text:
        There was an elevator man who stood all day long, every day.
His feet did not hurt. He didn't know if he liked his job, or if he hated it. Either way, it didn't change things. The morning had been slower than usual. The motel he worked at was wedged between two abandoned apartment buildings. It was one of those skanky little places where the rooms were unkempt and cheap, and so usually in the morning he was taking people down instead of up. Mostly they were people that had come there drunk with a loving stranger. Most of them woke up in the morning not knowing where life had led them the previous night, and were as frantic as hell to get out of there. And so he met a lot of run-down people, in the morning. A lot of half-naked people. A lot of confused, hung-over, and ashamed people, and they told him to take it down. This morning was slow. He stood. The light was gentle and the air was cold. The lights flickered, always, to a set rhythm, and he had become accustomed to it. He had composed little melodies inside of its tempo in his sleep. It was sort of a one-two-three-one-two-three dance, but not exactly in time. Like slow dancing with a corpse. He was inside of his thoughts, dancing.
	There was a shifting mechanical noise and the doors slid open. He was currently on the 9th floor, as he had been for most of the morning. A man quickly walked inside and pressed, “lobby”. The button lit up. The elevator man looked slightly offended. “That’s my job.”,
“What?”
“That’s my job, sir.”
“Shut the hell up!”
The man looked frantically around the confined universe of the elevator, his eyes were sunken in, he wore a disheveled blueish dress shirt. It was un-tucked in most places. Unbuttoned. His tie hung undone around his neck.
They descended to the 4th floor and there was a sudden slight jolt of gravity, they stopped. “Oh Fucking Christ!..”
The doors did not open.
They stayed for a long time on the 4th floor.
“You sure this thing’s working, pal?”, the disheveled man stammered and spoke unevenly.
“I don’t know”, said the elevator man, “That’s not my job.”
They stayed for a longer time.

         The lights flickered in shaky time.
The elevator man was in his head again, waltzing clumsily with a beautiful manikin. A deceased but manipulatable elegance. He danced for a long time.
The disheveled man cussed and cussed. He took out a cigarette, lit a match.
“No smoking.”
The disheveled man paused, looked up, lit match in hand.
“Look.”, He said. “Friend.”
He threw his cigarette aimlessly and slammed himself against the unopened doors.
“God damn you! Fix this fucking thing! I can’t stay here I need to get out!”
He started to cry.
“It’s not my fucking fault, you know. She was always giving me signals. She was a whore! God damn whores! I just woke up and she’s dead. That’s right buddy you get the breaking news while it’s hot. Straight from the horses mouth, I don’t god damn care. They’re gonna take me to jail.”
He slammed his fists into the door.

           The elevator man stopped waltzing. He pressed “lobby” The elevator started again.
The man was uncontrollably sobbing, sinking to the floor.
“Take me to jail! Go ahead god damn everything and my stinking fucking luck! I’m going to hell.”
They reached the lobby.
The doors opened and the man did not get up.
A few seconds passed.
The elevator man kept the door from closing.
“Sir, we have arrived at the lobby floor.”, he said calm and bored.
“Go to hell! Call the god damn police!”
The disheveled man was rolling slowly on the floor.
“That’s not my job.”

title: Straight From The Horse's Mouth.

question: Why does the man in the elevator think that he will go to jail?

answer: The man has spent the night at a skanky hotel with someone he describes as a whore. According to the man, when he awoke that morning the woman was dead. Since he is the last person to see her alive, it is likely that the cops will come looking for him.

question: What type of people frequent the hotel where the elevator man works?

answer: They are mostly people who come to the hotel to have sex often with a stranger. When they arrive they have often had too much to drink so they often don't remember all the details of the previous night when they awake. They're also in a hurry to get out as they are ashamed of what they have done.

question: How does the elevator man keep his mind occupied?

answer: The elevator man composes melodies inside his head. They are normally waltzes and in his thoughts, he dances with a beautiful manikin. It is like slow dancing with a corpse.


split: train

text:
[Ismail Mire's Biography]

ISMAIL MIRE ELMI (Lasadar, Buhodle, (1878–1952) was a famous Somali poet and Dervish general.[1][2] Ismail Mire International Airport is named after him.

[1] Africa - Volume 74, Issues 3-4 - Page 539 Diedrich Westermann, Edwin William Smith, Cyril Daryll Forde - 2004 "Ismail Mire, the dervish general and one of the greatest poets, stated in an interview that the Sayyid's 'men would ride up to a herdsman and say, “Join me and my brother and bring all your sheep and goats and camels,” and if he agreed, they

[2] Nagendra Kr Singh, Abdul Mabud Khan Encyclopaedia of the World Muslims: Tribes, Castes and Communities 8187746106 - 2001 "Examples of classical Somali poems are Mohammed Abdulle Hassan's 'Hiin Finiin,' in praise of his favourite horse; Ismail Mire's 'The Rewards of Success,' a philosophical poem; and Abdillahi Muse's 'An Elder's Reproof to his Wife.' "

title: Ismail Mire

question: Write a ~0 sentence summary.


text:
_AUSTROCHILUS_ is a genus of South American cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Austrochilidae, first described by H. Zapfe in 1955.[1]

Species

it contains seven species in Chile and Argentina:[2]

-   _Austrochilus forsteri_ Grismado, Lopardo & Platnick, 2003 – Chile
-   _Austrochilus franckei_ Platnick, 1987 – Chile, Argentina
-   _Austrochilus manni_ Gertsch & Zapfe, 1955 (type) – Chile
-   _Austrochilus melon_ Platnick, 1987 – Chile
-   _Austrochilus newtoni_ Platnick, 1987 – Chile
-   _Austrochilus parwis_ Michalik & Wunderlich, 2017 – Chile
-   _Austrochilus schlingeri_ Platnick, 1987 – Chile

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[2]

title: Austrochilus

question: What is Austrochilus?

answer: a genus of South American cribellate araneomorph spiders.

question: Who is H. Zapfe?

answer: He first described Austrochilidae in 1955.

question: How many species comprise Austrochilidae?

answer: Seven species

question: Where are the species found?

answer: In Chile and Argentina

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Austrochilus is a genus of araneomorph spiders, first described by H. Zapfe in 1955. It contains 7 species found in Chile and Argentina.


text:
HIGHWAY 11B is the designation for ten business routes of Highway 11 in the Canadian province of Ontario. Each was the original route of Highway 11 through the town or city that it served, and was subsequently given the 11B designation when a newer bypass route was constructed to reduce traffic pressure on the urban street network. Seven of the nine sections of Highway 11B have now been decommissioned by the Ministry of Transportation, with the exception of the Atikokan route and the southernmost section of the former Tri-Town route between Cobalt and Highway 11.

Holland Landing

Highway 11B through Holland Landing was created in 1958 when Highway 11 realigned to a new bypass, with Highway 11B assuming the former alignment along Yonge Street through Holland Landing. The province transferred Highway 11B to the Regional Municipality of York in 1981 and the route is now known as York Regional Road 83.[1] {{-}}

Orillia

Highway 11B in Orillia was created in 1959 when Highway 11 was realigned to the Orillia bypass, which had opened in 1954. Highway 11B followed Memorial Avenue, Colborne Street, West Street, Coldwater Road, Front Street, Neywash Street, and Laclie Street through downtown Orillia. Over the years, as Orillia expanded its city limits, sections of Highway 11B were transferred from provincial to city jurisdiction. In 1981, the route was redesignated as unsigned Highway 7183, which remained until 1998 when jurisdiction was transferred to the City of Orillia, with exception of a small southern section in Simcoe County which became Simcoe County Road 49.[2] {{-}}

Gravenhurst

Highway 11B in Gravenhurst was created in 1948 when Highway 11 was realigned to the first Gravenhurst bypass (Bethune Drive), and followed Muskoka Road and Winewood Avenue through downtown Gravenhurst. In 1970, Highway 11 was moved to the second Gravenhurst bypass and Highway 11B was moved to Bethune Drive. Highway 11B was decommissioned in 1972, with the section south of Bay Street becoming part of Highway 169 (present-day Muskoka District Road 169) and Muskoka District Road 41.[3]

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Huntsville

Highway 11B in Huntsville was created in 1959 when Highway 11 was realigned to the Huntsville bypass. Highway 11B followed Main Street through downtown Huntsville until 1972 when it was decommissioned and became Muskoka District Road 3.[4] {{-}}

Powassan

Highway 11B in Powassan was created in 1962 when Highway 11 was realigned to the Powassan bypass. Highway 11B followed Main Street through downtown Huntsville it was decommissioned in 1962.[5] {{-}}

North Bay

Highway 11B in North Bay was created in 1958, when the former route of Highway 11 through downtown North Bay was given a new route number. Following the completion of the North Bay Bypass in 1953, both the old route through downtown and North Bay Bypasses were posted as Highway 11, leading to some confusion amongst motorists. Highway 11B followed Lakeshore Drive, Main Street, and Algonquin Avenue, with it sharing a concurrency with Highway 17B between Fisher Street and Algonquin Avenue. In the mid 1970s, Highway 11B in downtown North Bay was rerouted to parallel one-way streets, with northbound traffic following McIntyre Street and southbound traffic following Oak Street. Highway 11B in North Bay was decommissioned in 1998.[6][7] {{-}}

