text:
_What do you get for your money? That's the question everyone looking to buy a piece of tech asks themselves. It also happens to be the question this recurring feature will try to answer. Is it worth spending extra on high-end gear, or do you get what you need with cheaper models? Every month, we'll look at some of the cheapest and most expensive products in a given category, testing each to see what their limits are and help you figure out when you can cheap it out, and when to plunk down some extra cash to get what you need._

Watch any post-apocalyptic film and you'll notice a pattern: nobody shaves. From "The Road" to "World War Z," as things fall apart, people get hairy. Shaving is probably one of the first things to get shoved aside when the niceties of civilization are torn away. Remove that façade of decency, it seems, and a scruffy, screaming face is staring back at you. Because who wants to live without disposable razors?

Like most daily rituals, the act of shaving one's facial hair with a non-electrical, old-school razor has been impacted by technology. Some of the pricier varieties are miracles of engineering, with more blades than a flotilla of sea pirates. The bigger impact modern manufacturing has had on the lowly razor, however, has been on the price. They're so cheap to produce, they have become disposable. But are these throwaway, mostly plastic hair-slicers really better than the heavier, long-lasting blades our low-tech ancestors used? I decided to find out by trying three razors: the cheapest modern disposable razor I could find, a classic safety razor, and a straight razor. I stayed away from motorized electrical shavers, as I wanted to make this test purely about the experience of guiding a blade slowly across the skin.

Although I was unable to engineer the downfall of civilization, I did try each type of razor for several weeks, giving myself enough time to adjust to each type, and work out the best way of using it. I discovered that this might be a case where modern and cheap is not better than old and more expensive.

The Disposable Razor

The cheapest disposable razor I could find was from my local drugstore: $6.49 for a pack of 12 dual-blade, tilting head razors. That means each razor costs about 54 cents. That's pretty cheap, but there is a reason: I found that these razors didn't last for more than a single shave. After that, the blades started to drag and skip on the skin, leading to cuts and nicks. I wasn't able to use these razors for more than a single shave without discomfort. So, realistically, that puts the cost here at about $0.54 a shave, and I ended up going through a pack of 12 razors in under a month.

Of course, there are more expensive options that last a little longer. When I used something like a Gilette Fusion razor, I could usually get 3 or 4 shaves per replacement head. But, with a pack of 4 replacement heads costing $16.79, it's no cheaper, as that works out at about $1 a shave.

The Safety Razor

If you aren't familiar with this type of razor, ask your grandfather. Patented in 1904 by King Gillette, founder of the eponymous modern company, the safety razor is a razor "where the necessity of honing or stropping the blade is done away with, thus saving the annoyance and expense involved therein", according to the original patent. This is the classic razor, with a rectangular metal head that holds a removable double-edged blade. It's called a safety razor because the blade is held between two pieces of metal that protect the skin: you can't do more than nick the flesh with it. Plus, like the modern disposable razor, the head holds the blade at the right angle to the skin, so it is easy to use. The blade is the disposable part: rather than throw the whole thing out, you remove the blade, which is just a thin sheet of metal.

The blades for these razors are very cheap: you can buy a pack of 100 assorted blades for about $20, and the razor costs anywhere between $30 and $300, depending on how fancy you are feeling. I used a Maggard Razors Starter Kit, which cost about $35.

The experience of using this type of razor was much like the modern disposable: I didn't need to worry much about nicks and cuts. I found that it was easy to use and produced a closer, more comfortable shave than the disposable, though, with the weight of the razor head providing the right pressure on the skin. When you get it balanced in the hand, the razor glides over the skin without much effort, although it did require multiple passes to get a really smooth shave. With two blades, the disposable effectively did two passes at once, and I found myself doing multiple short passes with the safety razor to shave stubborn hairs. The safety razor's larger head also makes it more difficult to do areas like the chin and under the nose, as the head stops the blade getting right under the nose.

I did find that I had to replace the blade on each shave again, though. Although you get two edges on each blade, I could feel the edge getting a little harder to move over the skin by the end of the shave, and I didn't feel comfortable reusing the blade a second time---it would tug and drag on a couple of days growth. However, this hassle comes at a lower cost: with 100 blades for $20, each shave costs about 20 cents, and you aren't throwing away as much each time, with just a couple of grams of metal going into the recycling.

The Straight Razor

For this type of shave, ask your great-grandfather. In fact, you might still be able to use his straight razor---with proper care, a good blade becomes a family heirloom that can be used for generations. Here, you shave with a single exposed blade, which is shaped before each use by stropping it against a leather or ceramic surface. Stropping just refines an already sharp edge, so a blade will need the occasional re-honing to reshape the cutting surface, a job that's best done by a professional.

And these have a real edge. A well-honed straight-edge razor will cut through your skin with zero effort. That's kind of the point, though: a sharp edge slices through hairs and thus glides over the skin better than a blunt one. And a blade made from high-grade steel will hold this edge better than a cheap blade.

Ariel Zambelich/WIRED

I used a straight razor shaving kit from Vintage Blades that cost about $230. That's a lot of money up front, but the idea is that when used properly, it'll last for years.

That's easier said than done, though. Initially, the prospect of dragging this incredibly sharp edge over my skin wasn't helped by my subconscious coming up with lyrics from "Sweeny Todd" when I tried. It's hard to bring a sharp blade to my neck while the words "Come and visit your good friend Sweeney/You sir, too sir? Welcome to the grave," roll around your head.

I got over this with time, although I never lost respect for the blade. Shaving with a straight razor requires new knowledge---learning the proper grip, finding the correct angle against the skin, managing curves. Learning these things takes time, and there are inevitably mistakes. The blade is sharp enough that you don't always feel these, but it is definitely off-putting to suddenly realize that you have just cut you nose when you were trying to shave the lip. There is, after all, a reason why my kit came with a styptic pencil to stop the bleeding.

Your skin also has to adjust, as you are essentially scraping a layer off the top. My first few shaves produced a lot of redness and irritation that took some time to go, even when using a skin conditioner like Trumper's Skin Food.

But with practice, straight-razor shaving becomes a ritual. It's never quick, but stropping the blade, making a nice lather, brushing the foam onto the skin---it all has a pleasing routine to it that quicker shaving approaches don't have. It's like the way you make good coffee: attention to the details and routine produces a better result, and I found it an oddly calming way to start a busy day.

The result was the cleanest shave of all. I found that, with practice, it produced the smoothest shave of all the types I tried, and was the longest lasting: my skin still felt smooth and clean at the end of the day. And the cost is low---with no disposable parts and with only the occasional sharpening to worry about, each shave is less than a penny.

So which type of shaving was my favorite? That's a tough one. The ritual of straight edge shaving is a good way to start the day, but it takes time, and rushing it is likely to mean I end up slicing something off. So, I'll probably aspire to using the straight edge most of the time, but actually end up using the safety razor more often.

I do like the idea of having the razor as a family heirloom, though. One day, my descendent can look at my straight-edged razor and ponder how primitive we were as nanobots shave them in their deep-space bathrooms. Or perhaps they can still use my straight razor, stropped on the skin of a cow they caught that morning as they dodged the zombies that brought modern civilization to its knees. Either way, at least they'll look just smashing.

question: What is the article about?

answer: It compares the experience and cost of shaving with differently priced razors. The cheapest disposable razors, the safety razor, and the old-school straight razor.

question: What is the author's conclusion about disposable razors?

answer: While they are easy to use, he doesn't feel comfortable using them for more than a single shave. He estimates that they cost about 54 cents per shave.

question: What is the author's conclusion about the safety razor?

answer: He finds the experience similar to disposable razors, easy to use. While it sometimes requires multiple passes, it produces smoother skin than disposable razors. He estimates that they cost around 20 cents per shave.

question: What is the author's conclusion about the straight razor?

answer: He finds that the straight razor requires new skills to learn: how to hold the blade, navigate the curves, etc. While the experience can't be rushed if one wants to avoid cuts, it also offers the most relaxing ritual and the best shave of all options. While its cost is high upfront, a good one is durable enough to be a family heirloom. Hence, he estimates that it costs about less than a penny per shave.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The author compares disposable razors, the safety razor, and the straight edge both in experience and cost. He finds that disposable razors cost the most per shave while the straight razor requires a lot of time commitment and skill to use it. However, the straight razor produces the cleanest result. The safety razor is similar to disposable ones in ease of use but cheaper per shave.


