text:
ERNEST WALKER (15 July 187021 February 1949) was an Indian-born English composer, pianist, organist, teacher and writer on music. [Ernest Walker, composer]

Biography

Ernest Walker was born in Bombay, India, in 1870, where his father was a partner in a merchant firm[1] (his father had also had ambitions to be a writer, and even published two novels under the pseudonym “Powys Oswyn”, but these plans were abandoned).[2] Ernest came to England with his parents in 1871. From an early age he exhibited a mystic attraction to nature.[3] He studied the piano with Ernst Pauer[4] and harmony with Alfred Richter (a son of the cantor at St Thomas's Church, Leipzig).[5] Through a mutual friend, he became friendly with Harold Bauer (then still only a violinist) and the two would often play duos together.[6] He was educated at Oxford, becoming a Doctor of Music in 1898. There, his mystical bent was fostered and became more pronounced.[7]

He was assistant organist at Balliol College from 1891 to 1901, and organist from 1901 to 1913 (resigning only because he felt his private views on religion were incompatible with the religious nature of the texts sung by the choir, even though there was no requirement that the organist profess Christian beliefs).[8] He remained at Oxford for the rest of his life, and died there. He was director of music at Balliol from 1901 to 1925 and organised the Sunday chamber music concerts there, at which he often appeared as a pianist. He arranged appearances at these concerts by artists such as the baritone Harry Plunket Greene, the tenors Steuart Wilson and Gervase Elwes, the pianists Fanny Davies, Leonard Borwick and Donald Tovey, the violinists Adolf Busch and Jelly d'Arányi, and the violist Lionel Tertis.[9][10] These concerts often featured works then hardly known in England, such as César Franck's Violin Sonata in A major, and songs by Joseph Marx and Richard Strauss.[11] He was for many years an examiner and member of the Board of Studies for music, and he did much to improve the standard of the B.Mus and D.Mus degrees. He encouraged many promising musicians, among them the Australian Frederick Septimus Kelly, who was killed in World War I, and Donald Tovey, who became his lifelong friend. Tovey dedicated his _Balliol Dances_ for piano duet to Ernest Walker.[12]

He championed the music of Hugo Wolf and Claude Debussy, and introduced some of Johannes Brahms's late works to England (the piano pieces, Op. 117, and the Rhapsody from Op. 119).[13] He also played for the first time in England some Scriabin and Debussy piano pieces, Max Reger's _Aus meinem Tagebuch_, and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C sharp minor.[14]

Walker had a great reputation as an accompanist,[15] and played for artists such as Pablo Casals, on one occasion in 1898 performing together for Queen Victoria at Osborne House. As late as 1947, Casals wrote to Walker expressing his admiration for the musicianship he had displayed almost 50 years earlier.[16] He also accompanied Joseph Joachim in concert; Joachim later wrote to Walker to express his gratitude for the quality of his playing.[17] Privately, he played violin sonatas with Albert Einstein.[18]

He edited the _Musical Gazette_, a quarterly publication, from 1899 to 1902. He wrote the Beethoven number of the _Music of the Masters_ series (1905). He wrote a number of articles for the 2nd edition of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1902).[19] He wrote articles and critiques for _The Times_ and _Manchester Guardian_, and wrote program notes for concerts. His most important literary work is _History of Music in England_ (1907, rev. 1923; rev. 1952 by Jack Westrup). In 1996, the musicologist Paul Henry Lang, wrote of it: Walker's essays written over a 30-year period were collected in _Free Thought and the Musician_ (1946), in which he explains his philosophical, religious and mystical views. Although he is described as a man of unfailing integrity and kindliness, he was a man of strong prejudices: he condemned Victorian music: Arthur Sullivan (“disgraceful rubbish”),[20] and John Stainer's _The Crucifixion_, and he dismissed all medieval music as “pre-artistic”.[21]

Among Walker's students were Herbert Murrill,[22] Reginald Jacques, Victor Hely-Hutchinson, Sir Thomas Armstrong, Graham Peel, Sir William McKie,[23] Robert Still,[24] and Gervase Hughes.[25]

He resigned as Director of Music at Balliol College to devote himself to composition. In 1942 the Cobbett Gold Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians was conferred on him.[26] He died in 1949, aged 78. He was mourned by many, and those who paid tribute to him included Albert Schweitzer.

Music

Ernest Walker's style as a composer is conventional and conservative. It was described by _The Manchester Guardian_ as not particularly distinguished but sensitive in expression and technically skilful.[27] After 1914 his chromatic harmony became much more pronounced. The majority of his music is written for voices – many choral pieces (partsongs, anthems and motets), songs, and vocal duets and quartets. His works include a _Stabat Mater_ (1898), _I will lift up mine eyes_, Op. 16, No. 1 (1899), _Hymn to Dionysus_, Op. 13 (1906), _Ode to a Nightingale_, Op. 14 (1908; words by John Keats), and _One generation passeth away_, Op. 56 (1934). There is also vocal incidental music to _Rhesus_ (attrib. Euripides; 1922; sung to a Greek text).

He wrote little orchestral music and no concertante works. His major orchestral work was _Fantasia-Variations on a Norfolk folksong_, Op. 45 (1930; also exists as a piano duet). His chamber music includes: a piano trio, 2 piano quartets, a piano quintet, a horn quintet, a Minuet and Trio for 2 violins and piano, and a Fantasia for string quartet.

He also wrote other instrumental music: 2 violin sonatas (1895, 1910); a viola sonata (1897); a cello sonata (1914); Variations on an Original Theme for viola and piano (1907); Variations on a Theme by Joseph Joachim for violin and piano (1918); and other pieces for piano with violin, viola, cello, clarinet or horn.

His solo piano music consists mainly of short pieces, miniatures, album leaves, preludes and the like. There is also _Variations on a Norwegian Air_, Op. 4 (1894), the suite _The Days of the Week_ (1904), a _West African Fantasietta_, Op. 63 (1935), and a Study for the Left Hand, Op. 47. He arranged the _Allegro assai_ from Felix Mendelssohn's String Quartet in F minor, for piano solo. For piano duet, he wrote Six Duettinos, Op. 39 (1926), a _West African Fantasia_, Op. 53 (1933), and a Rhapsody and Fugue, Op. 57 (1934). There is also a _Waltz Suite_, Op. 60 (1935) for two pianos. He wrote cadenzas for five Mozart piano concertos, and for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3.

He wrote three pieces for the left-handed pianist Paul Wittgenstein: Variations on an Original Theme for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano left hand; Study for the Left Hand, Op. 47; and Prelude (Larghetto), Op. 61.[28]

Only two works for organ came from his pen: a Prelude and Fugue in D, Op. 23 (1908), and _Ten Preludes on the Lady Margaret Hall Hymn-tunes_, Op. 50 (1923). This last work has been described as among the few significant contributions to English organ music of the 20th century. The Ten Preludes also exist in a choral version (Op. 51).

Some of his music has been recorded: the Cello Sonata;[29] the Adagio for Horn and Organ;[30] and some of his choral pieces.[31]

List of works

Stage

-   _Rhesus_, Incidental Music to the play by Euripides for male chorus, Op. 35 (1923)

Orchestral

-   _Lyrics_ for string orchestra (1892)
-   _Concert Overture_ in F minor (1897)
-   _Intermezzo_ for string orchestra (2 clarinets ad libitum) and piano, Op. 22 (1908)
-   _Ground_ for string orchestra (1911)
-   _Fantasia-Variations on a Norfolk Folk Song_, Op. 45 (1930); original version for piano 4-hands

Chamber music

-   Piano Trio in C minor for violin, cello and piano (1896)
-   _Ballade_ in D minor for violin and piano, Op. 6 (1896)
-   Sonata No. 1 in A minor for violin and piano, Op. 8 (1895); published 1898
-   _Romance_ in B major for viola (or clarinet) and piano, Op. 9 (1898)
-   Quartet in D major for violin, viola, cello and piano (1899)
-   Quintet in B minor for horn, 2 violins, viola and cello (1900)
-   _Ballade_ in F major for cello and piano, Op. 11 No. 1 (1900)
-   Adagio in E major for cello (or horn) and piano, Op. 11 No. 2 (1900)
-   _Minuet and Trio_ for 2 violins and piano, Op. 20 (1904)
-   _Romance and Caprice_ for violin and piano (1904)
-   Quintet in A major for 2 violins, viola, cello and piano (1905)
-   _Variations on an Original Theme_ for viola and piano (1907)
-   Quartet in C minor for violin, viola, cello and piano (1910)
-   Sonata in C major for viola and piano, Op. 29 (1897); published 1912
-   _Variations on an Original Theme_ for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano left-hand (1913); written for Paul Wittgenstein
-   _Fantasia_ in D major for string quartet, Op. 32 (1923)
-   _Variations on a Theme of Joseph Joachim_ for violin and piano, Op. 40 (1918); published 1927
-   Sonata in F minor for cello and piano, Op. 41 (1914); published 1928
-   Sonata No. 2 in E major for violin and piano, Op. 44 (1910); published 1930
-   _The Londonderry Air_, Arrangement for violin and piano, Op. 59 (1935)

Organ

-   _Prelude and Fugue in D_, Op. 23 (1908)
-   _Ten Preludes on the Lady Margaret Hall Hymn-Tunes_, Op. 50 (1932); also for chorus, Op. 51

