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A COCKATOO is any of the 21 parrot species belonging to the family CACATUIDAE, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea. Along with the Psittacoidea (true parrots) and the Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the order Psittaciformes. The family has a mainly Australasian distribution, ranging from the Philippines and the eastern Indonesian islands of Wallacea to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia.

Cockatoos are recognisable by the prominent crests and curved bills. Their plumage is generally less colourful than that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey or black and often with coloured features in the crest, cheeks or tail. On average they are larger than other parrots; however, the cockatiel, the smallest cockatoo species, is a small bird. The phylogenetic position of the cockatiel remains unresolved, other than that it is one of the earliest offshoots of the cockatoo lineage. The remaining species are in two main clades. The five large black coloured cockatoos of the genus _Calyptorhynchus_ form one branch. The second and larger branch is formed by the genus _Cacatua_, comprising 11 species of white-plumaged cockatoos and four monotypic genera that branched off earlier; namely the pink and white Major Mitchell's cockatoo, the pink and grey galah, the mainly grey gang-gang cockatoo and the large black-plumaged palm cockatoo.

Cockatoos prefer to eat seeds, tubers, corms, fruit, flowers and insects. They often feed in large flocks, particularly when ground-feeding. Cockatoos are monogamous and nest in tree hollows. Some cockatoo species have been adversely affected by habitat loss, particularly from a shortage of suitable nesting hollows after large mature trees are cleared; conversely, some species have adapted well to human changes and are considered agricultural pests.

Cockatoos are popular birds in aviculture, but their needs are difficult to meet. The cockatiel is the easiest cockatoo species to maintain and is by far the most frequently kept in captivity. White cockatoos are more commonly found in captivity than black cockatoos. Illegal trade in wild-caught birds contributes to the decline of some cockatoo species in the wild.

Etymology

The word cockatoo dates from the 17th century and is derived from Dutch _kaketoe_, which is from Indonesian _kakaktua_. Seventeenth-century variants include cacato, cockatoon and crockadore, and cokato, cocatore and cocatoo were used in the eighteenth century.[1][2] The derivation has also been used for the family and generic names Cacatuidae and _Cacatua_, respectively.[3]

In Australian slang or vernacular speech, a person who is assigned to keep watch while others undertake clandestine or illegal activities, particularly gambling, may be referred to as a “cockatoo”.[4] Proprietors of small agricultural undertakings are often jocularly or slightly disparagingly referred to as “cocky farmers.”[5]

Taxonomy

The cockatoos were first defined as a subfamily Cacatuinae within the parrot family Psittacidae by the English naturalist George Robert Gray in 1840, with _Cacatua_ the first listed and type genus.[6] This group has alternately been considered as either a full or subfamily by different authorities. The American ornithologist James Lee Peters in his 1937 _Check-list of Birds of the World_, Sibley and Monroe in 1990 maintained it as a subfamily, while parrot expert Joseph Forshaw classified it as a family in 1973.[7] Subsequent molecular studies indicate that the earliest offshoot from the original parrot ancestors were the New Zealand parrots of the superfamily Strigopoidea, and following this the cockatoos, now a well-defined group or clade, split off from the remaining parrots, which then radiated across the Southern Hemisphere and diversified into the many species of parrots, parakeets, macaws, lories, lorikeets, lovebirds and other true parrots of the superfamily Psittacoidea.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

The relationships among various cockatoo genera are largely resolved,[17][18][19][20][21][22] although the placement of the cockatiel (_Nymphicus hollandicus_) at the base of the cockatoos remains uncertain. The cockatiel is alternatively placed basal to all other cockatoo species,[23][24] as the sister taxon to the black cockatoo species of the genus _Calyptorhynchus_[25][26][27] or as the sister taxon to a clade consisting of the white and pink cockatoo genera as well as the palm cockatoo.[28] The remaining species are within two main clades, one consisting of the black species of the genus _Calyptorhynchus_ while the other contains the remaining species.[29][30][31][32][33] According to most authorities, the second clade includes the black palm cockatoo (_Probosciger_), the grey and reddish galah (_Eolophus_), the gang-gang cockatoo (_Callocephalon_) and the pinkish Major Mitchell's cockatoo (_Lophochroa_),[34][35][36][37] although _Probosciger_ is sometimes placed basal to all other species.[38] The remaining species are mainly white or slightly pinkish and all belong to the genus _Cacatua_.[39][40][41][42][43] The genera _Eolophus_, _Lophochroa_ and _Cacatua_ are hypomelanistic. The genus _Cacatua_ is further subdivided into the subgenera _Licmetis_, commonly known as corellas, and _Cacatua_, referred to as white cockatoos.[44][45][46][47][48] Confusingly, the term “white cockatoo” has also been applied to the whole genus.[49][50] The five cockatoo species of the genus _Calyptorhynchus_ are commonly known as black cockatoos,[51] and are divided into two subgenera—_Calyptorhynchus_ and _Zanda_. The former group are sexually dichromatic, with the females having prominently barred plumage.[52] The two are also distinguished by differences in the food-begging calls of juveniles.[53]

The fossil record of cockatoos is even more limited than that of parrots in general, with only one truly ancient cockatoo fossil known: a species of _Cacatua_, most probably subgenus _Licmetis_, found in Early Miocene (16–23 million years ago) deposits of Riversleigh, Australia.[54] Although fragmentary, the remains are similar to the western corella and the galah.[55] In Melanesia, subfossil bones of _Cacatua_ species which apparently did not survive early human settlement have been found on New Caledonia and New Ireland.[56][57] The bearing of these fossils on cockatoo evolution and phylogeny is fairly limited, although the Riversleigh fossil does allow tentative dating of the divergence of subfamilies.

Genera and species

[The palm cockatoo has a strong bill and red cheeks. At long and weighing , it is the largest cockatoo.[58]|alt=Closeup of head of black-plumaged cockatoo with bare red skin on its face. It has a large beak, which is open with its tongue visible.] [Carnaby's black cockatoo with a zoo keeper at Taronga Zoo Sydney, Australia|alt=A mainly black cockatoo perched on a left hand on a sunny day. The cockatoo has a ring on its right leg. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is in the distance] [Major Mitchell's cockatoo flying at Taronga Zoo Sydney.|alt=A pink and white coloured cockatoo with a raised crest flying against a background of blue sky] There are about 44 different birds in the cockatoo family Cacatuidae including recognized subspecies. The current subdivision of this family is as follows:

Subfamily Nymphicinae

-   Genus _Nymphicus_
    -   Cockatiel, _Nymphicus hollandicus_ (Kerr, 1792)

Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae: The black cockatoos

-   Genus _Calyptorhynchus_ – black-and-red cockatoos
    -   Red-tailed black cockatoo, _Calyptorhynchus banksii_ (Latham, 1790) (5 subspecies)
    -   Glossy black cockatoo, _Calyptorhynchus lathami_ (Temminck, 1807) (3 subspecies)
-   Genus _Zanda_ – black-and-yellow/white cockatoos
    -   Yellow-tailed black cockatoo, _Zanda funerea_ (Shaw, 1794) (2–3 subspecies)
    -   Carnaby's black cockatoo, _Zanda latirostris_ Carnaby, 1948
    -   Baudin's black cockatoo, _Zanda baudinii_ Lear, 1832

Subfamily Cacatuinae

-   Tribe Microglossini: One genus with one species, the black palm cockatoo.
    -   Genus _Probosciger_
        -   Palm cockatoo, _Probosciger aterrimus_ (Gmelin, 1788) (4 subspecies)
-   Tribe Cacatuini: Four genera of white, pink and grey species.
    -   Genus _Callocephalon_
    -   Gang-gang cockatoo, _Callocephalon fimbriatum_ (Grant, 1803)
    -   Genus _Eolophus_
        -   Galah, _Eolophus roseicapilla_ (Vieillot, 1817) (3 subspecies)
    -   Genus _Lophochroa_
        -   Major Mitchell's cockatoo or Leadbeater's cockatoo, _Lophochroa leadbeateri_ (Vigors, 1831) (2 subspecies)
    -   Genus _Cacatua_ (11 species)
        -   Subgenus _Cacatua_ – true white cockatoos
            -   Yellow-crested cockatoo or lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo, _Cacatua sulphurea_ (Gmelin, 1788) (4 subspecies)
            -   Sulphur-crested cockatoo, _Cacatua galerita_ (Latham, 1790) (4 subspecies)
            -   Blue-eyed cockatoo, _Cacatua ophthalmica_ Sclater, 1864
            -   White cockatoo, _Cacatua alba_ (Müller, 1776)
            -   Salmon-crested cockatoo, _Cacatua moluccensis_ (Gmelin, 1788)
        -   Subgenus _Licmetis_ – corellas
            -   Long-billed corella, _Cacatua tenuirostris_ (Kuhl, 1820)
            -   Western corella, _Cacatua pastinator_ (Gould, 1841) (2 subspecies)
            -   Little corella (also bare-eyed cockatoo), _Cacatua sanguinea_ Gould, 1843 (4 subspecies)
            -   Tanimbar corella or Goffin's cockatoo, _Cacatua goffiniana_ Roselaar and Michels, 2004[59]
            -   Solomons cockatoo, _Cacatua ducorpsii_ Pucheran, 1853
            -   Red-vented cockatoo, _Cacatua haematuropygia_ (Müller, 1776)

