credited in following years with popularizing the half-shaved hairstyle trend among women.[52][53][54] Cassie addressed the haircut while on set filming the video: “Recently I just shaved the right side of my head. Everybody thought I was crazy [...] I just woke up one morning and I was ready to do it, it was a very liberating feeling and I almost feel more comfortable and more myself with this hairstyle so I'm glad that I get to debut it in the video.”[55]

Track listing

-   DIGITAL DOWNLOAD[56]

1.  “Must Be Love” (featuring Puff Daddy) – 4:34

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Qobuz[57] and ASCAP.[58]

-   Cassie – vocals, primary artist
-   Aion David Clarke – songwriter
-   Puff Daddy – vocals, featured artist, songwriter
-   Mario Winans – producer, songwriter
-   Leroy Watson – songwriter
-   Michael Carlos Jones – songwriter
-   Kristal Oliver – vocal producer
-   Shannon Jones – vocal producer
-   Matthew Testa – mixing
-   Neal Pogue – mixing
-   Steve Dickey – assistant engineer

Charts

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Chart (2009)                      | Peak                              |
|                                   | position                          |
+===================================+===================================+
| Germany (Deutsche Black           | 16                                |
| Charts)[59]                       |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs          | 56                                |
| (_Billboard_)[60]                 |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay        | 56                                |
| (_Billboard_)[61]                 |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| US Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop         | 38                                |
| (_Billboard_)[62]                 |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Release history

  Country              Date                 Format             Label
  -------------------- -------------------- ------------------ -------
  United States        April 14, 2009[63]   Digital download
  April 27, 2009[64]   Urban radio
  United Kingdom       May 17, 2009[65]     Digital download

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[65]

title: Must Be Love (Cassie song)

question: Which artists provide vocals on the song Must Be Love?

answer: Cassie and Puff Daddy

question: How did Must Be Love perform on the charts?

answer: The song reached #16 on the Detsche Black Charts in Germany, #56 on Us Hot R&B & Hip Hop Songs, #56 on US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and #38 on US Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop.

question: When was Must Be Love released?

answer: April 14, 2009

question: What genre is Must Be Love?

answer: R&B

question: Summarize everything relating to Diddy.

answer: He provided guest vocals for the song under his moniker Puff Daddy and also co-wrote the song. He also appeared in the music video, in which he and Cassie performed the song on opposite sides of a wall. He called the record a "Bad Boy classic". He also confirmed that her album would be called Electro Love and released in 2009.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Must Be Love is an R&B song by Cassie featuring guest vocals from Puff Daddy. The song was released in 2009 and praised for its minimalist style, which recalled Big Boy Records' classic singles of the 1990s.


split: train

text:
[Can road salt and other pollutants disrupt our circadian rhythms?]
Salting streets in Milwaukee. Credit: Michael Pereckas, CC BY-SA

Every winter, local governments across the United States apply millions of tons of road salt to keep streets navigable during snow and ice storms. Runoff from melting snow carries road salt into streams and lakes, and causes many bodies of water to have extraordinarily high salinity.

At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, my colleague Rick Relyea and his lab are working to quantify how increases in salinity affect ecosystems. Not surprisingly, they have found that high salinity has negative impacts on many species. They have also discovered that some species have the ability to cope with these increases in salinity.

But this ability comes at a price. In a recent study, Rick and I analyzed how a common species of zooplankton, Daphnia pulex, adapts to increasing levels of road salt. We found that this exposure affected an important biological rhythm: The circadian clock, which may govern Daphnia's feeding and predation avoidance behaviors. Since many fish prey on Daphnia, this effect could have ripples throughout entire ecosystems. Our work also raises questions about whether salt, or other environmental pollutants, could have similar impacts on the human circadian clock.

DAILY BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS AND THE CIRCADIAN CLOCK

In studying how road salt affects aquatic ecosystems, the Relyea lab showed that Daphnia pulex can adapt to handle moderate exposures in as little as two and a half months. These levels ranged from 15 milligrams of chloride (a building block of salt) per liter of water to a high of 1,000 milligrams per liter – a level found in highly contaminated lakes in North America.

[Can road salt and other pollutants disrupt our circadian rhythms?]
Daphnia pulex. Credit: Brian Mattes, CC BY-ND

However, an organism's ability to adapt to something in its environment can also be accompanied by negative trade-offs. My lab's collaboration with Rick's began in an effort to identify these trade-offs in salt-adapted Daphnia.

