text:
Conflicts in Government Requirements Demonstrate Need for Adoptee Rights Bills

[US adoptees cannot get passports due to sealed birth certificate laws]

Post 911, the Homeland Security Act tightened up regulations for American’s obtaining passports.

One of the requirements is  to “SUBMIT EVIDENCE OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP“. For  that, the choices for PRIMARY EVIDENCE OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP  are as follows:

-   Previously issued, undamaged, and fully valid U.S. Passport (5 year for minors or 10 years for adults)
-   *Certified U.S. birth certificate (must meet all of the following requirements):
    -   issued by the City, County, or State of birth
    -   Lists bearer’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth
    -   Lists parent(s) full names
    -   Has date filed with registrar’s office (MUST BE WITHIN ONE YEAR OF BIRTH)
    -   Has registrar’s signature
    -   Has embossed, impressed, or multicolored seal of registrar
-   Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth
-   Naturalization Certificate
-   Certificate of Citizenship

The average person, especially if they do not already have a passport, will submit A BIRTH CERTIFICATE AS PROOF OF US CITIZENSHIP. This one line, added post 911, is what is causing many adopted citizens in the US, some  trouble:

  _Has date filed with registrar’s office (MUST BE WITHIN ONE YEAR OF BIRTH)_

While adoptees in the USA are issued an Amended  Birth Certificate (ABC) when their adoptive parents finalized the adoption, often the ABC is NOT WITHIN A YEAR OF BIRTH.  Sometimes, due to the age of the child when the child was relinquished, sometimes  due to courts and state adoption laws, time goes by between birth and the legal finalization.  An ABC is issued for all adoptions including children adopted from foster care and step-parent adoptions and in those case, the date of the new birth certificate issued is almost always after the first year.

Because the ABC is not considered valid proof of US citizenship, often the passport authorities will tell an adoptee to file for their OBC. Yet, the majority of adult adopted citizens in the USA are still legally denied access to their OBC due to archaic  sealed records laws.

Adult US Citizens Having Trouble Obtaining Passports Because they Are Adopted

This is the story of Jennifer Fahlsing.

Jenifer is an adoptee from Indiana; born in 1963. She still lives in Indiana. Indiana  is a closed, or sealed, records state which means that an adoptee, such as Jennifer, is legally denied access to their Original Birth Certificates  (OBC) like much of the USA.

Now before you read Jennifer’s story keep this in mind; most legislators and the opposition toAdoptees RightsLegislation will say it because “birthmother’s were promised confidentiality.”   The fear is that if an adult, who was adopted as a child, has access to their legal documentation, they will go off and contact their birthmothers who have “moved on” and do not have any desire to see their relinquished child ever again. These fears are unfounded, debunked,  and also based on untrue mythology, but what must be mentioned here is that Jennifer had already found her original mother and was in a relationship with her even without having access the document that had birth their names on it.

This is what Jennifer had to go through to get a US passport because she is adopted.

Separate Requirements for Adopted Persons? Is That Fair?

“I knew from my brother’s experience of getting a passport in 1972, it wouldn’t be easy. Back then my parents had his adoption decree and it took a long time. Somewhere through marriages, divorces and moving our adoptive parents “lost” our adoption papers.

On February 11, 2014, after reading the requirements on the State Department’s website it was unclear as an adoptee how I would meet the requirements so I called the information number.

Once I explained to the customer service representative,  I was adopted he put me on hold to go retrieve the regulations for adopted applicants.

I was told I needed to provide:

(1) My OBC:  I told him I live in Indiana, a sealed records state, and could not provide that document. I did attempt to obtain my OBC. My first mom and I wrote a petition to the judge and provided all the documentation and State Dept request, but we have not heard back from the court.

(2) My ABC plus Adoption Decree SHOWING MY BIOLOGICAL PARENTS NAMES and that the adoption was finalized before my first birthday. I told him I could provide the ABC, but my adoption was not finalized until I was 13 months old and my first mothers name is redacted. He seemed stumped,  but told me to try submitting those documents anyway.

As an alternative I could provide a combination of a statement / interview by two elder BLOOD RELATIVES; affidavit by the doctor who delivered me (he’s been deceased for years); and other various documents prior to my fifth birthday such as school records, baptismal certificate, family bible, etc. “

Now mind you, our state legislators are the ones who are fearful of adoptees making  contact with their original families via the information on the OBC, but then the same government requires that adoptees have the names of the same on the adoption decree or know their blood relatives to prove their citizenship in light of not being able to access the OBC. How can it be “dangerous” to have the name and then required to have the name? They fear adoptees searching for blood relatives and then want them to have sworn statements from the same blood relatives?

Back to Jennifer’s story:

“I gathered up all the documents I collected in the search for my mom and took them to the US Post Office on February 12th; my ABC, Redacted Adoption Decree, Indiana Dept of Health Non-Identifying Information Letter, Driver’s License, and completed Passport application.

The Postmaster reviewed my application and documents and asked me to make an appointment for the following day.

 I returned to the Post Office on February 13th for my appointment.

I was told they called the Chicago office to verify the documents I need to provide and that they felt I had a good chance of being approved,  but to never let my passport expire when I received it.

Together we went through each document and the Postal employee made detailed notes on the application of each deviation from the requested documents. “

Jennifer was actually very lucky that the Pastmaster bothered to take the extra time to make sure that the substituted information was noted. Many times, the person on the other side of the counter  is downright confused by the adoptee’s documents and cannot understand why they simply cannot get the required documents just like any other person in the USA. For most citizens, to obtain a certified copy of one’s birth certificate, all one needs to do it fill out an online form and pay a small fee. Unless, one is adopted.

“He felt it was better to highlight the area of possible contention than to attempt to gloss over them.

(1) ABC ,not OBC

(2) Redacted Adoption Decree, not the original. Plus my name was incorrect throughout the entire body of the decree, but was correct in the heading.

(3) I provided my State Department of Health Non-Identifying Information document which is not a requested or approved passport document, (but the only thing allowed to an Indiana adoptee by the state.)

I was told to check the status online in 5 to 7 days.

On February 18th, I drove back to the town I was born and my first mother and I visited the court house in an attempt to get a clean copy of my adoption decree.

We were told we would need to write a petition to the judge and provide proof that she was my biological mother named in the decree. “

Again, how is one supposed to prove the mother and child relationship with out the document that is supposed to provide that information?  The birth certificate is the document that proves that one is a biological mother. It is sealed to both the adoptee and the birth mother. No one can access it.

“We wrote the letter mentioning I was trying to satisfy the documentation requirements for a Passport along with the fact he had already granted me a copy of my redacted decree in December 2013. To supplement this petition,  we included my biological mother’s birth certificate and a copy of her driver’s license.

February 25th, I checked the application status online and it was not found.

Needing to put a deposit down on a trip, I called the State Department once again.

A woman said they had my application but it was still being reviewed and I should be expecting a letter telling me what other documentation I needed to provide. I did not put money down on the trip because I was not certain when or if I would be approved.

March 4th, I went online again to check the status and still no record was found.

 I called the State Department once again and was told they do have my application and it was still in review.

He asked me a few question pertaining to the date of finalization and then told me I would be approved.

I should have my passport by the end of April 2014.

Not only am I an adoptee,  but I am also a first/birth mother and I am urging my son to get a passport now while his biological father and I are here to help him.

If I hadn’t found my first mother, petitioned the court for my decree and applied for my non-identifying information I would not have had the documentation necessary for a passport.”

Why should Jennifer have had to go through this process? Why should any adopted citizen have to fight the conflicting regulations put forth by their own government?

All because some people are afraid of what adopted adults  _might_ do if they know the names of the person who gave birth to them.  They might get passports and go on vacation.

Here’s another Adoptee having to do go through the extra effort of proving their citizenship just to get a passport.

Adoptee’s also have issues getting driver’s licenses too. Really. Read about that, too.

  CURRENTLY THERE ARE ADOPTEE RIGHTS BILLS PENDING IN NY, GA, CO, CT, LA, PA, IO, AND HI. A MA BILL IS FORTHCOMING FOR THE FALL OF ’14 AND NJ JUST PASSED THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND IS WAITING FOR GOV. CHRISTIE’S SIGNATURE. ALASKA, KANSAS, MAINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, OREGON, AND ALABAMA  ALLOW UNRESTRICTED EQUAL ACCESS TO _ALL_ ADOPTEES OVER THE AGE OF 18.  IN RHODE ISLAND, THEY HAVE RESTORED ACCESS TO ALL ADOPTEES OVER THE AGE OF 25. WASHINGTON STATE,  ILLINOIS, AND OHIO NOW HAVE HAD SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATION INTRODUCED AND PASSED MOST RECENTLY.  IN EVERY STATE THAT HAS ALLOWED ADULT ADOPTEES ACCESS TO THEIR ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATES NOTHING THAT WAS FEARED BY THE OPPOSITION HAS COME TO PASS. PLEASE CONSIDER CONTACTING YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND ASKING THEM TO SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF ADOPTEES TO GO ON VACATION.

  Please consider signing this petition: Demand states release original birth certificates to adoptees as proof of U.S. citizenship.

SHARE ON FACEBOOK

question: When was the article written?

answer: Likely sometime in 2014

question: Why can't adult adopted people access their original birth certificates?

answer: Many states have sealed record laws which bar them from accessing them

question: Why are amended birth certificates not considered valid proof of citizenship?

answer: They are often issued more than a year after birth

question: Whose story is told to illustrate the problem?

answer: Jennifer Fahlsing

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Adult adoptees often have trouble getting a U.S. passport because their original birth certificates are often sealed by state law. The article describes the various difficulties Jennifer Fahlsing encountered while trying to get her passport.


split: train

text:
The NORTH WINNESHIEK COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT was a public school district in unincorporated northern Winneshiek County, Iowa, with a Decorah address.[1] At the end of the district's existence it only served grades Pre-K through 8th. The enrollment for the 2015–2016 school year was 126 students.[2]

The district, with about of area,[3] was entirely in Winneshiek County,[4] and served the census-designated place of Burr Oak,[5] as well as these unincorporated areas: Bluffton, Hesper, and Highlandville.[6]

Governance

The school district is governed was a School Board with five members. The district was overseen by a superintendent, Tim Dugger.