split: train

text:
Dear Boy:
To this day I still cannot listen to Grizzly Bear’s album, “Yellow House” without thinking you are somewhere in the room; no worries however, it's a warm feeling.
The entire time this album plays I am transported away from my current time and situation to a place within the height of our romance.
Going to the cafe as soon as we both woke up. “Lullaby” playing as we walk in and, stoned, wait in line for your soy latte and my americano. A gentle fuzziness to the entire world, to every interaction. Still sharing in our private jokes from the night before while drinking our coffee. Reading books as we slowly woke up. Making funny faces at each other. Smoking cigarettes. A perfect start to the perfect day in a perfect world.
I remember the first time you took me to that world. We were traveling with Molly. You took me all over to places I went every day but never noticed before, like I was in our town for the first time. Or maybe I was just seeing you for the first time. I don’t know. But there it was. They always said you would know when it happened. You wouldn’t have any control of it. It would wreck your life and it would hurt. It would hurt more than anything has ever hurt before. Frankly, I never knew what in the hell they were talking about. All those friends and relatives, warning to be careful in the presence of it never realized that I not once even believed in it. Yet here I was, suddenly filled with it. No denying it. Feeling it so intensely, so fiercely that it, in an instant, consumed every bit of me, leaving nothing but an empty shell at the end, waiting pensively, imploring, begging absolutely to be filled with it again and again. At the end it ended up hurting so bad I thought I would lose my mind.
There was that time, all we did was go on a drive through the woods. We smoked a spliff together, turned up the music (Grizzly Bear, remember?) and drove. The sunlight was perfect, filtering through the trees in that impossible and amazing way. Coating everything in golden green light. Eating up the tiny wooded roads, traveling at insane speeds. Not speaking the entire time, reveling in the silence of the moment. It was when the silence was still a silence of beauty and togetherness. When the silence was still new and refreshing, when we were finally completely comfortable in each others presence. To this day it is the sound, color, and feeling of nostalgia. Warming me now as it did then, a gentle summer embrace in the middle of winter.
Grizzly Bear was playing the night we did Salvia for the first time together. It collapsed my world into little lego blocks and shattered it. Pulling everything I knew, everything I was into its vortex. In afterthought, that might have been foreshadowing. You thought salvia was stupid. After having such a moving experience I couldn’t understand how you didn’t take it seriously. We ended up arguing that night. Like so many others. Endlessly processing, endlessly discussing why we were no longer able to tolerate living with each other. By that time it had consumed me so much that I no longer thought that there could be another world. A world without it and without you. I couldn’t understand why it was no longer working, why it no longer felt good. I was willing to ask everyone and everything other than you. Afraid only of your answer. Those days were dark indeed, yet still you were a diamond among those dimly tinted memories. You still are.
Grizzly bear was also playing the day my friends in the mountains came and took me away from you. I was so elated to be moving out of that wretched town finally, but as the album came on I could only cry and cry. I think I cried most of the way to my new home.  I knew that I wasn’t sad about leaving town but only because you could not and would not have come with me. I cried because it was the end of the novel and I had been reading it for so long that I couldn’t even dream of it ending. Even after the climax and falling action. I cried because the best part of my life so far was officially over. I cried because I knew that I couldn’t have felt worse than I did that last week we were together. We couldn’t even be in the same room without fighting. Without retreating to the same old arguments all over again, being said more and more aggressively each time.
Honestly it felt good to cry that much. It validated that something real had happened. Something that was never going to happen again. Something that was impossible in the first place. Something that is still beautiful and terrifying in its scope of influence on my life.
Today the sun is out and the birds are sending gentle songs through my open window. Grizzly Bear plays softly in the background and I find myself reading a book that you  gave  to me long ago. Suddenly it is all there again. The terrible elation, the beautiful sadness. The pain and the sweet sweet smile right before we kissed. It sweeps through me quickly, passionately, leaving me feeling a bit post orgasmic. Weak kneed and a little red eyed (but no, that’s just my allergies and the pot, I promise). Feeling alive. Feeling like I never lived before.  You taught me that. To never stop living.
For that, and for everything
I thank you.
A million kisses,
Yours in love
ps. E was wrong. Belly button lint definitely comes from the shirt you are wearing at the moment, not the underwear you were wearing yesterday. I have been conducting a study out of bored curiosity, wearing underwear of a completely opposing color as my shirt the next day. Inevitably the color of my belly button lint is the same color as the shirt I am wearing, not the color of my undergarments the day before.

edit: styling didn't work the way I wanted apologies

title:
A draft some folks told me to post here
titled "dear boy"
crits welcome and wanted even.

question: What does the narrator refer to when he says " you would know when it happened"?

answer: The narrator is talking about falling in love. He feels the intensity of the emotion. It consumes him, leaving him exhausted and begging to be filled with that intensity again. In the end, he is horribly hurt.

question: Who is Molly?

question: What is the likely cause of the couple's ongoing arguments?

answer: The problems seem to have started on the night the couple did Salvia, a drug that appears to have pulled the narrator into its vortex. He was moved by it, his lover, less so. It was the night they first did salvia that they argued. After that, they could no longer tolerate living together.


text:
GUILLAUME BARBERON was a musician and minor composer of the early 17th century, active in Paris.

Biography

He was only identified between 1622 and 1630: in 1622 he signed a mutual donation with his wife Marie Boittel; He was then master of the music of the house of Monseigneur Charles, Duke of Guise.[1] On 8 December 1630 he witnessed the marriage of Pierre Bourgeois, master instrument player, residing on rue Beaubourg, with Marine Barat. He was then said to be master of the music of the duke of Épernon.[2]

Works

[The aria _Je ne puis souffrir les espris_... 1626.] Only one piece of him is known: the drinking tune _Je ne puis souffrir les espris..._ in the _VIIe Livre d’airs de cour, et de différents auteurs_ (Paris: , 1626. RISM 1626 exp 11, Guillo 2003 n° 1626-B). The volume was reprinted in 1628 (RISM 1628 exp 8, Guillo 2003 n° 1628-B) but then the tune was anonymous.

[1] Paris ANF : Y 163 f. 78, act of 21 April 1622, insinuated at the Châtelet the following August 13, quoted after Écorcheville 1907 p. 11.

[2] Paris ANF : MC IV, 64, to the date, quoted after Jurgens 1967 (p. 496).

title: Guillaume Barberon

question: Who was Guillaume Barberon?

answer: He was a musician and minor composer in the early 17th century.

question: What piece is Barberon known for?

answer: He is only known for one piece, the drinking tune _Je ne puis souffrir les espris..._ in the _VIIe Livre d’airs de cour, et de différents auteurs.

question: Where was Barberon for and where did he learn most of his music from?

answer: Barberon was an active musician in Paris.

question: During what years was Barberon identified?

answer: He was only identified during the years of 1622 and 1630.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article briefly describes the musical achievements of Guillaume Barberon.


text:
"C'mon boy! Less go!"

Christopher called back to his pa, "I'm comin' Pa! Hol' on!"

"We ain't got no time boy!"

Christopher hurried with the tying of his shoes and was forced to stop and restart twice on his right shoe before he finished the task. Once he was through, he quickly stood up and ran for the door, turning back, suddenly, for his ragged bag - which he grabbed and slung over his shoulders.

"Bout time Chris, we's gonna be late if we ain't get a move on."

Christopher's Pa took him under his arm and they began their walk towards town, and Christopher's school house.

"Sure is a pleas'nt morn' Pa."

"Mhmmm."

It was a fine morning, not unlike many of the late spring mornings in Savannah, and Christopher and his Pa walked happily, enjoying the warmth and humidity of the morning.

"Pa, what's that?" Christopher said.

"Wha’ss what, boy?" Pa said.

"Up in that there tree. Look." Christopher said, and pointed ahead.

From the distance, Pa speculated, and speculated correctly, that it was the figure of a lynched negro man, still hanging in the Poplar tree, a hundred feet ahead. Pa felt a sharpening in his chest and was silent. It was too late to spare the boy the sight, and he knew that life was not going spare the boy from violence.

"It's a man." The father said,  now near the tree.

"Why's he in the tree?"

"He is dead boy, he was killed last night."

"Was he a bad man Pa?" Christopher asked.

"I don't believe so."

The boy looked up at the dead man in the Poplar tree. His face was bloated and his eyes were bulging from his head. The boy felt sad that the man was dead but he did not feel like crying.  "Com’n son," Pa said, grabbing his hand after a moment,"You be late for school."

Many of the boys at Christopher's school that day spoke wildly of the lynched man, but only two had seen his corpse in the tree. Christopher did not take part in any conversation that day, and when he walked home, the man was no longer in the tree.

title: Strange Fruit

question: For what reason was the man lynched?

answer: Though not explicitly stated in the story, it is well known that at during a certain period of American history being black was enough to risk being lynched.

question: Does 'Pa' approve of the lynching?

answer: No, he seems to look at the situation with some pity for the individual hanging from the tree.

question: Why doesn't Christopher take part in the conversations the other boys are having at school?

answer: Unclear, though perhaps it is because his father had not shielded him from the sight or lied about the man's character and so he felt sad for him.

question: Summarize the day that Christopher has.

answer: Christopher wakes up and is in a rush so as not to be late for school. He walks to school with his father and they see an African American man who has been lynched. He feels sad for the man and asks his father questions in order to understand why he was killed. Once at school the other boys talk about the man who was hung but Christopher stays out of it and when he walks home, the man is no longer in the tree.

question: Who removed the man from the tree?

answer: Unclear, though probably the local police department.


text:
Anything is Possible…Not

As a child you are told, anything is possible, if you put your mind to it. As we grow older, we realize that is not always the case. Everyone has life goals, yet a very low percentage accomplish their life goals. When children think of life goals, they think of some really outrageous stuff. “I wanna be an astronaut! I wanna be an ice cream man! No wait! I wanna be a ice cream man in space!” according to Christopher Titus, a comedy central comedian, was his life goal. Do I have life goals? Of course I do, I just try to keep them simple and realistic. I have two short life goals, and two long term goals. Short-term goals consist of things that you could possibly do everyday. Where as long-term goals take time, and preparation.

First of all my short term goals, to many people they might seem childish, and simple minded. However a goal is a goal regardless of how small the goal might be. One goal of mine is to write a letter to someone from a different state. As I stated before yes, its a small pointless goal but none the less it is a goal. Whenever I get mail in my mail box I get excited, though most of the time it is a bill. I enjoy receiving mail though, and I think having a penpal of some sort would be a great experience.

A second life goal I have, is traveling back to Madison Wisconsin. I enjoy it so much out there, the city is surrounded by water, the people are so active and lively, the school looks great. I do have a little biased in this goal though, another reason I like Wisconsin so much is because there is an amazing girl there who has seemed to put a spell on me, so to speak. Honestly though I do like the city of Madison, WI. The roads get to be a little confusing, but I have most of the roads memorized now, because the number of times I got lost. Over all though I’m looking to go back, and the first chance I get, I’m going.

Now on to long term life goals, how exciting. My number one life goal is to become a Detective on a police force. As I stated before, kids have really outrageous goals, My outrageous goal is to be a Detective. I did not always wanted to be a Detective though, it sort of just morphed into being a Detective. Which is an interesting thing about “goals” they change, they are always altering into something new. Before I rationalized to be a Detective, I wanted to be a Bounty Hunter. Outrageous.

My other long-term goal is to travel to Japan. I have always been interested in Japan since I was about seven years old. As the years progressed, I learned Japanese culture, I studied Japanese, and watched Japanese shows. To me they’re a most fascinating culture. When they commit to do something, they do it. No matter how long it takes, they continue, and continue.

