text:
 Monday, 7:00 am
The past couple of days have felt slightly... off. Although, I can't explain exactly what it feels like on paper. The best analogy I can possibly generate: everything just feels slightly tinted. The kind of tint that needs to be washed away. But how could this happen? I tried retracing steps countless times; yet nothing jumps out at me. It's the same as it's always been. I wake up at exactly 6:30 and let the alarm ring itself 10 times. I then walk over to the bathroom, making sure that I don't take any more or less than 10 steps to get there.

 I know, it seems strange so far but it's really not that bad. Afterwards, I take the towel off of the shower rod, unfold it; then refold it again and set it back on the shower rod. I routinely proceed to slide the shower curtain to the left, I then step into the shower, and slide the curtain back over to the right making sure to spread it out equally so that no water can escape. Now, I think this might be where everything went wrong. I pulled the shower handle outwards to turn the water on; then turned it all the way to the left. Except there was one thing that didn't fit the puzzle. What could it be though? I've been sitting here trying to figure it out for over 10 minutes now, I still can't put my finger on what it is. Anyways, it's almost 7:30 now; I should probably leave to go to work.

Monday, 5:30 pm

It all makes sense to me now, how could I have been so blind before? While I was walking my way to work; making sure to fit exactly 2 steps in every concrete square on the sidewalk, the solution had finally presented itself to me. It was that damned shower. I had forgotten to make sure that I turned the handle to the left until it clicked. I guess I must have just imagined that I turned it all the way. That makes perfect sense, and it also explains why the water had felt less scalding than it usually does. I'm such an idiot sometimes.
Well, I suppose there's no need for me to write about this anymore. I'm just glad that I can at last wash the tint away.

Tuesday, 7:00 am

No, this cannot be happening to me. The tint is still here. To make matters worse, I think the tint is darker than it was to start with. Maybe I'm just exaggerating, I don't even know what to do anymore. There isn't anything else that could have gone wrong besides the shower, I'm absolutely sure of it. After the shower, the only other part of the routine worth considering is getting dressed. For most people, choosing the right outfit for the day seems to be the hardest part of the morning. For me, it's the least methodical thing I do. Same black dress pants and blue dress shirt every single day. Oh, and of course the pen. I don't know if it's really worth mentioning, but before I walk out of the door I make sure to grab the pen off of the kitchen counter. I have an office job, so it comes in handy. I click it in and back out three times then put it on my dress shirt's chest pocket before leaving to go to work.

No, It's no use, none of those small routines could have been messed up. I'm now more scared than I've ever been before, and I can't help but think: what happens when the tint gets even darker?
I need to pull myself together, it's almost 7:30 now; I should probably leave to go to work.

Tuesday, 3:30 pm

My boss fired me today. He claims that I'm "Completely psychotic." It's strange, I don't know what made me drive the pen into his throat, but I'm so glad that I did. The smile has yet to leave my face. I can hardly believe it, I feel the tint starting to fade away.

P.S. To whomever finds this short journal, don't mind the blood on this last page.

I couldn't find any other pen to write with.

title: Tint

question: What is the Tint?

answer: The Tint is the way the narrator describes their feeling of things being a "little off."

question: Why have the past couple of days felt "off" for the narrator?

answer: It seems that the narrator has obsessive-compulsive disorder. He feels like he didn't complete all of the necessary steps to get ready one morning.

question: Is there a conflict in the story? Is it resolved?

answer: The conflict is that the narrator can't understand what he did wrong that is causing the Tint to stay with him and get darker. He stabs his boss in the throat, which makes the Tint start to fade.

question: Are there any other important characters in the story?

answer: A character worth noting is the narrator's boss. The narrator stabbed his boss in the throat with a pen. It's unclear whether his boss fired him before the incident or after.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer: It seems that the narrator has obsessive-compulsive disorder. He feels like he didn't complete all of the necessary steps to get ready one morning, which is causing an "off" feeling that the narrator describes as "the Tint". The narrator makes sure to do all of the necessary steps to get rid of the Tint, but it doesn't make a difference. One morning, he goes to work. His boss says that the narrator is "completely psychotic" and fires him. The narrator stabs him in the neck with a pen.  It's unclear whether his boss fired him before the incident or after.


split: train

text:
The NORFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION took place on 1 May 1997, coinciding with local elections for county councils in England and the 1997 general election.

The Council remained under No Overall Control. The Conservatives won the most seats, gaining 2, although Labour (who also gained 2) narrowly outpolled them in share of the vote, the Liberal Democrats lost 3 seats and the only independent lost their seat.

Summary of results

|-bgcolor=#F6F6F6 | colspan=2 style=“text-align: right; margin-right: 1em” | TOTAL | style=“text-align: right;” | 84 | colspan=5 | | style=“text-align: right;” | | style=“text-align: right;” | |-

title: 1997 Norfolk County Council election

question: Who were the candidates in the 1997 Norfolk County Council election?

answer: That information can't be found.

question: Who won the election?

answer: The council remained under No Overall Control.

question: When did the election take place?

answer: May 1, 1997

question: How many votes did the winning candidate win by?

answer: There was no winning candidate.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Norfolk County Council Election took place on May 1, 1997, coinciding with the 1997 general election in England. The council remained under No Overall Control.


text:
[Arundel Street, looking towards Strand] ARUNDEL STREET is a street in the City of Westminster, London, that runs from Strand in the north to Temple Place in the south. It is on land once occupied by Arundel House and its gardens.

Location

[Map by Wenceslaus Hollar (c. 1670s) showing Arundel House.] [The vicinity of Arundel Street (centre) on a 1950s Ordnance Survey map.] Arundel street runs from Strand in the north to Temple Place in the south. Before the construction of the Victoria Embankment (1865–70) it ran as far as the north side of the River Thames. It is joined on its eastern side by Water Street and the modern Maltravers Street, which runs to Milford Lane in the east but was destroyed by the construction of 190 Strand. Howard Street once joined Arundel on the west but no longer exists.

History

[Arundel Hotel advertising, c. late 1800s.] The street is on land once occupied by Arundel House and its gardens, the property of the Howard family, Dukes of Norfolk.[1] Arundel Street and its neighbouring streets, Howard, Norfolk, and Surrey, were all built after Arundel House was demolished by the earl of Arundel in 1678.[2]

It is mentioned nostalgically in John Gay's _Trivia_ (1716) as follows: “Behold that narrow street which steep descends, Whose buildings to the slimy shore extends; Here Arundel's fam'd structure rear'd its frame, The street alone retains the empty name”[3]

The Whittington Club, formed 1847, stood on the east side at the north end on the corner with Water Street. It was designed to offer the advantages of an expensive west end club at lower cost to the middle classes and also offered educational classes.[4]

The Arundel Hotel stood at the south end of the street on the western side at the end of the nineteenth century and start of the twentieth. It billed itself as “the largest private hotel in London”, providing rooms to professional men, officers, and Americans and their families, "for whom is especially provided a free “water cooler”.[5] It was rebuilt in the late nineteenth century and the bay front that faced Victoria Embankment was replaced with a gothic design. The hotel existed until at least the mid-twentieth century.

Buildings

[The modern Arundel House, home of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.] A large mixed-use development is underway on the eastern side of the street known as 190 Strand, as a result of which Maltravers Street will cease to exist.[6][7][8]

At the south end on the corner with Temple Place is the modern Arundel House, home of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The building is not on the site of the former Arundel House which was further north.

The western side of the street is taken up with office buildings and 190 Strand.

Former inhabitants

Former inhabitants of Arundel Street include:

-   John Anstis, Garter King at Arms.[9]
-   Eustace Budgell, writer for _The Spectator_ and MP.[10][11]
-   George Darley[12]
-   Simon Harcourt, Queen Anne's Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.[13]
-   Coventry Patmore, poet and author of _The Angel in the House_.[14]
-   John Howard Payne, composer of the song “Home! Sweet Home!”[15]
-   John Playford, publisher of _The English Dancing Master_ (1651).[16]
-   Mrs Porter, tragic actress.[17]
-   Thomas Rymer, antiquarian, died at his home in the street in 1713 and was buried at nearby St Clement Danes.[18]

[1] Bebbington, Gillian. (1972) _London street names_. London: B.T. Batsford. p. 27.

[2]

[3] Wheatley, Henry B. (1891) _London, past and present: Its history, associations, and traditions_. Vol. I. London: John Murray. p. 74.

[4] Cruchley, G.F. (1862) _London guide: A handbook for strangers &c._ London: G.F. Cruchley. p. 218.

[5] Advertising, The Arundel Hotel.

[6] 190 Strand. GRID Architects. Retrieved 14 December 2016.

[7] 190 Strand. St Edward Homes. Retrieved 14 December 2016.

[8] 190 Strand. St Edward Homes. Retrieved 14 December 2016.

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18] Williams, George G. Assisted by Marian and Geoffrey Williams. (1973) _Guide to literary London_. London: Batsford. p. 86.

title: Arundel Street

question: Where is Arundel Street?

answer: The City of Westminster, London.

question: Where does Arundel Street run?

answer: From Strand in the north to Temple Place in the south.

question: What once stood on Arundel Street?

answer: It is on land once occupied by Arundel House and its gardens.

question: What club formed in 1847 stood on the north end on the corner with Water Street?

answer: The Whittington Club.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article is about Arundel Street, a street in the City of Westminster, London. It tells its history and discusses some of its buildings and former inhabitants.


text:
ANACUA is a census-designated place (CDP) in Starr County, Texas, United States. It is a new CDP formed from part of the La Rosita CDP prior to the 2010 census with a population of 12.[1]

Geography

Anacua is located at (26.385581, -98.919151).[2]).

[1]

[2]

title: Anacua, Texas

question: How is Anacua described?

answer: Anacua is described as a census-designated place (CDP).

question: Where is Anacua located?

answer: Anacua is located in Starr County, Texas.

question: What is the population of Anacua?

answer: It has a population of 12.

question: From what former CDP was Anacua formed from?

answer: It was formed from La Rosita.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes a census-designated place in Texas called Anacua.


text:
[Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk visiting Paris in 1923, accompanied by Edvard Beneš, Ambassador Štefan Osuský a Mrs Osuská] [The Štefan Osuský Monument (left) in Brezová pod Bradlom] ŠTEFAN OSUSKÝ, Ph.D., J.D. (31 March 1889 – 27 September 1973) was an Austro-Hungarian born Slovak lawyer, diplomat, politician and university professor.