History

The consolidated school opened in 1964, replacing one room schoolhouses. Initially it served up to grade nine, but it began serving all levels of senior high school the following year.[7] The first superintendent was Gordon Christianson. Initial enrollment was about 400. The residents wanted to retain a school with a rural atmosphere.[8]

Schools

The North Winneshiek Community School was the district's lone school, serving grades Pre-K through 8th Grade at the end of the district's life.[9] The former school, from Burr Oak,[10] and north of Decorah,[11] is located in Hesper Township.

In 2001, the school district closed its high school, and entered into agreements with the Decorah Community School District that year, and also at one point with the Mabel-Canton School District to allow North Winneshiek High School students to attend Decorah High School and the Mabel-Canton high school program.[12]

In 2018 the enrollment was 165.[13]

Consolidation

In 2016, the North Winneshiek Community School District agreed to consolidate with Decorah CSD.[14] Reasons for the decision to consolidate were rising costs and declining enrollment.[15]

As a part of the consolidation process, North Winneshiek 7th and 8th grade students were to begin to attend Decorah Middle School at the beginning of the 2017–2018 school year, before fully consolidating in the 2019–2020 school year.[16] The grade-sharing agreement was modified. Additionally the consolidated interim board signed an agreement with Mabel-Canton so North Winneshiek area students may continue to attend Mabel-Canton.[17] The North Winn board also agreed to share a librarian with the MFL Mar Mac Community School District for the remainder of the district's life.[18]

In 2018 voters in the districts agreed to make the consolidation final, with North Winnishiek voters saying yes on a 224-32 basis and Decorah voters doing so on a 621-104 basis. Andrew Wind of the _WCF Courier_ described the result as “overwhelming”.[19] Wind added that “If the vote hadn't passed in either district, North Winneshiek would have eventually closed or dissolved.”[20] Effective July 1, 2018 the North Winneshiek district consolidated into the Decorah district.[21] North Winneshiek School closed its doors at that time.[22]

[1]  - The campus is _not_ in the Decorah city limits despite the “Decorah, Iowa” postal address. The City of Houston website stated: “The U.S. Postal Service establishes ZIP codes and mailing addresses in order to maximize the efficiency of their system, not to recognize jurisdictional boundaries.”

[2]

[3]  - (PDF p. 92/512)

[4]  - Despite the “Decorah, Iowa” postal address, the City of Decorah was not in this school district as shown by the map. Alternate map

[5]  - Compare to the map of the North Winneshiek district.

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]  (PDF p. 177/186) - From section “REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66”

[22]

question: Where and what is the North Winneshiek Community School District?

answer: Norht Winneshiek Community School District is a public school district in unincorporated northern Winneshiek County, Iowa.

question: When did the first school in the North Winneshiek Community School District open?

answer: It opened in 1964.

question: What grades does the school district serve?

answer: It serves grades Pre-K through 8th.

question: Why did the school district agree to consolidate with Decorah CSD?

answer: Because of rising costs and declining enrollment

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes the North Winneshiek Community School District with its history, reach, enrollment data, as well as its consolidation with Decorah CSD.


text:
	Here I sit, the late september breeze holding back my hair while
 the ancient tree bark scratches my back as I bite into my last apple of
 the day. Through the tired branches full of leaves ready to hibernate, I
 can see the sun is getting ready for its daily rest. It’s time to go
home, time to leave this sanctuary where I can clear my mind and
hum and whistle for only the mosquitos and bugs to hear. No one to
watch, no one to listen. Sometimes it’s nice to just explore the woods,
 to just get away from life for a few hours and walk under low branches
 where a cold wind can whisper its secrets into your ear. I’ve been in
 these woods since I was little, my family used to live across the
 street; we used to come here as a family and explore this land
 together. This one time it was just my dad, two brothers and me, we
 were walking around a field of tall weeds on a warm summer evening,
 the air was fresh and the sun was gentle. We felt the earth moving
 under us and looked down, only to see hundreds of worm-sized
 snakes crawling over and around our now needle wide feet. It didn’t
 take long to realize we just so happened to intrude on the birth of the
 forest’s snake family. That day is one that I will remember for my life,
 unlike the snakes who would not remember that event even a single
 day after their journey around the moving trees.
	Growing older, I appreciated the nature brought by this forest
 more; I began to understand how everything in it is a family. The
 trees hold the ground which holds the trees. The animals and bugs
 help the roses and other painted petals explore the world and are
 given their grandparents’ fruits in exchange. Everything works
 together, and everything is happy. In the forest, everything is one;
 being in the forest, you are part of this family. Once I realized that, I
 finally could open my mind and see myself as more than just myself. I
 would spend hours and days exploring the rooted ground, using fallen
 uncles as bridges over rivers of mud to find a peaceful spot to sit and
 breath. After enough exploration, I never had much trouble finding a
 natural throne for me to sit and breath my thoughts into the wind. I
 learned how to give thoughts to leaves and pain to earthed limbs. The
 sun would look at me as I look into its ocean and understand its
 concern for me exploring its child.
	After many lives came and went in this forest, I found another
 person that I could open up to, a person that I knew I could bring into
 my sanctuary to see what I have seen and feel what I have felt. I
 found a friend that would walk these bridges and sit on the retired
 soldiers that rest in the forest. The forest became my home away
 from home. It became a place to open my mind and to smile without
 bounds. It became a place to bring my other half and tell them how I
 feel about them and about the world. Then one day, the forest
 became my knee as I asked my other half for permission to kiss them
 without regret and to hold them until the sun interrupts. The forest
 grew with us, we grew with the forest. We would come back to it
 occasionally; however, we realized that time was changing, time falls
 faster and life begins to get in the way of exploration. In order to
 remind this sanctuary that it is forever in our hearts, we left our love
 scar in the oldest and tallest root that was holding everyone’s hand in
 the forest.
	One day, we will return to this home to show we have not
 forgotten it. We will come to it and be one with the world, be one with
 each other. Be one with everything until we realize that by being one
 with everything, you are everything. Realizing that everything is
 connected in a way. Whispering, “I love you” into the wind and telling
 it your secrets so that one day another soul can venture into the
 forest and be chilled by the breeze that whispers secrets into their ear
 too.

title: The Forest

question: What does the narrator hold dear?

answer: nature

question: To what does the narrator draw parallels to when describing their partner?

answer: the happiness and fullness of nature

question: Describe the narrator's relationship with nature.

answer: It is a relationship of trust and comfort.

question: Where does the narrator leave a love scar?

answer: on the oldest root of a tree in the forest

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator discusses the wholesome and comforting relationship with nature and how they found a person to share this feeling with.


text:
The ASSOCIATION FOR CHEMORECEPTION SCIENCES is an international professional society in the field of chemosensory science. It is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote and advance the interests of the science of senses such as taste and smell. In order to do this, it holds an annual meeting that is a scientific forum[1] for the research community[2][3] and also provides outreach to the public about olfaction (smell), gustation (taste) and chemesthesis (trigeminal chemosensation).

The association was founded in 1978 by Maxwell M. Mozell, a neuroscientist at the State University of New York, with the help of a grant from the National Science Foundation. The first research meeting was held in Sarasota, Florida, in April 1979. Officers elected at the first meeting included Linda Bartoshuk, Rose Marie Pangborn and Gary Beauchamp.

A meeting is held in April of each year that is attended by an international cohort of physicians and scientists. This annual meeting consists of presentations on olfaction, gustation, and chemesthesis, as well as workshops sponsored by the National Institute of Health.[4] Commercial exhibitors also attend the event.[5] The organization has enjoyed strong support from the National Institute on Deafness and Communicative Disorders.[6] and its director.[7] In collaboration with two other scientific societies focused on the chemical senses – the European Chemosensory Research Organization and the Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell – AChemS alternates as host of the quadrennial International Symposium for Olfaction and Taste. The last AChemS-hosted ISOT meeting took place in San Francisco, California in July, 2008.[8] In 2004, AChemS member Linda Buck and Richard Axel were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system”.[9] To celebrate this honor, at the 2005 AChemS annual meeting, Buck and Axel were keynote speakers,[10] recapping their research published in the journal Cell in 1991,[11] which led to the Nobel award.

_Chemical Senses_, the official journal of the association, is published by Oxford University Press. The editor is Dr. Steven Munger; it was edited by Maxwell Mozell from 1992 until 1998.

The Association gives a series of annual awards, including the Max Mozell Award, the Barry Jacobs Memorial Award,[12] the Ajinomoto Award,[13] and the Polak Young Investigator Award.[14] Travel awards are also given to diverse and young scientists to encourage their attendance at the meeting.[15]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]  Penn State University|access-date=2018-08-09|language=en}}

[13]  Caltech|work=The California Institute of Technology|access-date=2018-07-18|language=en}}

[14]  Stony Brook University School of Medicine|website=medicine.stonybrookmedicine.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-07-18}}

[15]  Office of Postdoctoral Affairs|website=opda.fsu.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-07-18}}

title: Association for Chemoreception Sciences

question: What is the Association for Chemoreception Sciences?

answer: An international professional society in the field of chemosensory science. A non-profit organization that seeks to promote and advance the interests of the science of senses such as taste and smell.

question: How does it achieve its goals?

answer: By holding an annual meeting that is a scientific forum for the research community and providing outreach to the public about olfaction, gustation, and chemethesis.

question: Who founded the organization and when?

answer: The association was founded in 1978 by Maxwell Mozell, a neuroscientist at the State University of New York.

question: What does the annual meeting consist of?

answer: The meeting is held every year in April attended by an international cohort of physicians and scientists. It consists of presentations on olfaction, gustation, and chemesthesis as well as workshops sponsored by the National Institute of Health. Commercial exhibitors also attend.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: The Association for Chemoreception Sciences is an international professional society in the field of chemosensory science founded in 1978 by Maxwell Mozell. It is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote and advance the interests of the science of senses such as taste and smell. It achieves its goals by holding an annual meeting that is a scientific forum for the research community and providing outreach to the public about olfaction, gustation, and chemethesis. The meeting is held every year in April attended by an international cohort of physicians and scientists. It consists of presentations on olfaction, gustation, and chemesthesis as well as workshops sponsored by the National Institute of Health. Commercial exhibitors also attend.


text:
COHORS SECUNDA DELMATARUM (“2nd Cohort of Dalmatae”) was a Roman auxiliary infantry regiment. It is named after the Dalmatae, an Illyrian-speaking tribe that inhabited the Adriatic coastal mountain range of the eponymous Dalmatia. The ancient geographer Strabo describes these mountains as extremely rugged, and the Dalmatae as backward and warlike. He claims that they did not use money long after their neighbours adopted it and that they “made war on the Romans for a long time”. He also criticizes the Dalmatae, a nation of pastoralists, for turning fertile plains into sheep pasture.[1] Indeed, the name of the tribe itself is believed to mean “shepherds”, derived from the Illyrian word _delme_ (“sheep”).[2] The final time this people fought against Rome was in the Illyrian revolt of 6-9 AD. The revolt was started by Dalmatae auxiliary forces and soon spread all over Dalmatia and Pannonia. The resulting war was described by the Roman writer Suetonius as the most difficult faced by Rome since the Punic Wars two centuries earlier. But after the war, the Dalmatae became a loyal and important source of recruits for the Roman army.