Goals, are important to life, they give people purpose to live on this dying rock. Without goals, there is no point to live. Humans need motivation, something to strive for. Goals are outrageous, simple, and at times infeasible. I believe I can accomplish my goals, of writing a letter to someone out of my state, traveling to Madison WI, becoming a Detective, and traveling to Japan. Those may take time but, anything is possible, if you put your mind to it… Not.

title: Anything is possible...Not

question: What is the theme of this story?

answer: Having life goals.

question: What are the narrator's life goals?

answer: Having a penpal in another state, moving to Madison, Wisconsin, becoming a detective on a police force, and moving to Japan.

question: What did the main character want to be before they were a detective?

answer: A bounty hunter.

question: What is the meaning of the last line of the story?

answer: The main character doubts whether it is realistic to accomplish their life goals.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This story is about a young person's life goals. They list two short term goals: having a pen pal and moving to Madison. They also list two long term goals: being a detective on a police force and moving to Japan.


text:
Technology & Science

The Dannon Co. says it will reimburse consumers for up to $100 US of Activia and DanActive yogurt purchases and change its marketing and labelling to settle a class-action lawsuit.

The Dannon Co. said Friday it will reimburse consumers for up to $100 US of Activia and DanActive yogurt purchases and change its marketing and labelling to settle a class-action lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in 2008, alleges Dannon overstated the yogurt's health benefits. The company claims the products can strengthen the body's defences or regulate digestion because of bacteria they contain.

White Plains, N.Y.-based Dannon, a unit of France's Groupe Danone, denies any wrongdoing and said it settled the suit to avoid any further litigation and expense.

The settlement still needs to be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

As part of the settlement, Dannon will set up a fund of up to $35 million US to reimburse qualified consumers for purchases. Customers who purchased Activia or DanActive yogurt since the products were introduced in 2006 and 2007, respectively, will be able to file for reimbursement.

Dannon will also change labelling and marketing to "increase the visibility of the scientific names of the unique strains of probiotics that are in each of these products," Dannon said in a statement.

Once the settlement is approved, consumers will be able to find out more about the process for filing for reimbursement and other information at DannonSettlement.com.

question: Why is Dannon Co. reimbursing consumers up to $100?

answer: In order to settle a class-action lawsuit, they will reimburse consumers.

question: What was the basis for the class-action lawsuit?

answer: The company overstated the yogurt's health benefits.

question: What actions is Dannon Co. taking after the lawsuit?

answer: As part of the settlement, the company will fund up to $35 million US to reimburse qualified consumers for their purchase. They will also change the labeling on the yogurt.

question: How do consumers find out if they are eligible for reimbursement?

answer: They can learn more at DannonSettlement.com

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: As part of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit against DannonCo., the company will fund up to $35 million US to reimburse qualified consumers for their purchase. They will also change the labeling on the yogurt. The basis for the lawsuit is that the company overstated the yogurt's health benefits.


text:
We were enjoying the cool night air. I lit a cigarette and took a quick harsh drag. My friend sat next me, quiet. He wouldn’t admit his thoughts, but I could see them on his face. I sat with the cigarette between fingers, slowly burning down, quickly giving me a buzz, relieving my stress. He was waiting for a text. I was waiting for anything. That night I wore shorts and a sweater: comfortably chilled. I can’t remember, but it is possible that we had been drinking.

From the vantage point of my friend’s porch we could see them approach her building and stand just outside her door. She was anxious. He, as always, was calm and cool.

I turned to my friend, “Do you see this?” I took a drag, eager for what happened next.

They stood there. Talking. His jeans loose, hems on the concrete, striped hoody, and backwards flat-billed baseball cap, all synonymous with his profile. She wore a skirt, netted leggings underneath, large boots coming half way up her calf, a low cut shirt and a half buttoned up purple cardigan sweater, her sunset red hair kept neat under a black beret. These two friends stood talking in the dark of night; thinking that they were alone in this moment. That for a few minutes the world was theirs. I watched on, ignorant to my friend’s presence and text chimes. In my mind I saw and heard their conversation. She was thanking him for being a good guy to walk her home. He said it was nothing and that he was happy to do it; “No problem.” One of them checked their phone, probably he did. He motioned to go. She asked him to wait. She stepped in for a hug and embraced him. He wasn’t reluctant, he didn’t stop to think about the implications, and he did not consider his girlfriend hundreds of miles away. He didn’t think about how much his girlfriend meant to him, and he didn’t consider how much this girl holding him right now wanted to be more than friends. He held her tight in his arms. And he released first. She held a second longer, understanding that now, given the circumstances, and his obligations, that he could not be with her. She turned to unlock her door; she pulled it open and stood there, holding it. One hand on the door, the other hanging at her side. They said goodbye, he turned and walked away. But she didn’t turn in. She stood there.

I was fixated on her. I wanted to walk over to her and tell her I’m sorry it wouldn’t work out with him. I wanted to run after him and tell him what he’s doing to her. But I couldn’t. I watched her. This image is cast in my mind like stone. The yellow lights on the wall above her emitting their soft enveloping glow. The way she held most of her weight on one foot. Her head cocked slightly to one side and inclined towards his fleeting presence. And my friend reclined on next to me. Cigarette smoke drifting before my face in the breeze.

To me this moment only lasted about fifteen seconds. She watched after him. I saw in her body language how she registered the ramifications of their conversation and interactions. Her body slouched. Her hand fell off the door letting it swing in, stopping against her shoulder. She loosened her firm stance and stepped one foot back to turn, but she couldn’t yet. She had to watch him a few seconds longer; she had to hope that he’d changed; that maybe he did feel the same way for her. Hoped that maybe he’d turn back for her. I could only imagine how long this felt for her, the emotions she felt as he went farther away, without looking back: the impact of his words tonight, the realizations within that hug, the disappointment and despondency of that brief moment. She finally turned in—sad, lonely, defeated. I felt sorry for her. I felt guilty that I had intruded on this moment; that I watched something that was supposed to be private and within only her world.

I finished my cigarette, crushed the butt, and threw it away.

title: A Goodbye (ws please)

question: What is the theme of the story?

answer: The theme is rejection. The narrator is on the porch with their friend during a get-together. They see a girl and a guy talking. The narrator can tell the girl wants to take it somewhere romantic; her body languages gives that much away. The girl, it seems to the narrator, realizes by the guy's body language that he probably has a girlfriend, and that he is not going to go home with her.

question: Summarize the narrator's perspective on this rejection scenario.

answer: The narrator seems to feel pity mixed with sadness. They do not derive pleasure from seeing this brief even play out. The narrator takes it upon themselves to imagine what it is like to be this dejected young woman, who feels defeated by love. This is possibly a projection based on how the narrator feels about similar things that have happened to them.

question: Summarize the plot twist in the story.

answer: It seems that the guy does not care at all about whomever the narrator thinks is his girlfriend back home. He seems to agree to walking the girl home; in the narrator's mind, the girl assumes this means her hopes of a romantic evening will be realized. Then, for reasons the narrator can only and does imagine, the guy backs out, giving her a hug that seems like some manner of consolation prize.

question: Explain how the narrator is able to realistically assume what happened during this interaction.


text:
Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich doesn't want to say whether or not Syria is a democracy. He'd prefer not to comment on just what Russia's role in the bombing of Eastern Aleppo was. And he'd really just rather the world focus on peace in Syria, rather than what to do with President Bashar al-Assad.

That was the best that could be drawn from Kucinich in a half-hour phone interview with BuzzFeed News, given days after his return from what he repeatedly referred to as a "fact-finding mission" to Syria alongside Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. While there, both he and Gabbard met with Assad, who has refused to yield power as a precondition for the halt of the civil war that has ground on for more than five years.

Gabbard first revealed officially that she had not only been in Syria but sat down with Assad in an interview with CNN on Wednesday. She denied initial reports that said hers was a secret mission, saying that both the House Ethics Committee and leadership were notified.

(Gabbard's office has declined to give further comments on her trip beyond her CNN interview and the press release it sent around shortly after.)

Kucinich backed that up, saying that the State Department was also informed as soon as they learned that it would be possible for them to cross from Lebanon into Syria. The trip was funded and arranged by ACCESS-Ohio, a local Arab-American support group that Kucinich has known and worked with as Cleveland's congressman since shortly after their founding in 1993 until he left Congress in 2012. "If they had a political agenda, I wouldn't go," he said. "I've had a lifetime in politics, I don't need more politics."

During their meeting with Assad, Kucinich said, the pair didn't raise the issue of the regime's chemical weapons usage. "At this point, that had been raised in the past," he said, pointing to an interview he'd conducted with Assad that aired on Fox News in 2013 where the Syrian president agreed he'd be willing to give up his chemical arsenal as evidence that the matter was dealt with. "What he talked about [in the recent meeting] was their efforts to end the war and return to some semblance of security."

Assad has spent years insisting that his regime has been fighting terrorists all along and Kucinich's view of the 2011 protest movement that launched the civil war tracks closely with the Syrian leader's. Kucinich acknowledged at least that there was a homegrown pro-democracy protest movement at the start of the conflict. "Was there a legitimate protest? Yes. Did some people in Syria take up arms? Yes. But they were soon overwhelmed by outside interests."

And on the matter of alleged war crimes the Syrian government has committed, Kucinich demurred. "I don't think anybody I know who I've talked to is ready to be an apologist for the ravages of war," he said. "It's horrific. And after this is over, there'll be plenty of time to determine what happened and if it exceeded the limits of what's acceptable under international law." (He seemed unaware of the UN Commission of Inquiry that has been tracking the matter since 2011 and has said that both sides have committed war crimes.)

"My personal view is that war itself is crime," Kucinich said. "And you want to end the war, you don't want a war to start. I've seen the effects of war and you don't want a war to start. And who knows what a country will do to defend itself?"

Evidence of that was on display in the first place that the two visited while in Syria: Aleppo, a city whose eastern half is still recovering from a lengthy siege put into place by the Syrian government and a fierce battle between the government and rebels that ended with the aid of Russian warplanes. Activists and doctors alike said that campaign bombed indiscriminately, taking out hospitals and at times targeting civilians.