Piano

-   _Rhapsody_ in G minor (1892)
-   _Variations on a Norwegian Air_, Op. 4 (1894)
-   _Romance and Capriccio_, Op. 5 (1895)
-   _Album Leaf No. 1_ (1895)
-   _Mazurka_ (1897)
-   _Intermezzo in Tenths_ (1897)
-   _Album Leaf No. 2_ (1898)
-   _The Days of the Week_, 7 Short Pieces (1904); No. 1 published as Op. 37
-   _Prelude_ in E major, Op. 37 (1904); published 1925; used in the variation movement of Violin Sonata, Op. 44
-   _6 Duettinos_ for piano 4-hands, Op. 39 (1926)
-   _3 Dedications_, Op. 42 (1929)
-   _Easter Piece_, Op. 43 (1929)
-   _Fantasia-Variations on a Norfolk Folk-Song_ for piano 4-hands, Op. 45 (1930); also orchestrated
-   _4 Miniatures_, Op. 46 (1931)
-   _Study for the Left Hand_ for piano left-hand, Op. 47 (1901); published 1931; written for Paul Wittgenstein
-   _3 Fughettas_, Op. 49 (1932)
-   _A West African Fantasia_ for piano 4-hands, Op. 53 (1933)
-   _Christmas Piece_, Op. 54 (1933)
-   _Rhapsody and Fugue_ for piano 4-hands, Op. 57 (1932); published 1934
-   _A Waltz Suite_ for 2 pianos, Op. 60 (1935)
-   _Prelude for the Left Hand_, Larghetto for piano left-hand, Op. 61 (1935); written for Paul Wittgenstein
-   _West African Fantasietta_, Op. 63 (1935)

Vocal

-   _Brown Is My Love_, Madrigal for 5 voices (1893)
-   _From the Upland and the Sea_ for baritone, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano (1894); words by William Morris
-   _A Message_ for voice and piano (1894); words by G. H. F. Cookson
-   _Le Tsigane dans la lune_ for voice and piano (1894); words by Jean Lahor
-   _Why So Pale and Wan?_ for voice and piano (1895); words by John Suckling
-   _6 Songs_ for medium voice and piano, Op. 1; words by William Shakespeare and Ludwig Uhland
-   _3 Songs_ for voice and piano (1898); words by Olga von Gerstfeldt
-   _6 Two-part Songs_ for 2 female voices and piano, Op. 2 (published 1898); words by Robert Herrick, William Shakespeare and Percy Bysshe Shelley
-   _6 Songs_ for voice and piano, Op. 3 (1893); words by William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Heinrich Heine and Karl Candidus
-   _6 Two-part Songs_ for 2 female voices and piano, Op. 7 (1897); words from _Songs of Innocence and of Experience_ by William Blake
-   _The Wind on the Wold_ for high voice and piano (1902); words by William Ernest Henley
-   _Three War Songs_ for voice and piano (1902); words from _The Princess_ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
-   _2 Duets_ for soprano, baritone and piano (1902); words by Robert Herrick and from an Elizabethan songbook
-   _6 Songs_ for low voice and piano, Op. 12; words by Christina Rossetti, Olga von Gerstfeldt, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Herrick and Thomas Moore
-   _I Care Not for the Idle State_, Anacreontic Ode for baritone and piano, Op. 15; words by Thomas Moore
-   _Corinna's Going A-Maying_ for voice and piano, Op. 18 (1902); words by Robert Herrick
-   _Camilla Fair_ for voice and piano (1903); words from an Elizabethan song-book
-   _2 Songs_ for voice and piano, Op. 19 (1903); words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Charles Kingsley
-   Duets for alto and tenor (1904); words by Heinrich Heine
-   _Bluebells from the Clearings_ for voice and piano, Op. 21 (1906); words by William Ernest Henley
-   _3 Songs_ for voice and piano, Op. 27 (1909); words from an Elizabethan manuscript and by Sydney Thompson Dobell
-   _To Althea_ for voice and piano (1909); words by Richard Lovelace
-   _Come into the Garden, Maud_ for voice and piano, Op. 28 (1911); words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
-   _5 Songs_ for voices and piano, Op. 36 (1924); words by Robert Greene, Ben Jonson, Thomas Ravenscroft, Beaumont and Fletcher, Mary Scott
-   _Songs with Small Orchestra_ for high voice and small orchestra (or piano), Op. 38 (1926); words by Sydney Thompson Dobell
-   _Ring Out, Wild Bells_, Canon for two equal voices and piano, Op. 64 (1937); words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Choral

-   _Psalm 130 “De Profundis”_ for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1892)
-   _Stabat Mater_ for 4 solo voices, mixed chorus and orchestra (1897)
-   _5 Songs_ for 4 voices and piano, Op. 10 (1900); words from Englands Helicon (1600)
-   _A Hymn to Dionysus_ for mixed chorus and orchestra, Op. 13 (1906); words by Euripides
-   _Ode to a Nightingale_ for baritone solo, clarinet solo, mixed chorus and orchestra, Op. 14 (1908); words by John Keats
-   _2 Anthems_ for male voices and organ, Op. 16 (1899)

:# I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes (also for female voices and organ)

:# Lord, Thou Hast Been Our Refuge (also for mixed voices and organ)

-   _6 Three-part Songs_ for 3 female voices and piano, Op. 17 (1901–1908)
-   _The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls_ for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 24 (1906); words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
-   _The World's Wanderers_, Part-Song for 3 female voices and piano, Op. 25 (1906); words by Percy Bysshe Shelley
-   _Liberty_, Part-Song for 4 male voices a cappella, Op. 26 (1906); words by Percy Bysshe Shelley
-   _Neptune's Empire_, Choral Lyric for chorus and orchestra (1910); words by Thomas Campion
-   _3 Part-Songs_ for 3 female voices a cappella, Op. 30 (1912, 1914); words by Robert Herrick
-   _In Pride of May_, Part-Song for 3 female voices and piano, Op. 31 (1914); words from an Elizabethan songbook
-   _Orpheus with His Lute_, Part-Song for mixed voices a cappella, Op. 33 (1922); words by William Shakespeare
-   _Full Fathom Five_, Song for 6 soprano voices a cappella, Op. 34 (1923); words by William Shakespeare
-   _Soft Music_, Part-Song for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 48 (1931); words by Robert Herrick
-   _The Lady Margaret Hall Hymn-Tunes_ for chorus a cappella, Op. 51 (1932); also for organ
-   _The Earth Is the Lord's_, Motet for female chorus a cappella, Op. 52 (1932)
-   _Sunset and Evening Star_, Choral Song for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 55 (1932); published 1934; words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
-   _One Generation Passeth Away_, Motet for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 56 (1934); Biblical words from Ecclesiastes
-   _Hearken to Me, Ye That Follow after Righteousness_, Motet for female chorus a cappella, piano or organ ad libitum, Op. 58 (1934); Biblical words from the Book of Isaiah
-   _Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis_ in D major for female voices and organ, Op. 62 (1935)
-   _Song from Schiller's “Wilhelm Tell”_ for voice and piano (1937); words by Friedrich Schiller
-   _Dirge in Woods_ for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 65 (1939); words by George Meredith

[1]

[2]

[3]

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[6]

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[20] Fiddian, Moulton. “History of Music in England”, _The Bookman_, August 1924, p. 294

[21] Westrup, Jack. “Stanley Robert Marchant (1883-1949): Ernest Walker (1870-1949)”, _Music & Letters_, Vol. 30, No. 3 (July 1949), pp. 201–203

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27] “Oxford Musician”, _The Manchester Guardian_, 6 April 1951, p. 3

[28]

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[30]

[31]

title: Ernest Walker (composer)

question: Who is Ernest Walker?

answer: Ernest Walker was an Indian-born English composer.

question: Write a short timeline of his career background in music.

answer:
- 1891 to 1901 - he was an assistant organist at Balliol College.
- 1898 - he became a Doctor of Music.
- 1898 - performed together with Pablo Casals for Queen Victoria at Osborne House.
- 1901 to 1913 - he was an organist then left.
- 1901 to 1925 - he was the director of music at Balliol.
- 1942 - he was awarded the Cobbett Gold Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

question: When did he take an interest in music?

answer: From an early age, he exhibited a mystic attraction to nature.

question: List his works.

answer:
Stage

- Rhesus, Incidental Music to the play by Euripides for male chorus, Op. 35 (1923)

Orchestral

- Lyrics for string orchestra (1892)
- Concert Overture in F minor (1897)
- Intermezzo for string orchestra (2 clarinets ad libitum) and piano, Op. 22 (1908)
- Ground for string orchestra (1911)
- Fantasia-Variations on a Norfolk Folk Song, Op. 45 (1930); original version for piano 4-hands

Chamber music

- Piano Trio in C minor for violin, cello and piano (1896)
- Ballade in D minor for violin and piano, Op. 6 (1896)
- Sonata No. 1 in A minor for violin and piano, Op. 8 (1895); published 1898
- Romance in B major for viola (or clarinet) and piano, Op. 9 (1898)
- Quartet in D major for violin, viola, cello and piano (1899)
- Quintet in B minor for horn, 2 violins, viola and cello (1900)
- Ballade in F major for cello and piano, Op. 11 No. 1 (1900)
- Adagio in E major for cello (or horn) and piano, Op. 11 No. 2 (1900)
- Minuet and Trio for 2 violins and piano, Op. 20 (1904)
- Romance and Caprice for violin and piano (1904)
- Quintet in A major for 2 violins, viola, cello and piano (1905)
- Variations on an Original Theme for viola and piano (1907)
- Quartet in C minor for violin, viola, cello and piano (1910)
- Sonata in C major for viola and piano, Op. 29 (1897); published 1912
- Variations on an Original Theme for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano left-hand (1913); written for Paul Wittgenstein
- Fantasia in D major for string quartet, Op. 32 (1923)
- Variations on a Theme of Joseph Joachim for violin and piano, Op. 40 (1918); published 1927
- Sonata in F minor for cello and piano, Op. 41 (1914); published 1928
- Sonata No. 2 in E major for violin and piano, Op. 44 (1910); published 1930
- The Londonderry Air, Arrangement for violin and piano, Op. 59 (1935)

Organ

- Prelude and Fugue in D, Op. 23 (1908)
- Ten Preludes on the Lady Margaret Hall Hymn-Tunes, Op. 50 (1932); also for chorus, Op. 51

