text:
He didn't remember much about his life, and nothing from before he was six. They told him it was normal in children to forget things from such a young age, but he didn't believe them. After all, the things he *did* remember were in such bright, sharp detail, when he delved into his mind to them, it was almost like living the events over again exactly as they happened.

The day the Men came and took him to the facility was a particularly bright memory. He had dreams of it, dreams that were so detailed it was as if he had stepped back in time. Over and over, he would relive the terrible moment.

*He was sleeping, and having the most wonderful dream. In the dream he had a mother, and a sister, and a father who went to work during the days and came home at night to tell his family about his day, and the boy would listen intently, and his sister would look at him and start to ask a question, but the boy would not hear the question, for at that moment he was woken by the sound of splintering wood and the startled shrieks of the other boys in the orphanage, the sounds of heavy feet on the wood floors, and dark silhouettes in the darkness, and then rough hands gripping his arms and pulling him off his bed, still in his pajamas and no shoes, not even socks, and the boy too afraid and confused to even make a sound and then men carried him out the door and into the street to a car parked at the curb, and the door slides open and the boy is thrown inside impersonally, and his entire world is pitted into darkness as the door slides shut again, and he feels the car start to drive, and it drives and drives...*

He always woke up then, when the car started to drive. he didn't know why, but it was the way it was, and he couldn't do anything about it.

The car had taken him to a large white building in the middle of a desert. He had been carried inside and put in a room with a bed and a dresser and white walls and no windows, and had been told to stay there. As soon as the goons had left the boy had tried the door, of course, but to no avail.

Later that first day a fat lady in a white smock had entered his room carrying a tray of food, and the boy had tried to run for it, out the open door, but the lady was fast for being fat, and she grabbed him as he tried to dodge past. She had fat, oily fingers that made the boys skin crawl, and he knew he never wanted her to touch him again. The food was flavorless and stale, and the boy hardly touched it after the first bite.

And so it was for the next four years of the boys life. He never saw another soul, except for the fat lady. She never spoke to the boy, and didn't have a name tag, but that was okay with the boy, for even if she had told him her name, he would still have called her the fat lady.

Every night he dreamed the same dream. The day of his abduction to this horrible place, and every night he woke up as the car began to drive. Everyday he had the same horrible food, and spent the days scratching pictures into the white wall paper of his room.

Then one night, something changed. The boy had always remember everything about his dreams, and he always felt as though he was a camera inside the eye of his past self, with no control, only the ability to observe through his own eyes the horror that ensued. But this night something was different.

*He was woken from his wonderful dream by the crashing noise, and the boys shouting, and he sat up, ready for what was to come. But he could feel his hands, his feet, he could blink when he wanted to, and he raised his hand to look at it, and it obeyed. He was so stunned he didn't even flinch when the men grabbed him. They took him and threw him in the car, and it began to drive...*

He woke with a start and looked around the room. It must have been daytime, because they only turned the light on when the sun came up, and they turned it off when the sun went down.

He stared up at the ceiling, questions filling his mind like a swarm of ants pouring out of a disturbed ant hill. What had happened? What was going on now? Was it just another part of the dream? A part he had forgotten? How could it be? How could he do it? What did it *mean*?

With the many questions, however, came fewer answers, and the boy groaned in frustration. Just then the Fat Lady came in with his tray of food, and he sat up and watched her until she left, then he grabbed up his tray and slowly munched on his food, thoughts of the dream change running wild in his mind.

That night he couldn't wait for the lights to go out. And when finally they did, it took him a long time to fall asleep. A funny thing happens, the more you think of sleep. Not sure why, but if you are trying to go to sleep, the absolutely worst thing you can do is think about going to sleep. Unfortunately, the boy did not know this, and spent much of the night with is eyes scrunched shut, willing himself to sleep. For hours he did this, but to no avail. Finally, he gave up and went to staring at the ceiling, wondering what it would be like to have windows, wondering what season it was, if it was raining, snowing, what?

*He was awoken by the sound of the crash, and the other boys, and he immediately sat up and looked around and realized; HE HAD DONE IT! He was in the dream, and he felt the same surge of power rush through his body, and he had control. He heard the thumping feet on the wood floor and quickly jumped off the bed and sprinted for the other side of the room. There was a window there, and he pushed it open and had just gotten one leg over the sill when a beefy hand grabbed him around the neck and pulled. The boy fell back into the room, choking and spluttering, and then the two men had him on either arm, and they carried him past all the silent, gaping boys, out the front door and to the car, and the darkness closed in, and the car began to drive...*

He woke with a start, and immediately noticed the change; he was in a dark room, and the floor was cold on his bare feet. The mattress he had been on the night before was gone, replaced by a small cot with a small wool blanket that he could barely see in the gloom. Where the white walls and door had once been was now cold gray stone and a steel door with a small slat at the bottom of it.

What was this place? What had happened? He tried to think to remember, and suddenly a blur of images came to him; an angry thin, gray woman, yelling at him, a smaller gray room with shackles that attached to his bare, sore ankles, the Fat Lady smiling cruelly at him. But those images weren't *his*, were they? They couldn't be. Could they? Why was he in the gray room now? When had they brought him there?

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He was not stupid, and his imagination had always been his most important tool in that plain white room. And now, slowly, a thought began to form. A thought so impossible, so amazing, so *dangerous*. And the boy smiled. He could fix it. He could fix it all.

    TO BE CONTINUED

title: The Boy Who Dreamed

question: What does the story say about the narrator?

answer: He is abducted from his family as a kid. He spends his days in a featureless white room for years. His only companion is a fat lady who brings him food but never talks. The boy always dreams about the night of his abduction. After years, he manages to control his actions in his dream. He tries to escape one night while dreaming, and he wakes up in a different room in different circumstances. He realizes that he can fix his predicament.

question: What does the story say about childhood slavery?


split: train

text:
[Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday June 26, 2015, after the court declared that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the US. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)]

President Barack Obama said the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide delivered justice “like a thunderbolt,” marking a dramatic evolution in social attitudes — and his own — regarding equal protections for LGBT Americans.

“Progress on this journey often comes in small increments, sometimes two steps forward, one step back, propelled by the persistent effort of dedicated citizens. And then sometimes, there are days like this, when that slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt,” Obama said, speaking in the Rose Garden.

In the landmark ruling, the court split 5-4 along the usual ideological lines, with Republican appointee Justice Anthony Kennedy joining the court’s liberal wing to establish a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

“In doing so,” he added, “they’ve reaffirmed that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law, that all people should be treated equally regardless of who they are or who they love,” Obama said.

Just two days before the court’s decision, Obama reflected on society’s political shift at a reception for LGBT activists.

“A decade ago, politicians ran against LGBT rights,” Obama said. “Today, they’re running towards them. Because they’ve learned what the rest of the country knows — that marriage equality is about our civil rights, and our firm belief that every citizen should be treated equally under the law.”

He was one of those politicians.

Just as public opinion on gay rights has warmed in fits and starts from grudging tolerance to full acceptance, so has Obama’s. On a 1996 questionnaire when he was running for state senate in Illinois, Obama backed legalization and said he would “fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.” But just two years later, running for re-election, he shifted to “undecided.”

He ruled out marriage in 2004, “primarily just as a strategic issue,” in an interview with the Windy City Times. While he was a “fierce supporter” of civil unions, he said, “I think that marriage, in the minds of a lot of voters, has a religious connotation. I know that’s true in the African-American community, for example.”

Even then, he wrote in his 2006 memoir, he remained “open to the possibility that my unwillingness to support gay marriage is misguided.”

Still, he ran for president in 2007 and 2008 as someone who drew the line at gay marriage, sometimes citing his Christian faith, and he retained that position even as he called for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act — which restricted federal benefits for same-sex couples in civil unions as well as marriages — six months into taking office.

Obama’s “thunderbolt” might have come in the form of Vice President Joe Biden in May 2012, just as their campaign for re-election was ramping up.

“I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men marrying women are entitled to the same exact rights,” Biden said that month on “Meet the Press.”

In the im

question: How was same-sex marriage legalised?

answer: The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favour of same-sex marriage.

question: How have Obama's views on same-sex marriage changed?

answer: He tended to waver on the issue through the late 90s to the 2000s, at time supportive and other times reluctant or hesitant to support same-sex marriage, often ruling it out when running for election.

question: What is a probable reason for Obama's views changing?

answer: That Vice President Joe Biden expressed support for same-sex marriage during their re-election campaign in May 2012.

question: How have social attitudes towards LGBT rights changed?

answer: According to Obama there has been growing acceptance towards LGBT rights over the past 10 years.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: This news article covers the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the US by the Supreme Court in June 2015. President Obama reflects on the changes in social attitudes towards LGBT rights. His stance on same-sex marriage has also wavered over the years and he did not throw his support behind it until recently, possibly because of his Vice President voicing approval of same-sex marriage during re-election.


text:
The only thing legible on the newspaper was January 12th, 2012, as it was ripped apart by the tires of a speeding car on West Avenue. West Avenue was the street Melanie Smith used on her way to and from school every day.

The clock struck three, and the school bell rang. All the children ran out of their classrooms full of liberation with the afternoon now their own. The students came bursting out of the front door of the school as if it were a competition to see who could leave first. After escaping the crowd, Melanie took her normal route home down West Avenue. She noticed a large white van, the type stereotypically used for kidnapping, had been following her since she left school. She wasn’t nervous though. Melanie was full of the adolescent spirit, and she held firmly to the idea that nothing bad could happen to her. The van sped up, and stopped about 30 yards in front of Melanie. As she walked by she was quickly taken into the van by a masked and an unmasked man. The scene was oddly anticlimactic. Real life isn’t much like the movies. There isn’t any considerable competition in terms of strength when it comes to a twelve year old girl and two fully grown men. Once back in the van, the masked man said, “Don’t worry young lady. We aren’t going to hurt you. We’re just trying to get your father’s attention.”
The unmasked driver remained silent.