Russia never came up during the time he and Gabbard spent among refugees in the city, he says, but he did say that he spotted "a couple, two or three people" sent from Russia to dismantle unexploded ordinance. Asked whether they were there to specifically clean up the Russian bombs that were dropped on the ravaged city, the former congressman merely said that there were there "to help in taking bombs, anything that was unexploded weapon. I guess there's probably a lot of it."

And on whether Syria — where Assad claims legitimacy through a 2014 election his government says he won 88.7% of the vote — is a democracy right now? "I think it's very difficult to be able to have a functioning democracy when your country is under siege," he said.

All of that is just details, it seems, in the pursuit of ending the war and bringing peace to Syria — no matter what that peace looks like.

"I have spent a career challenging wars," he said, "I lead the effort against the war in Iraq, and the war in Libya, I saw what would happen, I cautioned against US involvement in Syria. At some point as human beings we have to find a way to stop killing each other and find a way to move forward without trying to wipe each other out."

question: What is the main focus of this article?

answer: An interview Kucinich gave to BuzzFeed news after returning from Syria, where he and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard met with President Bashar al-Assad.

question: What is Kucinich's opinion of Assad?

answer: Kucinich would rather people focus on peace in Syria than on Assad. He doesn't provide much of an opinion beyond that, dodging the question of whether he believes Syria is a democracy.

question: What was the focus of Kucinich's "fact-finding mission"?

answer: He and Tulsi Gabbard met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has refused to yield power.

question: What dud Kucinich conclude from his fact-finding mission?

answer: Not much of their findings are disclosed.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich gave an interview to Buzzfeed after returning from a "fact-finding mission" in Syria. He and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard met with President Assad. Kucinich believes that the world ought to focus on peace in Syria rather than on what to do with Assad. He views the ongoing war itself as a crime, and claims it is difficult to have a functioning democracy in a country under seige.


text:
_' Abdulla Issa_' (, Russian ABEDALLA IESA or ABDALLA ISA; born 15 January 1964) is a Palestinian poet, First Secretary of the Embassy of the State of Palestine, journalist,[1] political analyst, film producer, winner of several literary awards,[2] and recognized as a national Palestinian poet. He is known as one of the representatives of “the poetry of updates”.[3]

Biography

Abdulla was born in the Yarmouk Camp near Damascus in Syria. He is the oldest of the thirteen children of Mahmoud and Fauzia. His family is of Kurdish background and originates from the Sultan of Salah ad-Din Yusuf.[4] His family was banished to Syria after the capture of his father's village Akrad, Palestine during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

He began to study the Quran and classical Arabic poetry (in the camp there were only two books, the Quran and a collection of poems by Mahmoud Darwish).[5] As a child he was greatly affected by a visit from Yasser Arafat in 1976 to the camp[6] and later he devoted many of his verses to Arafat.[7] After finishing secondary school in Damascus in 1982, he studied at the Economic Institute. During his studies he worked in the Department of Culture and Literature's Central Arabian magazine _Freedom_.

In 1984 he became the laureate of the “New Arabian poetry”,[8] and at the age of 21 he published his first collection of poems in Arabic, _the Last part_. From 1985-1989 he was editor of the magazine _New tomorrow_, becoming a laureate of the prize of the Union of writers of the Arab countries in 1986. His father worked in the City Hall of Damascus and in 1987 was killed by Palestinians in the course of the inter-Palestinian political conflict.[9] After the assassination of his father Abdullah became head of the family.

In 1989 he moved to the Soviet Union where he began to study Russian at the preparatory courses at Moscow State University. In 1991 in Moscow he led the Palestinian Democratic Union under the direction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). From 1993 to 2003 he was the editor for cultural programs at TV and radio company “Voice of Russia”.[10] authoring programs about Russian and Arabian culture.

In 1994 he was an editor of the literary magazine “Poets”.[11] In 1995 he graduated from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute with the separation of “Poetry”. In 2001 he defended his thesis at the Institute of Asian and African Countries on “Means of artistic expression of the Arabic 'New poetry': the Second Half of the 20th century”.[12][13][14] In 2002 he became an Academic of the Academy of “Eurasia” at UNESCO. Since 1998 he has been Secretary General of the International Arab Union of journalists and writers.[15]

From 2003 he has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Russian agency of the Iranian-Arab TV channel “Al-Alam”[16][17][18] and a political analyst on the Russian and Arab worlds.[19][20]

In 2004 the Russian security services asked him for help in negotiations with the militants during the Beslan school siege when several hostages were taken at a school[21][22][23] which led to a documentary film series _Beslan_.[24][25]

From 2005 to 2009 he worked as the producer of series of documentaries for the television network Al Jazeera (_Their archives and our history_, and _Meeting in exile_). From 2007 to 2009 worked as the Chief Editor of the Russian office of the Arab News Agency “ANA”. In 2010 he was an executive producer of the feature film _Ispytanie smertyu_ [26][27] directed by Vladimir Nakhabtsev.[28] The movie is about Soviet Intelligence Officer Alexei Kozlov, starring Oleg Taktarov.[29][30] In the same year became an executive producer of the feature film _Encounters: the True story. Tehran-43_ [31][32] directed by Vladimir Nakhabtsev about Soviet Intelligence Officer Gevork Vartanian and his wife Goar Vartanian.

From 2012 to 2013 he was director of the film documentary project _Muslims are proud of Russia_.[33][34][35][36][37][38] The project is aimed at real-world examples to show that there is no conflict between the terms “Muslim” and “Russian patriot”. In 2013 he directed and co-produced “And we love life” about the life of the blockade of Gaza, Palestine, with the participation of the Prime Minister of Gaza Ismail Haniyeh,[39] and executive producer Ramil Khayrulin. The film is somewhere between fiction and documentary: it is a mix of invented script and characters, filmed within the backdrop of real-life situations and emotions of the people who survived the tragedy.[40][41][42]

In 2013 he became editor and host of the radio program “Cultural café of Abdullah Issa” on Voice of Russia.[43][44] In 2015, he became the First Secretary of the Embassy of the State of Palestine [45][46] and received the highest award of the State of Palestine for “Achievement in Culture, Art and Science - The Degree of the Creator”.[47][48]

Poetry

-   1985 – _Last part_ (Hazi)
-   1987 – _Dead are prepared for burial_ (Mauta youidduna aljanaza)
-   1996 – _Alaaa (Benefit of divine)_ (Alaa)
-   1997 – _Ink of the first heaven_ (Hibr al-samaa al- ula)
-   2000 – _Rise of the fences_ (Kiamatu alaswar)
-   2013 – _Shepherds of the sky, the shepherds of grass_ (Ruaatalsamaa ruaat algufla)
-   2014 – _Father is my brothers, not a wolf_ (Ikhwati ya abi la alzib)

Books

-   1987 – _Visions in poetry_ (Ruya fi Ashir)
-   2001 – _Word and spirit in contemporary poetics_ (Alkalima ua alruh fi alshiriya almuasera)

[1] Радиостанция «Эхо Москвы» - Инсинуации на смерть Ясира Арафата

[2] thaqafa.org - لقاء مع الشاعر الفلسطيني عبد الله عيسى

[3]

[4] paldf.net

[5]

[6] alwatanvoice.com - فلسطين كلها تتذكر بقلم:د.عبدالله عيسى

[7] ALBAWABA - إلى ياسر عرفات.. قصيدة الشاعر عبدالله عيسى

[8] Здравствуй.ру – программа о поиске смысла в бессмысленности происходящего

[9] الشاعر الفلسطيني عبدالله عيسى المخيم هو المناخ الأول الذي تحسست عبره العالم

[10] ru4arab.ru - صــوت روسيــا بالعربية

[11]

[12] disserCat – электронная библиотека диссертаций

[13] arabLit - Статьи отечественных и зарубежных востоковедов о современной арабской литературе, истории и культуре, авторефераты диссертаций

[14] Cyberleninka – Ассоциация «Открытая наука»

[15]

[16] inotv.rt.com - Москва призывает «друзей Сирии» не разжигать войну

[17] inotv.rt.com - В отчете по Ирану больше политики, чем фактов

[18] inotv.rt.com - В России торжествует демократия

[19] محلل سياسي موسكو على موقفها بحل الأزمة الأكرانية سلمياً

[20] محلل سياسي الأزمة الأكرانية ورقة ضغط على روسيا في الكثير من المواقف الدولية

[21] Газета Коммерсантъ - ФСБ ищет переговорщиков-мусульман, 03 сентября 2004

[22]

[23] Кавказский Узел - ФСБ привлекла к переговорам с террористами иранского журналиста, 02 сентября 2004

[24] youtube – Документальный фильм «Беслан. Часть 1»

[25] youtube – Документальный фильм «Беслан. Часть 2»

[26] IMDb - Internet Movie Database. Ispytanie smertyu

[27] ПЕРВЫЙ КАНАЛ – Документальное кино. Испытание смертью

[28] IMDb – Vladimir Nakhabtsev

[29] ГОЛОС АМЕРИКИ - «Русский медведь» ищет в кино серьезности

[30]

[31] IMDb - Internet Movie Database. Pravdivaya istoriya. Tegeran-43

[32] ПЕРВЫЙ КАНАЛ – Документальное кино. Правдивая история. Тегеран-43

[33] libfl.ru - “Дорога в Мекку”. Презентация второго фильма из кинодокументального проекта “Мусульмане, которыми гордится Россия”

[34]

[35] dumrf.ru - В Москве прошла презентация первых фильмов проекта «Мусульмане, которыми гордится Россия»

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39] сайт MusicVideos.com

[40] 19 июня 2013 года в Москве состоится презентация фильма «И мы любим жизнь»

[41] ПРЕМЬЕРА ФИЛЬМА «И МЫ ЛЮБИМ ЖИЗНЬ»

