text:
Ashes, a tee shirt, and a mental slideshow. That's all I have left. I gently pressed my face into the tee shirt, waiting for the scent to take me on a winding trail of memories. Mental snapshots took life, moving slowly, with blissful happiness. That place, those smiles, these uncertain days. I rejected my raging sea of emotions, only hoping to delay the storm surge for a while longer.

Snap me back into my world, how I welcome and despise it. I lifted the plain tee shirt from my face, and put it into a small bag, and sealed it shut. Beside it, a small jar that contained everything I'd ever allowed close. It was the only other part that understood who I was. I gripped it tightly. More memories began to flow, the levees had finally given way.

Beach, stars, gentle rumbling of waves on the smooth white sand. The air was totally still, only gentle wafting scents hinted at the fact the world was still slowly churning on. There, beside me, you sat. I was accepted wholly here, no regrets. A thick band of stars became obscured by soft light, making a thin dotted white strip across the sky. I wish you could still join me on those nights, watching the Milky Way rise. We used to sit here, picking out which stars we would visit before time ended. Everything blurred again.

Face to face, eyes locked. We handed each other ear-buds, small grins traversing our faces. Our song came on, along with all those warm feelings. Late night fields filled with life, grass gently swaying in the midnight breeze. Starlight softly illuminated our world, everything became so tranquil. Peacefulness, happiness.

Sunlight began to warm my cheeks. I furrowed my brows, I wasn't ready to leave just yet. I don't want to let go, I want to stay here. Why can't time grant me this one favor? Just one more experience, one more memory. One last souvenir to bury my stinging emotions with.

I sat, looking over the field. Our field. Painful awareness had taken control for now. A jar of ash and a tee shirt, that's what all of this had been reduced to. No breathing, laughing, heartbeat, smile, watery blue eyes, nothing anymore. Carbon atoms, back to the way we both used to be, before the beginning of the world.

Supernovas, the crucibles of our Universe that finally gave way. Your atoms had begun the journey back without mine to go with them. This haunting scientific realization meshed itself to my feelings. Everything you are to me, everything you were, could be, had been. My thoughts and reality pulsated, briefly merging with each other.

I lost all control. Tears, hurt, and loss all rushed forward from every fiber in my being. I felt myself tear open, shattering into tiny pieces. Fear began to settle in. I fear that this beautiful maze of chance might never repeat itself again.

Supernovas, where it all began. Where the lighter elements were fused into the atoms of life. This is where our story began. We exploded forth into this existence, atoms mashing and combining together. Our Universe ignited these elements in the void, watching as our miracle took place. It haunts me to think about us in this way. How, after all those billions of years, we came into contact, unaware of the framework allowing for this to happen.

All I want when my days come to an end, is to explode with you once more. I want to surge outwards again, your atoms with mine. I want the maze to send us as wanderers across each other's paths again. I want to feel the same instant connection I felt when we met. I want to know that feeling of faint familiarity and unyielding curiosity, and it's absolute pull.

I want to build a home in it all.

-Dedicated to Kathryn

title: Build a Home

question: Who is the narrator talking about when they refer to "you"?

answer: It seems the narrator is referring to a significant other who has died.

question: What is the narrator wishing for?

answer: The narrator wants to have more time and make more memories with the person they've lost.

question: What doesn't the narrator want to let go of?

answer: The narrator doesn't want to let go of the person and the memories they are talking about.

question: What emotions is the narrator experiencing?

answer: The narrator is experiencing what seems to be grief and nostalgia.

question: Does the narrator have family?

answer: That information can't be found

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: It seems the narrator is grieving over the death of someone very important to them. They reflect on the memories they shared and wish for more. The narrator wants to be with this person just once more.


split: train

text:
Whether he jumped or was pushed, Stephen Moore has done the right thing for the Wallabies by stepping down from the captaincy immediately, and ending his splendid 12-year international career at the end of the 2017.

It is not an easy thing to give up the honour and the extra income that comes with being the captain of the Wallabies. It is a measure of him as person and as a player dedicated to the cause of the Wallabies that, without drama or ego-massaging, he has stepped aside at the right time for the team and for himself.

Moore deserves a last hurrah as a Wallaby in November. He has been one of the few players of his generation who has actually grown as a player and a leader throughout his career.

The timing and details of his abdication will allow his steadying and dedicated influence to be available within the playing group and, most importantly, for the next captain.

The sentiment in most of the rugby media is that this next captain should be Michael Hooper. I disagree.

[Michael Hooper Wallabies Australia Rugby Union 2017]

(AAP Image/David Moir)

In the _Australian_, the doyen Wayne Smith insists on a Hooper ascension: “At 25, he could well become the Wallabies’ next skipper for the next decade … It’s fair to say that Hooper would have learnt some harsh lessons from his early days as skipper but the critical thing is he absorbed them into his captaincy style and now he looks the complete leader …

“Yet it should not be seen that Hooper will win the captaincy in any way by default. He is the standout candidate.”

But on the same page of the _Australian_, Mark Ella disputes this analysis: “I must say I’m not a big fan of Hooper’s captaincy. His influence and general impact went missing for the Waratahs this season, who were a sham and should be embarrassed by the way they played given their playing list and resources.”

I must say I agree with Ella in his assessment.

I can’t see how Michael Hooper showed any real leadership qualities with the Waratahs. The players took no notice of his instructions not to give away stupid penalties under pressure. They failed to respond to his repeated urging to lift their game.

Some of his own decisions, notably when to take the points with easy penalties or go for the try option were wrong.

His own play as well has far too much of the individual Lone Ranger about it, rather than the ensemble player like most good number sevens.

This Lone Ranger mode is a strength of his game, allowing him to explode in brilliant one-off runs, for instance. But it is also a weakness, as his whole game is much less effective throughout the 80 minutes of play than it is in a handful of moments.

Ella has summed this dilemma about his play rather neatly: “Hooper is still young and exuberant and does the work of two players but he has to decide whether he wants to play in the forwards or in the backs.”

In other words, he is a fine player but he is not a fine number seven.

Even Wayne Smith agrees with this assessment, as he acknowledges in his article: “(Michael Hooper) now looks the complete leader. In every respect but one: he doesn’t have a lock on the number seven jersey. Or maybe he does under Cheika, but perhaps he shouldn’t have. He plays like a blindside flanker, but without the height to be a genuine lineout jumper, which pretty much comes with the job description of a Test number six.”

I would say that this is a fair analysis.

[michael-hooper-australia-wallabies-rugby-union-championship-2016]

(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

Next year, the two best youngish Australian number sevens, Liam Gill (particularly) and Sean McMahon, will be playing out of Australia and will not be eligible for Wallabies selection.

With Hooper as captain, there will be no incentive from Michael Cheika, you would think, to get Gill or McMahon back playing in Australia and into the Wallabies squad.

There is also the David Pocock aspect to be considered, as well.

The Pooper combination does not make a lot of sense from a rugby perspective. Pocock is a traditional number seven; brilliant over the ball at a time when the laws of rugby are being adjusted to take this skill, with its high risk of head injuries, out of the game.

Like Hooper, Pocock has poor aerial skills. Neither of these number sevens has the rangy lineout abilities that a number six or eight absolutely needs.

The next Wallabies captain, I would argue, must be for the long haul.

There are too many question marks over Hooper’s captaincy skills and (particularly) his play around the field for his long term endorsement as the successor to Moore.

I now come to another matter regarding the Wallabies, after Moore, that deserve consideration.

From now on, Michael Cheika is in the position to create his own Wallabies side, Cheika’s Wallabies, going into the 2019 Rugby World Cup tournament, rather than a cut-and-paste edition of the McKenzie/Cheika Wallabies we have had for the last couple of years.

I think Cheika intends to create his own team, the real Cheika Wallabies. The sign for me that this is the new policy is dropping Quade Cooper from the train-on squad. And, the influx of young players into the squad.

If this is the policy, then Cheika must be applauded for starting to implement it. It looks like he is going to use Reece Hodge, for instance, as the back-up number ten rather than Cooper. Number ten is the position that Hodge played in most of his club rugby stint.

I would hope, too, that Cheika combines Rory Arnold and Adam Coleman in the second row, to give the Wallabies size, power and some monster grunt that has been lacking in the Wallabies essentially since John Eales retired in 2003.

[Adam Coleman wins a lineout for the Wallabies]

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

It was noticeable, to me at least, that when Arnold was taken off at the 61st minute of the Brumbies-Hurricanes quarter-final that the home side began their slide to oblivion.

Michael Cheika needs to be quite ruthless with the players who were involved in the 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign. If their play hasn’t kicked on, he needs to replace them. Or, in the case of Israel Folau, switch him to a position, the wing, where his inadequate positional play and his general inability to read play is not exposed as it is at fullback.

The harsh fact is that being a losing Rugby World Cup finalist, as the Wallabies were in 2015, is generally the sign that the side, if it is kept together, is bound for subsequent failure.

Here are the beaten finalists in all the Rugby World Cup tournaments: 1987: France, 1991: England, 1995: New Zealand, 1999: France, 2003: Australia, 2007: England, 2011: France, 2015: Australia.

And here are the winning finalists in all the Rugby World Cup tournaments: 1987: New Zealand, 1991: Australia, 1995: South Africa, 1999: Australia, 2003: England, 2007: South Africa, 2011: New Zealand, 2015: New Zealand.

The interesting thing about these two lists is that there is very little correlation between being a losing finalist and a subsequent World Cup triumph within the next couple of tournaments.

France has played in three losing finals and has never won one.

It took England three more tournaments before it converted their losing 1991 final in a finals victory in 2003.

It also took New Zealand four more tournaments before converting their 1995 finals loss to a finals victory in 2011.

