text:
Fossil-fuel industry sycophants in Congress and oil company biostitutes continue to laugh all the way to the bank, denying any connection between their lucrative product and increasingly extreme weather around the planet. Meanwhile, a new study indicates that their laughter may be short-lived, as an impending disaster looms: massive forests die-off in the Southwestern United States.

This information comes from a research team at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Stanford, California, which has measured the impact of the Golden State’s ongoing drought – now well into its fourth year. Focusing on 41,000 square miles of conifer forests, the study found serious reductions of canopy water levels, where most rainwater is collected. It is this layer that provides humidity for the lower levels of the forest.

The implications should be obvious to even non-scientists – and they are dire. The ongoing drought could result in the loss of approximately 58 million trees. That’s how many are on the brink; if the drought continues unabated, those trees will surely die. Another 888 million trees are at risk.

It gets worse: working with climate models based on field observations and extrapolations of current conditions, scientists believe that the die-off will spread throughout the entire eco-region, which includes Arizona as well as major parts of Colorado New Mexico and Utah. By the end of the current century, conifer forests in the Southwestern U.S. could disappear entirely. Sara Rauscher, co-author of the study warned, “This region of the U.S. has beautiful, old forests with trees that you don’t find in many other places. A treeless Southwest would be a major change… to the overall ecosystem.”

That’s putting it mildly. Eventually, the entire region could turn into scrubland – and ultimately, a desert. Forests hold water from rain and snow melt; it is one of the reasons that woodlands are cooler. Scrubland contains much drier soil and is unable to retain water. Should those 58 million endangered trees die off, rainfall and summer runoff will simply flow into the hot interior valleys and quickly evaporate.

The 888 million other trees may not be in immediate danger, but they’re feeling the effects of drought stress as well. Because of heat and the lack of humidity, these trees are susceptible to the deadly bark beetle. This pest invariably kills the trees in which they take up residence. Gregory Asner, who led the study, says, “During drought, when trees are stressed, they’re more susceptible to infestation.” He adds, “The interaction between the bark beetle, the tree and climate – we’re just figuring it out now.”

Indigenous peoples have long understood how all life in a given environment is interconnected and exists in a delicate balance – and scientists have confirmed it. If the trees die off, it would have devastating consequences not only on other plant species, but on animals as well as beneficial insects and other life forms. It also increases the likelihood of wildfires. The eventual result: desertification. This doesn’t take into consideration the increase in greenhouse gases that will result, should so much vegetation disappear. This would accelerate the process of global warming, leading to a cycle that we may very well not be able to stop.

Asner hopes that the study will make it clear to state legislators and agencies just what is at stake and what decisions must be made in regards to where thinning is required in order to prevent wildfires. He also hopes that decision makers will be able to make better decisions on how to save what forests remain.

Unfortunately, the situation in California is just the symptom of a global problem. Earlier in December, 200 nations signed an agreement to take aggressive steps to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. But while the Paris Accord represents some progress in this regard, it falls short in many respects. Oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states as well as the oil industry are still resisting it (the Saudis came up with the ludicrous idea that forests somehow “endanger food security”).

Hopefully, the grim scenario presented in the Carnegie study will wake some people up as they start to understand the significance of a famous prophecy, attributed to the Nēhiyaw (Cree) People of Canada:

  _When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe – only then will you discover you cannot eat money._

question: What is the information that comes from the research team at the Carnegie Institution for Science?

answer: Massive forests die-off in the Southwestern United States, which is an impending disaster.

question: What region could turn into scrubland?

answer: The Southwestern U.S. region

question: Describe how indigenous peoples are affected?

answer: It's not mentioned in this article, but it's noted that indigenous people understand how life in any given environment is interconnected. This infers that indigenous people could be affected by massive forest die-off in the Southwestern U.S.

question: What is the goal of this article?

answer: The goal is wake people up to the fact that there is looming disaster in forests dying off in the Southwestern US. Another goal is to make it clear to state legislators and agencies what remains at stake.

question: What states are mentioned in this article?

answer: California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah

question: What is the author referring to when they say "that's putting it mildly"?

answer: A treeless Southwest would be a major change to the overall ecosystem.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of this article, the author wrote about the looming disaster of forests dying off in the Southwestern U.S. They stressed the importance of what's at stake, and hoped to make this clear to state legislators, agencies, and regular people with the grim scenario presented in the Carnegie study.


split: train

text:
[Africa Proconsularis (125 AD)] POCOFELTUS was a Roman–Berber _civitas_ (town)[1] in the province of Africa Proconsularis,[2] located in present-day Tunisia. It was also the seat of an ancient Roman Catholic diocese.[3][4]

The only known ancient bishop of this diocese was the Catholic bishop Surgentius,[5][6] who attended the Council of Carthage (314). The bishopric is presumed to have been active throughout the Roman era, Vandal Kingdom and Byzantine Empire, but ceasing to function effectively with the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. Charles James McDonnell was titular bishop from 1994 until his death in 2020.[7][8]

[1] Henri Irénée Marrou, André Mandouze, Anne-Marie La Bonnardière, _Prosopographie de l'Afrique chrétienne (303–533)_ (Éditions du Centre national de la recherche scientifique, 1 Jan. 1982) p1243.

[2] Jean Louis Maier, _The Episcopate of Roman, Vandal and Byzantine Africa_ (Swiss Institute of Rome 1973) p186.

[3] Pocofeltus at catholic-hierarchy.org.

[4] Martin Wolters,The apostolic succession .

[5] Jean Louis Maier, _The Episcopate of Roman, Vandal and Byzantine Africa_ (Swiss Institute of Rome 1973) p186.

[6] Henri Irénée Marrou, André Mandouze, Anne-Marie La Bonnardière, _Prosopographie de l'Afrique chrétienne (303–533)_ (Éditions du Centre national de la recherche scientifique, 1 Jan. 1982) p1243.

[7] Titular Episcopal See of Pocofeltus at GCatholic.org.

[8] Pocofeltus at www.catholic-hierarchy.org.

title: Pocofeltus

question: What was Pocofeltus?

answer: a Roman-Berber town in the province of Africa Proconsularis, located in present-day Tunisia

question: What is a titular bishop?

answer: the article does not answer this question

question: What is Berber?

answer: the article does not answer this question

question: Wo was Charles James McDonnell?

answer: titular bishop from 1994 until his death in 2020

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Poco feltus was a Roman-Berber town in the province of Africa Proconsularis, located in present-day Tunisia. It was also the seat of an ancient Roman Catholic diocese.


text:
CALDERA BASIN () is a sedimentary basin located in the coast of northern Chile west of Copiapó. The basin has a fill of marine sediments of Late Cenozoic age. With a north-south extension of and an east-west width of the basin occupies an area between the coast and the Chilean Coast Range and between the port of Caldera and the mouth of Copiapó River. The sedimentary fill rests on metamorphic rocks of Paleozoic age and on plutonic rocks of Mesozoic age.[1]

Stratigraphy

  Name                      Age                                                                Lithologies                                                       Depositional environment
  ------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ---------------------------------
  Caldera Beds              Pleistocene
  Bahía Inglesa Formation   Quebrada Blanca                                                    Late Miocene                                                      Conglomerate, sandstone, biocalcirudite
  Rocas Negras              Calcirudite, biocalciarenite                                       Shoreface
  Mina Fosforita            Sandstone, siltstone, shale                                        Uppermost continental slope, shoreface
  Chorrillos                Clast-supported conglomerate                                       Submarine canyon debris flow fill, formed possibly by a tsunami
  La Higera                 Shale with gypsum veins, sandstone, siltstone, diatomaceous clay   Outer shelf or uppermost continental slope
  Cerro Ballena             Silty sandstone                                                    Supratidal flat
  Punta Totoral             Biocalcarenite, biocalcirudite, matrix-supported conglomerate      Rapid sea-level oscillations
  Puerto Viejo              Sandstone, siltstone, claystone, shale, microcoquina               Shoreface, marine transgression
  El Pimiento               Biocalcarenite, quartzarenite                                      Shoreface
  Angostura Formation       Early to Mid-Miocene                                               Matrix-supported conglomerate                                     High-energy river mouth

  : The following units make up the sedimentary fill[2]

[1]

[2]

title: Caldera Basin

question: What is Caldera Basin?

answer: A sedimentary basin.

question: What created it?

answer: Depleted waters, possibly.

question: In which country is it?

answer: Chile.

question: From which age are the rocks of the basin?

answer: The Palezoic age, and the Mesozoic age.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Caldera Basin is a sedimentary basin located in the coast of northern Chile west of Copiapó. The basin has a fill of marine sediments of Late Cenozoic age, and it rests on metamorphic rocks of Paleozoic age and on plutonic rocks of Mesozoic age.


text:
ELIJAH BEN SOLOMON ABRAHAM HA-KOHEN (died 1729) was dayyan of Smyrna, almoner and preacher.