[42] Aldiyar London. Bilingual Arabic-English newspaper

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46] БГИИК ПРИНИМАЛ ГОСТЕЙ ИЗ РЕСПУБЛИК И КОРОЛЕВСТВ ВОСТОКА

[47] منع من دخول وطنه.. الرئيس عباس يمنح الشاعر الفلسطيني عبدالله عيسى وسام الثقافة والعلوم والفنون - مستوى الإبتكار المزيد على دنيا الوطن

[48] الرئيس الفلسطيني يوسّم عددا من الأدباء الروس نظير مساندتهم للقضية الفلسطينية

title: Abdulla Issa

question: When was Abdulla Issa born?

answer: January 15th 1964

question: How many siblings does Issa have?

answer: 12

question: What field does Issa work in?

answer: Literature

question: What is the English title of his 2000 poetic work?

answer: Rise of the fences

question: What prompted the documentary series Beslan?

answer: Militants seiged a Beslan school and took hostages in 2004, and Russian security services asked Issa for help in negotiations.

question: What is the significance of the International Arab Union of journalists and writers?

answer: Issa has been the Secretary General since 1998.

question: Summarize Issa's activity in 1991.

answer: He led the Palestinian Democratic Union in Moscow, under Palestine Liberation Organization direction.

question: How old is Issa (at the time of writing)?

answer: He is 57 years old.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Abdulla Issa is a 57-year-old, award-winning poet, journalist, producer, and political activist from Palestine who has studied and worked in Palestine as well as Russia. He has been the Secretary General of the International Arab Union of journalists and writers since 1998.


text:
MANUEL THURNWALD (born 16 July 1998) is an Austrian footballer who plays as a full-back for SC Rheindorf Altach.[1]

Club career

Early career

Born in 1998, Thurnwald started his football career with Rapid Wien youth team.[2]

Rapid Wien

In 2016, Thurnwald was called up for Rapid Wien first team. On 6 November 2016, Thurnwald made his senior team debut in Austrian Football Bundesliga against Wolfsberger AC at Allianz Stadion, playing the game as a starter for full-time game by coach Mike Büskens.[3]

Rheindorf Altach

On 22 July 2019, Thurnwald joined Rheindorf Altach on a two-year deal with an option for one further year.[4]

Club career statistics

  Club performance   League         Cup                            continental   Total
  ------------------ -------------- ------------------------------ ------------- ------- ------ ------- ------ ------- ------ -------
  Season             Club           League                         Apps          Goals
  Austria            League         Austrian Cup                   Europe        Total
  2016–17            Rapid Wien     Austrian Football Bundesliga   11            0
  2017–18            10             1                              2             0
  2018–19            0              0                              0             0
  Total              Career total   21                             1             2

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4] Manuel Thurnwald wechselt zum SCR Altach, abseits.at, 22 July 2019

title: Manuel Thurnwald

question: Who is Manuel Thurnwald?

answer: an Austrian footballer

question: What team is Manuel Thurnwald on?

answer: SC Rheindorf Altach

question: What position does Manuel Thurnwald play?

answer: full-back

question: When was Manuel Thurnwald born?

answer: 16 July 1998

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Manuel Thurnwald is an Austrian footballer who plays as a full-back for SC Rheindorf Altach.


text:
There was a glitter in her eyes.  Whether it was the tumult of emotions and attraction in those emerald oceans or the calculated, callous expression of a mercenary succubus, it made no difference to Mark.  This is because Mark was smitten.  It had been weeks—enough weeks to start counting them as months—since he had kissed a girl.  Longer, still, if he went as far back as to think of his last bedroom encounter.

Encounter, however, is the apt word as his last time was with a prostitute.  Consumed by the specific loneliness of lying on a never-christened mattress while watching glowing snowflakes through a frosted window, Mark willed his pencil legs out of bed and into a pair of discarded jeans and went off to the west side of town.  It wasn’t long before he found a girl on the street, fumbled through the approach, and brought her back.  She laughed all the way.  A few times in that fake way, calling him “baby” and “Daddy”, but then a few honest laughs at the meekness of this customer who knew only how to be kind and not how to be attractive.  She didn’t even charge him, feeling that she had done a public service for a good but unlucky man.  Then she went back out to the curb to dip her head under a half-dozen dashboards before dawn and Mark showered for three hours.

But, tonight, at this bar, the green eyes of one Telulah Lawson glittered in front of Mark.  Despite Telulah’s name, she was as white as paste.  The awkward combination of this girl plus this name is as awkward as the giver of the name plus why it was given. “Telulah” was a premonition that wormed its way into the acid-washed ex-hippie brain of her now-institutionalized mother, given to her “as a sign” (her mother’s words) as Telulah crowned.  Her mother, unashamedly, had both an extraordinary orgasm and a resurgent acid peak at that expulsive moment, diving back into her memory of her daughter’s conception nine months earlier: the Grateful Dead had given their fans the best show ever, even better than the last, and surely to only be the best until the next hit of acid at the next mossy field where the rock and roll gypsies and their coven bumbled to.  Telulah’s mother had found her star mate in a man whose name he didn’t even know—he changed it every few months to reflect his new zodiac that he should have been born under—and it wasn’t long before Telulah Rainchild Persephone Lawson screamed her way into her tripping mother’s arms.

Fast forward a few decades, give or take some years in change, and she sat at a bar in front of Mark Reeter, an account manager at a local credit union whose job was handled so adeptly by a computer that he was an avid poster on a paper airplane forum for under-worked office professionals.  His skill at folding just the right glider to hit anywhere in his office was unparalleled in three states, not that anyone would dispute it.

Earlier that night, he found himself lying again on that pristine mattress, again looking out that frosted window, and again recollecting his pity prostitute.  So, he again willed his pencil legs into a pair of discarded jeans, but this time, those jeans marched to a local bar to prove to himself he could do better than to go driving around looking for her again.  Not that he’d thought about it, nope, especially not while trying to make a plane that did two flips before wedging itself between the file cabinet and the wall.  And, upon going to this bar and downing three of those juniper truth sauces, it was then that he was not served a fourth gin, but a vodka and club soda.

The bartender shrugged at the wrong order, quipping that “someone ordered it”, and Mark found it his off-balance mission to get this unknown drink-less soul their libation.  Luckily, it was a pasty-white girl with an odd name sitting equally alone at the same bar.

Her reasons for sitting there that night, however, dip more into the excess of human contact than Mark’s lack.  She had recently found herself unknowingly in a love triangle with a pair of twins.  She knew that they were twins, as it always was a point of conversation on their date nights.  They double dated frequently and the other twin brought in a rotating cast of women, ranging from exotics to necrotics.  Telulah’s chosen twin, Samuel, often made it known to his foil, Sander, that he needed to find a good girl like Telulah, at which point a good laugh was always shared.

One of these double dates began right after Samuel and Telulah had ended another one of their shower romps.  The combination of steam, the smells of fragrant shampoos, and watching the water run down Samuel’s body always tended to lead to these events, but this particular time ended not with their usual sighs and tight grips as her body tingled and the sound of the water filled Telulah’s mind, but as Samuel bled.  She had grabbed onto the shower curtain while Samuel was behind her and the rod came out of the wall with a tremendous splatter of plaster and ripped down Samuel’s cheek.  He was quick to shrug it off and wear it bravely, but she had lost her nerve of things, so they got out and prepared for yet another one of Sander’s double dates.

That night’s guest star was barely above the drinking age, which made things very quickly become fun—with increasingly oddly named shots being delivered—and then very quickly become ugly, as the girl exploded into theatrics on the street corner, punched Sander with a roll of quarters from her purse, and stormed off.  The ensuing emergency room visit made two things clear: Samuel's nose was broken.

While both men followed her out—one pleading with a scabbed cheek and the other an owl set of black eyes, both professing love to her —it became necessary for her to have another drink.

And upon Mark’s moment of charity and honesty, Telulah’s eyes sparkled.  And, eventually, Mark christened that mattress.  Lying in bed after, with the sounds of Jerry Garcia filling Mark’s room and their nude limbs betwixt, Telulah made a perfect paper airplane out of their bar tab receipt and got it—hole in one—between Mark’s wall and shelf.  So he kissed her again.

title: An Orphan Drink [1065]

question: Who is Mark smitten with?

answer: Mark is smitten with Telulah Lawson, a woman he meets at the bar.

question: Does Mark have a goal?

answer: Mark wants to have christen his new mattress

question: What is the most negative event in this story?

answer: The most negative event is wen Telulah breaks the nose of her lover's twin.

question: What is Mark's profession?

answer: Mark is an account manager at a local credit union.

question: Where does this story take place?

answer: The main story takes place at a bar.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Mark Reeter becomes smitten with Telulah Lawson at a bar. Its been a while since his last sexual encounter, and he feels lonely on an unchristened mattress. Telulah is described as an outgoing person who was in a love triangle. She buys him a drink at the bar, and they go to Mark's to have sex. He is impressed with her ability to fly paper planes, a hobby of his.


text:
WAYNE M. BRASLER (born October 28, 1940, in St. Louis, Missouri) was, for half a century, the journalism adviser for the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools' school paper, The Midway[1],[2] and yearbook, U-Highlights.

Awards

Brasler is a celebrated journalism teacher who has won many awards including the National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year award, awarded by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, along with the Gold Key award, given by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Pioneer Award, from the National Scholastic Press Association. He also recently won the prestigious Gold Medal from the University of Missouri School of Journalism for his defense of student journalists' press rights and the Charles O'Malley Award for outstanding teaching and advising from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. In 2001 he began an alumni association newspaper for Normandy High in St. Louis, a large, full-color publication which so far has been one-of-a-kind.{Information verified by Wayne Brasler}

Early life

Brasler grew up in Normandy, Missouri and attended Normandy High School, outside of St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Harris Teachers College and Junior College for two years, becoming managing editor of the campus newspaper his sophomore year. He proceeded to the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where he was copy editor of the student newspaper the Maneater, earning a BJ degree there before taking a job at the Jewish Post and Opinion in St. Louis. He later earned a Masters in Language Arts at Northeastern Illinois University taking night and summer classes while still working six days and 80 hours a week. As a child in St. Louis, Brasler hung out at T.V. and radio stations as soon as he could ride streetcars alone and appeared on a children's radio show on KXLW in suburban Clayton. His mentor was the host of the show, who also taught kindergarten at his grade school. He originally planned a career in radio and television but at Normandy High decided he wanted to be a journalist and journalism teacher. He also had an extensive career as a singer, under the stage name Jim Andrews.