Biography

Osuský was born in March 1889 in Brezová pod Bradlom, in the Nyitra County of the Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Slovakia). In 1902 he began his studies at the Lutheran Lyceum in present-day Bratislava. However, in 1905 he was expelled from school because of his Slovak patriotic feelings and banned from all schools in the territory of the Dual Monarchy Austria-Hungary on a direct order of count Apponyi, Minister of Religion and Education of Hungary.[1] Count Apponyi asked Osuský if he was going to be a “good Hungarian”; Osuský's silence on the question was taken by Apponyi as an offence. Osuský recalls the incident in his biography:[2][3]

    In spring of 1905 the minister of education, Count Apponyi, came to the lyceum to pay an inspection visit. He came to our class when we had Latin. Latin was my favorite subject and I was very good in it. ... After the exam Count Apponyi called me and asked me in Hungarian, “What is your name, young lad?” I answered, “My name is Osuský.” “Where are you from?” “From Brezová.” He replied: “Brezová, isn't it the nest that breeds all the revolts against Hungarians? You, however, are going to be a good Hungarian!” He didn't ask me whether I'd be a good Hungarian citizen, but simply if I'd be a good Hungarian. I remembered the words of my father's not to mix into politics. ... I paused a little to think about the best answer. Obviously, I could not agree to be a good Hungarian, I could not even force myself to say anything like that, so I remained silent.

Therefore, in 1906, he left for the United States. In Springfield and Chicago Osuský pursued his studies of theology, natural sciences and law, receiving a JD degree in 1916.

Immediately after his arrival in the United States he began working actively in expatriate organizations, at first in the Czech National Association, later in the Slovak League in the US. In 1915 he established the newspapers _Slovenské slovo_ (“Slovak Word”) and _Slovenský týždenník_ (“Slovak Weekly”). In 1916 Osuský became the vice-president of the Slovak League, which in turn sent him to Europe to negotiate cooperation with Czecho-Slovak foreign resistance. His task was to ensure the acceptance of the Cleveland Agreement principles.

In Paris he started to cooperate with the Czechoslovak National Council, whose objective was the dissolution of Austria-Hungary and the creation of a new state for Czechs and Slovaks. Between 1917 and 1918 Osuský worked as the director of a Czecho-Slovak press agency in Geneva. Between 8–10 April 1918 in Rome he was a representative, together with Milan Rastislav Štefánik, of Slovaks at the Congress of Oppressed Nations. In 1918 he helped organize the Czechoslovak Legions in Italy, established in spite of international treaties prohibiting the creation of military units out of captured enemies.[4]

After the creation of Czechoslovakia he began working in the diplomatic services of the new republic. From October 1918 he held the post of the country's diplomatic representative in the United Kingdom. As secretary general of a Czechoslovak delegation in 1919-1920 he participated in the Paris Peace Conference. On 4 June 1920 in Grand Trianon as the extraordinary and plenipotentiary envoy of Czechoslovakia he signed the Treaty of Trianon with Hungary. He later recalled: “I will never forget about one thing. When I was signing my name underneath the treaty carrying the name Trianon, at quarter to five in June 1920, I was fully aware, that I was signing for the final account of the Slovak nation to Kingdom of Hungary, accounting for the costs signed top down by blood, suffering and poverty of my nation. And this statement of account is eternal.”[5]

He significantly contributed to the functioning of the newly formed League of Nations; between 1921 and 1932 he worked with the Reparations Commission, representing not only Czechoslovakia but also Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania and Greece. From 1922 he was the chairman of the Supervisory Commission - a function he held for fourteen years. He was also active in the Delimitation Commission, tasked with setting new borders in Europe.

From 1921 Osuský worked as the Czechoslovak ambassador in France, contributing significantly to the development of Czechoslovak-French relations, a cornerstone of ČSR's international security. He remained at this post until the Second World War. After the breakup of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, he refused to relinquish the embassy and kept the office functioning.[6] He began to organize Czechoslovak foreign resistance. 2 October 1939 Osuský signed an Agreement on the Reestablishment of the Czechoslovak Army in France with French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier. His activity, however, met with resistance, especially with Eduard Beneš. Although in November 1939 he became a member of the Czechoslovak National Committee founded by Beneš, and in July 1940 Osuský was designated a minister of the Czechoslovak government in exile in London, his relations with Beneš were deteriorating. The differences with Beneš lay especially in the areas of foreign policy, the organization of Czechoslovak foreign resistance, the post-war restructuring of the republic and the solution of the Slovak issue. In March 1942 Beneš removed him from all functions and Osuský retired from the active scene.

He began lecturing on the history of diplomacy and international relations at Oxford. In the spring of 1945 Osuský left for the United States, becoming a professor at the Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. After the Communist takeover in February 1948 he was active in the Council of Free Czechoslovakia. He also worked as a journalist-political scientist. In his work he especially paid attention to the history and presence of Czechoslovak politics in international relations. He died in Herndon, Virginia, on 27 September 1973.

He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. The epitaph on his grave reads: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither.”

In 1992 the post-Communist Czechoslovak government posthumously awarded him the Order of T. G. Masaryk I-class. In 2001 Osuský received the Order of the White Double Cross II-class in memoriam.

[1] Kirschbaum, Joseph M. _Slovakia in the 19th & 20th Centuries._ Toronto: Slovak World Congress, 1973, p. 97.

[2]

[3]

[4] The treatment of prisoners of war, Chapter II of the Annex to the 1907 Hague Convention

[5]

[6]

title: Štefan Osuský

question: What does the text say about Štefan Osuský's formal education?

answer: Osuský studied at the Lutheran Lyceum from 1902 to 1905. However, he was expelled after offending Count Apponyi. When Osuský was asked if he was going to be a good Hungarian, he remained silent, which Count Apponyi did not like. As a consequence, he was banned from all schools in Austria-Hungary. Thus, he went to the United States to study theology, natural sciences, and law. He received a JD in 1916.

question: What does the article say about Osuský's life in the United States?

answer: After he was expelled from his school and banned from all other schools for offending Count Apponyi with his Slovac patriotism, Osusky went to the United States in 1906.  He pursued his studies and worked in expatriate organizations, such as the Czech National Association and the Slovak League. He established two newspapers, which translated in English as "Slovak Word" and "Slovak Weekly."

question: What does the article say about his death?

answer: Osusky was active in freeing Czechoslovakia when Communists took over in 1948. However, he died on September 27, 1973, in Virginia. Many years after his death, in 1992, he was awarded by the post-Communist Czechoslovak government the  Order of T. G. Masaryk I-class, and in 2001, the Order of the White Double Cross II-class in memoriam.

question: What does the text say about Osusky's marriage?


text:
I don't usually drink alone in bars, but the idea seemed great. Ever since she left, the urge was steadily building. Nothing else I did felt like a proper ending. She lingered. So one night I  went out, alone, to a bar, aiming at becoming the idea. I sat and ordered my drink. The experience was nothing like the idea. Quietly wasting away, the first twenty minutes or so were horrendous. Then he sat down- at least I think he did. I don't remember, maybe he was already there. I do remember the first thing he said: "How's your beer?" My beer was excellent- I had become an expert on my beer. Sit alone for twenty minutes (or more?) sipping your beer, and you will be quite primed to describe said beer. So I did. And he listened. It was not a very interesting description.

That's how we got to talking. We talked about where we were, the bar itself, and we talked about our beers. We joked about the news, and the weather, then exchanged tiny best-of's we'd gathered from our lives. Best jokes heard, best one-liners, best pranks. Best tricks, best stories. We shared and drank some more, and we never asked the other his name. We didn't talk about what we did, or who we were. We talked about what we thought. There is a difference. The night was long, and in a way it was tiring. It was also a release. Hours later, as the sun started to rise, I thought it prudent to finally get my friend's name. Which is when he suddenly plopped down his final glass, and as if reading my mind, said "No need for names." We'd gotten into sync with one another. Hours of intense conversation will do that. Then he stretched, got up, and put on his hat. He said something to me then, and I don't think I'll forget it. He said, "You know something? I'm not what a lot of people would consider successful, but I love Time. Time and death. I love time, because it means even someone like me is a traveler." He paused to throw on his scarf.

Then he continued, "You know, I had a physics teacher once, and he explained how space and time are cut from the same cloth- fact, they are the same cloth. You and me, we sat here, and we drank, and we talked, and the whole time we traveled. Time keeps you moving, even when it seems like you aren't." He put on his jacket.

I asked him, "And death?"

He stopped, his hands in his sleeves, and said "Death is always the end of the line. So it 's the journey that matters. Without death, we'd think the destination was the point." That was the last thing he said to me.

I said "goodbye" to him, and as was my habit, "good luck." too. Then I went home and slept, and maybe dreamed, perhaps about how far I'd come from who I'd been.

title: Like many others, I delude myself into thinking I'll one day be an author. Here is some flash fiction: "Drinking Alone"

question: Why is the narrator sitting in a bar drinking on his own?

answer: A woman had left him and the feeling had been building. She lingered and nothing had felt like a proper ending.

question: Did he enjoy his beer?

answer: He hated it. The first twenty minutes were horrendous.

question: Why was talking to the stranger a release?

answer: Maybe because they spoke about their thoughts. The narrator may not have had anyone else to talk to. Since they did not know each other they could speak freely unjudged.

question: Why did the narrator feel that he had progressed from where he had been

answer: Perhaps knowing that the journey is important is what made him think. Perhaps just unburdening on a stranger helped.

question: Write a ~11 sentence summary.

answer:
The narrator is drinking alone in a bar, not a usual habit. A stranger sits next to him and asks about his beer. They share stories and drank some more. They didn’t share names until the sun was rising. They had shared thoughts throughout the night.