The idea was the masked and the unmasked man would kidnap Melanie Smith, and by using her Father’s love for her against him they could get leverage over his hefty bank account. At least that was the plan.
Finally the van stopped, and the unmasked driver let out a deep sigh. He turned the van off, unbuckled himself, and got out without saying a word. The ground crunched under his weight as he walked to the sliding side door of the van. His walking stopped and the sound of a gun being cocked pierced the silent air. A moment later a loud echoing shot blew through the van’s door. The masked man inside went limp and slouched over. A dark pool of blood began diffusing from his body. Melanie wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She managed to put up a bigger fight when the unmasked man grabbed her, but she was easily overpowered and carried into a house.
The man chuckled at Melanie’s fear. In a very calm and controlled voice he said, “I was just like you when I was a kid. I was so full of ignorance. Then one day, I came home from school, just like you were a little while ago, and found both of my parents dead. The man who had murdered them was sitting on our couch watching television and drinking beer.” The unmasked man smiled at Melanie and continued, “The man stood up from the couch and walked towards me. I was paralyzed with fear. He grabbed my head, and he said he wanted me to remember him for the rest of my life. So he did this.” The man pointed at his scar which resided from the edge of his lip all the way to his ear. He looked at Melanie with a blank gaze for a few moments, and then he turned and walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. “You want one?” he asked.
Melanie remained silent.

“Yeah, I didn’t like the taste of beer when I was your age either, but it grows on you.” He laughed. “Anyway, let’s get down to business.” The unmasked man grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number. It rang until it went to voicemail.

“Hello, this is Richard Smith. I can’t get to the phone right now. Please leave your name and your number. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

The unmasked man sighed and said, “I have your daughter. Call me back at 567-9845, or I’ll kill her.” The phone rang almost as soon as he hung up. The unmasked man was quick and to the point. He demanded that Richard come to the house. Richard Smith was a nice man. He provided for his family the best he could, and he encouraged Melanie in everything she found interest in. Richard even donated a significant amount of money to the local food bank every month, because he thought everyone deserved to be helped. He was the change he wanted to see in the world.

Filled with fear and anger Richard rushed to get all his money that he expected a kidnapper to want, and he went to the address the man had given him. He arrived at the house and ran to the front door. He was greeted with the sight of a man holding a gun to his daughter’s head.

The unmasked man said, “Come in Richard. Have a seat.”

Richard walked across the room and sat down.

“Very good Richard. Can I offer you a beer?”

Richard obviously growing angrier by the moment threw the bag of money to the middle of the room and asked, “Can I please take my daughter and leave? That’s all my money.”

The unmasked man laughed and said, “It’s not about money. Money was my partner’s desire.” He then commanded, “Go into the last room at the end of the hall or I’ll blow your daughter’s brain all over the fucking wall.”

As Richard arrived in the room he was struck in the back of the head with the butt of a gun which knocked him out.

“You back with us Richard?” The unmasked man laughed with glee. Richard came to, and he found himself ducked taped to a metal chair in the middle of a room. In front of him was his daughter.

“Do you know why the nice and peaceful life just doesn’t work Richard? It’s because a nice, relaxing picnic is too easily ended with a machinegun. That’s the reason you’re taped to a chair in some stranger’s house.” The unmasked man let out a sigh. “But don’t worry Richard. When it comes right down to it, I’m no better off than you.” The unmasked man began pacing behind Richard and said, “You see a guy like me, a real bad guy, has the same fate as a good guy like you and a naïve child like Melanie. What we do in life has no meaning in the scheme of it all Richard. It always ends the same.”

Richard began struggling trying to break the tape but his efforts were futile. He looked at his daughter and said, “Everything is going to be alright. I promise.”

The unmasked man stopped pacing and faced Melanie, “Oh no Melanie. Everything is not going to be alright. Things are not alright in the slightest.”

A loud click could be heard from below the floor, and the vents opened.

The unmasked man said, “You’ll be gazing down the yawning void in no time.”

The room gradually filled with poisonous fumes, and Richard, the unmasked man, and Melanie all expired.

title: The Good, Bad, and the Naïve

question: What was the date when Melanie Smith was abducted?

answer: It was sometime after the 12th of January, 2012.

question: Why did the men abduct Melanie?

answer: The masked man was involved in the abduction for the money. They planned to force her father, Richard, to pay for her return. What the masked man didn't know was that the unmasked man was never in it for the money. He wanted revenge. So, when they reached their destination, he killed the masked man.

question: How many parents does the unmasked man have?

answer: He has no parents as they were both killed when he was a child.

question: How was the unmasked man scarred?

answer: The man who killed his parents cut his face from the corner of his mouth to his ear.

question: In what way was Richard the change that he wanted to see?

answer: He was a good husband and father and he donated a significant sum to food donations.

question: What assumption did Richard make about the kidnapper?

answer: He assumed that the kidnapper wanted money, so he collected all his money and delivered it to the house where his daughter was being held.

question: What are the unmasked man's plans for the girl and her father?

answer: He plans to gas them to death and he will die with them.


text:
_HOW TO BE A LATIN LOVER_ is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Ken Marino, written by Chris Spain and Jon Zack and stars Eugenio Derbez, Salma Hayek, Raphael Alejandro, Raquel Welch, Rob Riggle, Rob Huebel, Rob Corddry, Renée Taylor, Linda Lavin, Kristen Bell, and Rob Lowe. The film follows a man who has spent his whole life married to a rich old woman, and must learn to make it on his own when she kicks him out. It was released on April 28, 2017 by Pantelion Films and grossed $62.6 million worldwide.

Plot summary

Having made a career of seducing rich older women, Maximo marries a wealthy woman more than twice his age. 25 years later, spoiled, out of shape and bored from waking up next to his now 80-year-old wife, he gets the surprise of his life when she ends up dumping him for a younger McLaren car salesman.

Forced out of his mansion and desperate for a place to stay, he contacts Rick, another pampered gigolo. He crashes in the upscale playhouse of the woman's granddaughter, which does not go over very well. He soon moves in with his estranged sister, Sara, and her nerdy son, Hugo, in their small apartment. During this time, two things occur:

1.  Anxious to return to the lap of luxury, Maximo uses his nephew's crush on classmate Arden to get to his new target: her grandmother, Celeste (a widowed billionaire that Rick is also targeting). Maximo tries to reignite his charm as a Latin lover, and fails at it miserably. Sara comes to know of Maximo's scamming and kicks him out.
2.  While teaching Hugo some tricks he thinks work on women, Maximo finds himself bonding with his nephew, and this opens his heart to being less selfish and more thoughtful of others.

Eventually, Maximo becomes a gigolo for the woman Rick used to live with, and he patches up the relationship with his sister and nephew.

Cast

-   Eugenio Derbez as Maximo
    -   Noel Carabaza as Young Maximo
    -   Vadhir Derbez as 21 year old Maximo
-   Salma Hayek as Sara, Maximo's estranged sister.
    -   Manelly Zepeda as Young Sara
-   Raphael Alejandro as Hugo, Sara's nerdy and adorable son and Maximo's nephew.
-   Rob Lowe as Rick the Gigolo, Maximo's equally wealthy friend.
-   Kristen Bell as Cindy, a lonely and single woman, who works at a frozen yogurt shop and lives alone with her dozens of cats.
-   Raquel Welch as Celeste Birch, Maximo's target and Arden's grandmother, whom Maximo tries to seduce in order to live a life of luxury once again.
-   Linda Lavin as Millicent Dupont, the wealthy woman whose gigolo Maximo finally becomes.
-   Renée Taylor as Peggy, Maximo's wealthy, but elderly, wife. She leaves Maximo for an unattractive and younger car salesman.
-   Rob Riggle as Scott
-   Rob Huebel as Nick
-   Rob Corddry as Quincy, Celeste's chauffeur.
-   Mckenna Grace as Arden, Hugo's crush.
-   Mather Zickel as James, Sara's neighbor & love interest.
-   Michaela Watkins as Gwen, Sara's boss.
-   Michael Cera as Remy, a sleazebag car salesman.
-   "Weird Al" Yankovic as Weird Al[1]
-   Ben Schwartz as Jimmy
-   Jeffrey Scott Basham as Valet
-   Omar Chaparro as Rafa
-   José Eduardo Derbez as Drink Waiter

Production

On June 5, 2015, it was announced that Eugenio Derbez and Benjamin Odell's Santa Monica-based production shingle 3Pas Studios and Televisa/Lionsgate joint venture Pantelion Films had bought an untitled original comedy script from Chris Spain and Jon Zack, with Lionsgate releasing under its first look deal.[2] On October 26, 2015, Ken Marino was attached to direct the film, starring Derbez.[3][4] On April 28, 2016, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell, Raquel Welch and Rob Riggle joined the film's cast along with others including Renée Taylor, Rob Huebel, Michaela Watkins and Linda Lavin.[5] On May 11, 2016, Mckenna Grace joined the cast.[6]

Release

The first trailer was released on December 21, 2016.[7] The film was released on April 28, 2017 by Lionsgate's Pantelion Films.[8]

Box office

_How to Be a Latin Lover_ has grossed $32.1 million in the United States and Canada and $30.4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $62.6 million, against a production budget of $10–13 million.[9][10]

In North America, the film was released alongside _The Circle_, _Sleight_ and _Baahubali 2: The Conclusion_, and was projected to gross about $7 million from 1,118 theaters in its opening weekend.[11] The film ended up grossing $3.9 million on its first day and $12.3 million over the weekend, finishing second at the box office behind _The Fate of the Furious_. 89% of the opening weekend audience was Hispanic.[12][13] The film grossed $5.1 million in its second weekend (a drop of 58%) and $3.9 million in its third (dropping just 25%), finishing 4th and 7th, respectively.[14]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 39% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 4.75/10.[15] On Metacritic the film has a score 54 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”.[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale.[17]

Joe Leydon of _Variety_ wrote: “There are some very funny bits and pieces scattered amid the proceedings, along with a few darkly comical gags that appear to belong in a different movie, but are more than welcome here.”[18]

Home media

_How to be a Latin Lover_ was released on Digital HD on August 1, 2017, and was released two weeks later on Blu-ray and DVD on August 15, 2017.[19]

Remake

A French remake entitled __ (_Just a Gigolo_ in French speaking markets) was released in April 2019. The film was directed by Olivier Baroux, co-written by Baroux and Kad Merad, and stars Merad, Anne Charrier, Pascal Elbé and Thierry Lhermitte among others.