Morphology

[A captive sulphur-crested cockatoo displaying its crest in the U.S.|alt=A mainly-white cockatoo with a black beak perched on a wooden perch. Its yellow crest is raised and very conspicuous.] The cockatoos are generally medium to large parrots of stocky build, which range from in length and in weight; however, one species, the cockatiel, is considerably smaller and slimmer than the other species, being long (including its long pointed tail feathers) and in weight.[60][61][62][63] The movable headcrest, which is present in all cockatoos, is spectacular in many species;[64] it is raised when the bird lands from flying or when it is aroused.[65] Cockatoos share many features with other parrots, including the characteristic curved beak shape and a zygodactyl foot, with the two middle toes forward and the two outer toes backward.[66] They differ in the presence of an erectile crest and their lack of the Dyck texture feather composition which causes the bright blues and greens seen in true parrots.[67]

Like other parrots, cockatoos have short legs, strong claws, a waddling gait[68] and often use their strong bill as a third limb when climbing through branches. They generally have long broad wings used in rapid flight, with speeds up to being recorded for galahs.[69] The members of the genus _Calyptorhynchus_ and larger white cockatoos, such as the sulphur-crested cockatoo and Major Mitchell's cockatoo, have shorter, rounder wings and a more leisurely flight.[70] [A pair of gang-gang cockatoos in NSW, Australia (male with red head feathers). Cockatoos make lasting pair bonds.|alt=Two grey cockatoos on a lichen-covered tree branch. The red crested male is on the left.] Cockatoos have a large bill, which is kept sharp by rasping the two mandibles together when resting. The bill is complemented by a large muscular tongue which helps manipulate seeds inside the bill so that they can be de-husked before eating.[71] During the de-husking, the lower mandible applies the pressure, the tongue holds the seed in place and the upper mandible acts as an anvil. The eye region of the skull is reinforced to support muscles which move the mandibles sideways.[72] The bills of male cockatoos are generally slightly larger than those of their female counterparts, but this size difference is quite marked in the palm cockatoo.[73]

The plumage of the cockatoos is less brightly coloured than that of the other parrots, with species generally being either black, grey or white. Many species have smaller areas of colour on their plumage, often yellow, pink and red, usually on the crest or tail.[74] The galah and Major Mitchell's cockatoo are more broadly coloured in pink tones.[75] Several species have a brightly coloured bare area around the eye and face known as a periophthalmic ring; the large red patch of bare skin of the palm cockatoo is the most extensive and covers some of the face, while it is more restricted in some other species of white cockatoo, notably the corellas and blue-eyed cockatoo.[76] The plumage of males and females is similar in most species. The plumage of the female cockatiel is duller than the male, but the most marked sexual dimorphism occurs in the gang-gang cockatoo and the two species of black cockatoos in the subgenus _Calyptorhynchus_, namely the red-tailed and glossy black cockatoos.[77] The iris colour differs in a few species, being pink or red in the female galah and Major Mitchell's cockatoo and red-brown in some other female white cockatoo species. The males all have dark brown irises.[78] [A white cockatoo's left foot clasping aviary bars showing claws, scaly skin and zygodactyly—the middle two toes forward and the outer two toes backward.|alt=Closeup of a cockatoo's left foot grasping the wires of a cage. The foot is covered with grey-scaly skin and has four toes each with a dark grey curved claw] Cockatoos maintain their plumage with frequent preening throughout the day. They remove dirt and oil and realign feather barbs by nibbling their feathers. They also preen other birds' feathers that are otherwise hard to get at. Cockatoos produce preen-oil from a gland on their lower back and apply it by wiping their plumage with their heads or already oiled feathers. Powder-down is produced by specialised feathers in the lumbar region and distributed by the preening cockatoo all over the plumage.[79]

Moulting is very slow and complex. Black cockatoos appear to replace their flight feathers one at a time, their moult taking two years to complete. This process is much shorter in other species, such as the galah and long-billed corella, which each take around six months to replace all their flight feathers.[80]

Voice

The vocalisations of cockatoos are loud and harsh.[81] They serve a number of functions, including allowing individuals to recognize one another, alerting others of predators, indicating individual moods, maintaining the cohesion of a flock and as warnings when defending nests. The use of calls and number of specific calls varies by species; the Carnaby's black cockatoo has as many as 15 types of call, whereas others, such as Major Mitchell's cockatoo, have fewer. Some, like the gang-gang cockatoo, are comparatively quiet but do have softer growling calls when feeding. In addition to vocalisations, palm cockatoos communicate over large distances by drumming on a dead branch with a stick.[82] Cockatoo species also make a characteristic hissing sound when threatened.[83]

Distribution and habitat

[The Tanimbar corella is restricted to the islands of Tanimbar in Indonesia; a few feral escapees are found in Singapore.|alt=A mainly white cockatoo with a few pale-pink feathers on its face. The cockatoo is perched on a branch in a tree standing on its right foot while holding what appears to be a rambutan fruit up to its open beak with its left foot] Cockatoos have a much more restricted range than the true parrots, occurring naturally only in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and some Pacific regions.[84] Eleven of the 21 species exist in the wild only in Australia, while seven species occur only in the islands of the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. No cockatoo species are found in Borneo, despite their presence on nearby Palawan and Sulawesi or many Pacific islands,[85] although fossil remains have been recorded from New Caledonia.[86]

Three species occur in both New Guinea and Australia.[87] Some species have widespread distributions, with the galah, for example, occurring over most of Australia, whereas other species have tiny distributions, confined to a small part of the continent, such as the Baudin's black cockatoo of Western Australia or to a small island group, such as the Tanimbar corella, which is restricted to the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia. Some cockatoos have been introduced accidentally to areas outside their natural range such as New Zealand, Singapore, and Palau,[88] while two Australian corella species have been introduced to parts of the continent where they are not native.

Cockatoos occupy a wide range of habitats from forests in subalpine regions to mangroves. However, no species is found in all types of habitat.[89] The most widespread species,[90] such as the galah and cockatiel,[91] are open-country specialists that feed on grass seeds.[92] They are often highly mobile fast flyers and are nomadic. Flocks of birds move across large areas of the inland, locating and feeding on seed and other food sources. Drought may force flocks from more arid areas to move further into farming areas.[93] Other cockatoo species, such as the glossy black cockatoo, inhabit woodlands, rainforests, shrublands and even alpine forests. The red-vented cockatoo inhabits mangroves and its absence from northern Luzon may be related to the lack of mangrove forests there.[94] Forest-dwelling cockatoos are generally sedentary, as the food supply is more stable and predictable.[95] Several species have adapted well to human modified habitats and are found in agricultural areas and even busy cities.[96]

Behaviour

Cockatoos are diurnal and require daylight to find their food.[97] They are not early risers, instead waiting until the sun has warmed their roosting sites before feeding. All species are generally highly social and roost, forage and travel in colourful and noisy flocks. These vary in size depending on availability of food; in times of plenty, flocks are small and number a hundred birds or less, while in droughts or other times of adversity, they may swell up to contain thousands or even tens of thousands of birds; one record from the Kimberley noted a flock of 32,000 little corellas. Species that inhabit open country form larger flocks than those of forested areas.[98]

Some species require roosting sites that are located near drinking sites; other species travel great distances between the roosting and feeding sites.[99] Cockatoos have several characteristic methods of bathing; they may hang upside down or fly about in the rain or flutter in wet leaves in the canopy.[100] Cockatoos have a preferred “footedness” analogous to human handedness. Most species are left-footed with 87–100% of individuals using their left feet to eat, but a few species favor their right foot.[101]

Breeding

[Hand-reared white cockatoo chicks bred for sale as pets.|alt=Two pink-skinned chicks sparsely covered with incompletely formed whitish feathers standing in a plastic bowl. The pre-feathers are round and pointed and are pinkish towards the base fading to white at the tips] Cockatoos are monogamous breeders, with pair bonds that can last many years. Many birds pair up in flocks before they reach sexual maturity and delay breeding for a year at least. Females breed for the first time anywhere from three to seven years of age and males are often older. Sexual maturity is delayed so birds can develop the skills for raising and parenting young, which is prolonged compared with other birds; the young of some species remain with their parents for up to a year.[102] Cockatoos may also display site fidelity, returning to the same nesting sites in consecutive years.[103] Courtship is generally simple, particularly for established pairs, with the black cockatoos alone engaging in courtship feeding. Established pairs do engage in preening each other, but all forms of courtship drop off after incubation begins, possibly due to the strength of the pair-bond.[104]

Like most parrots, the cockatoos are cavity nesters, nesting in holes in trees,[105] which they are unable to excavate themselves.[106] These hollows are formed from decay or destruction of wood by branches breaking off, fungi or insects such as termites or even woodpeckers where their ranges overlap.[107] In many places these holes are scarce and the source of competition, both with other members of the same species and with other species and types of animal.[108] In general, cockatoos choose hollows only a little larger than themselves, hence different-sized species nest in holes of corresponding (and different) sizes. If given the opportunity, cockatoos prefer nesting over above the ground[109] and close to water and food.[110]

The nesting hollows are lined with sticks, wood chips and branches with leaves. The eggs of cockatoos are oval and initially white, as their location makes camouflage unnecessary.[111] However, they do become discoloured over the course of incubation. They range in size from in the palm and red-tailed black cockatoos, to in the cockatiel.[112] Clutch size varies within the family, with the palm cockatoo and some other larger cockatoos laying only a single egg and the smaller species laying anywhere between two and eight eggs. Food supply also plays a role in clutch size.[113] Some species can lay a second clutch if the first fails.[114] Around 20% of eggs laid are infertile.[115] The cockatoos' incubation and brooding responsibilities may either be undertaken by the female alone in the case of the black cockatoos or shared amongst the sexes as happens in the other species. In the case of the black cockatoos, the female is provisioned by the male several times a day. The young of all species are born covered in yellowish down, bar the palm cockatoo, whose young are born naked.[116] Cockatoo incubation times are dependent on species size, with the smaller cockatiels having a period of around 20 days and the larger Carnaby's black cockatoo incubating its eggs for up to 29 days.[117]

