text:
ALBERTO RIVERON (born June 5, 1960) is a Cuban-American former American football official and currently the Senior Vice President of Officiating of the National Football League (NFL).[1]

Early life

Alberto Riverón was born in Cuba in 1960. His father, also named Alberto, fled to the United States in 1963. At the age of 5½ Riverón emigrated to the United States with his mother, Irene Valdés, on a Freedom Flight. Although they divorced his parents lived close to each other in northwest Miami. He grew up playing baseball, basketball and football, and he was quarterback of his high school team.[2]

His interest in officiating began in 1977 when he was invited to attend a football officials' clinic. After six weeks of training he began officiating in Pop Warner, taking up to six games a day. He moved onto high school games and by 1990 was officiating in college games. He started in the now-defunct Southern Independent Collegiate Officials Association, which included teams such as Miami and Notre Dame. In 1993 Riverón joined the Big East Conference officiating for six years as a field judge and a side judge. In 2000 Riverón moved to Conference USA, and spent the next three years working as a referee. His supervisor was veteran official Gerald Austin, who recommended him for the now defunct NFL Europe. For two years Riverón would officiate for ten days in Europe.[3]

Officiating career

In 2004 the National Football League (NFL) hired Riverón as a side judge. Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president for officiating, said “You can't teach the confidence and decisiveness with which he does things.”[4] He was the first Hispanic to officiate the NFL.[5] Before every game he dedicates over 35 hours watching footage, studying the rules and meeting with his crew. He also spends hours in the gym to keep his fitness up.[6]

He was promoted to head referee (crew chief) in April 2008 following the retirements of Austin and Larry Nemmers. He changed how his name is listed in order to connect more with his heritage. Previously listed as Al Riveron he now uses Alberto.[7]

Riveron was the crew chief for the 2012 AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots, and was the alternate referee of Super Bowl XLVI.

Officiating executive

On 19 February 2013, Riveron was promoted to the league's Senior Director of Officiating, a newly created position as a second-in-command under the league's former Vice President of Officiating, Dean Blandino.[8] On 10 May 2017, he was named Senior Vice President of Officiating.[9] Despite a shaky start the NFL announced that it would retain Riveron as its senior vice president of officiating for the 2018 season.[10]

During the 2018 season, Riveron received criticism for the manner in which NFL officials implemented penalties for roughing the passer, which had been deemed an area of emphasis the previous off-season.[11][12] Critics of the new emphasis on the rule included former NFL Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino as well as Mike Pereira.[13][14] Riveron admitted in an interview that at least two of the roughing the passer penalties applied the first week of the season had been called incorrectly.[15][16] In response, the NFL competition committee held a conference call to discuss the implementation of the rule.[17][18] After the conference call, the competition committee issued a rule clarification, which led to a dramatic reduction in roughing the passer penalties in the following weeks.[19]

On 19 September 2019, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tweeted that he was turning off the Thursday Night Football game because he couldn't watch the “ridiculous penalties” for offensive holding[20][21] Two days later, Riveron held a conference call with 17 NFL referees to discuss the frequency with which holding was being called. The next day, holding penalties were called an average of 2.9 times per game, down from a rate of 5.7 times per game over the previous three weeks, leading to speculation that Brady may have influenced how NFL referees officiate games.[22]

Style

Riverón says that when he makes mistakes, he hears about it from everyone, but that “no one feels worse when I make mistakes than I do.” He likes to keep an open line of communication between himself and the coaches and players, but tries to stop them from becoming one-sided.[23]

Personal life

Riveron has a wife, Patricia, and two sons, Tyler (died 25 September 2016)[24] and Austin.[25] He had a weekday job as a sales associate for Florida Storm Panels when he first started officiating.[26]

[1] Alberto Riveron Named NFL VP of Officiating After Dean Blandino's Resignation - Mike Chiari, Bleacher Report, 10 May 2017

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9] Bonesteel, Matt. Alberto Riveron to replace Dean Blandino as NFL's new director of officiating. Chicago Tribune. 25 January 2017.

[10] Wagner-McGoughl, Sean. NFL to retain head of officiating Al Riveron for 2018 despite shaky first season. CBS Sports. 25 January 2017.

[11] Schilken, Chuck. Roughing-the-passer calls are causing confusion, frustration among NFL players. _Los Angeles Times_. 25 September 2018.

[12] Jones, Jonathan. Are Roughing the Passer Penalties Decreasing? Tracking the Week 4 Quarterback Hits. _Sports Illustrated_. 30 September 2018.

[13] Boren, Cindy. ‘A dangerous precedent’: Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino hate the NFL’s roughing-the-passer calls. _Washington Post_. 18 September 2018.

[14] McDonald, Charles. Clay Matthews’ controversial roughing the passer call on Kirk Cousins has everyone confused. _SB Nation_. 17 September 2018.

[15] NFL: Key penalty in Steelers-Browns called in error. _Reuters_. 10 September 2018.

[16] Pelissero, Tom. Officiating chief: Refs erred on call against Browns' Myles Garrett. _NFL.com_. 10 September 2018.

[17] Battista, Judy. Competition Committee uncomfortable with roughing calls. _NFL.com_. 25 September 2018.

[18] Gantt, Darin. Report: Competition committee wants roughing rule applied differently. _NBC Sports_. 25 September 2018.

[19] Seifert, Kevin. Inside the NFL's offensive landscape: Will last season's trends continue in 2019?. _ESPN_. 20 August 2019.

[20] When Tom Brady Talks, The NFL Listens. _Washington Post_. 24 September 2019.

[21] The Brady Effect? NFL Talk To Referees About Excessive Number Of Holding Penalties. _CBS Boston_. 22 September 2019.

[22] Seifert, Kevin. Holding calls plummet after call to referees. _ESPN_. 23 September 2019.

[23]

[24] In Memoriam: Tyler James Riveron (1991-2016)

[25]

[26]

title: Alberto Riveron

question: Summarize what happened in the 2000's.

answer: Riveron moved to Conference USA after six years in the Big East Conference. He spent three years working as a referee and for two of those years ten days a year officiating in Europe. In 2004 the NFL hired Riveron as a side judge where he was held in high regard for his confidence and decisiveness. He was the first Hispanic to officiate for NFL and did extensive preparation for every game. Riveron was promoted to head referee in 2008 and changed his listed name from Al to Alberto to reflect his heritage.

question: What does the text say about roughing the passer penalties?

answer: Riveron was appointed as Senior Vice President of Officiating in 2017 and in the next year he faced criticism regarding the manner in which the roughing the passer penalty was implemented. The implementation of the roughing the passer penalty was an area of emphasis during the previous off-season. Riveron admitted that at least two such penalties were incorrectly called in the first week of the season. After an NFL conference call a rule clarification was issued which led to a dramatic reduction in roughing the passer penalties in the following weeks.

question: Summarize the challenges Riveron faces as Senior Vice President of Officiating.

answer: Riveron has admitted that when he makes mistakes, no one feels worse about it than he does. This came to a head when he received criticism in 2018 about the manner in which referees implemented the roughing the passer penalty. He admitted that the penalty was called incorrectly and issued a rule clarification after a conference call. This resulted in a dramatic reduction of such penalties. The same reaction followed after mild criticism of offensive holding penalties. After a conference call, the number of such penalties called came down significantly.

question: Summarize the legacy of Larry Nemmers.


split: train

text:
One afternoon, a boy went out to take a stroll through the woods that surrounded his house. The day was a beautiful one, and birds chirped their way from one tree to another. Eventually it grew hotter, and the boy started to feel really tired. So he sat down in the shade of a large oak and closed his eyes, and he eventually fell asleep.

He woke up a quite a few hours later. The sun had set, and it was dark. Very dark. He got up and started hurrying home, wondering if his parents had started worrying about him being out so late. He finally reached the edge of the woods, and there was his house. But something was strange. He couldn't quite put his finger on it until he realised that it was very dark, yet the house lights weren't on. He didn't think too much of it though, and just kept on running. He got to the front door and realised that it was already ajar. This was where he started to get worried.

He slowly opened the door and looked inside. Not being able to see anything, he fumbled for the light switch. Finally he found it. He switched the lights on, and he gasped at what he saw. The lounge & kitchen was trashed. Chairs were broken, tables lying on their side. Practically everything was on the floor, broken into pieces.
"Mum? Dad?" he called out, hoping that this was just some bad joke.
No answer. Silence remained.
Deciding to check out the rest of the house, he tiptoed through the destroyed lounge, trying not to disturb anything. He reached his parents bedroom door. His hand reached out to twist the doorknob, but he froze. The doorknob had blood on it. Alot of it.

He turned the bloody doorknob and opened the door to his parents bedroom. He stood in the doorway. Frozen. Frozen in fear and shock by what he was seeing. Laying on the floor were his parents. At least if you could still recognise them, that is. Their bodies had been hewn apart, bit by bit, joint by joint, so that what remained was pieces. Half a finger here, another kneecap there. However the abhorence of this scene was that all the pieces had been place back in order. Some sick twisted thing had hewn their bodies into tiny pieces, and then tried to put them back into order. Like some disgusting version of puzzle.

The sight of it all was too much for him. He bent over in disgust, and emptied his stomach of his half digested lunch. Suddenly there was a noise from behind him. Someone must have heard him vomit. He turned around, ready to bolt, but he was too late. A fast moving wooden plank emerged out of the darkness behind and hit him square on the back of his head. He was knocked out cold. Completely unconcious.