Recent years

In 1996 the National Scholastic Press Association named a new high school journalism award after Brasler, the Brasler Prize, given to the most outstanding piece of work published in a high school newspaper every year. Recently the University of Missouri School of Journalism awarded him its prestigious Gold Medal for his highly vocal defense of student press rights and his history in scholastic journalism. Besides teaching journalism and advising publications for nearly half a century, Brasler has remained a working journalist. He also has written program notes for dozens of C.D. releases, edited several best-selling music books and music biographies, and wrote a soon-to-be-published autobiography and a biography for the singer Joni James. He formed a Joni James fan club in 1955 and still publishes the Joni James Newsletter, a full-color magazine. He is regarded as an expert on American popular music of the 20th century and has been consulted on numerous recording projects. He also is an expert on St. Louis County streetcar lines (his father was once a streetcar motorman) and has written numerous articles on them. In January 2015 he retired after 51 years at the University of Chicago Lab Schools to devote full-time to the publications he does for the Normandy Alumni Association in Normandy, Missouri; a magazine he does for the singer Joni James, a publication he started while in high school; and a monthly newsletter he does for a friend's transmission business, all of these projects non profit. The most recent issue of the Normandy Alumni Association newspaper, the Alumni Courier, had 56 11 x 17 pages and a print run of more than 1,500 copies.

[1]

[2] http://www.journalism.missouri.edu/honor-medal/winners-2007.html

title: Wayne Brasler

question: What did Wayne Brasler do?

answer: He was a journalism adviser for the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools' school paper and its yearbook.

question: When was Wayne Brasler born?

answer: October 28, 1940.

question: Where did Wayne Brasler grow up?

answer: Normandy, Missouri.

question: What high school did Wayne Brasler attend?

answer: Normandy High School.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Wayne Brasler, a journalism adviser for the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools' newspaper.


text:
Volvo Cars announced new business ambitions that combine several megatrends - electric cars, autonomous driving cars and direct relations with customers through a subscription service.

By the middle of the next decade, the Swedish brand would like to:

-   generate half of all sales annually from fully electric cars by 2025
-   one third of all cars sold to be autonomous driving cars
-   half of all cars it offers to customers from its subscription service

Volvo, after refreshing its lineup in recent years, is increasing sales at a healthy pace (for an established manufacturer) of 13.3% in May and 13.6% over the first five months of 2018.

See Also

Volvo Cars would like to achieve high profitability, while most of the car sales will be all-electric or plug-in hybrids, which suggests that there is a clear path of viability seen for plug-ins.

  _"Volvo Cars expects these initiatives to transform its connection to its customer base, with the aim to build a total of over 5 million direct consumer relationships by the middle of the next decade, creating new sources of recurring revenue. This will also offer the company far greater potential to develop connected and other services for customers."_

  _"On the financial side, Volvo Cars aims to generate premium level profitability in line with other premium car makers, driven by increased sales and revenues across all three global sales regions, and a broader range of cars including sales to the new segment of autonomous ride-hailing companies._

  _The company’s improved financial performance will also be driven increasingly in the future by industrial synergies generated with its affiliated partner companies._

  _Volvo Cars expects to benefit from lower procurement costs, shared development costs and economies of scale alongside Polestar, its premium performance electric car brand, and LYNK & CO, the new global car brand in which Volvo Cars owns a 30 per cent stake."_

Hakan Samuelsson, president and chief executive said:

  _“Our customers’ expectations are changing rapidly. This means that Volvo Cars is also changing rapidly. These initiatives will help transform Volvo from being purely a car company to being a direct consumer services provider,”._

  _“This paves the way for Volvo Cars to continue growing fast into the middle of the next decade. The company has been transformed since 2010 into a global premium car company. Now it is time for this transformation to be turned into a period of sustained profitability in line with other premium brands.”_

question: What might likely be the implication of Volvo's direct relations to customers?

answer: The middlemen - car salesmen and car dealers - might be frozen out of their usual transaction, which means less income for them.


text:
*I KNOW YOU'RE EXCITED, BUT YOU REALLY NEED TO WATCH THE GRAMMAR, SIR. REGARDLESS, I THINK THIS IS THE ONE. GREAT SPEECH, SIR, AND GOD BLESS YOU"

From the Desk of the President of the United States of America:

People of this sovereign nation, I must first apologize to the children pulled out of their daily studies, and to the adults pulled out of their work for this day of celebration. I'm sure you were very busy, but now you must prepare yourselves for grand and wonderful news. Today, will be a day marked in history. In the future, those that come after will look upon today as a day of gratitude. The honor of the first thanks that we must give, belongs to none other than our military. We have employed the bravest men and women to uphold the peace of this nation and those that were too weak to defend themselves, and with the blessings of all of our branches of government, the clergy, and the other world leaders, we can declare their mission accomplished. Perhaps for our ancestors, war was a necessity, who's to say? We, however, are a new people in a new age, and the discoveries that we are making have given us ample tools to end the need for war altogether. We have too much to look forward to that we must prepare for, and can not distract ourselves with such useless practices. No more will we create armed drones, or nuclear weapons. Consider our drones in retirement, used only for mapping undiscovered regions of our planet, and making deliveries. Consider our nuclear weapons as warnings that we will leave to our children, and decommissioned. Those who have died in the travesty of war have not died in vain, for they have shown us the horrors that man is capable of that we must rise above within ourselves, as it is the destiny of man to elevate himself beyond the confines of what even nature imposes on him. There will still be those that feel hatred, and greed, but we, the leaders of the world, agree that at this time the earth is also blessed to have enough people that can elevate themselves, and live life the positive way. Those that are left behind from the rest of us due to their ways are welcomed to join this global fraternity at any time. We are a patient people, and have much busy work to do. Please don't take too long, however, we'd very much like your participation in these wonderful plans. It is at this moment, we offer thanks to the countless victims of hatred in a time when it was uncontrolled, and request a moment of silence.

 Now, we will use more than 3/4 of the annual military budget in the peaceful exploration of our oceans and outer space. On this historic day, with the blessed alliance with other sovereign leaders, the United States of America has formed the Brotherhood for the Exploration, and the Advancement of Mankind. Kinda long winded, isn't it? BEAM is comprised of only the best leaders in these stunning fields, the best scientists, the bravest men, the most daring engineers who refuse any limits imposed on them based on what others believe is "possible." When I was a boy, I wanted to be an astronaut, but didn't have the maths. Now, no child will have to be turned away from this dream due to a letter on a report card. BEAM will open schools for the most dedicated pupils, and any may be accepted, provided they pass the public tests that the instructors agree upon. Keep in mind, however, that admission to these schools is free.

The ocean harbors many secrets from us, and the time has come to learn from the wonders it has to offer us. For all that we know, every answer that we could seek is enwrapped within it's cozy waters. Fairly recently, our wonderful scientists have discovered enough freshwater aquifers beneath the ocean to hold off, if not prevent, a global water crisis. Who's to say that the cure for cancer isn't down there as well? Or a previously unheard of clean energy that will help aid us in this new era of peace? Who's to say that the answer to man's oldest enemy: time, will not be discovered in it's inky depths? We have given billions to fund new schools for underwater exploration, which will select only the best and bravest explorers to undertake this grand journey. Have at it, boys. You have our full trust, and monetary backing any time you require it.

Now that marijuana is legal, unprecedented numbers of you have looked to the stars and wondered. Well, we have listened.  We have all felt the stars beckoning, and we will answer their call. Our droogs from the motherland have been the ushers into the wonderful age of space exploration, and have offered us many insights into this sublime development. One of such was provided by one of the greatest men to have ever lived, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who had this to say: "The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever." We have listened, Konstantin, rest well friend. It has been fulfilled, man has finally outgrown our cradle, and upon completion of the proper blueprints, we will begin construction on the first interstellar vessel in man's long history. We will use the latest advances in technology, including 3d printing to begin constructing this ship, and with the advances of modern medicine available to all the citizens of the world, many of us will live to see it's completion, and perhaps even become the pioneers which will lead our kind to new worlds. We will take the fittest and brightest men and start training to begin the making of this vessel. We will need many, and if you are dedicated enough, then we ask for little else. In this new age, you will not be compensated much in money (which will soon become obsolete), but fear not. You shall be remembered as heroes for all of time. We will build new societies, inhabited by the most tranquil and loving that our world has to offer. Let us now extend our gratitude to God, for making perseverance and thirst for adventure such core concepts of the human spirit.

To those that doubt our new conquest, allow me to point to the Outer Space Treaty, which, since it's inception in 1967, has banned the use of weapons in space. We have been able to uphold it thus far, and the time for the ban of weapons on earth has finally been initiated. The time has come to rise together as one people. Everything that our fathers, and our father's fathers have lived through has led to this. Countless individual experiences has led to the day when mankind comes together, and claims his ultimate destiny. Today, let us give thanks that greed selfishness has been abolished for the greater good of all our brothers, that there will be no more policing of world matters, as the world is now an open platform that any man, woman or child, can change with the proper ideas, that there will be no more secrets held from the people of the world by their governments now, or ever, only surprises that will make them feel ten times the gratitude that we of the world feel today. Go forth, and celebrate the beginning of the day that will lead to adventures that are impossible to imagine. Let me extend my personal gratitude to all of you, my brothers, this is the start of when we live as such for always and eternity. Tomorrow we begin, but today...we shall celebrate! Prepare well, friends. Our destiny is at hand. God Bless.

title: "From the Desk of the President..."

question: Is the text a real address from a real president?

answer: No, it is a fictional story written in the form of a speech.

question: Describe the world that the text envisions.

answer: It is a world where peace is universal, and weapons of war are retired. The war budget is instead used for space and deep sea exploration.

question: What is BEAM?

answer: The Brotherhood for the Exploration and Advancement of Mankind. It is comprised of the best leaders and scientists who will explore outer space and the deep sea.

question: What does the president invite people to do?

answer: On that day, he invites them to celebrate, and after, to join the efforts to better all of humanity.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The text is a short story written in a form of a speech given by the President of the US. In the speech, a new world is described, where peace is universal and where the war budget will be redirected to outer space and deep sea exploration.


text:
JOHN OF HEINSBERG (1397–1459), was Prince-Bishop of Liège from 1419 to 1456.