Cobalt–Temiskaming Shores

Highway 11B through Cobalt, Haileybury and New Liskeard was created in 1963 when Highway 11 was transferred to the newly opened Tri Town Bypass, and was the second longest business route in Ontario with a length of . Highway 11B followed followed Miller Avenue, Cobalt Street, Grandview Avenue, Silver Street and Lang Street through Cobalt; King Street, Rorke Avenue, Main Street, Ferguson Avenue and Lakeshore Road through North Cobalt and Haileybury; and Lakeshore Road, Paget Street, Whitewood Avenue and Armstrong Street through New Liskeard. During the 1997–1998 downloading, the majority of Highway 11B was transferred to local municipalities. The remaining sections of Highway 11B runs between Highway 11 in Coleman Township to Cobalt town limits, and between Cobalt and Temiskaming Shores city limits. The northernmost was retained but renumbered as Highway 65 in 2003.[8][9]

In 1967, a section of the Cobalt route of Highway 11B collapsed into an abandoned mine, cutting off the town of Cobalt.[10]

Major intersections

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Matheson–Porquis Junction

Highway 11B between Matheson and Porquis Junction was created in 1958 when Highway 11 realigned. Highway 11B went from the Highway 11/Highway 101 junction in Matheson, through the communities of Monteith and Val Gagne, to the Highway 11/Highway 67 junction in Porquis Junction. At a length of , it was the longest business route in Ontario. Highway 11B was renumbered as Secondary Highway 626 in 1961, which in turn was transferred to the Municipal Township of Black River-Matheson and the Town of Iroquois Falls in 1974.[11] {{-}}

Thunder Bay

Highway 11B between Port Arthur and Fort William (which later amalgamated to become Thunder Bay) was created in 1968 when the Highway 11/17 concurrency was realigned to follow the Thunder Bay Expressway, and was cosigned with Highway 17B for its entire length. Highway 11B/17B started at Hodder Avenue and travelled south to Cumberland Street, where it continued southwesterly along the shore of Thunder Bay. It continued on Water Street to Bay Street, where it turned west on Bay Street to Algoma Street, where it turned south-southwest and followed Algoma Street, Memorial Avenue, and May Street to Arthur Street. It travelled west on Authur Street, past Kingsway (formerly Highway 61B), before rejoining Highway 11/17 as well as Highway 61.[12][13] {{-}}

Atikokan

Highway 11B in Atikokan was created in 1962 when Highway 11 was extended to Fort Frances; the extension was constructed south of Atikokan and bypassed the community, resulting in the bypassed section becoming Highway 11B. Highway 11B in Atikokan is unique in that is a spur route and does not form a loop that reconnects to Highway 11. Despite the larger number of business routes that were transferred to local municipalities in 1997–98, Highway 11B in Atikokan is one of the few that remained untouched and is still part of the provincial highway system.[14]

Major intersections

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title: Ontario Highway 11B

question: List all of the locations the highway goes through.

answer: Holand Landing, Orillia, Gravenhurst, Huntsville, Powassan, North Bay, Cobalt-Temiskaming Shores, Haileybury, New Liskeard.

question: Describe the streets Highway 11B follows in Thunder Bay.

answer: It starts at Hodder Avenue, and goes south to Cumberland Street. Then it goes from Water Street to Bay Street, then to Algoma Street, Memorial Avenue, May Street and Arthur Street.


text:
                                          Me

	Before we get into the depths of this story, I assume you are going to want to know about me. Who am I? Where did I come from? All that basic shit. And the truth is, who I am isn’t all the different from who the girl next door to you is. My situations have made me unique and the fact that I observe has made me different.

	At this point in time, I am 19 years old. I am slightly overweight, but you wouldn’t notice from looking at me. I have hips that one day will make giving birth easy but for now just make black guys go dammmmmnnnn girrllll. I have shoulder length hair that is some weird boxed shade of red that I dyed it out of anger. The cut was out of anger too. I’m 5’3.5 and yes that half an inch does matter. I wear a dress almost every day, not because I’m particularly girly anymore, but because it’s really all I have from my last relationship which was particularly controlling. I have two tattoos. One of an owl rests on my left ankle and the kittens from the aristocats parade around my right ribcage. Appearances make a person. This is why I am going so in depth so you can know me. My eyes, well they aren’t important. I want you too see my situations through your eyes. So take your eyes, put them on me, and there we go.

	As someone told me, my personality is weird. I took compliments when I was called quirky. Eccentric even was nice. Now I have just gone off the deep end, into plain weird. But, as you will learn, I was not always this way. I once had it together and knew how to control the weirdness. Now it just kinda spews out like some verbal garbage. It’s gross. But if people can laugh at me and their day is brightened, then awesome. I am someone what a perfectionist. Okay, complete lie there. I am a total perfectionist. I have a little motto in my head that say I must be “prim and proper and polite” at all times. I am working on this. As we all know, this is impossible. I did not know this until recently. The fact that I thought I could be perfect has led me to many a mental illness which we will get into latter. That is not important when trying to learn about the essence of me. And I think the essence of me which you need to know is that I am quirky, caring, and I can see into your soul weather you want me too our not.

	That last part is a little creepy, but that is besides the point. I will know when you want help or need help, regardless if you think you do. And that freaks most people out. I’ve had this super lame “gift” since I can remember. It’s more of a hassle than anything and leaves me stressed out. At any given moment I am flipping through my phone seeing if  I have someone’s number to see if they are ok. I can usually tell you exactly what’s wrong with them, and that’s kinda sucky too. People think this is total BS until I call them at 10pm at night and tell them that no, they should not go spend their last $20 on a little bit of weed. That they should take some advil and a bath and go to sleep and they will be just fine. Just wait till I do it to you. You will be scared. The knowing what’s up with everyone has gotten my head into a tizzy more often than once. I don’t stop to smell the roses or you know think about myself and eat sometimes, because I get so worked up about everyone else. Maybe that shows a great thing about my character. Maybe not.

	I think the most important thing that you know about me is, I did lose me for awhile. For a good chunk of 2 year I would say. I think I was brain washed. I really don’t know. But when you fall under the spell of a sociopath’s love, you do what they want. Not to say I never loved him, because I did, and still do, and probably always will, but he screwed me up. When you are 16 and 17 and 18 you should be finding who you are. Not being pushed into some mold. And if you get anything out of what I write it is that. Because here I am at 19, trying to make up for lost time and it sucks. But like everything else, we will get back to that lost time, we will get back to the sociopath I love(d). Because, while love is insignificant, it is important. Expecially when you can say it helped create the monster the in your head.

	There are other little things about me that aren’t important. Hobbies, jobs held, heck even friends. These will fall into place when they need to. Setting of my life is a small town in California. Just think of where you live, it’s much like that. A suburban town with nothing to do, no where to go. Tons of time to get trapped in your head. I want you to step into my shoes, but don’t lose who you are. We are one on this journey. And you are in for a ride.

title: The beginning of my short life story

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: The narrator is a 19 year old girl from a small suburban town in California.

question: What are the major events of the story?

answer: She describes her appearance in great depth. She speaks about the gift she has of knowing when someone needs something and this leads her to neglect herself. She was in a relationship with a sociopath and lost herself for a few years. She found herself again and wants to share her experience.

question: Explain why the narrator describes her physical appearance in depth.

answer: The narrator feels that appearances make a person.

question: What do the narrator's eyes look like?

answer: The narrator states that they are not important because she wants the reader to use their own eyes.

question: Where is this story set?

answer: This story is set in the current day in a small town in California.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator describes her appearance. She speaks about the gift she has of knowing when someone needs something and this leads her to neglect herself. She was in a relationship with a sociopath who was so controlling that it made her lose herself. She found herself again and wants to share her experience.


text:
„Purge it!“ Ramsey looked down to the screen. His fingertips hovered above a small rectangle which would unleash hell. Again, the sharp voice cut through the mayhem on the bridge. „Commander, I need your acknowledgement. Purge it!" Since the spaceship was already shaking from missile hit after missile hit, nobody noticed his trembling hand.
His gaze wandered a little higher to the massive observation window. The curvature could clearly be seen, seperating ground and heaven. Ramsey remembered being down there once, sitting in a space port with some friends from the academy and listening to an interesting history talk.

He had purged a moon six months before. There were riots on the small colony Triton-4, and Benson had ordered the same command. It was just a small colony. But together with the eight other colonies on the moon they were building a new jumpgate in Neptun's orbit. The first one was fully operational and orbiting Uranus, about 12 billion spacemen had already traveled to their new homes a few dozen lightyears away. It was a slow process, and an expensive one. Luckily the people on the surfaces volunteered for the hard work – at least all the officers told so.

But now he was in doubt. A big fleet of construction ships was hovering near the sun, ready to install the solar panels for the giant Dyson sphere. Ramsey hadn't fully grasped the concept, but it was something like a bubble around the sun. It would still let some light pass through, but could harness the energy and solve all their energy problems.
Somehow, the people down their didn't like that and broke the 70 year long peace by blowing two of the construction ships up. Things escalated quickly and a week later the Omega's weapon systems were programmed to destroy 500 million km², ready to tansform the surface into a billowing, red-glowing mass.

Their spaceship was built for only one thing: Annihilating surfaces. With a length of 327 meters it carried an arsenal of the most devastating weapons ever created, and after its deployment the third world war came to a grinding halt. That was 90 years ago, and while much bigger ships were built, all of them combined still couldn't match the unique firepower of the Omega.
It was a tool of peace and stability, his captain said. Ramsey remembered watching the surface of Triton evaporate under their glowing beams and heavy bombardement, but he didn't feel peaceful at all.

"Shield system critical", the computer voice rattled. They could sustain the attack for another minute, maybe two. Unless he touched the small rectangle. But he couldn't do it. "Captain, this is insane. We can't decide the fate of 9 billion people." - "We can, and we must. As they shot our unarmed construction ships down, they knew what they did. And you know what to to, acknowledge my order and purge those surfacemen!" Captain Benson clenched her fist. "Commander, now!"
Surely she was right. Her orders came directly from the artificial intelligence, and it had never been wrong. If he touched the rectangle, he would be the hero of the day and the war was over. But if he didn't, the missiles from the surface would break their shield in a few seconds and then their armored hull in a few more. There was no more time to think. His finger jerked down.