He woke up with a gasp. He looked around, trying to see where he was. Suddenly, he realised. He was sitting in the shade of the great oak. The sun had set, and it was dark. Very dark. Just a dream he reassured himself.

It was just a dream.

He got up and started hurrying home, wondering if his parents had started worrying about him being out so late. *How could I have slept for so long*, he thought. Finally, he reached the edge of the woods, and there was his house. Something was wrong though. The lights were off.

*No, it couldn't be*, he thought. He was sure that it all had just been a very bad dream. A very bad nightmare. Realising that the last thing he remembered in his 'dream' was been hit in the back of the head, he reached for his head. Time slowed as he raised his hand to feel for the bruise that prove whether it was just a dream or not.

*It was just dream*, he thought. *Or wasn't it?*

title: Don't fall asleep in the Woods

question: Summarize what the boy dreams about.

answer: The boy dreams that he had overslept under a tree and wakes up after the sunset. He rushes home, hoping his parents have not started worrying about him. The boy realizes something was off when the house lights were off and the front door was ajar. He walks inside to find the house trashed and his parents dismembered. The boy vomits and as he turns around ready to run out, he is knocked unconscious by a wooden plank. He then wakes up under a tree unsure if it was all a dream.


text:
Jan 11, 2018

-   []

    Tim MacMahonESPN Staff Writer

    Close

    -   Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
    -   Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
    -   Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM

HOUSTON -- Rockets guard Chris Paul added his voice to the chorus of NBA players who have expressed frustration regarding the friction with referees, singling out veteran official Scott Foster for seeking the spotlight.

Foster called Paul for a technical foul with 4:52 remaining in Houston's 121-112 win Wednesday night over the Portland Trail Blazers.

"Yeah, Scott Foster at his finest," Paul said. "You know what I mean? He just never fails.

"Some of them, you can [communicate] with. You've just gotta figure out who you can and you can't. I got a tech tonight. I'm over there with [referee Courtney Kirkland] saying, 'That's Scott, that's Scott,' and I got a tech. That's history there. He the man. That's who they pay to see."

Foster, who has 24 seasons of NBA experience, was voted as the league's worst referee in a 2016 survey of players and coaches conducted by The Los Angeles Times.

The comments by Paul, the president of the NBA's players' association, come days after Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green told The Athletic that personal issues between referees and players are "ruining the league."

Green, who suggested that the league get "a whole new crop" of referees, was fined $25,000 by the league office for public criticism of officiating. Green has been called for a league-high 11 technical fouls this season, five away from an automatic one-game suspension.

Paul ranks eighth in the league with six technical fouls. Paul said he isn't concerned about putting himself in jeopardy of a suspension, but he considers the quick whistles an issue that needs to be addressed.

"Man, you've just got to hope there's a system in place, just making sure they get checked just as much as we do," Paul said. "Even some of those double techs that they call, it's really quickly and stuff like that. That's $2,500 every time a tech's called on a player."

Paul said he expects to participate in a meeting during All-Star Weekend about the tension between referees and players.

"We're going to figure it out," Paul said. "There's got to be a way that we have dialogue and stuff like that. I don't know, good ol' Scott Foster, though. That guy ..."

question: Which sport does this story cover?

answer: NBA, basketball

question: Who is the writer of the story?

answer: Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff Writer

question: What is the main topic of the story?

answer: The story highlights basketball players' frustration with referees. Player, Chris Paul singled out referee Scott Foster. The president of the NBA's players' association claims that personal issues between players and referees are "ruining the league".

question: Does the story indicate any resolution to the problem?

answer: Not really, but Chris Paul says that expects to participate in a meeting about the tension occurring.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The story written by Tim MacMahon, highlights basketball players' frustration with referees. Player, Chris Paul singled out referee Scott Foster. The president of the NBA's players' association claims that personal issues between players and referees are "ruining the league".


text: I’m a big man who thinks sharp, so my meals need to be sharp too.  Hearty portions at reasonable prices are what I demand, there’s no room for compromise. Rolling up to the drive thru, I naturally take a look at the dollar menu, but those small portions don’t work for a man of my caliber. “Give me a large vanilla shake, an ultimate bacon cheese burger with extra mayo, and a large order of fries with extra salt and ranch on the side. …And toots? Super size the shit out of it, will ya?” You see, my body is my vehicle, and this precious ride…it only takes premium. “That’ll be $6.97, Mr.” “Here’s $7.00 bucks, keep the change.”

title: Fast Food

question: Where is the author eating?

answer: The author is eating a non-specified fast food restaurant.

question: What's the total price of the order?

answer: The price of the order is $6.97.

question: Is the author eating in the establishment or taking the food to go?

answer: The author is in the drive thru, so they must be taking the food to go.

question: Is the author dining alone?

answer: It seems that the author is ordering for one.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is a big man who likes to eat lots of food for a reasonable price. They order at a fast food restaurant's drive through and make sure to order the large versions of each food item they choose.


text:
It was revealed on Wednesday that longtime Apple Product Manager of Automation Technologies Sal Soghoian, whose work is responsible for services like AppleScript and Automator, will be leaving the company in December as his post was recently eliminated.

Soghoian announced his own departure during a presentation at the MacTech Conference in Los Angeles, saying Apple is cutting the post he has held since 1997, reports _The Mac Observer_. Whether Soghoian's duties will be handed over to another team member is unknown, though the decision only serves to reinforce sentiment that automation technologies are no longer a priority at Apple.

The soon-to-be former employee addressed the recent development in a post to his website Mac OS X Automation.

"I joined Apple in January of 1997, almost twenty years ago, because of my profound belief that 'the power of the computer should reside in the hands of the one using it.' That credo remains my truth to this day," Soghoian writes. "Recently, I was informed that my position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies was eliminated for business reasons. Consequently, I am no longer employed by Apple Inc. But, I still believe my credo to be as true today as ever."

During his time at Apple, Soghoian worked on a variety of user automation products and technologies, many of which have seen diminished utility with each subsequent OS X — and now macOS — update. Apple's active automation projects include UNIX CLI (shell, python, ruby, perl), System Services, Apple Events (JavaScript, AppleScript, AppleScriptObj-C, Scripting Bridge), Automator, Apple Configurator (AppleScript, Automator), and application scripting support in Photos, iWork, Finder, Mail, and other Apple applications, according to Soghoian.

Despite Apple's decision to part ways, Soghoian remains upbeat on the future of user automation. After a brief vacation, he will begin fielding potential job offers and open himself up for consulting on Dec. 1. He also intends to maintain his Mac OS X Automation Dictation Commands websites, as well as a personal blog dedicated to his music.

question: Why is Sal Soghoian leaving Apple?

answer: Soghoian is leaving Apple because his post was eliminated.

question: Since how long was Soghoian working for Apple?

answer: Soghoian was working for Apple since 1997.

question: What was Soghoian working as?

answer: Product Manager of Automation Technologies.

question: What does Soghoian decide to do after leaving Apple?

answer: Soghoian decides to look for potential job offers and open himself up for consulting.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer:
Sal Soghoian, product manager of automation technologies at Apple Inc., is leaving the company after his post got recently eliminated. He announced his departure during a presentation at the MacTech Conference in Los Angeles.

Soghoian has worked on a variety of user automation products and technologies during his time at Apple Inc. He plans on looking for potential jobs after a brief vacation. He also intends to maintain his Mac OS X Automation Dictation Commands websites.


text:
_SYMPHIMUS_ is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to Mexico and Central America.[1]

Species and geographic ranges

The following two species are recognized as being valid.[2]

-   _Symphimus leucostomus_ – southeastern Mexico (Chiapas, Jalisco, Oaxaca)
-   _Symphimus mayae_ – northern Belize, Guatemala, Mexico (Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán)

Etymology

The specific name, _mayae_, is in honor of the Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula.[3]

Reproduction

Snakes of the genus _Symphimus_ are oviparous.[4]

[1] .

[2]

[3] Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). _The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles_. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (_Symphimus mayae_, p. 172).

[4]

title: Symphimus

question: Where did the Symphimus mayae get its name from?

answer: It is in honor of the Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula.

question: What does it mean for a snake to be oviparous?

answer: This information is not stated explicitly in the post, in terms of reproduction of snakes it probably means that the snakes produce young by means of eggs that have been laid by the parent.

question: Where in southeastern Mexico can the Symphimus leucostomus be found?

answer: In Chiapas, Jalisco and Oaxaca.

question: How many species of Symphimus are recognized as valid?

answer: Two species: Symphimus leucostomus and the Symphimus mayae.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Symphimus leucostomus and mayae are oviparous snake species endemic to Mexico and Central America.


text:
Alright, it's a bit horror/creepy/freaky. I tried to still have the dark effect without being overly vulgar. Well enough stalling, here it is and be brutally honest:

When it comes down to it, there isn't much to me. I go to school. I'm not part of any clubs and I don't have any friends. I make decent grades and try my best to be avoided. If I had to describe myself, I'd say I was a cage. I'm a cage for the monster that lives inside my head and in order to keep it locked up tight, it's best to stay away.
	I only speak when spoken to and I stay out of the way in all situations. If someone tries to make a habit of talking to me, they only anger the monster so I let them know what it thinks and they leave me alone.
	I go home and my mother calls me names that no longer affect me. So she leaves physical bruises that no longer make me cry. When my father makes it home he adds to the bruises and the cuts. Then he takes it a step further. This is the only time I cry. This is the only time I allow the monster to rattle the bars of it's cage and make me struggle to keep it inside.
	One day he pushes too far. He holds me down and hurts me in the worst possible way and like a key in a lock, the monster's cage is unlatched. For just a moment, my father gets to lavish in the pain he's causing. And the monster simply smiles. In a flash The Monster bursts out and pushes me to the dark recesses of my mind.
	After a time that feels like forever and yet nothing at all, I fell The Monster sink Its claws into me and pull me onto its back so that though I have no control over what it does, I can see. The first thing that grabs my attention is my father's lifeless naked body as The Monster passes him on its way out into the living room. I watch as The Monster kills my mother, calling her all the names she had thrown at me throughout the years.
	I cling to this semi-consciousness as The Monster runs out the door of our small house, naked, and down the dirt road. I see that our body is covered in blood and I feel the smile stretched across our face. Then there are voices in the distance. I have a quick moment of panic when I realize people are coming and I'm scared what The Monster will do to them.
	Then it let's go. I'm thrown back into full consciousness so fast that I don't have time to make my body work and stay standing. I crumple to the ground as a man's footsteps carefully approach. He lifts me up and I scramble to find footing and look into the man's eyes, scared of what I'll find. As if reading my mind, his face is doused in horror as he takes in my blood covered nakedness.
	“What happened?” he yells in my face as if I might be deaf or asleep.
	I pull myself straight at that moment and a seemingly sane thought floats across my mind as the only possible response as I realize what The Monster has done.
	I laugh softly at the thought. “The bitch footed me with the bill.”

title: First Post. A little thing I wrote about a year ago entitled "The Cage"

question: Why does the narrator describe themself as "a cage"?

answer: The narrator claims to have a monster living inside their head.

question: When does the monster inside the narrator become unlatched?

answer: When their parents beat and hurt them in the worst way possible.

question: How does the monster one day respond to the beating?

answer: The monster kills the narrator's parents.

question: Who does the narrator hear coming as The Monster runs out the door?

answer: The narrator hear people coming, yelling and asking "what happened?".

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator describes themself as a cage for the monster that lives inside their head. The monster becomes unlatched when their parents beat and hurt them the worst way possible. However, one day the monster responds and kills the parents.


text:
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[]*Follow-up posts: Good Intention, Good Practice and Earning the Right to Help Without Hurting_

_I have been wrestling with how to write about this for months. Starts and stops, lots of unfinished first sentences and barely coherent lists. Then I read this essay after the Rick Warren and race conversation flared up last week. When White People Don’t Know They Are Being White by Jody Louise on Between Worlds. She is humble yet forthright in the piece, a balance which is incredibly challenging to achieve around such a sensitive and potentially volatile topic. She spurred me on, inspired me, and clearly, informed the title of this post._

_I’m giving you loads of links here that will lead to other links and I encourage you to take the time to read this stuff. I have been and don’t think I’ll ever be the same. It is hard, challenging, might make you angry. That’s okay, wrestle with it. Join me as I wrestle with it._

I am not surprised by, but continue to be disappointed in, the western attitude toward the developing world. It is an attitude I see often, though not exclusively, among Christians. It is an attitude of superiority, a god-complex. An attitude that communicates an underlying assumption, intentionally or not, that the rich westerner is the one with power and authority and agency. As this is communicated, of course the opposite is communicated as well. The local person is weak, a victim, and helpless. The rich westerner must charge in to fix things, build things, challenge the status quo.

This happens in blogs, books, movies, songs…And it isn’t just Christians. It is Hollywood and Random House and MTV.

  These kinds of stories…give a paternalistic picture of urban communities as mere recipients. They do not show the heroic community leaders that are in every urban neighborhood, people working hard with little resources and little recognition… Cure for the White Savior Complex by Shawn Casselberry

For a horrifying example read this article (or don’t and just be satisfied with the title) in Glamour and then the comment section: Meet Mindy Budgor, the World’s First Female Maasai Warrior. Some people call this the white savior complex and there is most definitely an aspect of race involved, the conversations overlap at many points, but it is more than a skin color issue.

One point that must be made is that I am a rich westerner from a Christian background living in the developing world. My husband is a professor at the University of Djibouti. I am trying to figure this all out, trying to do it well, with integrity and authenticity. I am, like all of us, a work in progress.

So, when does the rich westerner not know they (we) are being a rich westerner?

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER DOESN’T NEED TO ACTUALLY GET INVOLVED WITH THOSE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD BECAUSE THEY CAN SIMPLY BUY A COOL T-SHIRT. I was hungry and you bought a cool t-shirt is all about the westerner and is not how Jesus talked about giving to the needy, without the left hand knowing what the right hand is doing. Matthew 6:1-3

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER FILTERS A CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE THROUGH THEIR OWN LENS of comfort, possessions, affluence, community, and spirituality. This gives a distorted view that puts themselves and their values at the center. The other is seen as exotic, shocking, unusually positive or unusually negative. There is only room for the extreme, no space left over for commonality or understanding.

  “Before we declare a woman’s life, foreign from ours in almost every physical detail, ‘poor,’ we need to seek to deeply understand that woman, her background, her place in the community, her desires, her talents. And we may discover that she isn’t poor at all but is a thriving, active, content participant in a societal system that works, different as it may be to our western eyes.” Who is Poor? Who Decides?

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER VIEWS OR PRESENTS THE LOCAL AS AN OBJECT LESSON NOT A RELATIONSHIP. The poor ‘African’ child with hungry eyes and a ripped dress teaches the rich westerner how to give generously. The poor woman with the hungry eyes and the ripped dress teaches the rich westerner how to find joy in a bowl of rice. This turns the distinctive person into a representative person and strips them of their uniqueness. It is a dangerous act of simplification (J.R. Goudeau). We can all learn from each other, we need to. I am constantly learning from the people around me (and vice versa, I hope) but let us put these lessons into the context of relationships and not form objects out of them.

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER SEES AND SHARES WHAT THEY EXPECT TO SEE. They want to see or take or share photos of children in torn dresses and ramshackle housing slums but not the fancy Kempinski Hotel, not the skyscrapers downtown, not the developed shopping malls and _haut cuisine_ restaurants. Poverty and violence and disease and hunger fit the narrative the west prefers, expects. It is easier to continue that than to swim against it.

  “These sights carry a double message. They show a suffering that is outrageous, unjust, and should be repaired. They confirm that this is the sort of thing that happens in that place. The ubiquity of those photographs, and these horrors, cannot help but nourish belief in the inevitability of tragedy in the benighted or backward – that is, poor – parts of the world.” Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER COMES AWAY AFTER SPENDING A WEEK OR A MONTH IN A COUNTRY AND CLAIMS CULTURAL COMPETENCY, is now an expert because they have eaten that food! Danced in that festival! Worn a headscarf! These things are merely the tip of the cultural iceberg. It is often said that the longer an expatriate lives in a place the less competent they feel to write about it, I can attest to the truth of this. The longer I am here the more I know how much I do not know, the more I need locals to correct me, clarify, the more (and deeper) questions I ask.

Jody Louise’s post introduces the term CULTURAL HUMILITY and it is a good one. Katherine Boo talks about the earned fact and while not everyone will have the time to spend three years researching a single slum community, everyone does have the capability of asking questions. Of being a learner. Of not taking a leadership position but serving beneath a local person.

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER BELIEVES THEY ARE HERE TO SAVE PEOPLE. We are here to help, to come alongside, to try and do some good, to learn, to be in community. God alone performs the saving work.

WHEN RICH WESTERN CHRISTIANS IMPOSE THEIR THEOLOGY ON A LOCAL FELLOWSHIP. Many books (written by rich western Christians) on discipleship and Bible study materials assume that everyone faces the same needs and can meet those needs in the same way. I once heard an American say, “Let’s just translate the catechism for this people group. We’ve already figured out all the theology they’ll need.”

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER TALKS ABOUT AFRICA BUT NOT NIGERIA. Africa but not Uganda. Africa but not Lesotho. Michael W. Smith sings a song: A New Hallelujah. “From Africa to Australia, from Brazil to China, from New York down to Houston.” The United States gets to be named by city, most of the rest of the world by country name, and Africa is one solid chunk of continent. We need to learn our details, our facts, we need to name places accurately. Naming implies seeing, honoring, respecting.

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER PRESENTS A SINGLE STORY, a story often about hunger, disease, filth, violence. About all the broken and lacking things. A popular blog series (by an author I much admire, respect, and who often cuts to my very soul) talks about the generic Africa and repeatedly mentions hunger, repeatedly shows photos of children in torn clothes, mentions their lack of forks and spoons, talks about the bleeding of Africa in her red dirt. This is not Africa. This is Uganda. This is not even Uganda, this is a particular village where it might be a cultural practice to _not_ use forks and spoons. I have eaten with wealthy Djiboutians who used their hands. Rich westerners need to be very careful in how they interpret and present what they see. I am not of the “don’t tell these stories” position. I believe stories must be told and I will tell them, but we need to be careful about assumptions.

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER PRESENTS THE OTHER AS VICTIMS by focusing only on issues like rape, trafficking, poverty while ignoring local initiatives, leaders, community strengths, progress, and the reality that these people have lived here for decades, centuries, without a westerner intervening on their behalf.

WHEN THE RICH WESTERNER PRESENTS THE OTHER AS HOLY IN THEIR SUFFERING by focusing only on their generosity, smiles, and non-verbal communication while ignoring issues like greed, selfishness, gossip, and cruelty. Katherine Boo refers to this as the “western conceit that poverty is ennobling.” This kind of one-dimensional presentation makes cardboard characters out of real, complex people.

Rich westerner, and please know I am talking to myself as much as anyone else, we must be aware of our position, our privilege, the way history and current social structures affect us, our view of the world, and our interaction with the world.