In my lab, we study how our circadian rhythms allow us to keep track of time. We investigate how the molecules in our cells work together to tick like a clock. These circadian rhythms allow an organism to anticipate 24-hour oscillations in its environment, such as changes from light (daytime) to dark (nighttime), and are essential to an organism's fitness.

Rick and I hypothesized that adaptation to high salinity could disrupt Daphnia's circadian rhythms based on recent evidence showing that other environmental contaminants can disrupt circadian behavior. One important behavior in Daphnia that may be controlled by the circadian clock is the diel vertical migration – the largest daily biomass migration on Earth, which occurs in oceans, bays and lakes. Plankton and fish migrate down to deeper water during the day to avoid predators and sun damage, and back up toward the surface at night to feed.

Given what we know about circadian function, it would be logical to assume that exposure to pollution would not affect an organism's circadian rhythms. While circadian clocks can incorporate environmental information to tell the time of day, they are heavily buffered against most environmental effects.

[Can road salt and other pollutants disrupt our circadian rhythms?]
Echogram illustrating the ascending and descending phases of diel vertical migration, in which organisms ascend and descend through the water column. The color scale reflects acoustic scattering by concentrations of organisms at different depths. Credit: DEEP SEARCH - BOEM, USGS, NOAA

To understand the importance of this buffering, imagine that the timing of an organism's day length responded to environmental temperature. Heat speeds up molecular reactions, so on hot days the organism's 24-hour rhythm could become 20 hours, and on cold days it might become 28 hours. In essence, the organism would have a thermometer, not a clock.

ADAPTATION TO POLLUTION AFFECTS KEY CIRCADIAN GENES

To determine whether clock disruption is a trade-off to pollutant adaptation, we first had to establish that Daphnia is governed by a circadian clock. To do this, we identified genes in Daphnia that are similar to two genes, known as period and clock, in an organism that serves as a circadian model system: Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly.

We tracked the levels of period and clock in Daphnia, keeping the organisms in constant darkness to ensure that a light stimulus did not affect these levels. Our data showed that the levels of period and clock varied over time with a 24-hour rhythm – a clear indication that Daphnia have a functional circadian clock.

Daphnia and other plankton are among the most abundant organisms on Earth and play critical ecological roles.
We also tracked the same genes in populations of Daphnia that had adapted to increased salinity. Much to my surprise, we discovered that the daily variation of period and clock levels deteriorated directly with the level of salinity the Daphnia were adapted to. In other words, as Daphnia adapted to higher salinity levels, they showed less variation in the levels of period and clock over the day. This demonstrated that Daphnia's clock is indeed affected by pollutant exposure.

We currently don't understand what causes this effect, but the relationship between salinity levels and decreased variation in the levels of period and clock offers a clue. We know that exposure to pollutants causes Daphnia to undergo epigenetic regulation – chemical changes that affect the function of their genes, without altering their DNA. And epigenetic changes often show a gradual response, becoming more pronounced as the causal factor increases. Therefore, it is likely that high salinity is inducing chemical changes through these epigenetic mechanisms in Daphnia to suppress the function of its circadian clock.

THE BROAD EFFECTS OF CIRCADIAN CLOCK DISRUPTIONS

We know that environmental conditions can affect what the clock regulates in many species. For example, changing the sugar that the fungus Neurospora crassa grows on changes which behaviors the clock regulates. But to our knowledge, this study is the first to show that genes of an organism's core clock can be directly impacted by adapting to an environmental contaminant. Our finding suggests that just as the gears of a mechanical clock can rust over time, the circadian clock can be permanently impacted by environmental exposure.

[Can road salt and other pollutants disrupt our circadian rhythms?]
The human circadian clock regulates the cycles of many bodily functions. Credit: NIH

This research has important implications. First, if Daphnia's circadian clock regulates its participation in the diel vertical migration, then disrupting the clock could mean that Daphnia do not migrate in the water column. Daphnia are key consumers of algae and a food source for many fish, so disrupting their circadian rhythms could affect entire ecosystems.

Second, our findings indicate that environmental pollution may have broader effects on humans than previously understood. The genes and processes in Daphnia's clock are very similar to those that regulate the clock in humans. Our circadian rhythms control genes that create cellular oscillations affecting cell function, division and growth, along with physiological parameters such as body temperature and immune responses.