Piano

- Rhapsody in G minor (1892)
- Variations on a Norwegian Air, Op. 4 (1894)
- Romance and Capriccio, Op. 5 (1895)
- Album Leaf No. 1 (1895)
- Mazurka (1897)
- Intermezzo in Tenths (1897)
- Album Leaf No. 2 (1898)
- The Days of the Week, 7 Short Pieces (1904); No. 1 published as Op. 37
- Prelude in E major, Op. 37 (1904); published 1925; used in the variation movement of Violin Sonata, Op. 44
- 6 Duettinos for piano 4-hands, Op. 39 (1926)
- 3 Dedications, Op. 42 (1929)
- Easter Piece, Op. 43 (1929)
- Fantasia-Variations on a Norfolk Folk-Song for piano 4-hands, Op. 45 (1930); also orchestrated
- 4 Miniatures, Op. 46 (1931)
- Study for the Left Hand for piano left-hand, Op. 47 (1901); published 1931; written for Paul Wittgenstein
- 3 Fughettas, Op. 49 (1932)
- A West African Fantasia for piano 4-hands, Op. 53 (1933)
- Christmas Piece, Op. 54 (1933)
- Rhapsody and Fugue for piano 4-hands, Op. 57 (1932); published 1934
- A Waltz Suite for 2 pianos, Op. 60 (1935)
- Prelude for the Left Hand, Larghetto for piano left-hand, Op. 61 (1935); written for Paul Wittgenstein
- West African Fantasietta, Op. 63 (1935)

Vocal

- Brown Is My Love, Madrigal for 5 voices (1893)
- From the Upland and the Sea for baritone, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano (1894); words by William Morris
- A Message for voice and piano (1894); words by G. H. F. Cookson
- Le Tsigane dans la lune for voice and piano (1894); words by Jean Lahor
- Why So Pale and Wan? for voice and piano (1895); words by John Suckling
- 6 Songs for medium voice and piano, Op. 1; words by William Shakespeare and Ludwig Uhland
- 3 Songs for voice and piano (1898); words by Olga von Gerstfeldt
- 6 Two-part Songs for 2 female voices and piano, Op. 2 (published 1898); words by Robert Herrick, William Shakespeare and Percy Bysshe Shelley
- 6 Songs for voice and piano, Op. 3 (1893); words by William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Heinrich Heine and Karl Candidus
- 6 Two-part Songs for 2 female voices and piano, Op. 7 (1897); words from Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake
- The Wind on the Wold for high voice and piano (1902); words by William Ernest Henley
- Three War Songs for voice and piano (1902); words from The Princess by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- 2 Duets for soprano, baritone and piano (1902); words by Robert Herrick and from an Elizabethan songbook
- 6 Songs for low voice and piano, Op. 12; words by Christina Rossetti, Olga von Gerstfeldt, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Herrick and Thomas Moore
- I Care Not for the Idle State, Anacreontic Ode for baritone and piano, Op. 15; words by Thomas Moore
- Corinna's Going A-Maying for voice and piano, Op. 18 (1902); words by Robert Herrick
- Camilla Fair for voice and piano (1903); words from an Elizabethan song-book
- 2 Songs for voice and piano, Op. 19 (1903); words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Charles Kingsley
- Duets for alto and tenor (1904); words by Heinrich Heine
- Bluebells from the Clearings for voice and piano, Op. 21 (1906); words by William Ernest Henley
- 3 Songs for voice and piano, Op. 27 (1909); words from an Elizabethan manuscript and by Sydney Thompson Dobell
- To Althea for voice and piano (1909); words by Richard Lovelace
- Come into the Garden, Maud for voice and piano, Op. 28 (1911); words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- 5 Songs for voices and piano, Op. 36 (1924); words by Robert Greene, Ben Jonson, Thomas Ravenscroft, Beaumont and Fletcher, Mary Scott
- Songs with Small Orchestra for high voice and small orchestra (or piano), Op. 38 (1926); words by Sydney Thompson Dobell
- Ring Out, Wild Bells, Canon for two equal voices and piano, Op. 64 (1937); words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Choral

- Psalm 130 “De Profundis” for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1892)
- Stabat Mater for 4 solo voices, mixed chorus and orchestra (1897)
- 5 Songs for 4 voices and piano, Op. 10 (1900); words from Englands Helicon (1600)
- A Hymn to Dionysus for mixed chorus and orchestra, Op. 13 (1906); words by Euripides
- Ode to a Nightingale for baritone solo, clarinet solo, mixed chorus and orchestra, Op. 14 (1908); words by John Keats
- 2 Anthems for male voices and organ, Op. 16 (1899)

:# I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes (also for female voices and organ)

:# Lord, Thou Hast Been Our Refuge (also for mixed voices and organ)

- 6 Three-part Songs for 3 female voices and piano, Op. 17 (1901–1908)
- The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 24 (1906); words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- The World's Wanderers, Part-Song for 3 female voices and piano, Op. 25 (1906); words by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Liberty, Part-Song for 4 male voices a cappella, Op. 26 (1906); words by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Neptune's Empire, Choral Lyric for chorus and orchestra (1910); words by Thomas Campion
- 3 Part-Songs for 3 female voices a cappella, Op. 30 (1912, 1914); words by Robert Herrick
- In Pride of May, Part-Song for 3 female voices and piano, Op. 31 (1914); words from an Elizabethan songbook
- Orpheus with His Lute, Part-Song for mixed voices a cappella, Op. 33 (1922); words by William Shakespeare
- Full Fathom Five, Song for 6 soprano voices a cappella, Op. 34 (1923); words by William Shakespeare
- Soft Music, Part-Song for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 48 (1931); words by Robert Herrick
- The Lady Margaret Hall Hymn-Tunes for chorus a cappella, Op. 51 (1932); also for organ
- The Earth Is the Lord's, Motet for female chorus a cappella, Op. 52 (1932)
- Sunset and Evening Star, Choral Song for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 55 (1932); published 1934; words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- One Generation Passeth Away, Motet for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 56 (1934); Biblical words from Ecclesiastes
- Hearken to Me, Ye That Follow after Righteousness, Motet for female chorus a cappella, piano or organ ad libitum, Op. 58 (1934); Biblical words from the Book of Isaiah
- Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D major for female voices and organ, Op. 62 (1935)
- Song from Schiller's “Wilhelm Tell” for voice and piano (1937); words by Friedrich Schiller
- Dirge in Woods for mixed chorus a cappella, Op. 65 (1939); words by George Meredith

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: Ernest Walker was an Indian-born English composer. He had composed many classic songs that had been a huge contribution to the world of classical music and even played privately with well-known people like Albert Einstein. Because of his contributions, he was awarded the Cobbett Gold Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. Eventually, he passed away in 1949, at the age of 78, and was mourned by many. Among his mourners was Albert Schweitzer.


split: train

text:
NEEVIN MOSQUE, or NEEVIN MASJID (), is a 15th-century mosque built during the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. It is located in the ancient Walled City of Lahore, in Pakistan's Punjab province.

Neevin Mosque is notable for its foundation 25 feet below street level. The mosque is further noted for being one of Lahore's few remaining pre-Mughal monuments.

Location

Neevin Mosque is situated within the Walled City of Lahore along a small street named _Kucha Dogran_. The mosque is located near the historic Lahori Gate, and is near the Chowk Matti square.

History

[The mosque is unusual in that its prayer hall is below street level.] While Lahore is widely known for its Mughal-era monuments, Naveen Mosque is believed to have been built in 1460 C.E. by the Lodi dynasty under the rule of its first king, Bahlul Lodi.[1] The dynasty was founded in Multan in Pakistan's Punjab province, though the founders were of Pashtun extraction. The mosque is believed to have been built by Zulfiqar Khan, who served under Lahore's governor, Haybat Khan.[2]

Unlike the Badshahi Mosque, Sunehri Mosque, and Mariyam Zamani Mosque which were desecrated under Sikh rule,[3][4][5] Neevin Mosque remained untouched.[6] It also was not greatly altered in appearance under Sikh and British rule, although its minarets had to be rebuilt following an earthquake in the early 1900s.[7]

Architecture

[A view of the mosque's interior] From the mosque's entrance on the street, visitors must descend a staircase to access the mosque's prayer hall. The mosque's unusual foundation below street level is atypical for Lahore's other mosques, although at one time there two such mosques - the other near Yakki Gate was rebuilt in the 20th century and is now at street-level.[8] In contrast to usual mosque construction, Hindu temples are sometimes built with subterranean vaults and chambers,[9] leading to speculation that the mosque could have possibly been built upon the remains of an earlier Hindu temple.[10]

The mosque's prayer hall can accommodate approximately 100 worshippers,[11] and is divided into three roughly equally-sized sections. Each section features a short dome typical of the Lodi-style, as well as an archway that opens onto the mosque's central courtyard.[12]

Administration

The mosque is run by the local community under the leadership of an Imam.[13]

[1]

[2]

[3] Note: BADSHAHI WAS USED AS HORSE STABLES UNDER SIKH RULE: AND THEN DAMAGED BY MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH'S SON, SHER SINGH:

[4] NOTE: SIKH ADMINISTRATORS CONVERTED THE MARIYAM ZAMANI MOSQUE INTO A GUNPOWDER FACTORY:

[5] NOTE: SUNEHRI MOSQUE WAS CONVERTED INTO A GURUDWARA AFTER NEIGHBOURING SIKH RESIDENTS COMPLAINED THAT THE MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER WAS DISTURBING THEM.