  “The system is set up for us, and gives us power without us even having to ask for it… When white people don’t recognize how our position of cultural dominance influences us – _when we don’t know that we’re being white_ – we can be like bulls in a china shop, throwing everything in our wake askew without even realizing what we’ve done.” JODY LOUISE

I have been that bull in the china shop. I have behaved with superiority and arrogance, have made things worse by stepping in to help, have plowed past the opinions and voices of local people in my exuberance.

Lest I leave you feeling paralyzed (which I often feel), I am not saying do nothing, say nothing. Next week I will share just one example, of many, of how I have failed and will write about the difference between good intention and good practice. The following week I’ll share an example of positive progress, ways to move forward.

WHAT WOULD YOU ADD TO THIS CONVERSATION – REBUKES TO ANY WRONG-THINKING I’VE PRESENTED HERE OR THOUGHTS ON MOVING IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION?

*image credit Olga Lednichenko via Flickr

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question: What is the main topic of this post?

answer: The post is about the western attitude toward the developing world, focusing on Christians' behavior.

question: Specifically, what does the author point to as the problem?

answer: The author specifically outlines the behaviors of "rich westerners" that are the problem.

question: What is "cultural humility"?

answer: The ability to ask questions, to learn and study a culture, and taking a subservient role to a local person rather than a leadership role.

question: Does the author offer a solution?

answer: By pointing out the problem behaviors, the author is offering insight for individuals to change their behavior and learn from mistakes.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The post is about the western attitude toward the developing world, focusing on Christians' behavior. By pointing out the problem behaviors, the author is offering insight for individuals to change their behavior and learn from mistakes.


text:
[]The MacGuffin is a device use by script writers, particularly in action and adventure films, to advance the action and maintain the audiences interest.

The term coined was by Alfred Hitchcock. He generally used it as a device to hold together the first part of his film. What is it? Anything which all the characters are interested in obtaining. In Psycho the MacGuffin is the $40,000 which has been stolen. The pursuit of this money provides the motivation which holds all the characters together in the first part of the film without giving away the whole plot. Hitchcock generally only used it as a device to hold together the first act. Ultimately, Hitchcock said the MacGuffin is just not important ‘It is nothing.’ Who for instance remembers the $40,000 in Psycho?

The Coen brother always use the same MacGaffin in each of their films: money, and it is always a red-herring. In their film ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ which is one of my all time favourite movies, three convicts break out of prison to retrieve a large stash of money. We learn later that the money was a hoax, but it keeps the film moving and gives everyone a purpose until the true objective is revealed.

In the film Safe, which I watched last night, the MacGuffin is a little girl who knows something. The protagonist and most of the Antagonists have no idea why the girl is important or what secret she knows, all they know is that their enemies are pulling out all the stops to find her, so she becomes important to them too.  Not until three-quarters of the way through the film do they discover what the chase, and the rising body count, is all about.  A clever script, I thought, and a theme I would like to use in a future story.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas also use the MacGuffin as a device in their films.  In the original Star Wars movie, Lucas says R2D2 was the MacGuffin, which he used to hold the first act together in the classic Hitchcock way.  Spielberg, on the other hand, has a different view of the MacGuffin. For him, the MacGuffin must always be the ultimate prize.  Here the device is used to motivate the characters throughout the whole film.  The best examples are from the Indians Jones Series: in Raiders Of The Lost Ark, the MacGuffin is the Ark of the Covenant; In The Temple Of Doom, the holy stones; In The Last Crusade, it is the Holy Grail; In the Crystal Skull it is the skull. In fact, Spielberg likes the MacGuffin technique so much he is happy to have more than one. Not only will he have an overall MacGuffin, but he will have minor MacGuffins in each act of the film.

A MacGuffin is normally an object, but could be a person, that all the characters are interested in and that propels the action forwards. It could be the main objective of the protagonist and antagonist which drives the action throughout the entire film. It could be a step on the way to the main objective or it could be totally unrelated to the main objective and be completely forgotten by the end of the film. It’s purpose is solely to provide focus and move the action along. It’s a technique which readily transposes to writing.

In Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows you could say that the Horuxes and the Hallows are MacGuffins. They provide the necessary focus and motivation to propel the action forwards.  In my book Gaia’s Brood, the MacGuffin is Eve Swift’s journal.

A MacGuffin can also be a useful fix if you are editing and you realise your story just doesn’t hang together. Is there an object/person already in the story which can be turned into a MacGuffin (even if it is a complete red-herring) or can you introduce one. Look for ‘shotgun’ objects. By that I mean have you focused on an object in a part of the story but not used it – like the proverbial shotgun hanging behind the bar in a western: if it is shown it must be used by the end of the film, but nothing says you need to reserve it for the end of the story. If the pursuit or desire of the object will hold together the first act, by all means use it as a MacGuffin, secure in the knowledge that you are following in the footsteps of the greats.

So when you are next planning your adventure or action story, consider whether you have a MacGuffin or whether you need one. How many MacGuffins do you need? One overall object to provide a focus for the entire story or several steps along the way, or both. How about one to propel a (sub) story along, or maybe a total red-herring?

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question: Summarize how the MacGuffin was used by Hitchcock.

answer: The MacGuffin was coined by Hitchcock, who used it as a device used to provide the motivation that holds together the first part of his film. He used it as something that all the characters are interested in obtaining. The MacGuffin in his film Psycho was the $40,000 that had been stolen. However, the MacGuffin is ultimately unimportant and not the take away of the film.

question: What does the text say about people as MacGuffins?

answer: MacGuffins can be used in the form of a person that all the characters are interested in and propels the action forwards. In the film Safe, the MacGuffin is a little girl who knows secrets. The protagonists and antagonists realize this, so she becomes important to them and the plot is propelled forward. In Star Wars, George Lucas says R2D2 is the MacGuffin he uses to hold the first act of the film together.

question: What does the text say about money?

answer: Money can be used as a MacGuffin in that the pursuit of it can provide the motivation that holds all the characters together. In Psycho, the stolen $40,000 is the MacGuffin. The Coen brothers use money as the MacGuffin in their films, and it's always a red herring. In "O Bother Where Art Thou", retrieving a stash of money is the initial goal before it becomes clear its a hoax, but it keeps the film going. Ultimately, the money isn't even the important part of the plot.

question: What does the text say about violence?


text:
GIAMBATTISTA DE CURTIS (20 July 1860 – 15 January 1926) was an Italian painter and poet remembered today for his song lyrics.

Biography

Born into a noble family in Naples, de Curtis was the firstborn of the fresco painter Giuseppe de Curtis and his wife, Elisabetta Minnon, and was a great-grandson of composer Saverio Mercadante. He expressed his first interest in painting, which he learned from his father, and which he perfected to the point that he was called a “contemporary Salvator Rosa”. He was a complete artist, writing poetry and theatrical works as well as verses for popular songs; he was also a sculptor. His love for Neapolitan song led him to collaborate with composer Vincenzo Valente, at the time a lodger at the de Curtis family palace in corso Garibaldi. It was, in fact, Valente who in 1889 set to music his first song, “A Pacchianella”; the following year, he set another of de Curtis's texts, “Muglierema come fa?”. “'I Pazziava” followed in 1890, and “Ninuccia” in 1894; “Tiempe Felice” came in 1895. De Curtis never stopped writing songs and poems; it seems, however, to have never been much more for him than a way to pass the time.

De Curtis felt a great love for Sorrento, where from 1891 until 1910 he passed six months of every year at the Grand Hotel of Guglielmo Tramontano, who was mayor at the time. There, in 1892, he met Carmela Maione, who would inspire his most famous song, “Duorme Carmè'”. The daughter of a tenant farmer of Tramontano's, she lived in Fuorimura. Supposedly, the subject of the song came from a conversation the two had in the lobby of the hotel; de Curtis asked the girl what she usually did, and she responded, “Sleep”. This inspired de Curtis to write a song, the refrain to which begins:

  Duorme Carmè: ‘o cchiù bello d’ ’a vita è ‘o ddurmì… [the best (most beautiful) thing in life is to sleep]

This was typical of his working style; when composing song lyrics he would often be inspired by some encounter or other that he had had. Indeed, de Curtis was by all accounts a curious and amiable man, and was rarely without a compliment for an attractive woman; he courted many, and would often dedicate his lyrics to them. Nevertheless, he did not wed until 1910, when, at the age of fifty and after nearly twenty years' engagement, he married Carolina Scognamiglio.

Tramontano and de Curtis were great friends, and the mayor hired him to decorate some of the rooms of the hotel with his frescos; he also painted some canvases there, and wrote poetry and songs. Among these was the celebrated song “Torna a Surriento”, supposedly born of a stay in 1902 by the prime minister of Italy, Giuseppe Zanardelli, at the hotel; Tramontano asked de Curtis and his brother, Ernesto, to write a song honoring the statesman. More recent research indicates that the song may merely have been reworked for the occasion; family papers indicate that the brothers deposited a copy with the Italian Society of Authors and Editors in 1894, eight years before they claimed to have written it.

The artistic association between the de Curtis brothers bore other fruit, as well, beginning in 1897 with the publication of “'A primma vota”; it continued even after Ernesto moved to the United States in 1920, after which the two continued their collaborations by mail. Among their other songs was “Amalia”, published in 1902 and dedicated to Ernesto's new wife, Amalia Russo. In 1911 the brothers had another success, the song “Lucia Lucì (I' m'arricordo 'e te)”.