Life

Heinsberg was the son of John II of Loon by his first wife, Margaret of Gennep. When Prince-Bishop John of Walenrode died suddenly in 1419, Heinsberg, despite his young age, was unanimously elected as his successor within three weeks.[1] He was ordained priest on Christmas Eve 1419, consecrated as bishop in Lent 1420, and was invested with secular power as prince-bishop, on behalf of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, in Frankfurt on 21 June 1420. In 1422 he took part in the Bohemian Crusade against the Hussites. In 1424 he revised the method by which aldermen were elected, issuing regulations that remained in force until 1684.

After a period of conflict between the duchy of Brabant and the prince-bishopric over feudal rights in the county of Namur, the duke of Brabant, Philip the Good, in 1431 imposed a treaty on Heinsberg by which all the claims of Liège were relinquished. Heinsberg took part in the Congress of Arras in 1435 as an ally of Philip the Good.

In 1442 he was present at the imperial coronation of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, at Aachen (a city in his diocese), with an entourage of 250 noblemen.[2] In 1444 he set off on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but got no further than Venice before returning home.[3]

In 1456, under pressure from Philip the Good, Heinsberg resigned in favour of Louis de Bourbon. He died at Kuringen, near Hasselt, on 18 October 1459, leaving a reputation for luxury and magnificence.

Decrees

-   _Statuta dioecesis Leodensis_
-   _Reformatio cleri Leodiensis_

[1] Alphonse Le Roy, “Heinsberg, Jean de”, _Biographie Nationale de Belgique_, vol. 8 (Brussels, 1885), 874-882.

[2] A. de Geradon, “L'étrange carrière du chanoine Gilain de Sart, chancelier de Liège et de Brabant”, _Bulletin de l'Institut archéologique liégeois_ 88 (1976), p. 146.

[3] Antoine Gabriel de Becdelièvre-Hamal, _Biographie liégeoise_, vol. 1 (Liège, 1836), 145-147.

title: John of Heinsberg

question: Who was John of Heinsberg?

answer: He was Prince-Bishop of Liége from 1419 to 1456.

question: When did John of Heinsberg get elected to his position?

answer: His predecessor, Prince-Bishop John of Walenrode, died and within three weeks he was unanimously elected to the position despite being young.

question: Who were his parents?

answer: John II of Loon and his first wife, Margaret of Gennep.

question: Why did he resign?

answer: Philip the Good pressured Heinsberg to resign and in 1456 he did so in favor of Louis de Bourbon.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: John of Heinsberg was born to John II of Loon and Margaret of Gennep. He was elected Prince-Bishop of Liége at a young age when he predecessor, John of Waldenroe, died suddenly in 1419. He held the position from 1419 to 1456 when Philip the Good pressured Heinsberg to resign in favor of Louis de Bourbon.


text:
i wrote this for class and my teacher said i should post it online...REDDIT TO THE RESCUEEE

Exhaust

by Reines

	The autumn leaves. They spiral down like ballerinas from their wooden grip and land in the gentle mud. The soft earth embraces the trees fallen sons and daughters and shares with them their blessing. The blessing of not knowing how to feel. They don't know what it's like to wallow endlessly through the caverns of their own minds, the only glow being their mortification. Or have the memories that were once tucked away deep in the pockets of their skull rip out like vultures escaping the hellfire.

                            It's her birthday today.

	I stare up at the desert of leaves above me. They stare back. The cool breeze breathes through the forest and carries my exhaled breath with it. I sit up.
	“It's gonna rain,” I say looking over at Samuel, the bottle of whiskey in my hand held tight, the revolver resting on my lap. “Yep. Gonna rain. I can always tell.” I laugh. “Let's go.”
	Samuel stands up and walks towards me. He rests his head on my shoulder before giving me a huge lick on my cheek, his tail wagging ferociously behind him.
	Standing up, I take the last swig of the bottle before hurling it into the wooden crowd. I tug on my plaid shirt, grab the gun, and pet Samuel on the head. He tries to lick my hand.
	“Good boy,” I say. He really is. We got him together, Sandra and I. It was the first thing we did together. Well, the first thing we did after we got married. The second thing we did was break each others' hearts.
	One year. That's all it took to unveil the carnival of our doubts, troubles and demons. Our illustrations of a white picket fence were crumpled up like our noses along with the dreams of  conceiving anything innocent. The dreams of ever becoming a family. What was once a fortune of photo album smiles and rays of laughter were quickly dissolved into silent dinner conversations and lonely love making.

                           She left me.

	The brisk wind causes my hair to cackle and wave like fire, causing some of the leaves I gathered to flutter off the ground. Samuel smells something familiar. Something so recognizable that he starts to whine and slowly sniffs his way to the leaf pile. He digs, claws and eventually...finds her foot.
	I point the revolver at the dog.
	“For what it's worth Samuel, you should probably let her be.”
	A deep laugh takes the taste of whiskey off of my breath. Samuel stares at me, tail wagging, but he knows I'm serious. He's seen this gun before. His eyes drift to the foot, and then back at me. Deep, he stares, almost unrecognizable. Lost and confused, like when you realize your slimy, arrogant brother's sleeping with your wife. But then his tongue flops out and he smiles.
	“I could never kill you,” I say. Instead, I run my fingers down the cooling barrel, staring at it like I'm looking at an assortment of stolen memories...echoing out my name. The end of the barrel kisses the bottom my chin. My grip tightens.
	“Life. As cold as the rivers that cascade through my heart.” I smile as Samuel walks towards me. “Ah, it's gonna rain boy. I can always tell.” Samuel lies down at my feet.

                                Will it hurt?

title: check out my 1 page story about a man, his only friend and his dead wife.

question: How did the man's wife die?

answer: It's implied, but not confirmed, that the man killed her.

question: What does the man plan to use the gun for?

answer: He's planning to use the gun to commit suicide.

question: What type of dog is Samuel?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: How long has the man's wife been dead?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Why did the man come to this forest?

answer: The man plans to kill himself. This is the same forest where his wife's body is hidden.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A man ventures into the forest with his dog Samuel, armed with a gun. He reminisces about his dead wife, Sandra, and how they broke each other's hearts. Samuel starts sniffing the leaves and uncovers Sandra's corpse. The man then turns the gun on himself.


text:
OCRed by Legume
ENJOY ONLY 2 COSMETICS, enough sleep 4 Dr. Bronner's 'Magic Soap' to clean body-mind-soul-spirit instantly uniting One! All-One! Absolute cleanliness is Godliness! For facial packs, scalp & soothing body rub, add dash on bath towel in sink of hot water. Wring out. Lay over face & scalp. Massage with fingertips. Repeat 3 or 4 times 'til arms, legs and all are rubbed, always towards the heart. Rinse towel in plain hot water and massage again. Breathe deeply! Health is Wealth. Within 9 min. you feel fresh, and clean, saving 90% of your hot water & soap, ready to help teach the whole Human race the Moral ABC of All-One-God-Faith! For we're All-One or none! ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! TO SIMPLIFY & ENJOY LIFE MORE, DILUTE 1/2 OZ. OR 2 SQUIRTS OF THIS PURE CASTILE SOAP WITH 2 GALLONS OR SINKFUL HOT WATER, THEN TOWEL MASSAGE, A FACIAL PACK, THEN WRING TOWEL OUT & FINGERTIP MASSAGE YOUR HAIR & SCALP. ENJQY THE CREAMY EMOLLIENT LATHER ON BABY, BATH, BEACH, BODY, DENTURES, DEODORANT, SHAVING, AFTERSHAVE-SILK-WOOL-PETS-DIAPERS-CAR-HAND AND FOOT SOAP. Thank God we don't descend down from perfect Adam'& Eve to sinful sinner, Brother's Keeper, divided slave! United, hardworking-trained-brave, from dust we ascend up! Thank God for that! Our Brother's Teacher of the Moral ABC mason Hillel taught carpenter Jesus to unite all mankind free! If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you! If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, and yet make allowance for their doubting too! If you can wait and not be tired by waiting or being lied about, don't deal in lies! 0r being hated, don't give way to hating, and yet don't look too good nor talk too wise! if you can dream and not make dreams your master! If you can think and not make thoughts your aim! If you can meet with triumph or disaster and treat those two imposters just the same! If you can bear to hear the full-truth you have spoken twisted by crooks to make a trap for fools! Or watch the things that you have given your life to broken, and stoop to build them up again with worn out tools! If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it at one turn of pitch or toss! And lose and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss! If you can force your heart, your nerve, your sinew, to serve you long after they are gone! And so hold on although there is nothing left within you except that voice that says to them "Hold on! Hold on!" If you can talk to crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings and not lose that common touch! If neither loving friend nor enemy can hurl you; it all men count with you, but none too much! If you can work ha

question: Where was this published?

answer: Unclear, but given the lack of editing / coherency this is likely either a user review or informal blog

question: What is the author's stance?

answer: That the 'Magic Soap' is extremely effective and supports spirituality.

question: What is the product being promoted?

answer: An all-in-one cleansing soap

question: How does religion factor into this passage?

answer: Christianity seems to be used to promote  the 'Magic Soap' or at least link the soap's cleaning effects to spiritual salvation.

question: What is the purpose of the text?

answer: To promote the soap (with some instruction on how to use it effective) and for the author to express their religious beliefs in conjunction with the soap.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article promotes Dr. Bronner's 'Magic Soap', an all-in-one body cleansing product, and draws upon Christianity to do so.


text:
Advertisement

Advertisement

-   Latest

By By Luke Broadwater and The Baltimore Sun

 Dec 06, 2011 8:55 PM

[Defense attorney A. Dwight Pettit, left, and his client, Paul Schurick, former campaign manager for Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., listen as they to questions from reporters after the verdict. Schurick was found guilty of election fraud for his role in an Election Day 2010 robocall.]