According to Holder, a total of 12 _cohortes Delmatarum_ appear to have been raised after the suppression of the Illyrian revolt in two series, of 7 and 5 respectively. All these units were in existence by the time of emperor Claudius (r. 41-54)[3] Of these, 9 appear to have survived into the 2nd century.[4]

The regiment was probably raised by founder-emperor Augustus (r. 30BC-14AD) after 9 AD. It was certainly in existence by the time of Claudius (r. 41-54).[5] Its early movements are unknown. Holder suggests that the regiment may have taken part in the Roman invasion of Britain (43), but there is no supporting evidence. It first appears in the datable epigraphic record in 105, in Britannia. It was still there in the 3rd century, the time of its last roughly datable inscription, a votive altar at _Magnis_ (Carvoran, Northumbria).[6] The _Notitia Dignitatum_, a late Roman official document, records a _cohors II Delmatarum_ at _Magnis_ under the dux Britanniarum, the commander of _limitanei_ (border forces) along Hadrian's Wall.[7] The Western section of the _Notitia_ was drawn up in the 420's but the British units must date to before 410, when the island was evacuated by the Roman army.

The names of 2 _praefecti_ (regimental commanders) are attested. One, Iulius Maximus is attested as from the city of Rome (135). The other, Marcus Caecilius Donatianus, is attested in the votive altar at Carvoran (3rd century) to a _virgo caelestis_ (“celestial virgin”), probably Tanit, the guardian-goddess of Carthage, implying that Donatianus was perhaps from Africa proconsularis. Also attested is an _imaginifer_ (bearer of the imperial image) (3rd century) and a _pedes_ (common foot soldier) of the Treveri Gallic tribe (135).[8]

Citations

[1] Strabo _Geographia_ VII.5

[2] Spaul (2000) 304

[3] Holder (1980) 112

[4] Spaul (2000) 302-14

[5]

[6]

[7] _Notitia Dignitatum_ Title Occidens XL

[8]

title: Cohors II Delmatarum

question: Summarize everything related to battles.

answer: The final time the Cohors Secunda Delmatarum fought against Rome was in the Illyrian revolt of 6-9 AD. The resulting war was described by Roman writer Suetonius as the most difficult faced by Rome since the Punic Wars. The regiment may have taken part in the Roman invasion of Britain.

question: Summarize everything relating to historical fgures.

answer: The ancient geographer Strabo describes the mountain range of Dalmatia as exptremely rugged and the Dalmatae as backward and warlike. Roman writer Suetonius describes the war between Rome and the Dalmatae as the most difficult faced by Rome since the Punic Wars. All the units of the cohortes Delmatarum were in existence by the time of emperor Claudius. The regiment was likely raised by founder-emperor Augustus. The names of two regimental commanders are attested: Iulius Maximus and Marcus Caecilius.

question: What does the article say about the cohors secunda delmatarum's battles with nations other than Rome?


text:
“Where am I? Who are these people around me?” I thought to myself when I first woke up. I slowly lifted myself up and rubbed my eyes thoroughly as if there was something in them, but nothing was. I looked over; a lady kindly greeted me and handed me a folder. As soon as the folder was within my possession I knew what must be done; it was pure instinct. I immediately opened it up and read all of the information.
     I remembered that my name was Bob Lamron. I am 23 years old, have neither children nor a wife; they were only given to you if you had proven yourself faithful and intelligent enough. I asked the women who handed me the folder where I was and what events had occurred that left me in this situation. She just looked at me and smiled.
Two rather large males, who appeared to be body guards disguised as physicians, led me out the front door. As soon as I walked out, a car appeared out of nowhere. From the car came a robotic voice; it addressed me by name and commanded me to enter the automobile.          As I got in the car, the voice spoke again. It asked me what my home address was. I had no clue; I could not even remember if I had children 10 minutes ago. How was I supposed to answer the voice with details of my forget life? The women who had presented me with the folder, a nurse, that I had woken up next to, ran out of the building and handed me the same folder that I had left behind in the room. I opened it up and aloud, “2534 Egareva Rd.” As soon as the words had left my mouth, the taxi immediately sped off, presumably to the address.
As I saw the things I passed by I started to remember details, like I had never forgotten them at all. Trees, Birds, people, restaurants, fountains, everything! It was all flooding in as if there was a dam in my brain and it had just been ruptured without notice. We arrived at my house and I opened the front door. I walked into my room and sat down. I could not recall the events that had occurred before I woke up. It was like the dam of knowledge in my mind had been concealed. My mind had locked away any memories of the events and I could not do anything about it. The more I thought, the more my head hurt.
It felt like one of those moments when you are mid conversation with someone and another person, uninvolved in the conversation, calls your name. You stop talking in order to address the interjection of your name, but when you try to come back into the original conversation, you can’t remember what you were talking about no matter how hard you try. I sat there on my couch and tried as hard as I could to recall what had happened.
I then positioned myself so that I could see out of the window. I saw a grey, bleak world. Everything was so average, so normal. The only color people were given permission to wear were different shades of grey. The lighter your color, the higher up your social class was. I was just an average grey.
As I was thinking through all of this, my eyes were fixed upon a section of peeling paint in the right corner of my peripheral vision. For some reason I knew I was supposed to go over to it; it was like I had some kind of cosmic urge. My hand lifted from my side and I started to peel the paint. It came off fairly easily, far too easier than any paint should have, for that matter. Suddenly, I saw something concealed under the peeling paint. I knew I had to uncover it. As I tore the paint off a fit overcame me. Next thing I knew, I was tearing, ripping, and enjoying this more than anything I had enjoyed before. I was ripping everything in sight off the wall.
I stepped back and looked at my wall and there was writing everywhere. The memories started flooding back into my head of what had happened. I had uncovered something big. The government had been spiking everyone. Now they wouldn’t just bug a room, or a camera in a park to see what was going on, they were putting microphones in you. They had put chips in your brain so that they could see, think, hear, and smell everything you have ever come in contact with. Knowing I had just remembered this I knew they would be after me. I shut the blinds and closed the door in my room.
I lightly lifted a blind cover and looked out the window. I saw a slim, black, shiny car pulled up to the front of my building. The same two men who had accompanied me out of the hospital got out of the black car. I sat there shaking, wondering what I could do. The second I saw them barge in through the front door, I jumped out of my second story bedroom and landed on the pavement. My ankle buckled and I felt a sharp pain but I knew I had to get out of here and tell someone what is going on. I screamed names but no one would listen to me. I was living in a selfish world where people only cared about themselves. I gave up. I fell to the floor, my ankle throbbing, and looked at the door to my building, expecting the two men to walk through. I was doomed.
The two men eventually came out of my building and grabbed me. They didn’t say a word; all they would do is stare straight forward. Then they put me in the back of the car and drove off. It was the exact same route that led back to my house. I had only been out for an hour, at most and here I was, being dragged back.
When I got there the female nurse was sitting there with a needle filled with what appeared to be a sedative. As she inserted it in my vein, two doctors walked into the room. The first said, “Okay, begin sedation and we’ll get ready for the micro-chip reset.”
The other doctor responded, “Looks like this one didn’t turn out to well again like the last time.”
	As they finished their sentences I realized something. They have been resetting everyone until they get every single one of us to be perfect for their society. They don’t want people to have character or personality; they are just looking to create the most generic human being, like emotionless robots. As I thought this, I started to black out.
“Where am I? Who are these people around me?” I thought to myself when I first woke up. I slowly lifted myself up and rubbed my eyes thoroughly as if there was something in them, but nothing was. I looked over; a lady kindly greeted me and handed me a folder.

title: Deja Vu

question: Why do they take him back to his apartment?

answer: To spy on him and see how he behaves

question: who put the writing on the wall?

answer: Bob did

question: Why did he write on the wall?

answer: He knew what the government was doing and hoped to prick his memory

question: How does a government give you children?

answer: Maybe they only give you the wife and the children are a by-product

question: Write a ~21 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator has just woken. He doesn’t recognize the place or the people. A lady hands him a folder and as he reads the contents his memories return.

He is Bob Lamron 23 and he’s single. He’s taken home by taxi. He can’t remember what he did just prior to awakening. He sees peeling paint on the wall and he’s driven to remove it. He’s enjoying ripping it all off. There is writing under the paint and the memories flood back.

The government had put chips in the brains of the populace. He realizes that they would be after him. He lifts a blind and sees a car with two men in it. When he sees them walking to the building, he jumps out the second-story window. He screams for help but nobody responds.

The men grab him and drag him off. A nurse injects him and one of the guards says that they intend to do a microchip reset. He realizes that they are resetting everyone until they are perfect for the dawning society. The government wants emotionless robots with no personality or character.

Bob wakes up. He remembers nothing. A lady hands him a folder.


text:
[]

Renren

Monthly company

The Renren Network, formerly known as the Xiaonei Network is a Chinese social networking service similar to Facebook. It is popular among college students. In February 2011, Renren made a pre-IPO announcement that it had 160 million registered... Wikipedia

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

Renren Inc / Stock Price

After hours: 5.60 -0.10 (1.75%) RENN(NYSE)

Nov 30, 4:00 PM EST � Currency in USD � Disclaimer

RENN - Renren Inc. NYSE - Nasdaq Real Time Price. Currency in USD.

(NYSE: RENN) ("Renren" or the "Company"), which operates a leading premium used auto business in China through its subsidiary Kaixin Auto Holdings (�...