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title: How to Be a Latin Lover

question: What is the general plot of "How to Be a Latin Lover?"

answer: The film follows a man who has spent his whole life married to a rich old woman, and must learn to make it on his own when she kicks him out.

question: Why does his 80 year old wife dump Maximo?

answer: For a younger McLaren car salesman.

question: Where does Maximo end up?

answer: Living with his estranged sister and her son.

question: How was the movie received?

answer: It has a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 54/100 on Metacritic, but audiences gave it an "A."

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Having made a career of seducing rich older women, Maximo marries a wealthy woman more than twice his age. 25 years later, spoiled, out of shape, and bored of waking up to his now 80 year old wife, he gets the surprise of his life when she dumps him for a younger car salesman. He ends up staying with his estranged sister and her son, who teaches him selflessness and opening his heart to others. The film was received poorly by critics, but well by audiences.


text:
“Greetings Joseph how is life treating you it’s been a while has it not? said Capt. Schneider

“I am well Hans and yes it has been sometime I see you joined the army…what you did to the Polecone brethren. They, they didn’t need that”. Said Joseph Pinecone

“I feel like they had it coming” said the captain named Schneider.

“Oh really explain to me one instance of a Jewcone ever harming you.”

“I cannot I’m on the clock this 9 to 5 is a real bitch but hey it pays the bills”

“Oh really but is it worth it. There are other means of work then betraying innocent cones” Exclaimed Joseph

“I work at the Nazi regime offices for our Fuhrer what he says goes my old friend I have no choice I’m under orders for cone sake! They are less than us why do you defend them!”

“Oh hail Hitler! Herr Captain my mistake for caring for a race of fellow coneman beings, you bastard! How do you sleep at night Hans? How can you live with yourself after everything you’ve done? You’re not even half of the cone I once knew.”

“You will address me as CAPTAIN! You know what happens to Jewcone sympathisers don’t you? I hereby place you under arrest by the duress of our Fuhrer and sentence you to immediate deportation to the Brazier!”

He blindfolded me. He had been my best friend when we were Childcones we used to run through the streets of Pinelin causing mischief and mayhem as little cones often do, he was different now. His time in the army had changed him, almost like they wiped his mind. He was the man I knew but only on the surface. He led my bumpy brown body towards a rundown rusty metal cone carrier. I knew my fate. The stench of cone carcasses filled my rigid cone nose. I was being ushered to my death. For no one ever came back from the Brazier, “the pit of flames” it goes by. Others talk of it simply as “Hell on earth” and from what I had heard that was certainly no stretching of the truth. As the dank cone carrier rumbled along the dirt track I heard a faint voice in the darkness.

I called out to it, it sounded small, weak. I politely and calmly asked it to remove my blindfold, immediately I wished I hadn’t. The carrier was filled with the bodies of countless cones that hadn’t made the trip to the Brazier, and amongst the death and decay knelt a little girl. She clutched the hand of a body that faintly resembled her mother. She was alone, scared… innocent. The only crime she had been guilty of in the eyes of the Fuhrer was existing. I tried as best as I could to fight back the tears from my brown cone eyes but alas I wept. To see the devastation before me was far too much to bare and the little cone reached for my hand and wept with me. For hours we cried as I cradled her tiny starved frame, she told me her name was Liza and that she and her mother had been rounded up with the rest without warning one day at the market, this was a month ago. It was a miracle she had survived this long as she was only given water when they stopped to empty the dead and even then this only occurred when the stench grew too much for the soldiers to bare. I held her till her breathing became so laboured she could no longer speak, the winter chill had eaten away at her, she was sick and soon she would die. I managed to find a candy bar I had left in my jacket for my little nephew when I was supposed to visit later that week, I would never lay eyes on him again. I offered her the small morsel of sugar and energy she snatched it from my hands so quickly that she’d scratched my hand I didn’t blame her that long without food and your stomach takes over it begins to eat itself searching for any sustenance it can find. She at like it was her last meal… and it was. After she had finished I held her head and sang her an old lullaby my mother would sing me when I awoke from a terrible dream or was scared by a sound in the night, she fell asleep and that morning she did not wake up.

Will continue if asked it’s about fucking pinecones so I don’t blame you for not :-)

title: The Pinecones Perspective

question: Who is Schneider?

answer: Schneider is a captain.

question: Are the characters human beings?

answer: No, they seem to be pinecones.

question: What is the Brazier?

answer: Unclear, seems like it is some sort of death sentence.

question: Who is Liza?

answer: She is a little girl that seems to be in the Brazier with the narrator.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is a pinecone, and is sentenced to death in the Brazier for being a "Jewcone" sympathizer.


text:
by:

Posted: Aug 1, 2015 / 09:43 PM CDT / Updated: Aug 1, 2015 / 09:43 PM CDT

[]

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis Police officer died after being shot while conducting a traffic stop.

Police said the officer was conducting the stop near Cottonwood Road and Perkins Road when he was shot by a person in the vehicle.

Police received a call at about 9:15 p.m. Saturday that additional officers were needed in the area.

The officer who was shot was transported to Regional Medical Center in critical condition, but died not long after, police said.

The suspect is still at large, police said.

The officer's name will not be released until next of kin is notified, MPD Director Toney Armstrong said at a news conference.

This officer is the first to die in the line of duty since Martoiya Lang was shot in December 2012.

question: Do the police know the identity of the suspect?

answer: It seems they do, though they have not been able to apprehend him or her yet.


text:
This course is an introduction to using the Web for artistic creation. It is a "literacy" course designed to introduce you to the various core components that make the web such a powerful platform for art – art that is not only visual, but sonic, physical, interactive, and social. It will give you the basics (in terms of knowledge and code templates) to make things that run in browsers using:

• ANIMATION with graphics and sound,

• INTERACTION with graphics and sound,

Just as you don't need to be a mechanic to drive a car, you do not need to wait until you are an expert programmer before creating work for the web.

There is a vast array of tools for making things for the web. Making things for the web is a process of constant learning and discovery – not one of knowing everything first and then making. It is also a process of ripping and mashing rather than writing everything from scratch. Getting comfortable with this process is the first step, and is the approach we take in this introductory course.

By the end of this course, you will be making things with the real-world core components that give the web its potential for art, but you will have only just begun. More importantly, you will understand what you have to learn more about to accomplish your artistic objectives, be able to recognize things and be able to evaluate their value to you, and have a command of the terminology you need to search for and discuss your needs and interests with the huge community of people on the net with experience (and code chunks) to share.

WHY JAVASCRIPT AND THE WEB?

There are some excellent special-purpose coding platforms for artists out there such as Processing for interactive graphics, Chuck or supercollider for synthesis, graphical languages such as Max/MSP or PD for interactive sound and graphics. These platforms have extensive communities of people to share experience and code with. However, these special-purpose platforms are not standard web building and design tools.

What they offer is a direct path to achieving a specific artistic objective, but it is at the expense of a more general applicability of language, tools, and skills that would allow you to interact with people in the web-based creative industries. They do a great job at "hiding" things you may not want to worry about as an artist, but dealing with a bit of the scaffolding is necessary if the web is the space you have chosen to embark on for developing your work.

This course will take you through the basics you need to develop artistic content for the web using standard web tools – JavaScript, html, and several fundamental libraries. It will point you to exactly what concerns an artist most – making creative content. It will guide you and teach you what you can ignore for now in order to focus on artistic content, but will not prevent you from integrating with the vast world of the web and learning and using some of the scaffolding if and when you should need it later.

Our basic approach to achieving this goal is to "throw you in to the deep end" with a set of code templates for meeting artistic goals – interactive graphical mobile applications using physical sensors, for example, and explaining simple things you can do immediately to explore and implement your own ideas.

The advantages to JavaScript:

• It is the language embedded in all browsers today.

• It is general purpose, and makes no assumptions that limit your artistic objectives.

• You can deploy all your work on the web for others to experience.

• You only need to learn one language for writing both client and server code.

• A *lot* of other people use it that you can share and communicate with.

• It is a marketable skill.

Thus, we are not restricting you to special-purpose tools that don't generalize well to the web – but that doesn't mean you will have to write a bunch of code not related to your artistic vision. The "template" technique used in this course is a "middle way" that gets you up and going fast, but provides a path to future growth and connection to the real world.

You will learn to recognize patterns of code that you need not know how to write. This will provide you with a basic understanding of how things work in the real world (let's call it literacy). This will help you find, recognize, and use chunks of code that others share, and it will allow you to focus on code directly relevant to artistic content.

This will give you the foundations you need to go on learning on your own by exploring the unstructured wealth of material available out there on the web to pillage and modify for your own work. That is how real web programmers work all the time, anyway!

question: What is the course all about?

answer: An introduction to the various core components that enable people to use the Web for artistic creation using animation and interaction with graphics and sound that run in browsers.

question: What are the goals of the course?

answer: By the end of the course, students will be making things with the real-world core components that give the web its potential for art and have a command of the terminology needed to search for and discuss interests with the community.

question: What is the main programming language used in the course?

answer: JavaScript

question: Why JavaScript?

answer: JavaScript or JS, is the language embedded in all modern browsers, it is general-purpose, easy to deploy, works with both client and server code, has a large community, and is a marketable skill.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This is a course outline for students who want to learn how to use the web for artistic expression using JavaScript.


text:
[]

Cannabis is a plant with enormous health potential. We know that the cannabinoids that give cannabis its amazing effects are very safe. We also know that one of those cannabinoids, CBD (Cannabidiol), has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of certain medications. One of those medications is contraceptives.

When you take birth control to prevent pregnancy, you put your trust in their consistent effectiveness. Knowing how CBD can possibly affect your birth control can help you to continue to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

THE GEEKERY BEHIND THE CAUTION

CBD is a safe, non-impairing component of cannabis with numerous health benefits. Many patients take daily CBD in edible oils or through dry bud vaporization.