The stranger told him that he loved time and death. He says that a physics teacher had told him that space and time were the same things so when you spent the time you were in fact travelling. The reason the stranger loves death is that it is the end of the line. Without death, we would think that the destination was the point. It's the journey that matters.

The narrator goes home to sleep and thinks that he may have dreamed about how far he had come from who he’d been.


text:
Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama, who has vowed to retaliate against Moscow over its election cyber-meddling, faces the media Friday as tensions soar with Russia's Vladimir Putin, whose Syria strategy has left Washington on the back foot.

Just hours before he heads to Hawaii with his family for his last Christmas as president, Obama will hold his traditional year-end press conference at 2:15 pm (1915 GMT).

It will be closely watched by his elected successor Donald Trump, who has pledged closer ties with the Kremlin.

"I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections that we need to take action," Obama told NPR radio.

"And we will, at a time and place of our own choosing," he added, remaining vague about the nature of the retaliation, which could take multiple forms, some straightforward and others more subtle.

Slapping sanctions on Putin's inner circle would put Trump, the 70-year-old Republican president-in-waiting, in a difficult position once in office: repealing the sanctions would spark accusations of being too cozy with Moscow, a stated policy shift that has alarmed some in his own Republican Party.

Just five weeks before he leaves the White House, the outgoing Obama -- who has a somewhat limited margin for action -- is purposefully looking to raise the stakes over Russian election hacking, which US intelligence says was designed to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton, a Putin critic.

Of course, how much that hacking may have helped Trump, or hurt Clinton, is impossible to gauge.

Several observers believe that Moscow was first trying to erode the confidence of Americans that the November 8 election was fair and legitimate.

Moscow has virulently denied the US accusations.

"At this point they need to either stop talking about this or finally present some sort of proof. Otherwise this looks extremely scurrilous," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists during a visit by Putin to Japan.

While Obama did not mention Putin by name in his interview with NPR, one of his top advisors, Ben Rhodes, said Thursday: "I don't think things happen in the Russian government of this consequence without Vladimir Putin knowing about it."

- FBI role up for debate -

Trump rejects the intelligence community's assessment made public on October 7 about Russia vote interference and qualified as "ridiculous" a secret CIA evaluation unveiled by The Washington Post that the hacking was done specifically to help Trump win.

He will soon be in charge of these same agencies.

Pointing the finger at the Russian president over meddling in the election puts the White House on a collision course with Trump, who has become increasingly isolated on the issue, even among Republicans.

The Republican president-elect has often praised Putin's leadership abilities, and has insinuated that the Obama administration is playing party politics by accusing Russia of orchestrating the hacks of Democratic Party emails that appeared to have slowed the momentum of Clinton's campaign.

"If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?" Trump tweeted on Thursday.

Obama has recalled that the first intelligence assessment came "a month before the election -- this was not a secret."

"We determined and announced in October that it was the consensus of all the intelligence agencies and law enforcement that organizations affiliated with Russian intelligence were responsible for the hacking of the DNC, materials that were being leaked," he said Monday.

Former CIA director Michael Hayden called Trump "the only prominent American that has not yet conceded that the Russians conducted a massive covert influence campaign against the United States."

Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, who saw thousands of his emails hacked and leaked by WikiLeaks just weeks before the election, on Friday slammed what he called mismanagement at the heart of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Podesta drew a contrast between what he called the FBI's "massive response" to Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state, and its "seemingly lackadaisical response" to Russian hacking.

"Congress should more vigorously exercise its oversight to determine why the FBI responded overzealously in the Clinton case and insufficiently in the Russian case," he wrote in a commentary published in The Washington Post.

"The election is over and the damage is done, but the threat from Russia and other potential aggressors remains urgent and demands a serious and sustained response."

Related:

_For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android._

question: Did Russia meddle in the 2016 US Presidential Election?

answer: The article appears to suggest that the Russians specifically meddled in the elections in order for them to favour Trump.

question: What would have happened the Russians hadn't meddled in the election?

answer: It is unknown how far the effect of the Russian hacking went to influencing the end result of the election, so it is hard to give a strong answer.

question: What was Donald Trump's take on the Russian hacking?

answer: He thought it was ridiculous and questioned why it was only brought up after Hillary lost the election.

question: Is there an hypocrisy when it comes to how government agencies treated Hillary Clinton compared to how they treated Trump?

answer: It would appear as though the FBI's response to Hillary's use of a private email server was over-zealous compared to the way they dealt with the Russian hacking.


text:
This is a draft of a monologue from a full length novel I am writing. All feedback is appreciated. Be harsh with me - I'm trying to capture your soul here.

---

  Men with too many ideals simply don't make it in this world.  They're missing just too many crucial aspects of know-how to accomplish anything. So, yeah, I let him die - in fact - I *watched* him die knowing that this revolution would prosper and flourish *so* much longer without him.  Fuck his 'vision'.

You want to know what really makes people go fucking nuts and actually sacrifice *everything*?

A martyr.

Why?  Because rather than trying to persuade you with some kind of lofty moral tautology or periphrastic rhetoric - instead - they do something far more meaningful.

They die for you.

Boom, get it? Someone died so that you, inconsequential *you*, could love and live - and well, holy fuck - now you give people a whole new reason for existing rather than just eating and fucking, like everyone else, and you can *actually* accomplish something.

See most people like to feel guilty for just existing. I don't know why - but they do. Maybe it's this intrinsic flaw I keep hearing so much about.

They feel guilty and this martyr is the *perfect* price for penance *and* for succeeding against all odds; for accomplishing more than they could ever dream.

So, yes.  That blood is on my hands and if I burn for eternity, then so be it.

EDIT: monologue FROM a novel.
EDIT2: GRAMMAR

title: I Watched Him Die.

question: What is the narrator's main point?

answer: The narrator is fine with having someone's blood on their hands and burning for eternity if that means their revolution will flourish. It's not clear if the narrator thinks they are the martyr, but it's possible.

question: Describe the narrator's thoughts on martyrs?

answer: They believe martyrs make people go crazy and sacrifice everything due to giving people a whole new reason for existing. They see a martyr as the perfect price for penance.

question: Has the narrator committed any crimes?

answer: It seems like they killed someone for a revolution, but it's not totally clear.

question: What actions mentioned in this story would lead people to believe the narrator doesn't have good morals?

answer: The narrator says they let someone die, and don't mind that there's blood on their hands.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator discusses martyrdom and how it makes people sacrifice everything. They say that they let someone die for the good of a revolution. Due to this, they have no problem having blood on their hands.


text:
On Radio Derb a month ago, His Excellency John Derbyshire recounted his quizzing of visiting Repub presidential wannabees about immigration policy when these exalted beings showed up at the _National Review_ offices to strut their stuff before the assembled staff:

  It was eye-opening, just how little these supposed masters of policy knew about U.S. immigration and how obviously unwilling they were even to begin thinking about it. I might as well have been asking them about conjugation of verbs in ancient Sanskrit.

  If you ever find yourself falling into the way of thinking that these people we trudge out to vote for every four years are philosopher kings, let me tell you: Just sit at a table with one of them and ask him about immigration policy. That'll cure you.

Similarly, with a few honorable exceptions (Senator Jeff Sessions and Representatives Lou Barletta, Steve King, Marsha Blackburn, Lamar Smith, Ed Royce, and Dana Rohrabacher come immediately to mind), gibbering inanities are the most likely responses if you ask a question about immigration at a townhall meeting of your congressman/woman or either of your senators.

Nevertheless, it's worthwhile to attend and — if you can muscle your way to the microphone — ask pointed questions on immigration for which the usual pap ("We're a nation of immigrants!!") clearly isn't responsive.  Besides putting your target on notice that such mindless pap actually falls quite short when dealing with knowledgeable questioners, your appearance can also educate the rest of the audience and encourage them to "look beyond the pap" in thinking about immigration.

It's now late in the current season of townhall meetings held by congresspeople and senators during this "district work period," but more than twenty are still to happen before Congress returns to our imperial capital, the week after Labor Day.  The remaining ones, from August 21 on, are listed at the end of this note, taken from a compendium assembled by the proprietor of the immigration-focused and information-packed website 24ahead.com.

Importantly, that anonymous website proprietor has also assembled lists of dandy questions to use at such townhalls, both now and at any future opportunities.  Further, these questions can also be the basis for letters-to-the-editor and can be used in customizing the faxes you send via NumbersUSA.  (For the latter, the postscript is a great place to use a pointed question, as it's more likely, when inserted there, to have an impact on a congressional staffer's consciousness.)

The set of questions for use with Republican big-shots is here [on the left; scroll down].  Questions primarily targeting Democrat pooh-bahs are here.  And immediately below, I list a subset of each.   I've modified the wording of some questions,  mixed up their order, and added my own numbering.  (Below the two subsets of questions is that list or remaining townhall dates and places.)

QUESTIONS FOR REPUBLICANS

  R1. After mass legalization, will some ex-illegal aliens move up in the job market and compete with Americans they couldn't compete with before?

  R2. After mass legalization, if some ex-illegal aliens move up in the job market, will there be fewer crop-pickers, etc.?

  R3. Because of that, won't growers take stepsto enable _future_ illegal immigration, as they do now?

  R4. Please give at least two specific downsides to comprehensive immigration “reform.”

  R5. Would "comprehensive immigration reform" be a massive amnesty for businesses that knowingly hired illegal aliens—yes or no?

  R6. Pretend for a second that you're Obama, Reid, or Pelosi. Why do you want immigration “reform” so much? What's your motive?

  R7. You want to legalize millions of illegal aliens. Will that give more power to the far-left—yes or no?

  R8. Why do the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Walmart, McDonald’s, _et al._ want immigration “reform” so much? What's their motive?

  R9. You want higher STEM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics] immigration. Are STEM wages increasing at a rate that would indicate that there's a shortage of STEM workers?

  R10. You based your stance for more STEM-worker immigration on what hi-tech executives say. Could they be lying?

  R11. Can you think of any downsides to increased STEM-worker immigration?

  R12. Would many unemployed Americans do farm or similar labor if they were paid enough?