Researching Renren (NYSE:RENN) stock? View RENN's stock price, price target , earnings, financials, forecast, insider trades, news, and SEC filings at�...

RENN | A complete RENN overview by MarketWatch. View the latest market news and prices, and trading information.

Rating � Review by Simply Wall St

Should you invest in Renren (NYSE:RENN)? Imperfect balance sheet and overvalued. Last updated 2020/11/27 23:58.

(NYSE: RENN) operates a leading premium used auto business in China through its subsidiary Kaixin Auto Holdings (NASDAQ: KXIN) as well as several U.S.-�...

View live RENREN INC chart to track its stock's price action. Find market predictions, RENN financials and market news.

Webull offers Renren RENN historical stock prices, in-depth market analysis, NYSE:RENN real-time stock quote data, in-depth charts, and a fully built financial �...

(NYSE:RENN) Stock? Simply Wall St. Jun-28-19 08:20AM. Edited Transcript of RENN earnings conference call�...

question: What is the Renren Network?

answer: It is a Chinese social networking service similar to Facebook.

question: What was Renren Network formerly called?

answer: It was known as the Xianoei Network.

question: How many people did Renren have registered?

answer: 160 million people

question: Who are the main target group for the Renren Network?

answer: College students

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article describes the Renren Network, which is a Chinese social networking service like Facebook, that is common among college students.


text:
Year: early 1944.          Location: Nazi occupied France

The allies have just received intelligence from the french resistance that Hitler has obtained the materials to build an A bomb. Top army brass know that if Hitler builds an atomic bomb he will definitely use it agains the US or Britain, so they come up with a plan to stop him. Since the Normandy invasion hasn't happened yet, the best option is to drop OSS agents behind German lines to sabotage Hitler's atomic plans.
Me and three other OSS colleagues parachute into German occupied France in the dead of night. Loaded with weapons and high explosives we meet up with the french resistance in a farm. They take us to a safe house in the village. We learn from their sources that a german train carrying enriched uranium is scheduled to leave for Berlin at 2200 hours the next night. In the safe house we put together a plan to blow up the railroad and derail the train thus ending Hitler's A bomb program. Just as we're planing the raid with the french resistance the Gestapo kick in the door and arrest everyone inside. One member of the french resistance betrayed us.
We're all taken outside to be shot immediately. Blindfolded, we're stood against the wall. It looks like this is the end. We've failed.

A gestapo officer gives the order and a hand full of german soldiers line up facing us, weapons at the ready. I can feel the sweat running down my back. It's over.

"Bereit!"

"Feuer!"

I fall.

As i lay on the ground i realize i can still hear their voices. Something is wrong here. As i lay there it all becomes clear. They've missed. When they fired i fell to the ground and the bodies of my colleagues fell on top of me shielding me from the german bullets.
A few minutes pass. I can hear their footsteps as they walk away. I lay there for a few more minutes just to make sure the coast is clear. I spot my opportunity and make a break for it. Using my escape and evasion skills i escape into the woods and make it back to the farm. The resistance leader tells me he can not carry out the raid as the Gestapo have executed his best men. I tell him the raid must be carried out. I owe it to my dead colleagues. He understands what must be done, hands me some C4 explosives and wishes me godspeed.
I wait in the hedgerows until nightfall. I sneak back into the village and make it to the station just as the train is about to leave but i'm not alone. German sentries are standing guard to stop any attacks from the resistance. Observing the scene I bide my time. The soldier guarding the back entrance walks away to relieve himself. It's now or never. I sneak into the station and make it to the train. As i'm placing the explosives the soldier comes back and sees me.

"Stoppen!" he shouts.

Aiming his weapon, he shoots. I'm hit in the torso. The impact spins me around and i drop the C4. He shoots again, this time hitting me in the stomach. I fall to the ground but alive. The german soldier raises the alarm. With my last ounce of strength i reach for the C4, light the fuse and place it on the train. I collapse. My life drains out of me.

"BOOOOM!"

The train explodes. The force of the explosion sends burning metal and debris flying into a fuel train nearby. It catches fire. The whole station goes up in flames. Hitler's atomic bomb ambition is reduced to ashes.
The end.

title: Hitler's A bomb.

question: Who would Hitler use the atomic bomb against?

answer: According to the army, Hitler would use the bomb on U.S. or Britain.

question: Where is the German train going?

answer: To Berlin.

question: What plan do the OSS colleagues come up with?

answer: They plan to blow up the railroad and then derail the train.

question: How was the narrator alive?

answer: When the soldiers fired the bullet, the narrator fell on the ground and his colleagues' bodies fell on top of him, shielding him from the bullet.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
Allies had received intelligence suggesting that Hitler was planning to build an atomic bomb. To stop the supposed bombing, 4 OSS colleagues reached German-occupied France and stationed themselves in a safe house.

Along with the French resistance, they plan to blow up the railroad and derail a train carrying Uranium to Berlin. While covering, the Gestapo kick in and shoot everyone but somehow the narrator is saved.

He reaches the station and gets shot in the attempt on planting the C4. He dies but succeeds in the mission.


text:
Russia has received additional intelligence confirming that oil from deposits controlled by Islamic State is moved through Turkey on an industrial scale, said Vladimir Putin. President Recep Erdogan said he will resign if this is confirmed.

LIVE UPDATES: RUSSIA-TURKEY RELATIONS SOUR AFTER SU-24 DOWNED AT SYRIA BORDER

Moscow has grounds to suspect that Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 on November 24 to secure illegal oil deliveries from Syria to Turkey, Putin said on the sidelines of the climate change summit in Paris on Monday.

“_At the moment we have received additional information confirming that that oil from the deposits controlled by Islamic State militants enters Turkish territory on industrial scale_,” he said.

“_We have every reason to believe that the decision to down our plane was guided by a desire to ensure security of this oil’s delivery routes to ports where they are shipped in tankers_,” Putin said.

Speaking in Paris on Monday, President Recep Erdogan said that he will leave office if there is proof of Turkey’s cooperation with IS.

 _“We are not that dishonest as to buy oil from terrorists. If it is proven that we have, in fact, done so, I will leave office. If there is any evidence, let them present it, we’ll consider [it],”_ he said, as quoted by TASS.

The countries from which Turkey buys oil are “_well known,_” said Erdogan.

He called on Russia to comment on the US’ recent black-listing of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the World Chess Federation President, accusing him of “_materially assisting and acting for or on behalf of the Government of Syria._” Erdogan alleged Ilyumzhinov had been dealing with Islamic State oil.

Terrorists have been abusing the visa-free regime between Russia and Turkey to move freely, the Russian leader said adding that Ankara failed to address the issue after Russia raised it.

“_We have been asking [Ankara] for a long time to pay attention_” to the threat posed by some terrorists active in separate regions of Russia, including the northern Caucuses, that have been “_emerging on Turkish territory,_” Putin said.

Moscow has asked Ankara to “_stop this practice_,” he added, but pointed out that “_we have traced some located on the territory of the Turkish Republic and living in regions guarded by special security services and police that have used the visa-free regime to return to our territory, where we continue to fight them_,” he added.

Answering a question as to whether Moscow wants to form a broad based anti-terrorist coalition, Putin said Russia has always supported this initiative, “_but this cannot be done while someone continues to use several terrorist organizations to reach their immediate goals_.”

Putin admitted that he was personally saddened by the deterioration of relations with Turkey. He explained that “_problems do exist and they emerged a long time ago and we have been trying to resolve them in dialogue with our Turkish partners._”

Putin said he has heard Ankara’s claims that it was not Erdogan who made the decision to down the Russian jet. However, he stressed that for Russia “_it doesn’t really matter_” which official made the decision.

“_As a result of this criminal campaign our two soldiers died – a crew commander and a marine, who was part of the rescue team of the [Su-24] crew_,” he said, adding that Turkey’s actions had been “_a huge mistake_.”

Russo-Turkish relations have deteriorated in the wake of the downing of Russia’s Su-24 by Turkish jets over Syria on November 24. Russia imposed a package of economic sanctions against Turkey last Thursday, which included banning several Turkish organizations and the import of certain goods, as well as cancelling the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens travelling to Russia starting next year.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Erdogan said that Ankara will act “_patiently, not emotionally_” before imposing any counter-measures.

Meanwhile, ahead of the summit, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that Ankara will not apologize “_for doing our duty._”

Putin and Erdogan were hoped to meet at the environmental summit taking place in Paris, but Putin said that no meeting was held on Monday.

question: What evidence of a IS oil supply route does Russia have?

answer: Unclear

question: How would Turkish downing of a Russian Su-24 airplane protect an IS oil supply route?

answer: Unclear, but potentially by preventing direct reconnaissance.

question: Who ordered the downing of the Russian Su-24 airplane?

answer: Unclear.

question: Are terrorists protected by Turkey?

answer: It's implied that they are.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: On the sidelines of a climate change summit, Russian president Putin claims Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 on November 24 to secure illegal oil deliveries from Syria to Turkey. He asserted that Moscow had reason to believe that oil from the deposits controlled by Islamic State militants enters Turkish territory on an industrial scale. Turkish president Erdogan says that if proven true, he will step down.


text:
The 1944 IRISH GREYHOUND DERBY took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 12 August. [1]

The winner Clonbonny Bridge won £500 and was owned and trained by A O'Neill.[2]

Final result

At Shelbourne Park, 12 August (over 525 yards):

  Position   Name of Greyhound   Breeding                           Trap   SP      Time    Trainer
  ---------- ------------------- ---------------------------------- ------ ------- ------- --------------
  1st        Clonbonny Bridge    Melksham Nobody - Bridge of Avon   1      7-2     30.53   A O'Neill
  2nd        Down Signal         Castledown Lad - Signal Post       2      2-1jf   30.55   Tom Lynch
  3rd        Lively Breeze       Bellas Jim - Harem Lady            5      8-1     30.67   McConnell
  4th        Laurel Fidget       breeding unknown                   3      2-1jf           John O'Keefe
  5th        Final Party         breeding unknown                   4      8-1
  6th        Mallacka            breeding unknown                   6      10-1            John O'Keefe

Distances

head, 1½ (lengths)