South Africa has won two Rugby World Cups and has never played in a losing final.

Australia lost the 2003 final and has not won one since.

[Stephen Moore Wallabies Australia Rugby Union Test Rugby Bledisloe Cup 2016]

(AAP Image/David Moir)

On the other hand, countries that have won a Rugby World Cup tournament, with the exception of England, have gone on to win another.

Rugby writers have developed the idea of sides “peaking too early” for Rugby World Cup tournaments. I think we should be developing the “beaten finalist curse” as a more obvious and more accurate notion.

A reason for the curse, I would suggest, is the mistaken belief that teams that get beaten in the final will somehow grow into being champions next time around.

This mistaken belief tends to encourage coaches to keep the bulk of the losing team for the next tournament.

The better plan is to rebuild the team with younger players, as the All Black coaches and selectors did in 2012 when they introduced nine new players and kept only the best of the veterans.

Michael Cheika seems to be doing this very thing this year. Good.

He needs to make one other dramatic change, I would argue. He needs to bring in a captain who was not part of the Rugby World Cup 2015 challenge.

That captain should be Adam Coleman, the captain of the Western Force side that comprehensively defeated the Melbourne Rebels late in the 2017 Super Rugby season.

Coleman is assured of his place in the Wallabies, unlike Hooper.

He has presence on the field, something that Hooper, for all his zipping around and his high octane energy, does not have.

Coleman, also, has a presence off the field, something the baby-faced Michael Hooper really doesn’t have.

This presence, on and off the field, is possibly the most important attribute a rugby captain can have.

I am reminded here of Ian McGeechan, coach of the 1997 British and Irish Lions, explaining why he picked Martin Johnson, a player without much captaincy experience, to lead the team through South Africa: “I wanted someone at the coin toss the Springboks could literally look up to.”

Earlier this year, I suggested that Bernard Foley should be the Wallabies captain when Stephen Moore stood down. I feel now that the Wallabies would be best served with Foley being vice-captain and having the role of the on-field tactician, which the number ten does anyway, allowing Coleman to lead by example with his super aggressive play in the forwards.

Wayne Smith in his article quoted earlier concedes that “as for a ‘Prince William’ selection (for Wallabies captain), there is only one possible contender lock Adam Coleman … But he has only captained the Western Force once, to a win over Melbourne Rebels, and it won’t hurt at all to allow him to spend some time working on his own game.”

I can’t see why Coleman can’t develop as a player and as a captain at the same time.

The importance of a forceful and tough-minded captain as the essential ingredient for a successful team has been spelt out in an interesting article in the _Herald_ online written by Dylan Cleaver and headlined: “McCaw, Shelford reason for All Blacks dominance, claims new book.”

The book is ‘The Captain Class: The Hidden force that creates the world’s greatest teams,’ written by the _Wall Street Journal_ deputy-editor of enterprise Sam Walker.

Walker identified the 16 greatest teams of all time, in his opinion. The All Blacks, in the Wayne Shelford era and the Richie McCaw era, were the only rugby team and the only team to make the list twice.

[All Blacks captain Richie McCaw]

(Photo: AFP)

Dylan Cleaver makes this observation about Sam Walker’s research: “Expecting the common denominator between the Tier One teams to be the usual suspects of superstar players, enlightened coaching and administration, or financial muscle, Walker was shocked to learn this wasn’t always the case – in fact it usually wasn’t.”

What Walker actually learnt was, as he explains in the book, this truth:

“On a whim, I decided to make a list of the primary player-leaders of these 16 teams to see if any of their careers also served as bookends for their teams’ Tier One performances. The results of this exercise stopped me cold. (Every team’s dominant) performance corresponded in some way to the arrival and departure of one particular player. In fact, they all did. And with an eerie regularity that person was, or would eventually become, the captain.”

As Cleaver points out, in the case of the two All Blacks teams the player/captains were Shelford and McCaw.

Sam Walker identified seven traits that all 16 captains shared:

-   Extreme doggedness and focus in competition
-   Aggressive play that tests the limits of the rules
-   A willingness to do the thankless jobs in the shadows
-   A low-key, practical and democratic communication style
-   Motivates others with passionate non-verbal displays
-   Strong convictions and the courage to stand apart
-   Ironclad emotional control

The only current Wallaby who goes close to sharing these traits is Adam Coleman.

This leads me to the inevitable conclusion that the best decision from a coaching perspective Michael Cheika might make would be to appoint Coleman as the captain of the Wallabies going into the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

question: Summarize everything that is known about the Wallabies.

answer: The Wallabies are a team in the Australia Rugby Union. Stephen Moore was there captain until stepping down at the end of 2017.

question: Who is Wayne Smith?

answer: Wayne Smith is a doyen who writes for a publication called the Australian.

question: Describe the Lone Ranger mode.

answer: Michael Hooper's individual-focused style of play that allows him to explode in brilliant one-off runs.

question: When was this article written?

answer: Unclear but likely sometime around 2017

question: What country are the subjects of this article from?

answer: Australia

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Stephen Moore, captain of the Wallabies, stepped down at the end of 2017. Writers for the Australian speculate as to who might fill the position, arguing about the viability of Michael Hooper as a possible successor.


text:
In October Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple Supplier TSMC will undergo a Major Management Change in 2018 as Founding Chairman set to Retire." The Chairman noted in his last major interview that Samsung was the only competitor that they were cautious of in order to keep Apple's chip business.

Yesterday Morris Chang officially retired after presiding over this last company shareholder meeting. He said during the meeting that he believes the dual leadership of Mark Liu and CC Wei will create another "miraculous" growth for the pure-play foundry.

Chang's only fear is if the US-China trade dispute worsens to upset the electronics supply chain. TSMC's major clients such as Apple will be affected, market observers believe. Orders placed by Apple generate nearly 20% of the foundry's total revenues.

Apple's CEO told CNN yesterday that he didn't believe that the iPhone would get a tariff on it, adding that "Based on what I've been told and what I see, I just don't see that."

It was reported on May 29th by BNN/Bloomberg that China's trade representatives have said that they're not afraid of a trade war.

[10.0A Supply Chain News & Rumors]

ABOUT MAKING COMMENTS ON OUR SITE: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.

question: What would be a result of a tariff on iPhones?

answer: iPhone prices would go up, which may decrease the total volume of business between Apple and TSMC.

question: Why would the worsening of trade relations between the US and China affect TSMC, a Taiwanese company?

answer: While TSMC operates in Taiwan, its supply chain depends on China. In case of a trade war, China could cripple the US electronics market through its influence on TSMC's supply chain.


text:
The Jones Day law firm — lead counsel for the city of Detroit in its historic bankruptcy case — agreed to cut $17.7 million from its legal bills to the city, according to a court document filed on Friday to justify the firm's charges.

[The Theodore Levin United States Federal Court House site of the Detroit Bankruptcy hearings Wednesday, July 24, 2013. , July 17, 2013 at Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit. Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press]
After the discount, Detroit was left with a $57.9 million tab from Jones Day, which included $2.7 million in expenses for things like lawyers' meals and hotel stays in Detroit.

Jones Day's bills were the most expensive among those from Detroit's dozens of bankruptcy consultants that altogether charged the city about $170 million.

Jones Day's disclosure on Friday was one of several court filings from the consultants explaining their fees to Judge Steven Rhodes, who retains the power to decide whether the fees were fair.

Jones Day and other firms said their fees were reasonable.

"This was the most rigorous and transparent fee process ever utilized in a Chapter 9 case and should be given due and appropriate consideration by the court," the firm said in its filing. "Jones Day has reduced its invoices by almost one-quarter of all fees and expenses incurred during the Chapter 9 case."

With the help of Jones Day and other consultants, Detroit's bankruptcy case ended in December and will allow Detroit to slash $7 billion in liabilities and reinvest $1.7 billion over 10 years in services.

Rhodes had invited bankruptcy professionals to consider revealing how much they reduced their fees before he makes a decision.

The consultants' fees were subject to court-ordered mediation. Mayor Mike Duggan, who participated in the mediation, was concerned in November that the city's bankruptcy fees could approach $200 million, threatening the city's ability to meet terms of the city's bankruptcy exit plan.

Jones Day said the mediation factored into its $17.7 million discount, but exactly how much of the discount resulted from mediation was not specified.

Other bankruptcy consultants to the city also detailed their discounts in court filings on Friday. Some firms disclosed discounts before and after mediation. Other simply shared the total discount Detroit was afforded.

Miller Buckfire, an investment banking firm, cut its bankruptcy bills by more than $6 million as a result of the mediation, according to court records. The final bill of nearly $23 million also reflects negotiations prior to mediation to reduce the firm's charges. Miller Buckfire worked on several crucial aspects of Detroit's case, including the development of the so-called "grand bargain."

Pepper Hamilton, a law firm the city hired in June 2013, was paid $2.69 million for its work. The fees represent a 10% discount from the firm's 2013 rates. (When the firm's rates rose 10% last year, Detroit's fees stayed at 2013 levels and included the 10% discount agreed to when Pepper Hamilton was hired.) Unlike other firms, Pepper Hamilton did not specify in its court filing a dollar amount Detroit saved through the firm's discount.

Dentons' bills totaling $15.4 million came after a discount of $3.8 million, according to the firm's court filing. Dentons was lead counsel for the court-appointed retiree committee. The firm was hired to protect the interests of retirees who faced cuts to pension checks and health coverage. Dentons said it agreed to concessions in mediation, but those terms are confidential.

The fees in Detroit's bankruptcy case are difficult to compare to other bankrupt cities, Dentons said in its court filing.

"There has not been another chapter 9 case of the size of Detroit's chapter 9 case that would serve as a reasonable comparison," the court filing read.