In a millisecond, the computer scanned his DNA and initalized the launch process. "Authentication phrase", chattered the computer voice. Ramsey stared through the observation window at the soft glow of the atmosphere.   The authentication phrase glared in his thoughts like the sun. He chose it a long time ago, as he visited the planet. It was after a history talk – maybe an hour long and illustrated with lots of pictures. Beautiful pictures from the ancient times. Their history. Slowly, he uttered the authentication phrase. "Earth ... is ... beautiful."

title: I don't like happy ends [~650 words]

question: Is the story set on earth?

answer: No.

question: Are they at war?

answer: Yes.

question: Why were they installing solar panels near the sun?

answer: So that the light would pass through the panel and could harness energy which would solve all the energy problems.

question: What would the small rectangle do?

answer: It may be implied that the small rectangle button would destroy the surface of the planet.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
Ramsey hovers his fingers above a small rectangle button wondering if he should press it. He had purged the moon six months ago. Now a fleet of construction ships were trying to install solar panels near the sun.

The computer rattles "shield system critical." Captain Benson and demands Ramsey to press the button and end the war, he does. He stands staring through the window at the soft glow of the atmosphere.


text:
A man hid behind some bushes on a hill. There he waited for somebody to pass by. He knelt with a club in his hand and looked down at the nearby road. His face was grim and his breath was foul. Hours had passed, but he held his position showing not even a suggestion of fatigue.

After all he heard some women chatting and laughing from afar. Three were coming from the market in the city and were on their way home. On top of their heads each of them carried a basket full of food. Slowly they walked down the road in their colourful dresses and enjoyed their time. The man, however, looked around thoroughly to make sure that nobody else was here. He waited for them to come closer. Then he jumped out the bushes. Fiercely screaming he ran down the hill towards them. They were frightened. Two of them carelessly dropped off the weight and ran away as fast as they could. The other woman, however, chose not to run. Instead she took the basket off her head and firmly held it in front of her chest. The man tried to snatch it away from her, which made her angry. The stronger he pulled the angrier she got and the more stubborn she became. So he stepped back, swung his club and struck her down. Her head cracked open. She lost the basket and fell down.

Lying in her own blood she tilt her head as if she wanted to capture a last glimpse of her murderer running away barefooted before the picture, finally, ceased to exist forever.

title: "Her Last Glimpse"

question: Why does the man murder one woman and not the other two?

answer: Two women abandoned their baskets and ran, whereas the third died defending her basket.

question: Why was the man waiting in the bushes?

answer: to rob passersby

question: What happens to the third woman?

answer: the man murders her

question: Why did the woman tilt her head toward her killer?

answer: to catch a glimpse of him before dying

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: A man waits in the bushes with a club. Three women pass, and the man ambushes them. Two of the women drop the baskets they are carrying and run, whereas the third refuses to leave her basket. The man murders her.


text:
An earthquake occurred in northern Afghanistan on 30 May 1998, at 06:22 UTC in the Takhar Province with a moment magnitude of 6.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (_Very strong_). At the time, the Afghan Civil War was underway; the affected area was controlled by the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (the “Northern Alliance”).[1]

Overview

This was the second large earthquake in the area in 1998 after another earthquake on February 4.[2] Between 4,000–4,500 people died in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces.[3][4][5] Nearly 7,000 families were affected and estimated 16,000 houses were destroyed or damaged.[6] Approximately 45,000 people became homeless.[7] More than 30 villages were destroyed and another 70 were severely damaged.[8] Several thousand animals were killed and crops and infrastructure were destroyed.[9]

Like many other poorer developing nations, Afghanistan was ill-equipped to face this kind of natural disaster.[10] The country had no forms of protection or hazard micronization.[11] Houses were mainly built of mud brick with shallow foundation.[12] The villages were built on unstable slopes.[13] Many villages were entirely buried due to the landslides.[14] Aftershocks continued for a month.[15] It was also felt at Mazar-e Sharif, Kabul, Andijan, Samarkand, Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Dushanbe.[16]

Relief efforts

Several problems appeared during the relief operation. The affected region was remote and lacked any modern telecommunication.[17] The local culture prohibited male physicians from examining or speaking to women.[18] There was no available accurate map of the affected region.[19] However this problem was solved as the pilots of the first Tajikistan helicopters served with the Soviet Armed Forces in the area during the Soviet–Afghan War and knew many of the villages.[20] Relief efforts were also delayed because of blocked roads, bad weather and political turmoil in the region.[21]

Relief effort by several agencies in Afghanistan was administered from neighboring Pakistan, as many organizations had learned from previous experience not to base too many assets in Kabul or in any other city in Afghanistan.[22] A sub-base for the relief efforts was established in Rostaq in the Takhar Province near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, which in spite of lacking airfields, had open spaces for helicopter operations and a road link to Tajikistan.[23] A worldwide appeal for helicopters was made to assist in the relief operations.[24]

The United Nations (UN) and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were involved in the relief efforts of the affected area.[25] A joint relief operation was mounted by the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and a number of national and international NGOs.[26]

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[5] Magnitude 6.6 Afghanistan-Tajikistan Border Region 1998 May 30 06:22:28 UTC _National Earthquake Information Center_

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[9] Afghanistan Earthquake – ASAF82 _ReliefWeb_

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title: May 1998 Afghanistan earthquake

question: Describe the May 1998 Afghanistan Earthquake.

answer: It occurred in Afghanistan on 30 May 1998 at 06:22 UTC. It occurred in Takhar Province with a magnitude of 6.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. This was the second large earthquake in the area in 1998 after another earthquake on February 4.

question: How many people were affected?

answer: Between 4,000-4,500 people died in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces. Nearly 7,000 families were affected and an estimated 16,000 houses were destroyed or damaged. Approximately 45,000 people became homeless. More than 30 villages were destroyed and another 70 were damaged.

question: What was the response to the Earthquake like?

answer: Afghanistan was ill-equipped to face this kind of natural disaster. The affected region was remote and lacked telecommunication. The country had no forms of protection or hazard micronization. Houses were built mainly of mud brick with shallow foundation. The villages were built on unstable slopes. Thus, many villages were buried due to the landslides. The local culture also prohibited male physicians from speaking to women and there was no accurate map of affected region.

question: When did relief efforts begin?

answer: Relief efforts occurred when Tajikistan helicopters which had served with the Soviet Armed Forces in the area during the Soviet-Afghan war (and thus knew the region well) began to fly in. Relief efforts were also administered from neighboring Pakistan, as many organizations had learned from previous experience not to base too many assets in Kabul. A sub-base for relief was established in Rostaq near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, which had open spaces for helicopter operations and a road link to Tajikistan. Thus the Tajik people were essential in helping the region.


text:
In the rift there was a lake. A lake like no other on Mons and if a traveller was to stop by for a time he would be shocked to hear a familiar and yet, in this setting, alien sound.

For during the 18 month cycle when Timian and Rala the twin suns sat at their zenith the lake errupted with laughter and song, a cacaphony errupting from the soda brine. Beneath the surface swam small tunicate like creatures of cartilage and bone, their lives spent darting amoungst the water column.  At first glance you would be forgiven to think that the strange denizens were of alien origin, and in a way you would be right; however these seemingly mindless forms were once human, plain dwellers, tool makers.

And so the creatures frolicked and danced and swam and ate and sang but Ullola felt only pain. The one they called Ullola was 800 feet long by the same wide and he, if indeed he was of a gender, lay at the bottom if the lake in what seemed to be eternal slumber. Ullola was jealous of the post humans and their pointless songs and endless chatter. Whilst Ullola was not an angry creature by nature he would often, in a fit of rage, attempt to lash out and harm the post humans but rarely was he successful in his endeavours.

And life went on, and year on year more and more people came to the lake to hear the songs, and the visitors would drop horns and great tubes into the water so as to amplify the sound, and great campfires burned and those who gathered, inspired maybe by the ethereal song, would dance and give thanks to their petty gods and ancestors.

But in all this Ullola remained sad. He no longer feasted on the bacterial mats that did him good and whoch his fore fathers taught him would keep the bad dreams at bay in the long night that gripped Choaban. Instead he slowly decended to the deepest part of the lake, near a town called Dearo to feed on the shrimps and bacteria that clung to the black rocks that were found there.

Ullola grew fat. He feasted and feasted and thought nothing of greedily consuming everything which he could fit in his giant maw. But he was still sad. The chip imbeded in his enormous brain told him to return to the east and sleep, and eat no more of the sweet viands that tasted so good but which made the great god ill.

And so Ullola hauled himself back to his old haunt and sat on what had been his great throne, that great stone bottom worn smooth by his great bulk. But just when everything appeared to be returning to normal a great tragedy struck, for Ullola had eaten too much, far too much and he was in pain. An almighty bellow came forth from the lake taking the revellers by suprise, and even the post humans ceased their seemingly unending seranade fir a moment, so taken back were they by the great din.

Beneath the surface Ullola was ill. The vast quantaties of matter had fermented in his enormous gut and he brought forth a poisonous belch so large and potent that the myriads of post humans that had gathered to tend to Ullola perished in an instant.  And the lake fell silent.