  R13. An illegal alien and a similar U.S. citizen apply forone college slot.Whom do you give it to? (So, will you oppose the DREAM Act?)

  R14. Besides "comprehensive immigration reform” and mass deportations, can you think of any alternatives, or is it just those two? (One alternative is attrition. If you disagree with attrition, please explain why.)

  R15. At current rates, it'd take 5-10 years for the FBI to do background checks on 10 million illegal aliens. Is that acceptable?

  R16. Would less-than-FBI-quality background checks be a acceptable?

  R17. If you legalized illegal aliens but allowed them no chance at citizenship, how would the ACLU, NCLR [la Raza], LULAC, SPLC, etc. respond?

  R18. About how many people worldwide have lower incomes than the average Mexican?  (An answer within +/– one billion is OK.)

  R19. Sheldon Adelson claimed today's immigration is just like that of yesteryear.  He’s wrong.  What are some  differences between then and now?

  R20. Is it accurate to call the USA a "nation of immigrants"?  What about the vast majority of us who were born here?  Shouldn't the phrase be a "nation of citizens"?

  R21. Is farm labor heavily subsidized?  e.g. Does an illegal-alien-farmworker couple who have two kids in school pay sufficient taxes to cover the public benefits their family receives?

QUESTIONS FOR DEMOCRATS

  D1. What impact will former illegal aliens moving up in the job market have on U.S. citizens in those jobs now?

  D2. In 2006, then-senator Joe Biden supported punishing illegal aliens' employers.How many criminal prosecutions of such scofflaws have there been since Biden became vice-president in 2009?

  D3. Pretend you're a small town Wal-Mart cashier. Will immigration reform create new competitors for your job —yes or no?

  D4. Some number of illegal aliens won't take part in "reform". Should we search for and deport them — or what?

  D5. If, after "reform," you'll find and deport potentially hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, why won't you do that now?

  D6. Has there been a spike in inflation-adjusted farm labor wages that would indicate a shortage of farmworkers?

  D7. If politicians had _really_ wanted to enforce our immigration laws, would there be so many illegal aliens in the U.S.—yes or no?

  D8. Vice-President Biden said that after immigration reform, "pay levels will go up". Is that why Big Business wants it so much?

  D9. Do you and the Koch brothers generally agree on the need for increased immigration?

  D10. Assume that “comprehensive immigration reform” includes big increases in “guest workers.”  Will you send back to their own countries termed-out "guests" who've had kids here?

  D11. Does any immigration bill that you know of punish businesses that knowingly employ illegal aliens?

  D12. Isn't immigration reform "amnesty" in the sense that businesses that have knowingly employed illegal aliens won't be fined?

  D13. If immigration "reform" that includes more enforcement passes, will you then urge ACLU/SPLC/NCLR/etc. to fully support it?

  D14. If those who've died crossing the border had known they couldn't get a job here, would fewer of them have tried to cross?

  D15. AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka said "Wages are not going up, which indicates there is no shortage." Is he right or wrong?

  D16. Citizenship for illegal aliens will give them political power. Who will lose political power as a result?

LIST OF REMAINING TOWNHALL MEETINGS

(There's also a NumbersUSA page that places _remaining_ townhall meetings on a map.  You can zoom in using the magnification control in the map's lower-right corner.  As there isn't 100 percent agreement between the map and the list below, it makes sense to check both.)

8/21/2014

Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Gene Green (Democrat)

State: TX

City: Houston

Address: High Meadows Branch Library (Meeting Room) 4500 Aldine Mail Route Houston, Texas 77039

==

Time: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Politician: Rep. John Shimkus (Republican)

State: IL

City: Salem

Address: State Representative John Cavaletto's office 1370 West Main Street, Suite A, Salem, IL

==

Time: 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Politician: Rep. David Valadao (Republican)

State: CA

City: Hanford

Address: Congressman Valadao's Hanford Office 101 North Irwin Street, Suite 110B Hanford, California 93230

==

Time: 7 p.m.

Politician: Sen. Mike Lee (Republican)

State: UT

City: Draper

Address: 1225 East 13200 South, Draper, UT

==

Time: 4 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Peter DeFazio (Democrat)

State: OR

City: Veneta

Address: 88184 8th St., Veneta, OR

==

Time: 11 a.m.

Politician: Rep. Peter DeFazio (Democrat)

State: OR

City: Florence

Address: 1460 9th St.. Florence, OR

8/23/2014

Time: 3 p.m.

Politician: Sen. Johnny Isakson (Republican)

State: GA

City: Forsyth

Address: 68 North Lee Street, Forsyth, GA 31029

==

Time: 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Politician: Rep. Donna Edwards (Democrat)

State: MD

City: Hyattsville

Address: Shortcake Bakery 4700 Rhode Island Ave Hyattsville, MD 20781

8/24/2014

Time: 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Brad Sherman (Democrat)

State: CA

City: Lake Balboa

Address: Birmingham High School 17000 Haynes St., Lake Balboa

8/25/2014

Time: 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Rob Woodall (Republican)

State: GA

City: Lawrenceville

Address: Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046

==

Time: 6 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Tom McClintock (Republican)

State: TX

City: Rocklin

Address: Rocklin Event Center 2650 Sunset Boulevard, Rocklin, TX

==

Time: 2:30

Politician: Sen. Johnny Isakson (Republican)

State: GA

City: Covington

Address: 239 Cedar Lane, Covington, GA 30014

==

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Peter DeFazio (Democrat)

State: OR

City: Eugene

Address: 2580 Hilyard St, Eugene, OR

8/26/2014

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Bill Pascrell (Democrat)

State: NJ

City: Clifton

Address: City of Clifton Municipal Building - Council Chambers 900 Clifton Avenue Clifton, NJ 07013

==

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Tom Cole (Republican)

State: OK

City: Newcastle

Address: Newcastle Community Center 705 NW 10th Street Newcastle, OK 73065

==

Time: 6 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Sam Farr (Democrat)

State: CA

City: Hollister

Address: 481 4th Street, 1st Floor Hollister, CA

==

Time: 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Rob Woodall (Republican)

State: GA

City: Cumming

Address: University of North Georgia-Cumming Campus, 300 Aquatic Circle, Room 125, Cumming, Georgia 30040

==

Time: 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Gene Green (Democrat)

State: TX

City: Houston

Address: Reveille/Park Place Civic Club Charlton Park Community Center 8200 Park Place Blvd. Houston, Texas 77017

8/27/2014

Time: 7 p.m.

Politician: Sen. Mike Lee (Republican)

State: UT

City: Ephraim

Address: 150 East College Ave, Ephraim, UT

==

Time: 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Jared Polis (Democrat)

State: CO

City: Berthoud

Address: Berthoud Area Community Center 248 Welch Ave. Berthoud, CO 80513

==

Time: 12 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Tom Cole (Republican)

State: OK

City: Purcell

Address: McClain County Community Center 1721 Hardcastle Boulevard Purcell, OK 73080

==

Time: 1 p.m.

Politician: Sen. Johnny Isakson (Republican)

State: GA

City: Young Harris

Address: 1 College Street, Young Harris, GA 30582

==

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Politician: Sen. Johnny Isakson (Republican)

State: GA

City: Griffin

Address: 1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, GA 30223

8/28/2014

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Sam Farr (Democrat)

State: CA

City: Santa Cruz

Address: 900 High Street Santa Cruz, CA

==

Time: 7 p.m.

Politician: Sen. Mike Lee (Republican)

State: UT

City: St. George

Address: 224 South 700 East, St. George, UT

==

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Politician: Rep. Doug Collins (Republican)

State: GA

City: Lavonia

Address: 1269 E. Main Street, Lavonia, GA 30553

9/4/2014

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Politician: Sen. Johnny Isakson (Republican)

State: GA

City: Brunswick

Address: College of Coastal Georgia 1 College Drive, Brunswick, GA 31520

9/6/2014

Time: 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Politician: Rep. David Valadao (Republican)

State: CA

City: Kerman

Address: Kerman Senior Center 720 South 8th Street Kerman, California 93630

More information

question: What seems to be the author's main qualm with asking representatives and elected officials questions on immigration?

answer: They give canned, meaningless responses that don't actually answer the question.

question: What is one concern the author has with making workers whose status was previously illegal, legal?

answer: Their might be fewer people to do the (more menial) jobs they used to do.

question: What does the author ponder regarding the deaths of people who have crossed the border to the US illegally?

answer: That they might not have risked it if they'd known there wasn't even a job in the US for them.

question: Whom is the author asking to respond to the issue of business' continuing to employ immigrants illegally?

answer: Democrats.


text:
[smashing pumpkins 2012 band photo e1340041598223 Interview: Billy Corgan (of Smashing Pumpkins)]

Twenty-four years and counting, Billy Corgan now arrives to _Oceania_, the ninth and latest full-length effort from his Smashing Pumpkins. Over 13 tracks, the album within the band’s ensuing, colossal 44-track concept effort, _Teargarden by Kaleidyscope_, hints at a breakthrough for both Corgan and the surrounding members. It’s lush, aggressive, and endearing, insisting that this may be a new era for an outfit that’s struggled over the past decade.

Though, “struggle” is an understatement. In the past few years, the Chicago songwriter has dealt with countless blows and hurdles, including the departure of longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. It’s an extraordinary story, and one recently told to _Consequence of Sound_‘s Len Comaratta, who spoke with Corgan on where he’s been and where he plans to push the Pumpkins moniker in the very near future.

I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO _OCEANIA_ AND ENJOYING IT._
_

Thank you. I still can get on the horse and ride if I put my mind to it.

I NEVER DOUBTED THAT.

Thank you, but believe me, I’ve been doubted plenty; and at some point, you get doubted so much that you actually start thinking, well, maybe they got a point, and maybe I _can’t_ do this anymore. I never deep down believed that; but you end up sounding like a blowhard if you keep talking about how you know what you’re doing, and everyone’s like, “Yeah, yeah, sure you do.” Let’s talk about 1993 again, you know.

WELL, WE WILL REVISIT SOME OF THAT, IF THAT’S OKAY WITH YOU.