The nestling period also varies by species size, with larger species having longer nestling periods. It is also affected by season and environmental factors and by competition with siblings in species with clutch sizes greater than one. Much of what is known about the nestling period of some species is dependent on aviary studies – aviary cockatiels can fledge after 5 weeks and the large palm cockatoos after 11 weeks.[118] During this period, the young become covered in juvenile plumage while remaining in the hollow. Wings and tail feathers are slow to grow initially but more rapid as the primary feathers appear. Nestlings quickly reach about 80–90% of adult weight about two-thirds of the time through this period, plateauing before they leave the hollow; they fledge at this weight with wing and tail feathers still to grow a little before reaching adult dimensions.[119] Growth rate of the young, as well as numbers fledged, are adversely impacted by reduced food supply and poor weather conditions.[120]

Diet and feeding

[Wild long-billed corellas in Perth. The bird on the right is using its long beak to dig for food in short grass.|alt=Two mainly white-plumaged cockatoos on what appears to be a lawn. One cockatoo is standing upright and has a long upper mandible and orange-pink feathers its face and chest. The other cockatoo has its head in the grass with its bill not visible.] Cockatoos are versatile feeders and consume a range of mainly vegetable food items. Seeds form a large part of the diet of all species; these are opened with their large and powerful bills. The galahs, corellas and some of the black cockatoos feed primarily on the ground; others feed mostly in trees.[121] The ground-feeding species tend to forage in flocks, which form tight, squabbling groups where seeds are concentrated and dispersed lines where food is more sparsely distributed;[122] they also prefer open areas where visibility is good. The western and long-billed corellas have elongated bills to excavate tubers and roots and the Major Mitchell's cockatoo walks in a circle around the doublegree (_Emex australis_) to twist out and remove the underground parts.[123]

Many species forage for food in the canopy of trees, taking advantage of serotiny (the storage of a large supply of seed in cones or gumnuts by plant genera such as _Eucalyptus_, _Banksia_ and _Hakea_), a natural feature of the Australian landscape in dryer regions. These woody fruiting bodies are inaccessible to many species and harvested in the main by parrots, cockatoos and rodents in more tropical regions. The larger cones can be opened by the large bills of cockatoos but are too strong for smaller animals.[124] Many nuts and fruits lie on the end of small branches which are unable to support the weight of the foraging cockatoo, which instead bends the branch towards itself and holds it with its foot.[125]

While some cockatoos are generalists taking a wide range of foods, others are specialists. The glossy black cockatoo specialises in the cones of trees of the genus _Allocasuarina_, preferring a single species, _A. verticillata_. It holds the cones in its foot and shreds them with its powerful bill before removing the seeds with its tongue.[126] Some species take large numbers of insects, particularly when breeding; in fact the bulk of the yellow-tailed black cockatoo's diet is made up of insects. The large bill is used in order to extract grubs and larvae from rotting wood. The amount of time cockatoos have to spend foraging varies with the season.[127] During times of plenty they may need to feed for only a few hours in the day, in the morning and evening, then spend the rest of the day roosting or preening in trees, but during the winter most of the day may be spent foraging. The birds have increased nutritional requirements during the breeding season, so they spend more time foraging for food during this time. Cockatoos have large crops, which allow them to store and digest food for some time after retiring to a tree.[128]

Predators and threats

The peregrine falcon and little eagle have been reported taking galahs and the wedge-tailed eagle has been observed killing a sulphur-crested cockatoo.[129] Eggs and nestlings are vulnerable to many hazards. Various species of monitor lizard (_Varanus_) are able to climb trees and enter hollows. Other predators recorded include the spotted wood owl on Rasa Island in the Philippines; the amethystine python, black butcherbird and rodents including the giant white-tailed rat[130] in Cape York; and brushtail possum on Kangaroo Island. Furthermore, galahs and little corellas competing for nesting space with the glossy black cockatoo on Kangaroo Island have been recorded killing nestlings of the latter species there. Severe storms may also flood hollows drowning the young and termite or borer activity may lead to the internal collapse of nests.[131]

Like other parrots, cockatoos can be afflicted by psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD). The viral infection causes feather loss and beak malformation and reduces the bird's overall immunity. Particularly prevalent in sulphur-crested cockatoos, little corellas and galahs, it has been recorded in 14 species of cockatoo to date. Although unlikely to significantly impact on large, healthy populations of birds in the wild, PBFD may pose a high risk to smaller stressed populations.[132]

A white cockatoo and a sulphur-crested cockatoo were found to be infected with the protozoon _Haemoproteus_ and another sulphur-crested cockatoo had the malaria parasite _Plasmodium_ on analysis of faecal samples at Almuñecar ornithological garden in Granada in Spain.[133] Like amazon parrots and macaws, cockatoos frequently develop cloacal papillomas. The relationship with malignancy is unknown, as is the cause, although a parrot papilloma virus has been isolated from a grey parrot with the condition.[134]

Relationship with humans

[A sulphur-crested cockatoo visiting a balcony in eastern Sydney for bird seeds|alt=A cockatoo is perched on a city balcony several floors above the ground. A suburban landscape is in the background.] Human activities have had positive effects on some species of cockatoo and negative effects on others. Many species of open country have benefited greatly from anthropogenic changes to the landscape, with the great increase in reliable seed food sources, available water and have also adapted well to a diet including foreign foodstuffs. This benefit appears to be restricted to Australian species, as cockatoos favouring open country outside Australia have not become more abundant. Predominantly forest-dwelling species have suffered greatly from habitat destruction; in the main, they appear to have a more specialised diet and have not been able to incorporate exotic food into their diet. A notable exception is the yellow-tailed black cockatoo in eastern Australia.[135]

Pests

Several species of cockatoo can be serious agricultural pests.[136] They are sometimes controlled by shooting, poisoning or capture followed by gassing. Non-lethal damage mitigation methods used include scaring, habitat manipulation and the provision of decoy food dumps or sacrifice crops to distract them from the main crop. They can be a nuisance in urban areas due to destruction of property. They maintain their bills in the wild by chewing on wood but, in suburbia, they may chew outdoor furniture, door and window frames;[137] soft decorative timbers such as western red cedar are readily demolished.[138] Birds may also target external wiring and fixtures such as solar water heaters,[139] television antennae and satellite dishes.[140] A business in central Melbourne suffered as sulphur-crested cockatoos repeatedly stripped the silicone sealant from the plate glass windows.[141] Galahs and red-tailed black cockatoos have stripped electrical cabling in rural areas and tarpaulin is targeted elsewhere.[142] Outside Australia, the Tanimbar corella is a pest on Yamdena Island where it raids maize crops.[143] [Sulphur-crested cockatoos damaging the Sturt Mall shopping centre facade, made of polystyrene|alt=a number of white cockatoos are biting parts of the building wall, leaving chunks of polystyrene missing.] In 1995 the Government of the state of Victoria published a report on problems caused by long-billed corellas, sulphur-crested cockatoos and galahs, three species which, along with the little corella, have large and growing populations, having benefited from anthropogenic changes to the landscape. Subsequent to the findings and publication of the report, these three species were declared unprotected by a Governor in Council Order under certain conditions and are allowed to be killed where serious damage is being caused by them to trees, vineyards, orchards, recreational reserves and commercial crops.[144] Damage covered by the report included not only that to cereal crops, fruit and nut orchards and some kinds of vegetable crops but also to houses and communications equipment.[145] The little corella is a declared pest of agriculture in Western Australia, where it is an aviculturally introduced species. The birds damage sorghum, maize, sunflower, chickpeas and other crops. They also defoliate amenity trees in parks and gardens, dig for edible roots and corms on sports grounds and race tracks, as well as chew wiring and household fittings.[146] In South Australia, where flocks can number several thousand birds and the species is listed as unprotected, they are accused of defoliating red gums and other native or ornamental trees used for roosting, damaging tarpaulins on grain bunkers, wiring and flashing on buildings, taking grain from newly seeded paddocks and creating a noise nuisance.[147]

Several rare species and subspecies, too, have been recorded as causing problems. The Carnaby's black cockatoo, a threatened Western Australian endemic, has been considered a pest in pine plantations where the birds chew off the leading shoots of growing pine trees, resulting in bent trunks and reduced timber value.[148] They are also known to damage nut and fruit crops,[149] and have learnt to exploit canola crops.[150] The Baudin's black cockatoo, also endemic to the south-west of Western Australia, can be a pest in apple and pear orchards where it destroys the fruit to extract the seeds.[151] Muir's corella, the nominate subspecies of the western corella, is also a declared pest of agriculture in Western Australia, as well as being nationally vulnerable and listed under state legislation as being “rare or likely to become extinct”.[152]

Status and conservation

[The red-vented cockatoo is a critically endangered species endemic to the Philippines.[153]|alt=Two mainly white-plumaged cockatoos facing each other in a cage. Some feathers at the base of the underside of their tails are red] [The blue-eyed cockatoo is a vulnerable species endemic to New Britain.[154]|alt=The upper body of a mainly white cockatoo that has raised its left leg to its black beak. Pale-yellow crest feathers are just seen under the more prominent white crest feathers. It has a wide circular rim of featherless blue skin around its eyes. Its irises are brown.] According to the IUCN and BirdLife International, seven species of cockatoo are considered to be vulnerable or worse and one is considered to be near-threatened.[155][156] Of these, two species—the red-vented cockatoo and the yellow-crested cockatoo—are considered to be critically endangered.[157]