A great outpouring of grief struck those of us who remained by the lake, for we knew that the post humans would sing no more. And for the next million years Ullola would weep for his tiny friends - for deep down he remembered , he remembered why they had sang, they had sang for Ullola, their great god, the one who had brought them to this world, and who had made them so happy.

title: [MF] Ullola and The Lake

question: What is Ullola's sentiment through the story?

answer: Ullola was a creature at the bottom of a lake who remained sad when he no longer could feast on bacterial mats. While he continued to feast on other foods, Ullola grew so fat that he was in pain. He ultimately grew even more sad when he killed many post humans by the lake as he let out a large poisonous belch. Ullola would weep for the next million years.


text:
So Joel takes my condoms yesterday to make himself a literal dick head. I forgot, hit the gas station, came back tossed a big box of 12 in the glove compartment because obviously with my stamina and the fact i had pounded 2 red bulls at the gas station. i might had been up for at least half the box mind you not that they'd be filled with anything but cock from end to end but still they wear out after 20-40 mins good to switch so they don't break even the tinniest holes can cause some very significant shit. as i'm bout to turn into the street connecting to her place i get pulled over for my brights being on, get a warning cause well you make a cop half shit his pants laughing at your own stupidity they'll do that; the big ass box of mangums and the story of why i had to jump back to get them obviously didn't hurt. Get there turns out the radio silence i got 20minutes before heading out should had been my indication, that me not having called earlier in the day to scribble down times didn't sit to well. Once a brilliant man-whore, always to be, this life and next infinite loop after such. Of coarse i thought sweet words and honest intentions had smoothed out the cringing of this queens vEEga but not so much. Her mother/room mate living with her tells me she went over to a mutual friends bordelo asks me to retrieve and give a right good spanking to her, like i wasn't going to anyways. i get there right as are friend is pulling up telling me he just dropped her off back at her place. simple fix, hit the joint say my loves and fair goings. Knock and drive momma insane as she doesn't get how i can be back without her, like wise i'm surprised i could get there and still be surprised that she hadn't dropped by and immediately left again. text, text, bullshit of coarse nothing like lack of actual face/face or at least vocal communication to turn my hardest of woods into something closer the the material they make snuggies out of. to be quite honest i believe the whole things was punishment for my "inability " to remember to call her for my date though in all honesty i don't do dates, i do hanging out, casual flirting and making out are my pass times, pretending to give some1 a perfect moment as if it'd always be like that, between the shit all levels of hell are legally allowed to throw upon you daily. seems wrong, dishonest giving hope for a future that might never truly even exist. Before i actually know who you are, what your soul speaks as truth, and if my can intertwine between the cracks with mine to make them both whole. Love and lust are to different beasts. one ready to fight with a the tiniest of glances of a worthy opponent, the other nimble and weak from being beaten and broken over and over. you can only satisfy one at a time and sometimes picking the wrong one for a fight only makes them bleed harder, literally squirts of crimson even, with every beat. anyways i just meant to not call her til it was to late to do anything other then enjoy each others company and shit chat be neath the stars, that quite honestly are just waiting as much as you are to get it on. Simple, direct, no emotional roller coasters, no strapping in and bracing for imminent disaster, just two people not wanting to be alone, and isn't that really the only single grain of truth behind all the bullshit people talk just to hook up? so why hid it, why leave it in a dark corner ashamed when the thought it self is a pure instinct. Neither good nor evil its just are way to survive, to keep growing because those that fight alone, die alone always.

something that i just kept continuously pumping out when some asked me what happend to my date via FB seems like a such a waste to have it just be read by only one person. theres alot of editing obviously and structure problems but i like it, its honest i didn't have to think and make it perfect. but id love to hear any crittiqe you might have. please send all complaints to my email bloodyd4527@yahoo.com so i save them and use them for a good laugh later.

title: your head will only lie with you. Your heart will beat itself later, if you still have one.

question: What does the text say about the narrator's outlook on love?

answer: The narrator self-identifies as an unrepentant man-whore. He believes the disaster of a date he goes on - spent just trying to track down the woman he's meant to see - is punishment for the fact he didn't call to solidify their plans. He intentionally didn't call so that it would be too late to do anything other than hang out casually and hook up. He believes love and relationships lead to pain, and so can't even bring himself to organise a date that he claims would only give false hope for the future.

question: Summarize the incident with the police officer.

answer: The narrator is pulled over by a police officer for having his brights on. He gets a warning (instead of a fine) because he makes the cop laugh at his stupidity. He tells the cop the story of his friend Joel taking his condoms the day before to make himself a literal dick head, which is the reason the narrator has a big box of condoms from the gas station in his car. This helps to smooth things over.

question: What does the text say about celibacy?

question: Summarize the narrator's childhood.


text:
_JAMIESON V HM ADVOCATE_ is a notable legal case which established a precedent in Scotland which held that a man does not commit rape where he honestly, albeit unreasonably, believes his victim is consenting. This was a criminal case decided by the High Court of Justiciary sitting as the Court of Criminal Appeal. The appeal case was heard before a panel of three judges with the Lord Justice-General (Lord Hope) as president, with Lord Allanbridge and Lord Cowie. The case is reported at 1994 SLT 537.[1]

The decision relies upon the point that in Scots Law, a criminal act consists of two elements, the factual act done and the _mens rea_ or intention of the perpetrator in carrying out that action. The crime of rape consisted, at that time, of a man having vaginal sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent, with the crime of rape being defined at common law. Therefore, it was held that the _mens rea_ element is that the man either believes the woman is not consenting or is “reckless or indifferent to the matter of consent”. Accordingly, it was held that if the man genuinely believes the woman is consenting, he is not committing the specific crime of rape. This was established law per the cited cases of Sweeney v. X 1982 S.C.C.R. 509 and Meek v. H.M. Advocate 1983 S.L.T. 280.

In Jamieson the specific point was whether this belief requires to be based on objectively reasonable grounds, or if it was sufficient that the alleged perpetrator genuinely held this belief even although another person in the same circumstances might not have the same belief. The decision was that honest belief is all that is required, although an absence of reasonable grounds to hold such a belief would affect whether a jury would accept if as a matter of fact he did genuinely believe this.

This precedent is unlikely to be considered as still 'good law' as the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 (which provided the first statutory definition of rape and of consent) states at S.1 (1)(b) that [a person 'A' commits rape upon 'B'] “_(b)without any reasonable belief that B consents_”.[2]

[1]

[2] http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2009/9/section/1

title: Jamieson v HM Advocate

question: What could be an issue with the results of this legal case?

answer: It is simple for a man who is charged to simply say he didn't know he didn't have consent. There is no evidence required.

question: On whom lies the onus to determine whether or not the man is being honest?

answer: The jury.

question: What crime is the man specifically not committing if he believes the woman wants it?

answer: Rape.

question: What is the difference between a man's not knowing and his being "reckless and indifferent" to the lack of consent?

answer: In the latter, he supposedly knows and just doesn't care.


text:
The Woes of the Smitten

Rick Thorn, as nervous as an Altar Boy, went up the dark and creaky stairs in the neighborhood of Emporium Street, and inspected the name on each of the doors until he found the one he wanted.

He pushed open the door, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table and a rocking chair. On one of the dirty walls were a couple of shelves, containing about a dozen bottles and jars. An old man sat in the rocking chair, reading a newspaper. Rick, without a word, handed him the card he had been given.

“Sit down, Mr. Thorn,” said the old man very politely.

“I am glad to make your acquaintance… but I must ask now, for I will simply collapse if I hold it in any more. Is it true that you have a certain mixture, that has, um, extraordinary effects?”

“Mr. Thorn,” replied the old man, “my stock is not very large. I don’t deal with normal narcotics like pain relievers, anti-depressants, and anti-histamines. I think nothing I sell has the effects which could precisely be described as ordinary.”

“Well, here’s the thing…” began Rick.

“Here, for example,” interrupted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. “Here is a liquid as colorless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy.”

“Do you mean it is a poison?” cried Rick, very much horrified.

“Call it a glove-cleaner if you like,” said the old man indifferently. “Maybe it cleans gloves. I don’t know- I have never tried. One might call it a life cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes.”

“I want nothing of the sort,” said Rick.

“Oh, that’s probably for the best,” said the old man. “Do you know the price of this? For one teaspoon, which is enough, I ask twenty thousand dollars. Never less.”

“I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive,” said Rick apprehensively.

“Oh dear, no,” said the old man. “It would be no good charging that sort of price for a love potion, for example. Young people who need a love potion very seldom have twenty thousand dollars. Otherwise, they would not need a love potion.”
“I am glad to hear that,” said Rick.

“I look at it like this,” the old man contemplated. “Please a customer with one article, and he will come back when he needs another. Even if it is more costly. He will save up for it, if necessary.”

“So,” said Rick. “You really do sell love potions?”

“If I did not sell love potions,” said the old man, reaching for another vial, “I should not have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only when one is in a position to oblige that one can afford to be so confidential.”

“And these potions,” said Rick. “They are not, just, um…”

“Oh no,” said the old man. “Their effects are permanent, and extend far beyond the mere casual impulse. But they include it.”

“Dear me!” said Rick, attempting a look of scientific detachment. “How very interesting!”

“But consider the spiritual side,” said the old man.

“I do, indeed,” responded Rick.

“For indifference, she will substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration. Give one tiny measure of this to the young lady- its flavor is imperceptible in orange juice, soup, or cocktails- and she will change forever. She will want nothing but solitude with you.”

“I can hardly believe it,” said Rick. “She is so fond of parties and other people!”

"She will not like them any more,” said the old man. “She will be afraid of the pretty girls you may meet.”

“She will actually be jealous?” cried Rick in a rapture. “Of me?”

“Yes, she will want nothing but you. You will be her sole interest in life.”

“Wonderful!”