So why the concern? CBD, especially in higher doses, has the potential to interact with certain medications by inhibiting (slowing down) the activity of a liver enzyme called cytochrome P450.

Wait a minute… Cyto-P-what-the-what?

  CP450 is responsible for helping our bodies to process more than 60 percent of medications. In fact, it is more potent in blocking and slowing down your body’s use of these medications than grapefruit. Have a look at the print-out that came from your pharmacy — does it advise you to avoid grapefruit while on this medication? If so, then CBD probably interacts, too.

An interesting aside is that this is the reason why using a 1:1 Balanced CBD/THC oil or strain causes less of a high than using straight THC at the same level. The CBD counteracts much of that psychoactive effect.

It is possible that whole plant cannabis, with its entourage effect, interacts differently than the isolated CBD that is administered in most research settings. Certainly, you will want to avoid currently non-approved (and therefore non-legal, and also not available from Canada’s Licensed Producers) high CBD isolates and distillates.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MY BIRTH CONTROL?

Enzyme inhibitors (for example CBD), can possibly increase breakthrough bleeding and potentially decrease estrogen-based contraceptive effectiveness, which may lead to increased risk of pregnancy. Studies are currently being done to determine if they may also increase the risk of side effects like blood clots and breast cancer.

The active hormones in your birth control can also make a difference. Estrogen-containing oral contraceptives, patches, injections, and rings are at higher risk of not working properly in the presence of CBD than non-estrogen forms. Progesterone-only contraceptives may be a more dependable option if you are using CBD, especially via ingestible oils. Talk to your doctor about your options, and consider using additional methods of birth control such as condoms if you are relying on an estrogen form and using CBD oil daily. We don’t yet know at what level CBD affects estrogen and currently can only recommend caution and awareness.

We also know now that combining certain things with CBD and birth control can potentially interact even further. Cigarette smoking, chronic alcohol use, and St. John’s Wort are three big players and should be avoided while on birth control, and especially when using CBD.

_Written by Shawna Zylenko, RN, Natural Health Services. Shawna work out of our Edmonton Clinic and is a member of the American Cannabis Nurses Association (ACNA) and has received her Cannabis Nursing Certification (2016) through TMCI/ACNA._

For further insight into all things Cannabis, don’t forget to tune in to The Cannabis Show, and make sure to subscribe as there is a new episode every Wednesday.

SOURCES:

_https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21704641  Identification of cytochrome P450 enzymes responsible for metabolism of cannabidiol by human liver microsomes  Life Sci. 2011 Aug 1;89(5-6):165-70. 2011._

_https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26651971   Cannabinoids and Cytochrome P450 Interactions. Curr Drug Metab. 2016;17(3):206-26._

_http://www.medicinalgenomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Potent-inhibition-of-CYP3A-with-CBD.pdf  _

_https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/NewsEvents/UCM473688.pdf  Design and Interpretation of Oral Contraceptive Drug-Drug Interaction Studies._

_http://nursinglink.monster.com/training/articles/320-clinically-significant-drug-interaction-with-the-cytochrome-p450-enzyme-system_

question: What is the article about?

answer: It's about the interaction between Cannabidiol (CBD) and birth control medicine. Specifically, CBD may lower the effectiveness of birth control.

question: How does CBD reduce the effectiveness of birth control?

answer: CBD inhibits the activity of a liver enzyme known as cytochrome P450, which helps with the processing of many medications.

question: Are all birth control methods are affected by CBD?

answer: No, only the estrogen-based contraceptives are mentioned to be at risk of reduced effectivity with CBD use.

question: What does the article suggest based on the information it presents?

answer: It asks people to be careful about medications that warn against eating grapefruit since CBD also interacts with the same medications for the most part. It suggests the use of other contraceptives if CBD is used often.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The article talks about the reduced effectiveness of estrogen-based contraceptives with the use of Cannabidiol (CBD). It asks people to be careful about medications that warn against eating grapefruit since CBD also interacts with the same medications for the most part. It suggests the use of other contraceptives if CBD is used often.


text:
[Signs along the Sunset Strip] [Sunset Blvd at the West Gate of Bel Air] [Emerson College Los Angeles Center at 5960 Sunset Blvd]

SUNSET BOULEVARD is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in the cities of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood (including a portion known as the Sunset Strip), as well as several districts in Los Angeles.

Geography

Approximately in length,[1] the boulevard roughly traces the arc of mountains that form part of the northern boundary of the Los Angeles Basin, following the path of a 1780s cattle trail from the Pueblo de Los Angeles to the ocean.[2]

From Downtown Los Angeles, the boulevard heads northwest, to Hollywood, through which it travels due west for several miles before it bends southwest towards the ocean. It passes through or near Echo Park, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Holmby Hills. In Bel-Air, Sunset Boulevard runs along the northern boundary of UCLA's Westwood campus. The boulevard continues through Brentwood to Pacific Palisades, where it terminates at the Pacific Coast Highway intersection.

The boulevard has curvaceous winding stretches, and can be treacherous for unalert drivers in some sections. Sunset Boulevard is at least four lanes wide along its entire route. Sunset is frequently congested with traffic loads beyond its design capacity.

Sunset Boulevard historically extended farther east than it does now, starting at Alameda Street near Union Station and beside Olvera Street in the historic section of Downtown. The portion of Sunset Boulevard east of Figueroa Street was renamed Cesar Chavez Avenue[3] in 1994, along with Macy Street and Brooklyn Avenue, in honor of the late Mexican-American union leader and civil rights activist.

History

In 1877, Horace H. Wilcox, one of the earlier real estate owners from “back East”, decided to subdivide his more than of land (mostly orchards and vineyards) along Sunset Boulevard, including what is today Hollywood and Vine.

In 1890, Belgian diplomat Victor Ponet bought of the former Rancho La Brea land grant. His son-in-law, Francis S. Montgomery, inherited this property and created Sunset Plaza.[4]

According to a 1901 article in the _Los Angeles Herald_, Sunset only extended from Hollywood in the west to Marion Avenue in the Echo Park district in the east.[5] The Board of Public Works proposed to extend Sunset east to Main Street in the Plaza by routing the road over the existing section of Bellevue Avenue,[6] but the plan was delayed until approximately 1904,[7][8] due to active opposition by affected land owners.[9] According to the 1910[10] Baist Real Estate Survey Atlas, Sunset Boulevard reached the Plaza by that time, but it did so by two short and narrow segments which were not aligned with each other and thus did not provide a proper thoroughfare to it. In late 1912, several properties along the route were condemned so that the boulevard could be changed in both its width and its alignment.[11][12] With these changes completed, Sunset Boulevard now reached North Main Street and continued as Marchessault along the northern end of the Plaza. This section, variously marked and signed as Marchessault Street or East Sunset Boulevard, remained open to traffic until the late 1960s or early 1970s.[13] At that time, Sunset was realigned one block north and Marchessault was closed to motor traffic.

In 1921 a westward expansion of Sunset began, extending the road from the then-current terminus at Sullivan Canyon toward the coast. This land, a portion of the original 1838 holdings of Francisco Marquez, stretched across a mesa and became known as the “Riviera section”. Will Rogers, who had bought much of this land as an investment, later donated it to the State of California creating Will Rogers State Historic Park. Circa 1931, Sunset was a paved road from Horn Avenue to Havenhurst Avenue.

Cultural aspects

The Sunset Strip portion of Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood has been famous for its active nightlife since at least the 1950s.[14]

In contrast to other American cities where it referred to a concentration of radio retailers, in Los Angeles, RADIO ROW was understood in the 1940s-1950s as the area around the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, where the broadcasting facilities of all four major radio networks were located.[15]

In the 1970s, the area between Gardner Street and Western Avenue was a center for street prostitution.[16] Shortly after a much publicized incident in late June 1995, police raids drove out the majority of prostitutes on the Boulevard.

Part of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood is also sometimes called “Guitar Row” due to the large number of guitar stores and music industry-related businesses,[17] including the recording studios Sunset Sound Studios and United Western Recorders.

The portion of Sunset Boulevard that passes through Beverly Hills was once named Beverly Boulevard.

The boulevard is commemorated in Billy Wilder's film _Sunset Boulevard_ (1950), the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name, and the 1950s television series _77 Sunset Strip_. Jan and Dean's 1960s hit song “Dead Man's Curve” refers to a section of the road near Bel Air estates just north of UCLA's Drake Stadium where Jan Berry almost died in an automobile accident in 1966.[18] The Buffalo Springfield song “For What It's Worth” was written about a riot at Pandora's Box, a Sunset Strip club, in 1966.[19]

Metro Local lines 2, 302 and 602 operate on Sunset Boulevard, with the former two running through most of Sunset Boulevard between Downtown LA and UCLA, and the latter from UCLA west. The Metro B Line operates a subway station at Vermont Avenue.

At 4334 W. Sunset Boulevard lies the wall featured on the cover of the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith's 2000 album _Figure 8_. Since Smith's death in 2003, the wall has become a memorial for the artist; fans have left many personal messages there over the years.

Landmarks (past and present)

-   Amoeba Records
-   Beverly Hills Hotel
-   Blessed Sacrament Church
-   Book Soup
-   Carney's
-   CBS Columbia Square
-   Chateau Marmont
-   Cinerama Dome
-   Comedy Store
-   Crossroads of the World
-   Directors Guild of America headquarters
-   Dudley Do-Right Emporium
-   Earl Carroll Theatre
-   Emerson College
-   The Garden of Allah
-   Gazzari's
-   Gower Gulch
-   Hollywood Athletic Club
-   Hollywood High School
-   Hollywood Palladium
-   Hotel Bel-Air
-   House of Blues
-   Hyatt West Hollywood
-   KCET
-   KTLA
-   The London Fog
-   Los Angeles Film School
-   Marymount High School
-   Metromedia Square (the former Fox Television Center and KTTV studios)
-   Nickelodeon on Sunset
-   Palisades Charter High School
-   Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Museum
-   Rainbow Bar and Grill
-   Rock Walk
-   The Roxy Theatre
-   Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine
-   Sherry’s Club (now 1 OAK nightclub)
-   Spago
-   Standard Hotel
-   Sunset Junction
-   Sunset Gower Studios
-   Tiffany Theatre
-   Tiki Ti
-   UCLA
-   Viper Room
-   Whisky a Go Go
-   Will Rogers State Beach
-   Will Rogers State Historic Park

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]  Alternate Link via ProQuest.