The principal threats to cockatoos are habitat loss and the wildlife trade. All cockatoos are dependent on trees for nesting and are vulnerable to their loss; in addition many species have specialised habitat requirements or live on small islands and have naturally small ranges, making them vulnerable to the loss of these habitats.[158] Cockatoos are popular as pets and the capture and trade has threatened some species; between 1983 and 1990, 66,654 recorded salmon-crested cockatoos were exported from Indonesia, a figure that does not include the number of birds caught for the domestic trade or that were exported illegally.[159] The capture of many species has subsequently been banned but the trade continues illegally. Birds are put in crates or bamboo tubing and conveyed on boats out of Indonesia and the Philippines.[160] Not only are the rare species smuggled out of Indonesia but also common and rare cockatoos alike are smuggled out of Australia; birds are sedated, covered in nylon stockings and packed into PVC tubing which is then placed in unaccompanied luggage on international flights.[161] Mortality is significant (30%) and eggs, more easily hidden on the bodies of smugglers on flights, are increasingly smuggled instead. Trafficking is thought to be run by organised gangs, who also trade Australian species for overseas species such as macaws coming the other way.[162]

All species of cockatoo except the cockatiel are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which restricts import and export of wild-caught parrots to special licensed purposes. Five cockatoo species (including all subspecies)—the Tanimbar corella (_Cacatua goffiniana_), red-vented cockatoo (_Cacatua haematuropygia_), Moluccan cockatoo (_Cacatua moluccensis_), yellow-crested cockatoo (_Cacatua sulphurea_) and palm cockatoo (_Probosciger aterrimus_)—are protected on the CITES Appendix I list. With the exception of the cockatiel, all remaining cockatoo species are protected on the CITES Appendix II list.[163]

Aviculture

[A wing-clipped pet. Salmon-crested cockatoos, also known as Moluccan cockatoos,[164] are the largest white-coloured cockatoo species at about long and weighing 775–935 grams.[165] Cockatoos can be noisy and demanding pets.|alt=Closeup of a wing-clipped white and salmon-coloured cockatoo ruffling its wings and crest and apparently squawking. It has a ring on its left leg.] Kept for their appearance, their intelligence and engaging personalities,[166] cockatoos can nonetheless be problematic pets or companion parrots.[167] Generally, they are not good at mimicking human speech,[168] although the little corella is a renowned talker.[169] As social animals, wild cockatoos have been known to learn human speech from ex-captive birds that have integrated into a flock.[170] Their care is best provided by those experienced in keeping parrots.[171] Cockatoos are social animals and their social needs are difficult to cater for,[172] and they can suffer if kept in a cage on their own for long periods of time.[173]

The cockatiel is by far the cockatoo species most frequently kept in captivity. Among U.S. bird keepers that participated in a survey by APPMA in 2003/04, 39% had cockatiels, as opposed to only 3% that had (other) cockatoo species.[174] The white cockatoos are more often encountered in aviculture than the black cockatoos.[175] Black cockatoos are rarely seen in European zoos due to export restrictions on Australian wildlife but birds seized by governments have been loaned.[176]

Cockatoos are often very affectionate with their owner and at times other people but can demand a great deal of attention. Furthermore, their intense curiosity means they must be given a steady supply of objects to tinker with, chew, dismantle and destroy. Parrots in captivity may suffer from boredom, which can lead to stereotypic behaviour patterns, such as feather-plucking. Feather plucking is likely to stem from psychological rather than physical causes.[177] Other major drawbacks include their painful bites,[178] and their piercing screeches.[179] The salmon-crested[180] and white cockatoo species are particular offenders.[181] All cockatoos have a fine powder on their feathers, which may induce allergies in certain people.[182] In general, the smaller cockatoo species such as Goffin's and quieter Galah's cockatoos are much easier to keep as pets.[183] The cockatiel is one of the most popular and easiest parrots to keep as a pet,[184][185] and many colour mutations are available in aviculture.[186]

[A pet cockatiel. The cockatiel is about long and is by far the smallest and lightest cockatoo. |alt=A slender mainly grey male crested parrot with a yellow and orange head perched on a horizontal wooden branch placed high in a room.] Larger cockatoos can live 30 to 70 years depending on the species, or occasionally longer, and cockatiels can live for about 20 years. As pets they require a long-term commitment from their owners. Their longevity is considered a positive trait as it reduces instances of the loss of a pet.[187] The oldest cockatoo in captivity was a Major Mitchell's cockatoo named Cookie, residing at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, which lived to be 83 years old (1933–2016).[188][189][190] A salmon-crested cockatoo named King Tut who resided at San Diego Zoo was nearly 69 when he died in 1990 and a palm cockatoo reached 56 in London Zoo in 2000.[191] However, anecdotal reports describe birds of much greater ages.[192] Cocky Bennett of Tom Ugly's Point in Sydney was a celebrated sulphur-crested cockatoo who was reported to have reached an age of 100 years or more. He had lost his feathers and was naked for much of his life.[193] A palm cockatoo was reported to have reached 80 or 90 years of age in an Australian zoo,[194] and a little corella that was removed from a nest in central Australia in 1904 was reported still alive in the late 1970s.[195] In February 2010, a white cockatoo named Arthur was claimed to be 90 years old; he had lived with a family for generations in Dalaguete, Cebu, before being taken to Cebu City Zoo.[196]

Trained cockatoos are sometimes seen in bird shows in zoos. They are generally less motivated by food than other birds; some may more respond to petting or praise than food. Cockatoos can often be taught to wear a parrot harness, enabling their owners to take them outdoors. Cockatoos have been used in animal-assisted therapy, generally in nursing homes.[197]

Cockatoos often have pronounced responses to musical sounds and numerous videos exist showing the birds dancing to popular music. Research conducted in 2008 with an Eleonora cockatoo named Snowball had indicated that this particular individual is indeed capable of beat induction—perceiving human-created music and synchronizing his body movements to the beat.[198]

Culture

[ Dutch still life with cockatoo, circa 1640] The earliest European depiction of a cockatoo is in the falconry book _De arte venandi cum avibus_, written by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.[199] The next European depiction of a cockatoo, previously thought to be the earliest, is present in the 1496 painting by Andrea Mantegna titled Madonna della Vittoria. Later examples were painted by Hungarian artist Jakob Bogdani (1660–1724), who resided in Amsterdam from 1683 and then England,[200] and appeared with numerous other birds in the bird pieces of the Dutch painter Melchior d'Hondecoeter (1636–1695).[201] A cockatoo is the unlucky subject in _An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump_ by English artist Joseph Wright of Derby, its fate unclear in the painting.[202] Cockatoos were among the many Australian plants and animals which featured in decorative motifs in Federation architecture of the early 20th century.[203] A visit to a Camden Town pet shop in 1958 inspired English painter William Roberts to paint _The Cockatoos_, in the collection of the Tate Gallery.[204][205] American artist and sculptor Joseph Cornell was known for placing cutout paper cockatoos in his works.[206]

The ACT Government adopted the gang-gang cockatoo as its official faunal emblem on 27 February 1997.[207] The short-lived budget airline Impulse Airlines featured a sulphur-crested cockatoo on its corporate livery (and aeroplanes).[208] The palm cockatoo, which has a unique beak and face colouration, is used as a symbol by the World Parrot Trust.[209]

Two 1970s police dramas featured protagonists with pet cockatoos. In the 1973 film _Serpico_, Al Pacino's character had a pet white cockatoo and the television show _Baretta_ saw Robert Blake's character with Fred the Triton cockatoo.[210] The popularity of the latter show saw a corresponding rise in popularity of cockatoos as pets in the late 1970s.[211] Cockatoos have been used frequently in advertising; a cockatoo appeared in a 'cheeky' (and later toned-down) 2008 advertising campaign for Cockatoo Ridge Wineries.[212]

Intelligence

A team of scientists from Oxford University, the University of Vienna and the Max Planck Institute conducted tests on ten untrained Tanimbar corellas (_Cacatua goffini_), and found that they were able to solve complex mechanical puzzles.[213]

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[170] “Birds of a feather talk together” Retrieved 15 September 2011

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title: Cockatoo

question: Are palm cockatoos intelligent birds?

answer: It seems they are since they communicate over large distances by drumming on a dead branch with a stick. Scientists found that they were able to solve complex mechanical puzzles.

question: Which cockatoo from Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae was defined and described first?

answer: Red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) in 1790.

question: Which cockatoo from Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae was defined and described last?

answer: Carnaby's black cockatoo (Zanda latirostris) in 1948.


split: train

text:
I uncloaked and stared at them. Asleep on a rich red couch.
"There are no more women you simpleton. They... they're gone boy" The deep sense of tragedy shone through my commanders voice even over the cranial RF link. Even though it had been two years, five months and thirteen days since the plague had swept through no man would forget the exact second they saw their spouse, lover, friend...or their child's chest swell with the telltale signs of the plaque only to have their heart detonate before his eyes. Nothing could be done to stop it. No female on Earth had been saved from it to anyone's knowledge. Until now.

As they continued to lay there my mind wandered down the corridors of my past. Remembering the exact second I saw her face, contorted with pain, finally give way to the peace that came at the end. "WAKE UP BOY."