De Curtis moved to the Vomero quarter in 1916, living in via Luca Giordano next door to the Villa Floridiana. He continued to compose, write and paint until his death in January 1926 from a progressive paralysis. Some days after his passing a letter from Ernesto reached his house. It read:

  Dear Giambattista, I enclose for you music for the song which you sent me last month; I hope it pleases you.

title: Giambattista De Curtis

question: What does the article say about inspiration?

answer: Carmela Maione inspired De Curtis's most famous song, Duorme Carmè. The song was based on a conversation they had in the lobby of a hotel. His lyrics were often inspired by encounters that he had. He would often dedicate his lyrics to attractive women. The song Amalia was dedicated to Ernesto's wife Amalia Russo.

question: What does the article say about De Curtis's family?

answer: He was born into a noble family in Naples, the firstborn of fresco painter Giuseppe de Curtis and his wife, Elisabetta Minnon. His great-grandfather was composer Saverio Mercadante. He learned painting from his father. He married Carolina Scognamiglio in 1910. He and his brother Ernesto were hired by Tramontano to write a song honoring Giuseppe Zanardelli. The brothers collaborated many times, including on the song Amalia about Ernesto's wife.

question: What does the article say about de Curtis's artistic interests outside of lyric writing?

answer: He was first interested in painting. He also wrote poetry and theatrical work and made sculptures. He never stopped writing poems. He was hired to decorate some of the rooms of a hotel with frescos and also painted some canvases there. He continued to compose and paint until his death.

question: What does the article say about de Curtis's musical collaborations with his father?


text:
**Work in progress. Aware of a few errors in pacing (especially with physical description). Would love any feedback or criticisms!**

*Part 1:*

A baroque chair crashed and splintered on the jutting limestone visible from the linear jetty on which I stood. Where the fuck did that come from? The cushion rested on sea-foam and eventually sank; the legs, as far as I know, never sank.

I turned to my friend Reagan, "where the fuck did that come from?"

He was equally confused but eager to guess. He assumed it had fallen off a luxury liner or, more likely, a freighter. I wasn't satisfied with that probably-correct answer. To this day, I like to believe the sea assembled it herself. More interesting things find a way of manifesting in there every day.

*Part 2:*

When I proposed a creation story to Reagan, he started walking toward the shore. I knew he didn't have an ear for my nonsense, and he was obviously bored or upset. I wanted to pursue him, but I didn't care enough. The jetty's where I stayed for an hour or two -- watching those ornately carved legs travel, never sinking.

I walked back to my apartment thinking about the creation of that chair: animated coral plating intertwined reeds of seaweed and adopting a cherry hue for my perception of an expensive chair being exploded on jagged rocks. Sponges being enveloped by the flesh of deceased octopodes heir to patterns so intricate, a fabric should be their only desirable fate. My nose began to bleed, and I probably seemed very excitable. I let the blood drip onto my cheap, white crew neck and lit a cigarette.

Walking through the door, Ebea greeted me cheerfully until she noticed the blood.

"Reagan?"

"What? No."

"He seemed pissed."

"Good."

Ebea is terrible with words. I blame this solely on her being so very striking. She doesn't need subtlety or natural quip.

She's the kind of woman a good writer would write a story of love and squalor for. Pleasant when she attempts to construct an involving conversation; more pleasant for having yellowed eyes with a dignified grey iris. She had smooth olive skin and sparse freckles that were mischievously out of place. She wore a ponytail in a scrunchie, but it suited her oval-shaped face. She was completely self-aware.

I sat on a blue, plastic milk crate in the kitchen and watched my blood sprinkle down my nose to the nicked hardwood floor. Reagan walked in.

"Plug your goddamned nose, Phil."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shit up our milk crate and cable spool dining set."

Reagan grinned, which reminded me why we'd been friends for so long. He thinks I'm funnier than I am. He mistakes being an asshole for artistic temperament. His teeth are crooked, but they're white. They look nice. He was thin and short, probably the only man to ever have doe eyes and a nose that seemed to turn up halfway to his eyes.

Ebea made coffee in an expensive machine we'd won at an estate sale for $20. She called it RoboCop, and I could never seem to get the bastard to work. The device seemed so powerful in our kitchen of linoleum and a washing machine that had thin panels of plywood slammed to the sides with upholstery tacks.

title: Creation Story

question: Summarize the relationship between the narrator and Reagan.

answer: The narrator and Reagan are friends. The narrator proposes a creation story to Reagan, but Reagan seems to not care for the story. Reagan also seems to be mad about something. Reagan also seems to think that he is funnier than the narrator.

question: Summarize a negative event that occurred in this story.

answer: A negative event that occurred in this story was the bloody nose that Phil, or the narrator got. The narrator's nose started to bleed and he let it bleed on this white crew neck. The blood from his nose sprinkled down to the nicked hardwood floor, until Reagan said to plug his nose.

question: Summarize Ebea and Reagan's relationship.


text:
-   Home
-   THOUGHTS & FEELINGS
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1.  Home
2.  FINANCE & BUSINESS
3.  REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PURSUE YOUR BUSINESS AND KEEP YOUR JOB TOO

Most of us wakeup each morning and get ready to go to a job that if we were asked “do you enjoy what you do?” Most probably the answer would be “no really”.  Perhaps it is the way many of us where brought up.  _"Find a job and make a living".  "Passion will not bring food to the table"_.  Dreams can always be pursued later... right?
INTERTWINED CYCLE OF JOB VS DREAM

The majority of millennials are a legacy or offsprings of the previous regime... in South Africa that is, and probably in many other parts of the world where colonialism and slavery reigned for many centuries.  The cycle there was that you were expected to join the workforce, for many, immediately after completing secondary education.  There was no time to think, plan or strategise on “making your own dreams come true” but those dreams were there.  Today many who are working in government did not want to be there, but circumstances propelled them to. Family expectations... the system.  Many of those dreams lay motionless in notebooks, in distant thoughts and were drowned on weekends in bottles of beer or wine. The “job” mattered. The “salary” and the activity of “waking up and doing something” is what this world has been built on.  Not for our benefit however, but for those who control the economy and yes, money.

SURVIVING THE “BAD DREAM”

Some have made it fashionable and even interesting to spend their biggest chunk of their daily time, by dressing up, having flashy hairstyles, makeup and catching a nice morning cappuccino from Mugg and bean or Starbucks.  So this makes them look forward to going back to the same stuff they do everyday... small chats in the kitchen or passage ways, starring at the screen -  scrapping off words to write a report, planning meetings and corporate events, presentations and those dreaded phone calls to clients. Counting days to the next pay-check.  Shopping online during breaks and social media pages.  So the dream lies asleep in their minds whilst they keep up an appearance that their current reality is actually interesting.

DECIDING TO PURSUE YOUR DREAM

It is no secrete that perhaps more than 50% of employees have their own “ideal” careers and its usually something to do with a business idea.  Due to the buzz and rush of office work, home time and social events, time is always never enough.  However, a few individuals do manage to pursue those underlying suppressed business ideas... by swifting through the maze and finding time to work and invest in their dreams

HOW YOU CAN WORK AND DEVELOP YOUR BUSINESS?

1. BE PREPARED TO WORK LONG HOURS
Over and above your 8-5 hours, you will need an extra 3 or 4 hours to invest in your business. The benefit here is that after working hours, no one will accuse you of using “company time” but perhaps company resources like the “internet” and occasionally the “telephone line” may not be such a bad thing. Remember you’re building a start- up with no resources initially.

2. WEEKENDS ARE NON EXISTENT
If this dream of yours is big enough, then you will come to realise that the weekend is the only time you have to do your business work. This could be meeting with clients, doing the actual work (once you start getting some) and investing in improving your business operations.

3. TIME MANAGEMENT
You don’t want to be accused of slacking at your day job even though you’re building your ideal career with your business. So managing your time and concentration, diving your tasks accordingly will ensure that you give both careers the attention they deserve

4. RELINQUISH YOUR SOCIAL LIFE
Friends, family, colleagues, events, outings... will have to be minimised.  Remember you have very little time to spare. Your boss still expects all his expectations of you to be met, you also want to see your dream come alive... somethings got to give.

5. HAVE STAYING POWER
That tenacity and keeping your eyes on the ball will ensure that you continue to pay your bills, eat and cover your petrol every month whilst the prospects of earning that extra income from doing something you love begin to unfold.

KEEP YOUR JOB, GROW YOUR BUSINESS
It might go on for a few more years and it will get harder as you get more clients.  But the lesson here is, perhaps the notion of “quitting” may not always be best... sometimes you need the security that you have had with what comes with a secure income stream, medical aid and life covers.  The banks will always consider that profile for lending or credit over your business profile. Keeping both could actually mean you nurture and grow your dream by not only using the advantages mentioned above,  but also the learnings you would have gained from the corporate environment.