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]  Alternate Link via ProQuest.

[12]

[13] More research is needed to pin down the year

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

title: Sunset Boulevard

question: How would Sunset Boulevard be different if there was no cattle ranching in 1700's California?

answer: If there was no cattle ranching in 1700's California, then Sunset Boulevard might take a different route or might not exist at all.

question: How might have Sunset Boulevard got its name?

answer: Sunset Boulevard might have gotten its name because it runs along western Los Angeles in California, which is one of the westernmost states in the US. The sun sets in the west, so that might have given Sunset Boulevard its name.


text:
So i've been to the pool today,and when i came home, i needed a shower gel with moisturizing proprieties, so i went out again to buy one.On my way back home, i passed by a girl that was sitting down next to a wall and sounded like she was about to burst out in tears...I just looked at her once (with lightning speed) and kept on walking.... half way home(i live nearby), i wanted to go back...but thought to myself it would be awkward to turn back, so i didn't... when i arrived home i grabbed the umbrella, cuz in the 4-5 min it took me to get home,it started raining, and went back to where she was...but she was gone... did a spin around the stores that were there (thinking she maybe went to cover somewhere close)and then decided to go home cuz she is already gone... As i was passing the last store, i think i saw her with some girl friends, don't know if it was really her,but since she was with some friends i kept on walking,the girl that i thought it was her,looked at me while i was passing by...so it may have been her.

Thing is i feel like a horrible person for not asking her right on the spot if she is ok. :( I hope if it was really her and she recognized me,i hope knows i came back to ask her if she is ok...

(sorry for bad English skills)

title: Just walked by...

question: Who did the narrator see?

answer: He saw a sad-looking girl when buying shower gel.

question: Why did the narrator feel bad?

answer: The girl looked sad, but it's unclear what he wanted to do about it.

question: Who was the girl?

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

question: What did the narrator get from his house?

answer: He went home to get an umbrella.

question: What was awkward about the scene?

answer: The narrator thought looking back would be awkward.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: After swimming, the narrator sees a sad-looking girl. He seemingly wants to console her but is afraid it will be awkward. He goes home to get an umbrella when it rains. He then goes back to the mall and sees the girl with her friends. He feels bad about not asking if she was ok earlier. He hopes she recognizes him from earlier.


text:
[Schloss Unterleinleiter (left)]

SCHLOSS UNTERLEINLEITER is a German _schloss_ in Unterleinleiter in Upper Franconia. The building has 29 rooms and is privately owned.

History

The _schloss_ is mentioned in the records in 1372. After it had been rebuilt following its destruction in the Peasants' War in 1523, it lasted until 1690 when it was razed again by a conflagration and once more rebuilt. In 1757 it went to the _Freiherren_ of Seckendorff and was given its present appearance around 1770. The family gave the residence up in 1952. In the period that followed up to the 1980s the whole area was run by the remedial children's home of _Schloss Borgehnstein_, whose successor community still exists at a new location on the hill of _Störnhofer Berg_ in Unterleinleiter. From 1986 the _schloss_ and its park were restored.

Schlosspark

Schloss Unterleinleiter has a castle park, 17 hectares in area, which was laid out as a baroque garden after the Thirty Years' War. After the _schloss_ and park were transferred into private ownership in 1985, the park was partially reconstructed with the aid of old plans. In the park are numerous, mainly modern, works of art (including sculptures by Harro Frey) and a sandstone building that used to be used as a tea house. During the summer months the park is used for cultural events.

There is a deep well and pump house in the _Schlosspark_ which supplies drinking water to the village.

Literature

-   Kai Kellermann: _Herrschaftliche Gärten in der Fränkischen Schweiz - Eine Spurensuche_. Verlag Palm & Enke, Erlangen and Jena, 2008, , pp. 242–259.
-   Hellmut Kunstmann: _Die Burgen der nordwestlichen und nördlichen Fränkischen Schweiz_. Reprint of the 1972 edition. Kommissionsverlag Degener & Co, Neustadt an der Aisch, 2000, , pp. 33–43.
-   Toni Eckert, Susanne Fischer, Renate Freitag, Rainer Hofmann, Walter Tausendpfund: _Die Burgen der Fränkischen Schweiz – Ein Kulturführer._ Gürtler Druck, Forchheim, 1997, , pp. 171–174.

title: Schloss Unterleinleiter

question: What is a schloss?

answer: A castle

question: Where is Schloss Unterleinleiter located?

answer: Unterleinleiter in Upper Franconia.

question: Summarize the history of Schloss Unterleinleiter.

answer: It is mentioned in records that date back to 1372. It was destroyed during the Peasant's War in 1953.

question: What is Schlosspark?

answer: A castle park with an area of 17 hectares, laid out as a baroque garden.

question: List two works of literature Schloss Unterleinleiter the article cites.

answer: Die Burgen der nordwestlichen und nördlichen Fränkischen Schweiz and Die Burgen der Fränkischen Schweiz

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Schloss Unterleinleiter is a German schloss (castle) located in Upper Franconia. It dates back to at least 1372 and has been destroyed and reconstructed several times. It also has a castle park called Schlosspark.


text:
I felt the grass lick my toes like eager puppies wanting attention, each blade moist with dew, sleepy seeds in the eye of the night. The green carpet laid before me was sparkling in the early morning sun as I strolled across my lawn to my car, the   vehicle destined to take me to a place and a time that I had long awaited, yet was somehow convinced would never arrive. The blue shimmer of my 2009 Hyundai Accent looked grey and dull this morning as I turned the key in the door to unlock my portal. I got in and turned the key in the ignition. Styrofoam Plates by Death Cab For Cutie permeated the car with its melodic despair and I could almost form a grin at the cliché scene I had arrived in. I turned the volume up to 21 and started on my way, out the driveway and down the road to a new beginning.

There was a time when this would have come as a shock. It would have swallowed me and pushed me down into its poisonous, acidic stomach, already writhing with the pain from others misfortune. Once upon a time this would have been tragic, for lack of a better word. I would have been woeful for months, the salty sting of tears continuously racing down my cheeks, one drop trying to beat the others to my lips. At this time, at this particular time in my life, after one to many, “sorry’s” started to make the word meaningless, and the once strong knot began to fray from being gnawed at with sharpened, practiced teeth, I could find no tears. The loyal, wide eyed little girl of my youth had seen too much. You can only disappoint a child so much before they grow up into adults, calloused and weathered from a childhood gone wrong. Memories of maggots in the food pantry and dinners fashioned of stale crackers are no longer images of a forlorn victim trying to make the best of things, which is what you had us believe. At 23 I can now see the pathetic slop who cared more about how to find enough change to buy a six pack of Budweiser, than how we was going to buy his daughters dinner. Looking back, it’s easy to smell the stale stench of mariuana throughout the house wafting out the doors and into the street as a pathetic reminder of the family within. We would wait at school for hours when you’d forgotten us, lost pets with no collars, no real home address, finally calling Mom and feeling badly because we’d gotten you into trouble.

No one feels bad now. The song is over and I start it again. Ben Gibbard really hit home with this one.

“Thanks boys,” I say to myself.

The day had gotten suddenly hot during my brief drive. My hands were sweating and I could feel beads of moisture gathering on my upper lip. I wanted to turn around, but not for fear, rather for utter disgust. You don’t deserve for me to be there, for anyone to be there. You, the liar, the junky, the alcoholic, the homeless man in the street with no one to blame but himself. The older we got, the worse you got. People don’t pay their respects to crack heads; they don’t go out of their way to say goodbye to a cocaine dealer or someone neurotically addicted to heroin. I guess you’re one of the lucky ones, you, the bastard, the cheat, the poor excuse for a father. Should I turn around? I was stopped now, right blinker on, car motionless in limbo. I stare down the road, looking dazed and unsure, an Alzheimer’s patient, escaped from the home but at a loss of where to go.

“You need this,” I tell myself. With no clear intention of exactly why, I put the car into drive, turn on my left blinker, and pull back onto the road. The AC is blasting now and my hands are clammy, betraying my cool demeanor. I’ve been driving for about 20 minutes now. I pass the country diner on my left. Hanging in front is a large banner reading “One thing ends and another begins! Find us down the street!” I’d heard rumors that the old building was being taken back by the landlords. Supposedly some new, up and coming young buck had bought the place and was re-opening at a location down the road. New building, new owner, same old favorites.

I was getting close now. My heart was racing and my ands were shaking. My breath seemed to have become labor intensive. Did I take my Celexa today?

“You’re freaking out,” I tell myself, “get it together.” What would I do when I got there? Would I have to explain why only one of his two daughters showed up? Would they know? Does most of the family even have a fleeting idea about how bad it’d gotten? Did they know why he had stopped showing up to family functions? Crack, Heroine, Speed, these things had changed him from an irresponsible drunk to a pathetic junky with nothing to call his own but guilt and hatred, putting the blame to his misfortunes on the people he used to call family. Would I cry, or feel remorse> Had I successfully separated myself from any feelings of attachment towards this man who had become nothing more than a donor of seeds to help create me?

The cemetery was in sight now, less than a quarter mile away. I had turned the music off and the only noise was that of the wheels of my Hyundai on the pavement, and my slow, careful breathing trying to keep my anxiety in check. I take a right through the cemetery gates, making me think of that song by The Smiths of the same name. I hum its tune under my breath as I spot the cars, to which are my final destinatjion, in the far corner of the field of stones. “Another dreaded day so I meet you at the cemetery gates, Keats and Yeats are on your side.” I never liked Keats much anyway.