Works

Elijah produced over 30 works, of which the principal, according to Wunderbar (_Orient, Lit._ p. 579), are as follows:

-   _Midrash Eliyahu,_ eleven funeral sermons and a commentary on the Talmudic sayings relative to the Book of Esther (Constantinople, 1693)
-   _Midrash ha-Izmiri,_ homilies (ib. 1695)
-   _Midrash Talpiyyot,_ glosses and comments taken from 300 works and containing 926 (the numerical value of the word “Talpiyyot”) paragraphs in alphabetical order: only the first part, from “alef” to “kaf,” was published (Amsterdam, 1698)
-   _Me'il Ẓedaḳah,_ a treatise on charity (ib. 1704)
-   _Shebeṭ Musar,_ on ethics, the best known of his works, divided into fifty-two chapters corresponding to the weeks of the year, and taken for the most part from the _Or Ḳadmon_ of Moses Ḥagis, the _Tokaḥot_ of the Spanish poets, the _Orḥot Ḥayyim,_ and the _Roḳeaḥ_ of Eleazar of Worms (Constantinople, 1712)
-   _Megalleh Ẓefunot,_ kabalistic treatises (Porizk, 1785)
-   _She'elot u-Teshubot,_ responsa (Sudilkov, 1796)
-   _Minḥat Eliyahu,_ sermons (Salonica, 1824)
-   _Semukim le-'Ad,_ homiletic treatise on the parashiyyot (ib. 1826)
-   _We-Lo 'Od Ella,_ a treatise on the Talmudic and Midrashic passages beginning with these words (Smyrna, 1853).

Elijah's other works are not yet published (as of 1906). They include:

-   a commentary to the Psalms
-   _Ezor Eliyahu,_ a commentary to Abot and to the Pesaḥ Haggadah
-   _Ṭa'ame ha-Miẓwot,_ a treatise on the 613 commandments
-   _Sheloshah Mahadurot,_ a commentary to the Pentateuch
-   _Shiṭṭah,_ on the Abodah Zarah
-   a commentary to the difficult passages in the Ta'anit
-   a commentary to the Hafṭarot
-   _Ḥiddushim Nifradim_, _Yado ha-Kol,_ comprising commentaries to the Song of Songs, Book of Ruth, and Book of Esther, each under a different title
-   mystical glosses to the Song of Songs and Esther
-   a commentary to Lamentations
-   commentaries to Pirḳe Rabbi Eliezer, Otiyyot de-Rabbi Aḳiba, Kallah, Semaḥot, Derek Ereẓ Rabbah and Derek Ereẓ Zuṭa, Tanna debe Eliyahu, and Tiḳḳune ha-'Aberot
-   one treatise and three sermons on repentance
-   a commentary to various prayers
-   a commentary to the Aggadah of the Jerusalem Talmud

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

-   Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, i. 22;
-   Michael, Or ha-Ḥayyim, No. 407:
-   Jellinek, B. H. i. 16, Preface;
-   Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 932;
-   Fürst, Bibl. Jud. i. 238;
-   Friedenstein, 'Ir Gibborim.

title: Elijah ben Solomon Abraham ha-Kohen

question: How were Elijah ben Solomon Abraham ha-Kohen's principal works determined?


text:
The tenant eviction crisis in Philly, where there are four times as many evictions than foreclosures, just took a step forward with the launch of the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project, a new set of legal and financial services for renters in danger of losing their home.

“What this will do is help make sure that the court works in a more fair manner and helps tenants understand their rights and get the best outcome,” said Eva Gladstein, the city’s deputy managing director of Health and Human Services. “That’s the goal of the project.”

Here’s how the Eviction Prevention Project works: Tenants now have access to a long list of services from legal to financial counsel that can help them whether or not they’re currently facing eviction.

Some of the main services include:

-

    A new hot line called Tenant Legal Aid Referral Line (267-443-2500) that tenants can call for help.
-

    The website launch of www.phillytenant.org, which offers information on basic tenant rights and answers to questions like “How do I get my landlord to make repairs?” and “How do I get legal help?”
-

    Court navigators who can help you through the process when you’re actually in the courtroom.
-

    A volunteer “lawyer of the day” who will be in the courtroom to help tenants who don’t already have representation.

“Just having people even understand what is happening in court makes a huge difference in terms of having a fair outcome,” said Gladstein.

The project launch comes at a time when 1 in 14 renters in Philly were handed eviction notices in 2016. Last year, Councilwoman Helen Gym put out a call to address the eviction crisis, which disproportionately affects African Americans and women.

“When we first started unpacking a lot of what has been going on with the eviction crisis in Philadelphia, we met with advocates and heard from them directly,” said Gym. “When we heard that there were four times as many evictions in the city of Philadelphia than there were foreclosures, I got angry.”

In October 2017, Mayor Jim Kenney created a 27-person Eviction Task Force to study the city’s eviction crisis. City Council and the Department of Planning and Development’s also allocated $500,000 to help renters fight eviction.

Those funds have gone toward the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project, which will be spearheaded by Community Legal Services and several other local housing and legal organizations.

The hope, too, is that the eviction prevention project will help reduce the rate of tenants being evicted from their home and thereby prevent homelessness. Said Gladstein, “People were aware of foreclosure in terms of families losing their homes, being destabilized, losing jobs, and their health, but people were not focusing on evictions. And yet we have so many evictions occurring, which are causing the same issues, if not more so because they have less security than a homeowners.”

“So in terms of making sure our neighborhoods are safe and healthy, this is a really important.”

Gym said this isn’t the last of the Eviction Task Force’s efforts to combat the eviction crisis. “Housing is a human right and we’re trying as a city to figure out what that looks like and how we do it in the best interests of everybody. We’re still far from doing as much as we hoped, but we have made a significant step today in announcing that the experiences of people who are too often neglected are not going to go unnoticed.”

question: What is the goal of the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project?

answer: The goal of the project is to help make sure that the court works in a fair manner and helps tenants understand their rights to get the best outcome.

question: Why was it a shock to learn that there are 4 times more evictions than foreclosures?

answer: The statistics for the foreclosures were known and action plans were fixed. Then the information regarding evictions became known. It was a shock to learn that social insecurity was a much bigger issue that anticipated.

question: Explain the effects of the high eviction rate?

answer: Families lose homes, become destabilized, lose jobs and health.

question: What services does the Eviction Prevention Project provide?

answer: A hot line that tenants can call for help, a website with information on tenant rights and answers to questions, court navigators and a volunteer lawyer for the day.

question: Which population is disproportionately affected by evictions?

answer: African Americans and women.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Philadelphia developed the Eviction Prevention Project to address the previously invisible social problem of evictions. The goal of the project is to help make sure that the court works in a fair manner and helps tenants understand their rights to get the best outcome.


text:
The boy is trapped by nightmares and darkness. He can't escape.
At sunset, he climbs into his bed and dreams of lies, pain and death...
The putrid stench of dying, rotting flesh. Why? Why is life so pitiful? The ground is littered with death. The skies weep, tossing down puddles of endless misery. The red lake grows larger.
I toss and turn, but I stay still, possessed by a living nightmare. Beads of sweat accumulate on my forehead. I'm drowning. The water... It never stops. Make it stop. Stop!
Quiet. In the distance. Are those people? ...Demons. Run.
I'm one of them. How could this be? How could this happen?
The screams, the blood, the terror, pulsing through the veins of a thousand sleeping warriors all armored and ready for war. They watch, frozen like statues as clouds of dark mist cascade on their helpless bodies.
A lake of blood.
Did it end? Is it over? The covers. They strangle me. I'm choking. Get it off! Stop it! Get away!
The dark mist. It won't leave.
I fly over the blood stained hills, the water reflecting the gruesome battle. I'm flying? What am I? What have I become?
Listen. The sounds of wounded men. Somebody help them! But there's no time to waste.
The door opens. A cloaked figure silently glides to the bedside of a troubled boy and whispers in the dead of night.
No audible words.
The ritual begins.
No... The end is near. The ritual... is already over.
What happened?
The boy awakens. He sees a man in a robe on his bedside. The man is talking.
The boy asks the man, "What happened? I'm scared."
"Well, son, Satan tried to scare my little warrior tonight, but he won't win."
"How do you know that?" The boy had no comprehension of Satan, but he was troubled by the name regardless.
"Because I happen to be your father. I'm here to protect you, son."
The boy, comforted by the robed man, slowly glided back underneath the covers as the robed man tucked him in.
The boy, once asleep, dreamt about a wonderful place. Beautiful, winged creatures soared effortlessly through silky skies, emitting light on their journeys. Magnificent buildings flooded the golden streets, and joyous praises could be heard throughout.
The boy, guided by instinct, found and opened the door to his house.
The robed man, waiting for him through the door, took the boy's hand and guided him through marble stairways, high arches, and intricately detailed furnished rooms.
The boy, curious by the unworldly beauty of the place, outstretched his hands and delicately glided his small fingers across the walls in awe of the mysterious texture.
When the boy had satisfied his curiosity, the robed man took the boy's hand once again and led him outside.
They walked through the streets, observing the peculiar yet beautiful creatures that endlessly fluttered around the robed man.
As they approached closer to one of the creatures, the boy could hear an angelic voice resonating loudly from its mouth.
The creature spoke of a wonderful king who conquered death and defeated sin, but the boy had never heard those words before. He had no ability to comprehend the story that was being told, but he enjoyed listening to the voice nonetheless.
His eyes teared up, and his vision blurred. He wasn't scared, however. His mind rattled with love, hope, peace, and joy, emotions he had never experienced before.
The emotions, beautiful creatures, the golden streets and the perfect climate. Paradise. How could one long for anything else?
The boy peacefully awoke at sunrise. He hopped enthusiastically to the window and opened the blinds. His eyes caught the first glimpse of the sunrise in the distance, and he felt happy.
His hands touched the cold window, and he made a shape of a cross with his finger out of the condensation on the glass. It was a symbol he had never seen before, yet he felt so attached to it.
He felt like he was dreaming...
But he had escaped.

title: Escaping the Dream - Constructive criticism is appreciated!

question: What was the wonderful place that the boy dreamed about?

answer: The wonderful place appears to be some version of heaven.

question: Describe the boy's emotional journey in the story.

answer: He starts off in a terrifying dream, full of demons, death, and gruesome fighting. Then, when the cloaked figure starts talking to the boy, there's a brief moment of confusion, quickly followed by comfort. And then, once the boy falls asleep, he dreams of heaven, and feels wonder, love, hope, peace & joy.

question: Why was this story titled "Escaping the Dream?"

answer: Most of the story takes place in a dream world, and concludes with the boys dream of heaven ridding him of his dreams of hell, allowing him to escape these paralyzing dreams.

question: What would've happened if the cloaked figure never came to the boy?

answer: He would've continued to have these hellish nightmares, as it seems that the cloaked figure induced dreams of heaven that allowed the boy to move past the dreams of hell.


text:
[Destiny's Child]

__ABC

Fifth Harmony put on a nostalgic performance on ABC’s _Greatest Hits_ performing all the classics from Beyoncé’s musical alma mater Destiny’s Child.