Negotiating and networking, administration, presentations, preparing for meetings, systems, organisational planning etc are some skills you would need when your business begins to expand.  When you would have employees and perhaps an office of your own.  It is the hardest thing to do, draining too, but until your business is stable and can run itself... rather keep your job and grow your business. You get to have your cake and eat it.

question: What does the text say about how to ask for a salary increase?

question: What does the text say about the majority of millennials from South Africa and many other parts of the world?

answer: The majority of millennials from South Africa and many other parts of the world are the offspring of the previous regime. This means they are from parts of the world where colonialism and slavery reigned for many centuries. The way things worked in countries such as these is that people were expected (by the system, community, family, friends) to join the workforce, some immediately after high school. They didn't have a choice, it was either work and make a living or starve to death. There was no time to plan or strategize on how to make their dreams come true, and these dreams died because of the cycle of working for money and for those who control the economy.

question: What does the text say about surviving the "bad dream" and pursuing "the dream"?

answer: Some people spend the biggest chunk of their time dressing up, wearing fancy hairstyles, makeup, and drinking expensive coffee every weekday. This makes them look forward to going back to work and do the same things every single day (office chatter, reports, calling clients, etc.). Repeating all these make their lives appear interesting when in reality, it is not. To pursue their dreams, people need to find the time to invest in their dreams while working a full-time job.

question: What does the text say about how to work and develop a business at the same time?

answer: People who want to pursue their dream of having a business while working should be prepared to work an extra 3 to 4 hours a day and maybe occasionally use company resources like the internet and phone line because they are building a start-up with no resources. Weekends would be nonexistent because it's probably the only time people can talk to clients or conduct their business. People should understand that time management would also be an issue because their current job or boss demands it, while at the same time, they should relinquish their social life because time is scarce. They should have the staying power to keep their eyes on the ball, not only in their new business but also their current responsibilities such as bills, petrol, etc.


text:
The World`s Most Famous barnstorming exhibition basketball team is for sale.  According to Reuters, and MSNBC the team famous for its trick shots, comedy routines, up tempo style, fun-loving shenanigans, and decades long winning streak (22,000 games) over their many opponents, but mainly the Washington Generals, is on the market.

The Globetrotters were founded in 1926 and have been barnstorming basketball courts around the world ever since. They advertise themselves as _“AMAZING BASKETBALL FUN AND FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT”_ and few who have seen them play would argue with that assessment.  They really do bring family friendly entertainment mixed with great athletic prowess that they bring to every court they play on.  The Globetrotter’s blue jerseys, white shorts with red stripes, and red white and blue basketball are iconic parts of American Sports/Pop Culture.

Legends in team history include Wilt Chamberlain, who went on to become one of the best NBA Players of all-time; Meadowlark Lemon, a long time Globetrotter known as the “Clown Prince of Basketball”; and Marques Haynes, perhaps the greatest dribbler of all time.  They are also known for the team’s theme song, “Sweet Georgia Brown.”

Recently the club made headlines by going on a tour of North Korea with Dennis Rodman.

The Globetrotters have been owned by Shamrock Capital Advisors, a Los Angeles based private equity firm since 2005. Sources say that they are being shopped by financial heavy hitter Piper Jaffray.

The asking price is expected to be in the neighbourhood of $50 million to $100 million.

If thats too rich for your blood, there is always the Washington Generals.

_THANKS FOR READING.  DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW OUR BASKETBALL DEPARTMENT ON TWITTER – @AFISHCALLEDMATT, @KAINEELMY AND @GIORDUN  WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, GIVE THE SITE A FOLLOW TOO –__ @LASTWORDONSPORT._

___INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR LASTWORDONSPORTS?  IF SO, CHECK OUT OUR “JOIN OUR TEAM” PAGE TO FIND OUT HOW.___

photo credit: chrisjta.ylor.ca via photopin cc

question: What is for sale?

answer: The World's Most Famous barnstorming exhibition basketball team is for sale.

question: When were the Globetrotters founded?

answer: In 1926

question: How are the Globetrotter's jerseys described?

answer: The jerseys are blue

question: Who is known as the "Clown Prince of Basketball"

answer: The "Clown Prince of Basketball" is known as Meadowlark Lemon

question: What is the team's theme song?

answer: Sweet Georgia Brown

question: How did the Globetrotters recently make headlines?

answer: By going on tour of North Korea with Dennis Rodman

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Globetrotters are up for sale and their iconic support in basketball is reminisced about. The Legends in NBA from the Globetrotters are also emphasized.


text:
The grief of war

My palms are sweating like there was no tomorrow but that was it, there could be no tomorrow for me, this could be the end, my love back home, gone. My family mourning me and the fact everything and everyone I’ve ever loved, gone. My heart starts to beat a thousand times per minute and my thoughts run left to right confusing me at every turn. My mind running wild. The gun fire becomes a shallow hum in the midst of my thoughts then a loud shout breaks them “grab your rifle son, you’re gonna need it!” it was the sergeant major screaming at me. Then the once shallow hum of gun fire became a loud roar of endlessness and screams from those injured.
I reach out to grab my rifle, quivering as I do. Then a firm hand rests on my shoulder I turn my head it is John. I had met John during training, he was a “lost soul” before the army, he used to tell me of how he used to steal cars and redo them and sell them on and how he wasn’t afraid of being shot,  see he’d been shot twice before, once in the left leg and once in the chest and when I asked him how he said “ Well jerry, when you steal from the American mafia you leave with battle scars,” I always wondered how someone could be so careless of anything. He pulls me to my feet and says” Come on jerry, we’re about to charge the Japs,” I just laughed at how casual he was about this but I grabbed my rifle by the stock and held it tight.
Me, john and the rest of the platoon turn to face the sergeant, Alright boys, I’ve just had confirmation that we will be the platoon leading the charge against the Japanese,” My heart sinks beneath my feet and my breath becomes quick gasps for air, my face runs pale then I look across at john and his face lights up with glee along with the others in the platoon. I’m stunned, stunned beyond belief. I shouldn’t be here, and I’m not ready for this, these men they want war, want it more than me, they crave war where as I hid from it all. I can’t do this. I lean over to grab my helmet, trembling with fear as I do. I put it on my head and tighten the strap and think to myself “this is the end.”
“Before you head out you might want to write a note and keep it on your person, this could be it!” the sergeant shouts over the gun fire of the Japs spraying at our temporary trench line. I grab a pen and paper from my front pocket and start writing. To my dearest…. I  shake with fear but I’m determined to finish. “Jerry, we’re heading over!” yells the sergeant. I knew deep down that we wouldn’t be coming home and this was a last ditch attempt for us to take over the island. “But I was going to fight till my last breath,” I told myself.
I raise my head above the trench to scout out what lay ahead, fifty or more japs all committed to their cause “ protect our land, serve our emperor” and they were not about to let us walk right over them. I grip my rifle tight along with the others and we shout in unison “charge!” I leap over the trench screaming at the top of my lungs, I fire at will, forgetting to aim accurately and shooting wildly then something happened, it wasn’t pain nor fear but a euphoric feeling, like nothing mattered anymore, the sound of gun fire became a distant hum. I look across to john running across in the distance then suddenly he falls to his knees and places his hand to his heart and falls flat on the cold hard ground, the sergeant and the others lie lifeless on the ground or are screaming in pain from their injuries. A lone tear runs down my cheek and falls to the ground dragging my vision to my stomach, my uniform is stained bright red then my knees buckle and I drop down to the ground, I grip my stomach tight but I knew this was the end. I reach into my front pocket of my vest and grab my letter griping it ever so tightly but it made me feel safe just knowing that even though I’m gone my family and my wife would be safe. My eyes close then nothing.

Two weeks following the events:
“Mails here!” the mail man yells out “I’m coming, I’m coming Mary yells back. She opens the door and the he hands her a letter “must be important, it’s got an army stamp,” she closes the door and reads the front of the letter “to Mary – Anne jones, U.S army, “ her eyes fill with tears and she begins to tremble with what she knows is inside, the letter revealing the death of her husband. Whilst shaking, she tears open the letter and begins to read.
“We regret to inform you of your loss, first class private Jeromy jones has been killed in battle, he fought valiantly and died for his country,” three tears roll softly from her cheek and her head dips in sadness but the letter goes on say “He was found with a letter addressed to a Mrs Mary – Anne jones,” she reached in to the letter and grabbed a piece of parchment which had been tattered and ripped along the edges but the words were still readable. They wrote,
“To my dearest love,
This will be the last letter I write to you it’s not long because soon after I write this my battalion will be leading the charge against the Japanese. I’ve got low hope I’ll survive but this doesn’t matter now, the fact that does is that you will be safe. I will miss you and our love will be forever, whether I’m there or not.
Love jerry,”
In a brief moment of realisation she then drops the letter and breaks down on her knees and as she began to scream no sound came out, not a hint of noise nor break in the wind she just knelt there mouth wide open, screaming in silence, consumed, in the grief of war.

title: the grief of war

question: Where and when is this all taking place?

answer: It doesn't mention anything, but it seems the story happened on an island somewhere in the Pacific, during World War II.

question: Are the protagonists on land or assault craft?

answer: They are on land, hiding in a trench.

question: What type of enemy resistance are Jerry and the platoon facing in terms of numbers and/or firepower?

answer: There are about 50 or more Japanese soldiers.

question: Is this Jerry's first time in battle?

answer: That information can’t be found here.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer:
Jerry and his platoon are trying a last-ditch attempt to take an island away from the Japanese during WW2.
He knows things aren't going to end well because there are over 50 Japanese soldiers and they will fight to the death.
Bullets are whizzing past Jerry's head when the sergeant tells them to write a letter to their loved ones and grab their rifles for the assault.
Jerry writes a letter and grabs his rifle, egged on by his friend, John, who's not afraid to die.
Jerry's platoon gets wiped out and he sees John, the sergeant, and other soldiers die. He falls to the ground and grabs the letter from his pocket before dying.
Two weeks later, Mary Anne Jones, Jerry's wife, gets a letter from the US Army, informing her about Jerry's sacrifice.
Mary tearfully opens the tattered letter Jerry wrote on the battlefield and falls to her knees, screaming silently, consumed by the grief of war.


text:
“THE MUSIC OF ERICH ZANN” is a horror short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. Written in December 1921, it was first published in _National Amateur_, March 1922.[1]

The story is an account of the enigmatic Erich Zann, an elderly musician whose unique and unworldly melodies draw the curiosity of a young university student.