In July 2013, the city of Detroit became the largest municipality to file for bankruptcy protection, citing debts and projected long-term obligations of $18 billion. The city, with about 700,000 residents, saw its population and tax base evaporate over the last 50 years, drastically affecting its ability to deliver basic city services without borrowing. At one time, Detroit had more than 1.5 million residents.

_Contact Joe Guillen: 313-222-6678 or jguillen@freepress.com. Follow on Twitter @joeguillen._

question: What law firm represented Detroit during the bankruptcy proceedings?

answer: The Jones Day Law Firm.

question: How much did the law firm charge the city of Detroit for representation in bankruptcy court?

answer: $57.9 Million.

question: How much money was the law firm willing to cut off the legal bills?

answer: $17.7 Million.

question: How much did Detroits population decline in 50 years?

answer: From 1.5 million to 700,000.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Jones Day Law Firm agreed to cut its legal bills to the city of Detroit by 17 million dollars after coming under criticism for its high fees for the Detroit Bankruptcy, although the law firms said their fees were reasonable. The Detroit bankruptcy was impacted by the decline in population of the city over fifty years, to less than half of what it once was.


text: Water is a clear, odorless, tasteless, inexpensive and versatile liquid made by combining two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. It is a principle component of every fruit and vegetable as well as making up a large portion of living things. It can be used in a wide variety of dishes, can be a beverage on its own and can be used as a cleaner and even a solvent. Water freezes at 32°F (0°C) and boils at 212°F (100°C). When frozen, it takes a solid form called "ice", which can also be used in a variety of ways. When boiling, can be used to cook pasta and eggs.

question: How is water made?

answer: Water is made by combining two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.

question: At what temperature does water freeze?

answer: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and 0 degrees Celsius.

question: At what temperatures does water boil?

answer: Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit and 100 degrees Celsius.

question: What is the frozen form of water called?

answer: The frozen form of water is called ice.

question: How is water described in this excerpt?

answer: Water is described as clear, odorless, tasteless, inexpensive, and versatile.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This excerpt describes water and its composition and properties. It explains when water boils and freezes and the forms it can take on.


text:
PUBLISHED APRIL 6, 2008 AT 5:56 A.M.

LITTLE ROCK — The first time I saw someone "fiddle" up worms, it was a magical experience. My uncle and I were going fishing and needed some bait.

"No need buying what we can get for free," he said. "I'll show you an easy way to get all the worms we need."

In damp soil, my uncle drove a 3-foot dogwood stake into the ground. He then took a hand saw and began dragging it back and forth across the top of the stake. The stake began vibrating, and within seconds, dozens of worms started popping out of the soil all around us. I was astounded. A magician sawing a woman in half couldn't have fascinated me more.

"My father taught me how to fiddle for worms," my uncle said. "And his father taught him. You can show your kids someday."

In those days, few folks bought bait at bait shops. Most anglers collected their own bait, instead.

Night crawlers, red wigglers and other types of worms were among the most popular baits because they catch everything from pan-sized bluegills to huge catfish. They also are easy to obtain, especially when you try fiddling, an old-fashioned technique passed down from one generation of fishermen to another for more than a century.

Different tools are used in different regions to coax the worms from their burrows, and the practice is known by many names. In North Carolina, folks "call" worms by twanging the handle of a pitchfork after its prong end is driven into the soil.

In Florida and Alabama, "baiters" rub an ax or piece of steel across the top of a stake, creating a grunting or snoring sound. So there, the practice is known as grunting, snoring or rubbing. Names with unknown origins include doodling and rooping.

In most places, this unusual bait-collection method has become as obscure as making lye soap and plowing with a mule. But a few folks still know how to do it, including my fatherin-law, 75-year-old Hansel Hill of Alpine.

"Fiddling for worms is almost a lost art," said Hansel, who learned fiddling from his father and grandfather. "But there still are a few of us who remember how it's done. We learned to catch worms this way because we didn't have money to spend on store - bought bait. And even though there aren't many people who do it, it's still a great way to catch lots of fishing bait in a short period of time.

"They call it fiddling because a hand saw is run across the top of a pole like running a bow across a fiddle. To do it, all you need is a hand saw and a pole or stick about 30 to 36 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Any type of wood will work."

Hansel said the best time for fiddling is spring, especially after a rain shower. The moist ground draws night crawlers and other worms closer to the surface.

"Look for a moist, shady spot with fallen leaves covering the ground," he said. "I watch for mounds similar to ant hills. This is where worms have worked their way up through the soil."

To begin fiddling, Hansel drives the pole 6 to 8 inches into the ground.

"The pole should be steady when you saw across it," he said.

"When the pole is set, saw back and forth across the top of it with the saw's teeth, deep enough to make the stick vibrate. Keep the sawing actionas smooth as possible, and as the pole starts vibrating, worms will start popping up out of the ground around the pole. In a good spot, you may collect as many as 10 to 20 worms."

Hansel also uses a somewhat simpler way of fiddling. After finding a dogwood or elm sapling growing in a spot where worms are likely to be, he saws it off 3 feet above the ground. The cut sapling serves as the fiddling post.

"When you do it this way," he says, "you can go back to the same spot for many seasons and gather worms. All you need is your saw and a container for the worms."

A more modern method Hansel uses to collect worms, and one that also works great, is what he dubbed "The Mc-Cullough Technique." This one employs a chain saw, with the cutting chain either removed or disengaged. Hill starts up the saw, then either places it on top of a fiddling post or sticks the rounded tip into the ground. He then waits for the worms to surface as they are coaxed from the soil by the chain saw's vibrations.

Some folks say worms leave the ground to escape the maddening vibrations created by the fiddler, but Hansel believes otherwise.

"The reason worms come to the top is simple," he says. "The vibration caused by the saw is similar to a mole digging in the ground looking for dinner. The worms come to the top to escape."

British naturalist Charles Darwin spent a great deal of time studying earthworms and published his findings in his final book in 1881. In it, he discusses this mole theory.

"It has often been said that if the ground is beaten or otherwise made to tremble, worms believe they are pursued by a mole and leave their burrows," he wrote. "From one account I have received, I have no doubt that this is often the case :"

Darwin also wrote about a bird, the peewit, that "seems to know instinctively that worms will emerge if the ground is made to tremble." A young peewit kept in confinement, he said, would "stand on one leg and beat the turf with the other leg until the worms crawled out of their burrows, when they were instantly devoured."

Other animals have been observed hunting worms in similar fashion, including redbilled gulls in New Zealand, the kagu bird of New Caledonia, the American woodcock, olive thrushes in South Africa and even the wood turtle of the eastern U.S., which drums its feet on the ground to raise worms. Perhaps some fisherman long ago watchedanimals such as these as they gathered their dinner in this unusual manner and decided that he might collect his bait in similar fashion.

"Nowadays, it's simpler buying worms at your local bait shop," Hansel Hill says. "But if you want to save a little money and have some fun collecting your own bait, give fiddling a try. For a really good time, take your kids and grandkids, too. This is a great family outing. You do the fiddling and let the youngsters collect the worms in small pails or tin cans. Then grab some poles and you're ready for some fishing fun."

None Keith Sutton can be reached at .

question: Explain what it means to "fiddle" up worms.

answer: Fiddling is a method for collecting worms in which a stake is driven into the ground and then a hand saw is dragged back and forth across the top of the stake. The stake's vibrations cause worms to pop up out of the soil.

question: When was this article published?

answer: April 6, 2008

question: What are "baiters"?

answer: People who collect bait for fishing (worms).

question: Describe the more modern technique for collecting worms.

answer: The Mc-Cullough Technique consists of placing a chain saw (with the cutting chain removed or disengaged) on top of a fiddling post or sticking the rounded tip into the ground to coax out the worms.

question: What tools are required for fiddling?

answer: A stake and a handsaw.

question: Who is Hansel Hill?

answer: The author's 75-year-old father-in-law.

question: Why does fiddling coax worms to the surface?

answer: The vibrations caused by the saw resembles that of a mole digging in the ground, which causes the worms to surface in an attempt to escape.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: This article explores fiddling, a technique used to gather worms. The technique consists of dragging a saw along a stake in the ground to create vibrations. Those vibrations mimic a mole digging into the ground, causing worms to flee to the surface. The article also mentions that other animals have been observed to hunt worms in a similar manner.


text:
A short story based upon characters in “The Duchess of Malfi” by John Webster

“How tedious is a guilty conscience!” – Cardinal

Ferdinand paced his chamber, fuming with rage. Antonio, he thought, a slave, that only smelled of ink and counters, and ne’er in’s life looked like a gentleman... “He is husband to that lusty widow? They all shall pay!” His last cry rang throughout the room in time with echoes of his heavy footsteps.

And so he had his princely sister imprisoned. In the dead of night, when he was satisfied that no light pierced the duchess’s chamber, he crept in to visit her. “Do you visit me thus?” she whispered into the darkness, “You violate a sacrament o’th’ church shall make you howl in Hell for it.” And howl he would, though sooner on earth than he would in Hell.  “Here’s a hand to which you vowed much love; the ring on it you gave.” Ferdinand smirked as his sister kissed the dead man’s hand. Turning to leave, he tossed her the ring to keep as a love-token, promising that the heart it belonged to would follow. For a moment, his thirst for vengeance had been quenched.

“Let this lie still,” said Bosola. Ferdinand entered, looking grim.

“Is she dead?”