The five-piece group gave stirring performances of some of the greats, including “Say My Name,” “Independent Women,” “Survivor,” and “Bootylicious” all while draped in throwback wide-legged jeans and red bandanas.

WATCH MEGHAN TRAINOR AND BSB ON ABC’S ‘GREATEST HITS’

Before their show, the group gave a shoutout to their heroes and how much they inspired Fifth Harmony to make and perform music.

“They’ve inspired us. We speak about them in literally every interview. Every interview, they’re like ‘Who are your biggest inspirations?’ We’re like, ‘Destiny’s Child.'”

“We’ve been together for almost four years now, and it’s been amazing,” said Camila Cabello. “In the beginning, we were playing shows in malls next to pharmacies. And now getting to be on this show and paying tribute to the girl group who has inspired us.”

Watch the performance below.

_WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DESTINY’S CHILD SONG? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS BELOW OR BY HITTING US UP ON FACEBOOK!_

question: What did the group perform on ABS's Greatest Hits?

answer: They performed all the classics from Destiny's Child.

question: What are some of the songs they performed?

answer: “Say My Name,” “Independent Women,” “Survivor,” and “Bootylicious

question: What's the relation between Fifth Harmony and Destiny's Child?

answer: Destiny's Child has been a big inspiration for Firth Harmony.

question: How long has the group Fifth harmony been together?

answer: Almost four years at the time of the article.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The text describes Firth Harmony's show on ABC's Greatest Hits


text:
bored while taking a shit then this jibberish happened on my phone

The Trance Mantis was enveloped by the sound of the beats. though the beats couldn't keep him forever. The mantis understood this but somehow was not saddened by the unfortunate truth, he was disturbed. Deep inside he knew that with every last dying beat there was a rising hope for his kin. A hope they've needed for as long as he could remember. He didn't want to pretend anymore. He thought he could see the truth, the real truth, the blackened one. This beat is all that they have, The mantis Thought. All that they've known. Is there any point to continue life with no progression? No expansion? Then again.. What would expand if the beat stops? The void? The silence? Would a new beat begin? The mantis skimmed and sifted the possibilities over and over again. None of it made sense. There has to be something else out there. Another life, another possibility, another reason for the current one to be here in the first place. Perhaps its just an illusion of his own sphere. his own creation with out even knowing it. Preposterous, he thought. Something must have created this beat, some type of match must have started this fire inside of me. Then again, who struck the match in the first place, and what created that. More importantly, why? Is it to observe us? Watch us grow mad and weak as time goes on? Maybe it's much simpler than that. Perhaps just as we do, they too feel the beat.

title: The Trance Mantis

question: Who is the subject of the text?

answer: The Trance Mantis.

question: What does "the beat" represent?

answer: The Trance Mantis' worldview, and hope for his kin.

question: What does Trance Mantis liken the feeling of the beat to?

answer: To striking a match inside of his heart.

question: What does Trance Mantis think of his creators?

answer: He thinks they use the beat to understand him.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The Trance Mantis is experiencing something called "the beat". It is all he has ever known of his existence, and it holds all the hope for his kin. He believes the beat to be created by some creative entity, like a god, which lights a fire within him. He believes this fire is meant to stretch and contract his feelings in order for his creator to study him.


text:
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I’m ridiculed (on a regular basis by our team!) for using highfalutin vocabulary. I cannot help it! Sister Paulanne’s daily vocabulary tests during sixth grade English class at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview, IL, drilled some of those words into me (my favorite may be “lagniappe”). Fancy words get the reader’s attention...

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True Presence Detection for Smarter Living: RoomMe by Intellithings Two decades ago, Bill Gates surprised the world with the incredible technology built into his home in Seattle, that enabled the house to identify specific people room location and adjust room devices based on personal preferences of the person in the room. Now, every home...

[TecHome Benefits]

“Features & Benefits” is an “old saw” in marketing and sales, a way of structuring messages to set the stage for a sales win. But thanks to the order of the words, we tend to have an unfortunate habit of going deep on features and shallow on benefits. This is particularly true with technology...

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On lucky 7/7 we announced the postponement of our TecHome Builder Summit Spring (originally scheduled for May 2020 in Orlando, then rescheduled for August 2020, then relocated to Kansas City) to May 4-6, 2021 in Louisville. We have been simultaneously monitoring the waxing and waning of COVID across the nation, gathering information on preventative measures...

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I sat down with Savant president, JC Murphy, to discuss Hyannis, MA-based manufacturer Savant Systems’ pending acquisition of GE Lighting and its implications for builders and multifamily companies. Announced on May 27 and set to close June 30, the deal combines Savant’s smart home control and AV product expertise with GE Lighting’s product portfolio...

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  When TecHome Builder launched in 2001, its dual mission was to help builders make strong progress on incorporating technology into their homes and applying technology to their business processes and operations. The latter we call the Solutions side of our business. TecHome Builder went on hiatus 2008-2013, but when we relaunched it in...

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The construction industry has only had one way to control power – installing boxes, wiring, and switches in the walls. Levven two-component smart switching now gives builders and trades a choice on how to control power. Using wireless radio frequency, Levven switches send on, off, and dim commands to relays that switch the power...

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With COVID constraining in-person marketing and sales, builders are upping their digital marketing and selling game. We studied the trends in our 2020 Re-Vision Survey earlier this year and have been in touch with some of the leading marketing and sales solution providers. In that process, we identified 4 cornerstone application areas: Lead Gen...

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You’d have had to be on another planet to not see that video conferencing is on fire as a top application. The market for video conferencing gear and services is projected to double to nearly $12 billion  annually by 2027 by TechRepublic, and I think that underestimates attachment sales like mounts and large screen...

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Beating the drum just one more time (for now!) on home tech merchandising—this time focusing on the luxury custom market. The concept of merchandising for Luxury Home selling isn’t terribly intuitive, because most custom builders’ value proposition is “whatever you want or dream–we can deliver”. On its face, that’s the antithesis of merchandising, where...

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It’s Business As Usual for Tech-Savvy New Home Builders Using Virtual Sales Centres: Introducing LiveSite™ the Virtual Sales Center Software Powered by NEEZO Studios! While the pandemic has accelerated the need for builders to offer their homebuyers a true, virtual experience…it has actually just been a day-in-the-life of best-practices at NEEZO Studios. LiveSite™, the company's state-of-the-art virtual sales...

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Last week’s blog was titled Beating the Drum on Tech Merchandising. I’m continuing to bang that drum! This time on what may be the most critical of all merchandising decisions. The development of your tech standard and options scheme. When you think of merchandising and its origins in retail stores, standard offers don’t come to...

[Young Couple Reviewing Documents to New home options]

One of the rules of business communications I’ve subscribed to 100% in the last few years is the need for repetition. My mind tends to fly from topic to topic and I often get bored with a message long before it’s starting to sink in with the audience. So I’m not going to make...

[Delivery Person with package. Products at left include an iPhone with video interface and automated entry, Linear Garage door opener, Schlage digital lock, Elan motion sensor camera]

I’m a bit of a data hound. I like looking at big tables of numbers, applying formulas to them and identifying patterns and big picture changes. Maybe that’s the lure of the construction industry, economics and baseball for me. There are so many statistics to slice and dice and play with. Did you know...

question: What is this posting?

answer: This posting contains summaries of the most recent postings from a website.

question: What is the website?

answer: It's not indicated.

question: Given the summaries, what kind of website does it seem to be?

answer: It seems to be a blog pertaining to real estate, the housing industry, or building industry.

question: When are the posts from?

answer: They are relatively current, probably from 2020 and possibly 2021. There are a couple of posts about COVID.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: This posting contains summaries of the most recent postings from a website. The blog seems to pertain to real estate, the housing industry, or building industry.


text:
I don’t remember how I got there or where it started. So, in a way, it started off like most dreams do. I was running. But not in solidarity; with a group. I wasn’t exactly sure who they were, I just felt a deep camaraderie with them as if they were close to me. It’s hard to explain. None the less, we trekked on. The barren, gray landscape made me feel empty and thirsty inside, like I knew something better than this was out there somewhere. Or was it somewhere in the past? Was this the aftermath of a dispute between our territory’s leader with another? Regardless, I knew that there was something better than this. It was eating at me.

We ran for what seemed like hours, passing abandoned houses, ransacked for their valuables. Finally, we stopped in a small neighborhood. Three houses stood there seemingly untouched by the madness of what the earth was now. It was a comforting feeling to be back home. We set down our valuables and watched the sun slowly make its dissent over the orange horizon. We felt closer than we ever have before to each other. Quickly afterwards, we all wished each other good night. I lied in my bed wishing for this to be over. Whatever “this” was, I don’t know.