My car is parked next to my Grams, who I can see huddled near my aunts and uncles. She has her head in her hands, crying for a lost son who hadn’t really been alive for years. I wonder what she told them about his death.

“It was an accident.”

“It was his first time.”

“Someone must have slipped it in his drink.”

Overdoses are hard to make excuses for. Maybe she just came out with it.

“He was a drug addict, and this was a long time coming.”

I slowly stroll over to this grave, half moon of people, in no hurry to be a part of this huddle, loomed over by imagined grey, stormy clouds. I brace myself for the sympathetic comments and pitying eyes, hoping that their voices roll over me with no more clarity than the low incoherent mumble of adults from The Peanuts. Thankfully as I make my final steps to be with my family, the casket begins its decent and last words are spoken. This is the only part I came to see. I tune out the half hearted blessings for the after life of this long-passed man, once a father, a husband, a son, but ho had long ago given up to right to any title so deserving. As the Final tomb of the man I once knew lowers slowly into the forgiving earth, I can see the stress and confusion of a little girl I used to know going with it. The sordid reality of a boy trapped in the body of a man, with no regard to responsibilities or family is finally plunked into the ground where it belongs, buried and eventually forgotten.

We all take turns sprinkling dirt onto the simple, cheap coffin. I hug my gram and tell her I’ll meet her at her house where everyone is gathering and I realize she is not crying anymore. The faintest hint of relief has washed over her tired face. As I make the short walk back to my Hyundai, I embrace each step as the first steps to the beginning of my life.

title: A Happy Ending (working title) *any feed back is GREATLY appreciated*

question: Describe the narrator.

answer: A grown woman who is on her way to her father's funeral. She walks through the motions, but doesn't feel any grief.

question: What other characters does the narrator interact with?

answer: She briefly connects with her grandma.

question: What struggles does the narrator have?

answer: The narrator struggles to accept and understand her father's lack of parenting and his lifetime addiction to alcohol and drugs.

question: What emotions does the narrator have?

answer: She feels anxious as she gets closer to the cemetery. She feels closure.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is a grown woman who is on her way to her father's funeral. She walks through the motions, but doesn't feel any grief. The narrator struggles to accept and understand her father's lack of parenting and his lifetime addiction to alcohol and drugs. She feels anxious as she gets closer to the cemetery. She feels closure.


text:
Yeah, I believe in Karma...sorta, but I never did anything or even thought up anything in my head that was bad enough to explain the punishment and imprisonment that I have had to endure for the past however long. I’m blessed though, I know I am. My mom and dad love me a lot... a lot. I know that since I disappeared, they probably have been raising hell everywhere, seriously everywhere. I feel bad for my dad, cause I know that mom must have pulled his leg so that he’d fork out the money needed to put my picture into their church bulletin. I’m sure he reluctantly succumbed to doing so, as rational as he his, knowing that no kidnapper would be kneeling amongst them on Saturday evenings, and that the 20, 50 or however many bucks they spent broadcasting it would ultimately be a waste, but I bet in the end he didn’t mind, cause he figured that it would give my mom a piece of mind. Thinking about it, I agree with Dad. I’m not sure what I would do if I were to be in their position...it’s tough.

The last day we I had with them wasn’t especially memorable. I was visiting my parents, I remember waking up and being real cranky about the breakfast that had been prepared prior to my waking... I hated when we only had carby options. Personally, I like bacon, ham, eggs...and Mom knows that!!  But, for some reason, that morning she just popped some eggos in the toaster and laid out some jam, butter and syrup on the counter.... along with fruit, obviously. I didn’t hide my disgust. I wish I did.

I wish Andrew (my boyfriend) had been there that day. At least I would have had an ally ...someone to side with me regarding the ultimate superiority of protein breakfasts! MMM... eggs benedict, lamb omelets, over-easy eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon, canadian bacon (or even turkey bacon!)peanut butter shakes... whatever ... nom nom nom! Sorry, I diverge... I do that a lot. I typically get lost on tangents... i keep getting farther and farther off topic, until I don’t even really remember what my point was. At least writing things down gives me some idea.

I get interrupted a lot, too. Like I said earlier, life’s no peach for me. I live in a cellar, or close to one. It’s dimensions are guesstimably 9 x 9... yeah I know it could be worse, but it definitely could be better. I have one window, which is COMPLETELY barred I have nothing but a bed, with a single sheet and one pillow (minus pillow case). When I have to pee, shower, poo or any of the sort ... I have to yell for someone... I am then escorted to the potty room - where magic happens. I am allowed a pencil and a pad, but only when I have a guard watching over me. Its unbelievable.... I have never been the suicidal type, I just don’t get it. Aside from the guard... I am provided with a nurse, a reader/teacher, a feeder (my fav), a counselor and an observer/creeper (referring to the person I sometimes see peering in on me while I sleep).

I’m not a dumb girl. I’ve worked in different hospitals, I know what prison is like and I have a pretty good idea what a mental institution would be like... but where I am kept is completely different. I also know that I am not a test subject. Someone kidnapped me. Someone rich enough to hire a staff to “look after me.” Days, nights, weeks, months .... everything has been just fading together. I don’t know what he wants from me..... the boss. I know he is the one who kidnapped me, though he’s never admitted it. But, he still comes in every now and again to chit-chat. I usually spit on him. He’s never made any advances on me or hurt me in any way that I can remember. I just don’t get why he wont let me go. Typically, I tune-out most everything he says.

The counselor asks me how I’m feeling. I want to slap him. I ask why he works for the boss and how he validates his life when he leaves here. He just shakes his head. He asks me about my parents....

I really am tired of all the psycho-analyzing babble, but I do miss mom and dad.... and matt. I start telling him about the deep level of appreciation I have for my parents, how I admire their love, but how if I were to raise a child ... I would do it differently than they did. He asks how. I tell him about the well thought out upbringing that Andrew and I been planning for our kids, and how it would be a perfect mixture of strictness and openness. I ask the counselor his opinions on the matter; he just lets out a heavy sigh. I start berating him ... I know that he must have a failed marriage and fucked up kids for him to be working for some insane boss who keeps women in cellars. What an idiot I am! Why would I even ask his advice. I’m shaking, uncontrollably. I tell him what an imbecile he is and call for the guard to let him out immediately!!!!!

The guard doesn’t come, but he sees his way out... on his own.

I must have passed out, but I was awaken by the knocking on my door. Thank god for the feeder!  He comes in, presenting me with gifts. I see no need for 3 kings when I have this one ... I’ve told you - he is my favorite of the boss’s workers. He not only brings in delicious foods, but an array of condiments and spices for me to pour onto them. As much as I love his service, he always is the biggest downer to be around. I try to talk to him and ask about his life, but he always gets teary-eyed. I think the boss works him the most and he never gets to see his family. I am not even sure that he speaks english, or maybe he is always just too choked up to speak..who knows. But, he always stays to watch me eat.

.....

I fell asleep and had the worst dream. My chef, feeder, counselor, guard and boss all had the same face... they were all so old looking and unfamiliar. It terrified me. I needed fresh air, I couldn’t breathe....but the windows were barred. I tried punching the glass with all my force, but nothing happened. I gasped when I saw someone on the other side peeking in on me.... some creepy, witchlike, haggard woman. I panicked, damn near had a heart attack... and collapsed, passing out in my bed.

title: A REFLECTION.

question: Why is the narrator being imprisoned, punished?

answer: It's not absolutely clear, but I assume the narrator has been placed in a mental health facility.

question: Who are the people that are important to the narrator?

answer: Her mom and day, Andrew, and Matt are important to her.

question: What is the conflict? Is it resolved?

answer: The conflict the narrator is experiencing is a internal conflict. She thinks she has been kidnapped by a wealthy man, but doesn't understand the reason why she has been kidnapped.

question: What is the setting of the story?

answer: In a 9 x 9 foot cell.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator thinks she has been kidnapped by a wealthy man, but doesn't understand the reason why she has been kidnapped. It seems that she is in a mental health care facility. She misses her parents and her boyfriend Andrew. She doesn't recognize her reflection in the glass; she thinks it's a haggard witch looking in on her.


text:
Prince FEODOR OSTROGSKI (1360–1446) was a powerful magnate in Volhynia of Rurikid stock, son of Daniil Ostrogski. In some sources he's called _Teodor_, _Fedko_ or _Frederic_.[1] He was active in the Hussite Wars and assisted Sigismund Korybut.

Biography

In 1386 Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila granted him possession of Ostrog castle and appointed him governor of Volhynia with the capital at Lutsk in 1387.[2] In addition to Ostrog, Feodor became owner of Korets, Iziaslav (Zaslav), and other towns.

On 4 September 1390, Knyaz Feodor was commanding defence of one of the Vilnius Castles during its siege by the Vytautas the Great, Teutonic Knights and _knight guests_ from almost all of European states during the Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392). The Crooked Castle was captured and its commander, Karigaila, brother of Jogaila, was killed. The Upper castle, with Polish staff and lower, commanded by Feodor, were rescued.[3]

In 1422 Feodor travelled to Bohemia in the entourage of Sigismund Korybut and was sent by him as an ambassador to the Hussites.[4] He fought in the Battle of Ústí. A folk song about this battle mentions _Frederic, Ruthenian Prince of Ostrog_, who left home and had assimilated Czech habits and language (_Jan Długosz book XI, page 650_).[5] In 1430 with Sigismund Korybut and Hussites he captured Gliwice and they made this town their stronghold, their participation in the Hussite assault on Saxony is however doubtful. Długosz, however, mentions it.[6] At Easter of the same year a group under the command of _Frederic Prince of Ostrog_, Jakub Nadobny from Rogów and Jan Kuropatwa from Łańcuchów Średniawa, attacked Jasna Góra Monastery, plundered it and destroyed Icon of Black Madonna of Częstochowa. A year later with Sigismund Korybut he attacked the Hungarian monastery in Lechnica.[7]

In the 1430s he supported Grand Duke Švitrigaila and the Teutonic Order in the civil war against Sigismund Kęstutaitis and war against Poland. On 30 November 1432 he was defeated at Kopestrzyn (or _kopersztyn_) by Ruthenian voivode Wincenty z Szamotuł,[8] Feodor escaped. In 1433 he led Czech and Polish Hussites from Greater Poland in battles against Poland and Neumark, they captured Drawno, Dobiegniew, Złocieniec and Santok; Gorzów Wielkopolski was rescued. Then they were joined by Hussites from Lesser Poland and after an unsuccessful siege of Chojnice castle captured Tczew, took two thousand captives and besieged Gdańsk with no result. After he captured Jasieniec on 13 September, a three-month armistice was agreed. On expiry of the truce, Ostrogski burned and looted Brest-Litovsk. Castle was not captured, however, due to Masovian Dukes relief. At that time he was probably imprisoned with Teodor Korybut by their own suzerain, Švitrigaila, and then rescued by Michał Buczacki.[9] It is not certain if Feodor Ostrogski switched sides and because of it was imprisoned, or if it happened after he was recaptured.