Plot

Due to lack of funds, a student studying metaphysics abroad is forced to take up lodging in a cheap apartment building on a street named the “Rue d'Auseil”. The street is not far from his university and is bordered by a river, dark warehouses and a large wall, giving the street an appearance of being on a cliff. The student cannot see what lies on the other side of the wall, as only a single window on the top floor of his building looks over it. Along with the building's disabled landlord, Blandot, one of the few other tenants is an old German man named Erich Zann. The old man is mute and plays the viol with a local theater orchestra. He lives alone on the top floor and at night he plays strange melodies the student has never heard before.

Despite Zann's reclusiveness, Blandot reveals his identity to the student, who approaches him in the hallway one evening and asks if he can listen to Zann's music. Zann relents and allows the student to enter his room. He plays for the student some of his unique melodies but not the same as the student had previously heard. The student asks him if he could play his music from the previous nights, awkwardly humming and whistling the notes he remembered. Zann is taken aback by the request and nervously glances at the window in his room, covered by curtains. The student recognizes the window as the only one that can oversee the wall at the end of the mysterious street. He approaches it to look outside but Zann angrily pulls him back. The student is fed up with Zann's eccentricities but Zann explains through writing that he is simply a lonely old man, and suffers from numerous phobias and nervous disorders. He is pleased that the student likes his music, but refuses to play the particular tunes that the student asked for. He persuades the student to move to a lower floor in the apartment as he would prefer the student not listen to them. The student sympathizes with Zann and agrees to move. Zann promises that he will invite the student to his room to hear his other music. After the student moves, however, Zann returns to his antisocial behavior and his health deteriorates, eventually not letting the student listen at all.

The student's curiosity to hear the secret music and look out the window grows, and he begins eavesdropping on Zann while he plays at night. His melodies have an unearthly sound, and the student praises Zann as a musical genius. One night while secretly listening outside Zann’s room, the student hears a commotion and the old man scream inside. When the student bangs at the door, Zann lets him in and asks him to wait while he writes, promising to explain everything. More than an hour into writing, Zann is startled by a distant sound in the form of a low note, interrupts his writing and starts furiously playing his viol with a crescent terror. The music is horrific and the student surmises that Zann is playing wildly to drown out or keep something out of the room. Zann seemingly enters a stupor, doing nothing but playing his music. Another sound from outside the room, which the student perceives to be mocking them, is heard and a gust shatters the window. The unnatural wind sweeps through the room, blowing Zann's unread papers out the window, despite the student's attempts at catching them. The student remembers his curiosity and finally looks out the window. Instead of seeing the city lights, he only sees a terrible black void, an infinite abyss of chaos.

The howling winds and cacophony of elements snuff out the candles in the room, leaving the student and Zann in complete darkness. He blindly moves through the dark with desperation, beginning to feel “chilling things” brush up against him. Determined to save Zann, the student reaches the musician and screams at him to run, but Zann only continues to play his music. Upon attempting to physically carry him to safety, he discovers Zann is dead, although his body is still playing. With this realization, the student bolts for the door, frantically fleeing the apartment and entire neighborhood. He only realizes afterward that the sky was calm and the city lights were shining.

Writing an account of the incident years later, the student states that despite his best efforts, he has never again been able to find the Rue d'Auseil. It does not appear on any maps, and it seems no one else has even heard of it. But he feels a degree of relief that he cannot find the street, or the lost papers that could have explained the music of Erich Zann.

Setting

[An artist's depiction of Zann's room]

The setting of the story is presumably France or another French-speaking country, sometime in the late-19th or early-20th century, though the exact location and date are never named. _Auseil_ is not a true French word, but it has been suggested that Lovecraft derived it from the phrase _au seuil_, meaning _at the threshold_.[2] Auseil is read like _oseille_, meaning sorrel or, colloquially, money. The identity of the student is never elaborated upon, only that he is a foreigner like Zann and studies metaphysics.

Reactions

Lovecraft considered “The Music of Erich Zann” one of his best stories, in part because it avoided the overexplicitness that he saw as a major flaw in some of his other work. _An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia_ notes that it “might, however, be said that HPL erred on the side of _under_explicitness in the very nebulous horror to be seen through Zann's garret window.”[3]

The story was frequently anthologized even during Lovecraft's lifetime, including in Dashiell Hammett's 1931 collection _Creeps by Night_.[4] Ramsey Campbell has stated that “The Music of Erich Zann” was “the single Lovecraft story that the late Robert Aickman liked”.[5] Campbell himself used only “The Music of Erich Zann” when creating the Folio Book of Horror Stories.[6]

Influence

Comics

-   A comic book adaption was released in 1993 by Caliber Press. It apparently incorporates vistas and creatures described in _The Dreams in the Witch House_ in the story including the eponymous Erich Zann encountering Nyarlathotep in flashbacks.[7]
-   A comic book adaptation was released independently in 2019 by cartoonist Guy Thomas.[8]

Literature

-   James Wade wrote a sequel to the story, “The Silence of Erika Zann”, first published in _The Disciples of Cthulhu_ (1976).
-   The story is illustrated by Barry Moser as part of the 1998 children's book, _Great Ghost Stories_.
-   In Charles Stross's _The Laundry Files_ novels series including _The Jennifer Morgue_, _The Fuller Memorandum_, _The Apocalypse Codex_, _The Rhesus Chart_, and _The Annihilation Score_ one of the characters has a violin made by an “Erich Zahn” which is made from human bones and, when played, eats the soul of the intended victim.
-   The Bengali writer Manoj Sen's short story “Indriyer Opare” [trans. 'Beyond the Five Senses'] is a loose adaptation of “The Music of Erich Zann.”

Film

-   A long film adaptation was directed by John Strysik in 1980.
-   A South Korean short film adaptation (retitled The Music of Jo Hyeja) was directed by Jihyun Park in 2012.
-   Another short film adaptation was directed by Reuben Baron in 2016.
-   Leigh Blackmore scripted a short film version in 1975, however the script was never shot.

Music

-   American composer Raymond Wilding-White created a piece in 1980 by the same title for violin and electronics, with Eugene Gratovich of DePaul University in the role of the university student.
-   Univers Zéro's album _Ceux du dehors_ (1981) includes a track titled “La musique d'Erich Zann”. According to drummer and bandleader Daniel Denis, all members read the short story in the studio and promptly improvised the piece.[9]
-   German technical thrash metal band Mekong Delta titled their 1988 second album _The Music of Erich Zann_ after the story.
-   British Anarcho-punk band Rudimentary Peni featured a depiction of Eric Zann on the original cover of their 1988 album _Cacophony_.
-   Hungarian Metal band Without Face has a song called “The Violin of Erich Zann” on the 2002 album _Astronomicon_.
-   German ambient band Forma Tadre titled their 2008 album _The Music of Erich Zann_.
-   Greek death metal band Septic Flesh references the story in the song “Lovecraft's Death” on their 2008 album _Communion_.
-   American thrash metal band Revocation song “Madness Opus” off their 2014 album _Deathless_ is based on off _The Music of Erich Zann_.
-   Eric Zann is a pseudonym of Jim Jupp, who has released an album on the Ghost Box Music record label.
-   French composer Claude Ballif wrote stage music of the same title.
-   The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets' 2017 album _The Dukes of Alhazred_ included a track titled _Erich Zann_.
-   I Monster's 2017 album _A Dollop of HP_ illustrated four of Lovecraft's short stories including _The Music of Erich Zann_, narrated by David Yates.
-   British band Abigail's Party wrote a song of the same title.
-   Singer/songwriter Jon Baade wrote a song titled “The Music Erich Zann” as a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft's story. It was recorded on Seelie Court's album, _Rising in the North_ (2002) and on the Water Street Bridge album, _Filker's Handbook_ (2018.)

Games

-   Yahtzee Croshaw based a small indie game called _The Life of Erich Zann_ on H.P. Lovecraft's short story, as part of a “12 Games in 12 Months” series of videos for The Escapist.[10][11]

Notes

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5] Ramsey Campbell, “Chasing the Unknown”, in _Cold Print_. Headline, 1993, , (p.12).

[6] https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/the-folio-anthology-of-horror-stories.html

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10] https://yzcroshaw.itch.io/the-life-of-erich-zann

[11] https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/yahtzees-dev-diary-episode-7-the-life-of-erich-zann/

title: The Music of Erich Zann

question: Where did Zann learn to play the viol?

answer: Unknown.

question: Why did  Blandot reveal Zann's room to the narrator?

answer: Unknown.

question: What killed Zann?

answer: Unknown; probably the same spirit entity he was trying to keep away from his room.


text:
She opened her eyes, and all she saw was a searing white light. She felt a biting cold metallic surface beneath her. She was laying down, in a metal room with only one door; a heavy, solid metal door. The florescent lights: the searing light, buzzing incessantly above her. They were driving her mad. She suddenly felt a pool of warmth beneath her head; blood. It was bleeding. To her relief it was only a slight trickle. To her horror there was a large dried pool of blood below her. A few drops trailed off to the opposite end of the room. And she saw him.

Lying there on the floor, opposite to her was a man. She saw no blood around him, but saw blood on his hands. Lying between them were a syringe and a keycard. The syringe was empty; what was in it? She wondered. Did he attack me? What is this place? Why am I here? Why can't I remember? She couldn't remember. She couldn't remember anything at all; who she was, where she was, and why she was here. She couldn't remember; and she was afraid. Did he lock me in this room for something I did? Was this man a guard at this facility? Or were this man's intentions more...malignant? She didn't want to know. She wanted to get out; she had to get out. She had to find some answers.