Without hesitation, Bosola announced, “She is what you’d have her. But here begin your pity.” With a regretful look, he sighed, drew back a curtain and asked, “Alas, how have these offended?” His eyes boring into Bosola’s, Ferdinand answered, “ The death of young wolves is never to be pitied.” “Fix your eye here.” For once, the duke shifted his gazes to the corpses strewn about the room, finally resting on the peaceful face of his sister. “Constantly,” he whispered. “Do you not weep? Other sins speak;” Bosola paused, looking for a reaction. Meanwhile, Ferdinand’s thoughts were in turmoil. “Murder shrieks out. The element of water moistens the earth, but blood flies upwards, and bedews the heavens.”

If Bosola said anything after that, it fell on deaf ears. Still fixed on the Duchess’s delicate features, his eyes seemed to mist. “Cover her face.” My God, what have I done? She was my only sister! My beautiful, sweet sister! NO! She was not of my blood. She went against my orders and brought shame to our family. Yes, that whore deserved exactly what she got. But she was so young! Heaven knows she’d seen enough tragedy with the death of her first husband. I’ve surrounded her with wolves in sheep’s skin. Bosola did this, not you! He had the executioners kill her, and rightly too! “She and I were twins,” he breathed, barely making a sound. “Should I die this instant, I had lived her time to a minute.” He spoke to himself and to the duchess more so than to anyone else. Though her face had been covered, his eyes had not moved, and her visage still flickered before them. Ferdinand was deaf to all but the clangs and shouts rising from the war his thoughts and conscience held. “Let me see her face again.”

Bosola drew back the shroud over the lady’s face.

The cacophony in Ferdinand’s mind quieted, replaced by a low, harsh sound, much like the sound the surface of a frozen pond makes just before it gives way to a heavier power. He snapped to face Bosola, turning completely ‘round on the heel of his boot. “Why didst thou not pity her? What an excellent honest man might’st thou have been if thou hadst borne her to some sanctuary!”

Bosola looked shocked and his face drained of all color. The duke took no notice.

“Or, bold in a good cause, opposed thyself with thy advanced sword above thy head, between her innocence and my revenge!” He started to pace, throwing his arms wildly about. “ I bade thee, when I was distracted of my own wits, go kill my dearest friend, and thou hast done’t.” He stopped and knelt at the duchess’s head. He looked up at Bosola and continued, “ For let me but examine well the cause: what was the meanness of her match to me? Only I must confess, I had a hope, had she continued widow, to have gained an infinite mass of treasure by her death; and that was the main cause. Her marriage, that drew a stream of gall quite though my heart.” He rose, towering over Bosola. His voice dropped to a whisper. “For thee (as we observe in tragedies that a good actor many times is cursed for playing a villain’s part), I hate thee for’t: and for my sake say thou hast done much ill well.” Bosola’s cheeks flushed, and his chest puffed with indignity. “Let me quicken your memory; for I perceive you are falling into ingratitude. I challenge the reward due to my service.”

Ferdinand’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll tell thee what I’ll give thee. I’ll give thee a pardon for this murder.”

“The office of justice is perverted quite when one thief hangs another. Who shall dare reveal this?”

Snarling, Ferdinand replied, “O, I’ll tell thee: the wolf shall find her grave, and scrape it up; not to devour the corpse, but to discover the horrid murder.”

The night after the duchess’s body had been buried in a shallow grave, there came a rustling from the trees. A naked, shuffling figure hunched over nearly on all fours limped its way into the clearing. It stepped into a beam of moonlight, threw back its face and howled into the night. If anyone were spying in the trees that night, they would have seen the duke Ferdinand, but human, he was not. His form was still that of a man’s, but his eyes were wide and wild as any ferocious beast’s. They darted to and fro. His nostrils flared, sniffing the air. Tufts of hair were missing altogether from his head and scratches and cuts, some seemingly self-inflicted, ran in every direction across his body. He scuttled unnervingly along the borders of the clearing, and once he was satisfied that no eyes winked in the shadows, he stopped, resting on his fists and feet. His eyes still sweeping the area, he crept slowly to a shadowy corner where the earth was tilled up and uneven. He began to scoop at it with his hands, slowly. The beast stopped and prowled around the clearing once more, snarling at an owl that had alighted on a nearby branch. He leapt upwards toward the bird, and frightened it away. At that moment, something told him, a voice, or pure instinct perhaps, that he must go back to that patch of uneven dirt. He resumed digging, faster and faster. He struck a nail on a rock, splitting it. He merely grunted and continued his furious excavation. He would lick away the blood and grime later. After nearly an hour, he struck something softer than the loamy earth. He pushed aside the dirt, unearthing a hand with a ring on one of the fingers.

This was what he had been searching for. He sniffed the hand and knew it to be true. Within two hours, he had uncovered the whole body, and howled as if in pain when he looked upon the face. Weary from his work, and sickened by the sight of this woman, buried like a criminal in the woods, he lost his stomach and fainted in the shadow of the trees, covered in dirt, blood, and bile.

Upon waking, he remembered his actions and howled ever more fearfully than the night before. His eyes were no longer those of a ravenous monster, but those of a man, tortured with the horrific knowledge of his own nefarious deeds. When men found him, he wept that he was a wolf, claiming the only difference was a wolf’s skin was hairy on the outside, his on the inside.

title: "The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back"

question: Who has been killed in the room Ferdinand is ranting in?

answer: A number of people have been killed, but the main focus is the sister of Ferdinand,

question: Did Ferdinand order his sister be killed?

answer: Yes, tough he appears conflicted as to whether he believes it is the right decision or not.

question: Is Ferdinand a werewolf?

answer: It appears as though he has a fascination wit the wolf and analogies connected to it. When Ferdinand appears feral it is indicated that this is more a mania triggered by the guild of killing his sister.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Ferdinand reacts to the death of his twin sister at the hands of a scheme created by Bosola. Ferdinand rants at Bosola who responds scarcely.


text:
She was beautiful. Roger had to give her that. Her glistening chocolate hair draped over the supple curve of her breasts, framing an innocent, oval face. What's more, Vanessa was one of the highest ranked ballerinas in the country, so her body was tight and effortlessly graceful. And she was intelligent, a top student, loved by all her teachers. And she was passionate, voraciously tearing into cryptic Latin texts and twisted Shakespeare plays. And she was polite; she never misplaced a word or spoke ill of another in their presence. And finally, even in the face of this borderline perfection, she still managed humility.

But that's why Roger couldn't stand her. As she strutted from plebeian to plebeian pretending to commiserate with their inconveniences and chuckling hollowly at their awful jokes, you could sense her sentiment of superiority almost oozing through her skin, growing with each inferior she encountered. She only wasted her time with this mediocrity to vindicate her own accomplishments. Vanessa's act of humility was just that: an act.

It was certainly subtle. You had to look past her actions and question her motives. Why did she blush with every compliment? Why did she offer to help cute boys study? Why, when told she was smart, did she lightly assert that she'd never scored an A on a math test? Surely these are the signs of a humble, virtuous individual? Not when they're to garner attention and satiate her edacious ego.

When it came to guys, she never spoke first. That would make her seem desperate. Instead, she was to be so damn irresistible that cute boys would have to call her pretty and smart and beg for a date. Then she could giggle girlishly, lavishly deny their claims, and, after unctuously telling them how much she appreciated the offer, say no. That way, she'd always be desirable (guys want what they can't have, right?)

And it worked. Vanessa had plenty of top-notch suitors, but she never kissed a guy, probably never even went on a date. As she informed her friends, none had been worthy of her. She did, however, feel like the hottest shit on the planet. Guys sent her flowers, chocolates, poems, and snapchats and she flitfully played along, milking every last drop of attention from these doomed souls. If the stream of gifts dammed, she became irritated. Her teeth grinding together, her fingers fretfully crumbling her notebook paper, she would obsessively ponder how anyone could possibly not be attracted to her. She would question her own personal value (what if I'm not worthy of *him*?) and, awed by this young stud's ability to resist her, fall in love for the first time. But as soon as her subsequent batted eyelashes, slight smiles, and light laughs rekindled his fire, she, confidently returned to her throne of superiority, would dismiss her fleeting feelings and return to stringing him along, creating a vicious, inescapable cycle for the male whilst bolstering the ego of the female.

So what is a victim of this supposed cycle to do? In Roger's case, he will be content to silently and mercilessly judge her. Blood will gush angrily through his cheeks, adrenaline will force him to fidget and sweat, and his eyes will track her relentlessly across the room, but he will not utter a word. After all, no one can prove your error if you hide it and demonizing Vanessa is easier than accepting personal failure.

title: Hot and Haughty - 579 words (Brand new writer, any feedback would be greatly appreciated)

question: Describe Vanessa.

answer: Vanessa is a beautiful ballerina who is also intelligent, passionate, and seemingly humble.

question: Why doesn't Roger like Vanessa?

answer: Because he believes her humility is fake and that she manipulates the people around her, especially boys.

question: Has Vanessa ever been on a date?

answer: Roger assumes that she hasn't.

question: How does Roger actually feel about Vanessa at the end of the story?

answer: It is subtly revealed that he is in love with her.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The text is a short story about Vanessa, a beautiful popular girl who seems to manipulate people around her, especially boys. Roger at first claims to hate her due to her fake humility, but in the end it seems that he is in fact in love with her, but jaded because she won't accept him.


text:
CRIMPLE BECK or the RIVER CRIMPLE is a beck which flows through North Yorkshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Nidd which it joins between Little Ribston and Walshford north of Wetherby.[1][2] The beck is long,[3] and has a total catchment area of , which drains the area around Harrogate. Its tributaries include the Park Beck.[4]

Course

The beck rises on the flanks of Stainburn Moor near Beckwithshaw and flows in an easterly direction to join the Nor Beck before passing through the villages of Burn Bridge and Pannal [5] It continues in a north-easterly direction, being bridged by the A61 and the Crimple Viaduct just to the south of Harrogate. At the confluence with the Rud Brook it turns to the south-east, and meets the Park Brook before reaching Spofforth where it is bridged by the A661.[6][7] Beyond Spofforth its course continues to Blackstones where it is measured, joining the River Nidd midway between Little Ribston and Walshford.[8]