The next morning, I awoke with a kick of my own leg. This seems to happen every time I die in a dream.

The rest of my group awoke, and we packed up again. This time though, we carried only the necessities as if we would come back. Maybe I could call this place home again. It’s been so long since I could. I kept that from the others. I found it difficult to show much weakness to them. Not now. One must be callused and strong in these times.

The morning sun was beautiful, it was the only thing that gave me hope, as we marched onward. We didn’t talk about the past much, but when we did, It was certainly a touchy subject. You can only joke and play around for so long before conversion turns serious. It’s what we needed to keep sane, none the less, as we walked on this abandoned interstate. The hours were long, but I felt as if we were coming up to something big..something worth our while. Just then, our leader, average in height with a weathered face and wrinkly brow, raised his binoculars that hung around his neck. He trembled as he said, “There! Over there! Something… miraculous!”. Every one of us immediately perked up at the thought and made a mad dash towards the undiscovered locale.

We stopped and gazed in awe of what we saw, a large neighborhood of houses. What struck them as odd though was their toy-like appearance. The orange and green houses looked almost gelatin-like. Maybe they were? Relishing at the thought, I was the first one down the steep hill that separated me and this mysterious village, but before I could make it, a married couple from my group had already beaten me there and had sunken into the gelatin-made streets. It was the most peculiar thing we had all ever seen, but at the same instant, it was beautiful. We laughed, and we became children again. I didn’t look back or even think of the home that I left behind.

At that very moment, my leg kicked. I awoke in my bedroom; It was all a dream.

**Note:** I am in high school and a very amateur writer, and I'm sure that is apparent by my grammar. I would love to hear some feedback though. The good and the bad, I want it all! Thank you!

title: A dream that I had.

question: How can you describe what the author's consciousness must be feeling as she continued on with this dream>

answer: The author seems to have something on her consciousness as her dream reflects her running with no idea where she is running too.

question: Is the author running alone or with someone else?

answer: The author is running in a group.

question: How can you describe the author's feelings as they found something miraculous?

answer: The author seems to portray some childlike euphoria when dashing over to what had been discovered.

question: How can you describe the events of this short story? Were they fictional?

answer: The author states that everything she described was all a dream and was most likely all fictional.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This short story describes a dream the author had in which the author was running with a group of people, looking to discover something, just not knowing what they were looking for.


text:
The Official German Charts are record charts compiled by GfK Entertainment GmbH on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie (Federal Association of Phonographic Industry). They include the “Top 100 Single-Charts” and the “Top 100 Album-Charts”. The chart week runs from Friday to Thursday with the official chart being published by various third-party media outlets on the following Friday. The charts are based on sales of physical singles and albums from retail outlets as well as permanent music downloads and streaming.[1]

The first number-one-single of the year was “Rockabye” by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul & Anne-Marie, which moved into the top spot in the issue dated 30 December 2016 but remained in place for two weeks before being replaced by “Shape of You” by British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. “Shape of You” ruled the charts for 15 consecutive weeks, before being dethroned by “Despacito” by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, which led the charts between April and August for a total of 17 weeks. Axwell Λ Ingrosso's "More Than You Know reached number one on issue date 25 August and stayed there for three weeks. German rappers Kay One, Kollegah and Farid Bang reached the number-one position for the first time with “Señorita” and “Sturmmaske auf (Intro)”. Bausa's “Was du Liebe nennst” reached the number-one in mid-October and topped the charts for eight weeks. Ed Sheeran ended the year with “Perfect”, his second number-one single of the year. The longest unbroken run at number one in 2017 was 17 weeks, which was achieved by Luis Fonsi's “Despacito”. “Shape of You” topped the Year End-Single charts.

Albumwise thirty-three different albums reached the pole-position. The Rolling Stones _Blue & Lonesome_ became the first album number-one of the year, followed by Klubbb3's _Jetzt geht’s richtig los!_. Ed Sheeran's _÷_ became the first album of the year to top the chart for longer than a week in March. Helene Fischer's eponymous album reached the pole-position in May and later topped the year-end album charts. Other albums to top the charts for multiple weeks were _Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert, Vol. 4_ by Various Artists, _Sampler_ 4 by 187 Strassenbande, _Zauberland_ by Die Amigos, _25 Jahre Abenteuer Leben_ by Andrea Berg and _MTV Unplugged_ by Peter Maffay. Ed Sheeran's _÷_ ruled the charts for five weeks.

Number-one hits by week

  -- ----------------------------------------------------------
     Indicates best-performing single and album of 2017[2][3]
  -- ----------------------------------------------------------

  : Key

  Issue date     Song                       Artist                                                                          Album                            Artist
  -------------- -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------------- ------------------------- -------
  6 January      “Rockabye”                 Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie      [4]                        _Blue & Lonesome_                The Rolling Stones        [5]
  13 January     “Shape of You”             Ed Sheeran                                           [6]                        _Jetzt geht’s richtig los!_      Klubbb3                   [7]
  20 January     [8]                        _I See You_                                          The xx                     [9]
  27 January     [10]                       _Anarchie und Alltag_                                Antilopen Gang             [11]
  3 February     [12]                       _Gods of Violence_                                   Kreator                    [13]
  10 February    [14]                       _(sic!)_                                             Broilers                   [15]
  17 February    [16]                       _Auge des Tigers_                                    Majoe                      [17]
  24 February    [18]                       _Mein Amerika_                                       Philipp Poisel             [19]
  3 March        [20]                       _Karma_                                              Mike Singer                [21]
  10 March       [22]                       _÷_                                                  Ed Sheeran                 [23]
  17 March       [24]                       [25]
  24 March       [26]                       _Spirit_                                             Depeche Mode               [27]
  31 March       [28]                       _We Got Love_                                        The Kelly Family           [29]
  7 April        [30]                       _Emotionen_                                          Joel Brandenstein          [31]
  14 April       [32]                       _Infinite_                                           Deep Purple                [33]
  21 April       [34]                       _÷_                                                  Ed Sheeran                 [35]
  28 April       “Despacito”                Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee                    [36]                       _So schön anders_                Adel Tawil                [37]
  5 May          [38]                       _Gute Nacht_                                         Kontra K                   [39]
  12 May         [40]                       _Laune der Natur_                                    Die Toten Hosen            [41]
  19 May         [42]                       _Helene Fischer_                                     Helene Fischer             [43]
  26 May         [44]                       _Rammstein: Paris_                                   Rammstein                  [45]
  2 June         [46]                       _Helene Fischer_                                     Helene Fischer             [47]
  9 June         [48]                       _Keine Nacht für Niemand_                            Kraftklub                  [49]
  16 June        [50]                       _Black Friday_                                       Bushido                    [51]
  23 June        [52]                       _Maximum_                                            KC Rebell and Summer Cem   [53]
  30 June        [54]                       _Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert, Vol. 4_       Various artists            [55]
  7 July         [56]                       _Epic_                                               Fler and Jalil             [57]
  14 July        [58]                       _Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert, Vol. 4_       Various artists            [59]
  21 July        [60]                       _Sampler 4_                                          187 Strassenbande          [61]
  28 July        [62]                       [63]
  4 August       [64]                       _Zauberland_                                         Die Amigos                 [65]
  11 August      [66]                       [67]
  18 August      [68]                       _Regenbogen_                                         Vanessa Mai                [69]
  25 August      “More Than You Know”       Axwell Λ Ingrosso                                    [70]                       _Sturmfahrt_                     Eisbrecher                [71]
  1 September    [72]                       _Anthrazit_                                          RAF Camora                 [73]
  8 September    [74]                       _Lang lebe der Tod_                                  Casper                     [75]
  15 September   “Señorita”                 Kay One featuring Pietro Lombardi                    [76]                       _tru._                           Cro                       [77]
  22 September   [78]                       _25 Jahre Abenteuer Leben_                           Andrea Berg                [79]
  29 September   [80]                       [81]
  6 October      “Sturmmaske auf (Intro)”   Kollegah and Farid Bang                              [82]                       _Royal Bunker_                   Savas and Sido            [83]
  13 October     “Was du Liebe nennst”      Bausa                                                [84]                       _Heartbreak Century_             Sunrise Avenue            [85]
  20 October     [86]                       _Im Auge des Sturms_                                 Santiano                   [87]
  27 October     [88]                       _TP4L_                                               Trailerpark                [89]
  3 November     [90]                       _Im Auge des Sturms_                                 Santiano                   [91]
  10 November    [92]                       _MTV Unplugged_                                      Peter Maffay               [93]
  17 November    [94]                       [95]
  24 November    [96]                       [97]
  1 December     [98]                       _Sing meinen Song – Das Weihnachtskonzert, Vol. 4_   Various artists            [99]
  8 December     “Perfect”                  Ed Sheeran                                           [100]                      _Jung, brutal, gutaussehend 3_   Kollegah and Farid Bang   [101]
  15 December    [102]                      _Memento – Gegen die Zeit + Live in Berlin_          Böhse Onkelz               [103]
  22 December    [104]                      _÷_                                                  Ed Sheeran                 [105]
  29 December    [106]                      [107]

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title: List of number-one hits of 2017 (Germany)

question: Who composes the Official German Charts?

answer: GfK Entertainment GmbH on behalf of Bundesverband Muskindustrie.

question: What does Bundesverband Muskindustrie mean in German?

answer: Federal Association of Phonographic Industry.

question: What was the first number-one single in Germany in 2017?

answer: "Rockabye" by Clean Bandit.

question: What was the second number-one single in Germany in 2017?

answer: "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The article is about the list of number one hits in Germany for the year 2017. It gives a summary of which songs reached the number one position in that year.


text:
US agents could use methods of torture on suspected terrorists once again because "it works", President Trump has said.