“She will want to know all you do. All that has happened to you during the day. Every word of it. She will want to know what you are thinking about, why you smile suddenly, why you are looking sad.”

“This is love!”

“Yes, how carefully she will look after you! She will never allow you to be tired, to stand when you could sit, to neglect your food. If you are an hour late, she will be terrified, and think that you have been killed.”

“I can hardly imagine a Diana like that!” cried Rick, overwhelmed with joy.

“You will not have to use your imagination. And, by the way, since there are always impulses, if by any chance you should, later on, slip a little, you need not worry. She will forgive you, in the end. She will be terribly hurt, of course, but she will forgive you.”

“That will not happen,” said Rick fervently.

“Of course not. But, if you did, you need not worry. She will never divorce you. She will never even be angry at you.”

“And how much is this wonderful mixture?” asked Rick.

“It is not as dear as the glove cleaner. No, that is twenty thousand dollars. One has to be older than you to indulge in that sort of thing. One has to save up for it.”

“But the love potion?”

“Oh, that,” said the old man, opening the drawer in the kitchen table, taking out a tiny, rather dirty looking vial. “That is just a dollar.”

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am,” said Rick, watching him fill it.

“I like to oblige. Then, customers come back, later in life, when they are better off, and want more expensive things. Here you are, You will find it very effective.”

“Thank you again,” said Rick. “Good-bye.”

“Au revoir (until we meet again).”

title: The Woes of the Smitten (Story #1)

question: Why does the old man tell Rick Thorn about the expensive poison that he sells?

answer: It can't be certain why the old man tells him about the poison. Perhaps he is trying to impress the nervous youngster. Perhaps he is recruiting future buyers by ensuring that people who may not be willing to ask for a poison outright know where they can get such potions. Perhaps he assumes that that is what the young man wants and wants to assure him that he has come to the right place.

question: Does the love-potion work?

question: What does Rick Thorne want to buy and why?

answer: Rick Thorne wants to buy a love potion. He loves a girl called Dianne who it appears does not reciprocate his admiration. He hopes that the potion will encourage the girl to treat him more kindly and reciprocate his feelings.

question: What does the old man mean when he refers to Rick slipping a little and why is Rick surprised?

answer: When the old man refers to Rick slipping he means that Rick might be unfaithful. This is evidenced by the fact that he says that she will be deeply hurt but that she will forgive him. Rick is surprised as he is in love and doesn't think that he could possibly be unfaithful.


text:
Todd Howard is pretty good at making games. After _Oblivion, Skyrim, _and two _Fallout _games, that’s a huge understatement. Each game has been well-received by fans and critics alike in addition to being hugely successful for his studio, Bethesda Softworks, and publisher ZeniMax. So when he says something, we tend to sit up and listen.

Speaking to _Polygon_ in an interview alongside his induction into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, Howard put the future of big games squarely on characters and how we interact with them.

“I think we have a very long way to go in how other characters act and react to you. That’s the big issue we’re trying to solve. We’re pretty good at technology and world-building. We have a good handle on game flow, the rate you get new things, how you’re rewarded over time. But we need to be innovating on [characters],” he said.

Tough moral decisions offered to the player are a big part of that, and Howard feels that Bethesda’s games have been “pretty good at asking those questions,” but Howard adds that they need to get better at “letting the player deliver the answers to them.”

The Clash of Technology and Magic

The conversation system in _Fallout 4_ had plenty of detractors. It was derided as overly simplistic and lacking in meaningful options for the player. It’s been joked that the next game in the series would just let you pick a happy face of a sad face, and I get where that concern comes from.

Before we had video games, we had stories, and the first video games were just that – interactive stories. We wandered through pages of text with detailed literary descriptions of everything. Technology got better, and we started to add visual content to those games. Somewhere in the middle, we got games like _Fallout 2 _and _Planescape: Torment_. these were games that were, at the time, lavishly illustrated games, but they still offered deep description and a variety of ways to respond to any number of situations.

Back then, voice acting was just starting to make its way into games. If there was any at all, it was in short cut scenes, and that was it. Text was still the order of the day, and the only limit to the amount of text and number of options was how much time the writer had and how much they could output.

[]_Divinity: Original Sin_

Then 2D became 3D and sprites became polygons. Game development became infinitely more complex as the industry stretched and pushed technology to make games more visually impressive. Simply animating a character took far longer, let alone detailing how they would interact with their environment and everything else. But having a character do all this moving and acting with just text below them started to feel weird. Cut scenes became longer and more complex. Voice acting went from a sometimes thing to an all-the-time thing (thanks, _Metal Gear_).

The same way that RPG elements bleed over into action games these days, with complex leveling systems, crafting, and upgrades, the aesthetics of action games bled into RPGs. A space formerly reserved for text, turns, and isometric perspectives dropped down into the third- and first-person perspectives and voice acting crept in.

Taking the single character approach again, we used to have a single character that was a 2D sprite. It required some comparatively simple one-size-fits-all animation and art and plenty of writing, along with the usual programming and quality assurance. Now the character requires a modeler, a texture artist, an animator. Any change to the character sends it back through _all of these_. Then there’s writing, voice acting for every single line, all of which has to be figured out while the game is still being built.

So what Howard is talking about is something we had in years past. We had that detail and interaction. But it was through an interface that was impenetrable by many potential players. Now, we have the sort of interface and visual fidelity that appeals to more players, but the amount of work and time  – and thusly, money – required makes it significantly more difficult to offer the kind of choice we saw before.

[]_The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt_

If anyone has the budget to dig in and offer that kind of choice, it’s Bethesda. CD Projekt Red showed us that you can offer players interesting, meaningful choices and ways to handle dialogue, but even then, we had a game about a single character with a pretty specific moral compass. They tackled the problem in a specific way and did a good job, but it’s not the wide net of options Howard is talking about nor the wide net older games were able to cast thanks to their limitations.

We do see games attempting to capture the old magic. Obisidian’s _Pillars of Eternity_, Larian’s _Divinity:Original Sin_, and the upcoming _Torment: Tides of Numanera _from InXile offer the old-school overhead perspective and the wide-ranging choices those classic games offered. But they do it for a specific audience. A deserving and appreciative one, but a specific one.

The next _Elder Scrolls_ and _Fallout_ games are years away. Howard knows what he needs to do – find a way to bring the new closer to the old. To give us modern presentation with classic choice.

“There’s a long way to go,” Howard told _Polygon_. “We have so many ideas that we didn’t think we were ready for. But given our size now and how the tech is coming together, we can do some of the things we’ve talked about for a very long time. Now they are within our grasp.”

The temptation will likely be there to go bigger, wider, and more visual, but I’m hoping Howard hues close to what he’s talking about. If he and his team can, we’re in for a treat that’ll be well worth the wait.

The next game to come out of Bethesda’s cadre of studios is _Prey_ on May 5. Bethesda’s also hard at work on _Skyrim_ for Switch and _Falllout 4 _for VR, and it has five unannounced games on the way. Howard’s got a full plate and a worthy mission.

question: What are Howard's thoughts on Bethesda's games?

answer: Howard has a studio of his own known as Bethesda Softworks, where all the games are created. He believes that Bethesda's games are pretty good at asking tough moral decision questions to the players. Howard also adds that he feels that they need to improve on letting the players deliver the answers to them. According to him, Bethesda is good at technology, world-building and also has a good game flow.

question: Summarize Howard's feelings about his studio.

question: Summarize the future plans of Howard's studio.

answer: Howard says that Bethesda has a long way ahead. They are tempted to go bigger and wider. The studio plans to launch their next game 'Prey' on May 5. They are also currently working on 'Skyrim' for Switch and 'Fallout 4' for VR. Lastly, the studio has five unannounced games on its plate.


text:
Along the roadside in a dusty, barren countryside, there lived an old woman who never spoke to anyone.  In fact, nobody even knew her name.  She never left her house, and few ever even claimed to have seen her at all, lest knew what she looked like.  She ate only the food she grew in her garden, although no one ever seemed to see her actually gardening.  It would just be barren and then repopulated with fruits, vegetables, and grains.  It is safe to say that many people in the nearby town of Misgave thought the woman to be pretty odd indeed.  The oldest residents of the town of Misgave even tell stories of when they were young, recounting their knowledge of the odd woman who lived in the house by the dusty roadside.  Many thought this to be impossible, as the old townsfolk were very old themselves, and how old would this make the woman?  Most likely it was an old wive's tale passed on generation to generation, but the old townsfolk insisted that their stories were true.  And especially older gentleman by the name of Took Adams even claimed he met with the old woman when he was a boy, about 9 or 10 years old, and that she invited him in for lunch one day since he found himself wandering the old dusty overgrown road by the woman's house by himself, no doubt daydreaming about cowboys, or being a famous gunslinger himself.  Took Adams tells of the woman being cheerful in nature, with an odd mysticism about her, and that her hair smelled faintly of old sage and basil.  Once during their lunch, he asserts, she offered him some sweet candy that she said she made from the ingredients of her garden.  Took claims it was the sweetest and most delicious candy he'd ever tasted, but at some point during their lunch, the old woman became angry with him, and showed a side of herself that he hadn't expected.  He later told of seeing a sort of fire in her eye, and teeth bared, stained a putrid green.  Took said the woman quickly regained her composure, and delightfully sent him on his way and told him that perhaps he shouldn't wander this far down the road again.  This story has no doubt been embellished over the years, most so by old Took himself, perhaps to make himself more exciting or interesting, as he desired the company of people more in their youth, so as to feel younger himself, as older people tend to do.  "She must be close to 110 years old by now!"  Took would exclaim to anyone that would listen.