My head swiveled full 180 and noticed at first count 6 enemy heat signatures moving rapidly right at me. Anger gripped my heart - as sickness had gripped hers. Instead of driving me to death - it drove me to action.

Cloak. Vision. Sight. My mantra rang through my mind. Cloak. Vision. Sight. As an afterthought I noticed that my squad was engaged with a force double our own outside the door. 'Grenade. Pull the pin. Throw at the fucking enemy.' My drill sergeant's voice boomed from my memory and I complied. Noticing with satisfaction that three of the bio's in the house with me had piles of heat signature pooling around their thrashing forms.

Then came the part that I enjoyed. A smile lit on my face as I sprinted forward. Core support system dumping oxygen. Rifle on my back, there would be no need for it. No room. I met the first bio before he could realize that the glitter rushing at him was a cloaked human. Jumping up to his shoulders I laid my palm to his forehead and as I sailed past fired the Gauss rifle implanted in my right forearm splattering his human looking brains on his comrades.

Their reaction was too late. I moved like the wind. Since I had first developed the Assassin Aid System and been the first to 'test drive' it there was nothing alive that could match my reaction speed or maneuverability. Before the first corpse hit the floor I was on the second bio. I stood straight up into his jaw causing him to bite off his tongue. I knew from the cameras implanted in my temples that he was dazed. So I relieved him of his confusion and severed his spinal cord with another Gauss round. 40% cell life now.

I let the cloak lift and sprinted to the last visible bio who was still dazed from the grenade I had loosed on him and his own. I ran and jumped into him, letting me knee ram into his chest. As I sailed upwards an ungodly roar filled my throat as I released the pressure driven blade up through, what had been a kneecap, into his beating heart. No, not his. It's heart. These were things to be destroyed.

I forced the retraction mechanism ,squirming a little, as it slid down the hollow tube that had been a bone not but two years ago. I checked on my comrades. My ocular overlay confirmed that no one was KIA and there was only one minor injury. I glanced at my cell charge - 38%.

I turned back to the woman and the girl child. My rage and desire for destruction passed with the lives of the enemy. For now. Erwin came up beside me and looked both of them, very much awake now after all the commotion, over and said under his breath, "Well fuck me. There really are two little ladies here." Then directed at the both of them, "How about coming back to civilization with us?" He let his infamous winning smile flood his broad bald head as both of them sat huddled on the couch - still completely shell shocked. "Well at the very least - Do you fine ladies have any thing some military boys could have for a midnight snack?"

~Plot is getting warmed up now. I don't know how long I'm going to make this story. I can wrap it up quickly or flesh it out some. Let me know what you think :)

title: [Sci-Fi] Rebirth of a Race [Part 3]

question: How does the story reflect its genre?

answer: The story contains a plague that wiped out all the women. The main character is also able to rotate their head a full 180 degress. He also has a Gauss rifle implanted in his forearm. There are also cloaking devices and ocular overlays.

question: What does the text say about the cloaking device?

answer: The main character uncloaks at the beginning of the story. They then activate the cloaking device as part of their mantra. He lets the cloak lift when there's only one bio remaining.

question: Summaries everything related to the enemies.

answer: The protagonist detects 6 enemy heat signatures approaching. Three of them enter the house. The narrator kills the first with his Gauss rifle. He severs the spinal cord of the second. He kills the last one with a pressure blade.

question: What does the story say about the identity of the woman and the girl child?


text:
I am trying to be a writer, I would like opinions.  Feel free to be as harsh or as flattering as you want, in my eyes its all constructive.  It might be a bit hard to figure out, so I guess also comment on what you think its about.

	The lights were flickering on and off.  He came into view three or four times.  Large bursts of light erupting from a pitch black abyss.  In the room, there were no sounds, no breaths, no heart beats.  When the lights were on the black abyss turned into a room, and the room was all white with blisteringly powerful light spraying off everywhere.  When the lights turned on, maybe a half a second, maybe three quarters, I was able to make out a figure.  Large, dark and angry.  Eyes completely yellow, staring me down.  My eyes reflected in his, the reflection so bright, how could I possibly look away.  I shoved my hands against my temples and squeezed, the man falling in and out of my sight.  The light turned off, a wave of black falling over me, like a midnight black blanket being wrapped around my head on a bright day.  I fell over slightly and felt nauseous.  I tripped on my own feet and my head banged against the floor, or the wall, I’m not really sure which.  At times like these I always ran to the door, kicking and screaming to let me out, to let me breathe, but I always heard the same words every time I banged the door, “anesthesia.”  I would loose track of the door at that point.  First it was on the left, then it was on the right.  Rotating around me like the orbit of a moon sped up.
	They would always turn the lights on at the worst moment, right when I would close my eyes, right when I was going to get some rest finally.  I was a child waiting for a Christmas that never came.  Sometimes, during these fits of light, I would catch the faint glimmer of a shadow over me.  The shadow of a demon like being with the horns of a devil and the knife of a butcher.  Picking and pulling at my well being, the chords of thought being plucked right from under me.  I was never able to move at these moments, never able to reach out my hand and grasp the ephemeral hand over me.  The lights started to flicker again, in and out.  If I was a bucket of sand, they would be emptying me gradually, and each grain of sand that would fall out would just disappear as it left the bucket, with each flicker of the light this would continue to happen.  The bang and the light coming and going from those in front of me who were never actually in front of me.  A worthless fight.
	How long has it been?  A week?  A month?  I’d bang on the door when I could find it.  I’d yell my name just to yell it, just to gain something from a lost experience, right up until that was lost too.  And when I’d yell, I’d cry, because I was yelling my life, my upbringing, my experiences.  After each yell, it would go, after each cry I’d forget.  And on that final day, when there was nothing left to yell, I’d wake up.
	I would wake up lying down, people in white standing over me with light shining down and red tools lying next to me.  Everything is in front of me, but I cant grasp it.  Like a fisherman trying to grab the reflection of a fish going by with his bare hands.  Except now, I am all empty.

title: This is my story (read and criticize)

question: Which details might lead a reader to believe the narrator hallucinates this experience?

answer: The fact that there was no light or sound prior to the emergence of this beast makes it kind of unbelievable that any of it was real-there is usually some light or sound in any given situation.

question: What is a rational explanation for why the narrator might have been losing track of time?

answer: They were likely drugged.

question: Who is likely to be this beast in reality?

answer: A doctor or other medical professional.

question: The author says they are "trying to be a writer". If someone is trying to do the thing they are doing, does that mean they are that thing?


text:
The Civilized

Pushed out into the dusty arena, Kuru looked around. A roaring crowd surrounded him, but he couldn’t understand a word. Though they obviously weren’t cheering for his victory, they’re cheering for his sacrifice.

Rewind, this isn’t where the story begins.

In shackles Kuru shuffled along one of the famed roads that lead to Rome, as all the roads did. All the beaten and bruised men of different coloured skin shambled along the road led by the soldiers.

Kuru heard someone speak something in front of him. He realized that the words were in a language he didn’t understand. Then he heard the voice cry out in pain. The line of men didn’t slow down at the cry though, they kept marching.

Rewind further, something’s still missing.

His daughters tanned skin, his wife was teaching her how to work leather. Kuru was watching them as he sharpened his scythe. He smiled, the scene made him remember the times he spent learning from his father. The proper way to sharpen an edge, the best way to swing a blade, his father taught him the right way to do things.

Kuru would work in their family’s field with his father and they would talk. That’s where Kuru first learned of Rome; the wondrous city, the running water, the books of letters, of laws and democracy.

His memories were interrupted by a scream, then another.

Kuru stood up just in time to greet a trio of soldiers as they entered his home, swords already drawn. He saw a flash of iron and was barely able to dive out of the way as the sword came down where he had just been smiling.

He got to his feet as his family screamed again. The solider that flashed the iron stood between him and his family as the other two soldiers grabbed his wife and daughter and took them from their home.

Kuru was confused, scared and angry, but mostly confused. He didn’t know what was happening. He took a step towards the women he loved but had to jump back to avoid being struck by the iron blade.

Kuru had never fought a man, but now he had no choice. Gripping his scythe, he swung attempting to cut the soldiers legs down, but the soldiers bronze leggings stopped the blade short of flesh.

Pulling back his scythe, Kuru looked at the man’s face. A smile was on his lips as he swung his sword again, narrowly missing Kuru’s shoulder.  Kuru regained his balance in time to catch the soldier’s fist in his stomach.

His breath was driven from his lungs. He panicked, his mouth reached for air as he fell to the ground, scythe fleeing his hands. He heard the solider speak, “Roma Invicta” right before he felt the hilt of the sword on the back of his head.

Fast forward through the chained march with strangers, a march that lead him to the city he had dreamed about, and ended with him entering into the largest building he had ever seen.

 Fast forward to after the sword and shield had been forced into his hands and he was shoved into a dusty arena, surrounded by more people he had ever seen, screaming in a language he didn’t understand.

The sword in his hands felt heavy and as foreign as the words that the people were shouting. He stepped in a circle, seeing a spectacle that he couldn’t have imagined, Rome.

While Kuru didn’t understand the words spoken he could read the faces. They grimaced as they spat angry syllables at him. Fists were directed at him, thumbs pointed downward, fingers sliced throats as he looked at their eyes. Hate, anger, evil was the language they spoke.

He feared the mob that surrounded him, prayed that they would be held back by the massive structure.

Kuru cringed as the crowd erupted, even louder than they had been, deafening him.

A man in a gleaming golden suit of armor stepped out from behind a gate. His muscles rippled beneath the metal, his chiseled face shown only one blemish, a scar from his hairline to his chin.