When these rhythms are disrupted in humans, we see increased rates of cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression and many other diseases. Our work suggests that exposure to environmental pollutants may be depressing the function of human clocks, which could lead to increased rates of disease.

We are continuing our work by studying how the disruption of Daphnia's clock affects its participation in the diel vertical migration. We are also working to determine the underlying causes of these changes, to establish whether and how this could happen in the human brain. The impacts we have found in Daphnia show that even a simple substance such as salt can have extremely complex effects on living organisms.

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

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This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.[The Conversation]

CITATION: Can road salt and other pollutants disrupt our circadian rhythms? (2018, January 4) retrieved 1 December 2020 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-01-road-salt-pollutants-disrupt-circadian.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

question: How many species can adapt to an increase in the level of water salinity?

answer: It is not certain the exact number.

question: What are the negative impacts a high increase of water salinity has on aquatic organisms?

answer: Mostly the possible disruption of its circadian rhythms.

question: For how long can the Daphnia Pulex handle moderate exposure to high salinity?

answer: Two and a half months.

question: What is Daphnia Pulex?

answer: A specie of zooplankton.

question: According to the scientists, what major factor is said to affect Daphnia's circadian rhythms?

answer: The adaptation to high salinity.

question: How do circadian rhythms affect aquatic organisms?

answer: They allow the organisms to anticipate 24-hour oscillations in their environment, such as changes from daytime to nighttime, which are essential to their fitness.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This is a science article describing how high water salinity levels can affect the ecosystem of aquatic creatures, using the Daphnia Pulex as an example and how the effects of moderate to high levels of water salinity can disrupt its circadian rhythms.


text:
The sign spells "Oleander's". A fitting name, perhaps, for oleander can be either a deadly poison or a potent medicine depending on which parts and how much you choose to process. Much like alcohol. Since I'm already here, I might as well sit down and treat myself to an evening glass of something, and so I ask for a glass of mojito.

 For a tavern, it's strangely quiet and vacant, unlike all those depictions of the establishment in stories everywhere. There's no barfight, no quarrel, nothing above a whisper. Maybe the rain has driven the customers away, maybe it's a local tradition to not drink on this day, or maybe the bar is inadequate for the folks' tastes.

There's a homely feeling to this place, as I notice. I suppose it's the quietness that's rarely associated with any place that allows alcohol consumption. I'm not a crowd person. If I had to choose to live between rotting in a chair alone and associating with others incessantly, I would pick the former of the two. It's never until you've talked to so many people that you started to cherish the precious silence with a book, or a hot cup of chocolate by your side.

On my left sits an old, rusty, scarlet-colored Hecker radio. Heckers, having been out of production since 1985, are undoubtedly rare now. Carla Bruni's *Quelqu'un M'a Dit* is playing, fully accompanied by crackles and static and everything you'd expect from such an old model. The song sounds better this way, as do most French songs, I recognize.

"Mister? Here's your mojito. Please enjoy!"

I look up and catch the waitress' gaze. She has clear, hazel eyes. The type of eyes that would never give away what they are hiding behind. Just like yours.

I thank her and take a sip. For a moment, I see you also looking back at me through the fogged glass.

April 12

title: Taverns and mojitos

question: Why does the narrator love the tavern so much?

answer: He likes its quietness and homeliness.


text:
On the other side of our Human World, there was a Monster World.

There was a young monster named Davi.  Davi was a lonely boy.  He had seven brothers, but he always stayed home alone.

Davi cried everyday.  He wanted to make friends.

Davi went to talk to his grandfather, who was the guard of the gate which connects Human World and Monster World.

Davi asked his grandfather, "I want to go to Human World.  I don't have any friends here.  Maybe I can make friends over there."

Gradfather said "No, it's too dangerous.  No one in Human World likes Monsters.  You won't make any friends there."

But Davi went "Nobody in Monster World likes me anyway.  I want to at least try making friends in Human World!"

Grandfather decided to allow Davi 3 days in Human World, and gave Davi 3 gold coins, and told him "These coins may help you when you are in trouble."

Davi thanked his grandfather, and went through the gate.

Davi walked through the dark...

Davi landed on the street.  He was amazed at the sun, the sky, the tall trees, and the houses!

Davi saw a college dormitory in which college girls were petting a cat.