He was probably married to Agata Czurylowna (_Agrafena_ ?) and father to Wasyl "Krasny" Ostrogski. He died as a monk and was buried at the Kievan Cave Monastery under the name Teodosii (_Teodor_) and was later canonized (his feast day is 24 August).

[1] Jan Długosz: _Annales seu cronici incliti regni Poloniae_ in 1432 year

[2] Ostrogski in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993)

[3] Paweł Jasienica: _“Polska Jagiellonów”_ p.84

[4] [http://www.google.pl/books?id=NxHFMa635QAC&pg=PA73&dq=fedko+Ostrogski&lr=&hl=en&sig=OV135S_OOb3G8dxwsoFf4UHHz-s Pilgrimage to Images in the Fifteenth Century]

[5] [http://www.google.pl/books?id=PxYLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA321&dq=daniel+ostrogski&lr=&hl=en#PPA91,M1 Bracia Władysława-Jagiełły Olgierdowicza, króla Polski, Wielkiego xie̜cia, pg. 91]

[6]

[7] [http://www.google.pl/books?id=PxYLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA321&dq=daniel+ostrogski&lr=&hl=en#PPA96,M1 Bracia Władysława-Jagiełły Olgierdowicza, króla Polski, Wielkiego xie̜cia, pg. 96]

[8] Monarchic ceremonies in late medieval Cracow, page251

[9] [http://www.google.pl/books?id=j50tAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA61&dq=fedko+ostrogski&lr=&hl=en#PRA1-PA61,M1 Dzieje Polski podług ostatnich badań By Józef Szujski]

title: Feodor Ostrogski

question: What does the text say about Prince Feodor Ostrogski's role in the wars?

answer: Prince Feodor Ostrogski was a powerful magnate who assisted King Sigismund Korybut in the Hussite Wars. Feodor commanded the defense of one of the Vilnius castles during a siege. The castle was captured but the upper and lower castle were rescued. Feodor then supported Grand Duke Švitrigaila in the civil war and the war against Poland. By 1432 he was defeated at Kopestrzyn but was able to escape but was eventually imprisoned.


text:
   JCP&L has restored power since Thursday to more than 20,000 customers in Morris County but projected early Friday that full restoration from Wednesday's storm will take until next Wednesday.

[Marshall Keener of Morristown plowing his driveway in front of a tree that took down power lines on Kenmuir Avenue.]
   While JCP&L President Jim Fakult, speaking at a Thursday afternoon Facebook live press conference, could not provide immediate answers to restoration times, JCP&L early Friday projected when the lights and heat will be restored. As of Friday morning, there were 28,221 outages in Morris County and 77,744 statewide in JCP&L's service area of 1,115,951 customers.

   The Morris outages were reduced by nearly 21,000 customers overnight from the 49,055 as of Thursday morning. JCP&L's update on Facebook said customers still without power from the March 2 Winter Storm Riley will be restored by late Saturday.

   The bad news: The majority of northern New Jersey customers out of power from this week's storm will be restored by March 14, according to the update.

   The annual St. Patrick's Day parade of Morris County will occur Saturday, beginning at noon and proceeding down South Street, around the Morristown Green, to its end point at Morristown High School on Atno Avenue.  Town Mayor Timothy Dougherty said the parking garages around town will be free to spectators between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

   As of Friday morning, Chatham Borough, Chester Township, Harding, Kinnelon, Long Hill and Parsippany townships still had significant outages in Morris County. Harding alone had 57 percent of its JCP&L customers without power.

   At 3 p.m. Thursday more than 111,000 customers, mostly in Morris, Hunterdon, Warren and Sussex counties, had no power.

Beyond those who have been without power since Friday, JCP&L will prioritize restoring hospitals and other facilities that Fakult classified as "critical facilities."

JCP&L:Wet snow, downed trees, wires make Morris cleanup difficult

NEIGHBOR-POWER:How do you get through a four-day power outage? Kindness from neighbors, family

ST. PAT'S IN MORRIS:Where to eat, drink, pray, celebrate St. Patrick's Day locally

Morris Township Administrator Timothy Quinn said generators were delivered to several residents who are ailing and needed power to support their medical equipment.

Parsippany Mayor Michael Soriano said 10,038 township residents were still without power Thursday afternoon.

He said he is frustrated for those who will face another night without electricity. But as a union electrical worker by trade, he understands what the repairmen are up against.

"I was in lower Lake Hiawatha during Irene and Sandy, so I know how aggravating it is to not have power," Soriano said. "No disrespect to other mayors who may not have the training I have, but they're not going to understand. All they know is that their citizens are very upset because they don't have power. Which makes sense."

Among others without power Thursday was a family of five who found shelter and electricity at the Starbucks in Morristown.

Matthew Struck, Jocelyn Bates and their three young children lost power in their Morris Township home on Wednesday during the blizzard.

With Cole, 6, and Veronica, 8, in tow, and Bates carrying 1-year-old Piper in a harness, the couple walked nearly a mile from their Ellsworth Avenue home to Starbucks in Morristown.

[Matthew Struck, with children Cole, Veronica and Piper Struck with their mom, Jocelyn Bates of Morris Township. The family has no power and was at Starbuck's charging electronics for entertainment.]
The appeal? A place to charge the iPads they would use to keep the children occupied. The children used the iPads to watch “Furry Vengeance,” a movie about woodland creatures that rebel against a housing development.

The couple said they couldn’t drive to Starbucks because their road had not been plowed yet.

[A Line worker from Ohio Edison looks up at a downed wire on Early Street in Morristown.]
The family of five said they were able to get through one night on a dinner of hummus and iPad-watching, but sleep was uncomfortable, as Piper kept waking up.

If they didn't get power back before Thursday night, the family would stay with friends or a hotel. Watching movies and living with candlelight and flashlights wasn't loads of fun with three young children.

“It’s not easy,” Bates said, as Piper snoozed in her harness and electronics were charging at the coffee shop.

“We definitely dressed in layers,” Struck said. The silver lining? They have hot water.

[]
John Tiscornia, owner of Mendham Health and Racquet Club opened his business to Mendham residents without power to shower and charge their phones at the facility. The club had no power for several days and then welcomed needy residents after power was restored Monday. Tiscornia said one woman saw his notice on Facebook and brought in towels, soaps and shampoos for everyone to use.

At least seven municipalities in Morris County were reporting power outages affecting 50 percent or more of their residents Thursday, including Chatham Borough, Florham Park, Harding, Kinnelon, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany and Riverdale.

"This storm was pretty tough because of the weight of the snow," said Morris County Buildings and Grounds Superintendent Christopher Walker.

During the press conference on Thursday, Faulk, in response to criticism JCP&L had not properly prepared for the storm, said it had, adding the storm affected most of the east coast.

"This affected over 2.5 million customers," he said. "For the most part, other utilities could not and would not release their resources until their customers were restored."

More than 4,100 JCP&L workers have been deployed, including 2,000 linemen, some from as far away as Texas.

A combination of heavy snow falling on the abundance of mature trees in northwest New Jersey also proved to be a bad combination.

"When you get 24 inches of wet, heavy snow on top of trees, they're going to come down," Fakult said.

JCP&L had restored nearly 320,000 customers since the first nor'easter hit on Friday.

_Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com. _

question: How many customers of JCP&L had their electricity restored in Morris County?

answer: Over 20,000.

question: What caused the power outage?

answer: Winter Storm Riley.

question: How will residents in need of power for medical equipment survive the power outage?

answer: Generators were delivered to affected residents.

question: Were people able to get hot water to survive the weather with the power outage?

answer: It is not certain, but it appears one of the affected families had access to hot water.

question: Write a ~7 sentence summary.

answer: Winter Storm Riley caused a severe power outage in Morris County, and JCP&L had set out to restore power to affected areas. JCP&L gave high priority facilities such as hospitals and other facilities much consideration. The Morris Township Administrator supplied generators to residents in need of electricity for medical equipment support. Many individuals and families were highly inconvenienced, including a couple with their three small children who had to walk a mile from their home to Starbucks to get power to charge electronics. Another individual had to open his club to residents who needed electricity to charge their electronics and shower. People criticised JCP&L for not properly preparing for the storm, but it appears the storm affected most of the east coast. The storm was said to be very tough because of the weight of the snow.


text:
The Big Idea

Romney’s slip had some truth to it.

[]

Republican vice presidential candidat Paul Ryan speaks during a campaign rally at the NASCAR Technical Institute on Sunday in Mooresville, N.C.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Introducing his running mate against the backdrop of the USS _Wisconsin_ on Saturday, Mitt Romney flubbed his easiest line. “Join me in welcoming the next president of the United States,” he declared. There is no way to avoid reading this as a Freudian slip. Romney’s chief problem as a candidate has been his substantive vacuity, his failure to stand for anything beyond flexibility itself. In choosing Paul Ryan, he opted to outsource the content of his campaign to his opposite: a principled, conservative idea man. Ryan is now the head of the Republican ticket, Romney the body.