Slowly the earsplitting noise organized into a chant of ‘Spartacus’, their hero, their God. When the man raised his sword in response to their love for him the crowd’s chant devolved back into a thunderous roar.

Kuru was at a loss, the sword and shield hung limply at his sides as he watched the spectacle. The scene seemed like a dream to him, no a nightmare.

Spartacus, their God, lowered his sword and pointed it in the direction of Kuru who looked to his sides, behind him, looked for what was being pointed at. Then he recognized it was himself. He began to tremble as the people’s idol began an effortless run at him.

Kuru was shocked that he was able to get his shield up in time to deflect a blow from being delivered. He thought the force that was delivered may have broken his arm through the metal that protected it.

The world broke into flashes of metal on metal, pain and blood.

Kuru’s body burned, his chest heaved, blood and sweat dripped from his frame as Spartacus paused to rally his supporters. Even Kuru marveled at what seemed to be a marble carving of a man glistening with perspiration, standing merely feet away with his back turned.

Time slowed for Kuru. He breathed in a breath that felt like ice as the peoples God turned, thrusting his sword into Kuru’s middle.

Kuru looked up into the cold eyes that held the sword. He was no God, he was a monster.

Falling to his knees Kuru looked to his chest, he saw blood leaking from around where the metal entered him. His hands trembled as they slowly reached up to the sharpened blade. In slow motion his fingers wrapped around the blade, red flowing from where they touched it, and pulling the sword out from whence it had entered.

Existence spun in Kuru’s eyes, the hard dirt hit his side. As the world faded to black Kuru heard the name of his reaper cheered.

So this is civilization, he thought.

title: The Civilized

question: Why were the crowds chanting for Kuru's sacrifice?

answer: Kuru's was Spartacus, the gladiator and god of the people's opponent.

question: Explain why soldiers entered Kuru's home.

answer: To drag him in shackles down roads that led to Rome.

question: What did Kuru first learn of Rome?

answer: It was wondrous city with running water, books of letters, of laws and democracy.

question: What were the reactions of the crowd when Spartacus' sword entered Kuru's chest?

answer: As Kuru fell to his knees, the crowd erupted in cheer and roars.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Kuru was taken from him home, shackled and shuffled down roads that led to Rome. When he entered the arena, crowds cheered and chanted for his death and sacrifice. The people's God and Hero, Spartacus, rallied his supporters before swinging his sword at Kuru and entering it in his chest. For Kuru, the world faded to black.


text:
[Africa Proconsularis (125 AD)] ABIDDA is the name of an ancient Roman city in the Roman province of Africa proconsularis or in late antiquity in the province of Byzacena. The exact location of the town is not known for certain but it was in northern Tunisia; the ruins at Henchir-Ksour-Abbeda outside of Semta (Dzemda) has been suggested as its location.[1][2]

Abidda was the seat of an ancient bishopric and remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church to this day.[3][4][5]

[1] Henchir-Ksour-Abbeda.

[2] R. B. Hitchner, Henchir-Ksour-Abbeda, _Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places_, 2012 (accessed 25 December 2016).

[3]

[4] /dioceses/former/t0016.htm Abidda on _gcatholic.org_ (English)

[5] Abidda at catholic-hierarchy.org.

title: Abidda

question: Where is Abidda?

answer: It's believed to be in Northern Tunisia.

question: What was the city's most important function?

answer: It's not mentioned in the article, but we know it was the seat of an ancient bishopric.

question: Does the city exist in modern times?

answer: No, it's not an organizational entity anymore. Even its location is uncertain.

question: What ruins were suspected to be the city's location?

answer: The ruins at Henchir-Ksour-Abbeda outside of Semta (Dzemda).

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Abidda (125 AD) is an ancient Roman city in Northern Tunisia. Its exact location isn't known, but the ruins at Henchir-Ksour-Abbeda outside of Semta (Dzemda) are suspected to be its true location. It was the seat of an ancient bishopric and remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church.


text:
Four men were killed in separate shooting incidents in Pasay and Parañaque cities.

Romeo Joel Fontanilla, 37, was waiting for his live-in partner shortly before midnight Monday on Saint Mary Street, Maricaban, Pasay, when men on three motorcycles surrounded him and one of them shot him repeatedly.

In a report, PO3 Catalino Gazmen cited police records saying Fontanilla was a drug user who surrendered to authorities under Oplan Tokhang on July 21.

Also in Pasay, a man was found dead in a jeepney parking area in Barangay 146, near the corner of Edsa and Taft Avenue early Tuesday.

According to PO2 Christian Nero, a concerned citizen found the bullet-riddled body at Gisselle Park around 5 a.m.

The victim was known only to locals as Bong, a jeepney terminal barker and an alleged drug user, Nero said.

In Parañaque, residents Rogelio Ebrada and Crisentio Nepomuceno were shot dead by motorcycle-riding gunmen on Sta. Maria Street, San Antonio Valley 1, at 11:20 p.m. on Monday. —_DEXTER CABALZA_

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question: How many men were killed in recent shootings according to the article?

answer: Four.

question: Who is the fourth man?

answer: The article does not answer this.

question: Are the shootings related?

answer: Though there are similarities between the shooters, namely their modes of transport, there is nothing in the article asserting they are connected.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer about a man shot dead in Pasay. The man was a drug user who was surrounded by three men in motorcycles and shot repeatedly.


text:
My head was collapsed into my hands. The detective rapped his fingers slowly on the desk, his eyes bored into my hair asking the same question he, and others had been repeating for days. "Why did you kill her?".

I was unable to meet his gaze as I explained what had happened with us. He didn't believe me. How could he? Can you explain God to a faithless man? Can you describe rainbows to the blind or song to the deaf? My case was hopeless.
He was not a detective in the sense of Sherlock Holmes, he had already made up his mind and was now just gathering confidence in my conviction. There was no curious case of the lack of barking dog, just DNA, fingerprints and logic.
I couldn't blame him for his doubt, I was nervous and the last week had taken its toll on my body. Unable to sleep or eat, my previously taut skin now hung lazily on my features. My dull eyes looked back at me in the mirror without a flash of recognition, I was a stranger to myself. I looked and felt a wreck, he could see it as well.

I have always had trouble under pressure. Everyone seemed different and more at ease in the the day to day runnings of the world. Children lacked concern, adults lacked doubt and I sat somewhere between, removed from both. My parents realized something was amiss from an early age and attempted to correct my social fallacies by intentionally placing me in situations where I would need to find my own way. My mother in particular thrived on correcting me whenever possible and I began to abhor contact with her. Comfort came in the exciting but textually safe world of books. From a young age I learnt to live vicariously through the life of others, whether stealing chickens with Mr. Fox or logical conundrums with Alice in wonderland, books represented a fantasic reprieve from the unpredictable social experiment. My mother eventually gave up and focused on the other children, leaving me mostly to my own.

While I enjoyed this social removal, as a consequence it allowed my phycosis to grow and at seven years old was placed in a special school and loosely defined as autistic. The work was easy and the children strange so I mostly had time to myself while the teachers frantaticly took care of the others. I withdrew from the class and in some aspects the whole of society. My mother was growing increasingly despondant at my condition but busy with three other children, there was very little she could do.

It was in one these periods of social removal that I first heard Nameless speak. It happened one day at school when the teacher was berating me over a lack of interest in her group lesson. I was positioned by her in the back of the room, until I was ready to learn. This was usually of no concern to me, however I felt incensed today as she had singled me out. I absentmindedly picked up a lego block and was pleasantly examining the design when a voice in my head suggested I throw it. The voice was very loud and had a curious high pitched, yet older tone. The voice continued daring me to throw it at the teacher, mocking my complacency. At this stage in life I often followed any orders with little contest so I threw the block at the teacher, striking her just below the eye. A slight trickle of blood appeared and she stormed towards me with furious intention. The mocking voice went silent.

My mind has gone blank on the incident but I returned home with a sore cheek and a painful scratch on my arm. I was told that particular teacher had to be removed because she didn't understand why I was special. Later in the evening both parents came into my room and regarded me with alien stares. When questioned on why I had thrown the toy I stayed silent until my parents left me alone. My mother returned an hour later with a hug and a toy. The toy was handmade, a male, with crude stitching down the sides where tuffs of cotton poked out of the gaps and sporting lopsided grin. Its two eyes were small black buttons, which left me feeling uneasy when I looked at them. She explained to me this toy was to be used when I was feeling frustrated and that I could throw or bend it, but never take my frustration out on someone innocent.