Competition Report

The 1944 Irish Derby was considered the best entry to date with a greyhound called Mad Tanist owned by Jack McAllister being given the tag of ante-post favourite. Famous Knight the 1943 winner would not defend his title after leaving for England previously. Mad Tanist son of Tanist, won his first round defeating Clonbonny Bridge by a remarkable ten lengths in 30.20. Irish Puppy Derby winner Fawn Cherry was second fastest in 30.25, the fawn dog had just returned from London after eight months there.[3][4]

In the second round Mad Tanist once again impressed in 29.86 followed by an improving Clonbonny Bridge and Fawn Cherry. Other heat winners were Laurel Fidget (30.15), Down Signal (30.34) and Lively Breeze (30.34). In the second semi-final Mad Tanist at odds of 4-9 and Fawn Cherry both went out after awful trouble at the first bend in a race won by 25-1 shot Mallacks in 30.38. The first semi had gone to Laurel Fidget who defeated Clonbonny Bridge and Lively Breeze in 30.20.[5]

In a controversial final Laurel Fidget led from Down Signal until the third bend which left Down Signal clear but after he swung wide on the run-in Clonbonny Bridge made ground and the pair crossed the finish line together. Clonbonny Bridge was given the verdict by the stewards but it was a result which many disputed.[6]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

title: 1944 Irish Greyhound Derby

question: When was the final held?

answer: August 12, 1944

question: Who won the derby?

answer: Clonbonny Bridge

question: What was the prize for winning?

answer: 500 British pounds

question: Where was the derby final held?

answer: Shelbourne Park in Dublin

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The 1944 Irish Greyhound Derby took place in July and August of 1944, with the final being held on August 12 at Shelbourne Park in Dublin. The winner was Clonbonny Bridge, who was owned and trained by A O'Neill. The prize money was 500 pounds.


text:
ENZO MASCHERINI (6 August 1910, Florence - 29 July 1981, Livorno) was an Italian operatic baritone, one of the leading baritones of his generation.

He studied in Florence with Titta Ruffo and Riccardo Stracciari and made his debut there in 1937, as Giorgio Germont in _La traviata_, and also sang at the premiere of Gian Francesco Malipiero's _Antonio e Cleopatra_, in 1938. He made his debut at the San Carlo in Naples, in 1939, and at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, in 1940. He appeared in two legendary performances opposite Maria Callas, the first at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 1951, as Montforte in _I vespri siciliani_, under Erich Kleiber, and on opening night of the 1952-53 season at La Scala, as _Macbeth_, under Victor de Sabata. He also appeared there in _La bohème_ (with Giuseppe di Stefano, 1952), _La favorite_ (1953), _Faust_ (with Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, 1954), _Don Carlos_ (with Callas, 1954), and, again, _La bohème_ (conducted by Leonard Bernstein, 1955).

After the war, he began an international career, appearing in Paris, Vienna, Prague, London, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. In 1946 and 1947, Mascherini appeared at the New York City Opera, in _La bohème_ (as Marcello), _La traviata_ (with Dorothy Kirsten), _Pagliacci_ (as Silvio, later as Tonio), _Rigoletto_, _Andrea Chénier_ (opposite Vivian della Chiesa, directed by Theodore Komisarjevsky), and _Il barbiere di Siviglia_ (with Luigi Infantino and Virginia MacWatters).

He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera on 7 December 1949 as Marcello in Giacomo Puccini's _La bohème_ with Bidu Sayão as Mimì, Ferruccio Tagliavini as Rodolfo, Lois Hunt as Musetta, and Giuseppe Antonicelli conducting. He performed in several other roles at the Met during the 1949-1950 season, including Germont in _La traviata_ (with Licia Albanese as Violetta and Jan Peerce as Alfredo), Lescaut in _Manon Lescaut_ (with Richard Tucker as Des Grieux), Valentin in _Faust_ (with di Stefano in the title role), and the title role in _Rigoletto_ (with Erna Berger as Gilda).[1] He also went on tour to South Africa in 1951.

A fine singing-actor with a powerful voice and solid technique, he taught in Florence after retiring from the stage. Among his pupils was the Swiss bass-baritone Alexander Malta.

He can be heard on disc in _Dom Sébastien_, opposite Fedora Barbieri; _La favorite_, opposite Giulietta Simionato; _Tosca_, opposite Renata Tebaldi; and the aforementioned _I vespri siciliani_ and _Macbeth_ with Callas. In 1949, the baritone participated in a cinematic version of _Il trovatore_ (available from the Bel Canto Society).

Sources

-   _Le guide de l'opéra_, Roland Mancini & Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, Fayard, 1986,

[1] Metropolitan Opera Archives

title: Enzo Mascherini

question: Summarize all the information relating to the opera singer Maria Callas.

question: Summarize the attributes of a leading baritone.

answer: Enzo Mascherini was one of the leading baritones of his generation. He is acknowledged to be this by appearing at multiple opera houses in multiple productions over a career spanning 14 years and performing alongside the legendary Maria Callas. He was a fine singing actor with a powerful voice and solid technique.

question: Summarize Enzo Mascherini's performances outside Italy.

answer: After the second world war, Mascherini began an international career by appearing in Paris, Vienna, Prague, London, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago and San Francisco amongst others. He performed in multiple productions at the New York City Opera in 1946 and 1947 and the Metropolitan Opera in 1949 and 1950. He toured to South Africa in 1951.

question: Summarize what happened to Mascherini in the 1940's.

answer: He made his debut at La Scala in Milan in 1940, and after the second world war ended he traveled to America to perform at the New York City Opera in 1946 and 1947. He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1949 and performed several roles there during the 1949-1950 season. In 1949 Mascherini participated in a cinematic version of 'Il trovatore'.


text:
The NORDISCHES INSTITUT (Scandinavian and Finno-Ugric studies) was an institute founded in 1917 by Greifswald University in Germany for the study of Nordic culture and relations between German and Nordic Studies.[1]

[1] Carlquist, Gunnar (ed 1937): ''Svensk uppslagsbok"". Bd 20. Malmö: Svensk Uppslagsbok AB. sid. 65

title: Nordisches Institut

question: What is the Nordisches Institut?

answer: An academic institute.

question: What did one study there?

answer: Nordic cultures and relations between German and Nordic studies.

question: When was it founded?

answer: 1917.

question: Who or what founded it?

answer: The Greifswald University.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The Nordisches Institut was an institute founded in 1917 by Greifswald University in Germany for the study of Nordic culture and relations between German and Nordic Studies.


text:
Wrote this after a workout yesterday while trying to cool off. Had put on headphones and the music inspired the following.  Typed this up on my phone in an email to a few friends and thought that I'd share it. I had gone back and done some editing to it, but I sort of liked the rough-hewn "on the spot" original and so here it is..

~~___________________________~~

The grey afternoon collapsed slowly into a cold autumn evening. The purple blue light of latent coffee shop security lights drifted unwelcoming shadows on asphalt and concrete as he strolled alone.

Over the years friends had gone away, the few he had got married and had kids, moved off to the sunshine of the south or to expensive ski slopes in resort towns.

Had expensive things.

Had family reunions.

His family he had inadvertently lost touch with, couldn't remember their addresses or even how he'd get to their houses if he could.

It was tiring to be angry all the time.

Why couldn't he shut it off.. The faces inside expensive restaurants drowning themselves in amber bliss or with the acrid stink of things smoked or inhaled or shot up their veins.

Couldn't keep but the most simple of jobs, and grew to hate customers and managers. Schedules.

Except here.

RESSVRECTIS.

The gate whined as he closed it; then he stood amongst the silent audience of sepulchers and crypts. Tipped stones marking the sleepspace of tenants who wouldn't complain.

This was a job he loved.

The soft chunking sound of wet soil as his muscles pleasantly toiled, warming with exercise and letting free the adrenaline.

Dumped the body into the hole, a body with a hole in its forehead, a fresh hole made by a man who made a fresh hole and then filled one to hide the other.

There were those who had reserved their place here in advance. He would make sure they kept those reservations.

Every. Single. One.

He liked to dig.

title: Dug.

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: The narrator is a man.

question: How does the narrator feel?

answer: He feels angry all of the time.

question: Where does the narrator feel happy?

answer: He feels happy at his job.

question: What is the narrator's job?

answer: He buries bodies [it seems he shoots and kills a person and them buries them.]

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is an angry man. It seems that he shoots and kills a person and them buries them; he refers to it as his job.


text:
WELCOME BACK! LET’S KEEP GFW OPEN

WED 18 NOV **** HOT NEWS Click here for GFW CELLO LOCKDOWN performance

Zoom classes  TERM 2 FROM 2ND & 4TH NOV 7:30-9PM

(FACE-TO-FACE AND JUNIOR CLASSES ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE)

It’s absolutely the best thing you can do during this period of enforced lockdowns for your brain body and well-being.  You know you’ve always wanted to play music-here’s your chance!

Register now by EMAIL to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with instrument & level

Click here for LETTER TO MEMBERS OCT 2020    Click here for TERM DATES SEP-DEC 2020

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

At 7pm on Monday and Wednesday GFW Office will host a Zoom Front Desk for anyone missing class details.

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

GFW MONDAY - FRONT DESK 7-8PM - CLASSES 7:30-9PM  Click on link below for Zoom meeting

https://zoom.us/j/99403556282?pwd=UENPTWo4c3Y2bTZGejljSGpsZHdEZz09

Meeting ID: 994 0355 6282  Passcode: 138524

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

GFW WEDNESDAY - FRONT DESK 7-8PM - CLASSES 7:30-9PM  Click on link below for Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/94944206531?pwd=WG9ObDRNM2FMa21WWnR1aEtmdTlEUT09

Meeting ID: 949 4420 6531   Passcode: 970639

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

Nigel will run the Monday Slow Session ONLINE using ZOOM.

Monday, 6.45-7.25pm. Check his website for more information on how to join: http://www.nigelgatherer.com/

Finlay will run this session using ZOOM.6.45-7.25pm. Check his website for more information on how to join: https://www.finlayallison.com/

GFW REPERTOIRE CLASS

WEDNESDAYS 6.15PM: Would you like to participate in the various GFW Sessions but don't know the tunes? The REPERTOIRE CLASS will run on WEDNESDAYS at 6.15-6.45, (just before the Wednesday Warm Up-use same link https://www.finlayallison.com/). Each week Finlay will run through a tune or two from the Sessions list to give you a chance to become familiar with tunes we play every week. You choose what tune you'd like him to walk through. It's free!