Oh, yeah, that’s totally fine.

CRITICS NOTED BACK WHEN YOU RELEASED _MARY STAR OF THE SEA_ THAT YOU SOUNDED HAPPY, RELAXED, AND REFRESHED. OBVIOUSLY, THAT WASN’T REALLY THE CASE THEN. ON _OCEANIA_, THOUGH, YOU REALLY DO SOUND REFRESHED AND HAPPY.

Yeah, I’m in a really good situation. Honestly, I never thought I would be again in a band.

REALLY?

Well, obviously, the Pumpkins left a bitter taste in everyone; Zwan left an even more bitter taste, if you can imagine that. So, I thought, “Well, fuck this.” I’m never gonna put myself in a situation where anybody has any sort of authority. Even if I have a band, it will be a de facto solo project. With the one exception being obviously when I was in the band again with Jimmy, because obviously that’s a different kind of relationship because of the tenure and because of my respect for him as a musician. But even then, our relationship, as far as it worked, was sort of developed; it wasn’t a guessing game. I knew what he was great at, and he knew what I was great at, and we just knew how to work very quickly. But as far as ever letting anybody else into the space, into my personal space, my private space, my emotional space, I thought I would never ever again let any musician into that space.

And it’s been an interesting kind of fated journey with Nicole, Mike, and Jeff. I played with Mike for a while, just doing demos and stuff like that. We even did a few gigs – Spirits in the Sky. And when I started talking about putting the lineup back together to go play live, Jeff had gone back to teaching. He had been on tour with us for a few years and then gone back to teaching. He wasn’t necessarily planning on coming back. We didn’t have any kind of split or anything; it was that the situation was inert.

So, then when Jeff and Mike and I started to play, we were like, well, we need somebody to play bass, so for a while we had Mark Tulin, a friend from the Electric Prunes, playing bass. His health was a little bit suspect; unfortunately, he ended up dying of a heart attack not too long after that, which is really sad looking back. So, we thought, well we gotta get a bass player. As soon as Nicole was in the room, it was that funny feeling of “Wow, this is it. This is the four of us.” That was a long way to get to that, but it was like, “Could this actually be happening again? Am I in a band?” The four of us are meant to work together, just like you have a fated feeling with a love partner. It’s that sense of destiny, but you’re like, “What is this? I wasn’t really expecting this.” And I really wasn’t expecting it; I was just expecting to put together a functional music unit.

Over the two years that we’ve been an intact lineup, they’ve shown an ability and a willingness and a temerity to lead, to take possession of the Pumpkins’ world, to stand up for things, to fight for things internally that are important and help rebuild my confidence and support me when other people are constantly telling me I’m an idiot and to go back to playing the old songs kind of thing. Behind the scenes is really important to me. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like, “Wow, I’m really in a room with people who really got my back.” It’s a really good feeling, and I can’t praise them enough right now.

[oceaniahires e1339995983113 Interview: Billy Corgan (of Smashing Pumpkins)]

BYRNE IS ONLY 22 YEARS OLD, NICOLE’S IN HER THIRTIES, AND YOU’RE IN YOUR FORTIES, SO YOU’RE COVERING OVER THREE DECADES OF ROCK AND ROLL. ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, TOO. NICOLE’S FROM YOUR HOMETOWN. HOW DID YOUR CIRCLES COME TOGETHER? OR WAS IT JUST FATE?

Actually, I think Nicole’s from Boston or Massachusetts.

OH, OK. BUT SHE DID PLAY WITH VERUCA SALT, RIGHT?

Yeah, but she never lived here. What was the question again?

DO YOU BELIEVE THE BAND COMING TOGETHER WAS FATE?

I believe in that kind of stuff; I know not everybody does. But it feels fated, because it just works. And like any unit, we have strengths and weaknesses. We’ve worked hard on our strengths, and we’ve tried to cover up a few of the weaknesses. We’re, maybe on the surface, not as full-on a rock and roll band as say, the original lineup was, but this band is really good with space and tone and texture, which I think you can hear on the album. And we’re just getting into that, so I’m excited about what’s to come.

And I said this to somebody yesterday in an interview: They’re having this experience for the first time. The fact that fans are already embracing _Oceania_ so vividly, the same fans that have been _super_ critical of them. You know, the fan sites have been really brutal, on particularly Mike, because he’s not Jimmy Chamberlin. It’s like, who can be fuckin’ Jimmy Chamberlin? He’s an incredible drummer. So, now they get to have the experience that people are going to actually embrace them, in their own musical situation. I get to take that ride with them, and hopefully it will inspire me, too.

LISTENING TO THE OPENING OF THE ALBUM, IT DEFINITELY TOOK ME BACK TO _GIS_H–THE OPENING PART OF “QUASAR”.

Yeah, yeah.

WAS THAT INTENTIONAL?

No, not at all. I think what it is, is I’ve always worked pretty conceptually. And I think if you listen to _Siamese_ you hear where I sort of cut off the _Gish_ bridge; and then _Mellon Collie_ you hear where I cut off the _Siamese_ bridge. I’m just a crash-and-burn artist, and so for the first time in my life I’m like, “I’m not gonna crash-and-burn anything.” I’m just going to reach for what I know that I love, that I can feel. So if I’m playing a riff that sounds like _Gish_, fucking great if it rocks. Who cares? Especially when you live in the circumstance like I do, where you have other bands, especially young bands, continually, that are very influenced by my band, that are contemporary. What’s wrong with me being me? [laughs] You know what I mean? It’s like, “Ok, I’ll be me, too.”

YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT A DIY ETHIC AND MENTIONED BANDS LIKE THE CLASH, THE CURE, AND NIRVANA AS BANDS WHO HAVE KICKED THE DOOR IN THEMSELVES. IS THIS YOU KICKING A NEW DOOR IN?

I don’t know. I don’t know. I mean, the jury’s still a bit out, ya know? I think what’s obvious is there’s going to be a revitalized energy with us no matter what the band’s called, just with the four of us, which is fun. I think it’s too early to ascribe any movement to it; I don’t know.

I think this is, at the risk of sounding for the thousandth time in my life that I’m a bit full of shit, we’re sort of getting into uncharted territory here, because artists from previous generations didn’t go through this virtual reality perpetuity on the internet. Meaning, if you’re a kid and your dad loves _Dark Side of the Moon,_ you can pretty much go on the internet and almost pretend that Pink Floyd 1972 still exists. You can watch _Live at Pompeii._ You can get the DVD and the box set. Who gives a shit that that band hasn’t existed for 40 years. Who gives a shit? When I got into The Doors in 1982, full on, I didn’t care that Jim Morrison was dead; he was speaking to me through the fucking tape machine.

So, we’re living in this kind of constant everything-all-at-the-same-time. So, if you’re a Cure fan or a Pumpkins fan, you can pick whatever area you want. I’ve got fans, they’re just crazy about _Adore._ They just want more _Adore._ They don’t like the grunge shit; that’s not for them. They just want to live in _Adore-_land. Are they going to come to the _Oceania_ concert? Do we attract them anew with _Oceania_, or are they still waiting around for the _Adore_ reissue? I don’t know. I don’t know where this all goes.

IN THE PAST, YOU’VE MADE PUMPKINS RECORDS EITHER BY YOURSELF OR WITH THE BAND. HOW DID YOU APPROACH THIS ALBUM?

I think it’s pretty much like a lot of the other Pumpkins records in that you just get in the room and figure out who’s gonna do what, where, and when.

SO, DID YOU WRITE IT WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS, OR WAS IT ALL YOU BEFORE INTRODUCING IT TO THE BAND?

No, no. We worked at it together. It’s similar to the old band in that I come in with ideas, we kind of jam on the ideas, I go back, tweak the ideas, and we jam some more. I’d send them away; I’d work on the ideas on my own, and then once I felt like I had the whole album, then we went into the studio and started cutting it all.

YOU RECENTLY SAID, “IT’S REALLY HARD TO PRODUCE GREAT WORK IF YOU DON’T OPEN UP THAT PART OF YOUR HEART THAT JUST DOESN’T WANT TO BE OPENED.” HOW DID YOU THINK YOU WENT ABOUT OPENING IT? BECAUSE YOU’VE ALSO SAID YOU’VE HAD A HARD TIME LETTING OTHER MUSICIANS IN.

I think it’s as simple as I was placed in a life circumstance; there was no exit. Meaning, if you’re running your mouth like I am, which is like, “Ok, I’m not going to go out and play _Siamese Dream._ Fuck you all. Fuck all you bands running around playing your old albums. I don’t want to be this type of artist; I don’t want to be this type of artist.” I got backed in a corner; there was no way out. Either we were going to quit the band because it was not effective anymore as an artistic vehicle in the present, or we were going to have to come out fighting and actually deliver something. It was that simple. There was nowhere else to go; there was no other move. I cut off all those roads that would be the convenient move when you don’t have anything else to do, like Pumpkins With Strings and shit, you know what I mean? I still wanna do all that kind of stuff. [laughs] I _do_ want to do Pumpkins With Strings, but I don’t want grandma in the fucking audience. I want the 18-year-old kid, because he’s interested in how I rearranged the strings for “Tonight, Tonight”, because it’s so cool. It’s either current cultural currency or not, and right now we’re in a “have or have-not” world. And so Dave Grohl gets to play in the sandbox, but somebody else doesn’t. I don’t get that, but that’s just the world we live in right now.

THIS IS KIND OF A TONGUE-IN-CHEEK QUESTION, BUT ASIDE FROM WORKING WITH DAVID PAJO AND, AS YOU SAID, MARK TULIN, YOU SEEM TO FAVOR FEMALE BASS PLAYERS. IS THERE SOMETHING TO THE FEMININE YIN WITH REGARDS TO THE BASS?

I don’t know. Women seem to play bass more than they play guitar, in the people I’ve encountered. That said, I do like the way the women that I’ve played music with approach their instrument. They do play differently; the ones that I play with, they play differently than men do.

HOW SO?

They just tend to have a different pocket with it. Men tend to play more aggressively. Maybe it’s just a byproduct of testosterone; I know I play aggressively.