In the barren countryside, along that dusty roadside, more dust than usual was spitting and clouding up.  A car was zooming past the old woman's house.  "Be careful Aaron!  This road isn't exactly the autobahn as you've probably noticed.  Slow down man!"  Riley Trainer was very protective of his new car, and allowing his younger brother Aaron to drive his new Chevy Volt even a couple miles during their cross country road trip was nerve racking to him.  The fact that Aaron was thoroughly testing the shocks in the Volt on a country road was most displeasing to him.  "Alright alright, sorry, I'll let you get back to your precious driver's seat", but just as he finished his placating to Riley, a loud *SNAP* emitted from under the car, and a *POP* and *SCRAAAAPE* came from under the hood.  The car rolled to a stop about a hundred yards from an old looking house down the road.  "Shit, man!  If you screwed up my car I'm going to kill you!  Get out, let's check it out."  Riley jumped out of the car and began inspecting the damage.  Aaron sheepishly opened the driver side door and put his hands in his pockets, sauntering over to his brother who was on his hands and knees examining the underside of the car.  "I'm sorry Riley, I wasn't going that fast, I was even slowing down when it happened."  "It's alright, it's alright, let's just see if we can get it started again and drive it to the nearest town."  Riley sounded exasperated, or possibly relieved that his younger brother was no longer driving the car, albeit at the expense of his newly acquired vehicle.  "Hey, Riles, why don't we just walk to that house and call a tow truck or something from there?"  Both boys turned their gaze to the distant house on the side of the dusty road.  It puffed out a calming cloud of white smoke from the chimney and the two brothers exchanged satisfied glances.  "At least someone's home", Riley stated simply.  They began walking to the odd looking house when all of a sudden a light burst on from the inside of the dwelling.  A bright, light pink glow seemed to emanate from deep inside the old place…

To be continued…

title: First chapter of a book I'm writing (please give feedback)

question: Describe the style of the writing.

answer: The story is written in an interesting style. While it appears at first glance to be realistic fiction, the character of the old woman, who may be a nature spirit, identifies it as magical realism. It is written in a world that is recognizably our own, but with fantastic elements. Other parts, such as the use of the name "Took" and the reference to "110 years" are reminiscent of the opening of Tolkien's epic, "The Lord of the Rings".

question: Describe the old woman.

answer: The old woman is implied to be immortal. Local people doubt the truth of this story, which only further lends it a folkloric aspect. We are supposed to interpret her as a kind of fairy-tale creature. She may be a nature spirit or a fairy. Elements of the story are reminiscent of "Hansel and Gretel" and it appears she has a malevolent side when she bares her green teeth at Took.

question: Describe Riley and Aaron's car and driving.

answer: It appears that the two brothers are from Germany, as Riley makes a reference to the Autobahn, where there is no speed limit. However, they also own a cutting-edge American car, a Chevy Volt, which is described as Riley's "New Car." They drive recklessly, and Aaron runs over something which causes a "pop" sound to occur.

question: What is the significance of the name of the town, Misgave?

answer: The name of the town is a form of the word "Misgivings." It is deliberately archaic English, which is not heard often anymore. However, the subconscious association serves to generate foreshadowing in the story. It adds to the sense of eeriness and the supernatural present in the story and suggests that, like with a misgiving, all is not as it seems...


text:
The FLAG OF CHELYABINSK OBLAST was adopted on 27 December 2001.[1]

The flag consists of a rectangle with width-length ratio of 2:3 with a red background. At the bottom there is a yellow stripe that is equal to 1/6 of the total width, this strip is located at a distance of 1/6 of the total width from the lower edge. In the middle of the flag there is the image of a Bactrian camel with a yellow stripe that represents the Ural Mountains.[2]

[1]

[2]

title: Flag of Chelyabinsk Oblast

question: What colors if the Flag of Chelyabinsk Oblast?

answer: red and yellow

question: When was the Flag of Chelyabinsk Oblast adopted?

answer: 27 December 2001

question: What is a Bactrian camel?

answer: the article does not answer the question

question: what are the Ural Mountains?

answer: the article does not answer the question

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The FLAG OF CHELYABINSK OBLAST was adopted on 27 December 2001. Article includes a physical description of the flag.


text:
Night was quickly approaching, and the doves had already taken to the air. She watched them from her spot by the parkade, and listened to their gentle cooing, and wished that she could be so free, to spread wings and go where the wind would take her.

She had been living in the parkade for over a month now. The doves had followed her all the way from Cliff's Edge, her previous home. She had been forced to leave: winter was far colder by Cliff's Edge, and the snow tended to fall in great white sheets. Her journey had been long and arduous, and the doves had been there every step of the way. She welcomed their company, because it was the only company she had.

A small dove landed on her shoulder and cooed softly in her ear. It ruffled its feathers, then took to the air once again. They had grown accustomed to her, she knew. To them, she was just an oversized dove, wingless and beakless but a friend nonetheless. They never judged her or ridiculed her because of the way she looked, or talked, or lived. They just accepted.

She gazed up wistfully at the Buniard Building and noticed there were a few lights on in some of the apartments. Still early, then. Some of them were probably having supper now: families eating around the dinner table, or couples snuggled warmly infront of the television set, eating their T.V. dinners. The doves were her companions, her family. And the Buniard Building was her television set.

Through it she experienced the lives of its inhabitants. She learned to love some of them, and hate others, and often she caught herself rooting for one member of a family or another, and hoping things would come out right for them in the end. The day Mrs. Parkins suffered a heart attack she had been there, watching in horror, worried and angry at the injustices of life. Tonight Mr. Parkins was alone at home, pacing, clasping his hands tightly behind his back, moving like a caged animal - restless and lonely. Somehow she knew Mrs. Parkins had passed away. Perhaps it was the way he slouched, as though he had given up hope, or the way he had stopped brooding, as though there was nothing left to hope for.

She turned her gaze back to the doves, and saw them painted against a full moon. The moon was larger then she had ever seen it before, and took up a large portion of the night sky - a beacon among the tiny stars, and she was reminded of the story she had read in one of the papers, about a space shuttle that would soon be launched from Cape Canaveral and put the first man on the moon. How ridiculous it seemed, to spend so much money and effort to get to the moon, when there was so much suffering right here on Earth.

A chill wind started to blow. She heard its dismal howl, and watched as it overturned old carton boxes and sent newspapers skittering across the cold cement like mice. A plastic bag rolled down the road, hopping and creeping as though it possessed a life of its own. She started to shiver, and hugged herself tightly. She got up and brought a trash can from the parkade, filled it with the newspapers she had found that day - the Herald and the Boston Globe and the New York Times - and lit a small fire.

Startled by the sudden heat, the doves took to the air, and just when it seemed they would go up to the trees to roost for the night, they returned to her outstretched arms, and pecked at the bread crumbs she held in her hands.

As her gaze drew back to the Buniard Building, she had a strange premonition. Just as she had known that Mrs. Parkins was dead, she knew that something was going to happen tonight. The feeling was vague and far off, like a mirage in the desert, and she wondered if perhaps - and just like the mirage - it was a matter of wishful thinking. Did she want something to happen? Perhaps looking up at the Buniard was not enough, perhaps she longed for something more, something real. Something that would happen to her for a change.

Soon the feeling passed, leaving her cold and tired.

Young Vanessa Lewis was out by her bedroom window, gazing at the sky, and, in another apartment, Mr. Parkins was still pacing restlessly. Vanessa was a strange girl, but one of her favourite people to watch. She was forever arguing with her parents, like teenagers will, and sneaking off in the middle of the night. She spent long hours at her bedroom window, watching the doves, admiring their grace and beauty, not knowing that she herself was being watched.

Time passed, and soon even the sight of the pretty, wistful girl was not enough to keep her interest, and her gaze drifted, as it tended to do, back to the doves. They were acting strangely tonight, moving in short, abrupt movements, taking to the air and then returning, not remaining in one place for too long. Restless, she thought. Maybe they, too, felt that something was going to happen tonight. She would worry about that another time, though. It was getting late.

"Come," she whispered, "we'll find a place to rest this tired body of mine."

The pain in her back had returned with the cold, and she found it difficult to walk. She made her way to the park nearby, the Royal Grand park, a small sign stated, although it was far from royal and hardly what she would call grand. She made her bed in the lush, wet grass, and lay beneath the stars, and waited for sleep to take her. Around her the doves cooed and pawed at her clothing, perhaps looking for a last scrap of bread before they went up to roost.

But she felt restless, and sleep did not come quickly. She sat up and shivered slightly, and her eyes were drawn once again to the Buniard. Something was going to happen tonight. The realisation excited her. It was a warm feeling inside of her, as though a candle had been lit in her belly. Her eyes sparkled with a life she thought she had lost long ago.

And that's when she saw him, silhouette against the night, running. With a violent shudder the warm feeling was ripped from her, and in its place was only dread. Something bad was going to happen tonight. Something unspeakable.

title: The Bird Lady

question: How long has the narrator being living outdoors with the pigeons?

answer: Hard to say, but considering how familiar the birds seem to be with her, it is safe to say she has been living outdoors for a long time, maybe years.


text:
SUPPLIED

Fish & Game chief executive Martin Taylor says the low level of fines for polluters showed they were not feeling the full weight of the law when sentenced.

New data reveals that  prosecuted environmental polluters are being being fined only 4.39 per cent of the maximum fine that the law allows.

The data is taken from a study undertaken by the Waikato Regional Council to better understand fines issued from prosecutions under the Resource Management Act.

Of the 33 prosecutions between 2013-17, there were 96 convictions including 29 against individuals and 67 against companies or corporate entities.

The single largest fine imposed in one case was $128,750 and the lowest fine issued was $14,250.