Hydrology

The flow of the beck is measured by two gauging stations, the first near Burn Bridge in its upper reaches has operated since 1972, the second near to the confluence with the Nidd, at Blackstones since 1991.[9][10]

The upper gauge at Burn Bridge, with a catchment of yields an average flow of .[11] The much larger catchment area of to the lower Blackstones gauge, recorded a correspondingly higher average flow of .[12]

The highest river level recorded at Blackstones occurred on the 26 December 2015, with a height of .[13] The catchment upstream of the station has an average annual rainfall of and a maximum altitude of on Stainburn Moor near the source of the beck.[14]

Land use within the basin is mainly rural, consisting of grassland and arable with some woodland, and the urbanised area around Harrogate.[15]

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title: Crimple Beck

question: What is Crimple Beck?

answer: Crimple Beck, also known as River Crimple, is a beck that flows through North Yorkshire, England.

question: Where does the River Crimple flow?

answer: It flows in an easterly direction to join the Nor Beck before passing through Burn Bridge and Pannal villages.

question: How do they measure the river's flow?

answer: It is measured by two gauging stations, one near Burn Bridge and another near to the confluence with the Nidd, at Blackstones.

question: What is the highest river level recorded at Blackstones?

answer: Information can't be found.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Crimple Beck, also known as River Crimple, is a beck that flows through North Yorkshire, England. It flows in an easterly direction to join the Nor Beck before passing through Burn Bridge and Pannal villages.


text:
The film awards season is over and Cannes has been handed back to wealthy holiday-makers, yet the #MeToo movement shows no signs of slowing down. Morgan Freeman is the most recent addition to the ignominious list of film producers, directors and actors who have had accusations of sexual harassment made against them since #MeToo took off in October last year.

Allegations against the 80 year-old Freeman, star of _The Shawshank Redemption_, emerged last week on the day before Harvey Weinstein handed himself into police in New York on charges of rape. The charges against Weinstein are serious; he should stand trial and, if found guilty, face a lengthy prison sentence. Yet the #MeToo label puts Freeman and Weinstein into the same category: both have abused their power in order to sexually harass women. We’re asked to see their crimes as comparable; the behaviour of both men showing the abuse women in the film industry routinely experience.

Eight women have so far come forward with accusations against Freeman. The most serious allegations come from an anonymous female production assistant who worked with Freeman on the 2015 film _Going In Style_. She alleges that Freeman ‘subjected her to unwanted touching,’ explaining that he would rest his hand on or rub her lower back. In one incident, Freeman allegedly tried to lift up her skirt – although he wasn’t successful. He made comments about her figure and clothing, apparently on an almost daily-basis. None of this took place in a hotel room, it occurred in a film studio. It was not in private but in public; no one had recently emerged from the shower and everyone was fully clothed. In this context, Freeman touched a young woman’s back and skirt and made clear he found her attractive – behaviour she did not solicit or reciprocate. Freeman might be rude, boorish and annoying around women. But deserving of comparison to Weinstein? Hardly.

The allegations made by the seven other women, and reported on by CNN, don’t even amount to back-rubbing. One woman notes that Freeman harassed her and her female assistant on numerous occasions by making comments about their bodies. A recurring theme in the accusations is Freeman’s eyes or, to be more precise, where – or at what – he would look. One woman claims that sometimes Freeman would ‘come over to my desk to say hi and he'd just stand there and stare at me. He would stare at my breasts.’ She says, ‘If I ever passed him he would stare at me in an awkward way, would look me up and down sometimes stopping and just staring.’ All mention Freeman’s alleged habit of ‘looking women up and down.’ On one occasion he apparently asked a woman to give him a twirl. And, so far, that’s it.

Freeman spoke to and looked at a small number of women in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. In the words of a male former employee, he behaved like a ‘creepy uncle’. But this is a difficult accusation to make stick. At what point does a look turn into a stare? When does a glance become ‘looking up and down’? When does a compliment become a comment about someone’s body? It’s impossible to provide objective answers to these questions. The accusations against Freeman show us that #MeToo is moving into subjective terrain. It’s no longer about what a man has done but about how a woman feels. Whether it’s a look or a stare, a compliment or sexual harassment, depends entirely on how it is perceived. Morgan has now apologised to ‘anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected.’

Defining sexual harassment so broadly and subjectively does women no favours. The majority of women can cope with being looked at, having their back touched or having their appearance commented on. They can make clear when such attention is not wanted. No workplace rules or changes to the law can ever control where people look. Still less can we legislate against circumstances in which people might feel uncomfortable.

The #MeToo movement calls for a change in culture so that women no longer need to put up with behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable. Not only is this impossible it is also counterproductive. The more we tell women the workplace is a sexist and toxic environment, the more women come to interpret their experiences through that lens.

The allegations against Freeman have come to light months after #MeToo first took off on social media. Some of the accusations now circulating against him date back decades. Lori McCreary, Freeman’s business partner, reports Freeman recalling, in public, the time they first met twenty years earlier. ‘She had on a dress cut to here,’ he apparently told those listening. As Freeman says, ‘How is that news?’

It’s become news now because CNN sought out women willing to make accusations against Freeman. As part of a ‘months-long reporting process’ they ‘reached out to dozens more people who worked for or with Freeman.’ It seems that some of those contacted ‘praised Freeman, saying they never witnessed any questionable behaviour or that he was a consummate professional on set and in the office.’

This story about Morgan Freeman is the result of a concerted effort to dig up allegations against him and claim another famous scalp. This is not about Freeman. It’s not even about the women who felt uncomfortable. Rather, this is about feeding the #MeToo publicity machine in order to keep the whole show on the road.

question: What is the main topic of this document?

answer: The author's opinion on the #MeToo movement and accusations of sexual harassments against Morgan Freeman.

question: What are the allegations against Morgan Freeman?

answer: They are claims of sexual harassment from eight different women.

question: Describe the #MeToo movement.

answer: Based off the document, it is a campaign to out film producer, directors, and actors who have accusations of sexual harassment.

question: How many accusers does Freeman have?

answer: At the time of this document, there was 8 accusers.

question: What is Freeman's response?

answer: Freeman apologized to "anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected".

question: Does the author of the document have an opinion about the accusations against Freeman?

answer: The author feels that accusations don't deserve a comparison to Harvey Weinstein. They describe Freeman as rude, boorish, and annoying around women. They also believe the #MeToo movement is moving into subjective terrain in terms of harassments accusations, and that these Freeman accusations are about keeping the #MeToo show on the road.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The author discusses the #MeToo movement and the sexual harassment accusations made against Morgan Freeman at the time of this document. The author sees the accusations against Freeman as not serious and a ploy to keep the #MeToo movement afloat.


text:
DENNIS JOHN FIDLER (22 June 1938 – 2 June 2015) was an English footballer. A winger, he scored 59 goals in 229 league appearances in an 11-year career in the Football League.

A two-time FA Youth Cup winner with Manchester United, he turned professional at Manchester City in 1957. He joined Port Vale in May 1960, before being sold on to Grimsby Town for £2,000 in October 1961. He was promoted out of the Third Division with the “Mariners” in 1961–62, before joining Halifax Town. He spent five years at the club, playing 143 league games, before transferring to Darlington in 1967. The next year he signed with Macclesfield Town, and won the Northern Premier League twice as well as the FA Trophy.

Playing career

Fidler was born in Stockport in 1938.[1] He played for Manchester United as a youth, but never played first team football. He played alongside names such as Duncan Edwards, Wilf McGuinness and Bobby Charlton as Jimmy Murphy led the United youth side to two successive FA Youth Cup final victories, beating West Bromwich Albion in 1955 and Chesterfield in 1956.

He signed amateur forms with cross-town rivals Manchester City in 1956, and turned professional at Maine Road the following year.[2] Les McDowall gave him his senior debut in October 1957, as he played outside-forward in a 2–2 draw with Luton Town. Fidler took the place of Paddy Fagan, who had been away on international duty.[3] Fagan returned in the next match, and Fidler had to wait over a year to receive another opportunity, a four-game run in place of Bobby Johnstone.[4] During this spell he scored his first senior goal in a 4–0 win over Leeds United in a First Division match at Elland Road. In February 1959 he made his final appearance for the club, against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[5]

Fidler joined Norman Low's Port Vale in May 1960.[6] He scored on his debut, in a 3–1 defeat to Bury at Gigg Lane on 27 August.[7] He scored again two days later, in a 4–1 win over Shrewsbury Town at Vale Park.[8] He ended the 1960–61 season with 11 goals in 34 Third Division appearances, and also shot two goals in five FA Cup and League Cup games.[9] He opened the 1961–62 season with a goal in a 4–2 defeat to Shrewsbury Town at Gay Meadow, but played just three further games before being dropped in September.[10]

He was sold on to Tim Ward's Grimsby Town for £2,000 in October 1961.[11] He scored three goals in nine Third Division games, as the “Mariners” won promotion in second place behind Portsmouth in 1961–62. However his stay at Blundell Park was brief, and he moved on to Halifax Town. Don McEvoy's “Shaymen” finished bottom of the Third Division in 1962–63, and then finished tenth in the Fourth Division in 1963–64. Under Willie Watson's stewardship, Halifax dropped into the re-election zone in 1964–65, before rising up to 15th spot in 1965–66. Alan Ball then took the club to 12th place in 1966–67. Fidler scored 40 goals in 143 league games during his time at The Shay. He then joined Ray Yeoman's Darlington, and scored three goals in 34 Fourth Division games in the 1967–68 season. He then departed Feethams, and joined Macclesfield Town of the Northern Premier League. Whilst with the “Silkmen” he won the league in 1968–69 and 1969–70, and also won the first ever FA Trophy final at Wembley in 1970 with a 2–0 victory over Telford United.[12]