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

title: Neevin Mosque

question: Where is the Neevin Mosque located?

answer: The Neevin Mosque is located in the ancient Walled City of Lahore, in Pakistan's Punjab province.

question: What are some notable features of the Neevin Mosque?

answer: The mosque's foundation is 25 feet below street level, and is one of Lahore's few remaining pre-Mughal monuments.

question: How many worshippers can the Neevin Mosque's prayer hall accommodate?

answer: The prayer hall can accommodate up around 100 people.

question: Who runs the Neevin Mosque?

answer: The mosque is run by the local community under the leadership of an Imam.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article gives a description and history of the Neevin Mosque, which is located in the ancient Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan. It is believed to have been built in 1460, and is one of Lahore's few pre-Mughal monuments.


text:
_on_ August 18, 2015 •

The video of my ‘Existence of God’ lecture is now up online. It was delivered on 4th February 2015 at the University of Nottingham Trent [UK]. The audience-interactive lecture starts off by discussing choosing the correct methodology to rationally deduce God’s existence out of:

-   Spiritual Experience
-   Scientific Method
-   Rational Thinking

The correct method is then applied onto these three questions:

-   How do we know finite things have causes?
-   How do we know that all finite things started with an infinite cause?
-   How do we know this Infinite first cause is God and not a mechanical/mindless thing, like the multi-verse?

The discussion then rounds up with a brief discourse asking why do people reject God?

Outlined were the 5 basic reasons (which are explained further in the Talk):

1.  Liberalism’s irrational belief in the theoretically unlimited freedom of the individual causes a clash with the limitations of higher purpose and meaning under a creator
2.  People reject god because Liberalism caused people to believe the purpose of their life was to seek pleasure, and they blamed God (or denied him) when their lives weren’t perfect
3.  Some people believe the Scientific method is the only method to find knowledge, and reject all things that can’t be detected by it
4.  Some people reject God because they had a bad experience with intellectual contradictions they found in a religion they were brought up into (e.g. polytheism, trinity etc).
5.  Some people are reject God because of the different theories about him, they see in different religions

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

Categories: LECTURES, Proof of God

Tags: Existence of God, Scientific Method, Spiritual Experience, University of Nottingham Trent

question: There are many different versions of God as seen by the different religions of the world. To which God does this article refer?

answer: It appears that this piece refers to God in his many forms since the piece refers to polytheism and the trinity.

question: What are the reasons that people reject God?

answer:
People reject God because they blame him when life is imperfect.
Some people will only accept what can be rationally explained by science
Some people don't like the conflicts between the different religions when it comes to beliefs about God.
Some people don't like the limits that religion forces on them.
Some people have experienced contradictions in their religious encounters and subsequently reject God.


text:
		Logic’s Respite

    The dusky glow of the lamps was the only thing between him and the outside world. The winds gusted outside, making the trees creek as if each limb was letting out an emotionless howl. The man listened to the inane chatter of the people on the television, telling him of his impending doom. And he could see it outside. It was as if he felt that by watching the television, something might change. Somehow the meteorologist might tell the man that the storm would go east of him. Or west. It didn’t matter, as long as it didn’t hit him. Or perhaps the man watched the television simply because he needed the comfort of another human voice. He was, after all, completely alone.
	The man was tall, fit, and wearing the not so modest t-shirt of his prestigious alma mater. He was a man who had lived by himself since graduating college, and sat comfortably at 31 years of age. His small, cozy house was a perfect reflection of his personality. It was decorated with colorful artifacts from the various places he had traveled, as well as showcasing numerous books on a wide variety of subjects, most notably philosophy. However, for all of the house’s apparent worldliness, it was all but closed up from the outside world.  All but one of the windows were covered by thick blinds, and the window that wasn’t was a small one that the man was using to watch the sky. Above the fireplace hung a bold picture of the man, apparently camping in some exotic wilderness. And opposite the television hung the skull of an antelope, recovered by the man perhaps on the same camping excursion.
	The man’s tense body was gleaming with sweat. He kept his eyes trained on the television, looking out at the sky whenever he heard a gust, or far off boom of thunder. He tried not looking, but felt uncomfortable when he didn’t know what was happening. The television rambled on at a comfortingly uniform pace.

	It had been 48 minutes. He had counted. The rain came down harder and faster; he felt the house shake as a massive gust swept the landscape; the storm seemed to be upon him, but how could that be so? It was supposed to be another 37 minutes until it hit. He hadn’t planned on this, and being caught so off-guard made the man feel sick. The sirens went off in the distance. To him they sounded like a funeral dirge.
	He tried to relax, but couldn’t. He turned his electric fireplace on, and tried to read a few sentences of his book, written by Aristotle. He threw the book down, and sat in dolorous silence. He jumped every time a strong gust of wind blustered, or a bolt of lightning illuminated the sky. Five minutes seemed like an eternity, and unsurprisingly the storm did not cease.
	The atmosphere quivered and then burst with the explosion of thunder, and quick, deadly arrows of lightning. The man shook, and was tense all over. The dim lights that blanketed the man flickered, and then died. The consoling chatter of the television was silenced, cut off in its prime. The darkness enveloped him, and he felt more alone than ever. The night was suffocating him with its dark shroud, and he nearly screamed. The panic suddenly pounced on him, and he was caught unaware.
	He ran into the kitchen to grab a candle, but there were none. He ran to the drawer in the dining room, and grabbed his flashlight. It was out of batteries. He was unprepared. He berated himself in his head for not having prepared, and swore that if he made it out of the storm, he would make sure his house was completely danger-proof. And he truly believed it. He remembered, in his darkest moment, that he had his cell phone in his pocket, and he still had a signal. He dialed a number he knew by heart, but one he had not dialed in a long while. He hesitated. The rain began pounding harder, and another crash of thunder shook even the inside of the house, causing his precious philosophy books to fall off the shelf. He didn’t pick them up.
	He knew what he had to do, and dialed the number. It rang. Again. Again. Again. Again. The mechanical voice of his mother’s voicemail was the only response he received. A reluctant tear dripped down his face, placing itself on his shirt’s fiery logo.

	The sirens blared louder, and the man ran down the old carpeted stairs of his house into the small basement. The basement was pitch black. The man felt his way into the laundry room, which was without windows, and therefore the safest place to be when the tornado inevitably struck.  The man was cowering against the wall, with no intention of composing himself, when suddenly the unexpected happened. The rain let up. The thunder did not sound. The gusts of wind slowed to mere wisps. He stood up and dusted himself off, starting off to return upstairs. But as he climbed the old stairs, he heard a howling reminiscent of a banshee shrieking. Pieces of debris were slammed into the windows of the house, and almost simultaneously, they all shattered.
	The man bolted downstairs, back to the laundry room. He heard a crash, and it was obvious that the large evergreen tree in the yard had collapsed into the house, perhaps even breaking down the wall. The man was kneeling against the wall, and doing the unthinkable. He had always ascribed to the old theory of Albert Camus, that “religion is philosophical suicide,” and had been adamant about the inexistence of a deity. However in this moment, he prayed harder than anyone had ever prayed before. He swore to whoever was listening that he would forever more be a pious follower of their religion, if he were to be spared. He quietly wept, whilst forming the words of his desperate prayer.

	The five minutes that the storm ravaged the man’s house were hours to the man. He had been spared. He quickly got up and ran upstairs to assess the damage to his house. He picked up a book that had been tossed on the floor, and straightened out his shirt, quickly wiping a tear from his eye. The tree had indeed caved in the wall of his house, and destroyed most of the living room. The man forgot about his prayers, and his self-assurances that he would make preparations for a future disaster, and set to work fixing up the ruin that was his house. He decided he would call the insurance company in the morning, and have a grand time renovating his home, making it even cozier than before. But first he would get a good night’s sleep, and forget all that had transpired.

	But what the man didn’t notice that night was that only one of his exotic decorations had survived the storm. The only artifact that had not been destroyed was the skull of the antelope, hanging quietly and humbly on the wall, seeming to gaze at the destruction with a simple wisdom. The next morning the man noticed the antelope skull on the wall, and, as it brought back memories of the storm, he decided he would give it away. But when he tried to pull the skull off the wall, it wouldn’t budge. The hollow eyes merely gazed past the man, into the distance, where they undoubtedly saw, many miles in the distance, a black storm cloud. And it was heading this way.

title: Logic's Respite - short story I wrote. Thoughts? Criticisms?

question: Summarize the damage done by the storm.

answer: The lightning knocks out the electricity. A crash of thunder shakes the house, causing the narrator's philosophy books to fall off the shelf. Pieces of debris slam into the windows of the house, shattering them. The evergreen tree in the yard collapses into the house, caing in the wall and destroying most of the living room.

question: Summarize the man's movements during the storm.

answer: He starts out watching television. He gets up to turn his electric fireplace on. When the lights go out, he runs into the kitchen for a candle and then the dining room for a flashlight. He then runs down the stairs into the basement. He later climbs back up, but bolts back downstairs when there's a loud crash. After the storm passes, he runs upstairs to assess the damage.

question: What does the article say about the type of person the narrator is?

answer: He watches TV because he needs the comfort of another human voice due to being completely alone. He wears the not-so-modest t-shirt of his prestigious alma mater. His house is small and cozy, which reflects his personality, showing that he is widely travelled and philosophical. He is not religious but prays in a moment of crisis.

question: Summarize the trajectory of the storm after it passes by the narrator's house.


text:
Well, the time has come to say goodbye to my baby and move on to greater things… I guess. From ditching class to the first time I had sex with Rachael; I’ve had so many memories in my sky blue ’78 Coupe Deville. So when I got a phone call this morning that some strange old lady wanted to take a look at my baby, I couldn’t ask anything besides what time she’d be here. All I could hope for is either she doesn’t show up, or it’s too “hip” for her to use when she picks up her groceries, goes to her knitting class, or whatever she does as a hobby.

It’s 3 p.m. and there’s no sign of this lady. I might actually be able to hold on to my baby a little longer. What the fuck is that squealing? I got up and peaked my head through the lacey white curtains my mother proudly bought at Goodwill. I pressed my right cheek against the window to get a better view of the broken pavement we call a street. I see a red- I think it’s red- dirt-covered ‘86 Honda Civic with the front bumper held together by a thin wire hanger. Please God, don’t let this be her. I shuffled my feet to the wood-framed screen door and slowly pushed it open; just hoping this ragged car passes by. I’d rather this be a drive-by than the new owner of my Caddy.