Davi sneaked into the dormitory and talked to the cat. "Mr!" said Davi.  "How can I make friends with humans?"

" Meow! " answered Mr. Cat.  "I am not going to tell you because you are a Monster.  We don't like monsters.  But I see you have three gold coins in your pocket.  If you give me one coin, I'll answer your question."

Davi gave him one gold coin.  Then Mr. Cat went "Ok!  All I do is mew and purr at people's feet."

Davi said "Thank you, Mr. Cat!"

Davi approached the college girls, who were busy chattering with each other, and purred and mewed at their feet.  The college girls turned around, and...

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!  Monster!!!"  The college girls screamed in horror, and ran out of the building!

Davi was left alone in the dormitory.  He walked out on the street, and he cried and cried and cried all night long.

On the second day, Davi saw two young boys playing with a dog in a house.

Davi sneaked into the house, and talked to the Dog. "Mr!" said Davi.  "How can I make friends with Humans?"

" Arf!" answers Mr. Dog.  "I am not going to tell you because you are a monster.  We don't monsters.  But I see you have two gold coins in your pocket.  If you give me one coin, I'll be happy to answer your question."

So Davi gave him one coin.  Then Mr. Dog went "Okay!  All I do is bow-wow, and lick people's faces."  "Thank you, Mr. Dog!" said Davi.

Davi approached the two young boys, and suddenly licked their faces and BOW-WOWED!!

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!! MONSTER!!"  cried the two young boys.  They screamed in horror and ran out of the building!

Davi was left alone in the house.  He walked out on the street, and he cried and cried and cried all night long.

On the third day, Davi saw a huge house in which an old blind lady was feeding a small bird in a cage.

Davi sneaked into the house, and talked to the bird. "Mrs!" said Davi.  "How can I make friends with humans?"

"Chirp!" answered Mrs. Bird.  "I am not going to tell you because you are a Monster.  We don't Monsters.  But I see you have one gold coin in your pocket.  If you give me the coin, I'll be happy to answer your question."

So Davi gave her his last gold coin.  Then Mrs. Bird says "Okay!  All I do is chirp and sing a song!"

Davi started singing a song.  Then...

"Where does this come from?" the old blind lady approached Davi.  Davi was so happy.  "This is the most beautiful song I have ever heard,"said Old Blind Lady.

Then she touched Davi's face.  "Who are you? What is this?  Could this be a... AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Monster!!!!"  The Old Blind Lady screamed in horror, and fainted dead!

Davi was left alone once again.  He walked out on the street, and he cried and cried and cried all night long.

Davi went back to the gate.  He was very sad.  The trees, the sun, the sky didn't amaze Davi anymore.

Davi met his grandfather at the gate.  Grandfather went "Why are you crying?"  Then Davi answered "I tried really hard to make friends with humans, and asked Mr. Cat, Mr. Dog and Mrs. Bird for advise, and I followed their good advice, but nobody liked
 me.  Nobody cared about me anywhere.  I'll be alone for the rest of my life.  Nobody likes me!"

Then grandfather answered "It takes so much courage just to go to Human World.  And you were on your own Davi.  You are the most courageous Monster I have ever seen.  Everytime you cried, you learned to be stronger.  You don't need anyone else."

Davi listened to his grandfather.  "Now go home, Davi," said grandfather.

Davi walked back to his house, and opened the door, then...

Davi's seven brothers rushed to Davi, cheering "We've heard you were in Human World by yourself?!" "I wish I can be like you!"  "You are so brave!"

Davi finally smiled.  From that day on, Davi played with his brothers everyday, and lived happily ever after.

(Copyright @ myself)

title: An original children's story about a monster who tries to make friends with people

question: Summarize the main conflict in the story.

answer: Davi, a small monster child, is a lonely boy who wants only to make friends but is finding this process to be trying, and it leaves him visibly distressed every day. His grandfather informs him entering the human world is too dangerous, as they do not like monsters there. David insists that because he does not fit in the monster world, he might as well take his chances.

question: Summarize how the conflict gets resolved.

answer: Davi's grandfather decides to give him the option of spending three days in the human world. He immediately makes friends with a cat, but the girls scream when they see his monstrous visage. He meets a dog who cons him out of a coin and advises Davi to lick people's faces, which of course does not go well. Finally on the third day Davi meets an old blind lady who keels over and dies upon touching his face. Davi returns to the monster world, and finds to his surprise everyone admires and likes him for his having had the courage to enter the human world.