SO, DOES IT LEND A MORE SOULFULNESS TO YOUR MUSIC?

Honestly, this is going to be a bit of a boring answer; I just like the way that it pockets into the music. I play guitar pretty much on top, and so the bass is better laconic. If the bass is too on top, like for example, Melissa Auf der Maur. When she played with us, she played very on top, and it was constantly tripping all over the fucking guitars. It’s hard to get… the Pumpkins’ sound. If you can bottle it, it’s sort of predicated on the idea the guitars are clearly on top and ahead of the drums; the drums sit in the middle, and the bass is a little back, so it has an impact and wide-scope sound. That’s the sound that I like to hear. Maybe it was developed through playing with D’Arcy and the way she played. I got used to that feeling, and so I’ve looked for that feeling ever since. So, if I found a man who could play like that, I would have no problem putting him in there. Mark Tulin played like that.

question: Who is  Billy Corgan?

answer: Billy Corgan is a Chicago songwriter and singer of the band Smashing Pumpkins.

question: What is the band's music genre?

answer: Rock and roll

question: Why does Billy Corgan sound happy in the albums Mary Star of the Sea and Oceania?

answer: He says he's in a really good situation and never thought he would be in a band again.

question: Who is Jimmy Chamberlin?

answer: He is the long-time drummer of Smashing Pumpkins who left the band.

question: Why does Billy Corgan favor female bass players?

answer: He likes the way women he has played music with approach their instrument.

question: Who died of a heart attack?

answer: Mark Tulin

question: Why does Billy Corgan think the band's coming together was fate?

answer: Because it just works.

question: Why did Billy Corgan have a hard time letting musicians in?

answer: Since Jimmy left the group, he told himself he'll never again let anybody into his emotional/private space.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Billy Corgan of the rock band Smashing Pumpkins answers some questions during an interview. He talks about the band's struggles and successes. He also talks about their music and albums, the latest one being Oceania.


text:
Solar photo-voltaic (PV) installations have boomed globally since 2010, with an annual growth rate of 40 percent. China is leading that growth: it ranks first since 2015 in both installed capacity and power generation.

By 2017, China had 130 gigawatts of solar PV to the grid—nearly six times the capacity of the Three Gorges hydroelectric plant, the largest in the world. Furthermore, the nation achieved its 2020 goal for solar two years ahead of schedule.

[]
In China, distributed solar PV is growing remarkably faster than large-scale solar power stations. (Distributed refers to smaller solar power generation facilities that are located close to consumers and connected to distribution systems, with access voltage below 35 kilovolts.) China’s new installed capacity of distributed solar PV in 2017 was 19.4 gigawatts—3.6 times higher than it was just a year before. Distributed solar PV generated 13.7 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2017, enough to power all the households in Beijing for 7.5 months. The accumulated installed capacity of distributed solar PV now accounts for 27.1 percent of China’s total solar PV installation.

[]

Distributed solar PV has been installed mainly in east and south China, where the country’s economy is most prosperous and demand for power is greatest. About 52 percent of capacity is in four provinces: Zhejiang, Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui.

[
Data source: NEA
 ]

Data source: NEA

There are four main reasons that distributed solar PV is growing faster than ever:

1. National Targets

According to the 13th Five Year Plan of Solar Power Development, issued in 2016, at least 60 gigawatts of distributed solar PV will be installed by 2020, at a rate of 10 gigawatts of capacity each year. Over the same period, 100 demonstration zones of distributed solar PV will be constructed, with 80 percent of new building rooftops and 50 percent of existing building rooftops equipped with distributed solar PV systems. In addition, China launched a Solar PV for Poverty Alleviation Program in 2014, which supports a large share (70-80 percent) of the initial investment and allows families to use power freely or sell it to the grid.

2. Incentive Policies

To achieve its national targets, China has issued a series of incentive policies since 2013 that covers both national and sub-national levels. The most influential of these provides a growth in subsidies for distributed PV solar systems.

In addition to the national solar subsidy, now 0.32 Yuan ($0.049) per kilowatt-hour (kWh), local governments—10 provinces/municipalities, 36 prefecture-level cities and 10 county-level cities/regions—have their own subsidy policies for distributed solar PV projects. Many of these areas produce solar panels locally and have their own targets in place for renewable energy expansion. Subsidy rates and duration vary from region to region; local subsidy rates range from 0.05 to 0.55 Yuan/kWh (USD 0.0077-0.0846/kWh), lasting from 2-20 years.

Tax incentives for both solar stations and distributed solar generation are also driving expanded distributed solar PV domestically. These incentives, coupled with the long-term durability of solar PV systems, make them an attractive investment for project developers.

3. Declining Cost and Improved Efficiency

Declining costs also make distributed solar PV projects more attractive for private companies. The average price of global PV modules decreased by 79 percent from 2010 to 2017; at the same time, technological improvements led to significant increases in efficiency. Influenced by these factors, the average cost of solar power generated in China in 2017 was about 0.5 Yuan/kWh (USD 0.077/kWh), a 75 percent drop from 2010. The continuous decline in cost has attracted more companies to invest in distributed solar projects.

4. Profitable business models

China’s electricity rates for industry and commerce are much higher than those for households. Thus, if businesses install distributed solar PV to generate power for themselves, they can achieve considerable savings. Other diversified applications are emerging, too. “Solar PV+”, or solar PV integrated with agriculture, solar PV fisheries and solar PV livestock operations show the potential ahead.

Trends to Watch

Despite the remarkable success of China’s solar policies, recent updates have brought huge uncertainty about whether distributed solar PV projects will continue to boom.

As the cost of solar PV keeps falling, China is accelerating reductions in subsidies for solar PV projects. Since January, the national subsidy rate for distributed solar PV projects has been cut twice; it is now set at 0.32 Yuan/kWh (USD 0.049/kWh), 0.1Yuan/kWh (USD 0.015/kWh) less than the previous subsidy. Meanwhile, although only about 10 gigawatts of distributed solar PV projects will be subsidized by the government through 2018, 12.2 gigawatts has already been installed in the first half of the year.

In light of the new situation, distributed solar PV project developers may have three options: 1) Rely on existing local subsidies. However, these may expire in coming years, and it is not clear whether they will be extended. 2) Wait for next year’s quota of national subsidies, which have not been announced yet. 3) Develop projects without subsidies.

New pilot programs may offer opportunities amid the challenges. National Energy Administration (NEA) initiated a pilot program on peer-to-peer trading of distributed generation, which could be a win-win for both power producers and consumers. Three modes were proposed for the pilot: direct sales, in which generators sell distributed power directly to consumers and pay a dispatch fee to grid companies; entrust sales, whereby grid companies sell distributed power to consumers on behalf of generators; and sales to grid, in which generators sell power to grid companies at the same rates as feed-in tariffs for local, large-scale solar power stations.

Because peer-to-peer trading will encroach on the conventional business of grid companies and reduce their revenue and profit, grid companies are reluctant to support the pilots. However, as they transition to become integrated energy service providers, grid companies could invest in distributed solar PV projects through their own subsidiary energy service companies. This path could hold the most potential to keep distributed solar PV projects growing.

question: What does the text say are the main reasons for distributed solar PV growth?

answer: Distributed solar PV has grown because of the following: national expansion targets and goals organized and executed by the government; incentive policies on national and local levels, including tax incentives for developers;


text:
Airport weather delays and long security lines are the bane of summer travel, and the passenger's point of view on these problems is familiar. But what does it look like to the people who try to keep airports like BTV running smoothly?

Keeping passengers and airlines happy with the services at Burlington International Airport is the focus of Gene Richards, BTV's director of aviation. He gives us a behind the scenes perspective on what it takes to attract new airlines with expanded destinations.

Also in today's program, a comprehensive survey of community health needs. UVM Medical Center just released a three-year study of what residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties say are the biggest challenges in their communities, even ones that don't necessarily seem like they have that much to do with health care. Penrose Jackson, UVM Medical Center's director of Community Health Improvement, explains the findings.

And, it's time for Summer School! Today, we learn how to make paint from wildcrafting artist Nick Neddo of Montpelier.

_Broadcast live on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m._

question: Who is the director of aviation at BTV?

answer: Gene Richards.

question: How long did the UVM Medical Center conduct their study on the biggest community challenges?

answer: Three years.

question: What year was this broadcast live?

answer: 2016.

question: Where is Nick Neddo from?

answer: Montpelier.


text:
_Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party_ drew 1.7 million total viewers and a 1.2 adults 18-49 rating for its Monday premiere. According to the network, that was the top premiere for a new cable unscripted franchise this year and VH1’s top series debut since _Stevie J & Joseline Go Hollywood_ in January. For its premiere night, _Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party_ averaged 2.3 million viewers across two airings.

Boosted by the newcomer and gains for _Love & Hip Hop_ and _Black Ink Crew_, VH1 logged its best night in four months.

_Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party_ features Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg as they host weekly dinner parties with famous celebrity friends. Series’ guests include Seth Rogen, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, Jamie Chung, 2 Chainz, Naya Rivera, Ashley Graham, Jason Derulo, 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Kathy Griffin, Kelis, Ashlee Simpson & Evan Ross, Keke Palmer and Robin Thicke.