As I stepped out onto my mom’s porch I get an intense smell of the local steel mills that employ more than half the city. While my eyes scan the scenery of the decomposing fenced-in yards and barred up windows, I hear a sound of a car backfiring. The car’s gray exhaust billowed up behind it as it pulled into the one car driveway and slowed to a stop nearly putting another dent into my mom’s car. The doors opened with a loud creak as if the bolts were going to fly off. Two people emerged from the smoky confines of the car.

The driver was a man in his fifties and rough around the edges. He took two steps to his left to slam the door, leaned back, and pulled a cigarette from his ear and a lighter from his pocket. The lady pulled herself and took a bit longer to get out of the car. I caught a glimpse of her cloudy white hair peaking over the top of the car. She then took a few steps back, and drew a feeble old cane from the backseat. Are you kidding me?

	“How are ya,” I ask looked at the man, but he stared down the street, puffing his cigarette.

	“We’re fine, thank you,” the lady responded. “You must be Jay.”

	“Yeap.”

	“Well let’s see this car of yours.”

I waved for them to follow me into the garage- where I keep my baby away from prying eyes. I bent over and rolled the numbers in the correct sequence on the lock and popped it open. I looked back to see the man still leaning on the Honda- halfway through his cigarette.  The garage door swung up, as if the spring had no tension left, and revealed my baby. The air stood still as my eyes hit the bright blue details on the hood of that gorgeous beast.  My chest felt heavy when I stared into the headlight; reminding me of the first time I looked into Rachael’s eyes.

“Oh, she’s a beauty.”

What do you know, lady? It took my entire body to bring my fixed eyes over to the woman.  It took my entire soul to form a smile as I took a few steps into the garage that held my life. In the far back near the chipped door that led into the kitchen was an old cracked homemade wood shelf where my high school basketball trophies lived. Next to the shelf was a tool-bench I found decaying in an alleyway. I remember seeing it out of the corner of my eye as I drove by with Rachael on a humid summer day when the alley was overrun in a jungle of weeds.
My tools were still spread out over the workbench with the grease soaking into the warped wood.  The sun from the window on the other side of the garage was shining on my tools- reflecting the light and glaring into me. My heart started to sink into my stomach. The frigid old lady stared blankly at my car smacking her lips together as if she was swallowing her tongue. Her weary eyes spiked right through the front seat and into the ground beneath. She doesn’t deserve to even be in my sanctuary. She doesn’t even deserve to breath in the aroma of the wet, heavy air.  I swung my head angrily around in the direction of the woman. Behind her the man threw his cigarette to the ground and, with a stomp of his boots, he drove the cigarette into my driveway like it was a cockroach in his kitchen. He reached for his jean pocket and pulled out a blue pouch. He began to roll a second cigarette; not once glancing over to see what my baby looks like.

“Can I see under the hood?” the old lady asked, followed by coughing like she was trying to clear the years from her throat.

“Sure, one second.” I passed in front of her, separating her from the car.  I reached for the door and the cold, crisp handle sent shivers up my spine. After a moment of hesitation I snapped the handle up and gently swung the door open. I bent over and pulled the lever and the hood released with the sound like a can of pop opening. I felt myself blush from the thought of revealing my baby’s under parts.  I closed my eyes tight and clenched my teeth. But I pulled myself together and opened my eyes to the old lady smiling and staring expectantly back at me.

I casually strolled over to her and turned, positioning my shoulder next to her. I reached my hand through the one-inch crack between the hood and the grill of the car. What takes people a few fumbling seconds, took me only a moment to find the lever and release the hood. With two shaky hands, I lift the hood all the way open. The maze of the engine made the lady mumble, “Hmmm…” What’s does she know anyway? I checked back to see if the man’s attention had shifted over to the car- or at least to the lady. His presence started making me suspicious of the whole encounter. I’ve shown so much to them already. Did he see the combination for my lock? I should just tell them to fuck off. I don’t need their money. I don’t want to see them ever again.
Suddenly, the door to the kitchen slammed open and standing there was Rachael. She stood with a wide smile and soft eyes, analyzing the situation. My anger and paranoia dwindled at the sight of her smooth, glowing skin. I felt my muscles relax and my eyes start to feel lighter.

“Hi, I’m Rachael.”

“Hello,” the old lady grinned.

“How’s everything look to you?”

“I think we were about to talk price,” the lady looked back at the man for a quick glimpse. “How much were you asking?”

“Nine thousand.” I stated through my teeth.

“I was thinking, uhm, seven.”

That rage I had started creeping back into my throat. I squinted my eyes and gave him a quick glare, and then threw my attention at the man, hoping he would understand my point of view. My anger uncontrollably rolled in the direction of Rachael and I noticed she had moved from the stairs of the door to the passenger side of my Deville. My eyes drifted down from her shoulder to her hand rubbing her belly. My eyes focused over the hood to the round mass under her shirt that she had been caressing. The edge of my lip twitched into a smirk as I looked back at the lady, “Eight thousand.”

“Deal.”

title: First Short Story Ever

question: What kind of car is the narrator selling?

answer: A sky blue '78 Coupe Deville

question: Who is the narrator?

answer: That information can't be found

question: Why is the narrator selling his car?

answer: It's strongly implied he needs the money because his girlfriend is pregnant

question: What price is the car sold for?

answer: $8,000

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator loves his car, a sky blue '78 Coupe Deville, but an old lady is interested in buying it. She arrives with a strange man who says nothing, and she looks at the car. The narrator wants to tell her to leave, but then his pregnant girlfriend, Rachael, comes out to say hello. Thinking about their baby, the narrator sells the car to the old lady for $8,000.


text:
Amongst the backlog refinement, estimation, sprint planning, stand-ups, demos and retrospectives, the humble sprint goal is often one of the more overlooked guidelines of "doing scrum". It either gets forgotten about entirely or, when pressed, the team unimaginatively comes up with something along the lines of "Do all of the tickets in the sprint".

After all the investment that goes into planning a sprint, asking the question "why are we doing this?" might seem a bit.. pointless. Surely it's now just a case of getting things done? However, maybe you've noticed your stand-ups are starting to get a bit dull and repetitive, or you're seeing blank faces in your retrospectives.

Taking a step back for a second, one of the things an Agile methodology encourages is having conversations. A sprint goal helps to give a high-level purpose to the sprint, around which conversations can happen:

It gives context to the daily stand-up meeting

[pexels-photo-30644]

Stand-ups can get extremely boring, we've all heard something along the lines of:

"Yesterday I worked on ticket X, today I'll pick up the next ticket in the To-Do column".

Stand ups can quickly feel like a chore. Product owners might feel it's just some developers rambling on about things they don't really understand. Maybe they feel like they aren't getting much value and get discouraged from continuing to attend.

Having a sprint goal means questions like: "Is anything blocking you?" can be rephrased into something a bit more insightful: "Is there anything stopping the team from achieving our sprint goal?" and "What are you going to do next?" becomes "What will you do to help the team get closer to achieving the sprint goal?".

This high-level purpose helps sprints to feel a bit more than just batting tasks out of the park.

It creates a focal point for the retrospective

[pexels-photo-192651]

Probably the most important meeting in scrum, the retrospective is about identifying what's valuable enough to continue doing and what to experiment with doing differently next time. Having a sprint goal can help avoid those long, awkward silences when people are put on the spot to think up answers to "What went well...".

-   "We achieved our sprint goal" - Why? What helped to make this easier?
-   "We failed to meet our sprint goal" - Why? What could help next time?

Use the product owner

Finally, if you're struggling to come up with a sprint goal (and it is hard), ask the person who should be the most qualified: the Product Owner. Get them to think about what they want from the sprint, what is it you're trying to achieve. Anything is better than "Get all the tickets in the sprint done"!

question: Who is responsible for the sprint goal?

answer: The scrum team is responsible for the sprint goal, and they determine the sprint goal.

question: Why is a sprint goal important?

answer: The sprint goal is known to promote a focused decision-making process and promote product backlog cohesion.


text:
I told her it was amazing and that she has a talent, but she sometimes doubts herself, and considers me biased because we're dating, but I truly think it's a gripping start. It may have some grammatical and spelling errors, but please, I'd love to hear your opinion.

“What are you drawing again?” I asked five-year-old Madeline. Madeline looked down at her paper with the big jumble of colors and giggled. “I think it’s a dinosaur now. It used to be a bird.” I nodded and watched her carefully select another crayon out of the big box on the floor. We were sitting on our back porch in the middle of September. September, 2186. I lied on my back to look up through the trees at the sky and Madeline started singing to herself. Grandma would want us to come in for lunch soon and Madeline would want to feed hers to the dog. I closed my eyes and held my breath. The wind blew my hair around my forehead. Suddenly everything was shaking. I sat up in alarm and Madeline stopped singing. We both looked up at the trees, which were being abandoned by all of the animals that lived in them. “Bristol…?” Madeline whispered in a shaky voice. “We have to get inside,” I replied, standing up. We waited there a few moments more, mesmerized by the haunting scene of the quaking earth and the leaves that were being shaken from the trees. I snapped out of it and turned to Madeline, pulling her to her feet. “NOW!” I yelled over the sound of the rumbling. She pulled away from me, grabbing her drawings and throwing the crayons, which had been scattered all over the floor, back into the box. “Madeline! We don’t have time!” I tried to grab her, but she yanked herself free and continued gathering her things as quickly as she could. I looked at her helplessly before dropping to my knees and hastily helping her collect her crayons. It was getting closer. “Madeline…” I whispered, defeated. A feeling of déjà vu washed over me. I knew this feeling too well. I couldn’t place it, but this all felt very familiar and I was getting more uneasy every second. “We have to leave the rest. Madeline, please! We must go inside now!” Madeline cradled her box of crayons and drawings and rose to her feet. Just as she was standing, something long and black wrapped around her waist. Madeline looked down in confusion and then back up at me. I frantically reached for her, trying to pull the mysterious thing from her waist. She dropped her box and tried to grab me; tried to keep herself on the ground, but it was too late. The long black arm was lifting her off the porch. “Bris!” Madeline screamed in terror. She was held horizontally above me, looking down in fear. I was yelling her name and jumping, trying to reach one of her ankles or hands, trying to bring her down. My hand got a hold of something, but she was pulled into the sky, screaming. I started crying. I yelled up into the empty trees, now free of life and nearly leafless. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HER?” I kept yelling and sobbing until my voice was weak. I looked around at the piles of leaves on the ground that had not been there just minutes ago. Then I remembered. There was something in my hand – something I had grabbed when trying to reach for her. I tried to steady my breathing as I looked down. The picture she had been working on, the bird/dinosaur, was slightly crumpled in my hand.