question: What are some other tactics Davi's grandfather might have suggested before he allowed Davi to try out the human world?

question: Summarize the thing that remains the same about Davi throughout the story, and the thing that changes.

answer: Throughout the course of the story, Davi is very brave and independent. He not only enters the human world on his accord, but also approaches and tries different approaches with both human and non-human creatures. Then he even heads back to the monster world to admit what he considers to be his defeat. However, Davi spends most of the story thinking that no one likes him and incorrectly gauging what it takes to be liked. At the end of the story he realizes he is worthy of being liked for his own brave, adventurous self.


text:
POWER RESOURCE THEORY is a political theory which proposes the idea that the distribution of power between major classes is to some extent accountable for the successes and failure of various political ideologies. It argues that “working class power achieved through organisation by labor unions or left parties, produces more egalitarian distributional outcomes”.[1]

Pioneered in the 1970s and 80s through the works of Walter Korpi, Gøsta Esping-Andersen, and John Stephens, the power resource theory is a method of approach utilized to examine the characteristics and varying levels of impacts of social policies as well as social inequalities on advanced industrialized nations.[2] The power resources approach attempts to account for the various approaches to social policy adopted by nations, predominately focusing on the role and strength of labor mobilization to gather a more encompassing explanation for the varying levels of development and efficiencies of social policies. Therefore, the power resource theory “helps to account for the emergence and development of institutions” and the varying “empowered actors attempting to generate differential distributions of rewards.”[3] This is a result of the varying policy preferences of different social classes.[4]

While the power resource theory is arguably the most successful theory in explaining the variations in development and efficiencies of social protection systems and institutions among developed democracies, there are criticisms that point out the lack of accountability for factors such as variations in “coverage, extension, and generosity among welfare states” in addition to not accounting for the importance of political mobilization based on social class.[5] Competing theories have also challenged PRT with alternative explanations for the varying levels of welfare development such as the importance of employers and cross-class alliances that exist in coordinated market societies.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

title: Power resource theory

question: What is the power resource theory?

answer: It is a political theory that proposes the idea that the distribution of power between major classes is to some extent accountable for the successes and failure of various political ideologies.

question: Who pioneered the power resource theory?

answer: Power resource theory was pioneered in 1970s and 1980s through the works of Walter Korpi, Gøsta Esping-Andersen, and John Stephens.

question: What are the criticisms of the power resource theory?

answer: There are criticisms that point out the lack of accountability for factors such as variations in "coverage, extension, and generosity among welfare states." It also does not account for the importance of political mobilization based on social class.

question: How has the power resource theory been applied in the real world?

answer: Not answered.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Power resource theory is a political theory that suggests the idea that the distribution of power between major classes is to some extent accountable for the successes and failure of various political ideologies.


text:
My mother died when I was nine. Maybe that’s why I’m writing this now, today. Not that I’ve never thought about this before. It’s just that nothing happened today. I woke up. I sat on the couch for an hour. I checked my mailbox around noon: nothing. I watched the clouds roll by to the droning of the television. I’m not even sure what it was that was on. Some game show or other shit program that advertises false happiness for free. I’m so fed up with wealth being the only source of happiness that’s feasible anymore. But everyone thinks that, don’t they? I can’t even be original with my angst. Not that I was original in anything I’ve done thus far with my life.

See, my mother died when I was nine. I’ve already said that, but the point is I never quite came to terms with it. I woke up in September, and she was dead. Car accident. Not that the cause is really important. The end result is always the same. And like I said, I never really dealt with this. I was nine. What nine year old can comprehend death? What third grader can grasp the idea that their mother stopped living?  She’s gone, they told me. She’s in heaven. I remember looking up the directions to heaven that night. Why did she go, and not bring me? When is she coming home? Mommy is never coming home, they said. Well, never is a long time. Never hasn’t come and gone yet, not for me. And see, I struggled with this concept for a long time. And as a nine year old trying to come to grips with his and everyone else’s mortality, I wasn’t very fun to be around.  I grew up with no real friends, just people I talked to on occasion. That kid in the back of the class that everyone whispered about and avoided in the halls? That was me.