Defense attorney A. Dwight Pettit, left, and his client, Paul Schurick, former campaign manager for Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., listen as they to questions from reporters after the verdict. Schurick was found guilty of election fraud for his role in an Election Day 2010 robocall. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)

Recommended on Baltimore Sun

-

question: What does A. Dwight Pettit do for a living?

answer: A. Dwight Pettit is a defense attorney.

question: Who is A. Dwight Pettit's client?

answer: Paul Schurick is A. Dwight Pettit's client.

question: What was Schurick accused of?

answer: Schurick was accused of election fraud.

question: Was Schurick found guilty?

answer: Yes, Schurick was found guilty.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Paul Schurick was found guilty of election fraud due to his involvement in a 2010 robocall.


text:
ABIGAIL HAWK (born ABIGAIL DIANE GUSTAFSON; in Marietta, Georgia) is an American actress known for playing Samantha Bonner in the 1995 TV series _Reality Check_, Detective Abigail Baker in _Blue Bloods_, Riley Thomas in the 2016 holiday TV movie, _A Christmas in Vermont_,[1][2] and Ellie in Domenica Cameron-Scorsese's 2017 directorial debut, _Almost Paris_.[3] For her performance in _Almost Paris_, Hawk won the “Best Actress” award at the 2017 Golden Door Film Festival.[4]

Early Life

Born in Marietta, Georgia, Hawk attended the North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences, in Sandy Springs, Georgia. While a student, she appeared in the TV series _Reality Check_. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2004.

Career

After a number of small parts in productions including _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_, and _Across the Universe_, Hawk was hired for her role on _Blue Bloods_. In that show, she plays Detective 2nd Grade Abigail Baker, a member of the Police Commissioner's (Detective) Squad who serves as the primary aide to Police Commissioner Frank Reagan. Hawk's character was introduced in the first season of the series (although Detective Baker's name was shown as “Det. Melissa Baker” in the closing credits, it was changed to “Det. Abigail Baker” in subsequent episodes) in 2010, and thereafter appeared in all but a handful of episodes. She also appeared in, _Body of Proof_ season 1, episode 3 titled “Talking Heads”, in 2011. In 2016, she played the main character, Riley Thomas, in the holiday TV movie, _A Christmas in Vermont_.[5][6] That same year, she played Ellie in Domenica Cameron-Scorsese's directorial debut, _Almost Paris_,[7] for which she won the “Best Actress” award at the 2017 Golden Door Film Festival.[8]

In October 2017, Hawk was a guest of honor at the Spring Gala of HeartShare Human Services of New York, and received the Linda Dano Award.[9]

Filmography

Film

  Year   Title                            Role                       Notes
  ------ -------------------------------- -------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------
  2007   _Across the Universe_            Protester / Flower Child   Uncredited
  2008   _The Unidentified_               Sara
  2010   _The Tragedy of Maria Macabre_   Maria Macabre              Short film
  2016   _Almost Paris_                   Ellie                      Winner, “Best Actress”, 2017 Golden Door Film Festival[10]
  2016   _A Christmas in Vermont_         Riley Thomas               Television film
  2018   _Rich Boy, Rich Girl_            Mia
  2019   _Bubble Girl_                    Eva Young
  2020   _Joy & Hope_                     Denise
  2020   _The Only Woman in the World_    Erin
  2020   _Brother's Keeper_               Ashley Mitchell
  2020   _The Wrong Path_                 Bonnie Lang

Television

  Year           Title                                 Role                 Notes
  -------------- ------------------------------------- -------------------- -------------------------------------
  1995           _Reality Check_                       Samantha Bonner      14 episodes
  2006           _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_   Paramedic            Episode: “Informed”
  2010-present   _Blue Bloods_                         Det. Abigail Baker   Supporting role
  2011           _Body of Proof_                       Jenny Avery          Episode: “Talking Heads”
  2012           _Are We There Yet?_                   Gina                 Episode: “The Quarantine Episode”
  2015           _The Jim Gaffigan Show_               Chloe                Episode: “Red Velvet If You Please”
  2018           _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_   Maggie Householder   Episode: “The Undiscovered Country”

Other

  Year   Title        Role      Notes
  ------ ------------ --------- ------------------------
  2020   _Bromance_   Melissa   Web series; 4 episodes

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

title: Abigail Hawk

question: What was Abigail Hawk's original name?

answer: Abigail Diane Gustafson.

question: Who did Hawk play in the 1995 series Reality Check?

answer: Samantha Bonner.

question: Where was Abigail Hawk born?

answer: Marietta, Georgia.

question: Where did she achieve a BFA in Theatre?

answer: University of Maryland, College Park.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Abigail Hawk, an American actress. It lists her film credits.


text:
[New dams in Africa could add risk to power supplies down the line]
Hydropower plays a massive role electrifying many countries. Credit: Shutterstock

In the 1980s and 1990s parts of Africa saw a surge in dam building for energy production. After a brief hiatus there has been renewed interested. Many new construction projects are planned and underway across sub-Saharan Africa.

Hydropower represents a significant and rapidly expanding proportion of electricity production in eastern and southern Africa. Around 90% of national electricity generation in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia comes from hydropower. The share of hydropower in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 20% of electricity production, is likely to grow rapidly. (If South Africa – which relies on coal powered electricity – was excluded, this figure would be much higher, but separate numbers aren't available.)

An energy initiative, the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, that has the buy in of all African countries, argues for major hydropower developments within a broader clean power agenda. The initiative argues that this would enable African countries to keep pace with rising demand for electricity. It estimates that total generating capacity, which is presently 125 GW, will need to increase by 6% per year to 2040.

The large hydropower dams planned for southern and eastern Africa for construction by 2030 could double the current installed capacity for hydropower taking it from 17 000 MW to 49 000 MW. They include a number of new developments, such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. The Renaissance Dam on its own will have an installed generating capacity of 6000MW. This is similar in size to the world's largest nuclear power station, Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. The dam will generate just under a quarter of the power generated by the world's largest hydropower station, the Three Gorges Dam.

The new dams in Africa have the potential to meet increased electricity demand. But our research into the links between climate and the water, energy and food nexus in Africa shows that in the longer term the locations of the new planned dams could put the security of electricity supply at risk for large parts of southern and eastern Africa. This is because the majority of planned dams are in the same river basins and will rely on similar patterns of rainfall and hence be vulnerable at the same time to drought and dry years.

This will create a vulnerability because a lack of rain and droughts could lead to electricity supply being disrupted. This is why it's important to factor climate variability and change into dam design and management, and to diversify the electricity production to avoid over reliance on hydropower.

RELIANCE ON HYDRO IS VERY HIGH

Hydropower relies on the flow of water to drive turbines for electricity generation. It uses natural changes in elevation or artificial storage in reservoirs to take advantage of the water level difference. Drought or successive dry years can result in not having enough water to drive electricity generating turbines and a shortage of electricity.

In countries like the US and in parts of western Europe hydropower is complimented by other power sources. This means that in times of drought other sources of power can balance the shortfall. But in countries where the energy mix is dominated by hydropower – as in sub-Saharan African countries, Norway, and Brazil – climate variability is much more of a problem.

Without alternative power sources, fluctuations in hydropower can disrupt electricity supply. And supply might need to be turned off either to ration dwindling water resources or because demand simply can't be met.

Our study shows that if all the planned large dams are built, 70% of total hydropower generating capacity in eastern Africa will depend on rain within the same rainfall clusters by 2030. In southern Africa, 59% of hydropower generation will depend on a single area of similar rainfall variability.

Rainfall clusters represent large areas that experience similar rainfall patterns. Sometimes this happens because they are influenced by climate phenomena like El-Niño events, where ocean and atmospheric shifts in the Pacific Ocean influence weather and climate across the tropics. This includes much of eastern and southern Africa.

For example, the Nile and Zambezi, where multiple dams are planned on the same river channels, lie in the same rainfall clusters. This means that dry years will affect storage in all the dams. This will lessen their ability to refill fully. This could create a significant challenge for the supply of hydropower.

There are already examples of this happening. In December 2017 Malawi's state owned electricity company saw power output plummeting after a severe drought. Malawi relies almost entirely on hydropower. And during the 2015–16 El Niño event, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe all experienced electricity outages due in part to reduced rainfall.

CLIMATE RISKS MUST BE BUILT INTO PLANNING

Infrastructure around the world is being put to the test as a result of new combinations of intensity and duration of extreme weather associated with climate change. It's therefore critical that the resilience of infrastructure is tested. This is particularly true when it comes to river flow in many of Africa's river basins because they are highly sensitive to changes in rainfall. Although climate model projections of future rainfall still include wetting and drying throughout Africa, studies of the impact on hydropower generally show high sensitivities.

These new findings, together with the increasing importance of hydropower and the potential for increasing levels of rainfall variability under climate change, underscore the need to incorporate climate risks into infrastructure planning in Africa.

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

CITATION: New dams in Africa could add risk to power supplies down the line (2018, January 12) retrieved 1 December 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2018-01-africa-power-theline.html

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

question: What are some waterways in Africa with plans to construct hydroelectric dams across them?

answer: Nile and Zimbezi

question: What is the current capacity of eastern and southern Africa's hydropower?

answer: 17 000 MW

question: What is the projected capacity of eastern and southern Africa's hydropower in 2030?

answer: 49 000 MW

question: What is the world's largest hydropower station?

answer: the Three Gorges Dam

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article documents the rise in hydroelectric power production and utilization in, especially, sub-Saharan Africa.