She stood up and made her way towards the door, still slightly ajar. As she approached the threshold, she noticed a camera. What is this place she thought and what is it for? She left into the hallway, and stared down its sterile walls, glistening in the white light. There were more cells, but there was silence. She was unsure of whether that was a good sign or not. She made for the door at the end of the hallway; it looked different from the rest, perhaps it wasn't a cell, perhaps it was a way out. She hoped it was. When she reached the door, her heart sank; it was locked.

The key card in the room! It was the only thing she had to go on, the only ray of light in her frightening nightmare. Feeling hopeful, she raced to the end of the hall for the key card. When she reached the cell she had awoken in, she entered and made her way for the card, not noticing that the man had woken up, and was watching her. As she goes to leave the room, she hears an unsettling, animalistic growl. She turns back to see the man, crouching, staring at her with a predator's gaze. Looking closer at his eyes, she notices that his eyes are a yellowish color; like a cat's eyes. His nails had sharpened, and were more like claws. What was in that syringe? Was he planning on doing that to me?

Suddenly, the feral beast leaped. Thinking quickly, she pulled the door closed just in time. She started to run down the hall and then she heard that noise. The feral creature let out a sickening roar. The nightmarish noise paralyzed her with fear. For an eternity, she could not move, could not think, could not breath. What made her move wasn't fear of the beast behind her. It was the new sounds she heard. The other cells were alive with movement; something was lurking behind their walls. With an ever deepening sense of terror, she ran towards the door, inserted the key card, and turned the handle; the door opened. The minuscule amount of relief she felt was extinguished when she heard the footfalls of the beast. Without even looking, she went through the door and into the new room. She turned and closed the door, seeing the beast lunge forward, more feral in appearance than before, just in time for it to crash into the closed door. She was safe, for now.

Turning to examine the room, she saw monitors. Monitors that showed the horrors in the other cells. Creatures that lurked and prowled with vicious intent. Creatures that writhed and squirmed in agonizing pain. This facility...was for experimentation on human beings. Just who the hell are these people? What are they doing? What are these vile bastards doing to these poor people? Sitting down, she started to go through some notes lying on the table. They were of someone named Dr. Moreau. This despicable person wrote about these people, his "patients" with no empathy, no remorse. He was now one of his own experiments.

"Doctor, are you there? The Colonel is waiting for the latest results of your testing." It was a man's voice on the other side of the door opposite from the one with the cells. She sat frozen with fear. What would happen to her when he found out what happened to the doctor, that he had become one of his pets? "Doctor? I'm coming in..." The door slowly opened, and a man wearing heavily padded, black colored clothing came in. He was holding a gun. When he stepped into the room, he raised it and fired. At that moment, a life was silenced.
But it was not hers...

Lowering his weapon, he turned to her and said, "Your bleeding, come with me to the infirmary." When she didn't respond, didn't even breath, he said it. Those words which shattered her utterly and will haunt her for the rest of her days. It was just a simple question, yet it implied so much.

"Doctor Moreau, are you alright?"

title: This was a short story I wrote for a high school English class. I was told by my teacher that it was well written, but I would like some criticism from you guys and gals. (This story is about 5-6 years old) [Battle Not With Monsters]

question: Why can't Dr. Moreau remember anything?

answer: It must be that her experiment on one of her patients goes wrong and she is knocked out and loses her memory.

question: Why is Doctor Moreau shocked when asked whether she's alright?

answer: She's shocked because she didn't know she's Doctor Moreau, the one running the horrendous experiments on humans.

question: What were Doctor Moreau's assumptions before she discovered her real identity?

answer: She thought she was one of Dr. Moreau's experiments and assumed that the man who became a beast and tried to attack her was Dr. Moreau.

question: What are her thoughts about the people operating the facility before she found out she's Dr. Moreau?

answer: She thinks they are despicable people without regard for human life.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A woman wakes up from being unconscious and finds out to her horror that she's in a facility that conducts experiments on humans. What is worse is finding out that she is the doctor responsible for all of it.


text:
Antonio Mendoza}}

ANTONIO HURTADO DE MENDOZA (158622 September 1644) was a Spanish dramatist.

Biography

Hurtado was born in Castro Urdiales, Cantabria.

He became page to the count de Saldaña (son of the duke de Lerma), and was recognized as a rising poet by Miguel de Cervantes in the _Viaje del Parnaso_ (1614). He rose rapidly into favor under Philip IV, who appointed him private secretary, commissioned from him _comedias palaciegas_ for the royal theatre at Aranjuez, and in 1623 conferred on him the orders of Santiago and Calatrava. Most of his contemporaries and rivals paid court to _el discreto de palacio_, and Mendoza seems to have lived on the friendliest terms with all his brother dramatists except Ruiz de Alarcón. He is said to have been involved in the fall of Olivares, and died unexpectedly at Zaragoza on 19 September 1644.[1]

His theatrical works include numerous entremés works.

Only one of his plays, _Querer por solo querer_, was published with his consent; it is included in a volume (1623) containing his semi-official account of the performances at Aranjuez in 1622. The best edition of Mendoza's plays and verses bears the title of _Obras liricas y comicas, divinas y humanas_ (1728). Much of his work does not rise above the level of graceful and accomplished verse; but that he had higher qualities is shown by _El marido hace mujer_, a brilliant comedy of manners, which forms the chief source of Molière's _École des maris_.[2]

The _Fiesta que se hizo en Aranjuez_ and _Querer por solo querer_ were translated into English by Sir Richard Fanshawe, afterwards ambassador at Madrid, in a posthumous volume published in 1671.[3]

Works

Poetry

-   _Convocatoria de las cortes de Castilla_
-   _Vida de Nuestra Señora_
-   _La guerra_

Theatre

-   _Amor con amor se paga_
-   _El marido hace mujer y el trato muda costumbre_ (1631–32)
-   _Cada loco con su tema o el montañés indiano_ (1630)
-   _No hay amor donde no hay agravio_
-   ''Los empeños del mentir ''
-   _Más merece quien más ama_ (after 1634)
-   _Querer por solo querer_
-   _Ni callarlo ni decirlo_
-   ''Los empeños del mentir ''(written with Francisco de Quevedo)
-   _Quien más miente, más medra_ (written with Francisco de Quevedo in 1631)

Entremés

-   _Famoso Entremés Getafe_
-   _El Ingenioso Entremés del Examinador Miser Palomo_

[1]

[2]

[3]

title: Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza

question: What was Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza known for?

answer: He was probably known for being appointed Philip IV's private secretary and being commissioned with "comedias palaciegas" for the royal theatre at Aranjuez, because much of his work does not rise above the level of graceful and accomplished verse except for El marido hace mujer, a brilliant comedy of manners, which forms the chief source of Molière's École des maris.


text:
Ever since the birth of Bitcoin and blockchain, there has been various types of blockchains developed to serve and address different sectors and industries. This creates endless opportunities for the applications of blockchain technology. These chains can either be private or public and can be used in finance, law, healthcare and education.

The blockchain has evolved from executing financial transactions to supporting smart contracts. These smart contracts are publicly audit-able and can self-execute when certain conditions are met. Two cryptocurrencies, which the main focus is smart contracts are Ethereum and Neo. Ethereum’s goal is to become the world’s only supercomputer that is based on the blockchain and has the capability to execute various use cases such as generating supercomputing, creating decentralized exchanges, execution of transactions and many more.

The technology of Ethereum is like that of Neo’s where smart contracts can be created and decentralized applications can be hosted on their respective networks. However, Neo is focused on using digital identities to digitalize an asset and thus creating a smart economy. Let’s look at the head to head comparison of both (note the figures 1 & 2 are for ranking 1st or 2nd when comparing NEO & ETH).

[head-to-head-neo-antshares-vs-ethereum-eth-gas-blockchain-cryptocanucks]

READ: Metropolis Hard Fork and What’s In Store for Ethereum

In my opinion, Ethereum has the first mover advantage, is backed by a big community and is well established and positioned in the cryptocurrency world. Neo is positioning itself at the forefront of Blockchain technology by providing high certainty, high scalability, and better compatibility across applications. Neo’s goal is to create a smart economy where trust is established between parties using digital identities.

In the grand scheme of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, a new blockchain can be created that can disrupt both Ethereum’s and Neo’s technology. However, at the current stage of the crypto world, Ethereum has established market dominance and Neo is preparing for significant growth.

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

_DISCLAIMER: CryptoCanucks.com is not intended to provide tax, legal or investment advice, and nothing on CryptoCanucks.com should be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any asset by CryptoCanucks.com or any third party. You alone are solely responsible for determining whether any investment, asset or strategy, or any other product or service, is appropriate or suitable for you based on your investment objectives and personal and financial situation. You should consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation._

question: What is a blockchain?

answer: The document says they first were used for executing financial transactions, and now are used to support smart contracts.

question: What is Ethereum?

answer: Ethereum is a cryptocurrency whose main focus is smart contracts.

question: How can a new blockchain be created to disrupt both Ethereum's and Neo's technology?

answer: The document doesn't explain, but it could be assumed that a new blockchain technology would cause competition for these companies.

question: What is the author's main point?

answer: Ethereum has established market dominance and Neo is preparing for significant growth.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The author is comparing two cryptocurrencies whose main focus is smart contracts, Neo and Ethereum. They also discuss blockchain technology.