After retiring from football at Moss Rose he worked in the family wholesale fish business and emigrated to Italy in 1990.[13] He died in Italy in 2015.[14]

Statistics

Source:[15]

  Club                Season                    Division                  League   FA Cup   Other   Total
  ------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- -------- -------- ------- ------- ------- ----- ---- ----
  Apps                Goals                     Apps                      Goals    Apps     Goals   Apps
  Manchester City     1957–58                   First Division            1        0        0       0
  1958–59             First Division            4                         1        0        0       0
  Total               5                         1                         0        0        0       0
  Port Vale           1960–61                   Third Division            34       11       3       1
  1961–62             Third Division            4                         1        0        0       0
  Total               38                        12                        3        1        2       1
  Grimsby Town        1961–62                   Third Division            9        3        1       0
  Halifax Town        1962–63                   Third Division            13       2        0       0
  1963–64             Fourth Division           38                        10       1        0       3
  1964–65             Fourth Division           43                        11       2        0       1
  1965–66             Fourth Division           41                        13       1        0       1
  1966–67             Fourth Division           8                         3        0        0       2
  Total               143                       39                        4        0        7       2
  Darlington          1966–67                   Third Division            23       3        3       1
  1967–68             Third Division            11                        0        1        0       2
  Total               34                        3                         4        1        2       1
  Macclesfield Town   1968–69[16]               Northern Premier League   25       10       2       0
  1969–70[17]         Northern Premier League   25                        4        3        0       26
  1970–71[18]         Northern Premier League   34                        9        1        0       23
  Total               84                        23                        6        0        64      21
  Career Total        311                       81                        18       2        75      25

Honours

Manchester United

-   FA Youth Cup winner: 1955 & 1956

Grimsby Town

-   Football League Third Division runner-up: 1961–62

Macclesfield Town

-   Northern Premier League champion: 1968–69 & 1969–70
-   FA Trophy winner: 1970

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title: Dennis Fidler

question: Which teams did Dennis Fidler play for?

answer: Manchester United, Manchester City, and Macclesfield Town

question: Where was Fidler born?

answer: Stockport

question: What sport is discussed in the article?

answer: Soccer

question: Where did Fidler move after he retired?

answer: Italy

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article discusses English footballer Dennis Fidler. Fidler played as a part of Manchester United, Manchester City, and Macclesfield Town. The article describes in depth Fidler's career as a winger.


text:
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This petition had 2,772 supporters

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The North American gaming community believes the New Nintendo 3DS should be released in it's original, standard form alongside the XL version of the console. Many people are changing their minds about purchasing a New Nintendo 3DS because of:

-   The lack of portability/"pocketability."
-   The lack of the changeable face plates (which was highly anticipated).
-   The lack of a unique aesthetic design (such as the beautiful colored buttons on the Japanese version, also highly anticipated).
-   The lack of an AC adapter.
-   The lack of access to exclusive and highly-anticipated content that can only be played on a New Nintendo 3DS (which in N. America's case is ONLY the XL, which is a shame).
-   The inability to import one from Japan because of region-locking.
-   The lack of a possibly cheaper price point.
-   The lack of an Ambassador program offered in other regions.

Upon hearing the news from the Nintendo Direct on 1/14, many current and even potential, future Nintendo fans have decided against the idea of buying a new 3DS that doesn't satisfy us as customers. The XL version, unfortunately does not appeal to many of us because of its size. We believe selling the standard sized New Nintendo 3DS would benefit Nintendo's reputation as a company for the consumers and the gaming community's satisfaction. THE IDEA OF THE STANDARD "NEW" 3DS NOT BEING A PART OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET IS ABSURD AND WE AS CONSUMERS WILL PROVE YOU WRONG IN THAT ASSUMPTION. If such a task isn't possible for North American consumers, then AT LEAST COMPROMISE ON REMOVING REGION LOCKS FROM THE NEW 3DS MODELS and allow players in North America to purchase and use models from overseas without having to constantly import games.

Please consider changing your minds/methods about selling the New Nintendo 3DS in its original form over seas!

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Today: Jesse is counting on you

Jesse Hariton needs your help with “NINTENDO: BRING THE NORMAL (SMALLER, STANDARD) VERSION OF THE "NEW" NINTENDO 3DS TO NORTH AMERICAN MARKETS AND/OR STOP REGION LOCKING THE AVAILABLE 3DS MODELS.”. Join Jesse and 2,771 supporters today.

question: What is one possible reason Nintendo is not offering a standard new 3DS in the North American market?

answer: Nintendo may not be offering a standard new 3DS in the North American market due to cost of production or cost of shipping from Japan to North America, or maybe there is not enough of a market in North America to warrant production of the standard version of the 3DS.

question: What might be a problem with a larger 3DS?

answer: A larger 3DS may be heavier which may be uncomfortable for users, and may be too large to fit in consumer's pockets. Additionally, some customers may be interested in a cheaper, smaller option.


text:
Driving fast is exhilarating. Not organized racing on a track or competitions with another to win, or attain a goal. I’m talking full fledged, full speed next level driving maneuvers in traffic filled roadways bristling with drivers who are unaware of the thrill that can be attained by narrowly escaping death.

I used to own a C32 AMG, and I’m not mentioning this car to boast that I owned a fancy car, I’m mentioning it because it contained 350 of the most streamlined horsepower I’ve ever had the pleasure of controlling. The car was like an extension of myself, any movement or thought I had would take microseconds to be accurately represented. A balanced, nimble & light 5 second car. The presence of an enormous amount of caffeine coursing through my veins would increase my awareness exponentially; allowing precise control.

There was a point in time where I would make weekly trips to Houston. I was a field technician and fixed useless electronic devices for random organizations. I would have lost my mind making that monotonous trip over and over if it hadn’t been for that car. I would cruise at 90mph listening to pre-recorded versions of Annie Mac’s 2 hour Friday mash up which contained upbeat rhythms that would keep my blood flowing and senses peaked. That and huge amounts of coffee.

Cruising 90 in the fast lane pumped full of caffeine in the most clear headed aware state possible is the perfect position to make split second decisions. Like evading arrest.

The state trooper was on the other side of the center median, and I saw him a mile away... But the little adrenaline seeking devil inside of me grinned wickedly. I knew unless there was a gap in the concrete barrier there was no way he’d get me. As I roared past him, the gap in the concrete was quite apparent. As soon as I saw his lights erupt in my rear view mirror, I decided I wasn’t getting pulled over today.

The C32 AMG has 2 “sweet spots” if you will. 0-60 is lightening quick, but 60-90 is a bit slower, not slow by any means, but not anything impressive. Once you get to 90 however, you can truly feel the power of the car surge up through the pedals. Going from 90 miles an hour to 155 miles an hour is 6 seconds of exhilarating bliss.

The curvature in the road worked to my advantage that day . When I saw the trooper flip his car around and hit his lights, he also dropped out of my line of sight. My foot dropped on the pedal at the same instant. I was 2 miles from the next exit and deep inside the adrenaline slowly seeped into my veins, would I make it I thought? Yes, was the resounding answer in my head. Yes you will. It took seconds to conquer those two miles.

I slammed the breaks and slowed to about 100mph and as I barreled off the freeway the cops lights shone in my rear view at a distance. But he was far enough back that he didn’t see me. The terrain again worked to my advantage. The exit curved downward, running parallel to the freeway but lower, so someone on the freeway wouldn’t be able to see someone on the exit. But then the road curved back skywards. Wide eyed, I checked my mirrors, and looked to the left.

The cop missed the exit.

But then he saw me, and the smoke poured from his tires as his car, brakes floored, slide sideways onto the shoulder, and straight into reverse.

At this point the adrenaline was in full effect. My body was in a heightened state of awareness. I had come this far. I still had the advantage. I was still going 90. He had to reverse off the freeway, and then speed up. I focused on the road in front of me, down shifted and punched it.

I came to a light, took the turn, full, independent wheel traction control on my Michelin pilot’s kept me from flipping over or losing control, and I fast and furious drifted around the corner, only to stare down the longest road in existence. Then I panicked.

There was nowhere to go. The road went on for as far as my eyes could see. A dusty, back country road about 155 miles outside of San Antonio on IH10. There was nothing out there. Trees, dust and asphalt. And I could hear his siren.

But like something straight out of a movie, I saw a beacon of hope. A white church chapel, I roared towards it and the lot was full. This was my ticket. My tires spun in the dirt parking lot and slide safely in between a set of parked cars and killed the engine. I breathed heavily, wide eyed, hands shaking and like a slow motion movie turned my head and saw the trooper roar past in all his glory.

I stepped out of the car and looked down the country road, the trooper disappearing into the distance. The country air in my lungs felt amazing, the adrenaline coursing through my veins pumped hard, and I smiled. I had won.

title: Adrenaline: A True Story

question: What car does the narrator drive?

answer: The narrator drives a C32 AMG.

question: What does the narrator like most about his car?

answer: The narrator likes his car's horsepower the most.

question: Does the driver get arrested for overspeeding?

answer: No, he gets away with it.

question: How fast does he drive?

answer: The maximum speed he drives at is 100mph.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator is a proud possessor of a C32 AMG.

Once during his weekly trip to Houston, he was all pumped up and driving in the fast lane at 90mph.