Stewart & Kim Miller Olko executive produce for Sequential Brands Group, Snoop Dogg & Ted Chung for Merry Jane and SallyAnn Salsano for 495 Productions, _Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party_ is executive produced by Nina L. Diaz, Trevor Rose, Paul Ricci, Fernando Mills and Paula Aranda for VH1.

question: Which channel is this article about?

answer: VH1.

question: Which shows are mentioned in the article?

answer: Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, Stevie J & Joseline Go Hollywood, Love & Hip Hop, and Black Ink Crew.

question: Who is Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party produced by?

answer: Nina L. Diaz, Trevor Rose, Paul Ricci, Fernando Mills and Paula Aranda.

question: How many viewers did Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party average for its premiere?

answer: 2.3 million viewers.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party's premiere becomes VH1's top series debut since Stevie J & Joseline Go Hollywood. The show features Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg chatting with various guests.


text:
The cartographer sighed. A vast emptiness lay spread out before him. An infinite amount of space to be found and recorded. The cartographer glanced lazily at the ship’s console. The console was a complicated looking collection of screens, dials, buttons, joysticks and lights. To an ordinary person merely looking at the console would be enough to give him a week long headache. To the cartographer the console was simply a part of his life, as was the boundless swirling space through which he traveled. The brilliance of the stars and the awe-inspiring shooting stars did not faze the cartographer. To think that he had once wanted this job! This demanding job which required endless hours to be spent sitting in the cockpit, steering the ship and recording the cultures of each planet day after day, year after year. After the establishment of the Federation, world peace was achieved on Earth. The Federation decided to create a map of the vast and infinite space, to record what was there in the seemingly empty void. At the same time, it was realized that for all the humans on other planets a different culture may have evolved. A culture different from Earth’s, with food which can’t be tasted on earth, languages and traditions completely alien to those seen on earth. To record all this information, cartographers of space were born. Each cartographer would travel around space in a ship which would automatically map the space around itself. The cartographers were equipped which special devices which functioned as cameras, which could also record textures, smells and tastes. They also had a microphone which allowed them to speak and understand what was being said, even in alien languages. This functioned by scanning and comparing speech patterns across all of earth’s languages, which was enabled by connecting to a database using ethereal waves, a very high speed beam of information containing highly energized particles. The cartographer’s ships worked in the same way and allowed the cartographers to sync their maps and information to form one giant map of the universe. Many young people signed up to travel around the universe and enjoy the sights.
However, this cartographer was tired of it all. He no longer wanted to try new food, or to see new things. He was free to go anywhere in the whole universe, and yet there was nowhere he wanted to go. He couldn’t even resign and go home. After all, how could he return to an ordinary life after has witnessed the extraordinary? To the cartographer space was not a mysterious and inviting world. It wasn’t an exotic ocean with something new to be seen at each and every turn. It was simply a vast collection of repetitive patterns, and infinitely iterated fractal, an art exhibition containing the same painting over and over again, with only a different use of color to differentiate between each painting. Suddenly the sharp voice of the ship’s navigation system cut through the lamenting thoughts of the cartographer.
“Sir, we are approaching a high energy field. The space around it appears warped. What are your instructions?”
The cartographer thought deeply. What would he have to lose? What would he stand to gain? Would the warp field be a harmless fluctuation in space? Or was it something grander? Perhaps it was sign of the end of the world, or maybe even the edge of space and time itself. The cartographer decided that any excitement would be worth it, even if it meant risking his life. After so many days of boredom, the cartographer was looking for any chance to escape his routine life.
“Proceed straight ahead”
Commanded the cartographer.
The ship headed directly for the center of the fluctuation. The cartographer moved forward in his seat, he had a feeling that things were about to become interesting.
A bright light exploded out from the center of the warped field. Time and space began to unravel around the cartographer as he watched the dazzling fireworks. The cartographer felt a strange feeling as if he was able to view the universe in its entirety spread out before him. He watched the brilliant stars float beyond him, and a myriad variety of planets whizz past. The cartographer looked down and realized that his ship was no longer around him, his clothes no longer on him and that he was floating through the depths of space unaided. The cartographer suddenly felt a jolt, as if he had been hit by a tremendous force. He was then unconscious.
When he came to, the cartographer lay in an empty white room that contained a humungous sign with a silver lining. In the center of the sign there were brilliant letters shone which read, “WELCOME TO THE OUTSIDE”. As he read and examined the sign, a man wearing a brightly colored robe entered the room. The cartographer looked at the man, aware of his own expression of confusion. He thought he had seen everything in the galaxy, but this was new to him. The man smiled at the cartographer.
“Welcome to the outside of the universe.”
“The outside?” Asked the cartographer.
“Yes. However you’ll find that there isn’t much difference from the outside and the inside. With one exception.”
The cartographer felt a sudden sting of dismay. He was hoping for something which would defy the confines of the knowledge he owned. He was seeking something beyond the ordinary, something which was unprecedented, something unseen. He hoped that at least the exception mentioned would be of some interest to him.
“An exception?”
“Yes, here on the outside, we have the ability to simulate universes, to create an infinitely vast space and then define the physical rules of the said space. In order to solve problems of overpopulation we have sent the excess of our people to these simulations. This is the outside, all of the simulations are the various insides. Currently we have 1,485,295 simulated worlds active. However, we sent those people to the simulated worlds long ago, and they seemed to have blended in with the indigenous species in each universe. Now, the people of the outside wish to have greater understanding of our own simulations. They wish to obtain knowledge about the various cultures present. It has come to my attention that you were hired to create a map of your world. I request you to aid in creation of map of all the worlds.”
“Are you trying to say, you want me to explore a large number of universes each with an infinite amount and catalogue every of each of these universes in order to create this map? That would take all of eternity.”
“No, no. There are already people who have begun cataloguing some of the other worlds. Besides, you don’t need to travel through the entire universe, after how much variation can any species produce? Anyways, all the data collected by each one of the data collectors is transferred back to us via high energy particle transmissions.”
“Ethereal waves?”
“Yes, I do believe it was called so in your simulation.”
The cartographer was reminded of the day he first became a cartographer brimming with excitement of the prospect of travelling the universe. Now he would get to see an infinite amount of infinite variation. The cartographer let out a satisfied sigh.  There was much to explore, and much to be seen.

title: The Cartographer [feedback]

question: Who is the cartographer?

answer: He is the main protagonist of the story tasked to map infinite space.

question: What is the Federation?

answer: It is implied that world peace on Earth was attained after the establishment of The Federation, so they could be an entire federation of countries representing Earth.

question: Describe the cartographer's job.

answer: The job requires endless hours sitting in the cockpit, steering the ship, and recording the cultures of each planet because the culture of humans on other planets may have evolved differently. This means scanning and recording all sights, sounds, textures, smells, and languages using cameras and microphones. Cartographers can sync their maps and information to form one giant map of the universe.

question: Who did the cartographer meet at the outside of the universe?

answer: A man in a brightly colored robe whose race had the ability to simulate universes, create infinitely vast spaces, and define the physical rules for each space. They had an overpopulation problem and sent their excess people to simulations on the inside of the universe.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer: When worldwide peace was achieved on Earth, the Federation sent cartographers to map out the infinite universe and see how humans on other planets were evolving. On cartographer gets bored doing the repetitive tasks of his job - recording and scanning planets for different smells, language, food, sights, and textures. When his ship's navigation system detects a high-energy field, he goes straight for it, figuring anything exciting would be worth doing, even it means his death. Once he enters the warped energy field, everything fades away and he's rendered unconscious. He wakes up in a white room with a large sign that says "Welcome to the Outside." A man in a colorful robe appears and tells him he's from a race of beings with the power to simulate universes, creating infinitely vast spaces that had their own rules. The man offers the cartographer a job to map out 1,485,295 simulated active worlds, which could take all eternity. The cartographer accepts and grows excited about the prospect.


text:
It wouldn’t last for forever. Everyone had the thought in the back of their minds at one point or another. The gods of pop music had fallen. N’Sync, The Backstreet Boys, and Destiny’s Child all had their moment in the spotlight, but that moment had passed. The executives of the music industry knew this. They also that music of the present was paling in comparison to music of the past. Justin Timberlake is a dancing monkey compared to Bob Dylan. TATU became small when Simon and Garfunkel were mentioned. They needed to solve this problem, so they came together to create a plan to continue to milk the cash cow. This plan that they eventually came up with was called Project Tween.

Project Tween was kept secret amongst the group. It was truthfully brilliant, and all they needed was a lot of money and some scientific help, which can easily be bought. The idea was to create millions of highly advanced androids that could take the place of girls between the ages of 10-13 throughout the country. These machines would be indistinguishable from the girls. The main goal of the tweens is to boost the sales of all of the people involved in their creation. The creators have also created a name for their organization; The Illuminati. Originally the Illuminati consisted of only music agents who wanted to save their careers and make it big but over the years, members outside of the music realm had been added to the secret society.
The mission of the tweens is to infiltrate the homes of the parents of their target. There, they will sprinkle the real girl with “pixie dust”, a military grade sleeping agent that will allow them to sleep for 3 or 4 years and feel like it’s only been a night, and bring them back to headquarters. From here, they assume the identity of the girl. At this point, they’re programmed to be hooked on whatever music receives the most money, no matter what the quality.

They will want everything that has to do with the artist they are programmed to support. They will buy posters, merchandise, concert tickets. The parents will pay for all of it of course because they love their daughters and want them to be happy. The tweens will also create buzz for the artists on Facebook and Instagram.  This will get him or her more endorsements, late-night appearances, and general fame. One of the scientific breakthroughs of the tweens is their fueling system. The tweens literally need Starbucks coffee to survive. The CEO of Starbucks is one of the main funders of the Illuminati, and he wanted to make sure that he got the most bang for his buck. They will also treat the beverages like they are pop stars, and blog, tweet, and post about them.

So here we are in the year 2014. This system has carried on seamlessly since its inception in the mid-2000’s, and originality has begun to fade. Artists no longer have to try to create meaningful songs. Their loving fans exist to boost their lyrics to the heavens. Stars have also become worse role models. They’re aware that, no matter what, their fans will love them. They can get in bar fights, drag races, and drug circles with little to no consequence. If they’re caught, they won’t face jail, but will merely go to “rehab” and write a song about how they’re the victims.

But these “artists” aren’t aware that the fans are robots. They think they’ve captivated the hearts of girls all across the country by being themselves. They think they deserve the fame, that they’ve earned the fame. Honestly, they’re just regular people who happened upon a stroke of luck. Anyone can lip sync an hour-long concert with a million mindless machines in the crowd, but only few can inspire with true music and meaning. Few can end wars or invoke social change with just a guitar and a message, and these people are rare to come by in the field of generic artists out there today.

title: Project Tween

question: According to the passage, the Illuminati originally consists of music agents. Why did the agents solicit outside help?

answer:
According to the passage, Project Tween was the brainchild of Illuminati, a secret society set up to help make its members rich through the music industry. Project Tween is designed around drugging up 10 to 13-year-old girls with military-grade sleeping and programmed to be hooked on music, making their parents buy merchandise or anything that has to do with that music.