I was still concerned by the toy but didn't want to upset mother so it quickly became inseperable from me by nessesity. This abated some of her worry as she felt we now shared a connection from this. It was later revealed that she had made him especially for me. Given to me in response to a brief rebellion I felt this toy represented my bad qualities. He was quiet like me but his eyes were mean and distant. His grin reminded me of a boy in my class with palsy. It began normal on one side then twisted down, giving him the impression of perpetual sardonic laughter. He had been given to me as a result of being bad and I was reluctant to name him after any of the characters I enjoyed in books. He remained nameless for so long he eventually adopted the name Nameless. I rationalised Nameless had made me throw the lego, and that the mocking voice was his. As much as I blamed him and felt strange having him close to me, the companionship was needed and I began to talk more to him than anyone.
It was several months before he talked again. It started off with strange movements, I would leave him somewhere and would almost always find him in a slightly different position.
It was around then Nameless began to respond to me in short jarring words. He would only speak to me and often say something topical and then fall silent for long periods of time. His words were jarring and offensive but often say what I felt but couldn't express. I was barely talking around the age of ten but nameless allowed me to express myself at small injustices that came my way.

title: 'Nameless'

question: Did the narrator kill the dead woman?

question: Are there any particular reasons why the narrator is always unable to cope under pressure?

answer: Judging from the text, it seems the narrator suffers from an unknown disability.

question: Why did Nameless show up at the time it did?

answer: Because of the narrator's long-term isolation and separation from others.


text:
The RIGHTS RESPECTING SCHOOL AWARD (RRSA) is an initiative run by UNICEF UK, which encourages schools to place the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at the heart of its ethos and curriculum. A Rights Respecting School not only teaches about children's rights; it also models rights and respect in all its relationships, whether between children or between children and adults.[1]

Effects of the RRSA

The RRSA initiative started in 2004. In autumn 2017, UNICEF said that it was working with more UK schools than almost any other organization, that 1.5 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting School, and that more than 4,000 schools up and down the country are working towards the award.[2][3] Many schools have reported a decrease in bullying, an improvement in achievement and participation, a positive effect on attitudes and global awareness, and a more inclusive, caring school atmosphere.[4][5]

Adults and young people have reported that the language of rights and responsibilities, based on the CRC, empowers them to relate to each other better and to engage in decision-making more collaboratively.[6][7] The effects of the Rights Respecting School initiative can be seen not just through school councils but also through the inclusive, participative way the whole school works during lessons, meal times, play, class and through parents’ involvement.[8][9]

Required standard

The Award is open for all schools: nursery, primary, middle, secondary and special. For a school to receive the RRS Award, they must show evidence that they have reached the required standard in the following four categories, all of which contain elements contributing to the development of an active global citizen:

1.  leadership and management for embedding the values of the CRC in the life of the school.
2.  knowledge and understanding of the CRC.
3.  rights respecting classrooms.
4.  pupils actively participate in decision-making throughout the school.

There are two levels to the Award. Level 1 describes a school which has made good progress across four key aspects of school life: leadership and management; pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the CRC; classroom climate and culture; and pupils’ active participation in decision-making. A Level 2 is awarded to schools which demonstrate that these principles are fully embedded in the life of the school.[10]

Further reading

-   RRSA Impact Report 2016
-   How Do Rights Respecting Schools Achieve Change For Children?
-   The Four Standards of the RRSA

[1] RRSA guide to creating charters

[2] The aims of the Rights Respecting Schools Award

[3] University of Brighton Education Research Centre UNICEF rights respecting schools evaluation

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10] Steps to the Award: How to become a Rights Respecting School

title: Rights Respecting Schools Award

question: Who organizes the Rights Respecting School Award?

answer: The RRSA is run by UNICEF UK.

question: When did the RRSA initiative begin?

answer: It began in 2004.

question: What types of schools is the award open to?

answer: The award is open to all nursery, primary, middle, secondary, and special schools.

question: What are the two levels of the award?

answer: Level One describes a school that has made good progress in four aspects of school life:  leadership and management; pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the CRC (Rights of the Child); classroom climate and culture; and pupils’ active participation in decision-making. Level Two is for those schools that demonstrate that these principles are fully embedded in the life of the school.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The Rights Respecting School Award is an initiative run by UNICEF UK, started in 2004. It encourages schools to place the UN convention of the Rights of a Child at the heart of the curriculum.


text:
WILLIS WAY is a stop on the Region of Waterloo's Ion rapid transit system.[1] It is located on Caroline Street in Waterloo, at Willis Way. It opened in 2019.

The station serves southbound trains only; the nearest northbound platform is at Waterloo Public Square station, about away. Buses passing southbound on Caroline Street are served by the station platform, opposite the rail side.

Access to the platform is from the west side of Caroline only, on the north end of the platform; at the south end there is a crosswalk to access both sides of the road.

The station's feature wall consists of black, grey, and white glass tiles in a pattern.

The station is centrally located in Waterloo's central business district, known as Uptown. Just north of the station is the Shops at Waterloo Square shopping mall; other nearby institutions include the Centre for International Governance Innovation, the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. In late 2020, a cycling facility including covered parking and a repair station was installed just west of the station.[2]

[1]

[2]

title: Willis Way station

question: Who is likely to read this article?

answer: Likely a resident of Waterloo, Canada, since this pertains to a stop on the regional transit system

question: Why is this station notable?

answer: It is located in Waterloo's central business district and just south of the Waterloo Square shopping mall.

question: Is the station in good condition?

answer: Possibly - the station was opened in 2019 and the article is written in late 2020 (at the earliest); a tiled feature walls is mentioned implying some effort made to make the station aesthetically pleasing

question: Why does the station only serve southbound trains?

answer: Possibly because there is a nearby station (Waterloo Public Square station) that serves northbound trains; or that the station at Willis Way does not have enough capacity.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Willis Way station is a stop along Waterloo, Canada's rapid transit system. It opened in 2019 and is located in Waterloo's central business district. There are also other notable institutions nearby. The station serves southbound trains only, with bus and cycling facilities nearby.


text:
_CARMEN CANTA SAMBAS_ is an album by Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer Carmen Miranda, released in 2007 by EMI Brazil.[1]

Description

In the 1930s, the samba, with all its _bossas_, was just being invented, and its female voice in that process was Carmen Miranda. Today we know that all Brazilian female singers were, directly or indirectly, influenced by her. But if there are still doubters that she was a fabulous _sambista_, the answer lies in the 16 tracks of this CD.[2]

Track listing

[1]

[2]

title: Carmen Canta Sambas

question: When was the music on Carmen Canta Sambras recorded?

answer: It is not stated, but it would have been recorded in the 1930's.

question: Is Carmen Canta Sambras a good album?

answer: She was the female voice of the samba in the 1930's.All Brazilian female singers were influenced by her. The proof of this lies in the 16 tracks on this CD.

question: Where was Carmen Miranda born and where does she live?

answer: She was born in Portugal, probably lived in Brazil.

question: Who did Carmen Miranda influece?

answer: This article states that all Brazilian singers were, directly or indirectly, influenced by Carmen Miranda.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: Carmen Canta Sambras is an album Portugese-born Brazilian samba singer Carmen Miranda. The tracks were recorded in the 1930's and is still the greatest female samba voice.


text: Along these red brick walls of Strangeways I stand facing my own mortality. Inside these walls that swallow up the pieces which society deems unworthy I stare into the abyss knowing, not believing my bereavement. Beside me stand two other inmates that have decided my fate. In a just world these men would become law abiding doctors or lawyers but instead they had to fight and kill in order to survive. These men will never know of a normal life outside these walls. Inside this black hole that swallows you up never to be seen again, this is a normal life in all its glory. This is not justice or a solution but a quick fix so normal people can sleep at night knowing their ethical crimes go unpunished. They say that when you die your life flashes before your eyes. This is your brain looking through all your memories trying to find a way out of the current situation. No memories flashed before my eyes. I knew there was no way out of this when I lost that court case all those years ago. As I looked into the eyes of the men next to me I saw nothing. No morals and no regrets for their wrong doings. Yet even though I was facing down certain death it was looking into those cold empty eyes that truly and utterly scared me.

title: Black Hole

question: What kind of event is the protagonist preparing for?

answer: Their death.

question: Why does a dying person's life flash before their eyes?

answer: It is the brain looking through all the memories trying to find a way out of the situation.

question: Who is with the protagonist.

answer: Two other inmates.

question: Why is the protagonist more scared of the inmates than death?

answer: Because their eyes are cold and empty, and they show no morals or regrets.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The text is a short story about an inmate preparing for death and their musings about their fellow inmates and the world.


text:
MARK S. ALDENDERFER (born 1950) is an American anthropologist and archaeologist. He is the MacArthur Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Merced where he was previously the Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts. He has served as Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Aldenderfer received his Ph.D. from Penn State University in 1977. He is known in particular for his comparative research into high-altitude adaptation, and for contributions to quantitative methods in archaeology. He has also served as editor of several journals in anthropology and archaeology.

Research contributions

His research themes include the origins of settled village life, human adaptation to high altitude environments, hunting and gathering, and early plant and animal domestication. Aldenderfer has made important contributions to understanding the Archaic and Formative period peoples of the south-central Andes through active field projects in southern Peru. He has directed excavation projects at the sites of Asana, Qillqatani, and Jisk'a Iru Muqu, and survey projects in the Osmore valley (Moquegua, Peru) and in river valleys in the Lake Titicaca Basin. Since 1997 he has also conducted research on Buddhist and pre-Buddhist occupations in the Himalaya through field research in far western Tibet. He has also done fieldwork in Mesoamerica, Ethiopia, and in the United States.

Editorial work

From 2008-2018, Aldenderfer served in the role of editor-in-chief for the journal _Current Anthropology_[1]. He has served as the editor of _Latin American Antiquity_ and the _Society for American Archaeology Bulletin_ (now the _SAA Archaeological Record_).