The state trooper starts chasing him down for a few miles until the narrator takes the exit. But it wasn't over, soon the cops were chasing him down on a country road. But like a beacon of hope, the narrator notices a church and enters its packed parking lot. He parks there and sees the troopers disappear in a distance.


text:
Arches. Whorls. Creases. A Maze of Lines. Loops. Forks. Pathways.

Living in the suburbs of L.A., she has turned into a clone of the latest thing. She lives where superficial is the inner soul. Where trying to be someone else is the norm. Where uniqueness can only safely be expressed in a fashion statement. Where her fiery red hair is a flaw that needs to be changed and forgotten.

Trying to be someone else’s ideal is a tiring life long act. She begs the world to let her off of the stage. She begins to cry in her hands and notices that there is something that sets her apart in her little corner of the world. They can not be copied or altered. She can leave her unique stamp, imprint, and mark wherever she goes. Her fingerprints tell her, no matter how hard she tries, that she can never truly be anything else but herself.

title: A Maze of Lines

question: Where does this story take place?

answer: Its setting is in the suburbs of L.A..

question: Who is the main character in this story?

answer: The main character is a female subject who feels pressure to fit into her society.

question: Where is trying to be someone else the norm?

answer: The suburbs of L.A.

question: What do "her fingerprints" tell her?

answer: They tell her that no matter how hard she tries, she can't be anyone but herself.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator of this story describes a woman in the suburbs of L.A. who has turned into a clone of the latest thing. She looks into her hands, and takes note of her fingerprints. They tell her she can't be anything but herself.


text:
ETHINYLESTRADIOL/ETONOGESTREL, sold under the brand names NUVARING among others, is a hormonal vaginal ring used for birth control and to improve menstrual symptoms.[1] It contains ethinylestradiol, an estrogen, and etonogestrel, a progestin.[2] It is used by insertion into the vagina.[3] Pregnancy occurs in about 0.3% of women with perfect use and 9% of women with typical use.[4]

Common side effects include irregular vaginal bleeding, nausea, sore breasts, vaginitis, mood changes, and headache.[5] Rare but serious side effects may include blood clots, toxic shock syndrome, anaphylaxis, gallstones, and liver problems.[6] Use is not recommended in those who both smoke and are over the age of 35.[7] While use in pregnancy is not recommended, such use has not been found to be harmful to the baby.[8] Use during breastfeeding is typically not recommended as it may decrease the milk supply.[9] It mainly works by decreasing gonadotropins thereby stopping ovulation.[10]

The combination was approved for medical use in the United States in 2001.[11] It is available as a generic medication in the United Kingdom.[12] A month supply there costs the NHS about £29.70 as of 2019.[13] In the United States the wholesale cost of this amount is about US$468.78.[14] In 2017, it was the 177th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than three million prescriptions.[15][16] Lawsuits were filed in the US against Merck alleging it concealed health risks associated with the product.[17] These were settled for $100 million in 2014.[18]

Medical use

The ring is placed into the vagina for a three-week period, then removal of the ring for one week, during which the user will experience a menstrual period. The break week is comparable to the placebo week for combined oral birth control pills (“the Pill”), and the birth control effect is maintained during this period. Extended use regimens (seven-week, quarterly, or annual) involving back-to-back use of (2, 4, or 17) rings have been studied in clinical trials, but are not currently approved. [19] [20] [21]

Insertion of the ring is comparable to insertion of other vaginal rings. The muscles of the vagina keep NuvaRing securely in place, even during exercise or sex. Women can check the birth control ring periodically with their finger. In rare instances, NuvaRing may fall out during sexual intercourse, while straining before or during a bowel movement, or while removing a tampon. [22] [23]

In the case of accidental expulsion, the manufacturer recommends rinsing the ring with lukewarm water before reinserting. If not done correctly, the risk of pregnancy is increased. Birth control efficacy is reduced if the ring is removed, accidentally expelled, or left outside of the vagina for more than three hours. If left outside of the vagina for more than three hours, the device is to be rinsed and reinserted immediately. If this occurs, the manufacturer recommends that a backup method of birth control be used until the ring has been used continuously for a subsequent seven days. [24] [25]

Benefits

The benefits of the ring include:

-   once-a-month self-administered use offering convenience, ease of use and privacy (most users and most partners do not feel the ring, and of those who do, most do not object to it)<!--

 -->[26] [27] [28]

-   lower estrogen exposure than with combined oral contraceptive pills or the contraceptive patch Ortho Evra.<!--

 -->[29] [30] [31]

-   a low incidence of estrogenic side effects such as nausea and breast tenderness<!--

 -->[32] [33]

-   a low incidence of irregular bleeding despite its lower estrogen dose<!--

 -->[34] [35]

Contraindications

The contraceptive vaginal ring is contraindicated for a risk of blood clots. This is because it contains the hormone etonogestrel, the active metabolite of the prodrug desogestrel. It is a third-generation contraceptive.[36]

A study in the BMJ, with over 1.6 million women, found that users of vaginal rings with ethinylestradiol and etonogestrel have a 6.5 times increased risk of venous thrombosis compared to non-users.[37][38] Epidemiological studies have shown that _oral_ contraceptives that contain desogestrel can increase the risk of blood clots (venous thrombosis) by 1.5 to 2.4 times the risk of second-generation oral contraceptives.[39] Second-generation oral contraceptives do not contain desogestrel. Hormones are released continuously from NuvaRing, thus peak and total estrogen and progestin doses are lower than with combined oral contraceptives, but what effect this has on the risk of blood clots has not been established. [40]

NuvaRing also has the cardiovascular contraindications associated with combined oral contraceptives, such as stroke and heart attack. These risks have been shown to be much greater if combined with other risk factors such as smoking, recent surgery, a history of cardiovascular disease, or women over 40 years old.[41]

NuvaRing should not be used while breastfeeding. The hormones may pass to the baby through the milk, and it may decrease milk production.[42]

Side effects

[The NuvaRing, shown with a ruler for scale]

In two large studies, over a one-year period, 15.1% of users discontinued NuvaRing because of adverse events. Device-related adverse events (foreign object sensation, sexual problems, or expulsion) were the most frequently reported adverse events that resulted in discontinuation (by 2.5% of users). Device-related adverse events were reported at least once during the one-year study period by 4.4% of NuvaRing users. [43]

The most common adverse events reported by 5 to 14% of the 2501 women who used NuvaRing in five clinical trials were: vaginitis (14.1%), headache (9.8%), upper respiratory tract infection (8.0%), leukorrhea (5.8%), sinusitis (5.7%), nausea (5.2%), and weight gain (4.9%). [44] [45] [46] NuvaRing is weight neutral. [47] [48] Additional side effect information (including, but not limited to, severe blood clots) is provided in the NuvaRing full prescribing information. [49] [50] Breakthrough bleeding occurs in 2.0 to 6.4% of NuvaRing users.[51]

Blood clots

The vaginal ring with ethinylestradiol and etonogestrel increases the risk of venous blood clots 6.5 times compared to non-users of hormonal birth control.[52] This is similar to the risk of blood clots with combination birth control pills, which range between 3 times to 14 times the risk.[53] As such, birth control vaginal rings do not necessarily appear to pose a lower risk of thrombosis than do birth control pills.[54][55] Additionally pregnancy and the period immediately following pregnancy is associated with a high risk of blood clots.[56]

Mechanism of action

Like all combined hormonal contraceptives, NuvaRing works primarily by preventing ovulation. A secondary mechanism of action is inhibition of sperm penetration by changes in the cervical mucus. Hormonal contraceptives also have effects on the endometrium that theoretically could affect implantation, however no scientific evidence indicates that prevention of implantation actually results from their use. [57] NuvaRing should not be used if a woman is pregnant.

NuvaRing delivers 120 µg of etonogestrel (a progestin) and 15 µg of ethinylestradiol (an estrogen) each day of use.

Society and culture

Restrictions on use

On July 31, 2014, CTV News reported that Merck Canada Inc. stated that women who are over 35 and smoke should not use the Nuvaring. In addition to this group of women, women who have any of the following conditions also should not use the Nuvaring: abnormal blood-fat levels, clotting disorders, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, migraine headaches with vision problems or “constant stomach pain caused by pancreatic dysfunction along with high levels of fats in the blood”.[58]

Lawsuits

In March 2008, the first lawsuit was filed against the manufacturers, distributors, and marketers of NuvaRing. The plaintiff alleged that these companies concealed the health risks associated with using the device, which is claimed to have caused the death of the plaintiff's wife.[59] Subsequent plaintiffs alleged multiple problems with the advertising of NuvaRing and that they downplayed its risks of injury and death.[60] The company denied these allegations.[61]

The first bellwether trial, selected from a pool of federal lawsuits, was scheduled to begin on April 7, 2014.[62] On February 6, 2014, however, Merck & Co announced that it was ready to settle the NuvaRing lawsuits for $100 million. At that time, there were more than 1,850[63] lawsuits and the settlement was initially estimated pay about $58,000 per complaint.[64] Approval of the settlement required 95% of the plaintiffs to agree to settle by the end of the day, March 10, 2014,[65] otherwise Merck could retract their offer.[66] On June 5, 2014 US District Judge Rodney W. Sippel approved the $100 million settlement. About 3,800 claimants would share the settlement.[67]

History

NuvaRing was first approved in The Netherlands on February 14, 2001, then by all 14 other countries then in the European Union on June 12, 2001, and in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 3, 2001.[68]

[69] NuvaRing was first marketed in the United States in July 2002 ,[70] followed by a number European countries since then.[71] In March 2007, Organon announced the market launch of NuvaRing in Australia, bringing the total number of countries where NuvaRing is available to 32. A study by Danish researcher Dr. Øjvind Lidegaard in 2012 with 1.6 million women found a 6.5 times increase in the likelihood of venous thromboembolism when compared to users of non-hormonal based birth control. In Canada, Lidegaard's study led to a change in labeling warning of increased risk of blood clots, but not in the United States.[72]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]  Table 26–1 = Table 3–2 Percentage of women experiencing an unintended pregnancy during the first year of typical use and the first year of perfect use of contraception, and the percentage continuing use at the end of the first year. United States.