READ MORE:
* SMALL GROUP OF DIRTY FARMERS STILL CAUSING PROFOUND HARM TO ENVIRONMENT AND INDUSTRY
* FINE OF $225,000 FOR DIRTY DAIRYING WILL GO UNPAID BECAUSE COMPANIES ARE BROKE
* 'F' RATING FOR WAIKATO COUNCIL IN FOREST AND BIRD DAIRY EFFLUENT REPORT, BUT COUNCIL SAYS IT GAVE WRONG DATA

123rf

Of the 33 prosecutions initiated by the Waikato Regional Council for breaches of the Resource Management Act between 2013-17, there were 96 convictions including 29 against individuals and 67 against companies or corporate entities.

For all of those cases, the total maximum fine that could have been imposed by the court was $44.29 million. However, the total actual fine imposed was $1,358,309.73 - just 4.39 per cent of the maximum fine available under the law.

The stark figures were revealed at the council's Environmental and Services Performance Committee meeting. It did not include prosecutions still before the court that were started during the analysis period.

Fish & Game chief executive Martin Taylor said the data showed polluters were not feeling the full weight of the law despite Parliament providing strong penalties.

"The report's acknowledgement that fines are only 4.39 per cent of the maximum the law allows is disappointing and shows courts need to take a stronger line to demonstrate that not only is polluting waterways environmentally damaging and socially unacceptable, it is also financially unsustainable."

Taylor said not enough polluters were being targeted based on the low number of prosecutions compared to the level of dairying in the Waikato.

The number of prosecutions was too low and equated to only half a dozen a year. This raised suspicions that there is not enough enforcement or inspections.

"It is even more worrying in light of recent research showing that nine seriously non-compliant Waikato dairy farms hadn't been inspected for more than a decade and that Waikato Regional Council can't even say how many dairy farms are operating in its region."

That research from Forest & Bird saw it give the council an 'F' rating in its report, Cleaning Up: Fixing Compliance, Monitoring & Enforcement in the dairy sector', last month.

Forest & Bird would not comment on the data, saying fines was an issue for the courts.

Waikato Regional Council's manager of investigations and incident response, and report author Patrick Lynch, said the data had to be put into context.

"It is important to note that the courts are bound by a myriad of legislations and case law when imposing sentence. They need to consider all of the individual circumstances around the offending and the offender before imposing a penalty."

Sentencing judges were also conscious that elevated penalties were open to appeal. He said it was inappropriate for a regulatory agency to be publicly critical of the courts.

He said there was no way of knowing whether the low monetary rate of fines being issued reduced the deterrent value of RMA prosecutions.

"Common sense would suggest that a criminal conviction and a fine in the tens of thousands of dollars would/should change behaviour. Yet, we keep finding serious breaches of the RMA. So, while I am sure that some people are getting the message, some people are not."

Waikato River Authority chief executive Bob Penter said there was increasing public intolerance for breaches of environmental rules and a heightened awareness of the importance of New Zealand's rivers and streams.

The Authority had seen an increased commitment for good environmental stewardship by landowners, farmers and industry in protecting waterways.

"Clearly there will be mistakes made, and in some extreme cases, environmental damage is deliberate. The Authority fully supports the work of the Waikato Regional Council in bringing prosecutions where the evidence warrants such action."

Environmental and Services Performance Committee chairwoman Kathy White could not be reached for comment.

Stuff

question: Who is Martin Taylor and what does he want?

answer: Martin Taylor is the chief executive of Fish & Game, and suggests that water polluters, both people and companies, are not being fined enough for breaching pollution conduct. New data reveals that polluters are fined only 4.39% of the maximum fine under the law.

question: What did Martin Taylor's concerns make people think?

answer: Suspicion was raised that there was not enough enforcement on inspections for both individuals and corporations. Further data inspection revealed that Waikato dairy farms hadn't been inspected for over a decade, and that the Waikato Regional Council couldn't say how many dairy farms operated in the region.

question: What was the response from Waikato Regional Council?

answer: Their manager of investigations urged that the data be put into context, citing complex legal processes that, when it comes down to individual circumstances, do not strictly adhere to the maximum legal limit.

question: What is the result of the ongoing debate?

answer: While some individuals learn their lesson from being fined tens of thousands of dollars, many still do not, and deliberately continue to pollute rivers. Regardless, public intolerance of breaching these environmental rules has increased, as well as an awareness of the importance of the rivers and streams of New Zealand.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The chief executive of Fish & Game Martin Taylor suggests that people and corporations who pollute rivers in New Zealand are not punished harshly enough as the pollution has continued. Waikato dairy farms are a major contributing issue, being that they haven't been inspected in over a decade and the Waikato Regional Council can't say how many dairy farms there even are in the region. While the Waikato Council argues complex legal processes in individual cases is what results in the lower fines, public intolerance of river pollution as well as awareness of the significance of rivers and streams in New Zealand has risen sharply.


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1.  Vancouver Canucks

SHAWNIGAN LAKE — Development camp is like an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet at a luxury hotel.

Jul 06, 2016  •   •  4 minute read

[BUFFALO, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: Will Lockwood #11 of Team Roenick faces off against Team Plante during the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game on September 24, 2015 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.]
The Canucks drafted Will Lockwood in the third round, and hope he'll develop into a player like Jannik Hansen. Photo by Jen Fuller /PNG

SHAWNIGAN LAKE — Development camp is like an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet at a luxury hotel.

With far more Canuck players and much fewer Canuck reporters than will attend Vancouver’s prospects tournament in September, the interview choices are staggering. But human nature being what it is, you rarely make it past the crab legs (Thatcher Demko), smoked salmon (Olli Juolevi) and steaming tray of eggs benny (Brock Boeser). Hollandaise sauce. Mmm.

You can’t go wrong with any of that, and for $39-a-plate you want the good stuff.

But lately, and especially since Canuck general manager Jim Benning started building the buffet, it’s prudent to at least nibble around the edges, too. Who noticed Nikita Tryamkin when he was a mystery third-round draft pick in 2014? And how many years did 2012 fifth-rounder Ben Hutton get overlooked like a croc of zucchini sticks at development camp?

So, Tuesday, we went looking for something slightly different and found William Lockwood. Please call him Will.

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Lockwood didn’t get much notice at the entry draft two weekends ago, mainly because he wasn’t there.

The winger from the United States’ under-18 program was home in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., when the Canucks chose Lockwood 64th overall, near the start of the third round in a draft in which Vancouver lacked at-bats in the second and fourth rounds. That pick was precious to the Canucks.

Lockwood was selected considerably higher than most scouting services had projected. NHL Central Scouting had him ranked 108th, down from 69th at mid-season, among North American skaters.

Lockwood has more than just a great story about his draft moment.

He is listed at 5-11 and 172 pounds but plays an edgy game, which is why Benning immediately compared him to Canuck winger Jannik Hansen.

Lockwood’s dad, Joe, played hockey at the University of Michigan and was good enough to spend a minor-league season in Kalamazoo in the old International League before becoming a mortgage broker. Will’s mom, Cristina, was a competitive swimmer long before she became a law-school professor.

Will had only three goals and three assists in 20 games for the U.S. U-18s, yet the Canucks believe he can score enough to play in the NHL.

At a development camp where nearly everyone seems to fly, Will Lockwood’s skating stands out. He turned 18 a week before the draft but looks you in the eye when he speaks. The Canucks see something in him.

We saw little except size in Tryamkin when Benning chose him 66th two years ago, and less than two years later the 6-7 Russian was in the Canucks’ lineup.

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“I like his speed and I think he’s got a bigger offensive upside than he has shown,” Canuck hockey operations president Trevor Linden said of Lockwood. “But I like that he has a hardness about him, too. He can skate and he likes to hit. He comes across as a really nice, polite kid, but he plays aggressive. In our interview, he just had a way about him that I liked. He’s the kind of kid who’s going to find a way to play.”

It was Linden who phoned the Lockwood home two Saturdays ago to welcome Will to the Canuck organization.

“I think I can speak for a lot of players in that the draft is a pretty stressful experience,” Lockwood said of his decision not to travel to Buffalo. “I tried to take it easy; it wouldn’t really have mattered where I went (in the draft order). So I was at home. I kind of did a thing at my house with friends and family. I had nine or 10 of my best friends there, my mom and dad and my old coaches. There were probably 20 people there, and another 20 or 30 came later to celebrate.

“We were watching the draft on the NHL Network. They went to a commercial. I got a text from my adviser saying ‘congrats.’ But the TV was on a commercial so I was like, ‘Who did I go to?’ When I saw it was the Vancouver Canucks, it was a huge relief. To go to Vancouver is incredible. It’s really nice there. I like it.”

Asked what the call from Linden was like, Lockwood said: “It was totally surreal. It was kind of a moment I’d been dreaming about my whole life, then to get that call …

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“Not being at the draft didn’t matter to me. Either way, the moment was going to be big. So to get that call from him and be welcomed to the Vancouver Canucks was just an incredible experience.”

Lockwood has an adviser, not an agent, because he’s playing college hockey in the fall at Michigan. He said the Canucks let him choose between university or major junior hockey, so he’s following his mom and dad to Ann Arbor.

“Yeah, it surprised me a little bit,” he said of going 64th. “But I just kind of think of it like Vancouver really wanted me, and to go earlier where maybe it wasn’t expected was a great thing. They jumped up and grabbed me early. To feel wanted is nice.

“I just love the game of hockey. So going out there and playing with a lot of passion, competing every shift, is my type of game. But I also bring some skill and I’m able to make plays. I think skating is my best attribute.”