Missing the Very Slow Session? The Slow Jam? Due to public demand Finlay will be running these sessions WEEKLY. From 7.00-7.30pm  we will be revising or learning one of the latest  VERY SLOW tunes.  FROM 7.30-8.00PM we will run the VSS tunes SLOWLY.  From 8.00PM the WHOLE REPERTOIRE (VSS/SJ) at a MUCH BRISKER PACE.

-   7.00-7.30 BUILDING THE TUNES LIST ( Finlay will run through the latest additions)
-   7.30-8.00 VSS  (slow)
-   8.00-9.00 SJ  (a bit faster)
-   At  around 8.15 there will be a short break and then we'll continue TILL ABOUT 9.00PM

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

During Lockdown, when GFW was unable to offer classes, some tutors were able to provide online classes. We will repost these details again after GFW restarts. At the moment it has been causing confusion on which GFW classes are available.

question: What is GFW?

answer: not answered

question: What is the GFW Repertoire class?

answer: The GFW Repertoire is for those individuals who would like to participate in the GFW sessions but don't know the tunes.

question: Who is Nigel?

answer: unclear but Nigel seems to be an instructor.

question: What is the Monday Slow Session?

answer: unclear

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: On Wednesdays at 6:15PM, the GFW repertoire class for those individuals who would like to participate in the various sessions but don't know the tunes well. From 7-7:30PM, there will be a session learning the latest Very Slow Tunes. From 7:30=8PM, the Very Slow Session songs will be run slowly. At 8PM, both the Very Slow Session and Slow Jam songs will be run  at a brisker pace.


text:
_CALADENIA CLAVESCENS_ is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to central Victoria in Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and usually a single dark red to maroon flower.

Description

_Caladenia clavescens_ is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single leaf, long and wide. One, rarely two flowers are borne on a spike high. The flowers are dark red to maroon, sometimes cream-coloured or pinkish with petals and sepals long. The sepals are wide, flattened near their bases but taper to a thread-like tip which is densely covered with glands. The petals are similar to the sepals but somewhat shorter. The labellum curves forward with the tip rolled under, and is broad lance-shaped to egg-shaped, dark purplish, long and wide. The sides of the labellum are fringed with linear teeth up to nearly long, decreasing in length toward the tip of the labellum. There are four to six rows of foot-shaped calli along the centre of the labellum and these are also about long near the base of the labellum and decrease in length towards its tip. Flowering occurs from September to October.[1][2]

Taxonomy and naming

This orchid was first formally described by David L. Jones in 2006 as _Arachnorchis clavescens_ and the description was published in _Australian Orchid Research_. The type specimen was collected near Castlemaine.[3] In 2007, Gary Backhouse changed the name to _Caladenia clavescens_.[4] The specific epithet (“clavescens”) is derived from the Latin word _clava_ meaning “club”[5] and the suffix _-escens_ meaning “becoming”,[6] referring to the more or less club-like tips of the sepals and petals of many of the specimens of this species.[7]

Distribution and habitat

_Caladenia clavescens_ occurs in central Victoria near the towns Campbells Creek, Castlemaine, Chewton.[8]

Conservation

This spider orchid is listed as “vulnerable” and is protected under the _Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988_.[9][10]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

title: Caladenia clavescens

question: What type of plant is the caladenia clavescens?

answer: A ground orchid

question: Where can the caladenia clavescens be found?

answer: In Victoria, Australia

question: Describe the phyical appearance of the caladenia clavescens.

answer: It has a single hairy leaf and usually a single dark red to maroon flower.

question: Who is David L. Jones?

answer: He was the first person to formally describe the caladenia clavescens.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The caladenia clavescens is a ground orchid endemic to Victoria, Australia. It has a single hairy leaf and usually a single dark red to maroon flower. The orchid, which flowers from September to October, was first formally described by David L. Jones in 2006.


text:
Rotterdam is known for its interesting architecture that sets it apart from other Dutch cities, as well as expansive river views.  It’s a dynamic city that seems to change daily and is always an exciting place to explore. Here are some of my favorite activities and sight in Rotterdam, cool things to do in Rotterdam and a few places to drink and eat. At the end you’ll also find some recommendations for places to sleep as well.

If you only have limited time you can also choose what to see in Rotterdam in one day from this list. Rotterdam is a great day trip from Amsterdam.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Getting to Rotterdam & Getting Around
Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam
Day Trips from Rotterdam
Places to Stay in Rotterdam

Getting to Rotterdam and Getting Around

Rotterdam is easy to reach from other cities in the Netherlands and as it is in the south of the country, is close to Belgium as well.

Hop on the train from Amsterdam and you’ll arrive at Rotterdam Centraal in about 45 minutes. The cost of a full price ticket is currently a little over €15. There are faster direct trains that take only 30 minutes but you will need to pay an additional supplement of €2.40 to ride those routes.

Trains also serve Rotterdam from London, Brussels and Paris.  Check Trainline for ticket and route options.

Probably the least expensive way to travel to Rotterdam from other cities in Europe is with Flixbus. You can find ticket prices as low as €4. Check here for prices and schedules.

The closest airports are Rotterdam The Hague (RTM) and Amsterdam (AMS).  You can connect to Rotterdam The Hague airport from Italy, Spain, Portugal and many other destinations. If you are arriving from an overseas destination you will likely arrive in Amsterdam, where you can catch a train to Rotterdam.  Check Skyscanner for the best prices and schedules to Rotterdam.

Once you are in Rotterdam it is easy to get around using public transit, on foot, or by bicycle. Locals use website and app 9292.nl to plan public transit trips in the Netherlands. Google maps works as well but it is worth downloading the 9292 app on your smartphone if you will be in Rotterdam for a few days.

You can get unlimited free city transit as well as discounts to museums with the Rotterdam City Card.

Rotterdam has a good network of Metro lines, trams and buses. They also have something unique in the Netherlands and that is water taxis. You can read more about these below.

Rotterdam is an awesome city with tons of fun things to do and places to explore. Let’s get started!

ROTTERDAM MUSEUMS

There are museums to suit every taste in Rotterdam. Are you a fan of art? Check out the Kunsthal or Boijmans van Beuningen. The buildings themselves are interesting as well, designed by famous Dutch architects like Rem Koolhaas. More interested in culture? Visit the Wereldmuseum. Want to learn about plants, insects and animals? Stop into the Natural History Museum. Another great museum to visit with kids is the Maritiem Museum. And if you want to see some great exhibits about Rotterdam history, stop by the Museum Rotterdam.

My favorite Rotterdam museums are the Fotomuseum and the Kunsthal, and I really like Boijmans van Beuningen too. What are yours?

You can get free city transit as well as discounts to museums with the Rotterdam City Card.

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam - What To See in Rotterdam - Best museums in Rotterdam]

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam - What To See in Rotterdam - Best museums in Rotterdam]

ROTTERDAM FOOD HALLS & MARKETS

Rotterdam has awesome food! You can find Korean restaurants, Surinamese tokos, Vietnamese eateries and more!

The city is also famous for its food halls. The new Markthal is an architectural wonder in a giant arch with flying fruits and veggies decorating the inside. Pop in for a snack or shop at the many market stalls. My favorite spots include Bram Ladage for Rotterdam’s best fries, and the wine & beer shop World of Drinks. Head up to their second floor to enjoy a beverage overlooking the market.

For a more laid back vibe make your way to the Fenix Food Factory. Housed in an old warehouse, this market is a fun place to spend an afternoon or evening. Grab something to eat from one of the vendors and get a craft beer from Kaapse Brouwers or cider at Cidercider. On a sunny day sit outside by the water and enjoy the views. Fenix Food Factory regularly hosts special events – don’t miss them, they are super fun!

In June the Foodhallen will open in Rotterdam on the Wilhelminakade. It has been a very popular concept in Amsterdam, and we hope it does well here too.

Check the schedule for local street markets like Rotterdamse Oogst and Swan Market.

If you’d like to discover more of Rotterdam’s dynamic food culture you can also take a walking tour with a local guide.

ROTTERDAM BRIDGES

Rotterdam has lots of water, and therefore several famous bridges. One of the most popular and picturesque is the Erasmusbrug, also known as De Zwaan. Take a look – it really resembles a big white swan! Another cool bridge is De Hef.

Speaking of bridges, I love the Luchtsingel pedestrian bridge project! Check it out.

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam - What To See in Rotterdam]

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam - What To See in Rotterdam]

Take a Watertaxi, Waterbus or Cruise

Since there is lots of water around Rotterdam a good way to get around is by watertaxi. Hop on at one of the stops and go for a speedy ride across the water. I love watching these bright yellow boats jet under bridges.

There are also a few catamaran ferries known as the Waterbus. You can take these on various routes, especially if you’d like to explore the countryside around Rotterdam, go to Kinderdijk, or visit nearby cities like Dordrecht.

Another way to experience the city from the water is to take a 75 minute sightseeing harbor cruise.

Want to get on the water and learn about Rotterdam’s architecture at the same time? Take an UrbanGuide cruise!

Rotterdam Architecture

Rotterdam is known for being different from the other big Dutch cities like Amsterdam. It was heavily bombed during WWII and much of the old traditional architecture was destroyed. Thus the city has an unusual look from other parts of the Netherlands and is home to some wonderful and interesting modern architecture. Rotterdammers also have terrific nicknames for their icons.

Some of my favorite places in Rotterdam are repurposed and reused spaces like Aloha Bar, the restaurant housed in an old waterpark, Vessel 11 a restaurant on a  lightship, or a bar on a rooftop parking lot at DÂK. I also love the concept of Uit Je Eigen Stad, an urban farm with two of their own restaurants.

Start at the cool new Centraal Station with its angled roof. Wander over to the Hofbogen, and grab a coffee under the former railway arches. (did you know they are working on a project inspired by New York’s High Line?) Make your way to the Kubuswoningen and the nearby Markthal. There is so much to see in this vibrant city.

If you want to learn all about Rotterdam’s iconic architecture, you can take a 2.5 hour walking tour.

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam - What To See in Rotterdam]

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam - What To See in Rotterdam]

Rotterdam Public Art & Street Art

Walking Rotterdam’s streets you will start to notice sculptures everywhere. Maybe one of the most famous is the Santa Claus by Paul McCarthy better known as “Kabouter Butt Plug” for obvious reasons. Another favorite of mine is a sculpture over the Maas by Auke de Vries known as the “wash line”.