In comments which will prompt alarm among human rights groups and leading Republicans and Democrats, Mr Trump said he had spoken to "people at the highest level of intelligence" who told him torture "absolutely" works.

The new president said he would rely on the guidance of his CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis as to whether he should allow the resurrection of techniques such as waterboarding during interrogations.

"When they [so-called Islamic State] are chopping off the heads of people because they happen to be a Christian in the Middle East; when ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times - would I feel strongly about waterboarding? As far as I'm concerned we have to fight fire with fire," he told ABC's World News Tonight.

"I have spoken as recently as 24 hours ago with people at the highest level of intelligence and I asked them the question: does it work? Does torture work? And the answer was yes, absolutely.

"I will rely on Pompeo and Mattis and my group and if they don't want to do it that's fine. If they do, then I will work towards that end. I want to do everything within the balance you are allowed to do legally.

"But do I feel it works? Absolutely I feel it works."

The remarks came as it was reported Mr Trump is exploring the possibility of reopening so-called overseas "black site" prisons, where terror suspects were detained and tortured during President Bush's post 9/11 "War on Terror".

President Obama closed the secret prisons down following widespread condemnation and accusations of human rights violations.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Mr Trump condemned what he deemed to be a soft approach on terror by Mr Obama.

He strongly embraced the idea of torture and vowed to bring back "a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding".

A unused guard tower at Camp Delta in the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay Credit: AP
John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate who was captured and tortured during his Navy service in Vietnam, urged Mr Trump not to revive Bush-era torture techniques.

"The president can sign whatever executive orders he likes," McCain said in a statement.

"But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America."

The Arizona Senator later told MSNBC that America's most respected military leaders - including Mr Trump's new Defence Secretary James Mattis - are opposed to torture, adding that he was "very confident that it wouldn't stand a day in court" if the Trump administration pushed for the use of it again.

question: When is this article from?

answer: It is not mentioned, but it can be assumed that it is from when Donald Trump recently became president in 2017.

question: Who is mentioned in the article that opposes torture?

answer: John McCain and James Mattis

question: Which groups' actions are used as justification for the use of torture?

answer: The Islamic State and ISIS.

question: Whose guidance does Donald Trump plan to rely on with this decision?

answer: CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Shortly after becoming president of the United States, Donald Trump has mentioned that he would like to bring back methods of torture for use on suspected terrorists. He believes that President Obama took a soft stance against terrorism. He claims to have discusses the matter with people at the highest level of intelligence and claims that torture does work. Many opponents, including John McCain, have come forward to denounce this idea, claiming it will not go forward.


text:
   Rain was falling hard against his bare back. It was dark and the disfigured shapes of naked trees danced around him. Their branches brought to life by the wind seemed to reach for him with gruesomely long and slender fingers. The rain collecting in puddles and streaming along the fallen branches, rocks and tentacle-like roots made them look like crawling creatures from the underworld that were always hiding under the cover of darkness. There were no stars and the moon was blocked by thick clouds that were pouring over the sky like a river of melting tar. The only light present was the one glistening in his blue eyes. It was truely an unsettling and spooky place to be this time of night, but he couldn’t enjoy anything more than going hunting in a night like this.
   Steam rose from his wet skin as he was standing in the mucky water and listening for a prey. The constant shower of rain filled the air with a damp smell of mud and the sound of whispers from far away. Then he heard it. Something was out there… and it was his to play with. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath opening his claw-like hands eager to drive them through his victim.
   He crouched and leaned forward targeting the prey. He didn’t have that much problem seeing at night so he knew exactly where to go. He moved swiftly and without a sound like a shadow blending with the darkness. As he was getting closer he jumped over a large tree that had fallen long time ago and landed on his hands making a silent roll in the wet mud. Soon after he rose, the rain had already washed away the dirt and he continued the chase. Finally he was close enough to hear a heartbeat. It was raging fast as the owner of it fled through the woods, jumping over fallen trees, running around bushes and occasionally tripping over various objects including her own feet.
   He paused to take a better look at what he was chasing and as he did his eyes brightened. If anybody had been looking his way, they would have seen a pair of dark blue eyes burning in the night and nothing more.
   Once he knew what he was up against he chose to sneak past the girl and attack from the front – face on. No grabbing by the leg or any other cowardly moves. It shouldn’t be too difficult, he thought. After all, he was much faster, didn’t make a lot of noise and had a great night vision. The hunt was on.
   He picked up his pace maneuvering through the woods, sometimes jumping so high over things it seemed as gravity had no effect on him. The sound of rainfall overcame the sound of his steps and he started to enclose on the girl. She was now on his left, so close he could smell the adrenaline rushing through her veins and the smell was sweet. He couldn’t help but to look at her as they were running just a few pitch black feet aside from each other. And then she threw a look at him. Two bright blue eyes were glaring at her from the darkness so close she could have touched them. She turned away and lost all sense of reality while screaming until out of breath.
   He should have closed his eyes before the girl saw them, but he didn’t and it made him regret he had moved so close to her before time. Now she had turned away from him and ran even faster. Still, this was no problem for an experienced hunter like himself. He leaped forward and smashed his claw in a tree to make a quick turn. He jumped up and swung from one tree to another with such power the bark fell to the ground like burned ash. He made his way over the girl and jumped forward extending his arms like a prowling hawk. He landed and rolled in a ball of black mist in front of her. Once he stopped he was facing her and leaped forward before she even came to what was happening.
   He flew past her so close he wiped off some rain drops from her cheek. As he went by he started to rotate and behind him formed a black cloud that covered his feet. And finally he had the chance to rip his pray to pieces. His claws grew longer right before they slashed the demonic flesh of the slithering beast that had been tormenting the girl and chasing her through the forest. The beast was stunned, wounded and obviously angry. It let out a horrific howl that turned into chilling screams of every soul it had eaten and made a screeching sound by chomping and grinding its sharp teeth together.
   The girl was frozen with fear but she wanted to run. It was a fearsome feeling but she was amazed by the two creatures. The dark creature with flaming blue eyes floating around followed by a cloud of darkness blocking her from the growling beast whose breath turned into white smoke.
   The beast roared once more sending chills down her spine and attacked the dark creature trying to pulverize him with its horns. As soon as they got close, the blue-eyed creature span into a spiral around the demon creating a dark blue tornado lifting it up. He drilled his claw right through the demons chest and drove him to the ground. As he did, the dark spiral ended and blue light shone from his eyes and the hand penetrating the demon. Blue-eyed creature lifted his other hand to the sky and it too shone blue. Then suddenly waves of white lights traveled through his hands and went shooting for the sky. When the last soul had left the demons flesh Blue-eyed levitated above him and raised his hands that were radiating with blue light and then slammed them into the demon once more pushing him into the ground and out of this world. Then the light faded.
   Blue-eyed turned to the girl and smiled. That was the creepiest smile she had ever seen for it was given by a skeleton rabbit with long slender ears and burning blue eyes. But she smiled back and the creature disappeared in the dark.

title: Nothing to fear in the dark.

question: Why was the predator standing in mucky water in the night while it rained?

answer: He was hunting, listening for his prey.

question: Who was "Blue-Eyed"?

answer: Blue-Eyed was a skeleton rabbit hunting a demonic creature.

question: What happened after "Blue-Eyed" knew what he was up against in his chase?

answer: He chose to sneak up past the girl and attack from the front.

question: Explain how "Blue-Eyed" ended the hunt.

answer: He spiraled around the demon, creating a blue tornado lifting it up and clawed it in the chest.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: "Blue-Eyed" is a predator, stalking his demonic creature prey in the night. He was ready to play for a while before ending the hunt. After the chase ensued, "Blue-Eyed" then spirals down creating a tornado lifting the demon before clawing it in the chest.


text: This meeting place is too sketchy, what if my parents come down and see us? Or worse, my brother…  The backdoor slowly screeches opens, my stomach drops.  In come my friends Daryl and DaShawn Jones.  For a second I forgot what we were planning on doing, remembering when we were children together… everything was so much simpler, nothing was ever asked of us; it was so different from now, from this moment.  The only thing that remained the same since childhood was that we were always worthless. You see, me and Daryl and DaShawn are dirt poor.  Being poor is like being stuck in a hamster wheel that never stops, instead of exercise you get shunned by society and embarrassed for who you are.  Oh, and you cant get off this hamster wheel, it perpetuates from parent to child.  .. I guess the poor breed just to fill in the vacancies of the future poor population.  When we were kids we thought we could get out of the trap through getting an education that leads to jobs, but that was just another fairy tail...  I lead the Jones’s to my kitchen.  The dishes are piled up past the counter and there is a ratchet smell of left over hungry man on the table.  I’m getting serious second thoughts, but what other choice do I have…?  I quickly think of my brother and how disappointed in me he would be.  I promised I would never do this.  I promised I would apply to community college next year.  I promised I would get off pills.  That’s three empty promises… its not fair that he got to be so smart and got the scholarship while I’m here breaking promises.  I don’t think he let society define him as much as I did; it’s probably my low self-esteem.  But what other choice do I have at this point?  Daryl and DaShawn describe to me what we were told to do.  DaShawn pulls a glock out of his pants and brandishes it with a nervous smile over his head.  I feel trapped.  When we were children would any of us see this coming?  The possibilities seemed so limitless then, and now as I look at the gun we have to kill another human being with, I’m beginning to realize just how limited the possibilities really are.  I’m choosing the gang lifestyle and this is my gang initiation.  This is me living up to societies worthless expectations of me.

title: Worthless

question: Why does the narrator break his promises to his brother?

answer: He feels he isn't as smart as his brother so he feels he doesn't have other choices.

question: What does the narrator promise his brother?

answer: To never join a gang, enroll in community college, and to get off pills.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator reflects on the difficulties of growing up in poverty. His brother was smart and got a scholarship for college but the narrator thinks he isn't as smart as his brother. Instead he and his friends are on their way to become initiated by a gang.


text:
They told me I was going to die this weekend. So that’s new.