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51] Review of the combined contraceptive vaginal ring, NuvaRing. by Frans Jme Roumen. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management 05/2008; 4(2):441-51.

[52]

[53]

[54]

[55]

[56]

[57]

[58]

[59]

[60]

[61]

[62]

[63] _“NuvaRing's $100 Million Settlement Deadling is Monday”_, The Detroit Free Press, March 9, 2014, page 9A

[64]

[65]

[66]

[67]

[68]

[69]

[70]

[71]

[72]

title: Ethinylestradiol/etonogestrel

question: What is ETHINYLESTRADIOL/ETONOGESTRE?

answer: It is a hormonal vaginal ring used for birth control and to improve menstrual symptoms by inserting it into the vagina. It is sold under the brand names NuvaRing among others.

question: When was NuvaRing first distributed?

answer: It was first marketed in the United States in July 2002.

question: What happens in the case of accidental expulsion?

answer: The manufacturer recommends rinsing the ring with lukewarm water before reinserting.

question: Describe NuvaRing's 2008 lawsuit.

answer: It was filed against the manufacturers, distributors, and marketers of NuvaRing. The plaintiff alleged that these companies concealed the health risks associated with using the device, which is claimed to have caused the death of the plaintiff's wife

question: Name one benefit to the NuvaRing.

answer: There is a low incidence of estrogenic side effects such as nausea and breast tenderness.

question: What is the most common negative side effect of NuvaRing?

answer: Vaginitis

question: Why shouldn't NuvaRing be used while breastfeeding?

answer: The hormones may pass to the baby through the milk, and it may decrease milk production

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This article details Ethinylestradiol/etonogestrel, which is sold under brand names like NuvaRing. It is a hormonal vaginal ring used for birth control and to improve menstrual symptoms by inserting it into the vagina. The article goes over its medical use, benefits, contraindications, side effects, history, lawsuits, and restrictions on its use.


text:
Only three people were left under the red and white awning of the grease joint: Grady, me, and the fry cook. Grady and I sat at a battered wooden table, each facing a burger on a dented tin plate. The cook was behind the counter, scraping his griddle with the edge of a spatula. He had turned off the fryer some time ago, but the odor of grease lingered.

The rest of the midway—so recently writhing with people—was empty but for a handful of employees and a small group of men waiting to be led to the cooch tent. They glanced nervously from side to side, with hats pulled low and hands thrust deep in their pockets. They wouldn’t be dis appointed: somewhere in the back Barbara and her ample charms awaited.

The other townsfolk—rubes, as Uncle Al called them—had already made their way through the menagerie tent and into the big top, which pulsed with frenetic music. The band was whipping through its repertoire at the usual earsplitting volume. I knew the routine by heart—at this very moment, the tail end of the Grand Spectacle was exiting and Lottie, the aerialist, was ascending her rigging in the center ring.

I stared at Grady, trying to process what he was saying. He glanced around and leaned in closer.

“Besides,” he said, locking eyes with me, “it seems to me you’ve got a lot to lose right now.” He raised his eyebrows for emphasis. My heart skipped a beat.

Thunderous applause exploded from the big top, and the band slid seamlessly into the Gounod waltz. I turned instinctively toward the menagerie because this was the cue for the elephant act. Marlena was either preparing to mount or was already sitting on Rosie’s head.

“I’ve got to go,” I said. “Sit,” said Grady. “Eat. If you’re thinking of clearing out, it may be a while before you see food again.”

That moment, the music screeched to a halt. There was an ungodly collision of brass, reed, and percussion—trombones and piccolos skidded into cacophony, a tuba farted, and the hollow clang of a cymbal wavered out of the big top, over our heads and into oblivion. Grady froze, crouched over his burger with his pinkies extended and lips spread wide. I looked from side to side. No one moved a muscle—all eyes were directed at the big top. A few wisps of hay swirled lazily across the hard dirt.

“What is it? What’s going on?” I said.

“Shh,” Grady hissed.

The band started up again, playing “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

“Oh Christ. Oh shit!” Grady tossed his food onto the table and leapt up, knocking over the bench.

“What? What is it?” I yelled, because he was already running away from me.

“The Disaster March!” he screamed over his shoulder.

I jerked around to the fry cook, who was ripping off his apron. “What the hell’s he talking about?”

“The Disaster March,” he said, wrestling the apron over his head. “Means something’s gone bad — real bad.”

“Like what?”

“ Could be anything—fire in the big top, stampede, whatever. Aw sweet Jesus. The poor rubes probably don’t even know it yet.” He ducked under the hinged door and took off.

Chaos—candy butchers vaulting over counters, workmen staggering out from under tent flaps, roustabouts racing headlong across the lot. Anyone and everyone associated with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth barreled toward the big top.

Diamond Joe passed me at the human equivalent of a full gallop.

“ Jacob—it’s the menagerie,” he screamed. “The animals are loose. Go, go, _go_!”

He didn’t need to tell me twice. Marlena was in that tent. A rumble coursed through me as I approached, and it scared the hell out of me because it was on a register lower than noise. The ground was vibrating.

I staggered inside and met a wall of yak—a great expanse of curlyhaired chest and churning hooves, of flared red nostrils and spinning eyes. It galloped past so close I leapt backward on tiptoe, flush with the canvas to avoid being impaled on one of its crooked horns. A terrified hyena clung to its shoulders.

The concession stand in the center of the tent had been flattened, and in its place was a roiling mass of spots and stripes—of haunches, heels, tails, and claws, all of it roaring, screeching, bellowing, or whinnying. A polar bear towered above it all, slashing blindly with skillet-sized paws. It made contact with a llama and knocked it flat—boom. The llama hit the ground, its neck and legs splayed like the five points of a star. Chimps screamed and chattered, swinging on ropes to stay above the cats. A wild-eyed zebra zigzagged too close to a crouching lion, who swiped, missed, and darted away, his belly close to the ground.

My eyes swept the tent, desperate to find Marlena. Instead I saw a cat slide through the connection leading to the big top—it was a panther, and as its lithe black body disappeared into the canvas tunnel I braced myself. If the rubes didn’t know, they were about to find out. It took several seconds to come, but come it did—one prolonged shriek followed by another, and then another, and then the whole place exploded with the thunderous sound of bodies trying to shove past other bodies and off the stands. The band screeched to a halt for a second time, and this time stayed silent. I shut my eyes: _Please God let them leave by the back end. Please God don’t let them try to come through here_.

I opened my eyes again and scanned the menagerie, frantic to find her. How hard can it be to find a girl and an elephant, for Christ’s sake?

When I caught sight of her pink sequins, I nearly cried out in relief—maybe I did. I don’t remember.

She was on the opposite side, standing against the sidewall, calm as a summer day. Her sequins flashed like liquid diamonds, a shimmering beacon between the multicolored hides. She saw me, too, and held my gaze for what seemed like forever. She was cool, languid. Smiling even. I started pushing my way toward her, but something about her expression stopped me cold.

That son of a bitch was standing with his back to her, red-faced and bellowing, flapping his arms and swinging his silver-tipped cane. His high-topped silk hat lay on the straw beside him. She reached for something.

A giraffe passed between us—its long neck bobbing gracefully even in panic—and when it was gone I saw that she’d picked up an iron stake. She held it loosely, resting its end on the hard dirt. She looked at me again, bemused. Then her gaze shifted to the back of his bare head.

“Oh Jesus,” I said, suddenly understanding. I stumbled forward, screaming even though there was no hope of my voice reaching her. “Don’t do it! _Don’t do it_!”

She lifted the stake high in the air and brought it down, splitting his head like a watermelon. His pate opened, his eyes grew wide, and his mouth froze into an _O_. He fell to his knees and then toppled forward into the straw.

I was too stunned to move, even as a young orangutan flung its elastic arms around my legs.

So long ago. So long. But still it haunts me.

I don’t talk much about those days. Never did. I don’t know why—I worked on circuses for nearly seven years, and if that isn’t fodder for conversation, I don’t know what is.

Actually I do know why: I never trusted myself. I was afraid I’d let it slip. I knew how important it was to keep her secret, and keep it I did — for the rest of her life, and then beyond.

In seventy years, I’ve never told a blessed soul.

question: Why was there chaos at the circus tent?

answer: The animals got loose.

question: What was the show at the circus tent?

answer: Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth

question: What did the narrator come across when hurrying inside the tent?

answer: A wall of yak

question: Summarize the chaos that ensued at the circus?

answer: Candy butchers vaulting over counters, workmen staggering out from under tent flaps, roustabouts racing headlong across the lot. Anyone and everyone associated with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth barreled toward the big top.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: After closing hours, few remained at the grease joint. Most of the townsfolk had already made their way back to the big circus tent where the music was playing. Chaos ensued shortly after.


text:
JONCA is an unincorporated community in Ste. Genevieve County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.[1]

History

A post office called Jonca was established in 1880, and remained in operation until 1906.[2] The community took its name from Jonca Creek.[3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Jonca, Missouri

question: What is Jonca?

answer: an unincorporated community in Ste. Genevieve County

question: Where is the Jonca community located?

answer: within Missouri state.

question: When was the Jonca post office etablished?

answer: in 1880

question: Where did the community take its name from?

answer: The Jonca Creek

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Jonca is a community in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri. It took its name from the Jonca Creek.