Given the options he had left himself, this was probably the best choice Romney could make. Ryan stands for a clear proposition—the radical scaling back of the federal government’s social commitments—and through his pick, Romney now represents that as well. Usually, a vice presidential candidate scrambles to fall into line with the top of the ticket. In this case, it is Romney who will, not for the first time, have to adjust his views. Instead of attacking President Obama for cutting Medicare, Romney must now charge him with not cutting it enough—though he may try, absurdly, to do both.

Curiously, both conservatives and liberals profess to be pleased with the choice, the former because Ryan represents their beliefs and the latter because he offers clear positions they can challenge. Though both cannot be right about the political impact of the selection, the campaign itself will benefit from Romney’s choice. Ryan’s presence on the ticket makes this a better and more interesting election. It forces the debate the country needs to have about entitlement spending and ensures that the remaining months will be more than an argument about whose negative ads are more disgusting.

It is hard to see it, however, as improving Republican chances. Until now, Romney has been a poor candidate running a clumsy campaign and pointed toward losing a winnable race.  Ryan changes that narrative, but only by reframing the election the way Obama’s team wishes to, as a choice between two visions of the social contract as opposed to a referendum on Obama’s economic performance. Instead of teasing out the implications of Romney’s tax cuts, Obama can now directly challenge Ryan’s stated positions in favor of privatizing Social Security and turning Medicare into a voucher program. Florida, a must-win state for Romney, just moved closer to Obama’s column.

A valid critique of the plan Ryan developed as chairman of the House budget committee is that while it may be a useful document to start a conversation, it is utterly unrealistic as a matter of policy. The original version would reduce federal “discretionary” spending to 3 percent of GDP by 2050—far less than the U.S. now spends on defense alone. This is a preposterous target, a symptom of the Republican refusal to acknowledge that federal government has legitimate, vital functions and that fiscal balance can’t be attained without higher taxes.

Another fair criticism for Ryan, somewhat at odds with the first, is that while he may be a devotee of Ayn Rand, he has voted more like a Republican hack than a revolutionary. In Congress, he has sought federal funds for his Wisconsin district and supported the most egregious Bush spending programs, such as the Medicare prescription drug plan. While positioning himself as a deficit hawk, Ryan failed to embrace the report of the Simpson-Bowles commission, on which he sat.

Yet Ryan is neither the heartless ideologue nor the humbug liberal critics have made him out to be. He is, rather, a conviction politician who has moved his party far more than it has moved him. Getting the House to pass his budget this year—thus putting the GOP on record in favor of ending Medicare as an entitlement—was a stunning accomplishment. It puts an end to the Republican attempt to have it both ways, calling for less government in theory while voting for more in practice. It puts the onus on Democrats to say how else they would restrain a program that is growing to consume the entire federal budget.

In their efforts to portray him as simply a factotum for the rich, Ryan’s opponents frequently ignore what he has to say. For instance, the Ryan budget was widely criticized for finding savings from the elimination of tax deductions without naming any to eliminate.  But when I questioned Ryan about this at a breakfast with journalists a few months ago, his answer was both clear and sensible: He would means-test all tax deductions, including the big ones for mortgage-interest and charitable contributions. This is a sound way to extract more taxes from the wealthy without raising marginal rates. If he didn’t spell it out in his budget outline, it is because he has yet to develop a consensus around the idea inside the Republican caucus.

In the event of a Republican victory, Ryan would be as dominant a figure on economic policy as Dick Cheney was on foreign policy under George W. Bush. He understands the hard choices ahead and has a coherent view of how to make them. His selection represents a big step in the direction of conservative honesty—and probably, for that reason, toward Republican defeat.

_A different version of this article appears in the_ Financial Times_._

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

question: What was the best choice Romney could make?

answer: He chose Paul Ryan as his running mate for the presidential ticket.

question: Why are conservatives and liberals pleased with "the choice"?

answer: Conservatives are pleased because Ryan represents their beliefs and liberals are because he offers clear positions they can challenge.

question: Describe Paul Ryan.

answer: Paul Ryan is a conservative politician who is running as Mitt Romney's vice president in the election. He is seen as a conviction politician who has moved his party more than it has moved him.

question: What is a valid critique of the plan Ryan developed as chairman of the House budget committee?

answer: The plan may be a useful document to start a conversation, but it is unrealistic as a matter of policy.

question: Describe the original version of Ryan's plan?

answer: The original version would reduce federal "discretionary" spending to 3 percent of GDP by 2050. This is less than the U.S. spends on defense alone, and the author calls it a preposterous target.

question: What is the program that is growing to consume the entire federal budget?

answer: Medicare

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of the document, the author discusses Mitt Romney's choice of Paul Ryan as his running mate in the presidential election. The author sees Ryan as Romney's best choice, and that Ryan would be a dominant figure on economic policy. However, they see his selection as a step toward Republican defeat.


text:
By thirty, your life's pretty much over. Even though you technically still have more than half left, once you have a family, a job, and a home, every day is exactly like the last. There are no unanswered questions, nothing to look forward to. By thirty, you've realized that life is dull, drab, and meaningless; you're just riding it out.

Your alarm clock blares, so you groggily slap at it until it shuts up. You crack open your eyes. The fire-red 6:00 taunts you from the nightstand. You drag yourself out of bed. When your wife stirs, you pretend to apologize for waking her. She smiles and doesn't believe you. You shave, shower, and dress in your favorite shirt and tie which, since you have no personality, is black on white. You stagger into the kitchen and start brewing coffee, soon followed by your dazed wife with her frazzled hair and ratty bathrobe. She plops her sagging ass into a chair (you pray it doesn't break) and stares zombily into space, picturing the kitchen she should have had. You pour two cups, the steam drifting lazily from the dull black pools, and drop into the seat opposite her. You push her mug over and even attempt some inane, frivolous conversation. But she's busy sipping her coffee and wondering what she ever saw in you so she responds in grunts. Silence shortly reclaims the room. Then your little girl trudges in, so suddenly the two of you are cheerful and in love. While Mommy's busy complementing Daddy's tie ("My, how interesting!"), the little girl pours her own cereal and orange juice. She joins Mommy and Daddy at the table, but doesn't utter a word; she knows they're faking. Kids are smart like that. When she silently finishes and leaves to prep for school, you rise, spit a goodbye at your wife (the kid's not here, so no need to kiss), march out the door, and fire up your '98 Ford Escort. The rattling shakes open the glove compartment, so annoyance tugging at the fringes of your brain, you slam it shut. Even though you will never get it repaired, you remind yourself to do it anyway. Then you accelerate and brake and turn until you're lost in those short, yellow lines that happen to be zipping by.

That's where you are right now: mesmerized by an endless parade of golden dashes, wondering how life managed to slip you by. It's actually quite simple: you screwed up the first part.

Life flows like the daily commute. There are two distinct legs: navigating to and cruising along the highway. The initial is substantially more involved; you're constantly accelerating, braking, and turning, meticulously reading every street sign to pick your way through the complex matrix of roads. Since you're paying attention, encountering new situations, and still fresh to the drive, this shorter leg seems the longer; there is more to remember so you remember more.

Then you merge into the swift river of cars of the highway. Breathing a sigh of relief, you settle into your seat and lose yourself in whatever tune is on the radio. Hopefully, nothing happens; every minute is just cruising steadily along the smooth pavement while kind of keeping track of the cars around you. But without unique events, the minutes blend into each other. Time becomes slippery and insubstantial. Before you know it, you've arrived at your destination, wishing you lived further away.

Life works like that. When you're young, dumb, and inexperienced, you're left to forge your way through an intricate spider web of paths, hopefully with a map or other guide, but usually not. You decide who you are, what you believe, your profession, whether you even graduate high school, and whether Debra is actually your soul mate or if you should push for that abortion. Some people guess right and comfortably cruise along for the rest of their lives. But when they don't have guidance, it's easy to see how so many young are lost.

As a result of the constantly changing landscape and plethora of new experiences of young life, this shorter leg (thirty years at most) seems the longer. Then you merge onto the highway; you have a spouse named Debra who hates your guts, a job you planned to work for two years but this is already your eighth, and a kid who's too smart to talk to you. You watch as the days blend into one miserable stream and, before you know it, you're dead. But that's what happens when you fuck up that initial leg; you end up driving to nowhere until you run out of gas or crash.

So, in a moment, you will pull into a parking lot. Your ankle sore for no reason whatsoever, you will limp into the concrete building, blowing right by the motivational poster depicting the long and tumultuous history of the company. Cassie, the bubbly receptionist, will perkily greet you. You will neadrathalically grunt back. After an eternity of making calls in your droll office, the last will be to Debra, notifying her that you're leaving work (bitch better have your dinner ready). As you walk out the door, Cassie will energetically wave goodbye. You will ignore her.

You will crawl through traffic home in your sputtering car with the incessantly swinging glove box to stagger inside, exhausted from yelling at idiot drivers. Fortunately, the steam will still be rising from your formerly frozen lasagna. Since words only spark argument and truth, you will eat in silence. After, you will try to act sophisticated by reading the newspaper, but your wife's cooking show will be too damn loud. You will quietly hiss at her to please turn it down. She won't. You will remain mum for a few minutes, penting up your boiling rage. When it finally bursts free, you will throw the paper to the floor, yourself to your feet, and your words at your bitch wife. You don't have the patience anymore for her pointless cooking shit.

Debra will be unfazed. She will flat out ask you when you ever had the patience for her pointless cooking shit or her at all, calmly rehashing your utter failure as a husband and a father. Even though she ain't so perfect herself, you will storm off to bed in a huff, anger clamping your mouth shut. It's hard to argue with someone who's right.

And the whole time, the little girl will be curled up to the crack of her door, listening intently to every word, lonely tears snaking down her face. Just like every other day.

title: Just Like Every Other Day

question: In what does the character dress in before going to work?

answer: Black tie and white shirt.

question: Who makes the coffee in the morning?

answer: The husband.

question: Will the characters get a divorce?

question: What car does the main character have?

answer: '98 Ford Escort

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is making a point about how life until 30 seems longer because you have to decide who you are. After 30, life seems shorter as there are few life decisions to be made. The narrator uses as an example a character who made the wrong decisions in his 30's and now is unhappy with his life.