I wondered what life would be like if I could just sit quietly on a lawnchair in the grass, and watch the trees sway in the wind. That sounds like a nice life. I would be surrounded by the laughs and cries of children as they played around me, and my family would be inside making diner. My mom would call out from the window for me to come inside, but I wouldn’t listen. I never listen. Eventually it would start getting cold so I would gather up all the children and take them inside. We would make a nice fire and sit down and be together.

That would be nice.

It’s cold in this bed and so lonely.

That would be nice.

title: That Would Be Nice

question: What terrible news did the main character receive?

answer: The main character was told that they were going to die this weekend.

question: What ideal reality is the main character dreaming about?

answer: The main character is dreaming about being surrounded by children and having their family making dinner. A nice fire would be there with everyone sitting around it.

question: Where is the main character currently?

answer: The main character is in a cold and lonely bed.

question: How would you describe the main character's emotions?

answer: The main character is feeling lonely and sad and is dreaming about warmer and happier times.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: This short story describes the happy reality that is dreamt up by an ill person.


text:
The 117TH INFANTRY BRIGADE ROYAL MARINES was an infantry brigade formation of the Royal Marines created in the final stages of World War II.

Unit history

The unit was one of two created to address the manpower shortage of 21st Army Group in early 1945. The brigade was created on 15 January 1945 from former members of the Royal Marines Division, which had been broken up in 1943 and the troops distributed to Marine Commandos, or retrained as landing craft crew. They were quickly re-mustered as regular infantry, organised as a standard Army brigade.[1]

The Brigade was stationed in England until after the German surrender when it was moved forward to occupy the naval port of Kiel[2] as part of VIII Corps,[3] releasing 46th Highland Brigade for occupation duties elsewhere.[4] The Brigade was tasked with guarding naval installations and overseeing the capitulation of German naval ships and personnel.[5] It also had to deal with the arrival of ships carrying troops returning from the Eastern front, and also civilian refugees from Soviet-occupied Germany.[6] On one particularly busy night this involved taking command of 21 destroyers and removing 14,000 soldiers from shipping.[7] The Brigade returned to the UK in July 1945 to be disbanded.[8]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

title: 117th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines

question: What is the 117th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines?

answer: It was an infantry brigade formation of the Royal Marines created in the final stages of World War II and was stationed in England until the Germans surrendered.

question: When was it formed?

answer: It was formed sometime in the early months of 1945.

question: What were their tasks?

answer: The Brigade was tasked with guarding naval installations and overseeing the capitulation of German naval ships and personnel.

question: When did they return to the UK?

answer: They returned to the UK in July 1945 and were immediately disbanded.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: the 117th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines was an infantry brigade formation of the Royal Marines created in the final stages of World War II. They were tasked with guarding naval installations and overseeing the capitulation of German naval ships and personnel. Soon after the Germans surrendered, they were sent home to the UK and were immediately disbanded.


text:
   My footsteps echoed across the bare room. The white walls were lined with dirt and grime, leaving me to wonder how a room that lacked walls and windows, could become the dirty, eery looking room that stands before me. I turned my head to the right, and notice a single mirror leaning against the wall at such an angle that I could see my being staring back at me. My red hair was slightly frayed, with the area surrounding the brim of my forehead pointing towards the ceiling as it always does. My face, freckled but strong handsome, had a layer of dust on it as if I had been abandoned in an abandoned room for days. My blue and black flannel shirt drew itself across my torso, and was rolled up at the sleeves. The white undershirt lie matted against my skin, wet with sweat. My blue jeans looked as though I had been rolled around in the dirt for hours, as did my boots. I have always been physically fit, with naturally dense muscle, but I was always too lazy to work-out so I never had the body of Zeus, but still I was well-built.

   As I turned to look away from the mirror, it seemed as though my reflection continued to stare at me, un-phased and unchanged. My gaze returned to my reflection, which was following my every move once again. I must have been imagining it, I thought to myself as I turned to walk around the room.

   I approached the wall on my left and noticed something that I hadn't seen before. Dirty handprints lie sprawled against the wall, from the ceiling to the wood floors. Grimy footprints faced the wall, and as I crouched down to examine them, another footprint appeared, facing the opposite direction. Surprised, I fell back onto my rear as another print appeared about a stride's length from the other. I stood quickly and followed the footsteps as they traversed to the center of the room, then turned to face the mirror, momentarily resting before finishing its trek towards the reflective glass. When the footprints reached the mirror, I glanced up at my reflection, to try and determine exactly what had just happened.

   My eye caught a movement at the bottom of the mirror, the footprint had made another move. The heel of the print was stamped into the ground just before the mirror, but the other half... the other half continued into the mirror, as if it never existed. It travelled across the floor being reflected by the mirror. I almost wanted to attempt to go test to see if it was stable myself...

  "It's as real as you are." My voice entered my ears, but they did not exit through my lips, where could it be coming from... I looked up to see my reflection staring at me. His lips moved freely as he used my voice. "This world is filled with wonders. Even some you can't explain. Sometimes, you just need to take a leap of faith, and see what comes of it. After all, the brave don't live forever, but the cautious don't live at all."

   My hand reached out to touch the glass, but as my fingers touched the reflective surface, my hand passed through it, the reflection rippling as if it were a liquid. I took a step through into this mirrored world. I took a step into this new world, and walked across the identical room. I turned towards my reflection, but he wasn't there, not even in the world I came from. I felt the world begin to shake, and a deafening sound of laughter filled my ears. The violent quake caused me to topple over, and my body hit the ground...

My eyes bolted open to see three of my friends standing above me with a can of shaving creme in on of their hands. I felt the creme slide off my face. "Really guys?" was all I could say after that dream. "Ah come on, you know we love you," my bestfriend Michael said with a smirk. "Yea you better love me," I retorted as I wiped the shaving creme off of my face and threw it at him.

title: Opening to a story i thought up the other day. Open to criticism.

question: Summarize what the imagery used in this story makes the reader envision.

answer: The imagery used in this story makes the reader envision a dark placed. "Dirty handprints lie sprawled against the wall and grimy footprints faced the wall" create a setting of doom or terror. All imagery seemed to be alluding to a haunted setting that the main character was in.

question: Summarize the climactic event of the story.

answer: The climactic event of the story occurred when the main character caught the ghost in the mirror. The main character realized that it was as real as she was. The ghost stated the world was full of wonders and only a leap of faith is needed to see what comes of it. The main character then went to touch the glass before their body hit the ground and they woke up.

question: Would the dream that the main character have change their beliefs on phenomena and ghosts?


text:
_THE OTTERBURY INCIDENT_ is a novel for children by Cecil Day-Lewis first published in the UK in 1948 with illustrations by Edward Ardizzone, and in the USA in 1949. Day-Lewis's second and final children's book, the novel is an adaptation of a French screenplay, _Nous les gosses_ (Us Kids), that was filmed in 1941.[1]

Plot

The novel is set in the immediate post-World War II period in the fictional English small provincial town of Otterbury. The town was largely untouched by the war apart from one accidental hit from a mis-targeted bomb which destroyed a few buildings near the centre of the town; schoolboy Nick Yates was pulled from the ruins and his parents were killed. The bombsite is known locally as the “Incident” of the book's title, and is used as a site for war-games by two rival gangs of boys from the local King's School: Ted's Company, led by 13-year-old Edward Marshall, whose second-in-command is George, the narrator, and which includes Nick, Charlie Muswell and Young Wakeley, and the 'enemy' Toppy's Company, led by William Toppingham (also 13) and his sidekick Peter Butts, and including the ghastly Prune.

After a battle during the school lunch-hour (“dinner-interval”) in which Ted's Company have been declared victorious, the boys are wildly kicking a football to each other on the way back to school when Nick accidentally kicks it through one of the school windows. After owning up, he is ordered by the headmaster – a character much feared by the boys – to pay for the damage out of his own pocket. The sum concerned amounts to nearly five pounds (a huge amount - a reasonable weekly wage for an employed adult at the time and is far beyond the means of a schoolboy). Compounding the problem, the orphaned Nick now lives with his aunt and uncle who have no children of their own; they resent the unlooked-for responsibility and do not treat him well, and he cannot face confessing to them for fear of their reaction (when he finally does, he is severely punished and his uncle decides to sell Nick's puppy).