Bristol opened his eyes to find his pillow soaked with tears. He flipped it over and wiped is face dry. This time the memory was from eight years ago, when he and Madeline had been visiting their grandmother. Madeline was only five and Bristol was seven at the time. He looked over at his clock. It was 4:27 in the morning. For eleven nights in a row, now he had the nightmare. It was always a different, random memory and the way she was kidnapped always changed, but no matter where, when or how, each nightmare had two things in common: Madeline was always there, and she was always taken. The night before, they had been at the fair with their father – a memory from five years ago – and she had been whisked away by big men in black suits. In reality, Madeline had disappeared almost two years ago, when she was eleven, but Bristol’s mind was distorting memories from years before that and coming up with the strangest ways for her to have been kidnapped. He sat up and looked out the window, down at the cars passing by. He wondered what people could be doing and why they were out and about at such an early hour. Bristol lived on a busy street and no matter what time it was, there were always people, all rushing to get somewhere. He pressed his forehead to the window and watched the condensation appear and fade away as he breathed. For the past 20 months, no matter where he was or what he was doing, there was always one question pushing its way to the front of his mind – always wanting an answer. Would he ever see her again? A faint sound snapped Bristol’s attention away from the street below. His mother was crying in the next room and his father was whispering words of consolation that he couldn’t make out. Bristol sighed and lied back in bed, staring at the ceiling until it was time to start the day.

title: My doubtful girlfriend started writing a story. What does Reddit think?

question: What does the story say about Bristol and Madeline's school?

question: What is the theme of the story?

answer: The theme of this story is the pain of losing a loved one and how it affects the family members left behind. Madeline disappeared two years ago, and for the past 20 months, her big brother, Bristol, has been thinking if he will ever see her again. Bristol also has been plagued by nightmares of Madeline getting taken. However, his subconscious mind uses different scenarios (monsters, men in black, etc.) mixed with actual childhood memories with Madeline, making the dreams weird. Their mom seems to always be crying as well.

question: What does the text say about Madeline?

answer: Madeline is Bristol's younger sister. She disappeared two years ago when she was eleven. It has been 20 months and there is still no sign of Madeline. Bristol wonders if he'll ever see her again. Madeline's kidnapping has been the object of her brother's nightmares lately.

question: Why can't Bristol save Madeline in any of his nightmares?

answer: Probably because Madeline has already been missing for 20 months now. Bristol's subconscious knows that the chances of finding his sister go down after each day that goes by. It's also possible that the family hasn't heard anything new from the police about Madeline's disappearance.


text:
SCOTT M. LIPPMAN is the director of Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego and Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

His research focuses on clinical and translational research specializing in head and neck and lung cancer, cancer genetics, predictive cancer biomarkers, and molecular targeting for cancer treatment.[1]

Education and career

He completed his bachelors at UC Irvine in biological science in 1977. He received his MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1981,[2] followed by a residency in internal medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He did fellowships at Stanford University in hematology at and University of Arizona Cancer Center in medical oncology and cancer prevention. He is board certified in hematology, internal medicine, and medical oncology.[3] Following his fellowship at University of Arizona, he was recruited to MD Anderson's head and neck and lung cancer prevention and therapy program.[4]

Prior to joining the Moores Cancer Center, he was the chair of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. He led the Lung Cancer Program of the MD Anderson Cancer Center and is co-investigator on the American Association for Cancer Research Stand Up to Cancer project involving molecular studies of pancreatic cancer interception.

He is the editor-in-chief of _Cancer Prevention Research_.

Lippman has received many awards including the 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology-American Cancer Society Award,[5] AACR Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation Award, and the ASCO Statesman Award, and was elected to the Association of American Physicians.[6]

Personal

He is married to Mary Lippman and has a daughter and two sons. His elder son Kyle was diagnosed with melanoma in 2015.[7]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

title: Scott Lippman

question: When was Lippman born?

answer: That information can't be found

question: Where did he get his MD?

answer: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

question: What publication does he edit?

answer: He is the editor-in-chief of Cancer Prevention Research

question: Where does he currently work?

answer: He is the director of Moores Cancer Center, and he is a Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Scott M. Lippman is the director of Moores Cancer Center and a Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He received his MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1981, and he is also the editor-in-chief of Cancer Prevention Research.


text:
[Homes in the Israeli settler outpost of Amona in the West Bank.]

Credit...Baz Ratner/Reuters

-   Dec. 22, 2016
-

JERUSALEM — President-elect Donald J. Trump thrust himself into one of the world’s most polarizing debates on Thursday by pressuring President Obama to veto a United Nations resolution critical of Israel, the newly elected leader’s most direct intervention in foreign policy during his transition to power.

Mr. Trump spoke out after Israeli officials contacted his team for help in blocking the draft resolution condemning settlement construction even as they lobbied its sponsor, Egypt. Within a couple of hours, Egypt withdrew the resolution, at least temporarily, and its president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, called Mr. Trump to discuss how “to establish true peace in the Middle East,” according to an aide to the president-elect.

Mr. Trump’s forceful intervention was a rare effort by a new president to shape international events even before taking office. While new presidents typically refrain from weighing in on current issues during the interregnum between their election and inauguration, Mr. Trump’s statement underscored that he does not plan to wait for the swearing in.

He has already upended decades of American policy by speaking directly with Taiwan’s leader, and he has spoken out regularly on events like this week’s terrorist attack in Germany. But his push to stop a United Nations resolution criticizing Israel was more directly aimed at decisions still being made by his predecessor in his final days in office.

The move also highlighted the stark shift on Middle East policy ahead when the new administration takes over in a month. Combined with his pledge to move the United States Embassy to Jerusalem and his selection of a pro-settlement ambassador to Israel, Mr. Trump’s involvement Thursday signaled an intent to play an active role in Middle East peace issues as a strong ally of Israel’s.

The Egyptian-sponsored resolution would have condemned Israeli housing construction in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank as a “flagrant violation under international law” that was “dangerously imperiling the viability” of a future peace settlement establishing a Palestinian state. The United States has routinely used its veto at the Security Council to block similar measures, including under Mr. Obama in 2011. But Mr. Obama refused to commit to doing so again this time.

Mr. Trump said flatly that he should. “As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations,” the president-elect said. “This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis.”

Mr. Trump amplified his position by posting the statement on Facebook and Twitter as well, but a transition official insisted on anonymity to confirm the president-elect’s conversation with Mr. Sisi because of the sensitivity of the matter. Mr. Trump’s words echoed the positions expressed by Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has welcomed Mr. Trump’s election as a breath of fresh air after years of clashes with Mr. Obama.

According to Security Council Report, an independent research organization, the United States has vetoed 30 resolutions regarding Israel and the Palestinians, plus a dozen more regarding Israel and Lebanon or Syria, more than half of its 77 vetoes since the United Nations was founded in 1946.

Mr. Netanyahu cited that history on Thursday. “I hope the U.S. won’t abandon this policy,” he said. “I hope it will abide by the principles set by President Obama himself in his speech in the U.N. in 2011 — that peace will come not through U.N. resolutions, but only through direct negotiations between the parties.”

Frustrated by two failed efforts to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians during his tenure, Mr. Obama has been considering an effort to lay out an American framework during his final days in office. Palestinian leaders and their allies had hoped he would allow the anti-settlement resolution at the United Nations to pass as an expression of frustration at Israeli policies.

A Palestinian delegation traveled to Washington this month to urge Mr. Obama’s team to support the anti-settlement resolution or at least abstain. Mr. Obama’s advisers did not disclose a position and were holding out until the vote to watch how the matter developed. The Palestinians were unable to meet with Mr. Trump’s aides and expressed disappointment on Thursday with his position. “A veto means support of settlement activities,” Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian negotiator, said after the resolution was pulled. “A veto means abandoning the two-state solution and peace efforts.”

Asked about Mr. Trump’s comments, a visibly upset Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said, “He is acting on behalf of Netanyahu.”

The return of the Palestinian cause to the world stage could serve the interests of some Arab leaders eager to turn public attention away from troubles at home. The government of Mr. Sisi, which sponsored the resolution as the Arab representative on the Security Council, faces domestic challenges stemming from a deteriorating economy, a persistent Islamic terrorist insurgency and this month’s bombing of a Coptic Christian cathedral.

At the same time, it could distract from Mr. Netanyahu’s efforts to forge stronger relations with Sunni Arab nations on the basis of shared antipathy toward Iran, dominated by a Shiite theocracy that has threatened Israel’s existence and challenged Arab interests in the region. Arab leaders, who have largely overlooked the Palestinian issue in recent years, may feel pressured to distance themselves from Israel again if their own publics are angered at the treatment of Palestinians.

Egypt backed off on the resolution after Mr. Netanyahu’s government put pressure on Mr. Sisi’s government to withdraw it, shortly before Arab ambassadors meeting at the United Nations endorsed it.