The Illuminati, though originally consist of music agents trying to get rich, have opened up the membership to a few wealthy people. For example, the CEO of Starbucks has been brought in and is one of the main financiers of the project. It seems the Illuminati needs money and expertise to make the project a success.


text:
[The Bars on this map] The GONDAL BAR () is a region between the rivers Chenab and Jhelum in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northern part of Chaj Doab. “Bar”, in the local language, means a forested area where there are no resources for cultivation, like water. Mandi Bahauddin District and some parts of Sargodha District and Gujrat District are known as Gondal Bar. It is a very fertile area. A very large number of people are outside the country mostly in Europe, the people are mostly financially strong. Gondal Bar is a vast area with a number of Punjabi tribes sharing same culture and the Punjabi. language

Category:Regions of Punjab, Pakistan

title: Gondal Bar

question: Where is the Gondal Bar located?

answer: It is located between the rivers, Chenab and Jhelum, in Punjab, Pakistan.

question: How can you describe who lives at Gondal Bar?

answer: A number of Punjabi tribes that share the same culture and Punjabi language live in this area.

question: What does "Bar" mean?

answer: It means a forested area where there are no resources for cultivation, like the water.

question: What areas are also know as Gondal Bar?

answer: Areas such as Mandi Bahauddin District, some parts of Sargodha District, and Gujrat District are considered to be Gondal Bar.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes a region, Gondal Bar, and what areas and people live in this vast region located in Punjab.


text:
BEAVER AREA HIGH SCHOOL is a public high school in Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the only high school in the Beaver Area School District. Athletic teams compete as the Beaver Bobcats in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League.

Academics

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010, the school reported an enrollment of 665 pupils in grades 9th through 12th, with 85 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced-price lunch. The school employed 33 teachers, yielding a student–teacher ratio of 20.5:1.[1] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 5 teachers were rated “Non‐Highly Qualified” under No Child Left Behind.[2]

The school's eleventh grade ranked 21st out of 123 western Pennsylvania high schools for student academic achievement in 2009. The ranking was reported by the Pittsburgh Business Times. It was based on the last three years of PSSA results on: reading, writing, math and science.[3]

In 2010 and 2011 Beaver Area High School achieved AYP status under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.[4]

PSSA RESULTS:
11TH GRADE READING

-   2011 - 77% on grade level, (13% below basic). State - 69.1% of 11th graders are on grade level.[5]
-   2010 - 84% (5% below basic). State - 66% [6]
-   2009 - 82% (3% below basic). State - 65% [7]
-   2008 - 73%, State - 65%

11TH GRADE MATH:

-   2011 - 68% on grade level (11% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 60.3% of 11th graders are on grade level.[8]
-   2010 - 76% (12% below basic). State - 59%
-   2009 - 78% (7% below basic). State - 56% [9]
-   2008 - 76%, State - 56%

11TH GRADE SCIENCE:

-   2011 - 58% on grade level (7% below basic). State - 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.[10]
-   2010 - 64% (4% below basic). State - 39%
-   2009 - 61% (6% below basic). State - 40%
-   2008 - 41%, State - 39% [11]

College remediation

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 43% of Beaver Area School District graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges.[12] Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years.[13] Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.

Dual enrollment

The high school does not offer the Pennsylvania dual enrollment program which permits students to earn deeply discounted college credits while still enrolled in high school. The program is offered through over 400 school districts, including all the high schools in Beaver County except Beaver Area High School.

SAT scores

From January to June 2011, 118 Beaver Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 521. The Math average score was 518. The Writing average score was 491.[14] Pennsylvania ranked 40th among states with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479.[15] In the United States 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 (out of 800) verbal, 514 math and 489 in writing.[16]

Notes and references

[1] National Center for Education Statistics, Common Care Data - Beaver Area High School, 2010

[2] Pennsylvania Department of Education, Professional Qualifications of Teachers Beaver Area High School, September 29, 2011

[3]

[4] Pennsylvania Department of Education, Beaver Area High School AYP Overview 2011, September 29, 2012

[5]

[6]

[7] Pennsylvania Department of Education, Beaver Area High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009, September 14, 2009

[8]

[9] 2009 PSSAs: Reading, Math, Writing and Science Results http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/school_assessments/7442

[10]

[11] Pennsylvania Department of Education Science PSSA Results Report 2008, August 2008

[12]

[13] National Center for Education Statistics

[14]

[15]

[16]

title: Beaver Area High School

question: What does the text say about college?

answer: Despite a dual enrollment program for high school students to earn college credits being offered in 400 school districts, Beaver Area High School is the only one in Beaver county who does not offer it. 43% of those who attended Beaver Area High school had to take remedial math and reading courses to prepare for college level courses in higher education. 1 in 3 have to take these courses across the state. It's reported that 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates who will enroll in a four-year college  will obtain a bachelor's within six years.

question: Summarize what the school has to offer.

answer: The school offers athletic teams in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League. It has a student-teacher ratio of 20.5:1. It also was ranked 21st out of 123 western Pennsylvania high schools for student academic achievement in 2009.

question: What does the text say about math.

answer: Scoring in math led Beaver Area High School to be ranked 21st out of 123 western Pennsylvania high schools for student academic achievement in 2009. Their 11th grade  PSSA math scores were higher than the state average and hovered around 77% in 2010, 2009, and 2008. However, the scores dropped in 2011 to 68%. Their SAT math score average was 518. 43% of their students had to take a remediation math course once they got to college, compared to the 1 in 3 high schoolers across the state.

question: What does the text say about football?


text:
And the sky filled with the air of remorse, longing to be covered by the arms of the sun. Perhaps, one must enter from above, into the realm of possibilities. Where a single boom brings about the creation of the Earth, where an inventory of items can manifest themselves spontaneously with only a spark. But what is this I hear? Something that I believe to sound like language, filled with the illusion of structure and coherence. But I do not understand it. Deprived of sleep, I wade through the ocean of a desert, the sand filling my lungs with that of dread and decay.

*My heart aches, my mouth hungers, my eyes weep, my mind in ruins.
 I continue to wade through the thick gaze of the desert, like a child looking for his lost mother.
Again, I hear a voice.*

The last of my water is that of days. Yet the sun gives life to this world, its heat radiating from the skin of the Earth. Its life my demise, as it slowly boils me alive. As I feel the destruction of my body in this world, my mind searches for another place to call home.

*It cries in agony, my mind. As I search, this desert of lost time.
The grains of sand billowing away into that of circles and stars, of people’s faces that I yet to see.
Again, I hear a voice.*

It begins to dawn on me, that my life is slowly fading away. Like my footprints in the sand. I do not remember how my body found its way here, but now here is where I wander. Finding myself lost to what is mine, as the voices slowly begin to eat my mind. Where is there to look for the shade of a tree? When the only shade is that of the stars? It begins to get louder, and louder. I begin to grasp at the sound, my arms stretched towards the heavens, covering my body with its warmth. What are they saying, what should I know?

*My heart begins to pound against my chest, as it cries for attention.  But my body has forsaken me.
My heart, before full of warmth and life, now a reminder of a world I do not wish to wander.
Again, I hear a voice.*

What can you tell me? What is there to know? The voices, they search for me as I wander. As the sun leaves me, I now say my hello to that the moon. Its light bringing a way to search for home. The warmth soon begins to leave the grains underneath my feet. My body sighs in relief, my tears finally returning to my eyes. Now, as I gaze. I see that I am not alone, the sky a blanket in which I can huddle. The voices return now, as the gaze of the desert is unveiled.  The clap of thunder, unleashed, across the fabric of the sky, as the stallions of time come to me in my mind. My body goes to doze, and I begin to slowly drift into the heavens.

*Your heart aches, as your mind is lost. Lost in the skies for where you now look.
But I come to you here, as a messenger of the Gods in which you cry for.
If you wish to understand, all you have to do is spread the message of their words.*

The voices did not return. My body now a vessel to tell the Word of the Gods. I lay upon the foundation of their laws, surrounded by their divinity – their words turned to symbols, symbols that I do not control.

title: I’ll Come Running, In the Ocean of Time

question: Where is this person?

answer: The desert of lost time.

question: How does the sound the person hears evolve?

answer: At first the person perceives it to be a language filled with the illusion of structure and coherence, but doesn't understand it. The second time the person hears a voice, they realize that their life is slowly fading away. The voices eat their mind and the person grasps at it. The person still does not know what the voices are saying. The voices search for the person and unveil the desert. The person becomes a messenger of the voices the person hears.

question: Explain everything that happens to this person.

answer: The person walks through the desert and hears a voice. The person continues walking, boiling under the sun. The person is searching for a place to call home and hears a voice again. The person realizes that their life is fading away and looks for shade but does not find any. The person stretches their hand toward the sound of the voices. The voices look for them as their body begins to fade. The sun sets. The moon lights the person's way home. The person realizes it is not alone. The person dies and becomes a vessel to tell the word of gods.

question: How did the person end up in the desert?

answer: The person is not sure.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: A person wanders in a desert. The sun is merciless. Voices call to the person. When the sun sets and the moon rises the person starts to understand the voices. The person passes away and becomes a messenger for the word of the gods.


text:
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Simplify scheduling by sending your availability

Easily check in to upcoming flights

[Anne, a nonsighted person, uses an assistive device with her laptop]

More accessible than ever

We've designed Outlook.com to be everyone's most accessible inbox, with intuitive voice-controlled navigation, support for multiple assistive devices—and more.

question: How does Outlook protect the user's privacy?

answer: Outlook gives the user data encryption for incoming and outgoing messages, automatic deactivation of unsafe links, and ransomware detection.

question: What programs can you use in conjunction with Outlook?

answer: The user can collaborate with Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Skype.

question: How can Outlook keep the user organized?

answer: Outlook has a powerful built-in calendar.

question: What are some of the accessibility features of Outlook?

answer: Outlook includes intuitive voice-controlled navigation, support for multiple assistive devices, and more.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This article is a brief summary of some of the features of Outlook.