My father tried to help, at least. He tried to get me interested in sports. He’d take me outside to throw a football. I pretended to be interested. I tried really hard to be enthusiastic about something, anything. But really, what was the point? We all live; we all die. It’s a useless cycle of oxygen exchanged with carbon dioxide. Eventually we all become food for trees. Apathy had a stranglehold, and it wasn’t letting go. I tried therapy. They told me I was depressed, so I tried antidepressants. They just made me anxious. I tried writing, but I was never any good. Everything came out stiff. I tried learning an instrument but my fingers never moved the way I wanted them to. Eventually even my father gave up on me. So forgive me if I don’t believe you when you say you care. When your father gives up you, you’re at the bottom. That’s really just it. And what’s sad, what is so fucking pathetic, is that none of this is unique. Do you know how many assholes have lived this same life? This apathy isn’t original, it’s cliché. I’m just a sad speck in the spectrum of grey nothingness that is the universe.

And today, nothing happened. I woke up; I lived; I sighed; I gave up. My dog hasn’t even looked at me today. Aren’t dogs supposed to sense emotions and respond appropriately? Maybe it’s because I’m not sad. I’m not angry. I’m not anything. I just am. I exist. Who cares? Not my dog, not my father; not my mother, that’s for damn sure. So the sun set today, like it has every day in history, and I sat down at my desk. This time I’m not writing for catharsis. I’m not writing to get better. I’m writing so you understand why. And tomorrow the sun is going to rise. Just like today, the day that nothing happened. Just like that day in September when I was nine and my mother was dead. And tomorrow, something might happen, just not for me.

title: The Day That Nothing Happened

question: Summarize the symptoms that indicate the narrator is suffering from depression.

answer: The narrator spends an hour sitting on the couch doing nothing. They don't show any interest or enthusiasm in any hobbies. They are overcome by feelings of apathy. They seem to have given up on life overall.

question: Summarize how the narrator changes over the course of the story?

question: Summarize the narrator's reaction to their mother's death.

answer: The narrator tried to look up the directions to heaven. They struggled to come to grips with the fact that their mother was never coming back. They became isolated socially and lost enthusiasm for living.

question: Summarize everything related to hobbies.

answer: The narrator's father tries to get them interested in sports. The narrator also tries to learn an instrument. The narrator does manage to write, but mainly to help people understand their condition.


text: The flag at the cemetary is at half-mast. I used to pass by  those stars and stripes every day on the bus, watching it flutter freely as i roared by in a big metal combustion engine with wheels. It's still at half-mast now, years later. Most things are the same as they were years ago, that house on the corner is still half built, mom always thought that the builders ran out of money, now it will never be finished, the front door gaping open forevermore. Even that riding mower on the field across the street is still in the same place, still sputtering and making metal noises as if someone might ever come back and finish the job. No one will ever finish the job. You would think it would be nice to suddenly have the world to yourself, peace and quiet, no people. Most people don't like people, you ever realize that? I used to be that way, muttering "God i hate people." whenever i could get the chance. I don't hate people now. I miss that quiet murmur of people around you, that sense of humanity that instantly makes you feel in the right place and not alone or devoid of all connection. I miss people.

title: Flag at half mast.

question: Why was the flag still at half-mast, years later?

answer: It is assumed that the town is now a ghost-town.


text:
[NORWICH, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen of Borussia Monchengladbach in action during the pre season match between Norwich City and Borussia Monchengladbach at Carrow Road on August 11, 2012 in Norwich, England. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)]

Pete Norton/Getty Images

On Wednesday, Marca reported that  Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen had agreed to personal terms with Barcelona and had signed a pre-agreement with the Spanish Primera leaders.

With Victor Valdes having announced that he will not extend his contract with Barcelona, which expires in 2014, the Catalan club are now in the market for a new No. 1. And although they have pledged to keep Valdes on their staff until his contract expires, it seem Barca have wasted no time in deciding who will replace him in just over a year's time. Ter Stegen's contract will expire in 2015, meaning that Gladbach will have to sell next summer if they are to collect a transfer fee.

But who is Ter Stegen? And is he worth the hype? According to ex-Gladbach goalkeeper Joerg Stiel in a Goal.com article, Ter Stegen is better and has more quality than Manuel Neuer: "It's quite clear, in the not-too-distant future, he will be Germany's No. 1."

Last March, still before Ter Stegen's first cap for Germany, Stiel even claimed that the then-19-year-old could become the best goalkeeper in the world.