Ted arouses a sense of collective responsibility for Nick's plight amongst the boys of both companies, in the spirit of 'One for all and all for one' from The Three Musketeers which their English teacher, Mr Richards ('Rickie' – “a decent chap, as schoolmasters go”) is currently reading to them, because they were all involved in the irresponsible football-kicking. The boys resolve to raise the money between them to pay for the damage. To this end, Ted and Toppy sign the Peace of Otterbury temporarily ending hostilities between the gangs and they join together to launch Operation Glazier; over a bank holiday weekend they carry out a variety of money-making schemes such as busking (led by Charlie Muswell), shoe-shining (with some illicit spraying of dirty water via a flit gun to increase trade), window-cleaning (Kwik-Klean Co.), an acrobat troupe, and lightning sketches by Toppy's sister (Miss E Toppingham, R.A.) to raise the money.

Operation Glazier exceeds its target, but the money mysteriously disappears whilst in the charge of Ted and his grown-up sister, Rose, who looks after him. Toppy initially accuses Ted – who is ostracised by all but George and the ever-loyal Nick Yates – but then realises the real culprits are the deeply unpleasant local spiv Johnny Sharp and his seedy accomplice known as “The Wart”. The boys turn detective to try to recover the money, stalking the Wart (who is much the weaker character of the two) and trying to extract a confession from him, but Johnny Sharp interrupts the proceedings, threatens the boys with a cut-throat razor, and locks them in the tower of the local church.

The boys escape and rethink their strategy to expose Sharp and the Wart; they have seen the men hanging out with a local merchant named Skinner and suspect that the missing money might be on Skinner's premises, just opposite the Incident (the boys are afraid of Skinner – “a whacking great bad-tempered thug of a man” – and avoid him as much as possible, though occasionally trespass into his yard as part of their war games). Ted and Toppy use the combat-planning skills they've developed during the games at the Incident to lead a well-planned raid on Skinner's warehouse where they uncover evidence of far more extensive criminal activities, including trading in black-market goods and production of counterfeit coinage. Skinner, Sharp, the Wart and a fourth accomplice (an 'unshaven type') return unexpectedly while Ted and Toppy are inside the warehouse. Toppy escapes but Ted is trapped and taken prisoner by Johnny Sharp.

The rest of the boys are still outside the yard, poised to attack: George is sent off to get the police while the other boys start a pitched battle to rescue Ted, in which The Wart and Skinner are overpowered and trussed up. Ted is saved thanks to Nick, who bravely attacks Sharp and is seriously injured in the process. Sharp escapes on foot, pursued by the boys, and by this time, also the police – his attempt to get away in a dinghy up the river is brought to a prompt end by Peter Butts who launches a firework at the dinghy and capsizes it.

The book ends at school assembly with the boys being simultaneously castigated for their illegal raid on Skinner's premises and their “disreputable” money-raising schemes, which are considered by the headmaster to be detrimental to the image of the school, and lauded as heroes for uncovering the criminals' operations by Inspector Brook. The headmaster relents in the light of Inspector Brook's praise and says that the school will pay for the broken window (the missing money not having been recovered). The boys promise to leave any future criminal detection to the police.

The book is written in the first person of George, a subordinate “officer” in one of the “armies” of the war games.

Reception

The novel has been commended for its style, which is a parody of serious historical writing. One critic commented that “George [the narrator] very much styles himself the official war historian, writing up the history of 'The Otterbury Incident' in the high serious language of an epoch changing event. It is the delightful first person voice of George that gives the novel its humour and charm. Sometimes poor George – who is a just a little bit on the geeky side – takes his writing responsibilities more seriously than the combatants.”[2] The book was included in the UK Department of Education reading list for 1972.

[1] Benjamin Watson, _English Schoolboy Stories: An Annotated Bibliography_, Scarecrow Press 1992,

[2]

title: The Otterbury Incident

question: Summarize the theme of true friendship and loyalty from the plot of the novel The Otterbury Incident.

answer: The Otterbury Incident, a children's novel written by Cecil Day-Lewis, explored the theme of true friendship and loyalty in several aspects of the story, as depicted in the plot. The story centered around friends George, the narrator, Nick Yates, Charlie Muswell, Edward Marshall (Ted), William Toppingham, Prune, and Peter Butts. When Nick got into trouble with the very feared headmaster of their school, they rallied around to help him raise the money requested to pay for the damages he caused. Even when Toppingham accused Ted of stealing the money they'd raised for a money-making scheme called Operation Glazier, Nick and George stood by him when the others turned their backs on him and joined forces to help recover the missing money from two local petty thieves.


text:
VOLUME 69 is titled "SAD".

-   1 Cover and Volume Illustration
-   2 Author's Notes
-   3 Chapters
-   4 SBS Notes
-   5 Usopp Gallery Pirates
-   6 Volume Changes
-   7 Trivia
-   8 References
-   9 Site Navigation

Cover and Volume Illustration[edit | edit source]

[]
The illustration on page 3 of Volume 69.

The colored cover has a background which has a gradient of black and light gray. The title logo is printed in red (fading to white), black, and solid red. The author's name is printed in greyish-blue.

On the front, Luffy stands in front of the other characters in the cover. The characters in the cover clockwise from the top left with Trafalgar Law, Momonosuke in his dragon form, Roronoa Zoro, Tashigi, Smoker, Mocha holding on to the NHC10 candy with Doran and the other children chasing her, and Chopper in his Monster Point. Behind on the top right corner, a gear wheel is also shown.

On the spine, Zoro is featured. The skull on the spine is colored fuschia.

For the volume illustration on page 3, Luffy (his straw hat flying off) happily poses with his fist up and a splashing drink in his other hand.

[edit | edit source]

Author's Notes
[Volume 069 Intro Image.png][Volume 069 Intro Image 2.png]
← Oh, shit!!

When your toilet paper accidentally rips vertically in half, it begins.

THE GAME OF DEATH, that is.

The left side is already two~three laps ahead of the right side and still going.

A man must must never look back to his mistakes!!

It is too late to turn back now!!

Volume 69 starting---!!!

Chapters[edit | edit source]

_See also the associated category: Volume 69._
-   679: The Spirit of G-5 (心意気G-5 _Kokoroiki Jī-Faibu_?): Caesar Clown receives a report that Luffy, Law and the G-5 Marines have entered the building. He then orders to close down the way that leads to Section B and have a wall to be blasted in order for the Shinokuni to enter Section A.
-   680: Marine G-5 Base Leader: Demon Bamboo Vergo (海軍 G-5 基地長 鬼竹のヴェルゴ _Kaigun Jī-Faibu Kichichō: Kichiku no Verugo_?): The Straw Hats and Kin'emon ride on Brownbeard's back in order to enter Section B. Behind them, Tashigi and the remaining G-5 Marines are being attacked by the smaller dragon. The Marines celebrate the arrival of Vergo, but are shocked when he uses Shigan on his subordinates.
-   681: Luffy vs. Master (ルフィvs.M _Rufi Bāsasu Masutā_?): Luffy briefly fights Caesar, but Monet stops him from doing so and letting Caesar escape. Smoker leaves them to find and confront with Vergo.
-   682: Mastermind (黒幕 _Kuromaku_?): Law enters Section D, which contains the SAD production room. Meanwhile, Vergo contacts Doflamingo who is in Dressrosa. Upon hearing that Law has reached the production room, he tells Vergo to kill Law. He also sent two of his subordinates, Buffalo and Baby 5, to Punk Hazard.
-   683: An Icy Woman (氷の様な女 _Kōri no yō na On'na_?): Monet tries to weaken Luffy through using her devil fruit abilities to make a ten-layered snow hut. Luffy tries to attack it, but he rather falls into the basement. In Section B, Chopper in his Monster Point tries to control the berserk children from the Biscuits Room. In the SAD production room, Vergo shows up and Law attempts to take his heart using his abilities.
-   684: Stop It, Vegapunk (やめるんだベガパンク _Yamerunda Begapanku_?): Smoker fights Vergo in the SAD room. At the same time, Sanji along with Tashigi and the Marines escape from Section B when a gas tank explodes, allowing the Shinokuni to come in.
-   685: My Name is Momonosuke!! (モモの助、せっしゃの名にござる!! _Momonosuke, Sessha no Na ni Gozaru!!_?): Luffy meets a talking Asian dragon named Momonosuke, who ate Vegapunk's failed devil fruit. In Section B, Usopp, Brook and Kin'emon are looking for Momonosuke, along with Seastone handcuffs as requested by Robin.
-   686: The Snow Woman in the Biscuits Room (ビスケットルームの雪女 _Bisuketto Rūmu no Yuki-Onna_?): Zoro fights Monet, while Robin assures Nami and Chopper that she is fine. As Mocha runs away from the berserk children, she remembers Caesar Clown telling her and some other children about their illness and pleads out to the children to return to their normal selves.
-   687: Wild Animal (猛獣 _Mōjū_?): Tashigi tells Zoro that she should fight Monet rather than him despite Zoro's protest. Later, Zoro allows Tashigi to fight Monet but is quickly outmatched.
-   688: Mocha (モチャ _Mocha_?): As the Shinokuni enters the Biscuit Room, Zoro escapes carrying Tashigi. Meanwhile, Mocha is running from the other children as Robin, Chopper and Nami hold them off.
-   689: A Seemingly Non-Existent Island (ない様である島 _Nai Yō de Aru Shima_?): Brownbeard arrives in front of Caesar Clown and demands that he tell him what happened to his men outside on the island before Shinokuni was released, but Caesar shrugs off and says he did not receive their distress call.
-   690: SAD (SAD _Esu-Ē-Dī_?): Luffy continues his fight with Caesar Clown and Luffy's punch made a mark on the latter's face. In the SAD room, Vergo defeats Smoker but Law manages to recover his heart. Law then gets the opportunity to defeat Vergo, slicing him in half, along with the SAD room and the whole mountain the the process.