Be sure to also visit the Westerkade to see the public gardens created by famous Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf. His wild layered style looks great in all seasons.

Visit this website to take a look at the sculptures you can find around Rotterdam. You can take a bicycle tour with UrbanGuides to discover more of Rotterdam’s public art.

If street art is more your style, download the Rewriters app for a guide to the city’s best! Spotting public art and street art is one of my favorite cool things to do in Rotterdam. You can also take a guided tour to discover the street art of the city with a local expert.

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam - What To See in Rotterdam]

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam - What To See in Rotterdam]

As mentioned above, it is easy to reach other Dutch cities from Rotterdam. The closest large city is The Hague, which would make a terrific day trip. The charming town of Delft is also close by, or visit lovely Leiden.

You could also take a half day boat cruise to Kinderdijk to see the historic windmills. This is a wonderful day trip which gives you a break from the city. Bring bikes on the boat or rent them when you get there.

[Day trip from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk]

Of course, if you’d like to go to Amsterdam it is less than an hour away on the train. Click here for a complete city guide of everything you might like to explore in Amsterdam.

Take a day or weekend trip to Belgium! Antwerp is also less than an hour away by train. Check here for our weekend guide to amazing Antwerp.

Did you take a day trip to Rotterdam or will you spend a night or more? There are often less expensive deals to be had in Rotterdam, and there might be vacancies here when Amsterdam is full!

FOR A LIMITED TIME,  IF YOU REGISTER AT BOOKING.COM USING THIS LINK AND THEN RESERVE USING THE LINKS BELOW YOU CAN GET $20 CASH BACK! IT’S A SPECIAL OFFER FROM BOOKING.COM.

Rotterdam has wonderful hotels that may suit your needs.  Good hotels in Rotterdam include citizenM Rotterdam, Mainport Design Hoteland Hotel New York. Take a look at Cherrycake & Chocolate B&B and B & B Maria for cozy bed and breakfasts.

For budget options check out Sparks Hostel, Hostel Ani&Haakien, Stayokay Rotterdam or easyHotel Rotterdam.

You’ll find that Rotterdam has many apartments available to rent for travelers, perfect for those who like a little more space and independence. Take a look at Urban Residences Rotterdam and PREMIER SUITES PLUS Rotterdam for fully stocked lodging with kitchens and bathrooms.

You can also find lovely places in Rotterdam on sites like Airbnb. Use this link to register and you can save €30 off your first reservation!

Compare Rotterdam lodging prices and options across booking engines with Hotels Combined.

[Save on your hotel - www.hotelscombined.com]

PIN IT NOW TO SAVE FOR LATER

[Fun Things To Do in Rotterdam :: What to see in Rotterdam ::Rotterdam is an awesome city with tons of fun things to do and places to explore.]

Check out today’s best lodging deals.
Reserve your hotel at Booking.com

You might like these books about Rotterdam:

Traveling around the Netherlands? Take a look at our great guides to things to do in Haarlem, Utrecht and Amsterdam.

[10 cities where you can live on a houseboat]

[things to do in LONDON]

[Things to do on a weekend trip to Cordoba]

HEADED TO EUROPE THIS SUMMER? TAKE A LOOK AT THIS HANDY LIST TO DECIDE WHAT TO PACK FOR A SUMMER TRIP TO EUROPE.

[packing list summer trip to europe - go-gallivanting.com]

_YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE POSTS:_

-   The Weekend Guide to Haarlem
-   The Weekend Guide to Utrecht
-   Take the ferry from England to Spain
-   How and Why to Try Forest Bathing
-   18 projects like NYC’s High Line
-   The Weekend Guide to Cordoba
-   10 places for an autumn weekend getaway in Europe
-   The Weekend Guide to Antwerp
-   30 Botanical Gardens in Europe
-   The Weekend Guide to Toledo

Illustrated map by Shoshannah Hausmann

question: What sets Rotterdam apart from other Dutch cities?

answer: Rotterdam's architecture. The city has an unusual look from other parts of the Netherlands and is home to some wonderful and interesting modern architecture. Rotterdam was heavily bombed during WWII, destroying much of the old traditional architecture.

question: What is the least expensive way to travel to Rotterdam from other European cities?

answer: Flixbus. Some ticket prices are as low as €4.

question: What is the best way to get around in Rotterdam?

answer: Public transit (Metro line, trams, and buses), on foot, or by bicycle. Unlimited free city transit by using the Rotterdam City Card.

question: What can fun things can you do in Rotterdam?

answer: Museums, food halls, outdoor dining, Rotterdam food culture, local street markets, Rotterdam's rivers and famous bridges (by taking a Watertaxi, Cruise, or Waterbus), Rotterdam architecture, Rotterdam Public and Street Art

question: Write a ~10 sentence summary.

answer: Rotterdam architecture sets it apart from other big Dutch cities because it was heavily bombed during WWII, destroying most of the old structures. Now, Rotterdam is home to many interesting and unique modern architecture masterpieces. Going to Rotterdam is easy from most countries in Europe, especially those that are near its borders. The city is usually only a train ride away, but the cheapest travel option from other European cities is via Flixbus. There are many ways to get around Rotterdam. The city has a good network of Metro lines, trams, and buses. Riding a bike and going on foot are also good options. There are numerous fun things to do in Rotterdam. The city has several museums, an awesome food culture, food halls, and local street markets. Rotterdam is also home to famous bridges, unique architecture, and street art.


text:
Every morning it was the same old story. I woke at five-thirty and bathed myself. By seven I was on the bus going to school for my daily learnings. I felt as if my life was being dictated by societal and other such forces. It was as if I had no real control over my own life. I felt controlled. I never really expected what was to happen. I felt, I bled, and I learned. I learned with speed and grace unlike any other. There were days when I wondered why that was.

Regardless, I continued on in my daily endeavors, yet I always wanted something more, somewhere I could fit in, a niche so to speak. I continued writing, and learning, and most of all I continued looking. I was looking for a reason to exist, a reason why. I needed more then I had. I needed a reason to live. I needed to know that I was more than just a human encyclopedia or calculator. I wanted to love; I wanted to be able to live. I wanted to see there were more than just learning and acidic words thrown by ignorant masses. The hated were the intellectual and the loved were the unique. Somehow, I managed to be both. I continued fighting the omnipresent pressure to be something I wasn't.

I would not let myself be herded like a sheep. What I didn't yet know was that I was being controlled by even stronger forces. I felt like I was a coded program, not a human. I didn't feel that I could choose my path. I didn't feel that I could choose what to learn. I just did exactly what I was designed to. It was summer when I learned the shocking truth. I was 16 and a half at the time. I was taking a shower, just like usual, and I fell down and my head smashed against the wall. My hand immediately flew to my head to inspect the damage. But I didn't feel blood on this wound.

I raised my hand slowly, a painful shiver running down my spine. I felt not bone, brain matter, or any other organic fluids. I felt smooth metal, and wires. I checked the mirror and I saw chrome and microchips. On one of these chips I found a designation:

>Sentient 162-73a

It was in that moment that I realized I had no purpose. I was a sheep to the programmed herder in my circuits. I was everything I brought myself to despise. I was only a machine, a sentient, who would never know love or feeling. I was only a program living through its code. I was simply an existent being. I wish I could love. I wish I could live. But the cold reality is that I am machine. I am Sentient 162-73a.

title: Sentient

question: What is the narrator?

answer: The narrator is a sentient machine, Sentient 162-73a.

question: How does the narrator feel?

answer: The narrator feels controlled, with little autonomy over their life.

question: How did the narrator find out what they are?

answer: They fell and smashed their head. When they inspected the damage, they found metal, wires, chrome, and microchips.

question: What first made the narrator question what they are?

answer: The narrator learned things with a speed and grace unlike others, making them question what they are.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator feels like everything in their life is being controlled. They notice that they learn things faster than others. They look for their niche to fit in. At 16, they fall and smash their head to fin wires, metal, and microchips in their head, designating them Sentient 162-73a. In that moment, they realize that they have no purpose, and that they are only a program living through its code.


text:
Jenkins reporting in from the friend zone.

Time seems to go so slowly here. Ive lost track of dates all together, none of that seems to matter anymore anway.
No sign of intelligent life, just broken husks of men.
Some of the younger men tell tales of their days outside of this wretched place, most of them just hang their heads with incoherent ramblings.
Most of the older men here have gone completely insane. Waiting for her attention madly grasping at every word she says hoping somehow to get out of here.
I feel I too will join them soon.
The oldest man tells tales of a man that got out of here, speaking of a bright light taking him up.
The others just dissmiss him as crazy.
This is truely hell on earth.
Hell hath no fury like a womans friendzone.
May god have mercy on our souls.

Jenkins signing out.

title: Friendzone

question: What is the poem describing?

answer: The poem is describing a woman's friendzone

question: How does the narrator describe time in the friendzone?

answer: The narrator describes time in the friendzone to go by slowly.

question: How does the narrator describe men in the friendzone?

answer: The narrator describes men in the friendzone to be like broken husks and in an age range from young to old.

question: To what parallel does the narrator describe a woman's friendzone as?

answer: As hell on earth

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator describes a woman's friendzone as hell on earth and where men are like broken husks.


text:
Dating as far back as the 16th century, tree shaping has been hinted at in paintings and literature but it was not until the advent of Axel Erlandson, the father of modern tree training, that the art form truly flourished. As a young man, Erlandson was inspired by the sight of two conjoined branches in a hedgerow on his property. As a result, he began experimenting, designing and training over 70 different trees into various stunning horticultural and architectural specimens. He then went on to open a roadside exhibition in Scotts Valley, California in 1947, debuting his curiosities in an aptly named ‘Tree Circus’.

What Erlandson had observed and used to great effect, was a natural form of grafting known as inosculation. Rather ordinary, the phenomenon occurs when trunks, roots or branches in close proximity gradually fuse together; it can arise within a single tree or neighboring trees of same or different species. Over time, as the limbs grow, they exert pressure similar to the friction between two palms rubbed against each other. This causes the outer bark to slough off, exposing the inner tissue or cambium and allows the vasculature of both trees to intermingle; in essence, joining their lifeblood.