Major publications

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Papers on Tibetan archeology

-   d’Alpoim Guedes, J., Lu, H., Li, Y., Spengler, R., Wu, X., and Aldenderfer, M. 2013 Moving Agriculture on the Tibetan Plateau: The Archaeobotanical Evidence. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (6): 255-269.
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2008 On text, materiality, and the Tibetan Buddhist religious architecture at Piyang: 900-1500 CE. In Religion in the Material World, edited by L. Fogelin, pp. 339–358. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2007 Bringing down the mountain: standing stones on the northern and central Tibetan Plateau, 500 BCE-CE 500. In Cult in Context: Reconsidering Ritual in Archaeology, edited by D. Barraclough and C. Malone, pp. 242–248. Oxbow Books, Oxford.
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2007 Modeling the Neolithic on the Tibetan Plateau. In Late Quaternary Climate Change and Human Adaptation in Arid China, edited by D. Madsen, F. Chen, and X. Gao. Developments in Quaternary Science, Vol. 9. pp. 149–161. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2006 Modeling plateau peoples: The early human use of the world's high plateaux. World Archaeology.38(3): 357-370.
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2006 Defining Zhang zhung ethnicity: An archaeological perspective from far western Tibet. In Western Tibet and the Western Himalayas: Essays on History, Literature, Art, and Archaeology. Proceedings of the Tenth IATS, edited by Amy Heller and Giacomella Orofino, pp 1–21. Brill, Leiden.
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2005 Caves as sacred places on the Tibetan plateau. Expedition.47(3): 8-13. (Also published in Portuguese in the Journal of the Brazilian Speleological Society, 2006)
-   Aldenderfer, M. and H. Moyes 2005 The Valley of the Eagle: Zhang-zhung, Kyunglung, and the pre-Buddhist sites of far western Tibet. Expedition 47(2): 28-34.
-   Aldenderfer, M. and Y. Zhang 2004 The prehistory of the Tibetan plateau to the 7th C. AD: Perspectives and research from China and the West since 1950. Journal of World Prehistory 18(1): 1-55.
-   Aldenderfer, M. and H. Moyes 2004. Excavations at Dindun, a pre-Buddhist village site in far western Tibet. In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Tibetan Archaeology and Art, edited by Huo Wei and Li Yongxian, pp. 47–69. Center for Tibetan Studies, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2003. Moving up in the world. American Scientist 91: 542-549. (also published in French in Spektrum de Wissenschaft, 2004)
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2003 Domestic rdo-ring? A new class of standing stone from the Tibetan plateau. Tibet Journal 28 (1&2): 3-20.
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2001 Piyang: A 10th/11th C A.D. Tibetan Buddhist temple and monastic complex in far western Tibet. Archaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology of Eurasia. 4(8): 138-146. (also published in Russian).
-   Aldenderfer, M. 2001 Roots of Tibetan Buddhism. Archaeology 54(3): 610-12. (Also published in Year of Discovery 2002, Hatherleigh Press, NY)

[1] https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/ca/laurence-ralph-appointed-editor

title: Mark Aldenderfer

question: What does the text say about the qualities that make a good archaeologist?

question: What does the text say about Mark Aldenderfer?

answer: Mark Aldenderfer was born in 1950. He is an American anthropologist and archaeologist. Aldenderfer is known for his contributions to quantitative archaeological methods and comparative research into high-altitude adaptation. He got his Ph.D. from Penn State University in 1977.

question: What does the text say about some of Aldenderfer's research themes and contributions?

answer: Aldenderfer's research themes include the origins of settled village life, human adaptation to high altitude environments, hunting and gathering, and early plant and animal domestication. He made important contributions to understanding the Formative and Archaic period peoples of the south-central Andes via field projects in Peru. He has directed excavation projects at the sites of Asana, Qillqatani, and Jisk'a Iru Muqu. Aldenderfer has conducted research on Buddhist and pre-Buddhist occupations in the Himalayas and fieldwork in Mesoamerica, Ethiopia, and the United States.

question: What does the text say about Aldenderfer's writing and editorial career?

answer: Aldenderfer has served as editor of several journals in archaeology and anthropology. He was the editor-in-chief for the journal "Current Anthropology" from 2008-2018. He also served as the editor of "Latin American Antiquity" and "The Society for American Archaeology Bulletin" (now the SAA Archaeological Record).


text:
If you play by the rules, it will only keep you out of trouble. I am in trouble. Tonight is my last night working for Multiple Services. I have not been fired yet, but when my supervisor reads the email I sent her in the morning, I will be fired for sure – I am sure of it.

I used to do security at the Pearl district but I was recently transferred to American Plaza Towers. My new manager has a different set of standards. My dark brown boots being one of them – security 'officers' are supposed to wear black boots. But that's not the problem.

Tonight I am on shift with Emily, the graveyard guard. I am working the D shift, which intersects with her shift. I am not with her right now. Her shift has a lot more responsibilities than mine. I am in the lounge room, lounging. I don't need to worry about doing any checks because she has the 'snitch stick' – it's a little stick we poke into little tags that prove that we are working.  I am at low risk of being caught in here, the lounge room is closed during this time of night. It doesn't matter what I do. I will be fired in the morning anyway.

Currently Emily is doing some tower checks. She is only required to do one tower check a night, but she does multiple for 'brownie points'. No one ever gets promoted. Well, unless someone gets fired or dies or quits. A lot of people recently got fired because... 'they are not with us anymore' says Gerry, the supervisor at APC. Emily was not at liberty to tell me why, but it has something to do with 'vices'.

I needed to take a shit. I was already in the lounge room so the bathroom was so close I basically just took my pants down. My ass wouldn’t cooperate with me —the last little bit hung in between my butt cheeks like a hand trying to catch a dollar bill falling to the ground. I hate this, being forced into vulgarity; I want to let go of the turd. My butt thinks the turd is valuable, I guess.

 The women's bathroom next to me started making noise. Emily must be relieving herself as well. I finished long after she did. I left the bathroom unclean because the toilet finally clogged.  Maintenance can handle it in the morning, fuck it. When I left, I saw Emily at the exit of the room, holding the door open waiting for me to leave. I walked out, uncomfortably — I didn't wipe enough. She locked the door behind us.

I entered the elevator. She joined me. I pressed the button to the basement with plans to hang out in a storage room and read. She pressed the button to the 26th floor and I got caught into doing a tower check with her. She invited me to smoke some cigarettes on the roof and talk. I don't smoke, but it sounded like a good offer.

“So how do you like it so far?” She asked.

“The elevator ride?”

“The job.”

“oh... uh, well...” I stalled, “APC lives up to it's reputation.”

“Ah, yes. You need not say more.”

There was a long silence that was only broken with a 'ding' each time we passed a floor.

“So,” I finally said, “What do the people in these condominiums do for a living?”

“Most of them are retired. That's why there are so many care givers here. But one of them I know sells stuff on Ebay. The guy never went to college and he quit his job to start up a business."

Some nerve, I thought.

"These people are all rich," she said, "somehow or another. Each time you hear that ding, the price of a room goes up."

There was a small stair case past the breezeway on the top floor that led to a freshly painted door that was bent out of shape. This door led to the roof.  She told me the correct key was the square key. I fumbled with my set for a while and found it. I attempted to open the door and she told me the key to opening the door is to shout the correct sequence of curse words. After a few moments, I understood what she meant. I was not saying the right words. She got her key out and did it in a snap.

“I've been here a while,” she said, “you get used to it.”

I wasn't used to smoking but  I really like the motions it conduces with my hand. I told her that's the only thing I like about smoking. She said that's what got her into it.

I stared out at the skyline of the city, at the skyscrapers that reach so high into society – to heights I admit I will never achieve. The view was almost worth it. I won't be able to pay for college after tonight.

“Gerry is probably going to fire me tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“She wants my DPSST card number, but I don't have it... I... lost it....”

“Well, you can just call in to get the number, right? It's in the system."

“I don't have my card.”

“Huh... I'll just go ahead and say I didn't hear you say that when she brings it up.” We took some drags. “I don't want to be here forever, you know," she said finally.

“You don't say.”

“Yeah, some people stay here for years. This job is perfect for people like you... who want to get through college. But after two or three years, it's like, what are you doing with your life?”

“What do you want to do with your life?”

“I used to go to college, but I stopped taking courses because I didn't feel like they were taking me anywhere. The guy down at Plaid Pantry has a masters degree in engineering. Right now I try to come up with something new every night and research if it's been done before. It usually has.  Basically, the way I look at it, entrepreneurism is the only way to make it in this world now. My dad has this business, it's pretty successful. Basically, he helps other people be successful.”

“Nice. Why don't you get him to help you?”

“We're not on good terms... he just wants me to successful... I'm just a security guard..." We took some drags. "The choice here is you can do a side project and hope it turns into something... or, what else are you going to do?”

“We should probably finish this tower check.”

“Right.”

We started down the tower, checking every floor. I shifted my underwear around, but it was no use. I walked uncomfortably the whole way down. Just gotta pull through.

Half way down the tower, there was a place to tag the snitch stick. Emily brought up some statistic that the vast majority of Americans all believe that some day they will all be rich, that's why they all don't support the dynasty tax. I said that was nice and waited for the chance to lounge in the lounge room again.

It was the end of my shift — the last few minutes of my having a job. As I left, I said, “see ya”. I didn't look back and would probably never see her again, but I heard Emily say “have fun”.

title: What Else Are You Going To Do?

question: Where does the narrator work for?

answer: They work for a company called Multiple Services.

question: Who is their fellow security guard this particular evening?

answer: Emily.

question: Why did the author think it would be their last night and that Gerry would fire them?

answer: The author has misplaced their security ID card.

question: Why does the author confide in Emily?

answer: Maybe they are feeling sad about the fact that it's likely their last night.

question: Write a ~5 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator has what they suspect will their final night of work with a company called Multiple Services. They think they will be fired by a manager named Gerry the following day for having lost their security card. They are on duty with a fellow security guard named Emily. The two chat as they perform security checks, and the narrator discloses that it might be their last night. In parting, Emily tells the narrator to have fun.