SBS Notes[edit | edit source]

NUMBER OF FAN-DRAWN SBS HEADERS FEATURED: 6

-   Oda mentions the current profile of the Straw Hat Pirates.
-   Kin'emon and Momonosuke are named after Kinnosuke Nakamura, a Kabuki actor.
-   Oda draws the Impel Down employees as children.
    -   He also draws Lola after eating the Sube Sube no Mi.
-   Oda reveals through Sanji the post-timeskip body measurements of Nami and Robin.

Usopp Gallery Pirates[edit | edit source]

-   Located on pages 186, 206, 226, 246, and 247.
-   Total number of submissions featured: 28

[UGP Volume 069a.png]

Page 186.

[UGP Volume 069b.png]

Page 206.

[UGP Volume 069c.png]

Page 226.

[UGP Volume 069d.png]

Page 246.

GRAND PRIZE: Kiku-chan [キクちゃん] (Hokkaido, Japan)

Volume Changes[edit | edit source]

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Magazine Version           Volume Version                             Explanation
  -------------------------- ------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  [Volume Change 681.png]    [Buso Koka Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling.png]   Chapter 681, page 11.
                                                                        Correction: Added black coloring to Luffy's fists due to the Busoshoku hardening.

  [Volume Change 689a.png]   [Volume Change 689b.png]                   Chapter 689, page 18-19.
                                                                        Correction: Reversed the bottom-left panel to remove the left/right arm inconsistency.
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trivia[edit | edit source]

-   You can find Pandaman posing on the inside front cover, behind Luffy's head.

[]
The alternate back cover.

-   On the top right corner of the inside back cover of this volume, you can find an unnamed easter egg (introduced on the alternate cover of Volume 52). This is a continuation of an easter egg series that has been featured on the alternate back covers of Volumes 25-70.
-   This is one of the three volumes, alongside Volume 63 and Volume 77, to contain 12 chapters.

References[edit | edit source]

1.

    ↑ 1.0 1.1 _One Piece Volume 69:_ Shueisha - VIZ Media

Site Navigation[edit | edit source]

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SPECIAL VOLUMES:
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RELATED:
SBS  •  Usopp Gallery Pirates  •  Author's Notes

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SBS
SBS VOLUMES:
SBS Vol. 04  •  SBS Vol. 05  •  SBS Vol. 06  •  SBS Vol. 07  •  SBS Vol. 08  •  SBS Vol. 09  •  SBS Vol. 10  •  SBS Vol. 11  •  SBS Vol. 12  •  SBS Vol. 13  •  SBS Vol. 14  •  SBS Vol. 15  •  SBS Vol. 16  •  SBS Vol. 17  •  SBS Vol. 18  •  SBS Vol. 19  •  SBS Vol. 20  •  SBS Vol. 21  •  SBS Vol. 22  •  SBS Vol. 23  •  SBS Vol. 24  •  SBS Vol. 25  •  SBS Vol. 26  •  SBS Vol. 27  •  SBS Vol. 28  •  SBS Vol. 29  •  SBS Vol. 30  •  SBS Vol. 31  •  SBS Vol. 32  •  SBS Vol. 33  •  SBS Vol. 34  •  SBS Vol. 35  •  SBS Vol. 36  •  SBS Vol. 37  •  SBS Vol. 38  •  SBS Vol. 39  •  SBS Vol. 40  •  SBS Vol. 41  •  SBS Vol. 42  •  SBS Vol. 43  •  SBS Vol. 44  •  SBS Vol. 45  •  SBS Vol. 46  •  SBS Vol. 47  •  SBS Vol. 48  •  SBS Vol. 49  •  SBS Vol. 50  •  SBS Vol. 51  •  SBS Vol. 52  •  SBS Vol. 53  •  SBS Vol. 54  •  SBS Vol. 55  •  SBS Vol. 56  •  SBS Vol. 57  •  SBS Vol. 58  •  SBS Vol. 59  •  SBS Vol. 60  •  SBS Vol. 61  •  SBS Vol. 62  •  SBS Vol. 63  •  SBS Vol. 64  •  SBS Vol. 65  •  SBS Vol. 66  •  SBS Vol. 67  •  SBS Vol. 68  •  SBS Vol. 69  •  SBS Vol. 70  •  SBS Vol. 71  •  SBS Vol. 72  •  SBS Vol. 73  •  SBS Vol. 74  •  SBS Vol. 75  •  SBS Vol. 76  •  SBS Vol. 77  •  SBS Vol. 78  •  SBS Vol. 79  •  SBS Vol. 80  •  SBS Vol. 81  •  SBS Vol. 82  •  SBS Vol. 83  •  SBS Vol. 84  •  SBS Vol. 85  •  SBS Vol. 86  •  SBS Vol. 87  •  SBS Vol. 88  •  SBS Vol. 89  •  SBS Vol. 90  •  SBS Vol. 91  •  SBS Vol. 92  •  SBS Vol. 93  •  SBS Vol. 94  •  SBS Vol. 95  •  SBS Vol. 96
SBS DEVIL FRUITS:
Gero Gero no Mi  •  Samu Samu no Mi  •  Muzu Muzu no Mi, Model: Kokan  •  Ero Ero no Mi
SBS CHARACTERS:
Kumadori Yamanbako  •  Teru  •  Stefan  •  Tomato Gang  •  Unforgivable Mask  •  Kumae  •  Shiruton Doruyanaika  •  Nazu Ketagari
RELATED:
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Punk Hazard Arc

Manga Chapters
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
Manga Volumes
66
67
68
69
70
Anime Episodes
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625

question: What do the different sections (e.g. A, B, D) correspond to?

answer: Different sections of a compound, presumably.


text:
The JUNIOR KANGAROOS side represents Australia in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the JUNIOR KANGAROOS, after the native marsupial of that name.

Since 2019, they are an under-23 side, with players selected from the NRL. They are administered by the Australian Rugby League Commission.

History

Prior to 2010, the Junior Kangaroos was selected on an under-19 age basis. The best Australian players 19 years of age or younger, would represent the country against the likes of the Junior Kiwis, Papua New Guinea and Tonga, sometimes as curtain raisers to the senior Kangaroos games. Players such as Greg Bird, Matt Bowen, Justin Hodges, Luke Lewis, Jamie Lyon, Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston represented the Junior Kangaroos early in their careers and went on to play at the senior level for Australia. The last Junior Kangaroos side selected under the under 19 rules was in 2007. This would be the last Junior Kangaroos team until 2010.

In 2010, with the advent of the National Youth Competition, the Junior Kangaroos was switched to an under-20 team and played in a two Test series against the Junior Kiwis.[1][2][3][4] From 2011 to 2018, the Junior Kangaroos have faced the Junior Kiwis at the end of each season in a one off Test match, usually as a curtain raiser to a senior level Australia-New Zealand Test match.

In 2019, the ARL announced that Junior Kangaroos would be moving to an under-23 format and would play France at WIN Stadium.[5]

2010 series

1st Test

Played as a curtain raiser to the New Zealand-England Four Nations match.

2nd Test

Played as a curtain raiser to the New Zealand-Papua New Guinea Four Nations match.

2011 match

Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia-New Zealand pre-Four Nations tournament match. Both coaches agreed to allow an 18th man be used during the match.

2012 match

Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia-New Zealand end of year Test match.

2013 match

2014 match

2015 match

Played as a curtain raiser to the Papua New Guinea-Fiji Melanesian Cup match and the Samoa-Tonga Polynesian Cup match.

2016 match

Played as a curtain raiser to the Papua New Guinea-Fiji Melanesian Cup match and the Samoa-Tonga Polynesian Cup match.

2017 match

Played as a curtain raiser to the 2017 Anzac Test.

2018 match

Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia-New Zealand end of year Test match.

2019 match

Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia-New Zealand Oceania Cup match.

Players

Captains

-   Ben Jones (2010)
-   Dale Finucane (2011)
-   Chad Townsend (2011)
-   Alex McKinnon (2012)
-   Mitchell Cornish (2013)
-   Michael Lichaa (2013)
-   Cameron McInnes (2014)
-   Matthew Lodge (2015)
-   Tevita Pangai Junior (2016)
-   Brodie Croft (2017)
-   Jake Clifford (2018)
-   David Fifita (2019)

Coaches

-   David Hamilton (2010)
-   Andrew Patmore (2011)
-   Kelly Egan (2012–2014)
-   Justin Holbrook (2015–2017)
-   Neil Henry (2018–present)

[1] https://www.nrl.com/news/2010/09/23/junior-kangaroos-squad-named/

[2] https://www.nrl.com/news/2010/10/05/junior-kangaroos--team-named/

[3] https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/junior-kangaroos-brimming-with-talent/story-e6frexnr-1225927422060?sv=7b43bf39faf3bb8719d5b136191f80bd

[4] https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/junior-kangaroos-squad-selected/news-story/b60a6c64d2eded2cb99347953842db5b

[5] https://www.melbournestorm.com.au/news/20192/10/07/junior-kangaroos-squad-announced/

title: Junior Kangaroos

question: What does the article say about the achievements of the Junior Kangaroos?

answer: They are an under-23 side for the national Australian rugby. They were conceived as an under-19 side and became an under-20 side in 2010. The under-23 format happened in 2019. During their active years, the Junior Kangaroos featured eventual successful players Greg Bird, Matt Bowen, Justin Hodges, Luke Lewis, Jamie Lyon, Cameron Smith, and Johnathan Thurston.

question: What does the article say about the rules of junior rugby?