Ter Stegen has many, many more fans, including legendary Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sepp Maier. Last January, the World Cup and three-time European Cup winner claimed that "Marc is virtually on par with Manuel Neuer."

Ter Stegen has enjoyed a steep climb to prominence. In 2009, he won the European Championship with a Germany side that featured now-superstar Mario Goetze. The following season he was promoted to the Gladbach U19 team, and then the reserves. Throughout most of the 2010-11 season he was available as a backup for the first team. And then, on April 10, 2011 (just weeks before his 19th birthday), he was given the nod to start in his first Bundesliga game.

Gladbach were struggling at the time and needed a miracle to avoid relegation. In the final six matches of the campaign they won four and lost just once, as Ter Stegen conceded just three goals. Gladbach's strong run of form in the final weeks of the campaign lifted them to 16th place, earning them a spot in the relegation/promotion playoff against Bochum. After a 1-0 win at Borussia-Park, die Fohlen scraped by with a 1-1 draw in Bochum and retained their spot in the Bundesliga.

As the 2011-12 campaign began, Ter Stegen's potential was understood but his reputation had not yet blossomed. He was not immediately called up to the German U21 team, and made his only appearance at that level in February of 2012. For Gladbach, however, the youngster was magnificent. His side conceded just 24 goals (0.71 per game) in the Bundesliga, a record bettered only by Bayern and Juventus among teams in Europe's top leagues

In 2011-12, Ter Stegen outplayed Neuer twice as Gladbach—a side that so had come so close to being relegated the previous season—won both of their league clashes with Bayern en route to a surprise fourth placed finish. Following his brilliant performances, Joachim Loew called up the youngster for his pre-Euro 2012 friendlies and Ter Stegen earned his first cap in an away match against Switzerland.

Germany lost the friendly 5-3, and Ter Stegen was dropped from Loew's squad as Ron-Robert Zieler and Tim Wiese served as backups for Manuel Neuer at Euro 2012. The Gladbach stopper came off the bench after Zieler was sent off in an August friendly with Argentina and immediately made an impression as he saved a Lionel Messi penalty. It was not enough to save the DFB team from a 3-1 defeat.

Ter Stegen has, in his limited experience, played with experimental Germany teams. And with die Mannschaft down to 10 men by the time of his introduction, perhaps not much could be expected of him in the Argentina match. Still, in 150 minutes for Germany he's allowed a highly disappointing eight goals. And this season, without the talismanic Dante in defense, Gladbach have conceded 32 goals in 21 games.

It can be definitively concluded that Ter Stegen is far from a finished product and perhaps is not yet ready for the expectations that will come at Barcelona. Still, the player has tremendous potential. For all his quality, Neuer only made his debut appearance for Germany when he was fully three years older than Ter Stegen when the Gladbach man played against Switzerland.

In his youth, the ex-Schalke keeper was always a great shot-stopper but was nowhere near as comfortable in the box as Ter Stegen, and by comparison was far more suspect from crosses. At 19, Ter Stegen coolly commanded his defense to the third-best record in Europe. And out of 10 penalties faced at professional level, he's saved five—Messi, Andre Schuerrle and Rafael Van der Vaart are among those who have failed to beat him.

The next 16 months or so are critical for Ter Stegen as he looks to take the next step in his career. Even if Barca have committed to him, there is nothing stopping the Catalans from signing an additional goalkeeper if Ter Stegen struggles between now and the summer of 2014.

The Gladbach man needs to take his chances to solidify himself as Neuer's backup ahead of the 2014 World Cup, and achieve modest success with Gladbach. Neither Zieler nor Rene Adler, Loew's other replacements for Neuer, currently do or can expect to compete in the Champions League and thus have no intrinsic advantage over Ter Stegen. The table certainly is set for the 20-year-old if he can perform.

Barcelona would be a huge step for Ter Stegen, who will still be only 22 heading into the 2014-15 season. He needs to make a leap, though, if he is ever to contend for glory with club and as a prominent feature in his national team.

Still, Stiel is convinced the youngster can make the leap, saying, "Of course I trust him [to be ready for Barcelona]. Whoever masters the Bundesliga is ready for any challenge."