He’ll work on others in the next couple of years at university. Then he’ll probably start his professional career in the minors. It could be years before Will Lockwood plays in the National Hockey League. Or not.

imacintyre@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/imacvansun

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question: Who is Team Roenick facing off against?

answer: Team Plante.

question: What sport is being discussed?

answer: Hockey.

question: What is Lockwood listed at?

answer: 5'11" and 172 pounds.

question: What town is Lockwood going to?

answer: Ann Arbor, for university.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article summarizes some of the players involved in a hockey tournament near Niagra Falls.


text:
The MANIS MASTODON SITE is a archaeological site on the Olympic Peninsula near Sequim, Washington, United States. During the dig, the remains of an American mastodon were recovered which had a 13,800 year old projectile[1] made of the bone from a different mastodon embedded in its rib. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

History

On August 8, 1977, a farmer named Emanuel Manis was digging his property with a backhoe when he found the tusks of an American mastodon.[2] An archaeological excavation led by Dr. Carl Gustafson of Washington State University found a rib bone that had what appeared to be a spear point made from the bone of a different mastodon embedded in it. The point had bone growth around it, indicating that it had not caused the mastodon's death.[3] Gustafson deemed it the earliest known evidence of interaction between humans and mastodons in the Americas. However, there was debate,[4] because of the lack of indisputable proof that the point was made by humans.[5] This situation changed in 2011, when a new study of the remains definitively concluded that Gustafson was right as to both the age and the human origin of the point.[6] Gustafson also analyzed the position of the [7] fossil, which was lying on its left side, while the heavily fragmented skull was rotated 180 degrees from its natural position. Noting that this could not have occurred due to natural causes Gustafson deduced that the carcass must have been tampered with by humans.[8] Archaeologists were surprised to find a mastodon in the area at all because pollen samples that were taken showed no evidence of trees, which mastodons fed on.[9]

In an excavated layer above the mastodon, as well as that of a 6,700-year-old deposit of ash from the eruption of Mount Mazama, a projectile-point was found in the style of Coastal Olcott points common in the area no earlier than 9,000 years ago.[10]

The site also turned up remains of caribou, bison, and plant macrofossils.[11] Bones of the bison showed evidence of butchering by humans.[12] The pollen found in the same layer as the mastodon was predominantly sedge and cattail, while other layers contained that of plants ranging from Canadian buffaloberry, blackberry and wild rose, to willow and alder.[13]

Gustafson continued to excavate at the site for eight years, finding the partial remains of two more mastodons. Though stone tools and artifacts of bone were found, Gustafson failed to find evidence of an encampment by the people theorized to have butchered the mastodons.[14]

Prior to the excavation at the Manis site, which was dated before 12,000 years ago,[15] archaeological sites west of the Cascade Range considered to be early were aged between 9,000 and 6,000 years old.[16]

During the years of excavation, Clare and Emanuel Manis welcomed over 50,000 visitors to the site. In 1978, when the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places, Senator Henry M. Jackson made the announcement.[17] In 2002, on the 25th anniversary of the discovery, Manis' widow donated the site to the National Archaeological Conservancy.[18] The fossil remains of the mastodon were donated to the Sequim Museum & Arts in Sequim and are now on display. A casting of the bone projectile point is also on display.

[Manis Mastodon, Cast of Rib with Embedded Object; The rib bone holds an object that is embedded 0.75 inches deep, and tapers to a point. The wound is thought to be a penetration fracture showing several months of healing. Museum and Arts Center, Sequim, Washington.|alt=A photograph of about five inches of a long, narrow bone. The break is jagged. At one end a spiky piece of a different material protrudes from the bone. The bone is on a grey backer with a plaque beneath it with some text explaining the embedded spear point..]

In Oct. 2011, the Center of the Study of the First Americans (CSFA), Anthropology Department at Texas A&M University published findings from DNA tests, CT scans and radiocarbon dating on the mastodon and the spear point. The CT scan clearly established the spear point had been sharpened to a needle point by human hands. Four radiocarbon dates yielded an age of 13,860-13,763 calendar years BP.

Since the 1950s, archaeologists have believed the Clovis people were the first human inhabitants of North America and that they lived here 13,000 years ago. However the discovery of sites pre-dating Clovis, such as Monte Verde in Chile and Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Pennsylvania, have been challenging this presumption at least since the 1990s.[19] The Manis Mastodon Site is 800 years older than the Clovis people. This site, among others, is helping to change the long-held beliefs of many archaeologists about the earliest human inhabitants of North America. The Manis Mastodon Site remains the oldest archaeological site on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State and one of the oldest in North America.

In November 2011, Shirley Manis, daughter of discoverer Emanuel Manis, authored the first and only children's picture book about the Manis Mastodon Site, which includes the most recent research analysis.[20]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19] Meltzer (2009)

[20] Shirley Manis, In a Scoop of Dirt - How Digging a Pond Changed North America's Prehistory, 2011.

title: Manis Mastodon Site

question: What does the text say about the discovery of the site?

answer: Emanuel Manis, a farmer, was digging on his property with a backhoe on August 8, 1977 when he found the tusks of an American mastodon. Dr. Carl Gustafson of Washington State University then led an archaeological excavation that found a rib bone that had what appeared to be a spear point made from the bone of a different mastodon embedded in it.

question: What does the text say about the Clovis people?

answer: Since the 1950s, archaeologists believed that the Clovis people were the first human inhabitants of North America and that they lived there 13,000 years ago. However, the Manis Mastodon Site is 800 years older than the Clovis people, and several other sites have been found which pre-date Clovis, such as Monte Verde in Chile and Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Pennsylvania.

question: What does the text say about Emanuel Manis's family?

answer: Clare and her husband Emanuel welcomed over 50,000 visitors to the site during the years of the excavation. In 2002, on the 25th anniversary of the discovery, Clare donated the site to the National Archaeological Conservancy. Finally, in November 2011, Emanuel's daughter Shirley Manis authored the first and only children's picture book about the Manis Mastodon Site, which includes some of the most recent research analysis.


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Hint… Don’t Forget It! (It’s This Friday)

Employee Appreciation Day is one of those relatively new holidays we aren’t quite sure how to celebrate.  But just because traditions have yet to be established for March 3rd doesn’t mean we should ignore it like Ear Muffs Day (March 13th) or Tweed Day (April 2nd).  Liken it instead to one of those random Facebook holidays that give you an excuse to drink and snack before 5 pm (looking at you, World Whisky Day — May 21st).  However, tread carefully when deciding how to show your employees you care about them.  As easy as it is to impress them and brighten their Friday, you can just as easily make everyone upset, uncomfortable, or underwhelmed.

Here’s how to avoid making an otherwise joyous day into another ho-hum, itchy Tweed Day.

DON’T FORGET

Thanks to Facebook, it’s impossible to overlook any National Watermelon, Donald Duck or No Socks Day.  You best believe your employees know about any holiday that caters to them, with or without socks.

There’s no need to blow the roof off the office with a DJ and an open bar, but make sure to acknowledge the day and what your team means to you and how essential they are to the company.  Something as simple as a sincere, hand-written note can go a long way.

DON’T TRY TO GET TOO PERSONAL…BUT BE SINCERE

There’s an undeniable allure to showing your people how much you know about them with personalized tokens of appreciation.  But what happens when you clearly know some better than others, or even worse, have bad information? Just imagine giving a 6-pack to your old happy hour buddy just to find out he’s now a recovering alcoholic.  Awkward.

Opt for a team lunch, relevant office supplies, or extra time off.  All of those options will be welcomed and accepted as equally beneficial to everyone.  Whatever the token or gift be sure your words and actions are sincere.  Your words are what will matter most when backed with actions to suite.  Which brings us to the next not-to-do…

DON’T DISCOUNT EVERY OTHER DAY

Having a designated day to go above and beyond to recognize your employees is great, but it shouldn’t stop there.  It’s crucial to give your people regular recognition to make sure they realize their impact on the business and how much it means to you personally.  Because, let’s face it, if it weren’t for them you may not be where you are.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the top reason people leave their jobs is because they “do not feel appreciated.”  Also backing that point, 37% of polled employees in an O.C. Tanner study said the most important thing their company does to cause them to do great work is “recognize me,” compared to 7% who answered, “pay me more.”  If you forget to give sincere appreciation and recognition on every day except this Friday your team will know it’s just for show.

So with Employee Appreciation Day on the horizon, thoughtfully pause now to determine how you’ll recognize those who work hard for you every other day of the year. But don’t mess it up.

Luckily, once it’s over you can focus your attention on preparing for May 3rd — National Lumpy Rug Day – or on what to do every day that it’s not Employee Appreciation Day.

_Want to really go above and beyond this Employee Appreciation Day? Create a custom leadership experience for your team!  The gift of leadership development won’t be soon forgotten._

Related Posts

question: What does the passage say about how to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day?

answer: Employee Appreciation Day is a relatively new holiday, so many people are unsure how to celebrate it. Some suggested ways to celebrate this special day is to treat the team to lunch, gift them with office supplies, or give them time off. Giving sincere words of appreciation for their hard work and expressing their importance to the company are also welcomed.

question: What does the passage say about new random holidays?

answer: Because of social media, people are reminded of random holidays that are not very important such as Ear Muffs Day, Tweed Day, National Watermelon Day, Donald Duck Day, Whisky Day, and No Sock Day. Most people just ignore these holidays.

question: What does the passage say about the importance of appreciating the employees?

answer: The U.S. Department of Labor says that the top reason employees resign is that they do not feel appreciated. Moreover, a survey conducted by O. C. Tanner shows that most employees point out that company recognition is the main factor that drives them to do great work. Hence, more than the pay, employees want to feel valued by the company they are working in.

question: What does the passage say about the origin of Employee Appreciation Day?