Besides grafting, tree shaping also employs pruning, bending, weaving and bracing to create the dramatic loops, twists and knots evocative of the form. Many of the techniques are borrowed from related horticultural practices such as bonsai, espalier and topiary.

[]

The potential of tree shaping for eco-solutions is promising but much of it still remains dependent on the trial and error projects of a few pioneers.

Three Main Methods

There are three main methods to achieving a shaped tree. Aeroponic culture, Instant tree shaping (Arborsculpture) and Gradual tree shaping.

Aeroponic culture grows the roots of the tree in a nutrient mist until they reach a length approximately 2-6 meters at which time the roots are shaped as they are planted.

Instant tree shaping (Arborsculpture) is the practice of using mature trees or whips approximately 2-3 m long, which are then bent into the desired design and held until cast with the next 3-4 years growth of the tree.

Gradual tree shaping starts by creating the framing to support the growing seedlings and then planting 7- 30 cm tall seedlings or cuttings. The new growth is trained along the design pathways for the next couple of years. Then the trees just grow thicker with time.

Most species of trees are suitable for tree shaping but not all species are suitable for the creative treatment of the Arborsculpture method, however. Trees to be bent into shape must be flexible, vigorous and easily grafted (thin barks); notable examples being willow, sycamore, poplar, birch and Persian ironwood.

The movement is so recent in fact, that the term Arborsculpture itself was coined only in 1995 by Richard Reames and Barbara Delbol in their book, _How to Grow a Chair – the Art of Tree Trunk Topiary_. This book gives detailed instructions of the Arborsculpture instant method of bending up a chair and peace sign in an afternoon.

Living furniture is a popular application; so too is the prospect of living houses and landscape architecture. The ability of growing trees to incorporate foreign material such as metal and glass further solidifies tree shaping as a viable green alternative for use in urban design.

One exceptional instance of this type of urban tree shaping lies in Germany. There, architect Ferdinand Ludwig’s Baubotanik, or Living Plant Constructions, showcases the brilliance of botanical engineering at its best. Among his creations are a three-storey willow tower, an osier willow footbridge, and a silver willow bird watching station. The Plane-Tree-Cube Nagold, a building that incorporates live sycamores, is accessible to the public. Hopefully, future plans of a banyan fig-inspired living air bridge will be too.

[][]

Ludwig explains, “I came in touch with some historic examples of living architecture while I was a student and was immediately fascinated. The vision is a new way of integrating trees in architectural and urban design.”

Ludwig’s vision has paid off, attracting attention at Archiprix International, a competition that judges projects in urban design and landscape architecture. His work has also won awards for ‘Deutschland, Land der Ideen’ (Germany: Land of Ideas) and ‘Übermorgenmacher’ (Creating the Day after Tomorrow).

Unlike their dead lumber-based counterparts, living architecture continues to combat soil erosion while providing oxygen, sustenance, shelter and habitation. An integral part of the ecosystem, trees can convert carbon into biomass, mitigating the effects of climate change. Even when harvested (essentially killing them), living architecture persists as a source of aesthetic wonder.

When asked how he was able to shape trees, the late Axel Erlandson often replied, “I talk to them”. Indeed, when humanity and nature work together, the results can be mutually impressive. Rather than cutting down trees, tree shaping seeks to cultivate a natural passion for the future of our world and our environment.

_Ansel Oommen is an environmentalist,_ _avid gardener and urban forager in New York City. A former student of the Institute of Children’s Literature, he has just finished writing his first book,_ The Oak Tree_, and is searching for a publisher. You can find out more from Absel at: _www.behance.net/Ansel

Further resources

For more information on the three main methods of tree shaping see the work of Swati Balgi (September 2009), "Live Art", _Society Interiors Magazine_ (Prabhadevi, Mumbai: Magna Publishing and the book _Three Methods of Tree Shaping every aspiring tree shaper should be aware of_, Peter Cook and Becky Northey, SharBrin Publishing Ptd Ltd. ISBN 978-1-921571-41-1. You can also view a_ FREE eBook version of The 3 Methods of Tree Shaping._

_For more information about Ferdinand Ludwig visit: www.ferdinandludwig.com_

_Treeshapers http://treeshapers.net _

_Richard Reames www.arborsmith.com_

Watch this incredible video: Sustainable Living Architecture in India.

Using art to promote permaculture ethics - 'common senses' at MoMA

When art turns suburban lawns into edible food parks

_We'd love you to SUBSCRIBE to Permaculture, or download a FREE sample issue and try before you buy. Also available as a digital subscription (for just £10) and Apple and Android devices._

question: Describe "tree shaping"?

answer: The document describes it as manipulating trees into desired shape susing grafting, pruning, bending, weaving, and bracing to create dramatic loops, twists, and knots. It seeks to cultivate a natural passion for the future of the world and environment.

question: Who is Erlandson?

answer: He is described as the father of modern tree training and shaping. He experimented, designed, and trained over 70 different trees into various horticultural and architectural specimens. He went on to create a roadside exhibition called the 'Tree Circus'.

question: What is one of the "three main methods"?

answer: One of the methods is Instant tree shaping (Arborsculpture).

question: Why aren't all tree species suitable for the creative treatment of the Arborsculpture method?

answer: Not all trees are flexible, vigorous, and easily gradted (thin barks). For Arborsculpture to work, trees must be able to be bent into shape.

question: Who is Ludwig?

answer: Ferdinand Ludwig is an architect who has shown the brilliance of botanical engineering at its best.

question: What is an urban forager?

answer: That information can't be found in the document.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The art of tree shaping is described.


text:
About a month ago, my girlfriend asked me for a fake name idea for one of her law school papers because they have to be submitted anonymously so the teachers aren't biased when they grade them. Anywho, I came up with a name and a story to accompany it...

I'm very open to criticism. I'd like to see how it does from people that I don't date.

----

Beefy Bitch...

Cornelius Harberdash VII

While his name might allude to an impressive pedigree, Cornelius comes from a rather rough past. Growing up an orphan is never easy. With a name like Cornelius, it was a matter of time before the other orphans started calling him Corn which then led to Cornbeef which then led to Cornbeef bitch because as we all know, children love simple alliteration especially when it is used to make fun of others. Irony won when a child born "Cornelius Harberdash VII" eventually found himself haunted by the painfully shortened nickname "Beefy Bitch."

Beefy Bitch awoke and began wiping the sand from his eyes.
"How'd ya sleep BB?" said Tom O'Horseraddish. "Okay, I figures" BB grumbled.
Today was one of the best... Grilled Cheese Tuesday. BB loved Grilled Cheeses most of all. More than pudding. More than Oreos. More than Oreos dipped in pudding. He could NOT wait for lunchtime. Hopefully Ms. Wartburger would let him get in line early if finished his chores first. Cleaning the toilets with toothbrushes wasn't that bad - especially if you compared it to THE other chore. The chore that was so horrific and inexplicable that only the worst of the orphans was burdened with its doing. Last month, Tom had been given the chore because he set 5 tacs in my Ms. Wartburger's desk chair. In short, Tom hasn't been the same. He doesn't even like Grilled Cheeses anymore which conveniently enough is great for BB.

"Say O'Horseraddish, you gonna eat yer Grilled Cheese today?" BB said rhetorically. Tom's eyes got puffy and he went silent for a bit after the question...

"NO, it's all yours," Tom spewed as he choked back another gag at the thought of cheese.

The day went on, and BB's passionate for Grilled Cheese fueled the most spectacular toilet cleaning imaginable. One would feel guilty for even breathing on the toilets after seeing their pristine glisten.

BB showed Ms. Wartburger his accomplishments expecting a congratulatory praise.

"Dat shitter looks like shit!" howled the Burger.

"But Ma'am I went through 6 packs of teefbrushes today, and last week Timmy-Bob used only 2." BB pleaded.

"You givin' me lip boy?" bellowed the burger.

"No'am"

"Damn straight, you're not... Now get the hell out of here 'for I change my mind and make you clean 'me again"

BB scurried off hoping to beat the other orphans. His only motivation to keep going was founded in the Grilled Cheese. Without it, he might as well forget how to breath.

As he turned the corner to the kitchen's food-line, he saw something that literally altered his existence.

 "Cornbeef" showed on the Kitchen's Bulletin Board.

To this day, there exists no string of words to describe BB's emotional implosion when his eyes scraped over each letter.

As BB stood there, anger began to culminate. A fury started to swell that is illegal in most moral municipalities. BB's vision faded and his concept of reason dissipated. He took twelve solid steps forwarded and cried, "CORNBEEF?!?!?!"

"Haha what's da matter Beefy Baby Bitch!" mocked Sampson Puddlenut.

"Look er'body, Beefy Baby Bitch is sad bout the Cornbeef."

BB mechanically turned his head and fixated on Puddlenut. He had always picked on BB. However, today was quite possibly the worst day for Puddlenut to toss a snide comment. Puddlenut had essentially signed his own death certificate.

"Dafuq ya say to me?!" BB challenged ferociously.

Puddlenut immediately knew he had made a mistake. Even though he was 3 years older and 2 feet taller, Puddlenut had heard about BB's origin's. Until today, BB's past had seemed to be but fiction. BB's current intensity confirmed the rumors in an instant. Puddlenut couldn't handle the realized folly anymore. He wet himself on the spot - which led to his eventual nickname "Puddlepants" but nevermind that now.

"That's what I thought Puddles, now MOVE OUT OF MY WAY."

The sea of orphans split as BB marched to the front of the line. Nobody had breathed, let alone moved freely in the past 57 seconds due to fear of capturing BB's attention. Movement in the kitchen only corresponded to the inaudible demands made by BB as he cleared the way.

As he scanned the staff for the highest ranking adult he met eyes with none other than his eventual mortal enemy.

----

That's as far as I got before purposefully pulling the "to be continued?!" bullshit. I wasn't sure if I'd keep writing but I thought why not leave it open ended? Cliff Hangers are pretty popular for a reason. Closure can leave the audience satisfied and ready to move on with things.

title: The Legend of Beefybitch

question: Who is Cornelius?

answer: The protagonist.

question: Why was Cornelius called Beefy Bitch?

answer: Because Cornelius can be shortened to Corn, which then led to Cornbeef. Eventually, this evolved to "Beefy Bitch."

question: What is the setting of the story?

answer: Information not found.

question: Do they live in an orphanage?

answer: Yes.

question: Write a ~0 sentence summary.