Mr. Netanyahu treated the pending United Nations vote as a crisis, staying up late into the night discussing it with aides and posting on his own Twitter account, at 3:28 a.m. local time, a message urging Mr. Obama to veto what he called the “anti-Israel” resolution. “The Israelis leaned on the Egyptians this morning to postpone the vote, and the Egyptians basically caved,” said a Western official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of the matter.

Arab officials met in Cairo on Thursday night to consider their next move. “The negotiations over the Arab proposal for the Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories are still not finished at both the United Nations and the Arab League’s anti-occupation committee,” said Ahmed Abu Zeid, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, according to Egyptian state news.

If the White House had let the resolution pass, it would have been a symbolic blow to the diplomatic shield that the United States has always offered Israel. It would also have sent a strong signal of international disapproval over the construction of settlements, regarded by many as illegal under international law.

A former top Obama adviser suggested that the president should consider supporting the resolution because settlements are an obstacle to peace and therefore the real damage to Israel. “The resolution is about settlements, not negotiations,” Martin Indyk, a former special envoy under Mr. Obama, wrote on Twitter. “Vetoing would mean vetoing US policy on settlements.”

But Aaron David Miller, another former Middle East peace negotiator, said supporting the resolution would have plunged the administration into an issue that the past several administrations had avoided: the legality of the settlements.

“The problem with voting for this,” Mr. Miller said, “is that Trump will disavow it and U.S. credibility on the issue will again be undermined, not to mention what the Israelis might do on the ground in response, to which the new administration may acquiesce.”

question: Where is this article being published?

answer: In Jerusalem

question: How did President Trump put himself into one of the world's most polarizing debates?

answer: He pressured President Obama to veto a United Nations resolution critical of Israel

question: What will be happening with the Middle East Policy?

answer: With Trump's new administration taking over, there will be a stark shift on the Middle East policy.

question: What statement did Trump make about Israelis and the Palestinians?

answer: Trump said the U.S. has maintained peace between the two, and now peace between the two will only come through direct negotiations between the two parties and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This article describes Donald Trump's controversial views on Middle East peace issues and how the upcoming of the Trump administration will create a shift in Middle East policy. The issues with Israelis and Palestinians are highlighted in the article and how the U.S. will proceed with creating peace between the two parties.


text:
"I'm sorry, Gary."

The last words I remember saying.  We were sitting at a table outside a cafe, just having a good conversation, but a part of me just felt like some just wasn't right.  I couldn't do this anymore.  I remember seeing his displeasure as I turned away to leave.  He looked so heartbroken, so vulnerable.  His face tensed at the shock of it all.  It was killing me inside.  Gary's a great guy, but this was for the best.  That's the last thing I remember before everything got dark.

My head hurts.  I'm getting a stabbing pain in my head.

"Wake up."

A voice.  A foggy, drowned out voice.

"Wake up.  We're going to be late."

It's cold.  I feel... weak.

"C'mon wake up already.  Boss'll be pissed if we're late again."

My eyes were openned.  It was Gary.  He's smiling.  He's looking down at me with a gentle stare and a relaxed grin.  He looks... happy.  But where am I?  A single bulb hanging from the stain covered ceiling, dimly lights the bleak room.  The walls decorated with wallpaper with little ducks on them.  Parts of it are peeling though, and some of the molding seems to be falling apart.  I don't remember being here before.

*"Where are we?"* I said.

"Ah there you go.  About time you woke up.  Now we need to get you dressed and well fed or you're going to be cranky all day and complain about how Greg won't shut up about his stupid four year old daughter."

Did Gary not hear me?

*"Gary, what are we doing here?"* I tried again.

Something's wrong.  Nothing came out.

"I know Greg's an ass, but you can't say that about his daughter.  And I'm pretty sure that's illegal in some states."

Gary opens a drawer from a nearby dresser.  He picks out a blue and white plaid dress shirt.  It's got a stain on the sleeve.  Possibly from spilt coffee.  He should clean that.

"Here we go.  Your favorite shirt."

I lost that shirt weeks ago.  Why does Gary have it?

*"Why do you have my shirt?"* I can't move.  Why can't I move?  Something is definitely wrong.

"Now put this on and let's get going."

I CAN'T MOVE!

Gary sighs...

"Do I have to help you again?  Geez, what would you do without me?"

He sits me up.  There's cardboard under me.  My feet look pale.  My body feels... heavy.

"Oh please.  You didn't have to say that."  He lifts up my arm and slides it through the sleeve of the dirty shirt.  "I know you appreciate me."

This isn't right.  I don't understand any of this.  I can't move.  My head hurts.  WHERE AM I?

"There.  Now you look good as new."  Gary says as he's finished buttoning up the shirt.  "See for yourself."

Gary turns my head towards a mirror on the other side of the dingy room.

I'm dead.

There's a hole in my head.  Blood wiped off my pale, blue face, but some of it still there.  I'm decrepid.  My head falls over as Gary positions me over his shoulder.

"Oh no, don't feel bad.  You look great!"  He lifts my head up again.  "Why thank you.  I really do think we make a great pair.  Now let's get going."

He's been playing with me.  Was it all an act?  How long has he been "playing" with me?

title: "I'm sorry, Gary."

question: Who is Gary?

answer: Gary is the narrator's (implied) killer and former co-worker.

question: Why is the narrator apologizing to Gary?

answer: For leaving the cafe, which could imply it was a date.

question: Explain the narrator's struggle.

answer: The narrator is completely unable to speak or move of their own accord.

question: Who is Greg?

answer: Likely a co-worker.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator gets a bad feeling while at a cafe with Gary and apologizes before leaving. The narrator blacks out, then wakes in a dank, unfamiliar place, unable to move or speak while Gary continues on a one-sided conversation. Gary dresses the narrator and props them up so they're facing a mirror, in which they see a corpse and realize they're dead.


text:
FÉLIX ALLARD (October 25, 1897 – September 17, 1974) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Quebec. He represented Abitibi in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1939 to 1944 as a Liberal.

He was born in Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec, the son of Jules Allard and Berthe Toupin. Allard was educated at the Collège de Nicolet, the Université Laval at Montreal and the School of Management at Poughkeepsie, New York. He was admitted to the Quebec bar in 1922 and set up practice in Montreal, then, from 1924 to 1928, with Hector Authier at Amos and later on his own. From 1929 to 1936, he was deputy crown attorney for Abitibi district. He resigned his seat in the Quebec assembly after he was named judge in the circuit court for Abitibi, Rouyn-Noranda and Témiscamingue districts in 1944; he served until 1967. In 1945, he married Marie-Jeanne-Rita Hébert. Allard died in Sainte-Foy at the age of 76.

title: Félix Allard

question: What was Felix Allard's career?

answer: He was a lawyer, judge, and political figure in Quebec.

question: Which region did Allard represent in Quebec?

answer: He represented Abitibi in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1939 to 1944.

question: Did Allard ever practice law?

answer: He did practice law, setting up practice in Montreal in the late 1920s.

question: why did Allard resign his seat in the Quebec Assembly?

answer: He resigned because he was named judge in the circuit court for Abitibi, Rouyn-Noranda, and Témiscamingue districts in 1944.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Felix Allard was a lawyer, judge, and political figure in Quebec. He represented Abitibi in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1939 to 1944 as a Liberal. He resigned his seat in the assembly after he was appointed as a judge in the circuit court for Abitibi, Rouyn-Noranda, and Témiscamingue districts in 1944. He served for 23 years.


text:
is a city located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 50,132 in 18585 households, and a population density of 600 persons per km².[1] The total area of the city was .

Geography

Nomi is located in southwestern Ishikawa Prefecture and is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the east.

Neighbouring municipalities

-   Ishikawa Prefecture
    -   Komatsu
    -   Hakusan
    -   Kawakita

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Nomi has increased over the past 40 years.

  Census Year   Population
  ------------- ------------
  1970          32,933
  1980          37,253
  1990          39,934
  2000          45,077
  2010          48,680

Climate

Nomi has a humid continental climate (Köppen _Cfa_) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nomi is 14.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2527 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.7 °C.[3]

History

The area around Nomi was part of ancient Kaga Province and contains numerous Kofun period ruins. The area became part Kaga Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organised into Nomi District, Ishikawa. The town of Nomi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

The modern city of Nomi was established on February 1, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Neagari, Tatsunokuchi and Terai

Government

Nomi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 17 members.

Economy

Former Terai town was a noted centre of Kutani ware ceramics production in the past. Manufacturing of electrical components and textiles are major contributors to the modern local economy.

Education

Nomi has eight public elementary schools and three middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST Hokuriku) is also located in Nomi.

Transportation

Railway

[] West Japan Railway Company - Hokuriku Main Line

-

Highway

-   Hokuriku Expressway

Sister city relations

-   - Shelekhov, Irkutsk Oblast (Russia)

Local attractions

-   Hideki Matsui Baseball Museum (:ja:松井秀喜ベースボールミュージアム)
-   Tedori Fish Land (:ja:手取フィッシュランド)
-   Tumulus Wada-yama and Matsuji-yama
-   Tumulus Akitsune-yama - Keyhole-shaped tomb.
-   Ishikawa Zoo (:ja:いしかわ動物園)
-   Tatsunokuchi Onsen (辰口温泉) - Spa.