_Follow Clark Whitney on Twitter_

question: Summarize everything about Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

answer: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is a goalkeeper of Borussia Monchengladbach. At the time of the article, He was 20 and would be replacing Victor Valdes, whose contract with Barcelona would expire in 2014. Although still young and gaining experience, Ter Stegen had great potential.

question: Why was Victor Valdez not extending his contract with Barcelona?

answer: It's not mentioned in the article.

question: What did ex-Gladbach goalkeeper Joerg Stiel say about Ter Stegen?

answer: Stiel said that Ter Stegen would be Germany's future number one and could even become the best goalkeeper in the world.

question: What did  Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sepp Maier say about Ter Stegen?

answer: He said Ter Stegen was on par with Manuel Neuer.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Victor Valdes's contract with Barcelona would expire in 2014, and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen of Borussia Monchengladbach would replace him. He was 20 at the time of the article and had limited experience, but according to Joerg Stiel in an interview, he could become the best goalkeeper in the world.


text:
(NaturalNews) The U.S. _Environmental Protection Agency_ (EPA), which these days would more aptly be titled the Chemical Protection Agency, has passed a new regulation change that will massively increase the maximum allowable levels of herbicide residue in food. According to the new regulation, the EPA has doubled the amount of glyphosate (Roundup) residue legally allowed on oilseed crops like canola and soy that are intended for human consumption, even though this will create a significant public health hazard.

Genetically-modified (GM) crop technology is an ever-evolving process that, contrary to industry claims, requires increasingly more and varying types of pesticides in order to generate yields. But the previous legal framework prohibited the excessive use of such crop chemicals as they are a clear threat to human health. So to accommodate the biotechnology industry, the EPA has simply rewritten its own rules so that more of the chemical can legally be applied to GM crops without consequence.

"[T]he new EPA regulation [will] allow 'oilseed' crops such as flax, canola, and soybean oil to contain glyphosate at levels up to 40 parts per million (ppm), up from 20 ppm, which is over 100,000 times the concentration needed to induce the growth of human breast cancer cells in vitro," explains _GMWatch.org_. "It also raises the allowable glyphosate contamination level for food crops such as potatoes from 200 ppm to 6,000 ppm."

Glyphosate, of course, is Monsanto's go-to chemical herbicide for use on its extensive array of patented, GM crops. The biotech giant has lobbied heavily over the years to keep glyphosate in widespread use, despite its long-term environmental persistence and extreme toxicity. Numerous recent studies, in fact, have linked glyphosate exposure to conditions such as severe organ damage, gut microbe destruction, and cancer.

Even at what would otherwise be considered trace levels, glyphosate has proven immeasurably toxic to humans in all sorts of ways. A responsible EPA with integrity and a commitment to protecting public health would have worked towards eliminating glyphosate from use altogether. But instead, the corrupt agency has betrayed the public trust by supporting the increased use of glyphosate at the expense of environmental and human health.

"The EPA is failing to protect human health and the environment by neglecting to regulate the excessive use of herbicide," states a recent petition created by the group _Food & Water Watch_. which tried to stop the new regulation's passage. "Instead, it is just changing its own rules to allow the irresponsible and potentially dangerous applications to continue."

It is a fact that the EPA never even conducted its own independent safety tests on glyphosate prior to approving its use. The agency simply accepted whatever data was thrown at it by Monsanto as "evidence" of the chemical's safety. Today, glyphosate is being found in rivers, lakes, groundwater, and the food supply, not to mention in human blood, as a direct result of the EPA's negligence in properly regulating its use.

"Glyphosate has been shown by a number of studies to cause cancer and other inflammatory diseases," wrote one commenter at the _Washington Times_. "The U.S. has a considerably higher cancer rate than other countries. It also has a considerably higher rate of other diseases. Generally, as was found by medical research, Americans suffer from more pain and illness during their lifetime than their peers in other countries."

SOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE INCLUDE:

http://communities.washingtontimes.com

http://www.gmwatch.org

http://www.regulations.gov

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

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question: What is glyphosate?

answer: A herbicide, Roundup, with adverse effects in humans.

question: How is glyphosate dangerous?

answer: It has been linked to severe organ damage, gut microbe destruction, and cancer.

question: Why has the EPA increased allowed amounts of glyphosate?

answer: To accommodate the biotechnology industry.

question: How much of an increase has the EPA allowed?

answer: From 200 ppm to 6,000 ppm.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The EPA has rewritten rules regarding acceptable amounts of glyphosate on various foodstuffs. Accommodating the biotechnology industry, it has raised acceptable levels from 200 ppm to 6,000 ppm on potatoes, for example.