Local events

-   Asian Race Walking Championships, held annually

Noted people from Nomi

-   Hideki Matsui, baseball player
-   Yoshirō Mori, former prime minister
-   Shigeki Mori, town mayor of Neagari - Mori was responsible for Neagari's sister town relationship with Shelekhov, Russia, developing a bilateral dialogue to improve the gravesites of Soviet soldiers in Japan and Japanese soldiers in Siberia. He visited Shelekhov more than 15 times during his 35 years in office, and was buried there following his death. His son, Yoshiro Mori, became prime minister and made major strides in Russo-Japanese relations.[4]
-   Mamoru Sasaki, Japanese TV and film screenwriter
-   Yusuke Suzuki, racewalker

[1] Official statistics page

[2] Nomi population statistics

[3] Nomi climate data

[4]

title: Nomi, Ishikawa

question: Why has the Nomi population increased?

answer: The Nomi population has increased for the same reasons populations have increased all over the world - in response to environmental and economic progression. When living conditions are good, people feel secure enough to procreate, and societies have resources to dedicate to decreasing maternal and infant mortality.

question: Why did Yoshiro Mori put so much effort into Russo-Japanese relations?

answer: As prime minister, foreign relations are very important and it is natural that Mori would want to maintain good will between the two countries, but there is also an element of legacy involved. Mori was directly honoring his father by prioritizing the political endeavor his father pursued as mayor.

question: Summarize the timeline of the Nomi government.

answer: In ancient imperial Japan, the area was part of the Kaga Province, then became the Kaga Domain under the shogunate, then with the Meiji restoration to imperialism it became the Nomi District, and finally became a town in its own right with a mayor-council system after a merger in 2005.

question: How old is the city of Nomi?

answer: In its current form, Nomi has existed since February 2005, thus is 16 years old at the time of writing. However, the area has been organized as a city or town for over a millennium.


text:
Teacher asked for a story about a clementine.

Upon entering the cafeteria a familiar soft voice fills my ears, “Hey, you! I bet you’ll fail your next test because you’re an idiot!”
“Not again…” I thought to myself nervously. This had been happening on and off for a week now and I had never been able to work up the courage to stand up for myself before. Today was different; I felt confident and decided to put a stop to the harassment.
	My eyes scan the nearly vacant tables looking for the owner of the voice. My eyes lock onto the bowl of fruit nearby when I hear it again; the soft voice whispering insults. I walk angrily towards the bowl of colorful fruit. I plunge my hand into its depths grasping at the first thing I felt. As I pulled my hand out of the bowl I felt a strange squirming sensation between my fingers. In my hand sat a bright orange, perfectly round clementine. Everything about it was impeccable, until it shrieked, “Put me down you MONSTER!”
	It was at this very moment I realized who had been making fun of me just a few moments before. Knowing that this was my culprit I dug my finger into the flawless orange skin and began slowly peeling it away. My victim let out a scream of pure pain and horror as I continually stripped it of its skin. I tore a triangular chunk out of the now naked fruit. The juices streamed through my fingers and onto the floor. I triumphantly took my first bite. The sour juice of the clementine flowed over my taste buds making my lips pucker. I was extremely satisfied with myself when I heard a muffled yell from the fruit bowl just as I was raising the next bite to my mouth. “Stop hurting my baby! Please stop!” It appeared to be a mother clementine begging for mercy. I thought about this for a moment, and wondered what it would be like had my mother spotted someone eating me. For a second I felt bad for the mother clementine but it was a short lived feeling.  From the palm of my hand I could hear the raspy, dying voice of the baby clementine still calling me names and being rude. I brushed off the words of the mourning mother; I wasn’t about to let her stop me so I continued chewing on her baby.
When I had finished licking the excess juices from my finger I stooped to the ground to pick up the remainders of the bright orange peel that had fallen. I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction that I had just stood up to my bully. I walked over to the fruit bowl and whispered, “I’ll be back tomorrow Mrs. Clementine, you’re next!”
She whimpered but said nothing as I left the cafeteria with my head held high, knowing that this would be the last day a clementine would ever mess with me.

title: The Sour Bully

question: Who was yelling at the narrator?

answer: A round clementine.

question: Was the narrator delusional?

answer: Information can't be found.

question: Why did the narrator keep chewing despite the mother clementine begging him to stop?

answer: Because the baby clementine kept insulting him.

question: Why was the narrator going to come back for Mrs. Clementine?

answer: Information can't be found.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator enters the cafeteria when they hear someone berating them from a distance. He walks over to a fruit bowl and realizes that it is a small clementine yelling insults at him. He eats the rude fruit while its mother watches and begs him to stop. After he finishes, he tells the mother fruit he would come back for her the next day.


text:
Your kitchen remodel is a perfect opportunity to fix those pesky annoyances in your current kitchen. When moving into a home or apartment with an older kitchen, you may find a poor design that may prevent you from using your kitchen in an efficient and seamless way. While it may be tempting to simply recreate the current kitchen design with new cabinetry, countertops, and appliances, making more substantive design changes can save you a lot of time and a lot of headaches. Here are five common kitchen design problems to fix during your remodel.

[]

_Love a crisp, white kitchen? You’ll adore our Ice White Shaker kitchen cabinets!_

Poor Kitchen Workflow

Your kitchen should be designed in a way that promotes a simple, seamless workflow. Your kitchen should be designed intuitively, with you and your working habits in mind. However, if you move into a space with an older kitchen, particularly a kitchen that hasn’t been adequately planned, you may find that the design is not conducive to a proper workflow. If you find yourself constantly running from one end of the kitchen to another while prepping and cooking, your kitchen may be poorly planned.

One common way that designers structure a kitchen for proper workflow is to use the kitchen triangle format, which facilitates easy movement between the three main work areas: the sink area, the stove area, and the refrigerator area. A newer approach, however, is to design your kitchen around these zones, taking not only movement but also storage and the placement of commonly used items in mind.

Not Enough Countertop Space

A lack of countertop space is probably the biggest headache that a homeowner can have. What use is the kitchen if there’s very little space to work? When remodeling your kitchen, ensuring that there will be ample countertop space is absolutely important.

If you’re working with a reputable kitchen designer, they more than likely will follow guidelines that dictate the minimum amount of countertop space that is necessary between and around appliances. For example, having about 15″ of countertop space near your refrigerator is convenient for unpacking groceries and taking out ingredients to begin your food prep. Having even more countertop space around your stove is important because you want to minimize the amount of time spent holding a scalding hot pot, for example.

When working with your kitchen designer, be sure to have a discussion about the ways in which you use your kitchen so that they can ensure that you have enough countertop space to work with. If you’re designing your kitchen yourself, be sure to do research on the NKBA standards for countertop space.

[]

Photo Source: HGTV

Lack of Storage Space

Proper storage space is extremely important in your kitchen, regardless of the size. Small kitchens tend to suffer more from lack of storage, because there’s simply less space to place things. However, larger kitchens can suffer from the same issue if there’s more cookware, dishware, and small appliances to be stored. Choosing the right types of cabinets and strategically placing them in your kitchen can help.

Deep drawer cabinets, corner lazy susan cabinets, and appliance garages all help to maximize storage space by making smart use of the space that already exists. Deep drawer cabinets can comfortably hold pots and pans and dishware in a way that regular cabinets can’t.

Corner spaces are prime real estate in your kitchen, because it provides for storage in a space that can easily be overlooked or ignored. A lazy susan with rotating shelf can help making great use of the corners of your kitchen, and are great for storing pots and pans, small appliances, dishware, or anything you’d like. Appliance garages are also a smart move, because they make use of vertical space between your countertop and wall cabinet that may otherwise be left empty. They’re also great for neatly hiding small appliances out of sight, rather than keeping them out on the countertop.

Planning your kitchen by properly placing storage space around your main work areas – the sink, stove, and refrigerator – is a great way to efficiently optimize your kitchen storage space.

Insufficient Lighting

One of the worst kitchen crimes is having insufficient or improper lighting. Not only does it detract from your kitchen’s aesthetics, but it can also be dangerous. Using knives and flames and appliances in a room where you can’t properly see can certainly lead to accidents, especially if there are elderly people or children using the kitchen. A thoroughly and brightly lit kitchen is a safe kitchen.

Kitchen designers will tell you that the best way to light your kitchen is to utilize the proper combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting. Ambient lighting, usually in the form of recessed or other ceiling lights, is the light that illuminates the entire kitchen space. This is probably the type of kitchen lighting that you already have. However, during your remodel, you’ll want to add additional lighting to create a better-lit space.

While accent lighting is mainly used for aesthetic purposes, task lighting can be very important for safety. Task lighting is placed directly above your main work spaces to ensure that while you’re chopping vegetables or prepping food with small appliances, you can see exactly what you’re doing. This will help to prevent unnecessary accidents.

[]

Unsightly, Poorly Placed Garbage Bins

It can be quite annoying to have your garbage bin propped up in the corner of your kitchen, particularly because they tend to be a source of unpleasant odors. It can also be annoying to have to constantly walk your garbage over to the corner of your kitchen.

A great solution to this problem is incorporating an under-cabinet pull-out garbage system into your kitchen. This will keep your garbage out of sight and secured within a base cabinet. This is particularly great news for people with pets that somehow find themselves rummaging through the garbage bin.

These systems also usually come with two garbage bins, one for regular garbage and one for recyclables, and are easily installed. Placing your pull-out garbage within your prep zone (located near your sink) is the best way to create an efficient and seamless kitchen experience.

question: Summarize the main points of the article.

answer: The article outlines five common design problems to fix during a kitchen remodel. Poor kitchen workflow can be fixed with intuitive design. A lack of countertop space can be avoided by following the NKBA standards. A lack of storage space can be fixed with the right types of cabinets. Insufficient lighting is a problem fixed by adding varied forms of lighting, and finally, garbage bin problems can be remedied by installing an under-cabinet pull-out system.

question: What does the article say about fixing a lack of storage space?

answer: The article suggests several ways to maximize storage space by making smart use of the existing space. Cabinet drawers can be deep to hold clunkier items. Lazy susans can take advantage of unused corner spaces. Appliance garages make use of vertical space to hide away small appliances. Planning the position of the sink, stove, and refrigerator is also a key way to optimize space.

question: Summarize the article's description of good lighting.

answer: The article describes good lighting in a kitchen as thorough and bright. The best way to achieve this, according to kitchen designers, is to use a combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting. Ambient lighting usually takes the form of ceiling lights and illuminates the entire space. Accent lighting is mainly for aesthetic purposes. Task lighting specifically provides light for tasks like chopping vegetables, to prevent unnecessary accidents.

question: What does the article say about the role of homeowners associations in remodeling?